Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Shi Song walked out of Qi Changsheng's house with a smile, his face glowing with the warmth of spring. The next day, Zhang Guiying entered his home, trembling with apprehension. Qi Changsheng did not look at her; he merely said, "It is impossible for me to forgive you now. But one must not live solely for others. I only wish for you to live your life with Shi Daifu; as for everything else, we will discuss it later."
After saying this, he closed the door behind him and shut his eyes, tears streaming down his face. His mother, despite all her faults, had loved him genuinely since childhood. Yet, when she became embroiled in scandal, he found it hard to be magnanimous as her son.
Zhang Guiying understood; she was being told to lead her own life without disturbing him. She and Shi Song did not hold a wedding but continued their lives together in quiet simplicity. A few days later, they packed their belongings and, along with Zhang Ping, traveled from village to village to provide free health check-ups for the villagers.
Zhang Ping followed Shi Song to learn medicine and had long shed the arrogance of his childhood. Some people grow up bearing scars, while others are forever enveloped in love and never need to mature.
Wu Shengnan was one such person. Qi Yuan chased after her daily, calling her "ancestor," urging her not to run around while pregnant. "Qi Yuan, take me to collect Apple Snails! Auntie made the best Apple Snails; I even dreamed about them last night!" Wu Shengnan said as she handed a basket to Qi Yuan.
"You’re the one who’s pregnant; how can you be running everywhere? Right now, Shuitian is dry; we need to go down to the river for Apple Snails." Qi Yuan sighed as he shouldered the basket. "You stay home and eat fruit with Sister-in-law; Big Brother bought some for you. I’ll go collect them, alright?"
Wu Shengnan stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek playfully. "Then come back early; I can’t wait!"
Qi Yuan’s eyes were filled with affection; her words felt like royal decrees that he had no choice but to obey.
In the sweltering month of July, Yan Ye had grown tall enough for harvesting from the bottom. The thick green stalks of Yan Ye were in Pei Qingxuan's hands as she twisted cotton thread around them securely, binding them to a bamboo pole. "Watch closely; wrap two circles on each side but don’t make it too tight; otherwise, the green flavor won’t come out when roasted."
The villagers gathered around her, learning diligently as smoke curled from the chimney of the roasting house, continuing until July.
Yu Chengwei summoned a team of carts to haul away the last load of Yan Ye. This year, he stayed close to home and made a substantial profit. The villagers’ hard work over six months earned them three taels per mu of land—an amount they hadn’t seen in the past two years.
When tax collection day arrived, it was still those same two Yacha. Their tasks went particularly smoothly today.
Qi Chong lay beside Yu Chunmiao, fanning her gently while lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about? Tell me," Yu Chunmiao said, rubbing her large belly. She had gone from being afraid of the cold to being afraid of the heat.
"I'm thinking about what you said regarding compulsory education," Qi Chong replied, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Could our village also have compulsory education?"
Yu Chunmiao looked at him, momentarily lost in thought. This ancient husband of hers truly cared for Beishan Village.
"Of course we can! Not just for the children; anyone who wants to learn to read can attend," she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Mr. Pei will have some free time in the second half of the year. We can have him as the teacher, and the villagers can contribute to his salary. We can pitch in half as well."
After discussing their plan, they approached Pei Qingxuan. He was worried about having nothing to do in the second half of the year since the villagers wouldn’t be planting tobacco, and he didn’t want to leave the Qi Family.
Once the villagers learned how to grow tobacco, he would have no place to go. Given this wonderful opportunity, he agreed without hesitation.
The meeting began with a loud gong, and Qi Chong presented their proposal. The room was filled with noisy discussions as Qi Chong patiently waited for silence.
"With the money we earned from hunting last year and this year's tobacco sales, I’m not afraid to tell everyone that my family has saved up seven taels of silver," he said shyly as Zhang Shuiwang stood up.
"I had planned to send my child to County Academy, but the distance is too far and I can't take care of him. Now that we’re starting a village school, I want to be the first to enroll."
He scratched his head, blushing. "Also, I want to learn how to read."
"Village Chief, you lead us in making money and living well; we’ll do whatever you say," Xu Fang chimed in. His family was thriving with plenty of white rice and flour, and Xu Popo's health had improved as well; she had become a good daughter-in-law.
Without a homestead, Qi Chong went to the county to find Lu Ziyan and used his connections to secure land for the school.
Upon hearing about the village school initiative, the county officials were eager to support it as it would enhance their political achievements, so they immediately approved an acre of land.
Qi Yuan called upon his brothers since they needed to build a schoolhouse and would have to work hard on tables and benches.
"This year we've been busy in your village," Qi Yuan said. Brother Heizi laughed widely while carrying a load on his back. "Three families are building new houses and curing tobacco; now you're even building a schoolhouse! Your village is really prosperous! Some people from our village are also saying they want to grow tobacco."
Comment 0 Comment Count