Moma Liangshan

Chapter 133 College Girls, Stirring Up Trouble

The older girl said, "Jiaozhou is full of workshops. Although we can't compare to the boys, we're still able-bodied and have some strength. It shouldn't be difficult for us to find a job to make a living!" Wang Lun suddenly said, "I've checked. They work at the newly built winery. Their job is drying the lees!" The girl said, "The winery manager is very kind. He provides us with three meals a day and even allows us to live in the wine cellar." Wang Lun added, "The winery is newly built, so the wine cellar is empty for now." Wang Hao looked at Wang Lun curiously and said, "Father, why do you know so much about these girls?" Wang Lun chuckled and said, "Our family can now be considered a prestigious clan, but we don't have a single maid. You've achieved success at a young age and can ignore these things. But I can't ignore our family's most basic reputation, so..." Wang Lun didn't finish his sentence but looked at Wang Hao. Wang Hao said helplessly, "So you think these girls can be our maids?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Lun shook his head and said, "Not now. I can't possibly hire beggars as maids!" Wang Hao asked, "When do you think would be a good time, Father?" Wang Lun replied, "At least until they finish three years of basic courses!" Wang Hao suddenly felt a bit amused and said, "This is something we can't force!" Before Wang Lun could speak, several girls suddenly knelt down and said, "Please, young master, accept us!" In Wang Hao's mind, schools were places for teaching and nurturing, and students, regardless of wealth, should receive the same education. However, reality was far more complex. These students were more interested in the free room and board provided by the academy than in the opportunity to change their fate through learning. Wang Hao looked at the dozen or so girls and said, "Get up, you can stay!" The girls finally stopped looking frightened and thanked him in unison, saying, "Thank you, young master! Thank you, dean!" Wang Hao said, "Let's have the teacher arrange accommodation for you!" The girls looked delighted, thanked him, and left. Wang Hao looked at Wang Lun angrily and said, "These are children from poor families, yet Father plans to take them in as servants after they graduate. Isn't that against all reason?" Wang Lun laughed at his son's anger and said, "Your words are like Emperor Hui of Jin's 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?'" Wang Hao was unconvinced and pressed, "Father, what do you mean by that?" Wang Lun said, "These girls are homeless now, and they will be homeless in the future. Taking them in as servants is giving them a way to survive, and it's also accumulating good karma for the Wang family's descendants. I have absolutely no intention of bullying the weak!"

Wang Hao argued, "They're all healthy and capable; I can give them decent jobs so they can support themselves!" Wang Lun replied, "Daughters of wealthy families stay at home from a young age; daughters of poor families, even if they go out to earn a living, try to work within the household. From ancient times to the present, no girl has ever wanted to show her face in public like a man!" Wang Hao felt the disconnect between himself and the times again, thinking, "Later generations always like to talk about the limitations of the ancients, but when a modern person comes to ancient times, don't they also like to use their futuristic thinking to judge the thoughts of the ancients?" Seeing that his son hadn't spoken, Wang Lun continued, "Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, the imperial examination system hadn't been established. Commoners who wanted to gain a social standing could only become retainers of nobles. At that time, among commoners, there were no..." Whether they were well-read scholars, strong warriors, or charlatans, all considered it an honor to become retainers of nobles. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the imperial examination system seemed to offer relatively equal opportunities for scholars from humble backgrounds and those from wealthy families. But was this truly the case? Wang Hao, having long since abandoned his idealism, said, "There are no retainers, but there are students; no servants, but there are retainers!" Wang Lun nodded, saying, "The imperial examination system only gave commoner scholars a glimmer of hope. In the process of entering officialdom, the sons of the powerful always have the easy path, while scholars from humble backgrounds are faced with only a narrow bridge." Wang Hao smiled self-deprecatingly, saying, "In that case, I have truly set a precedent unprecedented in the Song Dynasty!" Wang Lun replied, "Not to mention the Song Dynasty, even tracing back to the Qin and Han dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties, my son is unparalleled in the world!"

Li Rongshang and Wang Hao formed an alliance, and they were the first to open restaurants, tea houses, cloth shops, pharmacies, inns, and general stores in Jiaozhou, quickly laying the foundation for Jiaozhou's first street. Feng Gu and Zhu Heng were frequent patrons of the restaurants, where the two colluded to plot one conspiracy after another. Today, Zhu Heng hosted a banquet for Feng Gu. In the elegant room, Zhu Heng said, "Wang Hao has been in Jiaozhou for seven or eight days, but he has shown no intention of meeting with you and me. Why is that?" Feng Gu said, "I think there are two reasons: First, Wang Hao suffered a great loss in the wool cloth trade, but he has no choice but to swallow his anger due to the situation. His refusal to meet with you and me is his silent rebellion against the two officials in Tokyo; second, Wang Hao has built the Laoshan Academy and appointed his father as its dean, so he probably won't have time to attend to it in the short term." Zhu Heng was very disdainful and said, "Wang Hao and Wang Lun are both cloth..." "Given your humble origins, what qualifications do you have to attend an academy?" Feng Gu chuckled mischievously and said, "Not an academy, but an academy!" Zhu Heng was puzzled and asked, "I've heard of academies and martial arts schools, and I've even been to the Imperial Academy, but what is Laoshan Academy?" Feng Gu replied, "I don't know the specifics, but looking at those poor students, I couldn't help but laugh!" Zhu Heng pressed, "What do you mean by that?" Feng Gu didn't answer directly but instead quoted a line from the Analects: "A disciple should be filial at home and respectful to elders outside, careful in his conduct and trustworthy, loving to all and close to the virtuous. If he has any energy left, he should study literature."

Zhu Heng, a soldier by birth, knew nothing of classical Chinese and said, "Please speak frankly, my brother!" Feng Gu stopped showing off and said, "This saying tells us that studying and learning are not things anyone can do just because they want to!" Zhu Heng unconsciously exclaimed, "Isn't that obvious? If a family is so poor they can't even afford to eat, who would want to study and learn?" Then he added, "Let alone studying literature, even learning martial arts is impossible!" Feng Gu laughed and said, "Wang Hao's Laoshan Academy once enrolled more than three hundred students, more than Confucius preaching." The number of students had more than doubled. But these students either came from impoverished families or were outright beggars. Zhu Heng finally understood why Feng Gu had used such a literary phrase earlier, and said, "Since they're all poor people, why would they go to school?" Feng Gu replied, "Because Laoshan Academy offers free room and board!" Zhu Heng laughed wildly, saying, "Has our magistrate lost his mind? If this news gets out, Laoshan Academy will instantly become a refugee camp!" Feng Gu grinned mischievously at Zhu Heng. Zhu Heng suddenly understood and said, "Then let's, brothers, add another layer of glory to our magistrate's unparalleled reputation!"