Zhang Dalong and his two brothers looked at Old Zhang with their sister-in-law by their side. Old Zhang’s wife was also watching her partner. In their household, Old Zhang was the one who made the final decisions, so this matter depended on his thoughts.
Old Zhang gazed at Zhang Fang with a complex expression for some time before finally speaking, saying with a hint of relief, “Fourth Brother truly understands the situation. He’s considering long-term matters now.”
Even Old Zhang was thinking about how Zhang Silang’s success could uplift the whole family. He had never considered that Zhang Silang could elevate the entire village; in other words, he had never thought that the Zhang family would pull the entire village along!
Zhang Fang’s words led Old Zhang to contemplate a lot. As long as Zhang Fang had enough influence in the village, it meant that the Zhang family held significant status there. In the future, the entire village would regard the Zhang family with respect! This matter was far more meaningful than just boasting about a son! At that time, everyone in the village would respect the Zhang family. For generations to come, they would maintain a high standing in the village!
“Let’s listen to Silang!” Old Zhang decisively agreed to this matter.
Outside, the villagers still lingered, eager to clarify Zhang Fang’s intentions.
Zhang Fang reopened the courtyard gate and faced the crowd, informing them, “Zhang Si has been under the care of the villagers for many years. Although his academic skills are lacking, he is not illiterate. He intends to do something for the villagers, so he plans to establish a school. As long as Zhang Si is in the village before the imperial examinations, he will continue teaching the children to read and write.”
The villagers were delighted, but their primary concern was whether there would be any tuition fees.
“Zhang Si is establishing the school to change the village, so that all the village children can learn to read and write, giving them a chance to succeed in the examinations. Thus, for now, there will be no fees. However, the school needs a venue, so I hope the villagers will help build the classrooms,” Zhang Fang made his intentions clear.
Upon hearing there would be no tuition fees, the villagers felt an overwhelming desire to immediately send their children to Zhang Fang. Regarding the building of classrooms, everyone was eager to lend a hand! The fact that someone from the Zhang family was educated and had achieved such status made everyone envious. They longed for their own children to thrive just like Zhang Silang! Thus, many families competed to contribute more effort in building the school classrooms.
Every day, Zhang Fang would take a stroll to check on the construction progress of the school. His main focus remained on teaching the Zhang family members to read and write. Only at night would he write plots and stories.
Zhang Dalong and the others were initially worried that they wouldn’t be able to learn to read and write, but Zhang Fang began teaching with simple characters, and they found it easy to grasp.
Old Zhang’s wife was somewhat dissatisfied with the girls learning to read. After all, she still remembered the previous incident and repeatedly told Zhang Fang that teaching girls to read was useless, planning instead to have her granddaughters work without allowing them to learn.
Zhang Fang could not convince Old Zhang’s wife and had to reason with Old Zhang instead. He explained the benefits of girls being educated and literate. For instance, if the Zhang family’s girls could read and write, they would have the opportunity for good marriages in the future rather than just marrying neighboring farmers. This argument moved Old Zhang, and he warned his wife to abandon her misguided thoughts.
Old Zhang’s wife had no choice but to relent and accept that her granddaughters could study together.
Mu Qing and the others had already returned to the academy for classes, but after waiting for several days without seeing Zhang Fang, Du Yan inquired about his situation repeatedly. Mu Qing and the others were also unclear about why Zhang Fang hadn’t returned. It wasn’t until their break that Mu Qing had the time to accompany a few classmates to the village to find Zhang Fang.
With the concerted efforts of the entire village, they managed to build the school classrooms within half a month. Zhang Fang had officially started enrolling students and had taken on the role of a teacher.
When Mu Qing and the others arrived, they saw Zhang Fang seriously teaching the village children to read, which they found difficult to understand.
Clearly, Zhang Fang was already a well-known figure and had become a student of Xu Chang. He should be focusing his efforts on studies, examinations, and writing. Why was he wasting time on such thankless labor? Teaching these village children might lead to nothing; did he really expect these children to participate in the imperial examinations in the future?
Seeing familiar faces arriving from outside, Zhang Fang assigned homework to the students, asking them to practice writing in the sand.
“What brings you here?” Zhang Fang greeted them with a warm smile, and despite wearing old clothes, he radiated a sense of light, even more dazzling than during the literary association meeting in the capital.
After entering a small room with Zhang Fang, Mu Qing asked, “We have all returned to the academy to study. Teacher Du inquired about you and expressed concern about any issues you might be facing, which is why we came to check on you. We never expected to find you teaching in the village. Why is that?”
“It’s a simple environment, but please don’t mind if you have a seat and we talk,” Zhang Fang invited them to sit on bamboo benches and poured them some fresh water.
Holding the rustic bamboo cup, sitting in this plain room, Mu Qing found Zhang Fang enigmatic and yet inexplicably admirable.
Once seated, Zhang Fang smiled and said, “While the academy provides a good environment for studying, I want to do something for the elderly and villagers back home. This is a humble room, but my virtues can enlighten it. I believe that if I can teach a batch of students, one generation after another will change this village, transforming it from a place where people cannot read at all into a community that values education. What could be more meaningful than that?”
Mu Qing and the others were stunned, not expecting Zhang Fang to have such thoughts. Mu Qing, coming from a scholarly family, understood that maintaining their family’s prestige was possible through generations of education. Yet, Zhang Fang wanted to turn a village of peasants into educated individuals. Such a notion seemed outrageous and audacious!
Traditionally, no matter who it was, they only aimed to improve their family. The fact that Zhang Fang could uplift the Zhang family was already remarkable, but now he aspired to uplift the entire village! Mu Qing and the others could not comprehend Zhang Fang’s actions.
Zhang Fang noticed that they found his actions amusing but did not explain further. He simply said, “I have a deeper understanding of ‘to help others when one is in a position to do so.’ To study and participate in government service during the nation’s troubled times, to take up a crucial role in fending off foreign enemies, is to help the world. Contributing financially and through efforts, being charitable, is also to help the world. By helping more children gain education and knowledge, producing more talented individuals, and working together towards a common goal, only then will the country become stronger.”