Chapter 38: Learning
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhao Hai did not know what was happening outside the straw hut. He believed that Merlyn and the others would deal with it. He was really tired now, and just wanted to have a good sleep.
He took out a blanket from the warehouse and laid it on the bed. Zhao Hai immediately lay down and fell asleep in a few minutes. He was really too tired. Because of the Void Water, as long as he exercised a little, he would be exhausted, let alone in such a tense situation today.
The slaves outside the straw hut were also resting. It was a rare opportunity to rest, so they naturally did not say anything. In addition, there were soft blankets on the ground, which was much better than sleeping on dry grass. Soon, the entire Space Farm fell silent. Even Rock and Wood who were guarding the door for Zhao Hai sat on the ground and dozed off.
Two hours later, Merlyn and the others woke up. Merlyn quietly walked to the straw hut and opened the door to look at Zhao Hai. He was sleeping soundly. She quietly closed the door and looked at the slaves. Some of them were already awake and were sitting there doing something.
Although Merlyn could teach them now, she did not do it. There would definitely be sounds when she started teaching. She did not want to wake Zhao Hai up.
She noticed that the radishes that had been planted after they arrived here had already sprouted. This surprised Merlyn. This was the first time she had seen the plants in the Space Farm grow. This was too fast.
Merlyn could not help but squat beside the field and look at the newly grown radish seedlings. These seedlings were very strong, and the soil was in good condition. It was obvious that they were very healthy.
Meg also squatted beside her and said in a low voice, “Grandma, why did these magic radishes sprout so quickly? I heard that magical vegetables are very difficult to grow. Why is it so simple here?”
Merlyn smiled and said, “Young Master told me long ago that the time it takes to mature will be greatly shortened in this Space Farm. I just didn’t expect it to be so short.”
“The magic radish you’re talking about is just called radish here. It’s the lowest grade of food in this Space Farm. It matures every eight hours.” Zhao Hai’s voice sounded.
Merlyn and Meg were stunned. They turned around and saw that Zhao Hai had already come out and was standing behind the two of them. Merlyn quickly stood up and said, “Young Master, are you serious? These magic radishes can really mature in eight hours?”
Zhao Hai nodded and pointed at the corn that had already grown ears. “Do you see those corn? The price of corn here is higher than radishes. It takes 14 hours to grow it to maturity.”
Merlyn and the others looked in the direction Zhao Hai was pointing. The corn was still in its growth period, and the leaves were bright green. They looked full of life.
Zhao Hai turned to Merlyn and said, “There is enough food here. It’s best if we stay here for some time to avoid encountering those magical beasts.”
Merlyn nodded and said, “Yes, Young Master is right. There’s no need to worry about food here, and it doesn’t rain too. Everyone can sleep on the ground outside. It’s not a big deal to stay here for a few days.”
Zhao Hai nodded and turned to look. The slaves who had already woken up stood up and looked at him respectfully. He sighed and said, “Grandma Merlyn, teach them how to read later. Wood and I will build a few stoves.”
It was not easy to cook for more than a hundred people. Although Zhao Hai had stored all the resources in the warehouse, he had to build big stoves to provide for these people. There were no utensils in the Space Farm, so they had to build stoves.
Merlyn looked at the slaves and said, “Young Master, just let them do it. It’s not like we’re short of time. How can we make you do all the things?”
Zhao Hai looked at the slaves and could only nod. If he started building the stove while the slaves were learning, they would probably be frightened and would not be able to learn a word.
Seeing Zhao Hai nod, Merlyn immediately organized people to start digging for the stove. Fortunately, Zhao Hai had taken all the materials from the castle’s warehouse. They did not lack tools now.
There were more than a hundred people, so about ten stoves should be enough. The pots were all large cauldrons. These pots were specially chosen by Grimm and the others. They knew that they were coming here, so they had prepared many such iron pots. Firstly, they could be used on the way, and secondly, they were for the slaves.
In fact, many slave owners used such a method because it was very simple. No matter where the slaves went to work, as long as two people carried such a large pot, they could cook directly in the work area. This saved a lot of time.
The ten cooking stoves were quickly set up, but they could not be used yet. Zhao Hai had to wait for the corn to ripen before there were combustible materials. Otherwise, they would have to burn the wood they had bought. Those woods were useful materials, it would be a pity to use them for fire.
Zhao Hai and the others were lacking many things, and they did not know when Grimm would return. After he returned, they could sell the radishes and buy wood. The wood in their hands was the only wood they had. Zhao Hai did not want to waste them.
Zhao Hai looked at the stoves and nodded. He looked at the slaves and turned to Merlyn. “Grandma Merlyn, there are still more than two hours before the corn ripens. During this period, teach everyone how to read. I’ll go inside and rest.”
Merlyn nodded and Zhao Hai walked into the house. Merlyn watched Zhao Hai enter the house and said to the slaves, “Everyone, don’t be anxious. In about two hours, the corn will be ripe. By then, we can eat. In these two hours, everyone has to learn to read from me…”
Before she could finish, a commotion rose among the slaves. It was common knowledge on the continent that slaves could not read. No slave owner would teach slaves to read, so to the slaves, reading was a very sacred thing. Now, hearing that Merlyn was going to teach them to read, all the slaves were shocked.
Merlyn said in a low voice, “Quiet.”
The slaves immediately fell silent and looked at Merlyn excitedly. Merlyn continued, “Our Buda family is different from other noble families. Young Master is a benevolent person. I have already obtained Young Master’s approval. If anyone learns well and is able to read well, Young Master might exempt them from being a slave. Do you understand?”
The slaves were even more excited. It was already good enough that Zhao Hai was letting them learn to read. Now, Merlyn told them that as long as they learned well, they could become commoners. To those slaves, this was simply a pie from the heaven. They would even be given a bonus if they ate more.
Merlyn looked at them and continued, “Because of the current situation, I can only teach you some simple characters. In these two hours, I will teach you ten characters.” With that, she picked up a few pieces of white paper and took out a brush. She wrote a character on each piece of white paper and taught these people how to pronounce and write it.
They did not have a blackboard, so they could only use white paper to teach. Because there were too many people, there was only one character written on each large white paper. This way, the characters were big enough that even the people sitting at the back could see them.
Meg was standing beside Merlyn and watching these people study seriously. The students included Ju and An as well. Although Ju and An were commoners and could go to school, their family did not have the money to pay the fee, so the two of them had never gone to school. Now that there was such an opportunity, how could they let it go?
Meg had studied in an imperial school. She realized that these slaves were completely different from the students in the school. The noble students in the school treated school as a form of torture. They were very listless when they went to school. When class ended, they were extremely happy and wanted to play at home every day. In the past, Adam was such a person.
However, these slaves were completely different. When they learned that they would be taught how to read, they were very excited and focused, afraid that they would not be able to remember. Because they did not have anything to write with, they drew on the ground with their fingers. Their seriousness touched Meg.
Wood and Rock also looked at these people. Although the two of them were not very smart in the past, they knew how to read because they were adopted by the Buda family. However, when they learned how to read, they were not as serious as these slaves. Firstly, it was because they were young. Secondly, they were not smart enough. They had to study a character several times to remember it. Thirdly, it was because the opportunity came too easily.
When something was obtained too easily, people would often not cherish it. They were like this. Back then, they had learned to read with Adam. Adam too was not a smart person. Although he was smarter than the two of them, Adam did not like to read. Therefore, he also had to read every character several times before he could learn it. The two of them were barely able to recognize all the letters. Now that they were enlightened and smart, they could not help but feel ashamed when they looked at the slaves.
Merlyn naturally saw this. She suddenly understood how correct Zhao Hai’s decision was. If these slaves did not know how to read, they would not be cultured. This way, even if they wanted to work for the Buda family, they would not be of much help because their abilities were limited. However, as long as they knew how to read, they would be of greater help to the Buda family in the future. Now, the Buda family needed everyone in the family to use their greatest strength to help the family. Only then could the Buda family revive. Therefore, she taught them seriously.