After the warm room was set up, Lin Wanwan and little Qingyu moved back to the Lin Family Manor. It was already the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival at this time.
The traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in the Great Tang is on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, but here in Wanghai, the moon is fullest on the sixteenth. For this reason, people have been celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival on the sixteenth for a thousand years.
This day was also the third day since Lin Wanwan moved into her new house at the Lin Family Manor.
Early in the morning, just as the eastern horizon began to lighten, the roosters in the village started crowing one after another.
Little Qingyu’s eyelashes fluttered twice and she opened her eyes. Today was both the Mid-Autumn Festival and the first day of the clan school. The little girl was excited since she would be attending school too.
As usual, she softly reported in Lin Wanwan’s ear, "Mother, I need to pee." Google seaʀᴄh novel~fire~net
When Lin Wanwan quietly responded with "Mm," only then would she climb over Lin Wanwan’s body, get out of bed, and ease herself at the ceramic spittoon.
Then she would climb back into bed, hugging Lin Wanwan’s neck to sleep a little more until Lin Wanwan got up, at which point she would wake up instantly.
When sounds came from their room, Hua Nong or Yun Shang, who were on night duty outside, would bring in hot water to serve.
Since Lin Wanwan was from modern times, she handled tasks like dressing and washing by herself, and she also mostly took care of little Qingyu. The New Luo Maids mainly boiled hot water and emptied the spittoon.
Lin Wanwan personally combed the little one’s hair too.
Actually, Lin Wanwan wasn’t skilled at combing hair, but she had a cheat code: modern integrated wig packages, which were incredibly convenient and seamless.
Every day, Lin Wanwan would use a comb to groom her and little Qingyu’s hair, which was both for stimulating blood circulation and preventing lice infestation.
The people at Lin Family Manor were indeed not particular about hygiene; not drinking unboiled water was considered their greatest dignity. As for washing hair, bathing, or laundry every day, that was naturally impossible.
The men had it easier, jumping into the sea anytime, while it was more troublesome for the women. With frequent washing damaging clothes, soap being expensive, and ash from plants not in abundance, you could imagine the hygiene situation.
Even though Lin Wanwan kept little Qingyu very clean, as long as she played with the clan’s children, the spread of lice was inevitable, forcing Lin Wanwan to be constantly vigilant.
Today, since they were going to school, there was no need to dress up excessively. Lin Wanwan simply dressed the little one in a Hu outfit, styled her hair into two pigtails, and tied it with a hair ribbon.
"Madam, today’s ingredients for the Hu cake are ready, such white flour, are you sure we should use it all?" Hua Nong asked while wiping the floor.
"Mm," Lin Wanwan was combing her hair in front of the copper mirror and responded casually.
She wasn’t good at binding her hair, so her hairstyle mostly resembled those of martial arts heroines in ancient dramas, half-disheveled with an integrated wig cap pinned at the top, both quick and simply antique.
To prepare for today’s school opening, Lin Wanwan specifically bought blank folded books from a bookstore and hand-copied the "Three Character Classic" and the "Thousand Character Classic."
These two books were more than suitable for enlightenment. She deleted the part of the "Three Character Classic" concerning history after the Tang dynasty, so there were no problems.
Soon after finishing breakfast, people from the clan gradually started bringing children to the school.
Even though Lin Wanwan said she wouldn’t charge tuition fees, the clanspeople who brought their children still brought some gifts. The less wealthy brought their own dried fish gelatin, dried fish, shrimp and other seafood, while the slightly better-off brought eggs and vegetables.
Lin Wanwan accepted these with a smile, as it was everyone’s goodwill and she had no reason to refuse.
The first to arrive were Lin Mengbo’s two children, Daya and Little Crab. They were followed by Lin Mengbo’s cousin, Lin Mengjin’s children, the seven-year-old son Tiezhu and five-year-old daughter Peach Blossom.
Tiezhu, true to his name, was very robust, almost as if he was a genetic mutant. Although Lin Mengjin was not tall, his son Tiezhu’s height far exceeded that of his peers, and it was clear at a glance that he was a leader among the children.
After half an hour, no one else brought children over, and Lin Wanwan knew that this was the number for today.
Most of those who came were boys, totaling twenty, while there were only three girls. Apart from Mengbo’s and Mengjin’s families, there was the Clan Leader’s five-year-old granddaughter, Sai Nan.
It seemed that people still favored boys over girls and didn’t trust her.
However, Lin Wanwan wasn’t in a hurry; in the future, they would definitely be crying and shouting to send their children over. Just like the late rice fields she planted, when harvest time came, they would surely cry and beg for her to provide seeds.
Before the official start of school, they conducted a teacher’s salutation ritual, as teachers in ancient times held a very high status. The order of Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teacher spoke volumes.
Although the children were very mischievous, they had been repeatedly instructed before coming, and on Lin Wanwan’s desk lay a long ruler.
Thus, once the teacher’s salutation began, the little ones quieted down, not daring to cause trouble.
For the first class, Lin Wanwan taught the "Three Character Classic," reciting a line, then the children swayed back and forth following her lead.
Everyone sat in the spacious and bright classroom, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, newly made desks, newly paved floors, and newly woven mats. Everything was so wonderful.
But soon, some revealed their true colors. People who made their living from the sea were rugged, battling with the sea, the sky, and big fish, and their descendants naturally inherited this trait.
Among them, Tiezhu was the most mischievous, constantly itching to disturb the desks in front and behind, quickly causing conflicts and noise.
Seeing this, Lin Wanwan knew it wouldn’t work, and promptly slapped the ruler and shouted, "No noise! Whoever behaves well will get an extra piece of meat at lunch!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Lin Tiezhu was the first to stop making noise, sitting obediently, with his little hands on his knees, looking up and asking, "Auntie..."
"Oh, Teacher, is there really meat to eat?"
Lin Wanwan replied, "Of course, why would a teacher lie?"
"Oh, oh, oh, meat, meat!"
"There’s meat to eat!"
The group of children quieted down for less than three seconds before shouting again.
Lin Wanwan’s face darkened, "I said only those who behave well will get it!"
Little Qingyu cooperated the most, immediately raising her little hand softly, "Mother... Teacher, I’m obedient."
Lin Wanwan had told her a few times that in school, there are no mothers and daughters, only teachers and students. The little girl, although only four years old, had a good memory.
"I’m obedient too, I’m obedient too."
One by one, the little ones expressed themselves, as the allure of meat to children was immense, something they couldn’t eat twice a year. The last time was during the beam-raising banquet hosted by Lin Wanwan.
"Clang, clang, clang!" Yun Shang, keeping an eye on the water clock, saw the time and rang the copper bell. This bell was purchased by Lin Wanwan from modern times, with a string attached to it, used for the most primitive sound of the bell for starting and ending classes.
"Alright, class is over!"
The children stood up in a rush, like birds flying out of a cage.