Chapter 389: Lecture
Editor: Atlas Studios
Bowen grinned, revealing his white teeth. “Of course not. Although the Mu family is fully funding the nursery, we still need the support of the Imperial Court and Magistrate Fang.”
Magistrate Fang had a bad feeling, but Bowen was right. Hence, he hesitated for a moment before nodding. “The nursery is something that benefits the people’s livelihood. The Imperial Court and I will naturally support it.”
Unfortunately, there were too few people like the Mu family.
Magistrate Fang was well aware of the benefits of continuing to operate the nursery. Not only would the number of talents in their prefecture increase, but the Imperial Court could continue to collect taxes. Furthermore, the orphans could eat their fill and wear warm clothes. He didn’t think even the Imperial Court could accomplish this much.
Therefore, for the past year, he had been wanting to get Mu Yangling to accept new orphans. As long as she was willing to accept them, it meant that even if these 1,000-odd orphans grew up and left the nursery, the nursery would continue to operate.
However, the time was not ripe yet, so he had not dared to mention it. However, since he had to show his stand, he expressed that he would strongly support the development and construction of the nursery.
This was exactly what Bowen wanted to hear from him. He took the opportunity to suggest that the Imperial Court exempt those who chose to stay in the nursery after turning 14 from serving in the military. Bowen felt that while they were farming, studying, and learning skills, it was very difficult for them to take the time to serve. Furthermore, considering the Mu family had already invested a lot in the nursery, it would be too expensive to pay to exempt them from military service.
Since the Imperial Court and Magistrate Fang said that they wanted to support them, other than donating some money and items, the policy had to be biased towards them.
Magistrate Fang’s face turned solemn. He glanced at Mu Yangling and saw her sitting there calmly drinking tea. He knew that she had instructed Bowen to propose this.
Naturally, Magistrate Fang could not agree. How many people would choose to stay in the nursery to escape military service?
From 14 to 20 years old, it was a total of six years.
However, Bowen had searched for a lot of information for this, so it was naturally impossible for him to drop the matter just because Magistrate Fang refused. The two sides discussed it from morning to noon, so they had to do lunch at the nursery.
Magistrate Fang turned to look at what the children in the nursery ate and nodded slightly. It was undeniable that they ate much better here than ordinary farmers. No wonder they refused to leave.
Without those youths around them, Magistrate Fang did not have to hold back when he spoke. He turned around and asked Mu Yangling, “Miss Mu, your nursery has already been set up and the scale is large. Are you really planning to only raise this batch?”
“Magistrate Fang, the world is not peaceful. If Xingzhou Prefecture, Hanzhong Prefecture, and Jingzhao Prefecture can maintain the current situation, I might be able to contribute a little. But if the situation changes, not to mention these children, even I might not survive.”
Thinking of the sudden change in the situation in the past few years, Magistrate Fang sighed and didn’t bring up the topic again. Changing the topic, he said, “It’s impossible to exempt them until the age of 20. Even if I agree, the government office will cause a ruckus. I can only help you exempt them until the age of 16 at most.” He paused for a moment and said, “I didn’t think it through before. Now that I took a look at your curriculum and schedule, it’s indeed difficult for them to graduate by the age of 14. If they’re exempted from military service until age 16, I reckon many children will choose to stay until the age of 16. That’s good too. Let them have two years of practical experience and time to change their identities.”
Mu Yangling nodded. It was precisely because of this that she agreed to let the children stay past the age of 14.
Magistrate Fang looked at Mu Yangling regretfully. If there were more such people, the world might actually be peaceful.
At the thought of this, he secretly looked forward to the children in the nursery finishing their studies and leaving the nursery as soon as possible. He really wanted to see how their lives would turn out in the future.
Since Mu Yangling and Magistrate Fang had reached a consensus during lunch, they quickly finalized a new contract during the afternoon negotiations.
Magistrate Fang stamped his magistrate’s seal to notarize the contract.
Mu Yangling looked up at the youths from the nursery opposite her and saw that their expressions were a little cold. When they looked at Mu Yangling and the others, they appeared uneasy. Meanwhile, the youth who had taken the initiative to raise their share to 30% sat on the other side with red eyes, indistinctly ostracized by the other youths.
She averted her gaze and divided the documents into three copies. One for the government office, one for the Mu family, and one for the nursery. Seeing that Magistrate Fang stood up to leave, she said with a smile, “Magistrate Fang, since you’re here, why don’t you stay a little longer? Would you like to attend my lecture?”
Magistrate Fang raised his eyebrows and asked, “Is Miss Mu also a teacher in the nursery?”
Mu Yangling shook her head. “I only roughly recognize a few words and haven’t even been to school. How can I be their teacher? However, although I’ve never been to school, I can see through some things better than them.”
Magistrate Fang sat down again with interest and smiled. “Then I have to listen.”
Standing on the podium, Mu Yangling looked at the children below. She pointed at the youth who had raised objections earlier and said, “He performed the best at the nursery today.”
The youth blushed and looked at Mu Yangling uneasily. The children below also started chattering. They felt that the young man was ungrateful.
“You guys think that this big brother is ungrateful for proposing to take 30% of the profits, right?” After a moment of silence, Mu Yangling looked around and said, “But he’s the only person who stood up for his own interests and yours. Just based on this courage, his performance today is above yours.”
“But Miss Mu is very good to us. We should be grateful…” A young lady below whispered.
Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. “Of course you should be grateful for the fact that I treat you very well. However, this does not go against your rights and interests. As long as it’s legal and reasonable, you should fight for it. The fact that he dared to stand up is enough to prove his courage. If he could’ve done enough investigation before bringing it up and prepared arguments with supported evidence, I will admire him even more.”
The youth, who was originally uneasy, looked at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.
Mu Yangling looked at the children below and said, “I didn’t want to say it at first, but since I’ve started, I’ll act as your teacher for once. If I’m a child in the nursery and I’m dissatisfied with the distribution of benefits, I’ll bring up the issue. However, before I raise it, I’ll do a thorough investigation first. If the facts prove that I’m indeed obtaining less than I deserve, I’ll definitely raise it on the spot at the meeting.”
“Not only to the Mu family, but also to the government office. You have the right to make requests as long as it’s legal and reasonable.”
The magistrate, who was originally in high spirits, immediately felt that something was amiss. As expected, Mu Yangling continued, “For example, you should take this rare opportunity to ask the government office to help you solve the internship issue. You have to know that you’re not only studying to be farmers, but also carpenters, accountants, cooks, masons, and other jobs. You’ll have to gain practical experience in whichever craft you choose before you can officially start work. The Mu family has limited connections and can only arrange very few internship opportunities for you, but the government office is different.”
Everyone swiftly looked at Magistrate Fang.
Magistrate Fang smirked.
Mu Yangling said regretfully, “It’s a pity that this meeting has concluded, so you can only wait for the next time. I didn’t remind you this time because I hope that you can learn to think for yourselves. Children, of course I believe that I will treat you well, you will repay me. I also believe that this world is filled with good people. However, you have to know that this is only a belief and a hope deep in our hearts. Instead of expecting good intentions from a person or a clan, why don’t you institutionalize it? Because a person may change. Moreover, their good intentions might not be right or suitable for you. I believe that you’ll be grateful, but I’m more willing to put in place a good system for all matters involving benefits. I’ll be very happy if you repay me in the future and the nursery. Even if you don’t, I’ll give you my blessings. I’m not afraid that you’ll grow resentful and harm the nursery or the Mu family. Because with the system in place, you won’t be able to do harm to it.”
“Children, do you remember what I said today?”
The previously bold youth lowered his head and pondered. Then, he raised his head and said, “I understand, Miss. Systems are better than human governance.”