CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 261 STUDY GROUP

Zhao Hanzhang read the "Book of Changes" only after she went to university, and Zhao Hezhen, the little girl, although she has read it too, is not very interested.

She read the "Book of Changes" not for popular fortune-telling, but because she was too confused during that time and wanted to find her place philosophically.

And the "Book of Changes" is the "source of the Great Dao". Although it is awkward and difficult to understand, she was self-abusive at the time and wanted to challenge herself, so she persisted in reading it, memorized it, and studied it for a long, long time.

After giving advice to Zhao Cheng, Zhao Hanzhang ran all the way back to the county government and said to Fu Tinghan, "My ’Three Character Classic’ and ’Thousand Character Classic’ successfully attracted Uncle Cheng’s attention. With him here, promoting it further won’t be a big problem."

She hummed, "I told them these two books were good for enlightenment, but they dismissed them without even looking."

Fu Tinghan: "Congratulations."

Seeing him clear and cold, Zhao Hanzhang leaned over sympathetically and said, "Your teaching plan can only be taught by you, after all, they don’t recognize Arabic numerals."

Fu Tinghan raised his eyes, revealing more expression, and said with a smile, "Can’t you do it too?" It’s just an elementary school lesson plan, very easy.

"Uh," Zhao Hanzhang scratched her head, "It’s not impossible."

So in the afternoon, Zhao Hanzhang went to the school with Fu Tinghan.

The selected outstanding students were still sitting in the classroom, very honored to be the audience for the first class.

This time, Zhao Hanzhang sat next to Zhao Cheng, who was still flipping through the "Thousand Character Classic".

The "Three Character Classic" is very short, and he has already read through it once. It uses many anecdotes, but they are simple and easy to understand, and Zhao Cheng understood them after reading through once.

Very simple, but it is not easy to write, after all, it requires summarizing from so many books, making it catchy, and taking into account the use of commonly used words for enlightenment.

The "Three Character Classic" combined with the "Thousand Character Classic" basically covers most of the numerical learning they will use in their lifetime, and they can learn a lot of knowledge.

Zhao Cheng read and sighed, while mentally going over the scholars he knew over and over again, and found no one matching the two people Zhao Hanzhang mentioned.

It seems the world is vast, and there are always hidden talents in the wilderness, while those in the secular world become arrogant after reading just a few books.

Although Zhao Cheng looked at the "Thousand Character Classic", he could spare a shred of his mind to listen to the outside world, so he heard Fu Tinghan say, "Arithmetic is difficult to learn largely because the characters are hard to recognize; one character alone can stump many people. So today I’m going to teach you a new set of numbers that will allow quicker, more convenient calculations. I hope you take this course seriously."

He said, "Mathematics is the most universal language in the world; we might not understand each other’s language or text, but with mathematics, we can communicate."

Zhao Cheng had different views, but since it was in class, he did not raise objections.

Then he saw Fu Tinghan writing a line of symbols he didn’t recognize and began teaching everyone to distinguish them: "This is 1, this is 2..."

The students followed along to distinguish them once, very simply, not only Zhao Cheng but even the students in the class could single them out.

Although they might still not be very good at writing them.

Fu Tinghan didn’t require them to write them immediately; it was the first class, after all, he could explain it simply.

Of course, it was what he considered simple, since these students had only studied for three months, even if they were already considered excellent among the students, they still half understood his teaching content.

Zhao Hanzhang also thought Fu Tinghan’s explanation was very simple and asked several Zhao Kuan, "Did you understand?"

Several Zhao Kuan nodded, "Of course."

It’s just a matter of converting numbers, how difficult could it be?

Zhao Cheng also didn’t find it difficult, but having been a teacher for many years, he knew what stage children should learn at each educational stage, so he glanced at them without speaking.

Fu Tinghan also had many years of teaching experience; although he hadn’t taught elementary students, the eyes can express many things, and he now saw the confusion in their eyes, so he paused, turned his chalk, and asked, "Is it difficult to understand?"

The students nodded together.

Fu Tinghan quietly observed them, who then subconsciously shook their heads again.

Fu Tinghan frowned slightly, Zhao Cheng coldly said, "Knowing means knowing, not knowing means not knowing; you’re nodding and shaking your heads, who are you fooling?"

The students lowered their heads in shame.

Fu Tinghan closed the lesson plan, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let’s start from the simplest, with one plus one."

Education is a long-term progressive matter, not achievable in a day; although this is very different from the students he used to teach, Fu Tinghan is willing to be more patient.

Compared to Zhao Hanzhang’s two enlightenment books, Zhao Cheng was not very interested in Fu Tinghan’s lesson plans, so he listened and let it go.

Zhao Hanzhang disappointedly watched him leave, dared not force him, so she pulled several brothers Zhao Kuan, "Brother Kuan, let’s talk."

Zhao Kuan: "...Talk about what?"

"I remember you taught them arithmetic?"

Zhao Kuan nodded.

"Aren’t you planning to learn the new numbers with us?" Zhao Hanzhang said, "Education-wise, the writing should be unified."

Zhao Kuan frowned, "The superiority is still unknown..."

Zhao Hanzhang had already decided, "It’s settled, not only in Xiping County but Shangcai County too, arithmetic classes will mainly use Arabic numbers, and literacy classes will learn to match Arabic and Chinese numbers."

"Not only will Ting Han be here, but I will also stay to teach; several elder brothers can learn with us, only after we learn can we teach the students, right?"

Zhao Kuan found it hard to understand, "Why do you want to create a new set of numbers? Fully replacing is very difficult; what if it becomes unsuitable halfway?"

"It won’t become unsuitable," Fu Tinghan said, "We didn’t create them; we just borrowed the Arabic numerals."

Zhao Kuan tilted his head, thought for a moment, then asked, "People from Anxi over there? Have you met them? Did you see them in Chang’an?"

Zhao Liang beside him couldn’t help but sigh, "In such a chaotic world, it’s unexpected that people from the Western Regions can still come to Great Jin. Ting Han, what does the Anxi person look like? Are they as different from common people as described in books?"

Directly confirming he saw Arabs in Chang’an.

Fu Tinghan was speechless for a moment; he finally understood why they didn’t doubt Zhao Hanzhang’s "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic" at all, because they would imagine.

"Enough with the nonsense, let’s form a study group," Zhao Hanzhang pulled all the brothers within sight, "There aren’t enough teachers in the school; unfortunately, recruiting teachers is difficult. Alas, if only Uncle Ming agreed to let sisters from the clan teach."

Zhao Kuan pretended not to hear.

Zhao Hanzhang had already proactively mentioned, "Brother Kuan, I remember you have a sister..."

"She’s engaged, getting married in June."

"Isn’t there still five months? Fine, if not her, you have a younger sister."

Zhao Kuan: "She’s only twelve!"

Zhao Hanzhang: "I’m only fourteen, oh no, almost fifteen, but that’s not important; the ambitious mind isn’t defined by age. Cousin’s knowledge is exceptional, and the children in the school start learning from the basics; she can easily teach them."