Zhao Cheng saw they had matters to discuss and had no intention of staying long, so he took his leave.

Zhao Hanzhang hurriedly stopped him, “Uncle, Hanzhang has one more matter to ask of you.”

Zhao Ming gave her a knowing look and shot Zhao Cheng a smug glance—see, wasn’t I right? Her real target was him all along.

Zhao Cheng had already become indifferent. He didn’t have Zhao Ming’s inclination for back-and-forth probing. He asked directly and coldly, “What is it?”

Zhao Hanzhang was equally straightforward with him, getting right to the point, “I’d like to ask uncle to compile two sets of teaching materials for the children in the school—one for literacy and etiquette, one for numeracy and calculation.”

Zhao Cheng was stunned for a moment, “What virtue and ability do I have to compile teaching materials?”

This wasn’t sarcasm, but his sincere belief.

Only great scholars had the qualification to compile teaching materials. How could he, someone who hadn’t even resolved the doubts in his own heart, be qualified to compile teaching materials?

Wouldn’t that mislead the students?

“Uncle is too modest. I don’t need you to teach them any profound principles—simple human nature and common sense will do. Being able to recognize some characters is enough,” Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him and carefully considered her words, “I want them to be able to quickly participate in county construction. As you know, I currently need people everywhere who can write and calculate, so…”

Zhao Cheng’s face, which had just softened, hardened again with a thud, “What do you think education is? What do you think teachers are?”

This was the conflict between her and his educational philosophy. Zhao Cheng took every student seriously, treating almost everyone as a future great scholar, doing his utmost to help them understand the true nature of this world.

But…

Zhao Hanzhang just wanted them to quickly learn to read and understand addition and subtraction within one thousand, then immediately put them to use.

This was like the literacy classes at the founding of the nation, but Zhao Cheng wanted to turn the literacy classes into a training program leading straight to university. Their philosophies were completely opposed and incompatible.

Zhao Hanzhang was driven out again.

She sighed as she led the guards home. Qiuwu was very puzzled, “My lady, he’s so stubborn. Why do we still use him?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “In all of Xiping County, aside from people in the county office, only a few families’ children are literate, and most are in the Zhao clan. If I don’t use people from the Zhao clan, should I use the Song or Qian families?”

Those families, though very quiet, hadn’t pledged allegiance to her. Now they seemed more like they were watching, observing how far she could go.

As for the Zhao clan, though they always found fault with her in various ways, they had been helping her and providing all kinds of conveniences.

Currently, those teaching in the school were basically all surnamed Zhao. If Zhao Hanzhang didn’t use Zhao Cheng, the Zhao clan’s young men in the school would turn and leave as well.

“Moreover, we need to learn to hear different voices and allow different opinions to exist.” She said, “What Uncle Cheng says isn’t wrong, and what I say isn’t necessarily right. It’s just more suitable for the present, more suitable for me.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “In the long term, Uncle Cheng is right.”

Qiuwu asked, “Then why not listen to Master Cheng?”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him and said, “Didn’t I just say? What I propose is more beneficial to me and more suitable for the present.”

“But now Master Cheng won’t listen.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “So the capable must work harder. Fu Dalang and I will just have to work a bit harder.”

She hadn’t been transcribing the Thousand Character Classic much lately. She’d better finish transcribing the rest when she got back, along with the Three Character Classic. As for mathematics, she’d leave that to Fu Tinghan.

As Zhao Hanzhang walked along thinking, Qiuwu saw she was heading outside the fortified manor and hesitated before reminding her, “My lady, we’re already back at the fortified manor. Aren’t you going to see Madam?”

Just as he finished speaking, Wang Shi’s voice called from behind, “Sanniang!”

Zhao Hanzhang turned around to see Wang Shi standing behind them with a face full of grievance and sorrow.

Zhao Hanzhang slapped her forehead, only now remembering she hadn’t seen Wang Shi for half a month.

She immediately ran forward, “Mother, I was just about to go back to call Tinghan and Erlang to come home for dinner. How did you come out already? The wind is so strong and it’s so cold—what if you catch a chill?”

Wang Shi was easily placated, her expression immediately improving, “Has Fu Dalang returned too?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, “He’s still busy at the county office, but he should be about finished by now. I was just going to pick him up.”

Wang Shi said, “Then hurry and go. I’ll go back and make you something delicious. What would you like to eat?”

“Anything—I love everything Mother makes.”

“How can it be ‘anything’?” Wang Shi looked at her face with concern, “You’ve gotten so thin.”

Wang Shi immediately made a decision, “Let’s have lamb. I’ll have someone go buy sheep from Seventh Great-Uncle.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes brightened slightly, “Mother, I brought back a cooking utensil this time. Tonight let’s make braised lamb ribs. Actually sweet and sour lamb ribs are also very delicious.”

Wang Shi considered herself well-traveled, but she’d never heard of either dish Zhao Hanzhang mentioned. She looked at her quietly, “Where have you eaten dishes like these?”

“Uh, outside. The kitchen staff at home don’t know how to make them? Just wait, I’ll bring the new cooking utensil back and make them for you.”

Wang Shi, hearing she would cook, immediately hesitated, “Otherwise let’s just have stewed lamb. If you think it’s too bland, I can also have someone roast you a leg of lamb…” Just don’t cook yourself.

Afraid of dampening her daughter’s spirits, Wang Shi didn’t say the last sentence.

It wasn’t that she looked down on her daughter, but her daughter truly had no culinary skills and no great talent for women’s work, and didn’t love learning it either.

From childhood, she wanted to both study and practice martial arts. The little person was always worried about everything like a little adult. The family had hired kitchen staff to teach them culinary arts. Her several cousins all learned well, but only she barely got by with everything except knife skills.

In the end, even her father-in-law found out and personally ordered her not to learn culinary arts, and the matter was finally settled.

Zhao Hanzhang was quite confident in her culinary skills. She hadn’t planned to do it herself anyway—directing was still within her capabilities.

She ran back to the county office and grabbed the wok she’d just put in the kitchen, handing it to Ting He who came running over, “Pack it up. We’re going back to the old residence.”

Ting He said, “…Didn’t you say this wok was a treasure and told us to use it diligently?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I’m giving it to Mother as a filial gift. I’ll just have Wushan forge another one later. Now go prepare some spices to bring along. I’m going to find Fu Dalang.”

Fu Tinghan was in his study writing and drawing. Zhao Hanzhang happily told him, “We’re having braised lamb ribs and sweet and sour lamb ribs tonight. Do you have any particular stir-fried dishes you’d like?”

“I’m fine with anything. Are you planning to make do with just this one wok?”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced down at the draft paper in front of him and found it was full of symbols she couldn’t understand, so she urged, “Stop calculating. Let’s go. Mother is still waiting at home.”

Fu Tinghan agreed, put away the draft paper and pressed it under something on the desk, got up and went back with Zhao Hanzhang.

The two didn’t wait for Zhao Erlang, but had someone go to the military camp to call him, letting him run home on his own.

The two just brought a wok back. When they arrived at the old residence, a sheep had just been slaughtered.