Hot flashes

The room fell silent.

The storyteller said, "Recently, a remarkable person has appeared in Jiangling City. His surname is Zhou, and he is an official from the capital. He has come here to set up a school. He doesn't charge tuition and even provides meals. When people asked him what his motive was, he said, 'To give children who can't afford to go to school a chance to learn.'"

Someone below said, "We all know about this, what's so new about it?"

The storyteller said, "The best part is yet to come. This Lord Zhou started a school and offended some people. His printing shop was vandalized, paper shops wouldn't sell him paper, and no engravers dared to work for him. Anyone else would have run away long ago. But this Lord Zhou stubbornly refused to leave."

He paused.

"He found an experienced engraver and recruited a group of apprentices. He taught them engraving and printed books himself. Now, all the textbooks in the school are printed by themselves. Those apprentices, who were originally illiterate peasants, can now recognize a few characters."

Some people said, "So what? What can you do with learning to read?"

The storyteller said, "What can you do? You can read, do accounting, write legal documents, and understand government notices. When you go out to find work, people will see that you are literate and pay you 20% more than others."

There was a moment of silence below.

Another person said, "But I've heard that the school teaches crooked and evil things, like mathematics and geography, which are all useless."

The storyteller glanced at the man.

"Sir, may I ask you, do you know how to do accounting?"

The man paused for a moment, then said, "A little."

"How was it calculated?"

"Well... let's use an abacus."

The storyteller said, "The arithmetic taught in that school is even better than using an abacus. I heard they can calculate land acreage, grain taxes, and interest, all with perfect accuracy. Once you learn it, you can work as an accountant for a landlord and earn more than ten taels of silver a year."

The man opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

The teahouse erupted in buzzing discussions again.

After finishing his tea, Zhou Heng got up and walked out.

Chen Shen followed and whispered, "Young master, this storyteller..."

Zhou Heng said, "I had it arranged."

Chen Shen was stunned.

Zhou Heng mounted his horse, took a few steps forward, and then suddenly stopped.

"Have someone deliver a few copies of the teaching materials to the teahouse," he said. "Once the storyteller has finished his tale, have someone flip through them and ask about the price."

Chen Shen was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

"Yes."

In those days, news of the school was spreading throughout Jiangling City.

The storyteller in the teahouse performed for three days straight, and every show was packed. Some said he was paid, but most people didn't care; they just found it novel and entertaining.

Someone tried to buy textbooks at the school. The gatekeeper asked, "Who are you buying them for?" The person replied, "For my son."

The gatekeeper said, "Go in and register. The textbooks aren't for sale; you can take them for free. Take them home and read them carefully. After you're done, return them to the school so others can read them too."

The man stood there stunned for a long time, then took a book, put it in his pocket, and left.

The next day, more than a dozen more came.

On the third day, dozens of them came.

Chen Shen reported the number of people to Zhou Heng every day, his voice getting louder and louder. Zhou Heng just nodded and continued to look at the newly printed textbooks, occasionally making a few changes and asking Lao Bi to rearrange them.

Old Bi's apprentices became more and more skilled at carving, and the movable type became neater day by day.

Those apprentices learned to write as they carved, and those who knew more characters could already read the textbook on their own. Sometimes, when Old Bi was in a good mood, he would have them take turns reading a passage, and he wouldn't scold them for making mistakes, but would correct them with a smile.

One day in November, Zhou Heng was watching several apprentices carve characters in the backyard of the school when he suddenly heard people arguing in front of him.

He walked over and saw a middle-aged man standing at the door, his face red and his neck thick, shouting at the gatekeeper.

"Why can't I go in? My son studies here, can't I even come to visit?"

The gatekeeper said, "Brother, what's your son's name? I'll send someone to call him."

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "My son hasn't started yet. I just came to check it out, to see if this school is legitimate."

The gatekeeper laughed: "Is it true or false? Why don't you go in and see for yourself? No need to register, feel free to look around."

The middle-aged man stood there, hesitated for a long time, and finally stepped inside.

Zhou Heng stood under the eaves, looking at him.

The man walked in, looking around. He saw several young people carving characters in the courtyard and went over to watch for a while. Then he went outside the lecture hall and looked inside through the window.

Several teachers were giving lessons inside, and a group of children were listening attentively—some sitting, some standing, and some lying on the table.

He watched for a while, then turned to leave. As he looked up, he met Zhou Heng's gaze.

He was stunned.

Zhou Heng didn't speak, he just looked at him.

The man's face turned bright red. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, then turned and ran away.

Chen Shen leaned closer: "Young Master, that person..."

Zhou Heng shook his head.

"Let him go," he said. "Go back and tell his neighbors that this school is real. That's more effective than any notice."

After that day, even more people came to the school.

Some came to collect books, some to register, some to watch the excitement, and some to inquire.

The gatekeepers were too busy, so Zhou Heng hired two more people. Old Bi's carving workshop already had three locations, but they still didn't have enough manpower, so he hired a few more.

At the end of November, something happened in Jiangling City.

In the south of the city lived a wealthy man surnamed Liu who owned several hundred acres of land and employed more than a dozen tenant farmers.

In previous years, the rent was split 40/60, with the landlord taking 40% and the tenant taking 60%. This year, the harvest was good, and the landlord suddenly changed his mind, demanding a 50/50 split.

The tenants objected and started arguing. The landlord said, "If you don't want to work, then get out. There are plenty of other people who can cultivate this land."

A tenant farmer, indignant at the situation, went to the county government to file a complaint. The magistrate, having accepted the landlord's money, said that how the rent was divided was a matter between the landlord and the tenant, and the government had no say in it. He then kicked the man out.

After returning home, the man grew angrier and angrier, but he didn't know how to vent his anger. Later, he heard that the school taught mathematics and could calculate land rent and taxes, so he ran to the school, found Zhou Heng, and knelt down with a thud.

Zhou Heng had someone help him up, asked him what had happened, and then remained silent for a while.

Then he said, "I have an idea for you."

The tenant farmer stared at him blankly.

Zhou Heng said, "Go back and gather all your tenants, bring their account books, and go to the prefectural government to file a complaint. If the prefectural magistrate doesn't care, go to the governor's office. If the governor doesn't care, go to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor."

The tenant said, "But...but we don't know how to write a complaint..."

Zhou Heng said, "There are people in the school who can do it. Have them write it for you."

The tenant said, "Then, the lawsuit will cost money..."

Zhou Heng said, "You don't need to worry about the money."

The tenant looked at him, his eyes reddening.

Zhou Heng didn't say anything more and had someone escort him out.

Chen Shen, who had been listening nearby, couldn't help but ask after the man left, "Young Master, is this something we can do?"

Zhou Heng said, "We have to manage it even if we can't."

Chen Shen was stunned.

Zhou Heng asked, "Who's behind that rich man?"

Chen Shen thought for a moment, then his expression changed.

"The Xie family?"

Zhou Heng remained silent.

The next day, the tenant farmer, along with a dozen or so fellow villagers, went to the government office with a petition.

The prefect received the petition, glanced at it, and his expression turned somewhat strange. He asked the tenant farmer who had written it. The tenant farmer replied that the school teacher had helped him write it.

The prefect was silent for a moment, then said, "I've taken the case. Go back and wait for news."

After the tenant returned home, the villagers were all talking about him. Some said he was crazy, daring to sue the landlord. Others said he had powerful backers and wasn't afraid. Still others wondered, "Just who is this Master Zhou from the school?"

After waiting for three days, the news arrived.

The landlord sent someone to say that the rent would still be split 40/60, and that would be settled for this year; they would discuss it again next year.

The tenants were stunned.

The tenant who came to file a complaint stood at the village entrance, surrounded by a group of people asking him questions. He scratched his head and said, "I don't know what happened, but I just won."

Someone asked, "Was it Master Zhou from that school who helped?"

He thought for a moment and nodded.

After the news spread, even more people came to the school.

Tenants came to ask how to calculate land rent, peddlers came to ask how to keep accounts, elderly people came to ask how to enroll their grandchildren, and young people came to ask how to learn engraving. The gatekeepers were so busy they barely had time to breathe, so Zhou Heng added two more people to the job.

Old Bi's side, five engraving classes have already been opened. The apprentices learn to read while engraving, and those who know more characters have already started helping to revise the teaching materials.

Those apprentices who were originally illiterate can now read the Thousand Character Classic, albeit haltingly.