From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!-Chapter 883 - 879: Worth Every Penny (Second Update)
Luo Bai didn’t spend much time writing Spring Festival couplets for those who came over from Mu Dade’s place.
Everyone gathered happily, chatting away, asking what was written on this home’s couplets, peeking at the characters written on that home’s couplets.
As they talked, they started cursing Mu Dade.
"Pfft! I’m telling you, we were clearly there first, but Mu Dade insisted on sticking with that Aunt Zhang, letting those at the back go first. Isn’t that ridiculous?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Exactly, we were first, but the old witch cut in! It’s just infuriating. I won’t go next time even if you ask me!" someone said angrily.
"At the end of the day, it’s all because Aunt Zhang claims to be Ruan Xiao Jiao’s aunt. Does Mu Dade even know how Ruan Xiao Jiao was scolded by that old witch’s sister?"
Without comparison, there’s no hurt. Everyone was already upset with Mu Dade over the previous incident.
Because Mu Dade was a scholar, they dared not speak out.
Now that Luo Bai was also a scholar, people gathered the courage to speak, and once they started, they couldn’t stop.
All sorts of dirt about the Old Mu Family came out, from every branch, except the third.
Mu Shuangshuang stood aside, initially wanting to see if there was anything she could help with, but she ended up hearing a lot of gossip, comparable to modern tabloids.
She kept the useful information in her mind.
Seizing this opportunity, Mu Shuangshuang started promoting her family’s private school.
The most important aspect was, of course, Luo Bai, the scholar and teacher. Mu Shuangshuang said, "Everyone knows our third branch is opening a private school in the village.
People have been asking who the teacher is. Now the mystery is revealed: it’s Luo Bai, the scholar from Luohe Village.
He will be teaching at our village’s private school, for an initially set period of three years. After three years, if there’s still a need for the private school, I will hire another teacher."
The courtyard of the third branch was very spacious, and Mu Shuangshuang’s words carried far.
As people listened to Mu Shuangshuang’s promotion, they occasionally chimed in, but their main concern was the issue of school fees.
Just like buying something, you first ask the price, and only if it’s within your budget do you consider the quality.
Although the village folks wanted to send their children to study, school fees were a significant burden.
"One tael of silver per year, plus three strips of dried meat, over three years that’s three taels of silver and nine strips of dried meat.
If any of you are familiar with the town’s prices, you know how much the academies there charge.
Our teacher is on par with those in town, our environment is equally good, yet our school fees are more than halved," Mu Shuangshuang said.
After laying out the private school’s conditions, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t go into further detail. Firstly, the private school’s rules were not yet set in stone.
Secondly, sending kids to school is not a decision made on the spot; it needs a family discussion at the very least.
On one side, Mu Shuangshuang enthusiastically explained things to the villagers.
On the other side, Mu Dade was writing Spring Festival couplets and noticed the courtyard was emptying out. He had only written about a dozen and half of the people were gone.
The scene was vastly different from the bustling start.
"What’s going on, where did everyone go?" Mu Dade asked Mrs. Jin.
Mrs. Jin was full of grievance and didn’t want to respond to Mu Dade at all.
"Wife, speak up!" Mu Dade hadn’t called Mrs. Jin ’wife’ in a long time, but to get to the bottom of this, he actually used the term again.
Mrs. Jin finally said, "They all went to that stinking girl’s place at the third branch. I just went to take a look; the stinking girl got that Luo Bai to be the teacher at her private school."
"Luo Bai? She actually managed to invite Luo Bai?" Mu Dade was astonished.
Luo Bai, like him, was a scholar this year, but Luo Bai was the only one among them who hadn’t attended the Lu Ming Banquet.
The reason was simple: Luo Bai’s father had died.
Luo Bai was in mourning, and for the next three years, he would not be taking the Imperial Examinations, meaning he wouldn’t participate in next spring’s Imperial Examination either.
People said that this time, Qingshan Town produced three scholars.
One was Liu Zian, the top scorer in Qianzhou Prefecture, and then there was Luo Bai, the fifth, exceptionally gifted.
Only Mu Dade seemed to have come out of nowhere, having taken the exams for many years, and finally at over thirty years old, becoming a scholar.
"I also find it strange, that stinking girl is really not simple," Mrs. Jin said.
Mu Dade also felt that, at this rate, his status as a scholar was not enough to suppress the third branch.
"Wife, go tell Father and Mother about this, let them handle it, say that the third branch is trying to steal the limelight by having someone write couplets at their place, stealing our good fortune."
Mrs. Jin wasted no time and went straight to the main hall.
*
In the backyard of the third branch, Lu Yuanfeng finished his work and held a dustpan filled with lotus roots freshly dug from the pond, for the noon’s pork rib stew.
Luo Bai seldom visited, so Mu Shuangshuang wanted to make something nice, and take the opportunity to introduce him to everyone.
"Shuangshuang, you go rest, Aunt Zhao Yun and I will make lunch," Yu Si Niang took the chance to pull Mu Shuangshuang aside and said.
For lunch, we’ll make pork rib stew with lotus root, braised pork, steamed fish, and for the rest, I have my own hot pot base.
Mu Shuangshuang felt that Yu Si Niang could handle these dishes and didn’t insist on cooking herself.
She had other matters to discuss with Luo Bai, regarding the private school.
Luo Bai had only his widowed mother at home, who wasn’t in the best health, and Mu Shuangshuang’s plan was to have Luo Bai bring Mrs. Luo to live together in Er Gui Village.
She would arrange for someone to cook meals daily, and Luo Bai agreed since he couldn’t be without his mother after losing his father.
Warmth filled every corner of the courtyard.
Luo Bai really liked this atmosphere; he was especially looking forward to his time at the private school, confident in his ability to be a good teacher.
Taking a spare moment to glance at Lu Yuanfeng, Mu Shuangshuang noticed the boy was helping with the fire, and whatever he said, it made Yu Si Niang laugh heartily.
It seemed his mother-in-law had been won over by Lu Yuanfeng.
Sometimes Mu Shuangshuang found it curious; the boy seemed so shy he could barely utter a word in front of her, yet he was such a chatterbox with her mother?
Lost in her thoughts, she even missed Luo Bai speaking to her, and when she snapped back, she saw Zhu San, who had come earlier to complain in the third branch’s courtyard.
Zhu San beamed when he saw Mu Shuangshuang.
He said, "Shuang, is your private school really that good?"
Mu Shuangshuang nodded without hesitation, "Worth every bit, anyone wishing to send their children to study can come to me.
Luo Juren will handle the academics, and as for life issues, you can manage it yourselves or leave it to the private school’s cafeteria."
"Cafeteria? What’s that?" Zhu San looked puzzled.
"It’s a dining hall, the private school can cook for the children, especially when the adults are busy, like during spring planting and autumn harvesting!"
