Section 4: The Academy and the Donkey

Yushan Academy had a different opening ceremony from other academies, which was to greet the first day of school with the swollen asses of 59 students.

Fortunately, as the first batch of freshmen, they received a free set of desks and chairs from the Yun family, as well as a set of school supplies, which included compasses, rulers, triangles, and protractors, all of which were essential for studying mathematics. Yun Ye planned to teach some simple geometry courses while teaching mathematics. After all, they were all 17 or 18 years old, and the youngest was 14 or 15. They should be able to accept intensive learning.

In fact, Yun Ye was still a little optimistic. The only thing he hadn’t considered was the students’ IQ. After practicing, Yuchi Dasha was still biting his teeth and checking the correctness of the numbers one by one. Once they were put together, they were fine, but once they were taken apart, they were in trouble. You couldn’t scold them, and their faces were hard to look at. The nine-foot-tall man was about to cry out. Yun Ye wanted to end his own pain by stabbing himself.

There were also four old men sitting at the bottom, squinting their eyes and trying hard to read the words on the blackboard, much more conscientiously than the students. After letting the other students leave the classroom, Yun Ye planned to give Yuchi Baolin a private lesson.

“Bao Lin, how old are you this year?”

“Eighteen”

“Good, that’s a correct answer. Can you pick two numbers from this number to make up your age?”

Yuchi Baolin quickly picked out two numbers. Yun Ye could not put the two numbers together to make 18, but they could make up the age of Li Gang. Yun Ye’s anger was coming out of his nostrils. Suddenly, Yun Ye was not angry anymore. He discovered that Yuchi Baolin could read and write, and he wrote a good hand of small script, which was better than Yun Ye’s. He was not stupid, he just didn’t find the right method.

“Baolin, who taught you to write so well?

“My mother taught me. The teacher didn’t want to teach me.” Yuchi Baolin was very proud. “How did your wife teach you to read?”

“My mother wrote the characters on a plaque and hung it around my neck. I learned a few every day, and in three years I had learned them all.”

Yun Ye understood that his mother had made unimaginable efforts for him, and the facts proved that her efforts were effective. Now she had sent Yuchi Baolin here, probably hoping that her son would also be enlightened. I’m afraid only Yun Ye would teach their stupid son with all her heart.

Yun Ye strung the hand-drawn pictures used for teaching on a string and hung them around Baolin’s neck. He called Huo Jiao, and Yun Ye liked this child very much. He had backbone and had suffered for his sister. He should be a child with perseverance.

“Huozhuo, you don’t have to do chores anymore. You’re mainly responsible for teaching your senior classmate Baolin to pass the math exam. Do you understand?”

“I understand. I will teach you every day when I have time.” He answered very clearly, but when he was about to leave, he looked at Yun Ye hesitantly.

“I know it’s not easy to teach him. If you have any conditions, just tell me.” Yun Ye didn’t mind giving the child a little preferential treatment.

“Sir, can I also teach my sister by the way? I promise I won’t delay Master Yuchi.” Yun Ye didn’t say anything, but just took out a set of drawing tools from the desk and handed them to Huo Jiao. He patted his head and walked out of the classroom with his hands behind his back.

The new teaching aids were welcomed by several great scholars. The appearance of the blackboard made the teacher’s lectures three-dimensional, reducing the burden of labor, especially for the elderly. Li Gang liked this thing very much and recommended it to the Guozijian and Chongwen Pavilion that night.

Yun Ye sighed, and it looked like the lime kiln at home would not be enough again.

Old Cheng came from Chang’an to Yushan, bringing the curved-handle plow designed by Yun Ye, as well as the plow cart. He said that Li Er was very pleased after using it, and specially gave Yun’s grandmother an additional rank and bestowed 15 oxen. Li Er knew that Yun Ye would not care about money, and the government had no way to promote him. He was already a marquis at the age of 16, so promoting him now would not be an honor, but a death sentence. This is the best way to satisfy Grandma’s vanity.

Grandma now rides around Yun’s fiefdom every day, like a tiger patrolling its territory. Who has the habit of touching the boundary pillars in the field every day? She said no, but after two days of stopping, she quietly ran laps around the farm.

Forget it, Yun Ye is really too lazy to care. If people laugh at me, let them laugh. As long as Grandma is healthy, let her go. She can be considered as exercising. Haven’t you seen her smiling every day when she comes back from the field?

The academy gradually returned to normal. Since four great scholars were teaching at the academy, there were often poor scholars who came to listen to the lectures. These old gentlemen would not reject anyone who came to listen, and they would lecture as if they were alone. As for how much you listened to and whether you understood it, it was not in their consideration.

Under the high-handed control of Lao Niu, all the luxury of life was long gone from Yushan Academy.

In the morning, when the bell rang, the once-rich and pampered students each carried a metal bucket to the kitchen to fetch hot water to wash up. Even the two princes were no exception, each carrying their own bucket, talking about today’s schedule while thinking about how to go to the Yun family to eat again. From ancient times to the present, school meals have never been delicious. Yushan is no exception. Although the braised pork in the school is still relatively famous, at least those poor students who attend classes can buy a piece of greasy, reddish-red braised pork for two coins in the cafeteria. Some are reluctant to eat it and pack it in a bamboo lunch box to take it home for the whole family to enjoy.

Yun Ye did not deliberately raise the price because they were not students of the academy. He actually enjoyed the process. The braised pork in the mouths of poor students made him happier than if it had gone into the mouth of Li Er.

Yuchi Baolin has now opened up, and he doesn’t know how Huo Jiao taught him. Although he is not as good as Li Tai and Li Ke, he is also better than Changsun Chong and Li Huai Ren. Compared to the scum like Meng, he is more than enough. Baolin likes to eat the braised pork from the academy the most, and he always brings a portion to Huo Jiao and his siblings. The most common scene is the three of them sitting on the stone table and eating happily together. This may be their own happiness, and Yun Ye has no habit of bothering them.

When the parents of the rich and spoiled came to visit, they were all rejected by Lao Niu without exception. In front of Lao Niu, there were really not many people who dared to be insolent and make fun of others. Military management has always been Lao Niu’s business. He believes that since the academy is almost entirely composed of the sons of generals, they should know common military knowledge. His old man is idle, so he instills military knowledge into students from time to time. Not to mention that there are many people who listen, Li Gang, who is often provoked, just pouts.

The entire academy is dressed in the same uniform, a sky-blue hemp shirt. Hemp shirts are cheap, but sky-blue dye is expensive. This has always been Li Gang’s criticism. He said that there is no need to dye the clothes sky-blue. It is enough to dye them blue or black. At least save half the money. He was not used to Yun Ye’s extravagance and often used Yan Hui’s “a bowl of food, a cup of drink, in a poor alley, people are unbearable, and Hui does not change his joy” to educate Yun Ye.

Oh my god! You old man needs Yun’s delicious food and Yun’s fine wine every day, eating and drinking to your heart’s content, and often saying, “I am already seventy years old, I can do whatever I want, without transgressing the rules.” You ask me to let these kids wear the blue clothes and black pants worn by servants, and it’s no wonder they don’t rebel. This sky blue color can effectively distinguish them from farmers. Wearing it on their bodies can be said to be following the trend, not because the family is poor and can’t afford good clothes.

Yun Ye was thinking of buying the land in front of the academy and making it into a football field. The daily military drills were too boring. He could smell the hormones from the boys in the courtyard. If they weren’t channeled, there would be problems.

Huozhi hurried over: “Sir, sir, it’s bad. Some villagers came running over, carrying hoes and carrying poles. They said they were looking for the animals in the academy to settle the score.”

Oh no, Yun Ye’s worst fear has come true. Who ruined the daughter of another family? Now the victim is looking for him?

He hurried to the gate of the academy, but saw forty or fifty ragged peasants surrounding Li Gang and talking about something. Old Li’s face was pale, and it seemed that he was very angry!

“Who is the plaintiff? Speak to me, don’t surround the old man. If the old man gets hurt, you won’t be able to pay for it.” After he said that, the scene suddenly quieted down.

The villagers dared not speak, but Li Gang pointed at Yun Ye and said, “You have taught a good student.”

Yun Ye looked sad and said to himself, “My students are your students, aren’t they? You’re still the head of the school.”

“The villagers’ good donkey was killed by your good student. If you just took the meat, that would be fine, but why did you only take a donkey’s hoof?” Old Li said angrily.

Yun Ye almost fell off the steps. It turned out to be a donkey, not a girl.

He smiled and said to Li Gang, “Old sir, please calm down. I’ll compensate you with a donkey. You mustn’t get angry and harm your health.”

“This is not just a matter of a donkey. It can only be said that there are extremely immoral people among these students, who do not care about the lives of living things, do not care about the people, do whatever they want, and do whatever they want. I’ll be here to see how you deal with it.”

Old Li was right. This was indeed not a matter of a donkey, and it was indeed related to morality.

He turned and asked the students behind him: “Who among you did this? Come forward and you will be dealt with lightly.”

No one spoke, and Yun Ye was a little surprised. The students at the academy were all from families of merit, and no one would care about a donkey. No one would be interested in the donkey’s hooves. After this incident, no one would treat a donkey as a matter of course. As long as they were asked, someone would admit it. After the incident was discovered, they lost face and reputation. This is something these young men cannot forgive themselves for.