The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 253: Naming

Sang Luo hadn’t expected that after knowing about her pregnancy, Shen Lie, who had been dissatisfied with dozens of names over the past six months, would finally find one he truly liked.

“For a girl, I really like the word Yao, which represents grace and kindness. However, the combination with the surname Shen doesn’t sound very smooth. What do you think about using A-Yao as a nickname?”

It was clear that Shen Lie had been fond of the word Yao for some time but had hesitated to bring it up due to this minor issue.

Sang Luo smiled. The word Yao indeed had a beautiful meaning, representing grace and elegance, but the combination with Shen was a bit awkward since both had three tones. The nickname A-Yao was much better, and she agreed after repeating it a few times.

Shen Lie’s eyes lit up with a smile. “Now, take a look at the list of names here and see if you like any of them.”

Sang Luo took the paper he handed her. It was a list of recently considered names. After going through several options, she shook her head.

It wasn’t just Shen Lie who was being picky; Sang Luo was the same. With about seven months of pregnancy already, and still no name decided, there was clearly a reason for it, and it wasn’t solely Shen Lie’s fault.

Sang Luo hadn’t expected that after six months of considering dozens of names, Shen Lie would finally find one he truly liked.

“How about the name Changle for a girl? I once wished for a prosperous Chang’an. Since Your Majesty has named the capital Chang’an, it reflects my hopes for the world. If we have a daughter, I would like her to be as joyful as if she were meeting water. Long Le brings good fortune.”

Shen Lie repeated, “As joyful as meeting water, bringing good fortune.” He added, “There’s no better wish than this. Let’s name her Changle, Shen Changle.”

The name for their daughter was settled, but they still needed to choose a name for the baby’s gender, which neither of them knew yet. Shen Lie, without much hesitation, handed Sang Luo another paper with names for boys. “See if there’s one you like.”

Most of the names were ones they had considered before. Among the new ones, Sang Luo pointed to the word Qian. “I like Shen Qian.”

“What about the nickname?”

This really puzzled Sang Luo. Since she and Shen Lie often called each other Treasure, she asked, “How about Qian Bao?”

They both laughed. “Goudan,” “Shitou,” or other such names would certainly not be accepted. If you shouted “Shitou” outside, out of a hundred people, seven or eight might respond.

“Let’s go with Qian Bao then.”

With the names decided, Sang Luo, supporting her belly, said to Shen Lie, “I really think that apart from being lively and active, this baby is probably a girl. I instinctively prefer picking bright colors for her clothes, which isn’t really my own taste.”

Shen Lie laughed. He had noticed that six out of ten baby clothes Sang Luo made were pink.

“A daughter would be wonderful. If she’s like you, it would be even better. Times are good now, not only is the world peaceful, but our living conditions are also much better. We’ve received dozens of bolts of silk and satin from the Emperor. On top of that, Master Chu and several classmates from the academy also sent us silk and cotton. It seems our treasure knows the right time to arrive.”

As he spoke, he noticed Sang Luo’s belly move, and he looked at her with curiosity. “Did our treasure hear that?”

He crouched down to touch Sang Luo’s belly and playfully said, “Treasure, Daddy and Mommy have given you a name. Do you like it? How about A-Yao?”

A small fist appeared on her belly.

“And the full name, Changle, Shen Changle?”

Another small fist appeared.

The responses were timely, and Shen Lie was even more intrigued. He asked, “What about Qian Bao?”

The small fist appeared again, right on cue.

Sang Luo supported herself with one hand on the bed and the other on her belly, laughing so hard she shook. “You really expect her to understand everything? She’s just familiar with your voice and wants to play.”

Seeing her laugh so much, Shen Lie stopped teasing and asked, “Is your belly getting heavier than before?”

Sang Luo’s belly hadn’t been noticeable before. Compared to others like Zhou Ge, her figure had barely changed, and you could hardly tell she was pregnant from behind. It was only in the last month that her belly had grown much larger, and Shen Lie felt it was becoming quite a strain for her.

Sang Luo shook her head. “It’s not too bad now, though I’m sensitive to the heat. I don’t need to worry about fields or livestock; An Ning takes care of everything at home. Cakes and meat jerky are mostly handled by your siblings. I’m not too tired. The baby is considerate of me too. Except for the initial few days of morning sickness, I can eat and sleep well.”

Shen Lie kissed her cheek. “Rest for a while. I’ll fetch some water to wash your feet.”

Since she became pregnant, Sang Luo had almost stopped doing household chores. During the early stages of pregnancy, she had to be careful, and now with a bigger belly, Shen Lie didn’t dare let her do anything that involved bending over, like washing her feet. He fetched warm water, washed her feet, and cleaned up the floor with a cloth.

—

During Shen Lie’s day off, he made two desks. Some villagers saw him making them and learned that Sang Luo wanted a small classroom for the children. The desks were used either at home or in the pavilion. If Shen Lie and his siblings had time, they could also teach the children. The villagers responded enthusiastically, and soon, small classrooms were set up.

The next rotation of lessons was still far off, so Shen Ning and Xu Wenyin taught the classes. Sang Luo had initially thought of teaching herself, but with the house construction and her growing belly, she decided to let Shen Ning and Xu Wenyin handle it. They had learned well and could teach effectively.

Children like Ah Xu and Zhou Wulang, who originally worked on the farm but studied diligently at home, quickly recognized the difference in the lessons compared to simple rote learning. It was entirely different from the lectures Wei Qinghe gave in the mountains!

Indeed, it was different. The materials were originally provided by the Zeng family.

This kind of education, which came from the Zeng family’s books, was different from the traditional methods. Only those like Wei Qinghe, Wang Yunzheng, and the Xu family brothers, who had access to these materials and were diligent in their studies, could teach effectively. Sang Luo couldn’t distribute copies widely, but with the books available at home and diligent students, the classes worked well as long as the children could understand.

Those with talent clearly grasped the lessons, while others, less familiar with the content, enjoyed the sessions and the occasional practical exercises. Even Shen Jin, usually not very interested, found the lessons engaging.

After a couple of days, Shen Ning informed Sang Luo about new faces at the study pavilion.

They weren’t completely new faces; they were the children of some hired helpers. Four were from the Zhao family, and three from other families.

Shen Ning said, “Three or four of them are the ones who often bring us meals. They must have heard the reading when they came by in the morning. They peeked in a couple of times and then went back to bring their younger siblings, who don’t need to work in the fields. They came quietly and listened for over half an hour before they left.”

Sang Luo raised her eyebrows. “What were you teaching them?”

Shen Ning smiled. “We started with the *Book of Documents* . When I saw they were listening for a long time, I had Xiao Tie and Sanniu read the *Thousand Word Classic*.”

Shen Tie and Sanniu were struggling with their elementary studies. They had only learned about half of the words in the *Thousand Word Classic* and still struggled with many.

Sang Luo smiled and asked Shen Ning, “Will you teach more students if they come?”

Shen Ning immediately agreed with a smile. “Of course!”

She had mentioned this to her sister-in-law, knowing she was already inclined towards this idea. The helpers at home worked hard and were very practical, and Shen Ning wanted to contribute in any way she could.

“But will their families allow them to learn?”

Some of these children were already around nine or ten years old and could help with chores at home.

Sang Luo said, “I’ll ask tomorrow.”

The next morning, while Sang Luo was at the pavilion reading, she saw the seven children Shen Ning had mentioned. Among them, she was familiar with Zhao Dalang’s daughter and Zhao Silang’s son. The siblings seemed a bit shy when they saw Sang Luo.

Sang Luo waved to Zhao Dalang’s daughter and asked, “Do you want to join the reading?”

The little girl, somewhat shy, didn’t know whether to nod or not. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “I hear young master’s reading sounds nice, but I mostly don’t understand it.”

young master referred to Shen Ning.

Sang Luo smiled. “If you want to read, you can come into the pavilion to listen and read along. They sometimes read simpler things. If you manage to learn some words, we can have your father make a bamboo scroll for you, and you can come to see Sister Ning or me to copy some passages from the *Thousand Word Classic* for literacy practice. If you’re able to learn, you can continue with it, and we’ll help you copy more as you go along.”

The Zhao family’s child didn’t quite understand what learning to read meant, but everyone at home greatly admired Sang Luo. The little girl had a natural admiration for her, and when Sang Luo suggested she could read with young master in the village, she was very excited.

“Is that okay?”

Sang Luo smiled. “If you can learn, it’s fine. You’ll need to ask your parents and grandparents at home for permission. You don’t have to study all day; even half an hour a day is good.”

Without even going home, the little girl thanked Sang Luo and bounced off to ask her father and fourth uncle in the mountains, followed by two other children from the helper families.

Soon, Zhao Dalang, Zhao Silang, and the other two helpers with children arrived. Zhao Silang was the most excited. “Madam, can our children really come and learn to read?”

Sang Luo nodded. “If the children want to learn, and they can manage, and it doesn’t interfere with others, and if your family is willing, then yes.”

“Willing, willing!” Zhao Silang responded repeatedly, unsure of how to express his gratitude. “We don’t know how to thank young master.”

Sang Luo smiled. “I should thank you. The work in the fields and mountains has been handled meticulously by you.”

Zhao Silang and the others rubbed their hands. “That’s what we should do. Madam, you’ve already paid us.”

That afternoon, the families brought eggs to the Shen household, and Shen Ning and Xu Wenyin had seven new students. Without desks, the pavilion itself had seating, so initially, the children just needed to follow along with reading and reciting.

Sang Luo had Xu Wenyin take half of the eggs back. The two young girls were busy with making their own pens, while Shen Ning had to manage the accounts for several shops and prepare food for special occasions. Despite this, she remained enthusiastic about teaching. After a few days of classes, they noticed that the progress of the new students varied. Shen Ning and Xu Wenyin then divided the students into beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes and set a timetable.

Of course, there weren’t many classes initially. The two teachers alternated in teaching, and even the beginner classes were taught by Chen Ershan, Shen Jin, Shen Yin, Xiao Ya’er, and Qiao’er. Shen Jin handled arithmetic lessons directly.

Xiao Ya’er and Qiao’er were confident, but Chen Ershan and Shen Jin and Shen Yin were a bit dazed. “We’re teaching?”

Shen Ning asked, “Don’t you know the *Thousand Word Classic*?”

Chen Ershan and Shen Jin: “We actually do know it.”

Shen Yin: “I don’t know it perfectly, but I have to know it now. I’ll lead the reading with the scroll.”

They organized the teaching schedule, and once everyone had dispersed, Shen Ning returned to her sister-in-law, bragging. “Xiao Yin isn’t actually unqualified; he’s just lazy. Making him a teacher is just right. He’ll have to learn what he doesn’t know properly now.”

—

During the first ten-day break of the small classroom, Shen Ning arranged a major class that anyone interested in taking the provincial exams or just wanting to learn could attend.

The first teacher, Wang Yunzheng, took on the role. When Shen Ning asked about scheduling at the Xu family, Wang Yunzheng volunteered to teach the first class during the break.

While Wang Yunzheng was teaching the village children, Shen Lie was separately called to the Inspector’s Office.

Initially confused about the reason, Shen Lie ended up spending half the day there and only returned around noon.

Sang Luo wondered, “Did Governor Zeng need something from you?”

Shen Lie looked somewhat peculiar. When Sang Luo and Shen An and Shen Ning looked at him, he said, “He reviewed my work, taught me some lessons, and then gave me several volumes of his own reading notes…”

The family was a bit perplexed.

Shen Lie looked at Sang Luo and finally said, “I’m afraid I’m benefiting from your influence.”

Zeng Ziqian hadn’t explicitly stated anything but, as before, Shen Lie had inquired, and Zeng Ziqian acknowledged the presence of someone around Sang Luo and their role in ensuring her safety. However, he hadn’t given further details and preferred not to ask or investigate too much.

Shen Lie had a vague idea of who might be protecting Sang Luo. Though it remained a guess, Zeng Ziqian’s involvement in his work and the notes he provided made Shen Lie’s suspicions about the answer increasingly certain.