Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 828: Enlightenment
He had already cut off Widow Gu's hair, making her look like she had alopecia areata, and the handle of the knife had knocked out several of her teeth. Now looking at Widow Gu's miserable appearance with a mouthful of blood, this is actually called acting weakly?
Before, the villagers had seen Ye being rude to others and indifferent to Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince. At most, they would send some food boxes to them from time to time. As for Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince, they would only wave the ruler at a group of children who were listening to the class in a fierce manner, and they did not seem to be arrogant at other times. Therefore, after getting along with them for a long time, they inevitably stopped treating them as noble figures.
When Widow Gu started to make trouble and extort money, the villagers who were angry that their children didn't get a chance couldn't help but want to watch the fun, but Zhang Shou reacted violently and violently as soon as he appeared, and the village chief also suddenly turned against Widow Gu, followed by Miss Ye, who used to be a little cold and inconspicuous. She actually disciplined Widow Gu to such a state, and they finally knew they were afraid. At this moment, I don't know how many people were silent, and there was complete silence all around.
The village chief's face was filled with embarrassment, but Zhang Shou ignored him. After saying goodbye to the Ye family and their group with a smile, he saw them leaving with the ordinary-looking girl whom the village chief called Xiao Wei. He then greeted the furious Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince, and when he saw Xiao Cheng and Xiao Huasheng hurriedly pushing the two ignorant children in front of him, he asked them a few questions.
However, whether it was because they were afraid or because they had not yet recovered from the scene, Bai Shanshan and Bai Xiaoshui answered incoherently, showing no intelligence. In the end, the fourth prince woke up quickly and rushed over to explain in a low voice: "Teacher, Bai Shanshan has a good memory, but he is not good at memorizing books, he is good at memorizing numbers."
"He can recite the fifty digits of pi you taught me after listening to it twice."
Ever since Zhang Shou officially promoted "New Edition of Ge's Mathematics", the first thing he did was to standardize the various terms and terms that he was familiar with. So when the Fourth Prince started talking about pi, he couldn't help but chuckle, and then he looked up and down thoughtfully at this young man who was obviously extremely sensitive to numbers.
Of course, he would not doubt the Fourth Prince's words, nor was he interested in asking him about this question again on the spot. He nodded and asked with a smile, "What about the other one?"
This time, Zhang Chen, who had diverted his attention from the scene of Ye's sudden attack and wounding people, quickly responded, "This kid is the most diligent and the most serious one... Of course, he has good talent too. He went from not knowing a single big character to knowing hundreds of characters. Although he can't write that many characters, I saw him learning to write stroke by stroke on the mud several times."
Zhang Chen paused for a moment, then laughed dryly, "Many ancient people have stories about practicing calligraphy on the sand. I don't know if this kid has heard of it and then imitated it, but no matter what, this kind of hard work is rare."
If it weren't for the scene just now, now that the villagers knew that the person in front of them was the famous scholar Zhang from the capital, they would have rushed forward to recommend their own children and grandchildren. However, Zhang Shou showed his side as a person who was not easy to bully when he arrived, and Ye showed his powerful side in public, so they didn't dare to act recklessly.
Even if some people were very dissatisfied with the so-called qualifications of Bai Shanshan and Bai Xiaoshui, they only hid there and murmured a few times. At this time, they only heard Zhang Shou say: "Then take them to the capital to stay for a few days and send them back before the New Year. If they are really talented, let them go to the public school and they can enjoy financial aid later."
Zhang Shou said so, and although the village chief was unhappy, he had to smile and say yes, and tried to persuade Zhang Shou to stay and have some food before leaving, but was politely declined. So he had to follow the original play he had prepared, and let the children who had studied for a month line up and recite some Tang poems that Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince had taught them these days as a farewell.
Thirty or forty people standing in a neat row, they looked impressive. Zhang Shou listened and found that all the children were looking at him eagerly. He couldn't help but smile and asked Ah Liu to get a large bag of candied meat jerky that had been prepared long ago from the car. He gave each of them a piece. For a moment, all the children were naturally happy and smiling.
When Zhang Shou asked Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng to take the two children who had never left the village to another carriage he brought, he asked Zhang Chen and the fourth prince to get on his own carriage. As the carriage gradually drove away from the small Baijia Village, he clearly noticed that the big and the small were obviously a little uneasy.
Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince indeed felt as if they were in another world.
It's not like they haven't seen real civilian life, but seeing it is different from actually living with people, and not for a day or two, but for a month, and witnessing with their own eyes their busy daily routine of eating and working.
How could they, who were high up, have ever suffered such hardships? Even when they were teaching, they were really irritated by those dull and ignorant peers. But seeing these people never changing, as if there would never be any change, and they could not see any future life, Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince, who had learned to think, could not say that they felt the same, but they were also deeply annoyed.
Especially before leaving, they encountered such a scene. They even felt that this month was completely wasted - such ignorant and selfish villagers, no matter how many benefits they gave or what they taught, it would be useless!
Therefore, after getting on the carriage, as the carriage moved forward, the two did not speak for a long time. Zhang Shou, who came to pick them up personally, knew the source of their emotions without thinking, so he did not speak, but sat there leisurely with his eyes closed to rest.
After all, the farewell banquet just now was neither breakfast nor lunch. In the words of later generations, it could probably be classified as brunch, so he had to set out from the capital early in the morning to catch up. But he was still very tired after rushing all the way, even if he was not riding a horse or walking. Just when he was half asleep and half awake, he heard the weak voice of the Fourth Prince.
"Teacher, I've heard teachers say before that those who work with their minds rule over others, and those who work with their hands are ruled by others. This seems to be an eternal truth. So, many laborers work hard just to have enough food and clothing, and only after having enough food and clothing can they have the strength to continue working. Continuing to work is still just to have enough food and clothing, and this cycle repeats... Then what is the meaning of their lives in this world?"
This was also a question that had been on Zhang Chen's mind, but he didn't expect that the Fourth Prince, who was much younger than him, would actually ask it. For a moment, Master Zhang's face darkened, and he even felt a sense of crisis that the little brat was about to catch up with him. However, if he were to further expand on the Fourth Prince's question, he would feel a little embarrassed. However, he really wanted to know the answer.
So, Master Zhang simply kept silent and waited for Zhang Shou's answer. But to his surprise, after a long while, he heard Zhang Shou's laughter: "Well... I don't know."
Zhang Chen had never heard Zhang Shou say "I don't know" so clearly before, and he looked up in surprise. When he looked at the Fourth Prince again, the little guy was also staring at Zhang Shou in surprise, and he obviously didn't expect such an answer.
"I'm not a god, how can I know everything?" Zhang Shou opened his eyes and smiled at the two in front of him. "Because of some master-disciple relationships, I know more than you, and my knowledge seems to be quite broad, but it is limited. Zheng Yan, the question you just raised has exceeded the scope of my learning. Of course, I can give you some reference."
Zhang Shou sat up straight, looking calmly at the two people in front of him who were slightly different in status but had similar temperaments: "You have stayed in Baijia Village for a long time this time. Have you ever found that children who are thirteen or fourteen years old... no, over ten years old but illiterate have already formed habits and fixed their thinking. No matter how much effort you put into teaching them, it will be half the result with twice the effort."
"Moreover, at such a young age, they have already learned the cunning methods of adults. Even when they are studying, they are more thinking about being lazy and how to get the reward you promised in the laziest way."
"Children who are a little younger, around seven or eight years old, have a stronger receptive ability. Whether it is learning to read and write, or learning other things, as long as they are given a little bit of sweetness, they may really try hard, but this concentration will not last long because they are inherently fickle. So maybe they will give up after their interest is gone."
"Younger children, around four or five years old, are either confused and muddleheaded, not understanding anything, or have strong imitation and learning abilities. Those with better aptitude can even recite poems and learn words faster and better than older children."
Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince looked at each other at the same time, and they both felt that Zhang Shou had always been concerned about the progress on their side, so he knew the situation so clearly.
So, this time Zhang Chen rushed to say: "That's true, but the two people we selected this time, Bai Shanshan and Bai Xiaoshui, are actually only eight and nine years old, but they are both very hardworking and dedicated..."
"Even if they are diligent, you have to be diligent first. However, when you leave, many people will not be able to consolidate their memories, and will forget what they have learned after a few days. This is also normal, because the memory and comprehension ability of children under ten are different from those of older children. The so-called aptitude may be the same as Zhongyong in The Story of Zhongyong, and they may become indistinguishable from the crowd as they grow up."
"Think about it. If you hadn't gone to Baijia Village this time, how many poems would those children who were able to recite a few Tang poems to me at the farewell party have heard in their entire lives, and how many poems could they recite? And if you left and never came back, how long would it take for them to forget what they have learned now?"
Seeing that Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince looked thoughtful, Zhang Shou smiled slowly.
"And those children who are so poor in talent that they could only recite those simple poems haltingly when they were seen off just now, blending in with the crowd and following the crowd, if they really started reading and writing at the age of five or six, do you think they can really read well?"
"Obviously, the answer is... No. In fact, just like you, Zhang Chen, don't like to study, even if you provide the best study conditions for children from ordinary families and let them study from a young age, there are still many who simply can't continue to study. One of my teachers once told me that genius is 99% hard work and 1% talent. But..."
"But that one percent of talent is better than ninety-nine percent of hard work! What's the most frightening thing in this world? The most frightening thing is that someone who is more talented than you works harder than you! Therefore, some people are destined to be laborers no matter how hard they work."
The last two sentences were very unpleasant for Zhang Chen, who never considered himself a genius, and the Fourth Prince, who was certain from actual conditions that he was not a genius and that his third brother was most likely a low-key and hardworking genius.
Zhang Shou, however, seemed not to notice their strange behavior and leaned back leisurely.
"Even if they are geniuses, there are still people who are more talented than geniuses. For example, there are hundreds of people who pass the imperial examinations in each subject, but how many of them can finally become prime ministers? And among all the prime ministers from ancient times to the present, how many of them can be recorded in history, and how many of them can be named by even a street kid?"
"Most people are just like what you just said, Zheng Yan. They have the energy to work only after they have enough food and clothing, and they work very hard just to have enough food and clothing, and the cycle repeats itself. A few people don't have to worry about food and clothing, and are born well-off, prosperous, or even wealthy. However, there are also many people who only know how to eat and drink all day long, and after three generations, their families fall into poverty, and their descendants are no different from ordinary people who just want to have enough food and clothing."
"Some people have lofty ambitions, but lack the ability to match them, and spend their lives in mediocrity yet are cynical. Some people have the ability to govern the country and benefit the people, but their moral character is different, so one thought can benefit the people, and another thought can bring disaster to a place. And then..."
"When dynasties change and things change, some people stand out. Among these people, how many actually come from remote villages? In a peaceful world, they would be considered incompetent and would be mediocre all their lives and never make a name for themselves?"
"So, the people in the small village lack vision and guidance. Even if you work hard for them for a month, they may just watch and gloat over the nonsense of a foolish widow, instead of standing up to speak for you... This is the reality. Because they let their sons study with you for immediate benefits, not for future benefits."
"They don't think studying is useful. The reason is very simple. Our dynasty has the imperial examination, but the questions in the imperial examination are based on the pattern. Is there a future for those who can afford to buy anthologies of contemporary essays and study them every day, or for those in the village who have only studied contemporary essays for a few years with a private school teacher but cannot afford to buy and have never read the articles of famous writers?"
"They were born with bad luck, so even with the so-called fair imperial examinations, they are still far behind the city dwellers, not to mention the wealthy and scholarly families. And they don't have any visionary parents. There are many who sell their children for a little money and call them parents who care about them!"
"The widow Gu wanted to use her stepdaughter to extort money today, so I can still find a way to deal with her. But if the biological parents wanted to extort money from their children, or sold them to some shameful place, who can do anything about it?"
Zhang Shou narrowed his eyes slightly, then sighed softly: "So, the so-called education, after all, is to enable children to have more knowledge than their parents, and to teach their children to have more knowledge than them in the future. This cycle repeats, with each generation becoming stronger than the previous one, and only then can the people's wisdom be truly enlightened!"
