Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 393 - 390: The Hardships of Great Tang Women

Chapter 393: Chapter 390: The Hardships of Great Tang Women

In the morning, taking advantage of the low tide, Lin Wanwan went to catch the sea. After returning home, she changed her clothes and took little Qingyu to give the children their second lesson.

During lunch break, the other kids eat in the school cafeteria, but little Qingyu is brought back home by Lin Wanwan for a special meal.

Today isn’t originally a day off, but when little Qingyu overheard that Lin Wanwan was taking Xiao Xianghua to catch the sea, she clung onto her, refusing to go to school. She insisted on going to catch the sea too.

For a kindergarten-aged child like little Qingyu, taking leave is quite simple. Lin Wanwan, softened by Qingyu’s pestering, agreed to her request.

In the academy, the venerable Teacher Chen is responsible for the serious subjects of the imperial examination. He generally doesn’t oversee the accompanying readers and female students, adopting a laissez-faire attitude.

With Qingyu’s social status, she’s destined to lead a worry-free life, potentially idling through it. Skills like music, chess, calligraphy, and poetry are merely embellishments, and the Teacher wouldn’t have too rigorous demands on her.

Even Lin Wanwan, as a guardian, adopts a rather casual attitude, leaving the little one without much motivation to study.

The precocious children in the academy understand that literacy can change one’s fate, and they study diligently.

Take Lin Daniu for example, who lost her little uncle and had her house burned down; she belongs to the particularly precocious type.

She studies extremely hard, almost to the point of tying her hair to the beam and pricking her thigh with an awl. Moreover, she is very talented; with good nurturing, she is definitely a scholarly achiever.

Even though Teacher Chen doesn’t pay much attention to female students, she remains the quickest learner in the academy.

Unfortunately, as a female in Great Tang, the path to ascension is narrow. No matter how well she studies, she isn’t qualified to take the imperial examination.

The most famous female official of Great Tang, Shangguan Wan’er, had the opportunity because she was implicated by her father’s crime and confiscated into the Imperial Court as a slave, serving in the Imperial Palace. Being so close to the Empress Wu Zetian gave her the chance to rise.

Mao County is far away from Chang’an, with no chance to alter fate like that.

Lin Daniu is already eleven years old this year, at an age of understanding. She deeply cherishes the opportunity to study, knowing how precious it is, how can she not treasure and strive for it?

If not for the free lunch provided at Lin Wanwan’s school, and the occasional reward of snacks, Lin Daniu couldn’t have attended school. She would have been held at home learning to weave fabric and nets long ago.

At her age, rural girls often begin seeking marriage matches. To family members, girls are ultimately married off, isn’t studying a waste of time?

Let alone Lin Daniu’s grandparents who prefer boys over girls, even her own father initially didn’t take her studies seriously.

Even if studying would not lead to the imperial examination, nor were there pathways to the palace for female official elections with mountains high and the Emperor far, it was seen as a waste of time.

Later, one day her aunt and uncle couldn’t hold back any longer, telling the grandparents that girls reading more was useless. Recognizing some characters and doing basic arithmetic were enough, suggesting she should stop attending school and stay home to weave and knit nets for household support.

Lin Daniu almost had to cease studying that time, yet she herself found a way and managed to persuade her honest father.

Lin Mengzhong opposed the family’s idea for the first time, using the reason that she got free meals, and clothes once every season.

The rest of the family didn’t know what reason Lin Daniu used to persuade Lin Mengzhong, not even her biological mother could guess.

Lin Mengzhong, although honest and dull with little skill, is tight-lipped and didn’t disclose a bit of the reason for insisting his daughter continue schooling.

Seeing this, Lin Guofu and his wife didn’t enforce their command, as it meant saving a bowl of rice for themselves—quite tempting.

Though student clothes couldn’t be deducted, it saves their own making for little girls.

Otherwise Lin Daniu, at eleven years old, would have already needed fabric pulled for her clothes.

Now being able to freeload student clothes is certainly an advantage, no reason not to go.

This month the youngest son in the family unexpectedly passed away, now only the eldest son remains.

The old couple’s attitude towards the eldest son changed, naturally, they wouldn’t put forward the suggestion for the eldest granddaughter to quit school and work.

Because she did less work due to studying, they figured she could earn the dowry from it in the future.

Their granddaughter can read and write, word has it she ranks top of her class, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, poised and righteous—such a girl couldn’t be found within ten miles. Wouldn’t she be paired with a small landowner, living in a big house?

The dowry should be a unique sum!

The Great Tang has a tradition of extravagant dowries, top to bottom alike.

The Five Families and Seven Hopes demanded exorbitant dowries, even forcing the Emperor to interfere with decrees (alas, to little effect), Lin Daniu’s grandparents having such thoughts comes as no surprise.

Lin Daniu also understands her situation well, thus treats every day going to school as if it’s her last day of study.

Her life changed because of Lin Wanwan.

It was Lin Wanwan who gave her the first set of decent clothes, taught her how to read and understand, and taught her never to give up.

Lin Wanwan’s place in her heart even surpassed her parents, let alone her constantly-bashing grandparents. As for her aunt and uncle, they were much like enemies.

Younger third cousin and her mother are both dim-witted, two cousins don’t seem apt for study, and her younger sister, following her father’s obliviousness. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lin Daniu is very lonely but also very fortunate.

She doesn’t want to simply marry a rough man, bearing children and wasting away; what she wants deep inside is to follow Lin Wanwan, be her right-hand, like Lin Mengli managing her store, even becoming the Store Manager.

If following Lin Wanwan doesn’t work out, then assisting cousin Qingyu would be fine too.

Thus, among all subjects, those for the imperial exam like "Classic of Filial Piety" and "Analects", Lin Daniu only attentively learns in class, privately not exerting much effort, discarding music lessons altogether; instruments play no practical role for a poor child.

She devotes herself to the science experiments, arithmetic, and bookkeeping lessons taught by Lin Wanwan.

These practical subjects are the knowledge she believes will change her fate; she fervently believes if she is strong enough, there’s bound to be an opportunity.

Just like now, the clan is planning to build a workshop again, the scene is growing larger, and loyal capable clan members surely will have opportunities in the future.

But she’s a girl, inherently disadvantaged compared to boys in the clan, so she must work harder.

Although Lin Wanwan doesn’t favor Lin Guofu’s family, she quite likes the clever and diligent Lin Daniu.

This girl has a grit at such a young age and is indeed very intelligent, able to learn anything taught in one go.

If she were a boy, Lin Wanwan would consider sending her to the proper private school in Xiao Creek Town’s Wang Family, studying for the imperial exam, winning a future for Lin Family Manor.

In a feudal society, scholars are always the strength.

A family aspiring to change its fate must nurture descendants to enter officialdom and hold the power of discourse.

It’s a shame there’s no one in the clan as talented in learning as Lin Daniu!

Lin Tiezhu and a few boys, albeit clever, learn arithmetic fairly well, but seem to have an aversion to essays, seriously unbalanced in subjects.

Once the Xiao Family’s bookshop helps Lin Wanwan obtain the "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" and "Zheng Jiu Nianzi" from the Great Tang Ming Calculation Textbook, consider letting them try the Ming Mathematics subject.

The other kids in the academy are either too young to discern, or struggling even with arithmetic, avoiding illiteracy would mean Lin Wanwan’s effort on her school hasn’t been a waste.