I'm a male god in Liyue

Page 338

"A book about how to make wine."

"No wonder it's in Mondstadt script. It's so thick, it must take a long time to read."

"I will try my best to finish watching it, and I will definitely brew the best wine in the world in the future!"

In the afternoon, Ningguang came to the store with another secretary, Baixiao.

While giving Ningguang a massage, Xia Zhi casually mentioned school to her.

"Oh? Mr. Xia, why do you suddenly want to open a school?"

"My main goal is to do something practical for Liyue."

"Mr. Xia is quite generous."

"This money originally came from Liyue, so it's normal for it to be used in Liyue. Besides, mahjong is gambling, so in a sense this money is ill-gotten gains. It would be better to use it for public works."

"Mr. Xia is a man of great virtue."

"I just don't know if this money is enough."

"Enough."

"is it?"

"Yes, I have sponsored some schools myself, so I have some experience in this matter. Mr. Xia, you have come to the right person to ask me."

"So Miss Ningguang also values ​​education so much..."

"What? Does Mr. Xia think I'm just a woman who only knows how to make money?"

"Ahem, no."

"Back then, I walked barefoot from Yaoguang Beach to Liyue, enduring a great deal of hardship along the way. Therefore, I fully understand how difficult it is for children from ordinary families to stand out in this world..."

Ningguang's tone was somewhat wistful.

“These days I learned a word from Xia Ci: monopoly. Right now, knowledge in Liyue is in a state of being monopolized by the upper class. I tried to break it, but I later found that this is not a simple problem that I can solve by setting up some schools.”

"really."

"Mr. Xia, do you have any insightful suggestions?"

"I wouldn't call it a brilliant insight, but I can discuss it with Miss Ningguang."

"Please say!"

"The reason why knowledge cannot be widely disseminated is ultimately due to the excessively high cost of the medium."

"A book?"

"Well, to be precise, it's paper."

"Paper is indeed quite expensive."

"Therefore, if we want knowledge to be able to circulate freely, the first thing is to lower the price of paper to a level that ordinary people can buy without feeling the pinch."

“It’s difficult. I also have a paper mill under my management, which mainly provides official paper for Yuehaiting. But no matter what, the monthly paper production is only so much. Sometimes when there are many tasks and not enough paper, we still need to go to private paper mills to buy it.”

"This is a problem with the papermaking process."

"Yes."

Are other countries the same?

"Pretty much. Only Fontaine's papermaking process seems to have been improved, and they've even utilized a unique new energy source in the production process, resulting in huge output and making Fontaine's paper very cheap—enough to even start various newspapers. And then there's Winter..."

"Is that so? Therefore, if Liyue wants to achieve this, it also needs to improve its papermaking process."

"Yes, I have already instructed the paper mill's technicians to develop new processes, but there has been no progress. We have also sent people from Fontaine, but they have not obtained any useful information."

Ningguang felt a little helpless.

It's clear that she put a lot of thought into this.

Xia Zhi chuckled and reached out to press her forehead.

"Miss Ningguang, don't worry."

"Oh?"

"I happen to know a little about papermaking, so perhaps I can be of help to you."

"what!"

"Miss Ningguang doesn't believe me?"

"No! No! I naturally believe what Mr. Xia says!"

"I researched this topic out of curiosity before and made some progress. I'll organize it tonight and give it to you when you come over tomorrow."

"it is good!"

"Once the new papermaking process is developed, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the price of paper will drop significantly. Then, the first problem we just mentioned, the carrier of knowledge, will be successfully solved."

"If what Mr. Xia said is true, and the public can buy books at will, it would be a great blessing for Liyue."

“Miss Ningguang, things are not that simple. There is a second problem: the source of knowledge. We need to solve this. I asked around in the shop today and found that only Zhu Zi and Diona have attended school, but the teachers there only taught them some characters and did not impart any other knowledge.”

"But that's just how schools are..."

"Therefore, what I want to establish is not a school, but a school, a place that can teach students more knowledge."

"School?"

Ningguang was slightly taken aback. She had just heard Xia Zhi mention a school. Although it was not the same word as a school, she still thought it was something similar to a school and had not thought about it in detail.

"The reason why teachers in schools only teach students to read and write, and not other knowledge, is not because the teachers are unwilling to teach, but because they are unable to teach. Firstly, it is because they themselves do not have that knowledge reserve, and secondly, it is because they lack a complete knowledge system."

"What does Mr. Xia mean?"

"Therefore, we still need to create teaching materials."

"Textbooks?"

"It is a book specifically designed for children to learn. The knowledge in it should be simple and interesting so that children are willing to learn, can understand it, and know how to apply it."

"Did Mr. Xia have any plans in mind?"

"Well, I've thought about it carefully today and have some ideas for now. First of all, the most basic thing is literacy. The traditional method is for the teacher to teach one word at a time on the stage, which is too rigid. It would be better to introduce auxiliary sounds."

What are auxiliary sounds?

"Well, it's hard to say right now. I'll have my cousin show it to you when she gets it ready."

"Oh!"

"In addition, I plan to ask Mr. Zhongli to compile a history textbook for Liyue. History is the legacy of a nation and should not be forgotten."

"Yes, Mr. Zhongli is very knowledgeable and has a thorough understanding of Liyue's history, so he is indeed suitable for this task."

"I plan to ask Dr. Bai Shu to compile a textbook on basic medical knowledge for disease prevention and treatment of minor injuries. Currently, the sanitation level in Liyue is still very low, and the skill level of pharmacists varies greatly. Many people, especially children, are physically weak, cannot afford medical treatment, or cannot get proper treatment. They often delay seeking medical help, which eventually leads to serious illnesses. If we can popularize basic medical knowledge and prevent various diseases, the disease and mortality rates in Liyue will also decrease."

"Mr. Xia is absolutely right!"

"I'm also planning to ask Ms. Ningguang to write a mathematics textbook."

"what?"

"Miss Ningguang is the idol of everyone in Liyue. If you were to write a book, it would surely be revered. It doesn't need to contain a lot of profound knowledge. Just some interesting business stories will suffice, allowing children to develop a sensitivity to numbers from a young age and learn how to use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division from the stories. That should be a very simple thing for Miss Ningguang, right?"

"I understand, I will make time to write it."

"That was my initial idea: to establish a school. Miss Ningguang can think of it as a university that can accommodate many students. As long as the children are willing, they can enroll for free, receive free textbooks, and learn free but useful knowledge."

"Mr. Xia's idea is very good. As for the money, Mr. Xia doesn't need to worry. If there is any shortfall, I will make up for it for you."

"Very well, then consider this payment for providing the papermaking technology."

“One thing at a time. Since Mr. Xia has provided me with a new papermaking process, I will naturally give you the corresponding patent revenue according to the laws of Liyue, just like with mahjong. As for the construction funds for the school, that is a private grant from me.”

"Alright, then I'll pay Miss Ningguang back when I have the money later."

"Mr. Xia, why make such a distinction? Aren't we friends?"

"It's because I don't want Miss Ningguang to suffer a loss."

“I didn’t suffer any loss. I am Tianquan Star of Liyue, and it is my duty to work for Liyue. In fact, it is Mr. Xia who suffered a loss. Moreover, education is a very big matter, and if the new school has my financial involvement, there will be fewer troubles.”

"That's right, we should have Miss Ningguang come over and be the vice principal."

"Okay."

"Come on, turn over."

"Hmm~"

After finishing their business and giving Ningguang a massage, Xia Zhi then gave Bai Xiao a massage.

Like Baiwen, this secretary was also visiting for the second time. Her shy and hesitant manner was quite cute.

After dinner, Ningguang and Baixiao said goodbye.

Everyone went out for a walk, and Qiqi also prepared to go back to Bubulu to collect herbs in the mountains tonight.

Xia Zhi stopped Qi Qi and said, "Qi Qi, when you get back, please pass on a message to Doctor Bai Shu and ask him to come to the shop for lunch tomorrow. Tell him I have something to ask him."

Qiqi nodded obediently and said, "Okay, boss."