Don't worry about traveling through time, she has an all-powerful senior sister to help her

Shen Songzhu only knew that the county magistrate had taken office last year, and it was unknown whether he could serve for the full three years or be re-elected.

"Any other one might not be as good as this one." Shen Lingzhu was a little tired of squatting, so he pulled him and said, "Brother Songzhu, take my place for a while."

She handed the saw over, rubbed her little shoulders and went to find her aunt to feed the chickens. She didn't notice the person who took the saw standing by the stool, not knowing how to start.

"Brother Songzhu, you should draw the lines and try to finish drawing all the wooden boards before binding them today." Shen Miaozhu, who was standing by, saw that he was uncomfortable and knew that he couldn't do it.

Shen Songzhu gently put down the saw, hesitated for a moment and said, "Miaozhu, I heard from grandma about the clan school. Ever since the story of my fifth uncle spread, students from other villages have been dropping out.

Moreover,” he paused and continued, “In recent years, the clan school has been implementing monthly exam rewards. The copper coins and pens and ink rewards for the top ten each month add up to more than one or two taels of silver.

Adding the extra meal money allocated by my eighth uncle, it’s at least twenty taels of silver every year.

But I didn't take the exam in May because my eighth uncle didn't provide any more financial support.

"A few grandfathers went out frequently two weeks ago to inquire about how other clan schools are maintaining their operations. They are discussing whether the children in the clan should pay money or grain for schooling in the future. The harvest from the sacrificial fields is really not enough to provide free education for everyone."

“It’s been free for many years, so if we start charging money, there will definitely be objections from the community.

By the way, who set up the monthly exams?" Shen Miaozhu understood immediately. The clan school was supported solely by the family. This model of spending more than it earns is extremely unhealthy.

Grandma is conveying this message to her own family. Don't misunderstand the elders, they are also taking this opportunity to stop putting in any more money.

"The previous Grand Master of Education once visited a relatively famous school and made many suggestions. He intended for our clan school to serve as an example.

At that time, my fifth uncle had just returned to Beijing, and my eighth uncle expressed his strong support. At that time, Shen Songzhu and my grandmother both believed that the rules of the monthly exams should be changed.

Shen Miaozhu nodded slightly. It turned out that Mr. Chi was considering his uncle. At that time, the family had more than ten taels of silver. She asked, "Does the land and house of the clan school belong to the clan or my grandmother?"

"Before my great-aunt became seriously ill, she handed everything over to the clan." Just as Shen Songzhu finished speaking, the voice of Village Chief Xia came from outside the gate.

He reached out to stop Shen Miaozhu: "I'll go and receive them."

But someone rushed out faster than him. Shen Lingzhu ran to the door and saw that only Village Chief Xia was there. "Grandpa Xia, please come in."

Xia Lichang waved his hand and said, "I have no face to go in."

Shen Lingzhu and Shen Songzhu, who had just walked over, looked at each other and asked in tacit understanding what had happened and whether they should ask their aunt to come out.

Headmaster Xia continued to wave his hands, and handed a roll of paper tied with a red string in his other hand to Shen Lingzhu, asking her to give it to Mrs. Hu for a review.

After taking it, she gave Shen Songzhu a look that asked for help, then ran back to the yard.

When Mrs. Hu untied it, Shen Lingzhu tilted her head to read the full text. It was the deed in which the village leased the riverside land to her grandmother, and the lease would expire at the end of this year, exactly ten years later.

"Aunt, doesn't the land belong to ours?" The lease contract must have been confiscated when the house was searched.

Hu shook her head: “No, but I didn’t expect the lease to expire.

"When your grandmother tried to buy the land several times, someone always tried to stop her, saying that the river fed two streams from the mountain and that it was where the Dragon King patrolled and protected the village, ensuring good weather and good harvests, so it couldn't be sold to a private individual."

"Grandma, you can choose to study in another place."

"Of course my mother-in-law wanted to choose another place, but there was only that large piece of relatively flat land in the whole village, and the other places were either cultivated fields or other people's residential land.

Your uncle was just a seventh-rank official at the time, and when we opened our clan school, we never went to buy other people's land." Mrs. Hu sighed.

He said, "I think they want the clan school to move out. We can't afford to pay a hundred taels to renew the lease."

"What should we do with the house we built?" Shen Miaozhu, who had been listening quietly for a long time, asked the key question.

Hu thought for a moment, "Maybe someone wants to buy it, otherwise the village head wouldn't make it difficult."

She took the two girls to the gate. Shen Xiao's wife came over and asked if the men should go see the head of the village. Mrs. Hu said it was not a big deal and did not need anyone's protection.

When they arrived outside the gate, Village Chief Xia first said that it was not a good time to visit, but the Shen family school was about to suspend classes, and the children in the village would be greatly affected if they went to the community school at this time.

"Grandpa, the village head, please tell me directly who wants to take over the clan school." Shen Lingzhu really couldn't stand him beating around the bush and not getting to the point.

Moreover, she personally believed that there was nothing wrong with the clan school, which had always been supported by her family, being accepted.

If the Shen family has the opportunity to open a school again in the future, they must not follow the previous path.

Chief Xia paused slightly. Seeing that Mrs. Hu didn't say anything to the children, he gritted his teeth and said, "This... is our Xia family's main house. Zhao Xiucai and Yunzhong will teach the children."

Hu signaled Shen Lingzhu to ask, "Have the uncles agreed?"

"I half agree." Xia Lichang coughed twice. He had naturally talked to the head of the Shen family with the head of the eldest house. After all, after the eldest house took over, the clan school belonged to the Xia family, which was an honor worthy of comforting the ancestors.

He said, "Look, wait for Wu Huai to come back in a few days and ask him to discuss the housing prices with us again..."

"No need." Mrs. Hu flatly refused. "The land used for the clan school and to support expenses has already been handed over to the clan. Everything will naturally be decided by the elders.

Whatever the outcome, we have no objection, and thank you Xia Lichang for taking this trip."

"In that case, I'll take my leave." After receiving the confirmation, Xia Lichang left immediately.

But as he was about to enter the village, his second grandfather, Shen Dexian, strode up to him and blocked his way, saying, "Old Xia, you are being unkind. Are you going to look for my Wu Huai?"

"Brother Xian, you don't want the children who are studying to run more than ten miles to the market, do you?

The teachers at the community school have been coming and going in recent years, and the children have been changing teachers every few days, so they really can't learn well. "Children Xia didn't expect all the children to learn anything.

But in the past ten years, any child who has studied in the Shen family school can find a job that is easy and well paid when they go out to work.

"The Shen family school only needs one or two months to adjust and repair the house, just enough to avoid the peak summer.

At that time, the girls will move in with my eldest sister-in-law to learn needlework, and the clan school will only accept boys. "Shen Dexian was most opposed to giving up halfway, but since the children finally had their own school, he had to grit his teeth and support them.

The poor harvest from the fields was clearly visible, and he believed that most people in the clan were willing to pay some money to allow their children to continue their studies.

But the girls will probably suffer a loss. If they are not provided with a free lunch, half of them will not allow them to study again.

He asked, "Are you accepting the benefits and wanting to collude with Xia Tongsheng?"

"Brother Xian! I'm not that kind of person. Wu Huai can't even take care of himself right now, so why should I rely on him to cover the expenses of the Shen clan school?

I tell you clearly, his wife agrees to dispose of the clan school." Village Chief Xia pushed him aside and stormed off.

Shen Dexian was stunned on the spot, and it took him a long time to recover and find the foot of the mountain.