The slaves immediately quieted down, but they all had a look of excitement as they watched Meirin. "We of the Buda clan are not the same as the other nobles. Our benevolent master has consented for everyone to learn. If you can learn the words quickly, Master can absolve you of slavery. Understand?"
This got the slaves more excited. Zhao letting them be taught was amazing, but if they were to learn well, then they could even become free commoners. For the slaves, it was like telling them as long you eat, you will also get a bonus. Such a good thing was hard to find.
"Because of the conditions we have now," Meirin said, "I can only teach you to recognize some simple words. In these two hours, I can only teach you ten words, but you must learn to read and write it." Having said that, she picked up some paper and a brush.
They didn't have a blackboard. Writing on paper was the only way she could teach the slaves. There were too many people, so she could only write one word on each piece of paper to make the word large enough for the slaves in the back to see it.
Meg was around Meirin, watching everyone, including Daisy and Ann, studying seriously. Before, Daisy and Ann were commoners, but they couldn't go to school because they didn't have the money for a teaching fee. Now that they had the opportunity to learn, they wouldn't miss it.
Meg had previously been to a school in the Empire. In the elite schools, she found that the reaction between the slaves and the school's students weren't the same. Those aristocratic students considered school as a form of torture. They didn't put any spirit into it. They would only be happy after class had ended and they could go home to play. Adam was such a person.
But the slaves were completely different. Learning to read, they looked excited and also very focused. Fearing that they won't remember the lesson, and because they didn't have anything to write with, they would trace their finger on the ground. Their earnest struggle to learn deeply touched Meg.
Blockhead and Rockhead also looked at the slaves. The two had been adopted by the Buda clan so they automatically received lessons on how to read. However, they didn't take it as seriously as the slaves. The reasons were because they were young, and they weren't very smart, but mostly because they got the opportunity to learn how to read so easily.
You do not know the value of things that are too easily obtained.
They had studied how to read together with Adam. Adam was not considered a wise man. Yet although he was smarter than the two, he was not fond of reading, so it took him several tries to learn, just like them. Looking at the slaves who were so focused on learning, Blockhead and Rockhead couldn't help but feel ashamed.
Meirin naturally saw this, and suddenly understood that Zhao's decision was correct. If the slaves didn't know how to read, then even if they wanted to contribute to the Buda clan, they would only have a limited ability to do so, no matter how much they work. But if they learn how to read, then they could help the Buda clan be greater. The Buda clan needs each person to be at their best in order to help revitalize the Buda clan. So she taught them very seriously.