Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 319

Episode 319 Hero? New demon? (2)

The thoughts of most parents whose children attend social democratic schools were very similar.

‘My child is not special, but that doesn’t mean he or she is inferior to other families’ children!’

Therefore, after the end of the semester in the year of Gyeongsul, there was an uproar as the decision was made to go through or not go through.

Parents who saw that other families’ children were moving on to the next course but their own were not, went to the teachers at the school and made a fuss.

“What’s wrong with our child!”

“I haven’t even been able to properly remove the thousand characters yet.”

“That’s it, just let it cook for a few more days and it will come off!”

“The problem is that the semester is already over. It’s a pity, but I hope to receive it next semester. “It’s not like the child is lacking in material, so he or she will be able to receive a container next semester.”

After finishing the meeting with the teachers, the parents rolled up their sleeves and expressed their anger.

“Just leave my Inum’s body alone!”

That day, children’s cries echoed throughout the village.

And, in the fall of the New Year, quite a few children had to relearn much of what they learned at the social democratic schools that opened.

“No, why did this happen?”

Teachers, surprised by the decline in children’s academic achievement, looked into the reason.

As a result of asking the children about the reason, the teachers learned that the reason was the busy farming season.

-I was unable to properly review and improve my skills while working on the farm during the busy farming season, so my achievements deteriorated.

This was not just a problem in rural areas. Most children, not only in cities but also in fishing villages, had to help their families earn a living. And, it was impossible to properly review and moisturize while working like that.

The only children who were able to maintain or even improve their achievements by studying and reviewing during the vacation period were the children of self-employed farmers who could afford it and the children of wealthy families.

In order to bring back the achievements of children who had fallen behind and move on to the next course, the children had to be as busy studying as they were during the busy farming season.

In particular, as mentioned before, as competition between parents increased, children had to stay up late and wrestle with books and the blackboard. And parents did not spare any support they could.

“They say the kid is studying, but the price of lamp oil is a lot of money!”

However, as the New Year was almost over and the New Year was approaching, it became clear that something similar would happen again, and teachers from the Social Democratic School began to file appeals with the Ministry of Education.

* * *

After hearing the reason from Jo Gye-saeng, King Sejong asked with a serious face.

“So there was an opinion to extend the class period?”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

“So how much do you want to increase?”

“If you look at the class period so far, school starts five days after Chuseok and runs until the spring equinox (March 20-21). However, looking at the appeal, it is said that although it is the same as starting school five days after Chuseok, it is better to set the date of leave of absence to summer solstice (June 21-22). “If the lower limbs are too long, we argue that they should be lengthened at least to 5.5~6.”

Sejong, who had been quietly calculating Jo Gye-saeng’s words, asked again.

“Are you saying we want to extend it by at least one and a half months, and up to three months?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you really think parents who do farming will understand? “Aren’t we in a situation where we’re still short on hands, so we’re making children who need to learn work do the work?”

Jo Gye-saeng immediately responded to King Sejong’s point.

“That’s right. Therefore, the Ministry of Education plans to hold the regular semester until April 20th-21st, and instead organize regular maintenance days as advocated by teachers.”

“It’s a regular program... . “Do you think it would be easy for the children to come out during busy times?”

“I plan to make the market opening day a plowshares day.”

In response to Jo Gye-saeng’s answer, King Sejong hit his knee.

The system of deciding whether to advance or repeat a grade based on results was established as a tradition unique to Joseon.

And, it became infamous all over the world.

Students who were smart and worked hard advanced to higher education institutions faster than others. As a result, it was common for people to continue their studies at top educational institutions in their early or mid-teens. On the other hand, there were many people in their late teens who had to learn with children several years younger than them at intermediate educational institutions.

Due to this pressure, some people made extreme choices.

Many media outlets in other countries took issue with this, but Joseon’s response was consistent.

“Competition is essential to obtain the best talent!”

“Compared to the competition that goes on in society, this is a joke!”

In the end, Joseon had to go through a lot of trouble and spend a huge amount of time to come up with an improvement plan in this area.

* * *

While the royal court in Hanseong was busy, sailors in Suyeong, Mokpo, who had completed their quarantine period, were receiving leave and leaving the port.

It was a long vacation lasting 15 days.

The sailors, carrying cloths containing various rare statues and foreign objects that they had personally acquired from the Cheonchukguk (Sultanate of Bengal), left the camp in groups of twos and threes and headed to the house where their families were waiting.

“owner! “I’m here!”

“Makdonga! “Abby is here!”

“Oh my, honey!”

“Father!”

The family was filled with joy and had a happy reunion after meeting the head of the family whom they had not seen for a long time.

As there was a lot of commotion while checking on each other’s well-being, neighboring residents gathered quietly to watch.

When the commotion subsided, the sailors unpacked the wrapping cloth they had brought with them.

“Sir, take a look at this. “Please come here too.”

“What is this?”

When the sailor sitting on the bed unwrapped the wrapping cloth, not only his family but also the neighbors beyond the wall craned their necks with interest.

“This is the fabric made by that fabric.”

“Oh my goodness! What kind of fabric can be this thin! “It’s so light!”

The woman picked up the sari used to make Indian women’s clothing and made a fuss.

It wasn’t just the sari. The sailors’ families exclaimed in exclamation every time an item filled with all kinds of exotic flavors was brought out.

The sailors, who rested while having a good time with their families, soon had drinks with their male neighbors.

“I’m passing through that distant sea... .”

While he was talking with great bravado about his experiences while sailing in the ocean, not the coastal waters of Joseon, and about the customs of foreign countries he visited along the way, all the men around him had their eyes shining. Because it was a barracks village near Suyeong, most of the men in the neighborhood were sailors. Therefore, they also listened to the story with bright eyes, as there was a high possibility that they were either planning a similar voyage or going on a similar voyage in the near future.

As we continued to have drinks with exotic local customs as snacks, the topic of the story shifted to the women of foreign countries.

“Look. “What about the women of Cheonchukguk?”

“Maybe it’s because it’s a sunny country, but everyone is dark. “If you look closely, it looks just like a cow.”

“cow?”

“How big your eyes are! Half of the face is eyes! They pierce the nose tube, decorate it with gold, and tie a gold string to it. It’s just a cow! and... .”

The sailor, who was quietly observing the surroundings, placed both hands on his chest and waved them.

“This is as big as a cow.”

“Huh~.”

They were men who let their imaginations run wild while listening to the explanation.