Chapter 110: Establishing a School

The villagers, seeing all the Daoist priests leave the temple, laughed and teased, "It's rare—you all finally gathered together."

Wang Feiyin chuckled, "Not quite all—we're still missing Lao Er and Xiao Er."

"That's right—how's Yin Song doing in Jingcheng? Has he been promoted again?"

Wang Feiyin said, "Promotion isn't the main thing—he took the official post primarily to serve the country and the people."

Villager: "So he hasn't been promoted then."

Wang Tianyi was instantly silenced.

Wang Feiyin looked around and said, "Hurry up and get to work—clear all this away before noon, and sweep the inside and outside of the Mountain God Temple before nightfall."

The junior monks and disciples all responded and picked up baskets and carts to load the debris.

The larger stones should be moved to the edge of the ditch; later, if any villagers need them, they can come and take them away themselves.

The broken stones can be used to fill roads.

The dirt roads become full of potholes after rain, especially where carts pass, forming even deeper holes.

And Jiangnan has plenty of rain.

At this time, if you fill the potholes with broken stones that don't sink easily, tamp them down, then cover with soil, you'll get a superb road.

Once the large stones were moved, and the remaining wood and scraps were sorted to one side, everyone filled baskets with broken stones and went all around the village looking for big potholes to fill.

When villagers saw them filling roads, they immediately called their children—boys and girls alike—to help clean the Mountain God Temple.

Children naturally love to gather around excitement, and now that the farming season was over, it was the perfect time to run wild.

At the adults' call, they rushed over in a flurry toward Pan Yun and the others.

They got along best with Tao Yanbai and Miaohe, so they ran up to greet them and asked, "Where's Wang Xiaojing?"

Tao Yanbai said, "You're from the same village—why ask me about Wang Xiaojing?"

"Didn't you take him away? He hasn't come home in twenty days."

Pan Yun said, "We brought him back yesterday."

Upon hearing this, the children immediately dropped them and ran off to find Wang Xiaojing.

Compared to these little Daoist priests, the village kids had more to say with Wang Xiaojing.

Wang Xiaojing, rare to be home, had slept in, but when the kids came looking, he ran out with them, diligently helping load broken stones, dump them into pits, and tamp them down.

He even took them to places where they could dig soil, hauling back plenty to cover the broken stones.

With so many children helping, the accumulated debris in and around the Mountain God Temple was quickly cleared away, and the temple was swept clean; the dust and mud swept up were all loaded into baskets and dumped into the pits—waste was put to maximum use.

By the time they finished, it was nearly the hour of Wei.

The children were all ravenously hungry.

Wang Feiyin decided to take out half the meat and pork ribs that Wang Cong had stored at Wang Xiaojing's house the night before, give them to Grandpa Wang, and boil a large pot of pork rib and radish soup; using the rib broth as base, he cooked each child a bowl of pork noodle soup.

Since today marked the official completion of work at the Mountain God Temple, payment was due—the assisting villagers and craftsmen were all invited to eat at the Wang household.

Tao Ji couldn't help with filling pits or digging soil, so he went to the kitchen to lend a hand.

Grandpa Wang smiled at him, "Your cooking's gotten better! Back then, you and your Second Senior burned down the kitchen—you two ran all the way down the mountain fearing Second Ya would beat you. Your Second Senior was fine, but you cried all the way down."

Tao Ji's face instantly flushed red. He glanced outside and saw everyone still working at the Mountain God Temple, no one near the shed; the red faded slightly. He whispered, "Grandpa Wang, that's ancient history—please don't bring it up again."

"Won't mention it, won't mention it. By the way, Young Tao Daoist, what do you know about Yu Qing, the head of the Yu family who's taking my grandson as a disciple?"

Tao Ji said, "My Fourth Sister and Little Sister have both met him. They're good at reading faces—if they said nothing, it means the Yu family is trustworthy. Let Xiaojing go without worry."

Grandpa Wang's eyes crinkled with delight. He kneaded the dough harder, nodding repeatedly: "Good, good."

Yu Qing was indeed trustworthy.

Pan Yun and Wang Xiaojing said, "I've observed Yu Qing's aura—he's upright and honest. If you study under him, work hard and behave properly, you'll surely learn real skills."

Wang Xiaojing nodded firmly, "I'll study hard, Little Master, thank you."

Without the Three Pure Ones Temple people bringing him, he'd have had no way to even approach the kiln master.

He couldn't just walk up to someone and say he wanted to become an apprentice.

Becoming an apprentice requires connections—if you lack them, you must pay heavily.

His family originally arranged his woodworking apprenticeship by asking his uncle-in-law to make the introduction, then spent three hundred cash to secure it.

So when he didn't go, his Second Uncle immediately stepped in—it was simply too rare an opportunity.

Now, without relying on his family or spending a single coin, he'd become a porcelain apprentice himself—his future was no less promising than woodworking.

Pan Yun smiled and patted his shoulder, "It's your own strength—we only made the connection. You became an apprentice because of your effort. But if you want to go far on this path, achieve great things, you can't just learn how to fire porcelain."

"Then what else should I learn?"

Pan Yun swiftly pulled out a book: "Learn the law!"

She said, "To survive in the mortal world—and to advance within it—you must understand its rules. Their rules are written in the law."

"The Great Ming Code is too detailed, too hard to memorize. Start with the Great Gao—it contains many cases. Study them carefully. Though the law isn't as strict now as in Hongwu's time, the roots remain the same—the essence won't be wrong."

Wang Xiaojing pulled his hands back, "I—I can't read well, and I'm slow. I'm afraid I won't understand even if I read it."

"That's why I brought you the Great Gao—it's mostly stories. If you can't grasp theory, can't you still enjoy stories?" Pan Yun shoved it into his arms. "Treat it like a storybook. Once you've read the stories, think about their meanings, the laws involved—that's how you'll integrate it all."

"When you can understand the Great Gao, I'll give you the Great Ming Code. Once you've finished reading the Great Ming Code, combined with what you learn from the Yu family, I can't promise you'll rule the Great Ming—but your confidence will be ten times greater than it is now."

Wang Xiaojing: "Really?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Really!"

Wang Xiaojing accepted the Great Gao: "Alright, I'll read it when I get home."

"If you don't know a character, just ask someone. There should be plenty of literate people in the village, right?"

Wang Xiaojing shook his head: "Not many. Only the people from your temple can all read."

This surprised Pan Yun. She blinked. "Then what? Are there any literate people at the Yu household?"

Wang Xiaojing shook his head: "Only my master knows a few characters—his level is about the same as mine."

So there was no one to ask.

Pan Yun fretfully scratched her face. "Then it's just a matter of fate. Circle the characters you don't know and the passages you can't understand—we'll teach you when we meet again." Nearby, Wang Feiyin frowned, thought for a moment, then turned to ask the village headman, who was helping out: "Where do the children in the village go to school?"

"To Dayuanwu, of course."

Wang Feiyin nodded. "It's not far. Are many children going?"

"Not many. Most only stay two or three years before returning home. Take Wang Xiaojing—he studied for two and a half years, said he couldn't keep up, and ran back himself. Now, only two households still insist on sending their children to study."

Wang Feiyin sighed. "This won't do. Though Fenshui Village isn't large, it's not small either. With so many children, how can only two persist in studying?"

The village headman replied: "There's nothing we can do. First, the children truly dislike studying. Second, every household struggles—supporting a student costs a lot of money and loses a laborer."

"Don't underestimate children's labor," the headman said, pointing at Pan Yun and the other two. "Children their age, boy or girl, can work as half an adult. Wang Xiaojing's age? He's as good as a full adult—except for heavy labor. Planting rice, sowing seeds, fertilizing, weeding—he does it all just like an adult."

"Send them to school, and you lose a laborer. They just eat and drink for free, plus you have to spend money on books, ink, paper, brushes, and tuition. Tell me—how many households in this village can afford that?"

Wang Feiyin frowned. "What if the school were built right here in the village, and no tuition was required?"

The headman: "Then maybe seven or eight households would send their children."

"What if you added one meal a day?"

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The headman: "Another seven or eight households."

"What if the top three students received a full year's books and a complete set of ink, paper, and brushes?"

The headman: "Then roughly half the households in the village would be willing to send their children."

Wang Feiyin said: "Then we'll do it."

Pan Yun turned to look at him.

Wang Feiyin said: "I'll pay for it. Is the old schoolhouse still standing? Repair it. If it's too ruined, use my ancestral home for the school. I'll hire the teacher, pay the tuition, and provide one meal a day. The children only need to bring their books and ink, paper, and brushes."

The headman was stunned. "Master Wang, are you serious?"

Pan Yun was stunned too. "Big Brother, is our Daoist temple really this rich?"

Wang Feiyin sighed. "Never skimp on education. We must give the children a way out. Reading is the best path—even if they never take the imperial exams to become officials, they'll still have far more options than illiterate children."

The headman was moved. He seized Wang Feiyin's hand. "Er Ya, you're still you. All these years, you haven't changed."

He wiped his tears. "You've been holed up on the mountain these past years, rarely coming down. I thought you'd grown tired of us."

Wang Feiyin: "... I was just in seclusion cultivating."

"I know, I know. The moment you mentioned starting a school, I knew you'd been delayed by something."

The headman decided—he wouldn't take payment.

Pan Yun heard this and grew tense. "No! Starting a school is one thing. Building the Mountain God Temple is another. You must take this payment!"

The headman froze.

Wang Feiyin urged him: "Take it, take it. If you don't, she won't sleep soundly at night. Hahaha…"

In the end, the headman was persuaded to accept the payment.

After distributing all the wages, Tao Ji checked the accounts and told Pan Yun: "You gave us money for the temple—there's seventy-five taels left."

"That's quite a bit," Pan Yun thought, then said: "Keep twenty-five taels to furnish the Mountain God Temple. The remaining fifty taels go to the temple—use them to fund Big Brother's school."

Wang Feiyin smiled warmly. "My little sister understands me."

Pan Yun nodded. "Education—I understand it. But I'm worried: can our temple sustain this? Running a school isn't a one- or two-year thing—it's ten, twenty, even longer."

Wang Cong felt greater pressure. He whispered: "Father, maybe wait two more years. Next year, when I get my ordination certificate, I'll go out and earn money before we start."

Wang Feiyin patted his head. "Don't worry. I'll handle this myself. I need to hire a teacher anyway. Once the Mountain God Temple is complete, I'll leave to find one."

Autumn and winter are good times for infrastructure projects.

This is when the autumn harvest ends and farm work is less busy—people can spare labor for many tasks.

The headman and Wang Feiyin confirmed three times: the school would open next spring. He returned home, gathered all villagers for a meeting, and the next day began repairing the old schoolhouse.

The building was old, even damaged—it didn't matter. Each household donated something or money, and with leftover wood and stones from the Mountain God Temple, they built two new classrooms.

Unlike the Mountain God Temple, built entirely of stone and brick, the schoolhouse had a stone foundation but upper walls of sun-dried mud bricks—cheap, quick to build, far faster than the temple.

Five days would be enough.

After laying the bricks, they stirred mud paste, plastered the entire building, then added another thick layer—warmer in winter, cooler in summer.

Aside from being ugly and damp in spring, it had no other flaws.

The whole village poured immense effort into the school, while the Three Pure Ones Temple devoted most of its energy to the Mountain God Temple.

Perhaps because she'd labored all day on the Mountain God Temple, Pan Yun had no other misfortunes that day—only two falls.

Even when she and Seeing Miao Zhen went to shear pig bristles, nothing went wrong—no sudden pig rampages like before.

When villagers heard Pan Yun wanted pig bristles, they enthusiastically shaved the hair from their pigs' necks and backs and brought it to her.

Pan Yun kept saying, "Enough, enough!" but no one listened—they insisted on giving her more, convinced she hadn't received enough.

Every household with pigs shaved their animals—today was a strange day in pig history.

Pig life is hard.

Fortunately, winter was coming. These pigs wouldn't live more than a few months—maybe three.

Pan Yun finally carried a large sack of pig bristles up the mountain. Wang Feiyin refused to fly her back—he said the bristles smelled, and the smell was strong.

Pan Yun handed the sack to Wang Cong.

Wang Cong hesitated, then silently reached out and took it.

Pan Yun opened her arms toward her beloved Big Brother.

Wang Feiyin paused, then lifted her up and flew swiftly up the mountain.

He set her down before the mountain gate, expressionless. "Little sister, you have talent. Focus on your cultivation. Strive to reach the First Waiting Realm soon—then you can learn to fly with objects."

Pan Yun's eyes sparkled. "Big Brother, don't worry—I'll work hard in my cultivation."

Today's lucky number is any number ending in 5. Screenshot as proof, add the "Great Ming" group, find Moyan to claim the reward.

(End of chapter)