After the meal, Li Yan deliberately left Li Na in the house and asked her to help him cook some coya. As he drank the coya, Li Yan said to Li Na,"Grandma Li Na, what do you think we should do now? How could he let those slaves learn to read in peace?”
Li Na thought for a moment and looked at Li Yan."Young Master, do you really want my opinion?”
" Of course, Grandma Li Na," Li Yan quickly said." You've always been managing people in the Carlin family. I've never managed anyone before, so I'm not as experienced as you in this aspect."”
Li Na smiled." Thank you for your praise, Young Master. I think you're too good to those slaves now. You should be stricter."”
These words stunned Li Yan. Li Yan said in confusion,"Grandma Li Na, are you saying that I have to be stricter with those slaves? Why?"
Li Na smiled and said,"Young Master, you have to know that a superior doesn't only have a gentle side. He also has a strict side. If he's too gentle, his subordinates will think that he's easy to bully. Of course, these slaves won't be in such a situation. However, they will think that you're too good to them, and they didn't do it that well. Therefore, they feel sorry for you. That's why they can't lift their spirits when they learn to read. Because in their eyes, helping us work is their true value. Learning to read is our reward to them. Now, we only reward them but don't let them do anything. That's why they feel uneasy.”
Li Yan was stunned. He really hadn't thought of it in this way. Li Yan felt that these slaves should be like those students on Earth. To be honest, no student would treat learning as a reward. Everyone wished that they only had two days of classes a week and five days of rest.
Li Yan had always overlooked a problem. In this world, almost all skills and knowledge were closed to slaves. Slaves were only used to work. In the eyes of some nobles, slaves were not considered humans.
Li Yan thought for a moment and said,"I understand. Thank you, Grandma Li Na. Let me think about what to do."”
Li Na nodded in relief. She understood what Li Yan meant. Yes, it was undeniable that Li Yan was really outstanding now. At least in her eyes, Li Yan was outstanding. However, she had to admit that Li Yan still had a lot to learn.
Li Yan sat there for a while, thinking about how to deal with this situation. To be honest, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He had never dealt with such a situation before.
After thinking for a while, Li Yan stood up and let out a long breath. He turned to Li Na and said,"Grandma Li Na, let's go out. I want to see these people.”
Li Na nodded. The two of them walked out of the straw hut and walked to the slave. The slaves were practicing writing on the grass. They pushed aside the grass to expose the soil below and used corn stalks to write on the soil.
However, Li Yan noticed that these slaves seemed to be a little listless. It was very different from the excitement they had when they first learned how to write.
Li Yan walked over with a dark face and said calmly,""Everyone, stop."
When the slaves saw that Li Yan had come, they immediately put down the cornstalks in their hands and knelt on the ground to salute Li Yan. However, this time, Li Yan did not gently let them stand up and speak like before. Instead, he said in a deep voice,"I heard that you guys weren't serious when you were learning to write these few days?”
His voice was not very high and was very calm, but the slaves could not help but tremble. They immediately said in unison,"Master, please punish me."
" There's one thing that you haven't figured out yet," Li Yan said coldly." Learning how to write is not just a reward for you. It's to let you serve the Carlin family better. Even if you're idiots, you should understand the current situation of the Carlin family. The Carlin family needs every single one of you to do your best to serve them. Do you understand?" But what abilities do you have now? What else can you do other than doing some physical labor? What techniques do you know? What are your specialties? If I give you a book, how many words can you recognize? You don't know anything now. If those undead creatures could be controlled by me, one undead creature would be equivalent to ten of you. Moreover, I don't need to waste food to feed them! In terms of strength, you guys can't compete with horses, so why should I choose you guys over horses? " Because you can learn to read, but horses can't. As long as you learn to read, you can serve the Carlin family better. If it's just for physical labor, why would I let you learn to read? Could it be that you don't want to learn how to read because you don't want to serve the Carlin family better?”
All the slaves knelt there in fear. This was the first time Li Yan had said such harsh words to them after they met him. They were really frightened.
Li Yan took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions before saying,"I said that if you do well, I can restore his civilian status. But do you think that by giving you civilian status, you can live a good life? " Wrong. If you don't have the ability, even if you are a commoner, you are still the lowest class of commoner. You have to remember that my Carlin family needs people who are motivated and want to live a good life, not trash who only want to eat and wait for death.”
Then, Li Yan looked at Li Dou and said,""Many of you are wondering why I let Li Dou regain her civilian status. She only knows how to weave grass, and many of you know how to weave grass as well. "Let me tell you, because Li Dou dared to stand up and say that she could, she could. She wanted to change her life. She wanted to live a better life. She wanted her brother to be saved. She wanted her brother and her child to become commoners and have a fair chance at education. She didn't want to rely on rewards. I hope that you can learn from Li Dou. I hope that when you see me one day, you will only bow to me and call me Young Master, not Master." The Carlin family needs 100 people who serve the family with all their heart, not 100 slaves. Do you understand?”
All the slaves knelt there and shouted,""Understood, Master."
These slaves were really excited. This was the first time a noble had said such words to them. This was the first time someone had treated them as humans. This was the first time someone had hoped that they would become humans. Although Li Yan was angry at them, they were not dissatisfied at all. On the contrary, they were filled with gratitude and respect for Li Yan. This was because Li Yan had planted a seed in their hearts, a seed that would never die.
After Li Yan heard them finish, he nodded and said,"Stand up. I don't like people kneeling in front of me. Remember, learn how to write. This is not a reward, but an order.”
"Yes, Master," the slaves replied in unison.”Only then did he stand up.
Although these slaves had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, when they stood up, they had an additional temperament. Their previous withered appearance seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden, and their bodies seemed to be filled with strength.
Li Na smiled and stood behind Li Yan. Her eyes were filled with gratification. She did not expect Li Yan to do so well today. It was even better than she had imagined. Not only did he give those slaves a show of strength, but he also made those slaves feel grateful to him. Li Na was extremely satisfied with Li Yan's performance.
Li Yan looked at the slaves who stood up straight and nodded. He turned to Li Na and said,"Grandma Li Na, I'll leave the rest to you. Don't just study every day. That way, your brain will go numb and you won't be able to remember anything.”
Li Na smiled." Don't worry, Young Master. I know what to do. This isn't my first time teaching a student."”
Li Yan laughed loudly and turned to walk towards the straw hut. Bruiser and Goudan followed behind him. Zhao Xuan didn't follow Li Na this time, but instead followed Li Yan with a look of admiration.
Zhao Xuan felt that Li Yan was really too handsome today. When he said those words just now, his body seemed to be glowing. There was an inexplicable power that kept attracting her gaze, making her unable to take her eyes off Li Yan for a second.
Li Yan returned to his room and heaved a sigh of relief. He had prepared himself before he said those words. He had even planned where he would pause and what expression he would use. Of course, he was a little emotional as he spoke, so he acted more truthfully. However, it was undeniable that he had planned all these things.
Zhao Xuan followed Li Yan into the house. When she saw Li Yan's appearance, she couldn't help but smile again. She really liked to stay by Li Yan's side more and more. It was as if Li Yan had a power that could calm her mind and give her a sense of peace and tranquility.
It was only then that Lee Yan noticed that there was someone behind him. He was stunned and turned around to see that it was Zhao Xuan. Lee Yan felt a little embarrassed. He was an otaku and had not interacted much with girls in the past. The last time Zhao Xuan hugged him, he did not know what to say when he saw Zhao Xuan in the next few days. Now that Zhao Xuan was standing behind him, he did not know what to do.
"Ah, Zhao Xuan, why did you come in?" Li Yan was at a loss. Is there anything?"
Zhao Xuan looked at Li Yan and the smile on her face widened. She immediately smiled and said,"What's wrong? Young Master, can't I enter this house?”
Li Yan quickly said," Yes, of course you can. You can come in at any time. Sit down and drink some coya."”
Zhao Xuan looked at Li Yan and couldn't help but laugh.""Young Master, I prepared that for you. I don't dare to drink it. Otherwise, Mom will scold me.”
Li Yan quickly said,"No, I'm the one who's treating you. It's okay."”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]