Chapter 26: The Schoolhouse

Learning that the school was built by the old scholar, the villagers became less resentful toward him. Some even began to speak in his defense, suggesting that he must have known the Yang family was untrustworthy and acted as he did to save the young girl's life. They praised the old scholar as a truly virtuous man, willing to sacrifice his own reputation to rescue someone in need.

Within half a month, a simple schoolhouse was completed, modeled after the layout of the workshop. Inside, twenty desks and benches were arranged, all crafted by Carpenter Wang and his workers. Jiang Lihua named the school "Wenyao Academy" in honor of the old scholar. Li Wenyao, the old scholar, was deeply touched; he personally wrote the characters for the name, and Carpenter Wang carved them into a plaque to be hung above the entrance. With that, the academy was officially opened. As Li Wenyao gazed at the plaque and the new schoolhouse, his eyes grew moist.

Overjoyed, Li Wenyao insisted on sharing a drink with Ni Wenyu. Knowing that Ni Wenyu was not a drinker, he invited Uncle Jiang to join them instead. The two drank until late into the night. The next morning, Uncle Jiang rose, feeling groggy, and headed off to work. Jiang Lihua urged him to rest for the morning, but he refused to listen. Unable to sway him, and seeing Ni Wenyu arriving to ask for her help at the school, she let it be.

At the entrance of the academy, they found many villagers lined up with their children. Everyone was in high spirits. Although the tuition was only 100 wen a month, the cost of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones was not insignificant. Those determined to educate their children gritted their teeth and made the purchase, though some, unwilling to part with the money, left their children at home.

Auntie Li’s daughter-in-law also arrived with her child. Seeing Jiang Lihua, she kept her head bowed, fearing that because of the trouble her mother-in-law had caused, Jiang Lihua might refuse to enroll her child. However, by the time registration concluded, Jiang Lihua had not said a word against her. She told her child to go play for a while and then walked up to Jiang Lihua.

"Lihua, I am truly sorry about what my mother-in-law did."

Jiang Lihua replied coolly, "That matter is in the past."

"Lihua, my mother-in-law was acting under the instigation of Yang Xiuhua. Yang Xiuhua’s husband is Zhao Fusheng, the manager of the Wanfu Restaurant in town." With that, she turned and left.

So that was it. Jiang Lihua finally understood the root of the problem. She had never known that Zhao Fusheng was Yang Xiuhua’s husband; she must have mentioned her name to Zhao Fusheng during her last visit, and Yang Xiuhua had found out, leading Yang Wenbin and the Sun woman to discover it as well. But if Zhao Fusheng was the manager of Wanfu Restaurant, there was no need for Yang Xiuhua to instigate Auntie Li to steal the recipe—unless, of course, Zhao Fusheng had been bribed by another restaurant.

Li Wenyao walked over. "Lihua, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, Master. Is something the matter?"

"I was wondering if you would like to study as well. You do business, and if you are illiterate, it is easy to be taken advantage of."

"Master, please do not worry. I am literate; I have been studying with young scholar Ni for these past few months."

Hearing this, Li Wenyao nodded. He then suggested that since she was still young, relying solely on business was not a long-term solution, especially given the low status of merchants—and even lower for female merchants. He advised her to learn medicine and become a female physician in the future. Jiang Lihua took his words to heart.

After leaving the school, Jiang Lihua hired a village ox cart to take her to town. Since Uncle Jiang had drunk so much the night before, she dared not let him drive. Business at the Le'nan Town restaurant was booming, and with Jiang Lihua nearby, Gu Qingran was spending more time in town. Upon meeting him, Jiang Lihua told him about the situation with Zhao Fusheng. Gu Qingran assured her he would keep an eye on the man, and if he had indeed been bought off, he would dismiss him immediately.

After finishing their business, Gu Qingran said, "Lihua, you haven't visited my mother in a long time. She has been talking about you quite often."

Jiang Lihua explained the recent events to him. Gu Qingran was surprised she had faced so much trouble lately. "Lihua, do you treat me like an outsider? Why didn't you ask for my help?"

"It all happened so suddenly. Next time, I will certainly ask Brother Gu for help."

They chatted a bit more about business before Jiang Lihua took her leave. Having not been out for a while, she decided to stroll through the streets before returning, intending to buy a couple of outfits for Ni Wenyu and Scholar Li. As she stepped into a clothing store, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Jiang Lihua, it’s you!"

Jiang Lihua cursed her luck silently. Why did she run into these people everywhere? She turned to leave, not wanting to engage.

"Stop right there!"

She tried to walk away, but Li Lian’er would not let her go, running up to block her path. Jiang Lihua stopped and looked at her.

Li Lian’er continued, "Jiang Lihua, you really hide things well." After being beaten by Jiang Lihua last time, her mother, Widow Zhang, had sent her to her uncle’s house in a neighboring village, fearing she would cause more trouble. In the last few days, the news she heard most was about the Yang family in Lihua Village.

Jiang Lihua said, "If you have something to say, say it. If not, step aside."

Li Lian’er looked smug. "Jiang Lihua, don't worry, I won't fight you for young scholar Ni anymore."

Jiang Lihua: "..." Was this all the woman had to say?

"I’m telling you, I’ve already gotten engaged to the son of a landlord in the next village. Apart from not being as handsome as young scholar Ni, he is perfect in every other way."

"Congratulations. Can you let me pass now?"

"I haven't finished yet." Li Lian’er kept holding her back, prattling on about how rich her fiancé was and how well he treated her. Finally, she offered to buy Jiang Lihua a piece of clothing, telling her to pick anything in the shop. Jiang Lihua was speechless—had Li Lian’er lost her mind?

Eventually, she managed to shake off Li Lian’er and hired an ox cart back to the village, having lost all desire to shop. Upon returning home, she told Auntie Zhang not to wait for her for dinner, as she was tired and wanted to sleep. Once in her room, she locked the door and lay on her bed. She felt exhausted by the recent events. She was no longer short on money, but once she stepped outside Lihua Village, her wealth was insignificant.

She thought carefully about what Scholar Li had said regarding studying medicine. It was a viable path. Traditional medicine was vast and profound; she was only ten, and she didn't believe she couldn't become proficient in eight or ten years. Combined with her knowledge of modern medicine, she would have a broader perspective than the current doctors and would surely achieve great things. Medical skills were her own, something no one could take away. Money, however, was not always truly one's own—in an era of absolute imperial power, one bad day for the Emperor could lead to the confiscation of her property, leaving her with nothing. Having a technical skill to fall back on was a wise choice.

She would find a doctor to apprentice with tomorrow. Thinking this over, Jiang Lihua drifted into a deep sleep. She woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. She went to the school and listened to the clear, rhythmic chanting of the students, then watched the workers busy at the workshop. She thought that life like this was actually quite good.

However, the peace did not last long. She soon saw a group of people walking toward her. Aside from the village chief leading the way, Jiang Lihua did not recognize the others.