But hearing that, Li Chuntao was indeed a bit envious, increasingly eager to set up this school well.

Xiaoxiao spoke until her mouth was dry, finally asking, "Chuntao, how much tuition do you plan to charge per month for this school?"

Hearing the question, Li Chuntao replied, "The schools in town charge three hundred wen a month. I was thinking since we’re just teaching reading and not preparing for official exams, charging a hundred wen should be fine, right?"

The reason Li Chuntao said a hundred wen was because she felt a bit guilty just teaching reading without exam preparation. As Xiaoxiao said, who wouldn’t want their child to study for official exams? Charging too much might scare people away, and with that money, they might as well go to a formal school in town where the teachers are more renowned, and there’s a chance their studies could lead to official exams.

"???" Hearing the figure of a hundred wen, Xiaoxiao was a bit puzzled. A hundred wen? How would you make any Silver from that? Wouldn’t that ensure a loss?

Even though the school was set up simply, it wasn’t inferior to the ones in town. The schools there are usually run by knowledgeable elders who just provide tables and benches for study without offering anything else.

But here, they needed to hire three teachers, and might even need someone to clean and cook. If people from other villages came, they’d need to provide lunch. Plus, these three teachers need to be fed, and tables and benches cost money, as do the literacy cards and books for the children.

So how is a hundred wen enough?

She furrowed her brows and said, "Chuntao, if you charge a hundred wen, you’ll lose so much you won’t even have pants to wear."

Hearing this, Yang Chun, who was driving the cart in front, blushed. What kind of things does his third sister-in-law dare to say?

Li Chuntao was also baffled by Xiaoxiao’s words, "I, I wasn’t planning to make much money. Setting up this school is about benefiting the villagers. If everyone can really become literate, that would be great."

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao was speechless. Wasn’t her kindness a bit over the top?

Alright, she was the one who cared about money. Rich ladies were all so willful and idealistic, unlike her.

But even so, they shouldn’t be losing money. Charging a hundred wen is definitely a loss.

"Chuntao, with a hundred wen, you’re sure to lose money. Like you said, it’s about benefiting the people, but even so, we shouldn’t lose money. Doing something thankless like this, at least we should break even, or only make a little less profit."

"Xiaoxiao, how much do you think we should charge?"

"I think two hundred wen. Two hundred wen should at least cover expenses without losing money. Also, Chuntao, when I said no exam preparation, I meant to you, not to the villagers. If you say that, who would come? Moreover, don’t be so rigid-minded. We’re still teachers after all. Once they learn to read, we also teach them strokes and such. If they can’t afford pens and ink, they could write on the ground or in the sand. Families willing to let their children practice writing will naturally buy the supplies."

Hearing these words, Li Chuntao felt indeed her thinking had been a bit rigid. Xiaoxiao’s words made sense. Teaching them does offer a chance to qualify for exams, as recommendations from schools aren’t the only way. Anyone knowledgeable, regardless of where they learned, even if self-taught, has a chance to take the exams—except for girls, of course. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

If any children truly show potential, she would hire a famous teacher. Thinking of this, Li Chuntao said, "I’ll listen to you and charge two hundred wen."