Chapter 29

Winter passed and after what I term "The first hurdle" we started our school and almost immediately met problems. Our charter is the school's founding document, according to Tion a very usual practice and also little more than a formality, a guideline for students and nothing to anyone else. Even as it is supposed to be the law inside the school's boundaries. This of course, and us being a new school leads to problems. The first years will be setting the tone of the school so I have decided to be extra strict.

"No," I say to the young man kneeling before me. "I don't care how proud your parents would be, you are not ready to be any kind of apprentice in this school," I tell him and huff, both in frustration with my sister and this young man. "You have little control and no sense." I look to Tion sitting beside the young man further down in the room. "It is not a matter of money or talent, it is a matter of work. You do little or no work outside of sparring and look only to the fight, this attitude does not work with my teachings, you need to know yourself and for this, you need to meditate and experience. If all you look for is the sword my teaching will be of little use to you." I tell him and rise. Tion will take care of the youth for me and I will have a word with Xi. He is the teacher responsible for these uncouth youths wanting to learn the way of the sword. A position he really is not fit for, he is an archer.

"Why oh why do you keep sending stupid little shits like him my way?" I ask Xi and Ha after having enjoyed their hospitality for some time. They have settled down in their ways very different from other households in the village with Xi cooking and Ha doing manual labour. "We try not to, you know this brother. But they need a real beatdown emotionally from time to time and only you can give them that." Xi tells men while pouring me another glass of wine. I let the wine swirl in my glass while I look at them. "We need a better system if it is so," I tell them and all they do is give a nod in confirmation. "Any suggestions?" I try to get them to brainstorm, but they will have nothing of it and I am left to go home to my wife and Tion trying to find my own answer in a drunk state. Xia is not amused by it and complains a bit when I want to cuddle and have sex. She gets over it and a short session later I fall asleep with her in my arms. Poor girl, she is still not used to me after more than a year of marriage.

"So what do you think?" I ask Tion when we have tea later. Xia is serving and looking bemused like she always does at the scene. Tion has changed since she came here and she looks more and more feminine every day. We have a traditional tea ceremony once a week to teach me and I have to spend it with a board on my head for my posture. "Hire a samurai." She says and I nod, it is a good suggestion and better than any I have come up with. When Xia speaks up I can feel the joy, it is my corrupting influence otherwise she would never have spoken. It is easier since Tion nearly is a girl. "Hire female swordsmen that can beat them with the sword." She says and I nod. "We need the competence and everyone else is female." I say and sigh "Why did we ever agree to open the school for men?" I ask Tion, it is a rhetorical question since I know the answer, we could not restrict it. Damned laws.

This is a good example of our problems I think while walking down from the teacher's buildings. It is later in the day and I have taught a lesson to the younger students. I have room there, but my wife sets a fine table and I hate to miss any meal she prepares for me. This year we might even have bacon since she found someone dealing in pigs and bought some off of him. Or rather her father did and she brought it to me. Traditionally fish and veggies are preferred to keep the body and mind clean, but fried bacon is just too good. Xia is not convinced, but she is good about my eccentricities.

"So you need some women sword fighters." Xia ponders after lunch while I just pat my stomach and lie there. I usually just take a nap like a baby or an old man after lunch, it is strange since I am in the prime of my life. "Yeah, and I have no idea on how to make it happen. We need someone who fits in as well." I say and turn over on my side to look at her. "And with the building and buying over the last years, we have little money to attract someone with," I say and to my surprise yawn. Xia tries to keep it in, but she too yawns, it is contagious when it takes root. I giggle and look at her lying there perfect I think and really enjoy myself. We do not find a good solution to the problem other than putting out the word through the grapevine that we are looking.

Another type of problem that is easier in finding a solution to is students getting caught sneaking out. If we only had female or male students it would be no problem, but since it is mixed it is our problem. The next day I have just such a case before me. "I caught these two going at it in the gardens," Xi says pointing at two young students, the boy is from outside the village, but the girl is local. Most of our girls are local. "Well, what is the problem?" I ask him, there are enough jobs to humble and punish wrongdoers of such deeds. "Well, it is not the first time and none of the punishments seems to stop them," Xi admits and I nod, they must really like each other than to run through all our punishments in less than three months. I smile at the two with an evil glare when I hear this. "Well, simple enough then. I have some work with my new experiments for young Zu here he will enjoy and the same for Wa. You see I am trying to produce saltpetre and to do so I need someone to collect and spread urine on hay before turning it again." I say and see Xi light up in glee at the torture. "It will take a year to finish and I imagine Wa here would like the distraction," I say and see the horrified expression on the girls face. "I also know for a fact that Tion needs help with her knitting group and Zu here most certainly will be able to help them hold order in the yarn," I say and hope the tasks are horrendous enough that it will keep the two apart at least for some more time. I am loath to expel someone yet but will do it if this goes too far. The worst is that they keep getting caught marking them as clueless in sneaking around.

"Why do they keep getting caught?" I ask Xi when the young people leave us alone. They are three years younger than me after all. How the hell has I convinced parents to leave their children with me is a thought I keep having. After all, I started the school to be free of just the sort of people that are in the Tiger mountain sect and Tions family, not because I really like education children. "He is sure of himself and has no skills and she wants to get caught I believe," Xi tells me and drink from his tankard. Not beer mind you, but fruit juice one of the ladies tired of getting beaten in the beer competition made. It is really good and she keeps the recipe close. "Please let it not be young couples who drag us down," I say and have to snicker at Xi pulling a face on my comment. "I agree wholeheartedly, let us rather hope we succeed or go out in a blaze of glory fighting those bastards in the Tiger mountain sect." I look over at him. "something the matter?" I ask and he shakes his head. "Don't know, but someone is sniffing around the hunters tell me." He says and I get a cold feeling in my stomach. "We better find some fighters soon," I say in the end not enjoying my drink as much as I used to. Xi is silent a long time before speaking again. "I don't know Su, they seem really bad at their job of sneaking so maybe we can just kill them all out in the woods." I stay silent but decide it is worth to work on and bump training hunters up in priority. I will teach and help for free all those that hinder or rid me of my enemies.