Liu Ji stood in front of everyone, looking at the pair of angry eyes, with his hands behind his back, he began to speak:

"I know everyone is angry, but please calm down first. Our village chief in the Liu Family Village has always been fair-minded. There must be a reason for her actions this time."

"The Tao Te Ching says, all things carry yin and embrace yang, rushing Qi to achieve harmony. There is yang in yin and yin in yang; yin arises from yang, and yang arises from yin... This is the way of yin-yang balance."

"Do you all think that this school is just a school? This is a dojo!"

"From big to small, everything in this world requires the union of yin and yang to achieve balance. Females represent yin, and males represent yang. If there are more males and fewer females, then yang will be strong and yin will be weak, which is not ideal... What our village chief is doing is just to follow the will of heaven to seek yin-yang balance and help all students soon attain the Way!"

Liu Ji had an unfathomable look, leaving the villagers stunned.

Although they didn’t quite understand what he was saying, they thought it sounded impressive.

A villager suddenly understood, "So the village chief aims for yin-yang balance. Does this mean co-education of genders makes learning progress easier?"

Liu Ji nodded lightly, "This big brother here has an excellent understanding. With just a little hint from me, you’ve grasped the idea. It’s truly a pity that you can’t attend school."

Liu Ji looked at the villager with admiration, nodding heavily, "Indeed, that’s what our village chief meant! It’s all for everyone’s good!"

Liu Ji had a calm smile on his face, but his eyes were frantically signaling to Liu Qi, Liu Zhong, and others.

Liu Qi first caught on, stepping forward irritably, pointing at the noisy villagers, "Our village chief may not be good with words, but she always considers everyone’s best interests!"

"Exactly, exactly!" Liu Zhong responded, "Moreover, aren’t there still twenty-some open spots? Next year, if everyone wants to secure a spot, why not bring along the girls from your homes?"

"In fact, it’s good for girls to read more books too. Look at the female workers in our factory; which one isn’t literate and numerate? Nowadays, as long as you can read and do math, regardless of gender, you’re wanted in the embroidery rooms and inns in the county city. Although they can’t sit for the imperial exams, how many scholars can we really produce among us farmers? As long as they can read and do arithmetic, they can always find a job to support themselves, which is better than just farming at home."

Having daughters at home, Liu Zhong could empathize, and seeing his own daughter becoming smarter, he wished more girls could attend school.

The old village chief also stepped forward to present a harsh reality, "Girls who know how to read are more likely to find a good husband’s family who can support their brothers at home. Besides, it’s only two years and doesn’t really delay anything."

Compared to what Liu Qi and Liu Zhong had just said, the old village chief’s words clearly made more sense to the villagers in terms of benefits.

Looking at the three boys who got school spots thanks to their sisters’ admissions, villagers nodded in agreement. They understood now.

They didn’t know what other schools emphasized, but now they knew the Liu Family Village School emphasized yin-yang balance.

If they had known earlier, they would have definitely brought their daughters along.

It was unfortunate that hindsight is 20/20, and talking about it now was too late. Luckily, there were still twenty-four spots left, so instead of wasting time, let’s just draw lots!

The sky wasn’t getting any earlier, and everyone needed to head back, especially since it got dark early, leaving no time for further delay.

Seeing Liu Ji talk the noisy villagers into a daze, completely brainwashing them, Zhen Yubai was so shocked his jaw almost dropped.

He turned his head to look at Qin Yao, standing beside him. She seemed completely accustomed to it, the corners of her mouth slightly bent, seemingly very satisfied with Liu Ji’s performance.

"My dear, let’s start drawing lots!" Liu Ji shouted from the front and turned back to look at her, smiling like a blooming flower.

Qin Yao, in high spirits, couldn’t suppress the lift of her mouth, holding onto the lottery tube as she stepped forward, allowing villagers to queue and draw lots in turn.

Those who drew one with black paint on the top could enroll.

Those who drew were overjoyed, while those who didn’t sighed with disappointment.

Zhen Yubai patiently consoled them one by one, "It’s okay, come back next March."

He had checked; the Liu Family Village School could accommodate a hundred students, but because it was just starting at this time of year, they needed to control the number of children.

Hearing what the teacher said, the children who didn’t draw this time regained hope.

This included children who had once registered at the Ding Clan School but weren’t chosen.

Having experienced the sternness of the Ding Family teachers, being greeted by Zhen Yubai’s amicable nature, they secretly resolved to return to the Liu Family Village next year to draw lots for enrollment.

After a morning of selection, the fifty enrollment spots for the Liu Family Village School were finally determined. Zhen Yubai instructed the necessary books they should prepare and informed them they could go to the county’s bookstore, report his name to the shopkeeper, and buy at a reduced price.

The students’ parents were extremely grateful, and their goodwill toward Mr. Zhen grew significantly.

The noise continued into the afternoon, and only then did the children start to disperse one after another.

Suddenly, in front of the schoolyard, it quieted down, leaving only four big kids helping to tidy the classroom.

Qin Yao glanced over at Zhen Yubai, busy with his head lowered, waved to Liu Ji and Ah Wang, and quietly left.

"Mr. Zhen really likes children."

On the way home, Ah Wang suddenly said.

Liu Ji nodded; although he couldn’t stand Zhen Yubai, he had to admit that he was very patient with children, looking like a good teacher.

If he didn’t keep trying to get closer to the teacher, Liu Ji wouldn’t mind chatting and drinking with this new teacher during free times.

But Ah Wang frowned again, "But just now, he secretly glanced at me several times."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yao and Liu Ji exchanged a look; who would have any reason to take particular notice of someone like Ah Wang, who blended into the crowd?

"Could he possibly recognize you?" Liu Ji boldly speculated.

But as soon as he posed the question, he negated it himself; Zhen Yubai was from Ningxi County, and Ah Wang had never been there, so they couldn’t have met.

Ah Wang shook his head, "He doesn’t recognize me, but his intuition is extremely sharp. He might have discovered that I know martial arts."

"Huh?" Liu Ji was so stunned he waved his hand in disbelief, "Impossible, he doesn’t know martial arts. How could he discover you know martial arts!"

"My dear, right?" Liu Ji looked expectantly at Qin Yao, seeking her approval.

However, she just looked at him and smiled without speaking.

At that moment, Liu Ji felt as if he was struck by lightning, his eyes wide with shock, "No way, do we have another expert in our village?"

Saying this, he realized he said it too loudly and quickly lowered his voice to quietly question the two experts with him, "That last incident with thirty people... Could it be someone seeking revenge on you, my dear?"

With a sympathetic glance, Qin Yao explained, "The previous matters have already been resolved. Even if a few slipped through the net, there are rightful targets for revenge. If they’re going to find anyone, it will be Wang Jin. Why would they come after me? That would be asking for death!"

Liu Ji thought about it and realized she was right. If anyone was looking for trouble, they should go after Wang Jin, that shameless scoundrel!