Struggle in Ancient Times

The student looked at each other, they never had seen a teacher gave them candy. A brave kid stepped forward and took the candy from Liao Tingyu, he said loudly, “Thank you, teacher.”

Liao Tingyu patted his head gently, “Keep up the good work.”

Then other students started come one by one, once done, Liao Tingyu went back to pack his things and watched his students left with books on their back.

.

“It’s the weekend, do you want to go home?” Li fulang asked Liao Tingyu.

“Yes. It’s time to go back and see the family.” Liao Tingyu nodded his head.

“That’s good.” Teacher Li was thinking about something but a little hesitant to say it.

“Teacher, is there something wrong?” Liao Tingyu asked him.

“Well. Tingyu, you are already off age. Shouldn’t it the time for you to talk about marriage?” Teacher Li finally voiced out his worry.

Liao Tingyu felt like he was struck by a lighting, “Teacher, I’m not in a hurry. I remember I have an appointment in the village, I will be leaving first.” He answered faintly and ran away.

Teacher Li stroked his beard, “This young master has a thin skin.”

.

.

Liao Tingyu laid down on the ox cart and looked at the sky on the way home. While his father was chatting away with a group of people in the village. These days, he was sought after to talk about the Qingshan Academy.

“You don’t know, the school is beautiful and bigger than a rich mansion in the city. There is a river inside; it was filled with lotus flower and big fat fishes. I even eat there; it was a coarse grain with two small oily dishes. This was the only free lunch there.” Liao Ming sat on the stone and blow up the story.

In fact, he didn’t eat anything at all, he just listened to his youngest son talking about the student’s life. Anyway, these villagers never went there and couldn’t visit the school. It didn’t matter, he could talk whatever he wanted.

“Okay, xiao-erzi actually wanted to buy me meat dish. I didn’t want it; I was scared it would cost a lot. The eating place was like a restaurant, the dishes probably around ten wens or more. I can’t bear it.” Liao Ming talked about his experience while the uncles around him nodded their heads. Whatever he said, they all agreed.

“That’s right. I eat in the restaurant last time. They charged me ten wens for a bowl of noodles. They only added a fried peanut, how outrageous!” Everyone immediately supported him. Afterall, the things in the town had always been expensive. Small farmer with hard life would find it too much.

“In the end, my youngest son was filial. He still bought me two meat slices; my heart was throbbing. It was two wens; the meat slice was long and full of fat.” Liao Ming gestured with his hand and everyone swallowed their saliva, thinking about that meat slices.

The uncles were drooling thinking about the meat dish, the treatment of this school was so good. No wonder the youngest son from Liao family was white and tender, but he was slender.

.

When mother Deng came back from work in the field, she saw her husband talked with group of people. He was talking hotly about her xiao-erzi in the town. She felt uncomfortable, she hadn’t heard enough from him but he kept talking with other people. She pulled Liao Ming clothes and said,

“Old man, why are you talking so much? What good food you ate, these uncles are greedy for it. Why don’t you talk about other things, how about the living place? Was it good? It is a free dormitory; I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”

Liao Ming patted the stone beside him and mentioned for mother Deng to sit down, “I will tell you; the dormitory was built beautifully. I think it’s only two years, the inside was clean and as big as our main room. My child luck is really good, the new room was really good. I have seen the other teacher’s room; it was a little bit old.”

“Wait, is the teacher live in the school?”

“They don’t live in the school but they have their own room to rest. Especially for the winter, the school provided charcoal for them. A catty could be sold for few wens.” Liao Ming explained calmly.

The villagers felt they gained new insight, these people in the town were really different from what he thought. They thought the teacher life was really good; they didn’t need to pay for the free meal, there was a good house prepared. They also received payment every month, how could there be such a good thing in this world.

Studying was indeed a good thing and a talented scholar was a formidable one. The villagers all thought they must let their sons learned in the school. From what Liao Ming had said, the scholar life was so good. It seemed that this family would rise up, their thatched house might be changed into big house with green bricks.