allonlinenovel Chapter 304: School has started
Chapter 304: School has started
Gu Wenxuan repeatedly told Bai Jingzhou, "I already fully realize how much you value me, so don't make such a big fuss about it. Your money is all mine now, there's really no need for you to transfer it back and forth and let others covet our private money."
After much persuasion, Bai Jingzhou finally compromised with her and gave away his most valuable jewelry, jade, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings.
Ning Cuizhi, who was also shocked, waited until the Gu family came to their senses. Then she smiled and handed over a small piece of paper with auspicious dates written on it. "These three auspicious dates were calculated by my brat himself from a fortune teller. He said they were the best days in the past two years."
Li took it and looked at it, "This... everyone is busy with farming in May..."
Ning Cuizhi still smiled, "I have the same concern. If you, the old man, and my brother and sister-in-law have no objection, why don't we arrange the wedding for them in March?"
Considering that Gu Wenxuan had said before that Bai Jingzhou would take the imperial examination next year, the Gu family actually wanted to arrange the marriage as soon as possible, in case Bai Jingzhou really became successful and there were no more suitors swooping in to compete with their children for the marriage. But Li still asked Bai Chong and Ning Cuizhi, "Didn't Jingzhou's child say that he would die this year?"
Bai Chong nodded, while Ning Cuizhi was both disgusted and amused, "Don't mention it, that kid is crazy. He told me that he can only participate in the imperial examination with peace of mind after getting married."
Everyone: ...hiss, this familiar sickening feeling.
After silently sighing in her heart that Bai Jingzhou was still as attached to Gu Wenxuan as ever, the Gu family agreed to arrange their wedding on March 8th.
Although Bai Chong and Ning Cuizhi thought that their son's eagerness to get married was worthless, the Gu family was very happy that Bai Jingzhou still loved their Gu Wenxuan as always. The two had a good relationship, so they could feel more at ease when Gu Wenxuan married him.
After the date was set, Bai Jingzhou happily began to distribute wedding invitations.
Bai Jingzhou sent wedding invitations to Mu Hanzhi, Mu Jingzhi, Peng Xuan'an, the Lin family, Mu Jinyang and other outsiders who had a good relationship with them, as well as relatives and neighbors who were close to their two families.
In his words, whether others come or not is their own business, but he will always send the wedding invitations to the right people.
Gu Wenxuan felt a strong desire to "show off" from his words and tone. Unable to bear to spoil the fun, she could only acquiesce in his overly high-profile behavior of sending wedding invitations.
Time passes quietly like flowing water, and the old year has passed in the blink of an eye, and the new year slowly begins with the sound of firecrackers.
Early in the morning on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Bai Jingzhou, who had been counting the days, personally led people to pick up Li Fan's family to Baijia Village.
He took several empty carriages with him, and also took Fang Youfu and his brothers with him.
With them around, the ox cart prepared by Uncle Li Fan and the clansmen he had invited over were all idle.
Although his work was in vain, Uncle Li Fan was particularly happy because of the attention and courtesy shown to Li Fan by Baijia Village.
Together with his wife and children, he accompanied Li Fan to the village entrance before reluctantly returning home.
When they were parting with Li Fan, Bai Jingzhou warmly invited them to take some time to visit Baijia Village.
Uncle Li Fan liked Bai Jingzhou very much. He was bookish but never put on airs in front of farmers like them. He was very considerate and decent in his dealings with others. Although he did not immediately agree to take his family to Baijia Village for fun, Uncle Li Fan completely let go of his previous vague worries about the future life of Li Fan's family.
He believed that with Bai Jingzhou around, Li Fan's family would be well taken care of. Even if Li Fan's family really encountered any difficulties, this young man would definitely help Li Fan solve the problem as soon as possible.
After bidding farewell to his uncle's family, Li Fan moved with his mother, wife and daughter to one of the small courtyards in the newly built school in Baijia Village, and settled down in Baijia Village again.
He adapted quickly. He had just moved in the day before, and early the next morning he went to find Bai Lizheng, who had brought a sumptuous meal to welcome their family the previous night, and said that he was ready to teach the children formally at any time.
Bai Lizheng gave him the list of students who had registered last night. Just as Gu Wenxuan and Bai Jingzhou expected, the children who wanted to study in Baijia Village School did not come from very wealthy families.
They were either still unenlightened or only knew a few words, so Li Fan's teaching them was not a waste of talent, but it could be said to be more than enough.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Li Fan found Bai Lizheng, and the school officially started classes on the tenth day.
All the staff members arrived earlier than Mr. Li Fan. After Li Fan and his family moved in, Bai Jingzhou took the initiative to give them the benefit of having free lunch in the school cafeteria every day with the students.
Of course, they did not need to queue up with the students to get meals. Bai Jingzhou had already instructed the aunt in charge of cooking in the cafeteria to deliver the meals directly to the small courtyard where Li Fan's family was temporarily staying on time every day.
In addition to Li Fan, the school also hired Gu Yongming and others to teach students martial arts and various skills. However, the students who have enrolled now obviously do not need any other teachers except Li Fan.
Bai Jingzhou was not surprised by this. He had even greeted Gu Yongming and others in advance and told them that their starting date was uncertain.
After all matters of the boys' school were on track, Bai Jingzhou handed over the management of the school to Bai Lizheng. He and Gu Wenxuan were only responsible for providing moderate financial support, such as free books, lunch, and a set of student uniforms every quarter, as well as a system of tuition reduction and loan.
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, Bai Jingzhou, Bai Jingshan, Gu Wenhai, and Gu Wenche, accompanied by Fang Youfu, Fang Yougui, Yang Wandong, and Wang Zhen, went to the capital of Xingzhou.
The Tianhe Academy that the four of them were going to attend was scheduled to start on the 20th day of the first lunar month. Bai Jingzhou and the others had to rush to the provincial capital in advance and make all preparations before enrollment.
The three elders had long known that they would set off on the 16th day of the first lunar month, so long before that day, they had already prepared the annual tuition fees to be paid to the academy for their children, as well as clothes, shoes and socks, pillows, quilts, bed sheets, pillowcases, necessary books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone, daily necessities, long-lasting and nutritious convenience foods, silver and money needed for emergencies and daily expenses, and other things that the children would take to the academy.
As for Fang Youfu and others who followed Bai Jingzhou and the other three to the provincial capital, Yang Wandong and Wang Zhen would stay in the provincial capital to help Bai Jingzhou and the other three run errands and do miscellaneous tasks. The brothers Fang Youfu and Fang Yougui would return to Baijia Village together after the other three moved into the academy and continue to help Gu Wenxuan with her work and worries.