After dinner, Meirin and Zhao were left alone in the room. While she was making some tea, Zhao asked, "Grandma Meirin, what do you think we should do about the slaves?
Meirin thought about it, then looked at Zhao in the eye. "Do you really want to listen to my advice, Master?"
"Of course, Grandma Meirin. You're the one that's been managing the slaves. I have never been in control of the Buda clan before we were exiled. So in that respect, you have a lot more experience than me."
"Thank you for the compliment, Master." Meirin smiled. "Here's my advice. I think that you have been too good to the slaves. You should crack down on them a little."
These words confused Zhao. "You're saying that I should be a little more harsh to the slaves? Why?"
"Master, you know, it's not bad to have a tough side. If you're too gentle, people would think that you could be bullied. Of course, the slaves would never do that to you, but if they think that you're too good to them, then they will feel sorry for you. This time it's because of you letting them learn literacy skills. In their view, learning to read is a reward. But they haven't been working, so giving them this reward makes them feel uneasy."
Zhao was surprised. He had been thinking that the slaves were the same as the students from his past life. To be honest, no student considers learning as a reward. They would only be happy when classes ended.
But it was different in this world. Almost all technology and knowledge has been closed off from the slaves. The slaves were just there to work. In the eyes of the nobility, slaves weren't even considered people.
"I understand," Zhao said. "Thank you, Grandma Meirin. Let me think about it."
Meirin nodded, pleased. It was undeniable that he had become a good person, but she recognized that he still had so much to learn.
Zhao sat there for a moment. He had been thinking about how to deal with this problem. To be honest, since this was the first time he had encountered something like this, he wasn't sure if he could handle it.
After he thought about it, Zhao stood up and took a deep breath. "Grandma Meirin, I want to meet the slaves."
Meirin nodded. The two left the hut and went to the slaves, who were now practicing their words on the ground, using the corn stalks to write in the dirt.