Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 130:

As soon as Zhang Shu and his family sat down, the villagers gathered at his house.

Everyone sat down and chatted casually. No one mentioned the school, but no one left either, quietly waiting for the village chief to arrive and break the silence.

Zhang Shu saw through it but did not say anything. He simply continued the casual conversation, eventually mentioning that he had gone back to the county and found a teacher from the Mo Family Academy to come and oversee the school. The old man had been knowledgeable, upright, and not old-fashioned—truly a great choice!

The more Zhang Shu praised the teacher, the more the villagers had seemed eager to send their children to study. One by one, they exchanged glances, hoping that someone else would take the first step, but no one made a move. They all began to wonder,

Why hasn’t the village chief come yet?

The village chief had indeed been delayed, but the villagers did not know that and assumed he had backed out for some reason, forcing them to take the initiative.

“Zhang Shu, old man here is a bit shameless, but I’d like to ask you something. If it doesn’t work out, please don’t take offense,” an elderly man spoke up.

Zhang Shu smiled inwardly—finally, they could not hold back. But he kept a calm face. “Uncle Fu, please speak. Ordinary matters are easy to discuss.”

The villagers’ hearts skipped a beat—could learning to read and write really be considered an “ordinary matter”?

“I was just thinking, weren’t you going to build a school in the village? I didn’t have much family background, but there were enough people in my household. When the school was built, you could call me, and I’d bring my whole family to work together. I hoped my grandson could attend and learn a few words. Of course, we’d pay the tuition.”

“You old man! You want to finish the work with just your family? Zhang Shu, I felt the same as this old man.”

“Yes, yes, we thought so too!”

The villagers had chimed in one after another. It was like opening a sluice gate—once the dam broke, the flood came rushing in.

Zhang Shu saw that the moment had arrived, so he stopped holding back. “Fellow villagers, please listen. I had actually thought about this, but I was worried it might affect your livelihoods, so I didn’t say anything. But after hearing what everyone said today, I realized I was wrong. Everyone was trying their best to provide opportunities for future generations, so I, Zhang Shu, wouldn’t stop you. Here’s my plan. Since I was starting the school, I would take responsibility for it. When the time came, everyone would be paid according to the work they did, with no ambiguity. Once the school was built, you could bring your children to attend. As for tuition, I would ask the teacher, and it wouldn’t be too much. Please write down your names so we could arrange tables and chairs.”

Zhang Shu’s words resonated deeply with the villagers. Why had he put his face on the line that day? It was all to secure some benefit for the future of their children. It was clear why Zhang Shu had become prosperous—his open-mindedness and integrity were qualities that would naturally lead to success.

Li Mujin went inside to get the four treasures of the study. “Everyone, don’t worry. Come up one by one. Uncle Fu, you go first.”

Uncle Fu walked up proudly. “My grandson is Zhang Dacheng, and he was seven years old this year.”

Li Mujin nodded and wrote down Zhang Dacheng’s name. His handwriting hadn’t been particularly elegant, but it was already impressive in the eyes of the villagers.

Before, Li Mujin hadn’t been seen as particularly outstanding in the village, but now he could read and do calculations, which made him stand out. If their family had someone who could read, it would benefit the whole household.

Li Mujin wrote down the names of all those who came to the house, and everyone returned to prepare. Li Mujin looked at the paper and counted. “Ah’shu, a total of twenty children have signed up. There were at least thirty-five or thirty-six children under twelve in the village.”

“It’s fine. If they don’t come, we’ll pretend we don’t know,” Zhang Shu said, his resolve firm. “Apart from Dabao and the two from the village chief’s family, who were already confirmed, we’ll put the others aside for now, saying there’s no more space. The opportunity was right in front of them, and if they were too hesitant to even try, then that was their choice.”

Zhang Shu was no longer as soft-hearted as before. If the villagers couldn’t even make an effort, what was the point of talking about education?

“Mm,” Li Mujin nodded, looking at Qianjin, who was playing with his brother inside. In two years, Qianjin would also go to school.

On the day the school officially started construction, the Zhang family slaughtered a pig to entertain the workers, as was the custom. The pig had given birth to piglets after mating, and now, after five or six months of raising, it was just the right size for tender meat. Everyone smacked their lips in delight as they ate.

Aunt Ma and her sister returned to help again. Yu Xiaoliu had become the Zhang family’s steward, responsible for inspecting the fields and purchasing goods. As he brought a few villagers to carry bricks, Zhang Shu assigned him a different task.

Yu Xiaoliu was very satisfied with this life. He had grown taller and stronger in the past few years, enjoying better food and drink at the Zhang family’s home. If asked to clear silt now, he was sure he wouldn’t collapse like he had in the past.

Once the firecrackers went off, everyone started working with renewed energy, more motivated than ever. They had worked for others before, but now they were working for their own children.

As the school slowly took shape, everyone felt a surge of excitement. After generations of toil, there would finally be children who could go to school. It was a rare opportunity. If the children didn’t study hard, they would have to return home and kneel on bamboo boards every day.

At the beginning of August, the school building was already completed, with only the tables, chairs, and benches left to be moved in.

The school was a building with four rooms in total. Two of the rooms were designated for studying, to be divided into an introductory class and an advanced class.

The introductory class was for children with no prior education, teaching them to read and write. The advanced class, on the other hand, would be selected by the teacher, focusing on children who were both talented and diligent in their studies, preparing them for future exams to become tongsheng (students of the lowest level in the imperial examination system).

The other two rooms were bedrooms, in case another teacher was hired and needed a place to stay. These two bedrooms were divided into a front hall and a main room—small but enough for one person or even a small family. A small kitchen was built to the right of the school. In the winter, whoever had time could cook hot soup for the children, as studying could be a very tiring task.

On the fifteenth day of August, Zhang Shu’s carriage quietly brought a man from the county. Everyone had been in awe of this ordinary-looking old man, for he was to be their future teacher!

There had been an old saying: “A person without facial hair is unreliable.” This teacher, with his full beard, certainly looked knowledgeable.

In fact, Zhang Shu felt relieved. Though Master Huang was old, he had a big appetite, eating two large bowls of rice at every meal. He didn’t look like someone with a short life expectancy.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the tables, chairs, benches, and other items were ready. Zhang Shu went to the county town to buy a set of paper worth three hundred qian, dozens of brushes, ink blocks, and inkstones.

Since the children were just beginning to learn to write, they used rough-edged paper, and Zhang Shu bought four rolls of it. He also bought one roll of rice paper for the teacher. Just these purchases had cost him more than twenty taels of silver. As expected, studying was expensive.

Master Huang had been very pleased with the supplies. He looked impressed—it was clear that Zhang Shu was serious about running the school. If Zhang Shu had been short-sighted and reluctant to spend money, Master Huang wouldn’t have stayed long.

He asked Zhang Shu to open his two boxes. When Zhang Shu did, he found that they were both filled with books—a treasure trove!

Zhang Shu was overjoyed. These books were invaluable. There was no place to buy books, even if they wanted to. The children in the village were truly fortunate.

With everything ready, the school was set to open. Zhang Shu went to the village chief’s house and announced that registration was open.

By the time the sun rose the next day, many villagers were already waiting outside with their children and cloth bags on their backs.

The bags contained gifts for the teacher: wealthier families brought smoked chicken and duck, while poorer ones offered a bag of grain or a few bunches of vegetables. The gifts were modest compared to those from wealthier families, but the sincerity was heartfelt.

At dawn, Master Huang sat at the head of the introductory class, and Zhang Shu called out the names of the students one by one to pay their respects to him. Master Huang asked each child’s name and age, and he could immediately tell their qualifications based on their tone and demeanor.

When it was Dabao’s turn, he came in with someone else. Zhang Shu smiled when he saw it. Wasn’t that his family’s young ger?

Dabao puffed out his chest and proudly gave his name and age. After paying respects to the teacher, Qianjin stood in front of Master Huang.

Imitating Dabao, he puffed out his chest and said, “Hello, teacher. My name is Zhang Qianjin, I’m three years old. Please accept me as your disciple!”

Master Huang, having spent a few days with him, could see how seriously he took things, so he teased Qianjin a little. He flipped through the list and said, “Oh, I don’t see a Qianjin here, but there’s a Zhang Yao. Little Qianjin, you can’t go to school.”

When Qianjin heard this, tears filled his eyes, and he looked at Zhang Shu with a pleading gaze. Lately, the only thing he had heard about was going to school. Why couldn’t he go?

In his little heart, going to school seemed like a big deal, and everyone else was going—even if he didn’t quite understand what it meant.

Zhang Shu laughed and picked him up. “Little fool, you’re Zhang Yao. Grandpa Huang is just joking with you! But you’re still too young. When you’re as big as your brother Dabao, you can go to school.”

Qianjin was upset. Why did he have to grow up to do everything? When would he be big enough?

Zhang Shu, unaware of his little baby’s confusion, continued to call out the names of the other children.

Twenty-three children quickly introduced themselves, sitting upright in the bright and spacious school, not daring to say a word.

All the adults, including Zhang Shu, stood outside, watching as Master Huang led the children in a ceremony to honor Confucius and his disciples, then explained the rules of the school. Finally, he presented a long wooden ruler.

Zhang Shu observed the children shrinking back and thought to himself, It’s good they’re scared. Otherwise, country children can be wild; at first, they may be scared, but once they get familiar, they’ll act up. The ruler is there to make sure they don’t waste the elders’ hard work.

The students began studying in an orderly manner, and a few children outside the school peeked in. When they saw others watching them, they quickly left. These were the children whose elders hadn’t brought them to register. Some even went to the village chief to complain but were scolded and sent back.

Zhang Shu had hoped more children would join the school, and he had wanted all the children to learn. However, if the elders kept up this attitude, there was nothing he could do.

Master Huang hadn’t initially planned to take in tributes. He received his meals from Zhang Shu’s family and a monthly salary of two taels of silver. But to teach the children that studying wasn’t easy, he divided them into two groups: one group paid for firewood, rice, and flour in the first half of the month, and the other paid in the second half.

The villagers were delighted. They didn’t have to pay money—just provide firewood, rice, and flour. Nothing could be cheaper than that.

On the first day of school, Zhang Shu hosted a banquet in the village to celebrate the bright future of Shuitou Village. Although Master Mo and Master Nan didn’t come, they sent people to deliver gifts.

Master Mo sent a box of books, and Master Nan sent a cart of the four treasures of the study. They had planned to attend but had to go to the capital city for the autumn exam results and couldn’t get away.

Zhang Shu appreciated their gestures and decided to reciprocate in kind when the time came.

In the quiet of the night, Zhang Shu lay in bed, reflecting on the past few years. The past had vanished like smoke, and the present was the most important.

He had yet to touch the jewels hidden in the mountains, for he understood that no matter how much wealth a person had, if they weren’t upright, it would only hasten their downfall. The treasure was left there as a safeguard for disasters—both natural and man-made. He believed that, with his own hands, he could support this piece of land.

It was another beautiful morning. The villagers were busy harvesting in the fields, their hands never stopping. The sound of children reading aloud echoed in the air:

“Heaven and earth, mysterious and vast; the universe, ancient and boundless.
The sun and moon waxed and waned; the stars and constellations were arranged in order.
Cold came and heat went; autumn brought the harvest, and winter stored it away…”

(Translator’s Notes:This is the opening of the Thousand Character Classic (Qiānzì Wen), a classic Chinese text used for early education, written in a poetic and rhythmic style.)

This year was another good year!