Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 480: The Prodigal Son Returns and Becomes a Talent
After returning all the way from Cangzhou, they wandered around the public school without even going home. Of course, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er did not realize that they were a bit like Dayu who passed by his own house without even entering it during the flood control.
They saw the simplest preschool class, which Zhang Shou simply called the general education class. In addition to literacy and poetry and recitation that were also taught in rural community schools, it was said that it also taught the simplest arithmetic and natural geography, etc.; in addition, there were accounting classes, typesetting and engraving classes, and map reading and drawing classes... In Zhang Chen's joking words, would there be cooking classes, carpentry classes, and blacksmith classes in the future?
Zhang Shou's answer was quite frank: "The reason why the word 'public' is emphasized in public schools is because they are aimed at the poor, so they are different from private schools. The purpose is to let students learn to write and calculate, while compared with community schools, they hope that they can master technical skills. Whether it is a cook or a carpenter, most of them can pass on their skills from master to apprentice, and many of them do not require high literacy, so there is no need to set up special courses in public schools."
"Of course, these are all very elementary educations now. If we encounter students with excellent qualifications, they will be selected. For example, teachers like Tang Ming and Xie Wanquan, who are well-read in poetry and literature, were originally prepared for these students with literary talent. Of course, if students are very sensitive to numbers, they will also be used as backup students of Jiuzhang Hall..."
Young Master Jiang followed behind and listened, and couldn't help but think that although his father had donated money to support education in the past, it was all used to support young talents who had the hope of entering officialdom in the future. Even if it was used to support those poor people who had been struggling in the imperial examinations for decades and could not become a scholar, maybe their luck would turn around. As for the children and grandchildren of the peasants, it would be enough for them to donate money to charity schools.
Zhang Chen and Zhu Er were born into prominent families. As long as they did not commit suicide, they would have more money than they could spend in their lifetime. They also had a status that ordinary people would find difficult to achieve even if they worked hard for their entire lives. Therefore, although they did not think there was anything wrong with talking about fame and fortune with teachers and students in the public school, they themselves did not care about fame and fortune. At least, they preferred to do something to prove themselves rather than pursuing rapid advancement.
As a result, the two of them became very interested in the various classes in the public school. They were even interested in coming up with ideas and thinking of ways to deal with them. They had long forgotten what they had just learned, that Zhang Shou had teamed up with Lu Wan to trick Lu Sanlang.
By the time the sun set, the two followed Zhang Shou out, having come up with no less than ten new ideas. Zhang Chen even shook Lu Wan's hand and said enthusiastically, "Uncle Lu, I used to think you were too gloomy because of that fat guy, but I didn't expect you to be so capable and good at doing things! This public school is all thanks to you, no one else could have achieved this!"
Zhang Chen, who was always rebellious, was so good at speaking, so how could Zhu Er, who was now much more sensible, not be able to flatter him? Not only did he throw a lot of flattering words at him, he also pulled Young Master Jiang forward and vowed that he wanted to open a public school in Cangzhou, and asked Lu Wan to help write a plaque and hang it up... In just a few words, the former Minister Lu, who was now the Priest Lu, was very happy.
And Lu Wan was indeed overjoyed.
In the past, although the Minister of War held a high position and power, it was not easy to choose sides, and it was even more difficult to form alliances. Today's ally might be tomorrow's opponent, and the open backers might also be enemies secretly plotting against you... Now, while he bowed and stepped down, he also pulled Lord Jiang down. He regained the emperor's trust, but took himself out of that circle.
He did not get involved in the affairs of the court, and had the full support of the emperor. He created the current situation by himself. He seemed to have faded out of the court, but his own shadow and legend were always everywhere. After living such a god-like life... he felt relaxed and at least ten years younger!
Therefore, at this moment, he agreed to Zhu Er's request to build a public school in Cangzhou and inscribe a plaque without thinking twice, and even encouraged Zhu Er with a smile and praised his deeds in Cangzhou - even though he had only heard it from hearsay.
When he saw Zhang Chen approaching with a fierce face, dragging Zhu Er with one hand and Jiang Da Shao with the other, and immediately went to the side to discuss the details of this impromptu plan, Lu Wan looked at Zhang Shou and said with a smile: "My fat son, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er, the former harms of the capital, have now become pillars of the city in the blink of an eye."
"In the past, Lu Zhu was just messing around in the capital, so I thought he was just a little clever. But now look at Zhang Chen and Zhu Er. They can benefit the people with their own abilities after leaving the capital. Dr. Zhang, I am convinced by you now. If all teachers in the world teach students according to their aptitude like you, there won't be so many children and grandchildren who make their parents worry."
Zhang Shou suddenly burst into laughter. Is this the resentment and emotion that arises from the hearts of parents who cannot control their children and then meet a teacher who can control their children?
He did not think that he was a rare good teacher in the world. If he had to find his strengths, he could only say that he was good at judging people.
From the Fourth Prince, a smaller naughty kid, to Zhang Chen, Zhu Er and a group of older naughty kids, after spending some time with them, he found that these kids all had extremely strong ambition and desire to perform, but they were usually suppressed.
Therefore, he immediately laughed heartily and said: "In the final analysis, whether it is Lu Sanlang or others, they are actually good in nature, but their strengths have been overshadowed by their weaknesses in the past." If the student's nature is really bad, no matter how great his ability is, he will not be able to change it.
Seeing Lu Wan nodding thoughtfully, as they were about to reach the gate of the public school, Zhang Shou smiled and said to the school's chief priest who had accompanied him the rest of the way and had just escorted him out, "We have come here without any hesitation and have troubled you for so long today. Now that we are here, there is no need to see you off. I heard from Lu Sanlang that you are a very busy man now."
"Oh, he dares to say that to me?" When talking about Lu Sanlang just now, she also used the comment that he was making a mess. At this time, Lu Wan was naturally not polite at all. "He will fly away when his wings are strong enough. Now he has lost his dormitory in the Imperial College, but he refuses to go home. He actually stays next door to Liu Zhiyuan. Why doesn't he recognize old man Liu as his father! This unfilial son only comes back a few days a month!"
Although he was not old, Lu Wan was very angry at the moment. Hearing this, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er, who had just finished their plan and pulled Young Master Jiang back, sneered at the same time. But then they thought of themselves from Lu Sanlang, and laughed dryly and turned their heads away. Not to mention them, even Young Master Jiang's face looked very subtle.
Even though Zhang Chen had left the capital before, Duke Qin Zhang Chuan provided both money and manpower. Before that, he was also the son who had been at odds with his father every day.
Not to mention Zhu Er. Compared with his elder brother who is excellent in all aspects of literature and martial arts, he has always been disliked by his father.
Young Master Jiang is now regarded as a filial son by the people of Cangzhou, and people say that Master Jiang has a successor. But not long ago, he was just living a life of idleness and waiting to die at home, and had no idea about inheriting the family business.
So, when Lu Wan scolded Lu Sanlang for being an unfilial son, the three of them thought that they were not much filial either, so after the initial gloating, they hurriedly walked a few steps slower and stayed behind to avoid being swept up by Lu Wan's words.
However, Zhang Shou was a little surprised by Lu Wan's attitude. When he first went to the Lu family to rescue the fat boy, Lu Wan looked at Lu Sanlang with disgust. Why did she act like she was... jealous now?
Moreover, she was jealous of Liu Zhiyuan, an old man… Liu Zhiyuan was Zhu Tingfang’s teacher, and he didn’t say he would accept Lu Sanlang as his student. Why was Lu Wan so angry? Could it be that the two of them had a disagreement when they were in the Ministry of War?
Zhang Shou thought about all the dramas of love and hatred in his mind, and then he thought about how to say a few words to comfort the injured father, but he suddenly heard Ah Liu, who had been silent until now, remind him: "Lu Sanlang is here."
Zhang Shou was about to look up, but then he saw Lu Wan looking towards the gate of the public school first. He thought to himself that this father was really hypocritical. He used to dislike the little fat boy, but now that he has become a successful person, he immediately acted as if he was his son. However, when the eldest prince confronted Lu Sanlang and Liu Qing, Lu Wan stood up to defend Lu Sanlang, so he was still a kind father.
In comparison, it is Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan...If the person hadn't opened up to him before, Zhang Chen would have been upset for the rest of his life!
As he thought, he looked at the fat boy who was rushing over. He saw Lu Sanlang grabbing the hem of his robe with one hand and trotting towards him. When the man got closer, the fat boy said, "Little... Little Master, Dad, that... that book "Jinling Yan"..."
When Lu Wan heard that Lu Wan actually put Zhang Shou before himself, he was immediately furious. Then he heard that the other person actually mentioned the book first, even though his original intention was to make this guy anxious, he became even more angry.
So, without waiting for Zhang Shou to speak, he said with a straight face: "You came here in such a hurry, just for this book?"
"Yes... cough, no!" Lu Sanlang was out of breath at the moment. Being questioned so harshly by Lu Wan, he felt aggrieved but also a little indignant. However, when Zhang Shou glared at him and Ah Liu's pair of deep pupils were staring at him behind Zhang Shou, his arrogance, which was only 5 points to begin with, was immediately reduced by 3 points.
So, he immediately said sincerely: "I heard from someone that you and the young master have trained a group of people who can carve movable wood type and also set type? I wonder how many people there are in total? Are there any internships? The classics and historical books in the capital, as well as the collection of eight-part essays, etc., are all printed by fixed bookstores. If you want to print books, you can't do it without some practice..."
As the fat man spoke, he counted on his fingers and described the annual employee situation, printing situation, and profit situation of each famous bookstore. It was as if he had a clear account book engraved in his mind.
He seemed not to notice Lu Wan's surprised look. He talked about the business situation incessantly and then said with a smile: "Dad and the young master have trained such a group of people. I think they are planning to print books, right? The textbooks of this public school, some external publicity materials, plus the collection of articles by teachers and other things, are indeed quite a lot."
Lu Sanlang quickly glanced at Zhang Shou and saw that he didn't make any comment. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he immediately cheered up: "But when it comes to printing books, publicity, and distribution, the young master and my father are definitely not as good as I am. Besides, these students who have learned to carve and type also need a stage to practice. Other bookstores can't afford so many people, at most they need a few people in each place!"
"But I can!" The little fat boy said these four words with full confidence and momentum on his face. "I am a professional in the book printing business, and I am also a professional in how to turn words into books and plays, even though I have just started! As long as Dad and the young master can let me get in touch with Tang Jieyuan and Mr. Xie, they will be more famous than they are now..."
Before Lu Sanlang could finish the last few words, "a hundred times bigger", his father suddenly rushed forward with a gloomy face. The dodging skills he had practiced for many years since childhood were put to the best use at this moment. He dodged directly to Zhang Shou without thinking, and then pulled Ah Liu to the front to serve as a shield for himself.
Anticipating what his father might say, he immediately said confidently, "I know that Dad and Mr. Xiao suddenly printed the first volume of "Jinling Yan", not to challenge me, but to see how I would respond! I don't have a grudge. I, Lu Sanlang, have great ambitions and aspirations. How could I care about the gains and losses of this time, this place, and this book?"
"Even if I encounter an emergency, I have a plan. I have recruited 70% to 80% of the excellent legendary writers in the entire capital. Most of the talented eight-part essay anthologists also cooperate with me. The editors of my bookstore are not like other bookstores that only employ poor scholars. My bookstore's editors are all students from Jiuzhang Hall, and I pay them..."
"As for the chief editor, Mr. Liu Zhiyuan is now in charge of this. Books with his name on them will sell well... Of course, I won't give him those legendary books to read. It would be bad if he got angry..."
If you only look at the little fat man's confident look at this moment, no one would know that he had just gone to Liu's house to shout for help half an hour ago.
Even Zhang Chen and Zhu Er, who were very familiar with Lu Sanlang, were stunned by this talkative little fat man, not to mention that this was the first time that Young Master Jiang met Lu Sanlang in his life.
The young master of the richest man in the west city of Cangzhou just stared in amazement as Lu Sanlang displayed his eloquence and described his bookstore's profit growth rate, employee growth rate, distribution channels, auxiliary businesses, and other personal connections that others did not have. When he heard the titles of duke, earl, grand tutor, etc., his admiration was like a torrent of water.
Not to mention Young Master Jiang, even Zhang Shou, who knew Lu Sanlang's smooth-talking personality, also realized that he was bragging. But when he saw that Lu Wan was stunned and obviously frightened, he couldn't help laughing.
It was obvious that he was tricked by him and Lu Wan, but now the fat guy came to discuss cooperation and show off his advantages. If this guy were put in the future, he might be an excellent con man... No, a publisher!
Therefore, seeing that the fat boy's eloquent speech finally came to an end, Lu Wan rubbed his brows in confusion, and suddenly turned around and was about to leave without saying a word. He quickly grabbed the former Minister of War and said with a smile: "Lu Sanlang, not bad, you are not impatient when encountering an emergency, and you didn't let your father down. Those people majored in typesetting and minored in engraving, so they will go to your place for internship later."
"They can also use the rewards to supplement their family income. As for the wooden movable type wheels that your father used to print books in this public school, you can go find Mr. Yan. He carved them with leftover materials when he was free for many years. There are no less than 30,000 wooden movable type wheels in total. Because there are so many books to print this time, he also carved more than a dozen copies of many commonly used characters as backup. If you are sincere, he will definitely be willing to cooperate with you."
