Chapter 87: Chapter 66: Outstanding People
Translator: 549690339
Lu Yuan’s arrival with Zhou Qing did not cause much of a stir.
Aside from a few neighbors near Sun Siwen’s residence knowing that the County School Adviser had a few friends visiting, it did not disturb anyone else.
After reuniting with Sun Siwen for two days, Lu Yuan went his separate way once more.
According to Da Yue’s system, there are two types of sources for scholars.
One is self-study at home. These scholars need to study on their own or hire a tutor, which is expensive and only affordable by wealthy families.
However, it is a one-on-one teaching method with high efficiency.
The other is the County Academy. These students only need to pay a tuition fee to enter the academy set up by the county government.
There are specially invited teachers in the academy to teach the classics, review past examination questions, and generally provide comprehensive instruction.
However, with one teacher responsible for twenty or thirty students in a classroom, it is impossible to cover everything, and most of the time, they can only teach from the textbook and let students understand the material on their own.
Therefore, students studying at the County Academy have a lower learning efficiency compared to those who hire private tutors.
Sun Siwen, as the County School Adviser, is in charge of all affairs of the academy. Sometimes he even has to personally teach classes, so naturally, he cannot stay away from the academy for long.
So after three days off, he had to return to work.
Since his good friend was busy with work, Lu Yuan didn’t know anyone else and the small town of Changning County did not have much to offer. Thus, he continued to stay home and practice martial arts.
His martial arts skills were progressing rapidly. Considering his current pace and the foundation he had laid during the month spent on the run, he estimated that he would be able to break through another acupoint by the end of the month.
With his goal in sight, Lu Yuan, as a ruthless cultivator, began a new sprint.
Time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed. At the end of the month, after relentless effort, Lu Yuan finally broke through another acupoint, bringing him one step closer to completely opening the third meridian.
The growth of his cultivation made him quite happy.
Just in time, it was the end of the month, and the county school was finally on break.
So Lu Yuan temporarily put aside his martial arts practice and asked Lao Gu about the route to the academy. He left to pick up his friend who was getting off work at the County Academy.
Changning County was a small county town, with a city perimeter of only eight or nine miles and a relatively small area. After accommodating the government offices, a few commercial streets, and residences, there was no space left for other buildings.
Therefore, Changning County Academy was not built in the city, but at the foot of a green mountain three miles outside the city.
Below the not-so-high hill, more than twenty buildings were connected, consisting of houses, pavilions, and platforms. In the center, there was a pond and a garden, surrounded by a wall, enclosing a quite spacious academy.
“I didn’t expect this remote county town to have such a nice academy. It seems that people can’t be judged by their appearance.
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at the peaceful and elegant academy in the distance.
No wonder Brother Sun could stay in the academy for half a month. Living in such a place, let alone half a month, even two or three months would not be a problem.
With mountains, water, books, and tea, and free food and drink, who wouldn’t be comfortable living in such a great place?
As it was still morning and the students were in class, the academy gate was tightly closed and not open to the public.
At this point, there was already a group of people waiting at the entrance. Judging by their attire, they were servants, scholar boys, and students’ parents who had come to pick them up.
Because there were quite a few people, about thirty or forty, two vendors had even come along. One set up a booth to sell noodle soup, while the other was selling candied haws on a stick.
Surprisingly, the two vendors were doing good business.
Those who could afford to read usually had a good family background. Even the servant boys from wealthy families would not lack their monthly allowances and rewards.
By now, many of them were tired and thirsty, so they bought food and waited while eating.
Lu Yuan, finding the wait boring, simply joined in, ordering a bowl of local specialty diced mutton soup and buying two candied haws. Then he ate and waited for the school to let out.
Because of the large number of people, those who ordered food basically had to share tables.
The person sharing the seat with him was a servant from a wealthy family, who talked a lot. Though he was eating, he couldn’t stop talking and liked to chat with people.
After exchanging a few words with Lu Yuan and breaking the ice, his mouth wouldn’t stop, and he dug up all sorts of stories.
And at the entrance of the academy, naturally, the topics revolved around the students.
At this point, the servant said, “Brother Lu, let me tell you, our County Academy wasn’t as lively as it is now.
Not only were there fewer students, but the teachers inside were also terrible.
It might be an exaggeration to say they were misleading students, but they were pretty much mediocre and incompetent.
Fortunately, two years ago, a new Teaching Assistant came to our county.
Since this man took office, not only did he apply for funding from the county magistrate to renovate the school, but he also established rules, strict discipline, and adjusted the curriculum.
Finally, after clearing out a few mediocre teachers and recruiting a new group of tutors, the atmosphere of the academy was completely renewed.
Moreover, unlike his predecessor, the Teaching Assistant was hands-on and even taught the students himself.
Under his guidance, our academy produced five Xiucai (successful candidates of the imperial examination at the county level) in just two years, a record comparable to the achievements of the past decades.
It was precisely because of the Teaching Assistant’s teaching abilities that my young master enrolled this year, hoping to attend his classes.
Having studied for only two months, my young master said that he had made much more progress than before. If he continues like this, he will become a Xiucai in a few more years.
My master was so delighted that I even received a reward myself.
This year, dozens of new students enrolled in the academy, all attracted by the Teaching Assistant.
Really, in my opinion, this Teaching Assistant is like the incarnation of the God of Literature and Culture, here to save the students of Changning County.” Perhaps it was because he had received a reward that the servant boasted about Sun Siwen so incessantly, gushing endlessly and with great enthusiasm.
It was as if the Teaching Assistant was him.
Listening to the long speech, Lu Yuan felt both amused and proud.
As a friend, he was naturally delighted and proud of his friend’s achievements, which had earned the admiration of the academy students.
After all, the two were close friends, and Sun Siwen’s excellence only meant that Lu Yuan, who was friends with him, was equally outstanding.
The saying goes that dragons do not dance with snakes, and extraordinary people naturally only have extraordinary friends.
Of course, Lu Yuan had no doubt about this.
Considering that he had surpassed all those Jianghu martial artists in just three years, he was indeed remarkable..