Chapter 45: Anger

After eating, Zhao Hai specially kept Mei Lin in the house, asking her to help him brew some cocoa. While drinking the cocoa, Zhao Hai said to Mei Lin, "Grandma Mei Lin, what do you think we should do? How can we make those slaves study with peace of mind?"

Mei Lin thought for a moment, glanced at Zhao Hai, and said, "Young Master, do you really want to hear my opinion?"

Zhao Hai quickly replied, "Of course, Grandma Mei Lin. You have always been in charge of people in the Buda family. I have never managed people before, so I don't have as much experience as you in this area."

Mei Lin smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your praise, Young Master. I think you are being too kind to those slaves right now. You should be stricter."

This made Zhao Hai pause, and he said in confusion, "Grandma Mei Lin, you mean I should be stricter with those slaves? Why?"

Mei Lin smiled and said, "Young Master, you must understand that a person in a higher position is not just gentle; they also need to be strict. If you are too gentle, your subordinates will think you are easy to bully. Of course, these slaves won't think that, but they will feel that you are too good to them, and they are not doing well enough in return. So they feel guilty and can't muster the spirit to study. In their view, helping us work is their value, and learning to read is a reward from us. Now we only give them rewards without making them do anything, which makes them feel uneasy."

Zhao Hai was taken aback; he had never thought about it this way. Zhao Hai felt that these slaves should be like students on Earth. To be honest, no student would consider learning a reward; everyone would rather have only two days of school a week and five days of rest.

Zhao Hai had always overlooked a problem: in this world, almost all skills and knowledge are closed to slaves. Slaves are only used for labor, and in the eyes of some nobles, slaves are not considered human.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Hai said, "I understand. Thank you, Grandma Mei Lin. Let me think about how to handle this."

Mei Lin nodded in satisfaction. She understood Zhao Hai's meaning. Indeed, Zhao Hai was very excellent, at least in her eyes. However, she also had to admit that Zhao Hai still had many things to learn.

Zhao Hai sat there for a while, thinking about how to handle the situation. To be honest, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he had never dealt with it before.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Hai stood up, took a deep breath, and turned to Mei Lin, saying, "Grandma Mei Lin, let's go out. I want to meet these people."

Mei Lin nodded, and the two of them went out of the hut and walked to where the slaves were. The slaves were practicing writing on the grass, having pulled back the grass to expose the soil underneath, and were using corn stalks to write on the soil.

However, Zhao Hai noticed that these slaves seemed listless, quite different from their initial enthusiasm when they first started learning to write.

Zhao Hai walked over with a serious face and said calmly, "Everyone, stop for a moment."

The slaves, seeing Zhao Hai, immediately put down their corn stalks and knelt on the ground to greet him. This time, Zhao Hai did not speak gently and ask them to stand up as he usually did, but instead said sternly, "I heard that you have not been taking your writing lessons seriously these past few days?"

His voice was not loud, but very calm, yet the slaves could not help but tremble and immediately said in unison, "Please punish us, Master."

Zhao Hai's voice was icy, "You have not understood one thing. Teaching you to write is not just a reward; it is to help you serve the Buda family better. Even if you are foolish, you should understand the current situation of the Buda family. The Buda family needs every one of you to do your best to serve it, to do your utmost. Do you understand? But what skills do you have now? What special abilities do you have? If I give you a book, how many words can you recognize? You know nothing, you understand nothing. If those undead creatures could be controlled by me, one undead creature would be worth ten of you, and they wouldn't need me to waste food to feed them! In terms of strength, you can't even compare to horses. Why do I need you and not horses? Because you can learn to read, and horses cannot. Only by learning to read can you serve the Buda family better. If you only do physical labor, why would I teach you to read? Do you think that not learning to read means you don't want to serve the Buda family better?"

All the slaves knelt there, trembling with fear. This was the first time Zhao Hai had spoken to them so harshly, and they were truly frightened.

Zhao Hai took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then said, "I have said that if you do well, I can restore your civilian status. But do you think that giving you civilian status means you will have a good life? Wrong. If you have no ability, even as civilians, you will be the lowest of the low. You must remember, the Buda family needs people with ambition, people who want to live a good life, not those who just want to eat and wait to die."

Then Zhao Hai looked at Ju and said, "Many of you are wondering why I restored Ju's civilian status. She only knows how to weave grass, and many of you can weave grass just as well, or even better. But why did I restore her civilian status? I will tell you, because Ju dared to stand up and say she could do it, she wanted to change her life, she wanted to live better, she wanted to save her brother, and she wanted her brother and her children to become civilians and have a fair chance at education, not just rely on rewards. I hope you can learn from Ju. I hope that one day when you see me, you will only bow to me and call me Young Master, not Master. The Buda family needs a hundred people who will serve it wholeheartedly, not a hundred slaves. Do you understand?"

All the slaves knelt there and said loudly, "We understand, Master."

These slaves were now very excited. This was the first time a noble had spoken to them like this, the first time someone had treated them as human beings, the first time someone had hoped they would become human beings. Although Zhao Hai had scolded them, they had no resentment in their hearts. On the contrary, they were filled with gratitude and reverence for Zhao Hai, because Zhao Hai had planted a seed in their hearts, a seed of self-improvement.

After hearing their response, Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Stand up. I don't like people kneeling in front of me. Remember, learning to write is not a reward; it is an order."

The slaves responded in unison, "Yes, Master," and then stood up.

Although the slaves had knelt for a long time, when they stood up, they seemed to have a new aura. The previous meekness seemed to have disappeared, and they seemed to be filled with strength.

Mei Lin stood behind Zhao Hai with a smile, her eyes full of satisfaction. She had not expected Zhao Hai to do so well today, better than she had imagined. Not only had he given the slaves a stern warning, but he had also made them grateful to him. Mei Lin was extremely satisfied with Zhao Hai's performance.

Zhao Hai looked at the slaves who had stood up straight and nodded, then turned to Mei Lin and said, "Grandma Mei Lin, the rest is up to you. Don't just have them study all the time; that will make their heads numb, and they won't remember anything."

Mei Lin smiled and said, "Young Master, don't worry. I know what to do. This isn't my first time teaching students."

Zhao Hai laughed and turned to walk back to the hut, with Mu Tou and Shi Tou following behind him. Meg did not follow Mei Lin this time but walked beside Zhao Hai with a look of admiration.

Meg thought that Zhao Hai was really cool today, especially when he was speaking just now. It seemed as if he was glowing, and there was a mysterious force that kept drawing her gaze, making her eyes unable to leave him for a second.

Zhao Hai returned to the house and let out a long breath. The words he had just said were well-prepared, even the pauses and expressions were designed in advance. Of course, he had also become emotionally excited later, making his performance more genuine. But it was undeniable that these words were planned.

Meg followed Zhao Hai into the house and, seeing his expression, smiled even more. She was becoming more and more fond of staying by Zhao Hai's side. It seemed as if there was a force in Zhao Hai that could calm her mind, giving her a sense of peace and security.

Zhao Hai only then noticed someone behind him. He was taken aback and turned to see it was Meg. Zhao Hai felt a bit embarrassed; he was a homebody and had not interacted much with girls before. The hug Meg had given him the last time had made him feel awkward for several days, and now seeing Meg standing behind him, he didn't know what to do.

Zhao Hai, at a loss, said, "Ah, Meg, how did you come in? Is there something you need?"

Meg, seeing Zhao Hai's expression, smiled even more and said, "What's wrong, Young Master? Can't I come into this house?"

Zhao Hai quickly replied, "Of course you can, you can come in anytime. Sit down, have some cocoa."

Meg, looking at Zhao Hai, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Young Master, that cocoa is for you. I don't dare to drink it, or my mother will scold me."

Zhao Hai quickly said, "No, it's fine. I invited you to drink it, so it's okay."

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