Princess of Nongmen

Chapter 390 List of Official Schools

Liu Ya asked the price of the processed fox collar, and Fushun said, "Ordinary tanned fur costs one penny and two feet, but that refers to rabbit skin, sheep skin, dog skin and so on. Mink skin and fox skin are expensive. The size of the fox skin brought by the girl has to be calculated according to the size of two feet, because the fox tail is more troublesome to deal with. The manual cost of making a collar is eight cents of silver a piece, no matter what The leather is all at this price. Although the girl is making two collars, one of them requires my master to stitch the leather together, so the price is a bit more expensive. This pair of collars will cost at least two dollars. Calculated in this way, the manual cost of making a pair of collars from that fox skin is four qian."

The manual cost of a pair of collars is four renminbi, and buying two ready-made collars costs one or two or three renminbi, which is not that expensive after including the price of leather goods.

Liu Ya said: "It costs one, two or seven dollars in total, can it be cheaper?"

"This is really impossible. The leather goods we receive are all the best, and the tannin potion is also prepared by the master himself. Even if you wear it for more than ten years, it will not shed hair. Some stores stretch the leather to make it look longer. If Zhang Mink can produce two collars, the price will be cheaper. But our family can’t do that.”

Seeing that Liu Ya was still frowning and remained silent, Fushun said, "Well, the price can't be cheap. Let me give you a pair of gloves. I think you came here on horseback, and the reins will wear out if you pull the reins." Your hands are rough, it would be much better if you wear gloves. I will pick out a pair of good sheepskin gloves for you, girl."

Liu Ya then nodded and said: "Brother, you really know how to do business, then buy it."

While agreeing, Fushun went to find a pair of sheepskin gloves, handed them to Liu Ya and said, "Girl try it, I think this size is suitable. Besides, you only need to give the money for these two collars today. The rest of the manual fee will be paid when you pick up the goods. My master has a lot of work on hand, and this pair of collars will take at least three days to complete. Girl, when you come to pick up the goods, what do you not like? The local master can make some changes for you. However, don’t worry, girl, my master’s craftsmanship is exquisite, as long as the customers are not particularly picky, they will be satisfied.”

Liu Ya nodded, took the sheepskin gloves and put them on for a try, they were really the right size.And the workmanship is really good, the seams are handled very carefully, and the thick needles are not loosened just because of just a pair of gloves.

Liu Ya took out the silver and paid the money, and asked Fushun to wrap the two collars separately.

Taking advantage of Fushun's siege, Liu Ya asked: "Brother, let me inquire again, have you heard that the town is going to open a government-run school?"

"I heard that it spread in the first month. I heard that all the children from poor families are accepted. There is no tuition fee, but you have to take an exam to get in. The exam date is set on the tenth day of the lunar month, which is not a few days. It's time." Fushun wrapped the collar and handed it to Liu Ya, and asked again: "Girl, are you going to take an exam, or are your family members taking the exam? It seems that this government-run school doesn't accept girls."

Liu Yadao: "I want to send my younger brother to study, but I don't know if there are any special requirements for the exam. Brother, how much do you know, tell me about it."

Fushun said: "How do I know? I can write my own name, and I can keep accounts. Those who can read are all the names of these leather goods in the store, so I don't care about this school. But Well, the government-run school is open on South Street, and there is a notice posted there, girls can go and have a look."

"Well, I'll go and have a look myself. Thank you." Liu Ya thanked her, put the two collars in her bag, and went out.

After leading the horse, Liu Ya walked towards South Street.The street she walked by just now is Dongjie Street, and when she turns south, she can see houses of rich families and a small yamen, which should be the office of the mayor of Guyushu Town. place.Going forward, it will be the end. There are two academies, and there is indeed a notice posted on the door of one of them.

Liu Ya walked over to have a look, and saw that it was said that the government-run school in Guyushu Town would teach free reading and literacy to children from poor families in the countryside or in the mountains.

The conditions also stated that children who want to come to Shangguan School do not need to register in advance, but they must pass the unified examination on the tenth day with their family registration certificate.Only those who pass the exam can enter the school to study.

However, the notice also stated at the back of the notice that children who come to the public school will not be charged tuition fees, and will also arrange accommodation in a unified way, but they will be charged two renminbi a month for food.

Liu Ya did some calculations, and if the two renminbi were converted into copper coins, it would be 240 Wen, and the average daily food expenses for each child would be [-] Wen.This price is not cheap for children from poor families in the countryside.As long as the government takes the money and spends it on the children's meals, they will definitely be able to eat well.But if the government still deliberately deducts some, then I am afraid that these children will have to eat chaff.

Moreover, the rule of taking an exam to enter school sounds reasonable, but it is actually quite weird.Just think about those children who grew up in the valleys, it is not easy to get this news, and if the family is too poor, they may not be able to afford the two yuan a month for food.

What's more, for children from really poor families, there may not be a single literate child in the family for several lifetimes, and they have to pass an exam before they can enter school. This threshold is too high.It is estimated that those who can pass are the children of squires and stewards.

However, these conditions are not a big deal to Liu Ya, since the passing guest Brother Zhang gave them this news, it may still be of some benefit.So Liu Ya planned to bring Xiao Shu'er directly to the exam on the tenth day of the lunar new year.

Originally, I came here today to ask questions about the exam, but now that I have seen the list, I feel at ease.

Seeing that it was still early, Liu Ya thought about going home as soon as possible, and discussing the details of building the house with Chun Niu, and the construction could start tomorrow.

It happened that when walking back, she passed by a jewelry shop, Liu Ya remembered that Xiao Shu'er had been asking her and Liu Xu'er to buy some jewelry to wear, and even gave her money.Before going to the city, I was busy and didn't have time, so I just went in to have a look.

The jewelry store is not big, but the things inside are quite complete.Bracelets, tiaras, rings, earrings and necklaces are all available.But they are all made of gold and silver, not inlaid with pearls or gems.

But those things are too fancy and Liu Ya doesn't like it very much.I looked at the silver earrings and chose two pairs of small ones.One pair is in the shape of a small leaf; the other pair is in the shape of a small ball. The workmanship is not bad, and it looks very delicate.

(End of this chapter)