With Xiao Yuntao's matter completely resolved, Xiao Yunying was finally relieved.

The seedling trays ordered from the Yang family have been delivered to her home, and she thinks it's time to start cultivating the seedlings.

The soil for seedling cultivation needs to be loose pine needle soil dug up from the mountain.

The soil was dug up from the mountain by the Xiao brothers, Yunsong and Xiao Yunying. They weren't tired from the rest of the work, so they went to watch over the land where the house was to be built. Xiao Yunying led Mu Lianrong and the others to fill the seedling boxes with soil and bury the seeds.

This job is simple and not difficult at all; you can finish it while chatting.

Fang Rou, having nothing to do at home, came to help out, and the conversation turned to the children's schooling.

Zhang said, "Chunlei told me that he didn't want to study at Yunshan Academy anymore."

Xiao Yunying looked up: "What's wrong?"

“He said he couldn’t keep up with the pace of learning at the academy. There were many articles he didn’t understand, and the teacher would move on to the next one. He was too embarrassed to admit that he didn’t understand, so he could only come back and study on his own. But as he accumulated more and more knowledge, he found it increasingly difficult to keep up.”

Xiao Yunying thought for a moment and then understood.

Yunshan Academy is somewhat like a combination of a modern high school and a university, and it is a private aristocratic school built specifically for wealthy families.

The tuition is high, but the teaching staff is excellent. Students are grouped into classes based on their grades, so there are no issues with the education.

But the prerequisite is that you have received basic education; otherwise, you won't understand the lessons taught in the lowest-level classes.

Children who haven't received early childhood education are like children who haven't attended primary school. Without a solid foundation, they won't even know pinyin or recognize all the characters, so how could they possibly understand profound knowledge?

Fang Rou said, "My two children didn't say they didn't want to study anymore, but they go to bed late and get up early every day, and they are studying hard. It is indeed very difficult for them."

Everyone in the family knew that the children got into the school by luck, thanks to the Luo family's children, so they weren't too surprised by this situation.

Xiao Yunying put down the small shovel and said, "If the child really can't keep up with the pace of learning, I suggest that the child drop out of school and find a basic school to study in first, so that the foundation can be laid before entering the academy. Otherwise, if the child keeps going like this, the pressure will be too great and the child will be even less able to learn."

Fang Rou thought what she said made sense: "I'll go back and discuss it with the children."

Zhang began by saying that the school she had found for her three children who hadn't been admitted to Yunshan Academy was quite good. The tuition wasn't high, and it wasn't far from the academy, so they could go to and from school together every day, which was convenient and reassuring.

In the evening, Xiao Yunying packed her things, saw Mu Lianrong and the others off, and waited for the children to return.

During the meal, she specifically inquired about the children's studies, and all three brothers said there were no problems.

"Has anyone bullied you, or has anything else unpleasant happened?"

After all, it was a prestigious school, mostly filled with sons of wealthy families. In addition, the two older students were rather introverted and aloof, and she was afraid of being isolated or bullied by the other students.

Luo Chen replied, "Yunshan Academy has a strict academic atmosphere. On the first day of enrollment, the headmaster explained the rules set by the academy, and so far no student has dared to try to violate the academy's rules."

Xiao Yunying was relieved: "That's good. If you need anything or anything else, be sure to tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."

Luo Li swallowed the food in her mouth: "My eldest and second eldest brothers are doing very well at the academy, so Mother doesn't need to worry. With the teachers taking care of us, no student dares to cause us trouble."

Xiao Yunying was speechless. Is this how you use the word "风生水起" (feng sheng shui qi)?

"Your eldest and second eldest brothers have the teachers protecting them, but how are you getting along with the other students?"

Luo Li was young and not as academically gifted as the two older students, so she was assigned to another class by herself.

"It's alright. There are a couple of people who are a bit annoying, but they haven't bothered me, so I can't be bothered with them."

Although Luo Li is young, he is the most lively and outgoing of the three brothers. In terms of getting along with others, Xiao Yunying is more at ease with him.

"Don't easily get into conflicts with others. If there's anything, you can talk to the Master, or come back and tell me, understand?"

The environment of Yunshan Academy is different from that of Xiaqu Village. She was afraid that if something happened, she would be too far away to help and protect the children.

Moreover, given her current situation, she couldn't possibly compete with those powerful and influential families, and she couldn't keep troubling Chen Yuancheng for help.

She wasn't the type to swallow her anger; she believed that if something couldn't be done openly, it could be resolved discreetly.

"I know, my older brothers have told me this many times."

I was practically pulling his ear and telling him not to cause Nyonya any trouble.

————————

At the end of February, the houses built separately for the servants were completed. After being left to air out for two days, Xiao Yunying chose a sunny day to take a carriage to Huiweilou to pick up the servants.

During this period, Chen Yuancheng intermittently bought a lot of servants who specialized in farm work and handed them over to the Chen family's steward to train them in proper manners.

At the entrance of Huiweilou, Xiao Yunying handed the food she had brought to Ling Qi.

Where is your young master?

"He's giving a speech in the backyard. Miss Xiao, come with me."

As soon as Xiao Yunying entered the backyard, she saw two rows of people standing by the wall.

She glanced at them briefly. Judging from their faces, they all seemed honest. Their eyes were fixed on the ground, and no one looked up when they heard her coming. Their hands were calloused, so they must be hardworking people.

Chen Yuancheng handed her a stack of indentures: "Ten strong laborers to do farm work, and the other six are a family surnamed Dai. Dai Xingsheng was once the manager of a manor under the name of a third-rank official in the capital."

The master's family committed a crime some time ago, and their property was confiscated. All the servants were sold off. Those who knew the situation were unwilling to buy servants like them, for fear of being tainted by bad luck.

But I know you don't care about that, so I bought their family. They're all honest and kind people with a clean record, so I can get them to do more work.

Xiao Yunying understood his unspoken meaning: doing more work would give them more power, allowing the Dai family to manage others.

"I trust the people you chose."

She looked through the indenture. The Dai couple had two sons. The eldest was already married and had a three-year-old son. The second son was not yet married and had just turned sixteen this year.

Chen Yuancheng looked at her profile: "I've already bought you a horse and arranged a carriage. Shall we go back together this time?"

Xiao Yunying looked up: "You've already bought it?"

Chen Yuancheng called out two people, one of whom was Dai Jincai, the youngest son of the Dai family.

"Both of them are good at driving carriages. I had the steward teach them how to raise horses, and I've also prepared fodder for you. When you run out, I'll have them take you into town to buy more; they know where to go."

Xiao Yunying was surprised by Dai Jincai's name, carefully looked at the contract of sale, and casually replied:

"You're so thoughtful, always considering everything for me. You've spoiled me so much that I'm getting lazier and lazier. What will I do if I leave you in the future?"

When he saw the words on the indenture clearly, he exclaimed in his heart, "Wow, these old couple from the Dai family really know how to name their children. The eldest son is named Dai Zhaocai, and the second son is named Dai Jincai."