Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1232 3 points like

Cui Jinyin thought the words on the paper were ugly and the drawing was not good, but for some reason, she just couldn't take her eyes off it.

She came from a wealthy family. Although she was neglected by the Cui family for a period of time when she was young, the Cui family would never mistreat her when it came to reading and writing, after all, she was known as the "eldest daughter of the Cui family".

How could a young lady of such high status not read or be literate?

For her, precious writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were readily available, while famous paintings and calligraphy, as well as rare ancient books, cost thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan.

Despite this, she never experienced the joy of reading in her childhood.

Books are dry, and pen and ink are even colder.

Practicing calligraphy? It was nothing more than a way to appease the old man of the Cui family. No matter how neat the characters were written on paper, there was not a trace of sincerity in them.

But the crooked handwriting on the yellow paper in front of her revealed her true feelings, striking straight into her heart.

She suddenly understood why her teacher had looked at the thin, dark-skinned man with such admiration.

“Lord Shen, take a look at this.” Yin Wencai’s “showing off” continued.

He picked up another piece of paper, the most conspicuous thing on it being a tiny, scrawled figure.

“This little figure is you.” Yin Wencai smiled as he looked at the little figure on the paper, as if it were Shen Zheng herself. “This was drawn by the little girl from the Wang family on the east side of town. When you came to the county last year, the little girl saw you on the street and has been thinking about you ever since… Her father always said that girls don’t need to study and learn to read, but the little girl was stubborn and directly ‘beat the drum to appeal’ outside the county government office. In fact… she couldn’t even raise the drum as high as she could on tiptoe.”

Yin Wencai's eyes were full of smiles: "Later, I took it upon myself to bring her into the county's private school. After much persuasion, her father finally relented. Now, this girl is the first one to arrive at the private school every day, and she is very serious about learning to write."

As he spoke, Yin Wencai pointed to the little figure in the painting: "You see... doesn't it look like you?"

Looking at the little figure in the drawing, with one half of its head protruding and the other half concave, Shen Zheng told her first lie since arriving in Baiyun County: "...It looks just like it."

"..." Cui Jinyin frowned and couldn't help but speak the truth: "It's still... a little lacking, isn't it? The teacher in person is much more handsome."

Yin Wencai's smile remained undiminished: "That's for sure. This child has captured even a fraction of Lord Shen's spirit in his painting, which is already quite remarkable."

"Three, three points?" Cui Jinyin choked.

In her opinion, the little black figure on the paper didn't even capture the essence of the teacher!

But she held back her desire to argue.

Forget it.

It's not easy for people to learn to write and draw, and since the teacher didn't say anything, she was too lazy to say anything and upset them.

"Three points it is then," Cui Jinyin temporarily yielded.

Yin Wencai chuckled, carefully put away the yellow hemp paper, and pointed to the earthenware bowl on the table.

“These bowls and cups were made by the children in the county, who learned from the masters sent by the Fang family.” He picked up a small bowl with a slightly crooked edge and introduced it softly: “This bowl was made by the youngest son of Old Song’s family at the mine. You led us to the feldspar mine, taught us how to refine feldspar, and even helped us connect with the Fang family… As people have jobs and their lives get better and better, the children have become more and more interested in these stones, and they keep pestering the kiln workers and the masters from the Fang family, wanting to make something out of the waste materials.”

He handed the bowl to Shen Zheng and pointed to the words carved on the rim, saying, "Look, these words were also carved by the children themselves."

The earthenware bowl felt heavy in my hand, and the texture was somewhat rough.

Shen Zheng carefully turned the bowl halfway around and finally saw the words Yin Wencai had mentioned—"Baiyun County" and "Tong'an County".

“Actually, I didn’t want to accept these bowls and dishes.” Yin Wencai’s eyes flashed with recollection. “But as soon as I said I wouldn’t accept them, those girls and boys started crying, making a scene, and rolling on the ground, insisting on giving these things to me. They even said… when you come, I will give them to you.”

Shen Zheng paused, her fingers stroking the rim of the bowl. "Give it to...me?"

"Yes, they're all... for you." Yin Wencai's heartache and reluctance were evident in his tone.

Shen Zheng reached out and picked up a small cup, deliberately asking, "Are you really giving them all to me?"

Yin Wencai exclaimed, "Ouch! Please be gentle... The children aren't very skilled; if you use too much force, they'll break easily."

Shen Zheng chuckled and put the bowls and cups back on the table. "Even if you use too much force, they'll easily break, let alone if you have to come with me back to Tong'an County by carriage?"

After saying that, Shen Zheng shook her head and stopped teasing Yin Wencai: "These are all marks of the children's growth. You should keep them safe. If I want to see them, I will come and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Yin Wencai became embarrassed: "This, this won't do. These were gifts from the children to you..."

Shen Zheng feigned a stern look: "If you say another word, I'll take them all."

Yin Wencai immediately shut his mouth.

After his eyes darted around on the hemp paper twice, he carefully selected two sheets: "You can keep these two sheets..."

One is a picture of a rice paddy with the inscription "The rice given by Lord Shen will yield a good harvest this year," and the other is a portrait of Shen Zheng with a "three-tenths" resemblance.

Shen Zheng's heart stirred slightly, and under Yin Wencai's reluctant gaze, she reached out and took it.

She really liked the contents of those two drawings.

The children of Baiyun County expressed their love for her without reservation, and she, in turn, saw the significance of persisting in promoting literacy for all on paper.

I'll frame them when I get back and hang them all up.

Yin Wencai packed his "treasures" back into the wooden box one by one. After Shen Zheng put the two pieces of paper into her bosom, she asked about the progress of Baiyun County School: "How is the preparation for the county school going? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Yin Wencai paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Don't worry, sir, it went smoothly."

"Be more specific?" Shen Zheng sat back down in the main seat.

Yin Wencai also lifted his robe and slowly sat down. After a moment of contemplation, he tried to choose the best option, saying, "The location has been chosen; it's in the east of the town, and it's expected to be completed in two months..."

"Completed?" Shen Zheng seized on the hesitation in his words and pressed, "Then when will it be put into use?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Yin Wencai's eyes as he dared not look Shen Zheng in the eye: "Year...year before..."

"Before the New Year...right?" Shen Zheng composed herself, her voice becoming more serious: "Did you encounter any difficulties?"

Yin Wencai lowered his head even further, and after a moment of silence, he raised his head with a bitter expression that he found hard to say: "Lord Shen, actually, for Baiyun County, the most difficult thing about establishing a county school is not 'building', but... 'establishing'."

Seeing the awkwardness in Yin Wencai's eyes, Shen Zheng immediately understood: "Can't you find a suitable gentleman?"

Yin Wencai sighed and nodded: "The old scholar in the county is willing to teach children to read and write, but he is old and in poor health, so he can only teach basic knowledge at most. As for the Four Books and Five Classics, and essays on classics and policy, he is really no longer capable of it..."