mtlumby2d Chapter 438 Ants Trying to Shake a Tree
Chapter 438 Ants Trying to Shake a Tree
"90 coins."
"70 coins."
The two men each gave their own answer.
Lin Chang'er nodded. According to the normal charging standard, it was quite little, but it was the maximum they could afford.
The family only had 10 coins left for expenses each month, and 10 coins might not even be enough to buy salt.
Lin Chang'er swallowed the food in her mouth. "Can you two represent the village's opinion?"
The two looked at each other and nodded.
Zhoujiacun said, "We know that this number is already a favor from the big boss. In other places, it would be far from enough."
The villagers from Shanghe Village nodded in agreement. "Brother Zhou is right. It was just wishful thinking on our part. We shouldn't have even considered sending him to school. If the landlord agrees, it would be an immense favor. If we have any other ideas, we would be truly ungrateful."
Seeing that the two were honest, Lin Chang'er nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Do you intend to send all the school-age children here, or only the boys?"
The two paused, recalling what Zhou Hai had just told them.
They certainly wouldn't say they only send boys to school, but they also know in their hearts that most families are unwilling to put in the effort to send girls to school.
She'll get married sooner or later anyway, so isn't that just spending money on her family?
But they said it tactfully, “Of course we hope our children will be successful, but most girls are capable and can help with chores by the age of six or seven. I’m afraid most families are too busy with farm work to let their children do it.”
Lin Chang'er understood. The words were phrased tactfully, but the meaning was the same: why send a girl to school? They definitely wanted to send a boy to school.
She understands the thoughts of people in this era, but she is unable to empathize with them.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Here's what you'll do: go back and tell the villagers that if a family sends both a boy and a girl to school at the same time, each person will receive 300 catties of firewood as a fee every six months."
"If there are only girls in the family, each girl gets 300 jin of firewood. If there are two sisters together, they get 500 jin of firewood."
"What if there are only boys?"
Lin Chang'er said, "If it's only a boy, it'll be 50 wen per month plus 100 jin of firewood."
"This……"
The two men looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
At this moment, Zhou Hai said, "It's the same whether you have a boy or a girl. Girls can hold up half the sky too. Only boys can come to school to do anything!"
"Since you asked today, I'll also benefit from this."
"Chang'er, your aunt's sister has two daughters in Xixiang Village. If they want to come to school, could you charge them the same price?"
Lin Chang'er nodded, "Sure, why not? Uncle Hai, you've reminded me that our village is generally peaceful now. We can gather everyone together and tell them that if any of our relatives have children who want to go to school, we'll accept them too."
Zhou Hai clapped his hands happily, "Great, now every household has someone here, so there's no need to postpone it. I'll go tell everyone the good news right now."
After saying that, he picked up an earthenware jar and started banging it.
Once everyone's attention was focused on him, Zhou Hai shouted, "Folks, just now, Chang'er gave us another benefit."
"Our relatives and friends in the neighboring villages, those with school-age children who want to go to school."
“Each boy will receive 50 coins for tuition and 100 jin of firewood per month.”
"If it's a boy and a girl together, each person only needs 300 jin of firewood within half a year. If it's sisters together, both of them only need 500 jin of firewood."
"To all those going on blind dates, think carefully: who brought us all this good life right now..."
"It's Chang'er!"
"Yes, it's Chang'er. Why does Chang'er have so many ideas? And why does she know so much?"
"Chang'er is decisive and has also received an education."
So, do you all think that reading is important?
"important!"
The small canteen instantly erupted in cheers; the villagers of Linshui Village were even happier than during the Spring Festival.
“This is wonderful, my dear sister-in-law. Every time we visit relatives, she envies our child for being able to go to school.”
"That's right. In the past, our village was dirt poor, and we could only beg for alms. Now, thanks to Chang'er, we can finally give back to our relatives."
"I'm going to visit my relatives and friends first thing tomorrow morning to tell them the good news."
The men from Zhoujia Village and Shanghe Village who came to help also gathered around to inquire about the situation, and heard that they were being treated the same way.
They were all happy for a while, but then someone would worry and say, "Can't we make an exception for families that only have boys?"
Lin Chang'er pursed her lips, "If there is only a boy in the family, you can ask the neighbors if there are only girls, or cousins, and they can be sent together. It will still be counted as a brother and sister or a sister and brother coming together."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with smiles.
On the way home, Lin Beishan carried Yudian'er and followed beside Lin Chang'er, saying, "Daughter, how did you come up with this idea of traveling with your brother?"
Lin Chang'er twitched the corners of her lips and told him about the replies from the previous two villages.
After listening to her words, Lin Beishan curled his lip and said, "Let alone this era, even in our place, the preference for sons over daughters has always been difficult to change."
“You’re right to do this, let them enjoy the benefits of having a girl first.”
Lin Chang'er didn't think so. She said, "This is only temporary. Just you wait and see. There will be a lot of unexpected problems later."
Lin Beishan had a pretty smooth life in his previous life, except that at the end, he was tricked by his own eldest disciple.
But in his mind, things were always straightforward, so he couldn't imagine what other strange things could happen given the circumstances.
However, he also realized that in this place, her daughter's words carried more weight than Zhou Hai's.
So there's nothing to worry about; we'll just deal with whatever comes our way.
He was bored today, so he took a stroll around the village with Yudian'er in his arms and found that their method of pressing sugarcane was quite traditional and a bit laborious.
He leaned closer and whispered to his daughter, "Honey, how about your dad and I get you a juicer? That way, we can save a lot of manpower and reduce the cost of sugar production."
Lin Chang'er paused for a moment and said, "Do you know why I've always used this most primitive juicing method?"
Lin Beishan, of course, didn't know, and honestly shook his head.
Lin Chang'er sighed, "In this era, salt and sugar are extremely profitable, and the cost of workers is actually not high. The reason I didn't improve the juicing method before was to provide more jobs."
Lin Beishan clicked his tongue in surprise, "I see, but wouldn't that greatly reduce your profits?"
Lin Chang'er added, "Sometimes how much money you can make is secondary; what matters is how much you can do. Even if it's like an ant trying to shake a tree, who knows if it will succeed?"