Chapter 38: Recognizing Characters

Zhao Hai did not care about what was happening outside the thatched cottage. He believed that Mei Lin and the others would handle it well. Now, Zhao Hai was really tired, and all he wanted was a good sleep. He took out a quilt from the warehouse and laid it on the bed, immediately lying down. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep. He was truly exhausted. Due to drinking the Void Water, his body could hardly handle any significant physical activity, let alone the tense situation today.

Outside the thatched cottage, the slaves also rested. Such a rare opportunity for rest was not something they would complain about. Moreover, the ground was covered with soft quilts, which were much better than hay. Soon, the entire space fell into a quiet silence, even the stones and wood standing guard at the door sat down to doze off.

More than two hours later, Mei Lin and the others woke up. Mei Lin quietly walked to the front of the thatched cottage, opened the door, and glanced at Zhao Hai, finding him sleeping soundly. She quietly closed the door and looked at the slaves, noticing that some of them had already woken up and were sitting there, unsure of what to do.

Although Mei Lin could teach them to recognize characters, she did not do so immediately. If she were to teach them, she would have to make noise, and she did not want to wake Zhao Hai.

However, Mei Lin noticed that the radishes she had planted before going to sleep had already sprouted, which surprised her greatly. This was the first time she had seen how plants grew in the space, and the speed was astonishing.

Mei Lin could not help but squat down by the field to look at the newly sprouted radish seedlings. These seedlings were very robust, and the soil was in excellent condition, clearly indicating their health.

Meg, who was also squatting next to Mei Lin, whispered, "Grandma, how did these magic radishes sprout so quickly? I heard that magic vegetables are very difficult to grow, so why is it so easy here?"

Mei Lin smiled slightly and said, "Young Master told me long ago that planting crops in this space would greatly shorten the maturation time. I just didn't expect it to be this short."

"The magic radishes you mentioned are called radishes in my space. They are the lowest-grade crop, maturing every eight hours," Zhao Hai's voice echoed.

Mei Lin and Meg were taken aback and turned to see that Zhao Hai had already come out and was standing behind them. Mei Lin quickly stood up and said, "Young Master, is that true? Can these magic radishes really mature in just eight hours?"

Zhao Hai nodded and pointed to the corn that had already sprouted, "See those corn plants? Corn is of higher value in the space. From planting to maturation, it takes fourteen hours."

Mei Lin and the others could not help but look in the direction Zhao Hai pointed. The corn was still in the growth stage, with leaves so green they were almost black, growing vigorously.

Zhao Hai turned to Mei Lin and said, "The food in the space is sufficient for now. We should stay here for a while longer to avoid encountering those magical beasts outside."

Mei Lin nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master is right. There's no worry about food in the space, and it won't rain. Everyone can sleep on the ground here, and staying for a few days is no problem."

Zhao Hai nodded, turned, and looked at the slaves who had already woken up and were standing respectfully. He sighed and said, "Grandma Mei Lin, teach them to recognize characters later. I'll go with Wood to build some field stoves for cooking."

Feeding over a hundred people was no easy task. Although Zhao Hai had stored all the supplies from the warehouse in the space, he needed to build large pots to provide for everyone. The space had no materials, so they could only build simple field stoves.

Mei Lin looked at the slaves and said, "Young Master, let them do it. It won't take much time, and you just need to take out the materials. You can't do everything yourself."

Zhao Hai glanced at the slaves and nodded. If he were to have the slaves learn to write while he built the stoves, they might be too scared to learn anything.

Seeing Zhao Hai nod, Mei Lin immediately organized the slaves to start digging the stoves. Fortunately, Zhao Hai had moved all the supplies from the castle's warehouse into the space, so they were not short of tools.

Feeding over a hundred people did not require too many stoves; about ten would suffice. The pots they used were all field pots with stands, which Green and the others had specifically chosen. They knew they would come here, so they prepared many such iron pots. One, they could use them on the way here, and two, they could be used by the slaves.

Many slave owners used such field stoves because they were simple. No matter where the slaves worked, two people could carry the pot, and they could cook right where they worked, saving a lot of time.

The ten field stoves were quickly set up, but they could not be used yet. Zhao Hai had to wait for the corn to mature before there would be firewood in the space. Otherwise, they would have to burn the wood they had bought, which was a valuable resource and would be a waste.

Zhao Hai looked at the set-up stoves, nodded, and then looked at the slaves. He turned to Mei Lin and said, "Grandma Mei Lin, the corn will mature in about two hours. Use this time to teach everyone some characters. I'll go rest in the house."

Mei Lin nodded, and Zhao Hai walked back to the house. Mei Lin watched him enter and then said to the slaves, "Don't worry. The corn will mature in about two hours, and then we can eat. During these two hours, I will teach you to recognize some characters..."

Before she could finish, the slaves started buzzing. Slaves not being able to recognize characters was a common knowledge on the continent. No slave owner would teach their slaves to read, so for the slaves, recognizing characters was a sacred matter. Hearing Mei Lin say she would teach them, all the slaves were extremely surprised.

Mei Lin said sternly, "Quiet."

The slaves immediately quieted down, looking at Mei Lin with excitement. Mei Lin continued, "Our Buda family is different from ordinary nobles. Young Master is a kind person. I have already received his permission. If anyone learns well and recognizes many characters, Young Master can free them from their slave status. Do you understand?"

This made the slaves even more excited. It was already a great thing for Zhao Hai to teach them to recognize characters, but now he was saying that if they learned well, they could become commoners. For the slaves, this was like a pie falling from the sky, and someone telling them that if they ate more, they would get a bonus. Where could they find such a good deal?

Mei Lin looked at their expressions and continued, "Due to the current conditions, I can only teach you some simple characters. In these two hours, I will teach you ten characters, but you must learn to read and write them." She then took out some white paper and a brush, writing a character on each sheet and teaching them how to read and write it.

They had no blackboard, so they used white paper to teach. Because there were so many people, each sheet only had one character, making it large enough for even those at the back to see.

Meg stayed by Mei Lin's side, watching these people learn earnestly, including Ju and An. Although Ju and An were once commoners and could have gone to school, their family could not afford the tuition, so they never went to school. Now, with this opportunity, they would not let it slip away.

Meg had also attended the empire's schools, but they were all noble schools. She noticed that these slaves were completely different from the students in school. The noble students treated school as a torment, lacking energy during class and being overjoyed when it was time to play. Adam was once like that.

However, these slaves were entirely different. When learning to recognize characters, they were all very excited and focused, afraid of forgetting. Without writing materials, they used their fingers to trace the characters on the ground. Their dedication deeply moved Meg.

Wood and Stone also watched these people. Although they were not very smart, they had learned to recognize characters because they were adopted by the Buda family. However, when they learned to recognize characters, they were not as serious as these slaves. One reason was their young age, another was their lack of intelligence, and a third was that it was too easy for them.

When something is too easy to obtain, it is often not cherished. This was the case with them. They had learned to recognize characters with Adam, who was not very smart but more intelligent than they were. Adam did not like recognizing characters, so he also had to learn each character several times. This was similar to them, and they barely managed to learn all the characters. Now, with their minds opened and becoming smarter, they felt somewhat ashamed when they saw the slaves.

Mei Lin naturally noticed this and suddenly understood how correct Zhao Hai's decision was. These slaves, without education, could not contribute much to the Buda family. But if they learned to recognize characters, they would be more helpful in the future. The Buda family needed every member to use their maximum strength to help the family, so they could revitalize. Therefore, she taught very seriously.