lcionline Chapter 177: Sujia Village School Opens
Chapter 177: Sujia Village School Opens
Butler Li delivered the clothes he had bought to Zhu Daru and took them to the courtyard where the retired veterans lived. "Excuse me, is Master Zhu here?"
"Yes, who are you?"
"Hello, Master Zhu! I'm Li Hai, the steward of the Su Mansion! Young lady, I asked you to bring me the clothes and shoes I bought for you and the young master!"
"That's not possible. We, the grandfather and the grandson, live and eat here, and we can't let the girl spend money!" Zhu Daru declined.
"Master Zhu, this is something my young lady specifically instructed me to buy according to your and the young master's sizes! This is also a token of my young lady's love! I hope Master Zhu will accept it!"
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhu Daru accepted it! "Please ask Butler Li to thank the girl on my behalf!"
"Okay, Master Zhu! I will definitely convey your message! Then I, this old servant, will take my leave!" Butler Li bowed and took his leave!
"Thank you, Butler Li!"
.........
Zhu Daru watched Butler Li leave! His mind was filled with thoughts!
It's said that Zhu Daru's ancestors were all officials, but he chose to teach and educate people. Therefore, he has many students, and many of them have a seat at the court! There are also leaders in other industries! Therefore, many officials in the capital want to make their children his disciples! Many forces have tried to win him over, but he refused them all! Therefore, the extermination of the Zhu family this time was also caused by these forces. Since they can't be used by me, they can only be destroyed...
Zhu Daru returned to the room and put the clothes on the bed, "Chen'er, come and try on the clothes!"
"Grandpa, do you have new clothes to wear?"
"Uh-huh, yes!"
"Grandpa, who bought this dress?"
"It was bought by Su Yatou!"
"Oh, my little sister bought it for me!" Zhu Yuchen happily put on the new clothes!
Zhu Daru also changed into new clothes!
The village chief struck the gong and shouted, "It's time for the meeting. Everyone, go to the entrance of the ancestral hall!" The villagers heard the sound and walked towards the entrance of the ancestral hall one after another!
When all the villagers arrived, the village chief opened his voice and said, "The building of the village school has been built! The money for building the village school was also donated by Su Qing!"
"Tsk, Miss Su is rich, so she should donate!"
"Widow Li, what are you talking about?"
"I said that Su Qing's family is rich, so it's only right that they donate some money!"
"Oh, Su Qing's family is rich, it's theirs! Why should she donate to build a school in the village? It's for the good of our village! Widow Li, you are so heartless! Su Qing donated money to build a school in the village out of kindness, and not donating is her duty! Su Qing thinks the same as you, Su Qing might as well use the donated money to buy meat for herself, wouldn't it be delicious?"
"That's right, Widow Li! You'll chill Qingbao's heart if you say that!"
Widow Li was immediately speechless!
"Alright, quiet down! Those who enroll in the school will receive eight hundred wen (approximately 100 silver coins) a year. This is a welfare benefit for the people of Sujia Village. Children from other villages will receive one liang (approximately 100 silver coins) a year as tuition!"
"Village chief, you won't embezzle this money yourself, will you?"
"Widow Li, from now on you will pay the master's monthly salary!"
"Why should I pay money to the master!"
"You won't tell me, am I embezzling the registration fee?"
Widow Li immediately fell silent!
"Fellow villagers, the tuition for these children is used to pay the teacher a monthly salary! The teacher's monthly salary is three taels! If you want to send your child to school, please go to my house to sign up! Classes will start in seven days! If you have any objections, please keep them to yourself! If you don't mind, please disperse and go home!"
Three days passed in the blink of an eye! These past few days, people have been coming to the village chief's house with their children to sign up for tuition!
People from several neighboring villages also heard that Sujia Village had built a village school. Some families with better financial conditions also brought their children to the home of Village Chief Su to register and pay tuition!
In a blink of an eye, it was the first day of school, and all the children who had registered to go to school arrived!
The start of school is full of curiosity for children who have never been to school before...
The start of school is a very ceremonial word, it represents a new beginning. A unique opening ceremony will become a new starting point in a child’s life.
In ancient times, new students attended a grand "opening ceremony." This ceremony was considered one of the four great rites of passage, on par with coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. Children typically entered private schools between the ages of four and seven, with rituals like "opening the school," "breaking the school," and "breaking the dream." The "opening ceremony," as passed down from the Book of Rites, has remained unchanged for millennia.
The ancient "opening ceremony" included straightening clothes, paying homage to the teacher, washing hands and mind, and the opening ceremony of writing.
According to the Book of Rites, "The beginning of etiquette lies in straightening one's appearance, harmonizing one's complexion, and smoothing one's speech." Etiquette begins with one's speech and behavior: neat clothing, a dignified expression, and gentle speech. Therefore, the first lesson of the ancient opening ceremony was "correcting one's attire," believing that "correcting one's attire first leads to understanding the principles of life." Upon entering school, new students stood one by one, and the teacher helped each student adjust their attire. Then, the students lined up in front of the classroom, standing respectfully for a moment before being led into the classroom by the teacher.
After entering the school, students would hold a ceremony to pay homage to the teacher. First, they would kneel on both knees and kowtow nine times to the great teacher Confucius, and then kowtow three times to the teacher.
After paying respects to the teacher, students present the teacher with six gifts, a bundle of six pieces of dried meat. "Xiu" refers to dried meat, with one piece of dried meat being called a "liu" (脡), and ten pieces of dried meat forming a bundle. The "sui li li" (sui li) refers to the six gifts students gave their teachers during the ancient ceremony of paying respects to their teachers: dried meat strips (to express gratitude), celery (to symbolize diligence and learning), lotus seeds (to symbolize painstaking education), red dates (to symbolize early success in high school), longans (to symbolize fulfilled merits), and red beans (to symbolize good fortune and prosperity).
After the apprenticeship ceremony, students must follow their teacher's instructions and place their hands in a basin of water to "cleanse." This involves washing both sides of the hands and then drying them. This symbolizes cleansing the hands and mind, removing impurities and preserving essence, hoping that students will be able to concentrate on their studies without distraction.
"Kaibi" (opening the pen) is the ancient term for a child's initial literacy and rituals. Only after this stage of enlightenment could a scholar enter school. This final ritual of the opening of school included cinnabar-dipped writing, drum-beating, and tracing the red ink to open the pen. "Cinnabar-dipped writing" involves the teacher using a brush dipped in cinnabar to place a red dot between the student's eyebrows. Because "dow" sounds like "wisdom," it symbolizes the student's awakening wisdom, clarity of vision, and rapid understanding of future studies. The tradition of "beating the drum to open the pen" originates from the inscription in the "Xue Ji" (Study Records), which states, "Entering the school, drumming the box, and studying one's studies." The purpose of this "tracing" is to emphasize the importance of studying through the warning sound of drumming. Under the teacher's guidance, students learn to write the first Chinese character, "人," implying that learning begins with an upright conduct. The ancients created the character "人" with a simple stroke, yet it leaves endless room for imagination.
After completing this series of rituals, school officially begins. Enrolling in school and receiving an education is a crucial period for a person's socialization. Etiquette education is a crucial component in educating students about how to behave, how to treat others, and how to conduct themselves in society. It holds immense significance.