Zhou Hu was talking to Yang Heshu, and he lost track of the time while he was talking. It was only when the old Zhou's family came that he realized that he had forgotten his business, and he hadn't had time to take a look at the situation in his family's field.
Yang Heshu also saw the old Zhou who led a group of people over, and Man Bao waved his hands to call his parents when he was far away, so he didn't know who they were.
Yang Heshu looked over and found that there were really many people in Manbao's family.
However, Man Bao still asked, "Father, where are the second brother, third brother and fourth brother?"
"They went to plow another field, so hurry up, why are you here, have you had lunch? Your sister-in-law doesn't know if there is any left for you to eat."
Man Baogang and Bai Shanbao Bai Erlang ate a lot of snacks, but they didn't feel hungry, so they said, "I'm not hungry."
Old Zhou looked curiously at Yang Heshu and talked to him.
Zhou Dalang and others have already filed into the field and started working. He and Zhou Hu pull the plow, while Wu Wulang holds the plow. He has learned how to hold the plow now, and when the old Zhou Tou doesn't want to hold the plow, he basically leaves it to him.
Of course, he now has to take turns pulling the plow with Zhou Dalang and Zhou Hu.
Yang Heshu asked, "Isn't it easier for two people to pull the plow?"
"That's right, if you pull it alone, there won't be a lot of good meat on the shoulder after a day, and it will grow in the future, so don't dare to work too hard. Sir is also a teacher?"
Yang Heshu smiled and said, "I also teach."
Old Zhou Tou had a natural affection for the teacher, and said with a smile: "Teaching is good. Those who can teach are people with great ability."
Yang Heshu asked with a smile, "Are there many people studying in my husband's house?"
"Many," said old Zhou, pointing to the big and small grandsons and granddaughters in the field with great pride, "here, even the youngest grandson is already studying."
Yang Heshu opened his mouth wide, and looked at Manbao in surprise. Such a family is still poor
When has he not seen the poor
Man Bao opened his mouth to speak, but Yang Heshu asked before her with a smile, "Who is Mr., I don't know how far the school is, how much is Shu Xiu for a year?"
"Ah?" Old Zhou came to his senses, his old face was smiling like a chrysanthemum, and he said cheerfully, "No money, no money, it was taught by my daughter."
Man Bao, who was pointed at by old Zhou, puffed out his chest and looked at Yang Heshu proudly.
Old Zhou Tou said with some regret: "My daughter is the only one who is smarter in our family. She learns things quickly. Her brothers and nephews and nieces are not as good as her. It takes a long time to learn two words, okay?" They don’t need money to study, but take up some time.”
Yang Heshu obviously didn't expect it, and asked in surprise, "The books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone always cost money, and the old man is willing to spend a lot of money on them."
Along the way, not to mention ordinary and poor families, even richer farmers dare not send their children to school easily.
He asked them what they thought, and they all said that it was difficult to read and read. If the family had some money, they would send their children to study. And maybe forget, isn't this a waste of money
You know, for ordinary people, the cost of books, pens, inks, papers and inkstones is also very high. They can already recognize a lot of characters in two years, and basically some of the simplest books can be read intermittently. If you can't continue to buy books and continue to practice calligraphy, you will almost forget it after a while.
We must know that young people learn things faster, but also forget things faster.
Yang Heshu counted the heads of the old Zhou family's children, and nodded secretly. To buy so many books, pens, ink, paper and inkstones, it seems that the old Zhou family spent a lot of money.
But by the same token, their family is certainly not very poor.
Unexpectedly, the thought just flashed by, and the old Zhou Tou laughed loudly, and said happily: "Mr., it seems that he has never suffered. There are books at home. What books do you want to buy?"
Old Zhou Tou pulled his daughter to his side, and praised Yang Heshu: "My daughter's husband is a good man. Every time a new textbook is needed, he will copy a copy for her. Man Bao has learned it, and I can practice calligraphy by myself when I go home. At the same time, I copied one or two books. If the copy is not good, I will show it to the children at home. If I copy it well, I can return it to my teacher. Get a copy from Mister for some pen, ink and paper fees."
Yang Heshu opened his mouth wide.
"I don't expect them to be teachers in the future. In fact, I think that people in the country will learn how to farm the land, and then they can count and write their own names. In the future, they can calculate the taxes to be paid by themselves, and they don't have to look for them. Lizheng is helping, you can also sign your name on the mark, and you don’t need to draw a circle.” This is really the true idea of Old Zhou Tou, “But my wife and daughter all say that reading is good, if it is good, then read it, anyway they Going out to play at home is better than squatting in the yard and learning to write with a stick."
Yang Heshu: "... so there is no pen, ink, paper and inkstone?"
"Oh, those things are very expensive. My daughter and her brothers went out to sell sugar and made a lot of money. The money was basically spent on pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Occasionally, the family had to give her some. A box of ink is enough to buy several It's a catty."
Man Bao distinguished, "It's only three catties."
"Three catties is not much, enough to eat three times."
Yang Heshu now understands that it doesn't cost much to study with so many people in the old Zhou family, basically just need to pay for the pen, ink, paper and inkstone of Manbao.
He touched his chin thoughtfully, and glanced over the people of the old Zhou family one by one, only to find that, except for Man Bao who was wearing half-worn cotton and linen clothes, the clothes on the other people of the old Zhou family were all A lot of patches were made, and he also saw that there was a piece of the creaking nest named Wu Lang, which hadn't been sewn up yet.
It's really like what Man Bao said, their family is very poor.
However, Yang Heshu looked at Man Bao, and then at a group of children who were fertilizing and sowing seeds in the field, and finally felt that something was wrong.
He smiled and asked old Zhou, "I see that other families send boys to study. Why is it the opposite for old man's family?"
Old Zhou Tou said without even thinking about it: "Then Mr. doesn't like the other children in my family, he just likes Man Bao. Besides, my grandchildren are not as smart as my daughter. My daughter is very good at reciting books. You can memorize it three or four times. Those boys read it with their hands behind their backs for a long time. Once they close the book, they can’t remember the first sentence. They go to read with the teacher, and they can’t teach others when they come back. .”
Yang Heshu nodded, looked at the proud Man Bao again, couldn't help but smile knowingly, this is really the number one in a hundred miles, oh no, is it the second smartest person
He asked Man Bao curiously, "You said you used to be the smartest person in a hundred miles around, who told you that?"