Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 716 - 552: Education Must Not Be Neglected Even in Poverty
In this dynasty, that’s just how things are; when you become an official, you must give back to your clan. Although the clan didn’t help much when I was studying, I’m not short of Silver, and there’s no need to be so stingy.
"Fifty mu! That’s too much. Are you really willing to part with it? Once given to the clan, you can’t take it back." Uncle Gu knew that Gu Chengyu had always been generous, with deep feelings and righteousness towards the clan.
He was indeed shocked by such a large gift of land.
"Since I’ve made a decision, why would I go back on it? It’s settled then. Uncle, please find some time to inform the clansmen. As for the clan school, Uncle should check which place in the village is suitable, and we’ll spend Silver to buy the land. I’m not home often, so I’ll try to settle the matter of the clan school before I leave."
Uncle Gu pondered for a while before saying, "If you really want to do it, it shouldn’t take long. It’s just that building the courtyard will require more effort. I’ll gather some people from the clan to build the house."
Gu Chengyu naturally wasn’t bothered by these things, but when Uncle Gu mentioned the courtyard, he interjected.
"If there’s a problem financing the courtyard, the clan can also come to me." Since the clan fields were already given away, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t hesitate to provide some Silver for building the courtyard.
Compared to a residential home, building a clan school should be simpler, and the interior setup is even more straightforward, costing much less Silver.
"Alright! Initially, just draw from the clan’s public accounts. As for hiring a teacher, that task may require more effort from you."
Uncle Gu thought about the clan’s accounts, which had about seventy or eighty taels of Silver left, enough to build a house with mud bricks and a tiled roof.
Gu Chengyu was also doing the math. In recent years, the remaining Silver from the clan’s fields was not much. At that time, he only gave ten mu of land to the clan, and although it was tax-exempt, the small amount of land left little Silver Coin.
Later, when he passed the exam as a scholar, he acquired thirty mu of land. Even counting thoroughly up to this year, the clan’s Silver did not exceed one hundred taels.
The building of the clan school’s courtyard might not be enough with that, and since they are going to build it, they might as well make it larger. As for the materials, it naturally had to be a brick and tile house.
It seems that eighty mu of land is still insufficient, as there are many children in the clan, and basically, new births occur every two years. Here, there are no birth control measures; it’s not uncommon for a couple to have seven or eight children.
The annual cost of education will only increase year by year, so when buying the land, he might as well gather up to a hundred mu for the clan.
It’s not that Gu Chengyu is unwilling to part with Silver or reluctant to give more to the clan. He’s afraid of making the clansmen increasingly greedy. He had never received any favor from the clan, whereas he had helped the clan quite a lot.
Don’t say that the clansmen chipped in for every family to erect the archway; actually, the Gu Family has been the main contributor. Moreover, Gu Chengyu will send equivalent gifts later, ensuring that no one suffers a loss.
Furthermore, the benefits brought by the archway are not enjoyed by him alone; the clan benefits the most.
If the appetite of these people grows, making his help to the clan a matter of course, it will surely lead to a lot of things in the future.
After calculating the Silver Coin, he feared Uncle Gu would be reluctant to build a brick-and-tile house, so he made the point clear.
"Uncle! The house for the clan school must be made of bricks and tiles, not mud bricks. The clan school should be one of the proofs of our Gu Family’s rise; the matter should be done grandly this time."
"Ah! That requires quite a bit of Silver." Uncle Gu never intended for Gu Chengyu to fund everything because the clan school is for the clan’s children to attend, and he understood his point.
A few years back, he indeed handled the grain matter improperly. Changqing’s family could get such good grain because it was their own capability; how could he demand Changqing’s family to help the village with grain replacement for free?
That was a lot of Silver, and the loss was his own brother. At the time, he was newly appointed and inevitably a bit conceited, solely focused on making achievements, almost damaging the harmony between the two families.
He should know that his position as village chief was obtained thanks to Xiao Bao. After becoming village chief, he turned around and planned against his family brothers, which indeed was disheartening.
After six months as village chief, he came to realize it himself. He just couldn’t swallow his pride to talk about it, but he always remembered the care from the third brother’s family over the years.
Gu Chengyu nodded, "Don’t be afraid to spend Silver; it’s all for the sake of the children. I’ve said, if it’s not enough, come to me. Once the clan school is running, it can be passed down through generations."
This is precisely the saying from the previous life: No matter how poor you are, don’t skimp on education.
Uncle Gu also knew that Gu Chengyu was reasonable, so Uncle Gu nodded, "If the Silver from the clan is insufficient, I’ll go gather some from each household in the clan, since they will benefit from it in the future. If it’s still not enough, I’ll come to you instead; lest they become too reliant on you."
Gu Chengyu was somewhat surprised to hear this, looking at Uncle Gu, surprised by Uncle Gu’s apparent transformation.
However, he didn’t say anything further on the matter. As a Clan Leader, one must handle matters impartially, or else one cannot win the crowd.
"Then I’ll trouble Uncle for his efforts, and I’ll need Uncle’s help with the banquet arrangements as well." Such earnest intentions from Uncle Gu for the good of the clan are worthy of Gu Chengyu’s respect.
"Ahem! Xiao Bao, you see where your Second Uncle and Second Aunt can stay? How about tidying up the side room?"
Mr. Gu mentioned the housing for Gu Changbai once the serious discussion between the two was over.
Frankly speaking, the side room wasn’t big; for two people, it wasn’t cramped. But after so many years of not seeing each other, a slight sense of unfamiliarity had developed.
Suddenly living closely together was something he couldn’t quite get used to.
Gu Chengyu gave it some thought; the front yard had a guest room, but it was clearly inappropriate for the two of them to stay there, as the villagers would have opinions if they knew.
The front yard was generally for visitors who did not have an especially close relationship with the family or individual male guests. Since they had the Second Aunt Liu Family with them, it was unsuitable to stay there to avoid gossip.
The side room was also unsuitable; living so close, their whole family would feel uncomfortable, and it would be inconvenient for him to talk to his parents. Even if the walls could block out sound, if Gu Changbai’s family entered and exited the main house at will, it would be utterly intolerable.
Gu Changbai glanced at the silent Gu Chengyu and the third brother, who showed a hint of difficulty, and felt a bit downcast, thinking to himself that he might not be welcome here. Perhaps Gu Chengyu held a grudge over the previous conflict concerning his eldest granddaughter, but why did the third brother have the same feeling? Did they really look down on him as the second elder brother?
Gu Changbai didn’t know that Gu Chengyu had already deduced his intention and had corroborated it with Gu Wanfang, believing that Gu Chengyu was still unaware of his plans. Even if there were suspicions, there would be no evidence.
After all, everything regarding the Yingnan Mansion was well-arranged, and someone even used a sickly child as a substitute. When he saw it, the child’s face was so full of pus that he couldn’t even see his features clearly.
"Wasn’t the side room always where elder sister’s family stayed when they visited? When I hold the banquet this time, elder sister is likely to return."
