Chapter 499 - 500: Scholar

Chapter 499: Chapter 500: Scholar

Bai Suihe thought for a moment and asked, "Then do you know how to speak their language?"

Gu Kaiyuan frowned. "I only know a few simple words, and I know they are curses."

Bai Suihe looked at him expectantly. "Let’s hear them."

Gu Kaiyuan was somewhat reluctant. "That’s not a good idea. They sound pretty nasty."

He wondered why a perfectly fine citizen of the Rong Dynasty would speak such disgusting words.

"I just want to know how they curse," Bai Suihe said, practically speechless. He shouldn’t be so stubborn about the wrong things.

Helpless, Gu Kaiyuan curled his lips and muttered in a low voice, "Chakou..."

"Alright, I get it." Bai Suihe’s suspicions were now confirmed. No matter the universe, this species was universally unlikable.

"Before, I was just guessing, but now I am certain," she said. "We can help them get their revenge, but I hope they can participate when the time comes."

"Revenge is best taken with one’s own hands," Bai Suihe said. After a moment of thought, she added, "These children are old enough to understand. Speak to them personally later. If they are willing, we can provide assistance.

"Even if they lack the talent for martial arts, we can still teach them a few fatal moves."

Gu Kaiyuan replied, "Actually, there’s no need for that. Yun Ni still has many people on his end. He will train them well."

These were hands he had painstakingly gathered and trained. Facing off against those heinous pirates, he would be heartbroken to lose even a single one.

As for the pirates, the emperor would send troops anyway. It would be much easier if he just led his men to trail behind, reap the spoils, and deliver the finishing blows. Besides, he didn’t know who would eventually sit on the throne, but that didn’t change his distaste for the Rong family. In his previous life, he had to amass power to have a chance against the Gu Family and Rong Ruiyuan. Left with no other choice, he had risked his life to earn military merits. But in this life, he refused to do so. It was a thankless task, and he wasn’t a fool.

Fearing Bai Suihe might misunderstand, he quickly and thoroughly explained his reasoning. Bai Suihe agreed that it made sense; being the first to stick one’s neck out was never a good idea. Once the emperor purged Lingnan, his forces would inevitably confront the pirates. It was better to let them clash first while they focused on developing their own strength.

Nanny Pang was overjoyed to see the children. Gu Kaiyuan and the others had inadvertently saved them; with their tiny statures, there was no way they could have survived on their own.

Teaching these dozen or so children would be easy. They could simply be grouped together and follow a schedule set by Bai Suihe to learn various subjects.

Gu Kaiyuan’s eyes lit up when he saw the plan. This was brilliant. They would all learn to read together, and then receive specialized instruction based on their talents and interests, which would save a lot of trouble.

He immediately wrote down these methods and sent them to Yun Ni, along with this month’s supplies.

Upon seeing the instructions, Yun Ni couldn’t help but massage his temples. Gu Kaiyuan really knew how to make work for him. They had agreed that he would help train some guards, but now they had to learn all this? He was a Ranger, not a top Scholar.

"Go back and tell Mr. Gu that I can’t do this," Yun Ni grumbled. "I barely know how to read myself."

Lin Wei, who had been sent to handle the errand, quickly pulled an old man forward from behind him. "Mr. Gu has already arranged everything. This is Tong Xiucai. From now on, just set aside an hour or two every day for him to teach."

Yun Ni sized Tong Xiucai up and down. "He’s a Scholar?"

No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like an old village farmer. Had Gu Kaiyuan been scammed?

"Indeed I am," the old man said, stepping forward with his chest puffed out. "I look forward to your guidance, brave warrior."

Before coming here, his employer had told him exactly what his job would entail. He had only passed the Scholar exams the year before last. His family relied on a few acres of fertile land to fund his education. With a small family, he had to work the fields himself and copy books in his spare time to earn money for pens and ink. Finally, Heaven rewarded his diligence, and he earned his academic title.

However, he was getting older now, and even if he studied hard for another dozen years, he might not pass the exams to become a scholar. Thus, he had been sending out his calling cards everywhere, hoping to secure a job. Previously, he had taught the young master at the county magistrate’s estate, and the pay had been quite good. But who could have known that the magistrate would commit a crime and lose his entire estate? As a result, Tong Xiucai had lost his job as well.

If he just tended to his small plot of land, he could eke out a living. But his youngest son had a talent for studying, and the family’s entire hope rested on the boy’s shoulders. If he didn’t go out and earn some silver, how would he fund his son’s education? As soon as he heard that someone was hiring a teacher, he immediately agreed, completely ignoring their warnings about the harsh conditions.

Who would have thought he would be led through a maze of turns to such a remote location? At first, he wondered if he had offended someone who was planning to drag him to a secluded corner and silence him permanently. Now, hearing their exchange, he realized he had been overthinking things. Teaching was teaching, no matter where it took place—as long as they paid him enough silver. Hearing that it would only be a couple of hours a day teaching children how to read made it even simpler. Any junior student could do this job.

"Then follow me," Yun Ni said, leading the man to the backyard. There, dozens of children were throwing punches, practicing martial arts stances with impressive form.

"Why are there so many children?" Tong Xiucai’s face paled. Had he accidentally stumbled upon some illicit secret?

Yun Ni cast a sidelong glance at him. "These are all orphans kindly adopted by Mr. Gu of Zhang County. They are all children left behind by those pirate scourges.

"We’re paying you to teach them how to read and write. Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask."

Tong Xiucai was an educated man, so he naturally knew about the scourges of Lingnan. Now that the emperor had sent forces to guard the region, he believed the pirates’ good days were numbered.

"But with so many orphans, and you teaching them both academics and martial arts... what exactly are you planning to do?" he asked.

"Naturally, we want them to have the skills to survive and settle down. In the future, they can serve as guards or run errands for Mr. Gu," Yun Ni replied. He had always looked down on scholars who spouted pedantic jargon and grand theories all day, only to compromise their principles for a meager salary anyway.

"If they don’t work hard, is food just going to fall from the sky?"

Tong Xiucai hesitated. "But with so many orphans, according to the law, the government should be notified..."

"And then what? The government registers them and drives them all to a ruined temple to beg for a living? Or they get turned around and sold into some shady place where they’ll never see the light of day again?"

Yun Ni distrusted the government more than anyone else, which was why he had agreed immediately when Gu Kaiyuan explained the situation. If these children had good living conditions or a stable family, who would willingly wander the streets? That was why he was willing to lend Gu Kaiyuan a hand—it was his way of helping these children, too. Gu Kaiyuan was currently building his enterprise here, and he would definitely be short of manpower in the future. As the first batch of loyal followers, these children’s futures would be far from bleak.

Tong Xiucai fell silent. He was certainly aware of society’s darker side. Many helpless young girls ended up in filthy brothels. And as for these young boys, many of them would be sent into illicit black mines...