CHAPTER 258: CHAPTER 253: HEARTBROKEN

Zhao Hanzhang looked worried and asked, "What is the most difficult character to learn now?"

The boys also didn’t speak for a while, but Jia Shan hesitated for a moment and then said softly, "I think my name is quite difficult."

He was almost in tears and said, "When Aunt Chen asked us to choose characters for our names, she said ’Shan’ is the character for kindness, and I thought I want to be a kind person in the future, so I grabbed this character, but I didn’t expect it to be so hard to write."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him with sympathy, unable to help.

"Are there many people in the school who, like you, find learning very difficult and can’t learn no matter how hard they try?"

The boys nodded, "Yes, many!"

Zhao Hanzhang just sighed and lowered her eyes in thought.

As she was thinking, urgent footsteps sounded outside the door, and Zhao Hanzhang looked up.

The boys also turned their heads to look, as the door was wide open, and Chen Si Niang, gasping for breath, ran over and immediately entered everyone’s sight.

Chen Si Niang suddenly stopped in her tracks, the worry on her face turning to surprise upon seeing the room full of cross-legged sitters, feeling a bit dazed.

But she quickly responded, took a deep breath to steady her breathing slightly, walked to the door, and bowed deeply to Zhao Hanzhang inside, saying, "Greetings, County Lord, Chen Si Niang is here to plead guilty."

The boys became uneasy, feeling they had affected Chen Si Niang.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and waved at her, saying, "Come in and talk."

Chen Si Niang removed her shoes and went in while the boys hurriedly bowed and stood up, standing with heads lowered on both sides.

Chen Si Niang kneeled before Zhao Hanzhang, bent over to apologize, "The few children are mischievous, and it’s my fault for not disciplining them strictly. I ask the County Lord to allow me to take them back to Yushan Hall for severe punishment."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "I’ve already punished them. Of course, if Yushan Hall feels it’s insufficient, you may add more punishment."

Hearing that she could add more punishment, Chen Si Niang knew they hadn’t been expelled from Yushan Hall and let out a big sigh of relief, smiling and bowing, "Yes, I will certainly punish them severely when I return."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded and said to the boys, "You may go back. Since you don’t want to go to school, you won’t go for now. For the next couple of days, learn some skills from the cook, so you won’t be at a loss when being punished later."

The boys bowed in agreement and retreated backward.

Zhao Hanzhang said to Chen Si Niang, "I also have something to discuss with you. Let’s talk."

Chen Si Niang replied a bit nervously.

"Now in Yushan Hall, besides the elderly without family, among the orphans, how many are over twelve years old?"

Chen Si Niang replied without thinking, "There are sixty-eight."

"How many boys, and how many girls?"

"Thirty-six boys and thirty-two girls."

It seemed quite balanced. Zhao Hanzhang asked, "How are they doing in their studies?"

Chen Si Niang hesitated for a moment and said, "Most are average, but there are also very smart ones."

"For example?"

"For example, there’s a boy named Jia Xian, the same age as Jia Shan, twelve, and he is very smart and eager to learn. Even Mr. Zhao praises him for being quick and diligent."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Are there others?"

"Yes, there are two more kids in the ’Yi’ class, both twelve, just younger by months. One is named Yi Cheng, the other Yi Gui." Chen Si Niang paused and continued, "Yi Gui is still a girl, but I think she learns very well too; her teacher often laments that she’s not a boy."

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows, "In my eyes, whether male or female, what difference does it make?"

Chen Si Niang couldn’t help but smile slightly. She had officially entered the county government, mainly managing Yushan Hall, but also involved in other affairs. Zhao Hanzhang treated her equally, assigning her tasks appropriately and giving her the same salary as Song Zhi and others.

Although she didn’t lack this salary, it made her realize that, having left her husband’s and her own family, she is capable of supporting herself from nothing.

All of this was thanks to Zhao Hanzhang.

Chen Si Niang looked deeply at Zhao Hanzhang.

Being looked at with love-filled eyes made Zhao Hanzhang a little stunned. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt nervous, and awkwardly leaned back slightly, stuttering a bit as she asked, "What’s the matter?"

"The girls in Yushan Hall are all very lucky to have met the lady. I am also very lucky."

Zhao Hanzhang exhaled and laughed, "Meeting you all, I am also very lucky."

Seeing that Chen Si Niang didn’t agree, Zhao Hanzhang became serious and said, "It’s true, meeting you all is my fortune."

Not to mention how Professor Fu and she had gained more to their lives rather than perishing; if she hadn’t had their help after arriving in Xiping, it would have been very difficult to govern Xiping County well, so she is also very fortunate to have met them.

If everyone was like those sons of noble families indulging at the feast, how many gray hairs would she have grown by now?

"After the new year, the school must change," Zhao Hanzhang said. "For those who are smart and diligent like Jia Xian, most of their energy should still be focused on studying, while those who struggle with studying like Jia Shan, besides continuing to learn characters and arithmetic, must also learn other crafts."

She paused and continued, "The requirements must be stricter. Common characters and addition and subtraction within one hundred must be learned by everyone; only then can they graduate. In the future, even in farming, these skills will be useful."

Chen Si Niang always thought Zhao Hanzhang was both kind and generous. Even the richest and most compassionate people in noble families wouldn’t want to teach every poor relative to read and do math, let alone want to educate tenant farmers and laborers.

"What does the lady decide they should learn?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied, "Tofu making, oil pressing, woodworking, blacksmithing, carving, medicine, needlework, weaving, and raising silkworms, pigs, sheep, various things. All these can provide them with means to survive."

Therefore, after the new year, the school has to undergo major changes and implement tiered education.

Chen Si Niang listened, wide-eyed and thrilled. She knew Zhao Hanzhang was excellent, but she didn’t know she could be this excellent.

She moved closer on her knees, reached out to hold Zhao Hanzhang’s hand, and pressed her face against the back of her hand, "Lady, are you really the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva as they say?"

Feeling the back of her hand slightly wet, Zhao Hanzhang: ...

She was bewildered and completely clueless about the logic here; weren’t they discussing the education of the children in Yushan Hall just now?

Chen Si Niang, embarrassed, wiped her tears dry, then used her handkerchief to dry Hanzhang’s hand, and when she looked up at her, her face was already solemn, "But in this case, the school will need to set up many classes. Will Mr. Zhao and the others agree?"

Now, all the teachers in the school were Zhao Family members, all of Zhao Cheng’s students. Besides drawing maps for Zhao Hanzhang and compiling Xiahou Ren’s manuscripts, they also had to teach at the school.

The children here mostly didn’t fit the image of those suitable for studying in their eyes, so the school was noisy, and the little teachers were exhausted. If Zhao Cheng hadn’t suppressed it, they would have rebelled long ago.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "After the new year, Mr. Fu and I will personally participate in the management and teaching at the school and organize the school properly."

Currently, she lacks talent, so the county’s education cannot be neglected.