Chapter 338: Consolation
Editor: Atlas Studios
Teacher Liu did not expect that the job opportunity that he had been looking for for a few days would suddenly appear in front of him. The salary that Mu Yangling offered was not high, but it was not low either. The salary of the Nursery Manager was two taels of silver a month, and the tuition fee he would receive for teaching Bowen was five taels a year. It was a little less than when he opened the academy, but it was much better than what he had now.
Teacher Liu was never one to bite off more than he could chew. He was very satisfied with the salary that Mu Yangling offered, but he was more interested in the affairs of the nursery. This was the first time he had heard of such an organization, which sounded much different from the Imperial Court’s Health Care Halls.
Although the Health Care Halls also took in abandoned or homeless children, most of them were only responsible for one meal. Moreover, most children would be chased out after the age of eight after which they had to rely on themselves. Only children under the age of eight were allowed to stay. Even so, the children inside were not treated well.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many beggars on the streets.
Teacher Liu asked about the operation model of the nursery in detail. After a moment of silence, he said, “Miss Mu, I can promise you now, but where will I stay when I reach the nursery?”
“The nursery is outside Hanzhong Prefecture, not far from Jingzhao Prefecture, so there might be barbarians intruding. Teacher Liu, if you mind, don’t bring your family over. The nursery is still under construction. I’ll get them to build a few houses in the middle of the male and female dormitories. You can stay there.”
Mu Yangling looked at Bowen and smiled. “When the time comes, Bowen will also be staying in the nursery. He will still be studying under your tutelage and will only deal with the nursery matters in his free time. If you wish to participate in next year’s village examination, you should be able to take the time to study.”
Teacher Liu smiled. “Since Miss Mu is assured that Bowen will stay there with me, it’s obvious that you’re very assured of the safety there. In that case, I’ll stay there with my family.”
Mu Yangling couldn’t ask for more. “Then I’ll get someone to build a three-entrance house in the middle so that your wife can move in too.”
Teacher Liu was a man, so it was probably not easy to manage the matters of the girls. However, with Madam Liu around, it was different. Many things would be much more convenient.
Mu Yangling and Teacher Liu discussed and agreed to go to the nursery tomorrow to take a look.
Teacher Liu went home happily to tell his family the good news. When Madam Liu heard that he had a plan, she immediately heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was a little nervous about leaving the familiar Mingshui County.
Teacher Liu comforted her. “The nursery isn’t far from Mingshui County, just a day away by mule cart. We can go home anytime we want.”
“It’s not far from the Hus, is it?”
“That won’t happen.” Teacher Liu said gently, “I’ve asked Miss Mu. She said that the military camp and Little General’s horse farm are stationed not far away. Oh, Miss Mu’s cattle farm is also nearby.”
Upon hearing that the military camp was nearby, Madam Liu became even more worried. “I wonder if it will disturb us.”
“If it were any other general, we would still have to worry a little. However, that’s General Qi’s territory. He rules the army strictly and never harasses the commoners. Besides, you guys don’t have to move there right now. Miss Mu said that there are still a few rows of houses to be built in the nursery. I’m afraid the construction will only be completed in spring, so I’ll go there and settle down first. You can move over when spring comes.”
“Then be careful.” Madam Liu quickly went into the house to pack some simple luggage for him. Thinking of the news from the Qin family today, she hesitated for a moment and said, “There was a huge commotion at the Qin Residence today. Teacher Qin threw a huge tantrum and wanted to divorce Sister-in-law.”
Teacher Liu frowned slightly. In the end, he sighed and said, “Just pretend that you don’t know about this. Let’s leave him be.”
Madam Liu frowned slightly and persuaded, “She’s the one in the wrong. I was also angry previously and told myself that I would never interact with her again for the rest of my life. However, divorce is too serious a matter. Hubby, if a woman is divorced, it will be a fate worse than death. Why don’t you talk to Teacher Qin?”
It wasn’t that Madam Liu was soft-hearted, but that a woman’s life would be worse than death if she was divorced and returned to her maternal family. Even if she could remarry, her maternal brothers wouldn’t find a good family for her. A good family wouldn’t fancy a woman who had been divorced. Thus, it would be a nightmare if she remarried. Although she hadn’t seen it before, she had heard of such cases many times.
However, Teacher Liu was not very worried. “Don’t worry. Old Qin won’t really divorce her. If he wants to become an Imperial Examination official, it’s better to avoid trouble. He’s just saying those words in a fit of anger. He’ll be fine after some time.”
When Madam Liu heard this, she felt relieved. She packed Teacher Liu’s bag and instructed him to be careful on the way.
The next day, Mu Yangling drove the mule cart over to pick him up. The two of them rushed to Hanzhong Prefecture.
The children had already settled down in the nursery. Every age group had something to do. Every day, after eating, they would go to the classroom to read and write, and in the afternoon, they would learn crafts.
There was a shift schedule in the canteen. The people who took turns cooking and taking care of the children every day were different. They were responsible for their own hygiene. The older ones washed their clothes themselves, as well as the clothes of the younger ones whom they were in charge of taking care of.
Although there were also fights and commotions, they were rather minor incidents that could be resolved by a few of the older kids.
However, the disadvantage of not having a manager also appeared. The children had been eating porridge since Mu Yangling left. There were only two black and white steamed buns at noon every two days. The vegetables had always been cabbage and some pickled vegetables.
It was not that Mu Yangling did not prepare enough food, but the children kept feeling uneasy. They were afraid that Mu Yangling would despise them if they consumed too much food and felt that they could be full after eating watery food, so they tried their best to scrimp as much as possible.
Mu Yangling had originally found a butcher in the city and asked them to send some meat over every three days, but those children simply froze the meat. Only when they had severe cravings would they cut some and cook it with cabbage.
Mu Yangling had a headache over these “stingy” children. She said to Teacher Liu, “Therefore, there still has to be someone in charge of this nursery. Initially, I had already formulated a menu there, but other than the first two days, the porridge they make is starting to become more watery.”
She naturally didn’t like it if the children kept eating and wasting food, but she didn’t like this increasing stinginess either.
Teacher Liu had seen Mu Yangling’s menu which listed three meals a day. Porridge was served at breakfast and dinner, and there were black and white buns for lunch. In addition, there was meat every three days. This was comparable to the well-off families in the village.
No wonder the children were uneasy. Even he was very uneasy.
Teacher Liu deliberated and said, “Miss Mu, I think the children are right. Winter is still long. Can the money you have support them till autumn harvest next year? I think there’s no harm in scrimping and saving a little.”
The older children nodded and looked at Mu Yangling nervously. “Mu, Sister Mu, we have more than 1,000 people here. Everyone can eat a lot.”
Teacher Liu nodded. With so many young teens, even finishing a mountain of grains would not be a problem.
Smiling, Mu Yangling said, “Don’t worry. I naturally can’t afford to feed them until autumn, but it won’t be a problem until spring.”
When the children heard this, their faces immediately turned bitter. In other words, their good days could only last until spring?
They all looked at Mu Yangling in fear.
With a smile, Mu Yangling said, “Do you think I’m raising you for nothing? In spring, after you finish studying, you’ll also get an internship in the fields and have to help cut some pasture. I plan to build a row of houses behind the nursery for you to raise pigs. If you raise them well, you won’t have to worry about having no meat to eat next winter.”
“Then, Miss Mu, what will happen to the grains in the nursery after spring? Even if the children can go to the fields, they won’t be able to do much work. Moreover, since you even asked them to be literate and learn craftsmanship, there’s even less time…”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I have my ways.” Mu Yangling turned to look at them. Seeing that they were frowning like old men, she smiled and said, “Alright, I still have some business in Hanzhong Prefecture. As long as the Hus don’t occupy Hanzhong Prefecture again, it shouldn’t be a problem to provide for you.”