“Village head, you said that all the men and women in this village have gone out to work, so what will happen to the children in these families?”

The village head was somewhat puzzled. "Children? They stay at home."

In this village, the children who are a little older are already able to help with housework and farm work. Even those who are too young to work can be looked after by the older children since there are many children in the village. The village head never thought about what would happen to the children if all the adults went to work.

“Here’s what I’m thinking: the workshop has been doing well lately and has accumulated some money. I propose to build a village school specifically for the children in the village to study.”

"Furthermore, as our workshop grows bigger and bigger, there are not many literate workers. If we have to go every time we sign a contract, it will be too much trouble."

"I was also thinking, could we create an opportunity for those workshop workers who are eager to learn, especially Xu Ping, Gu Yun, Xing'er, and Shi Tou and Shun'er in my pigsty? If we could let them learn more during their spare time, they would be able to do their jobs better in the future."

When the workshop was first established, apart from the gross profit that Meng Zhao took, the rest of the profits were managed by the village head. Apart from the money spent on ordering farm tools, nothing else had been used yet. After accumulating these profits over the years, it had become a considerable sum of money.

The village head has the right to manage this money, but not the right to use it. If anyone wants to use the money, Meng Zhao, the village head, and the elders must discuss and decide on it.

The village head nodded. "What you said makes sense. I'll go back to the village and find out if anyone wants their children to go to school. I'll also count how many people there are before we decide."

The village head is a reliable person, so it's definitely the right thing to do if you entrust this task to him. Besides, she only made a suggestion first, and she didn't expect that the village school would be built so soon.

After all, building a village school is no simple task. Just constructing the buildings would take some time, and hiring a teacher would also be a challenge. All of these things would require careful planning.

She had another purpose in bringing the village head here this time. Meng Zhao asked, "Village head, how much stock is left in the workshop?"

After pondering for a moment, the village head slowly replied, "The existing inventory is roughly two thousand catties, but I need to go back to the workshop to take stock of the exact quantity before I can confirm it."

After thinking for a moment, Meng Zhao continued, "Then can you prepare three thousand catties of goods for me before the end of the month?"

The village head frowned, his face showing difficulty. "Three thousand catties? That's no small amount. What do you need so much for?"

"I plan to take a batch of starch to Yuyang County."

The village head was full of surprise. "Yuyang County? That place is quite far!"

Meng Zhao sighed helplessly, "Yes, it is indeed not close, but it is really not a good idea to keep selling starch in Qingshi County without contacting new buyers. I have to go this time for the sake of the workshop's business."

She knew that the branch factory matter couldn't be rushed and needed to be planned slowly, but expanding the starch sales channels couldn't wait any longer; if they were slow, they would be giving others an opportunity.

Seeing Meng Zhao's determination, the village head was also inspired and said firmly, "Then I'll go back and tell the workers in the workshop to work harder to catch up on the deadline. Don't worry, I'll definitely reserve 3,000 jin of goods for you before the end of the month."

After the village head left, Meng Zhao continued selling braised meat in the shop. Before long, Aunt Feng'e returned, her face beaming with joy. As soon as she saw Meng Zhao, she couldn't stop praising him.

"Zhaozhao, you are truly a lucky star in the village. You did a fantastic job clearing the land. My two sons went to clear the land early this morning too."

"Really? Then who are they teaming up with?" Yesterday, many people in the village gathered together, and Meng Zhao didn't pay attention to which piece of land Aunt Feng'e's family had claimed.

“I joined a team with my sister’s family and we’ve registered a total of fifteen mu of land. Once we’ve cultivated all of this land, my family will have an extra five or six mu next year. That way, we’ll have a better chance of getting married.”

Meng Zhao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Auntie, why do you keep thinking about this?"

“They’ve reached the age but still can’t find wives. How could I not be concerned? Before, the family was in debt and life was very difficult. No girl would want to marry into our family. Now that things are better, I’m working in your shop and have almost paid off the debt. I have to make some plans.”

Since she started working for Meng Zhao, her family's situation has gradually improved, and matchmakers have been willing to come to her door to propose marriage. Of course, she's happy all the time.

After a while, it was afternoon when Gu Changwu arrived at the shop and greeted Madam Gu as soon as he entered.

"Sis, are you busy?"

When Gu saw her younger brother, she was overjoyed and quickly said, "Changwu is here! Come in quickly, have you eaten?"

Gu Changwu replied with a smile, "I've already eaten, sis."

The siblings had indeed not seen each other for a long time. While busy with her work, Gu chatted with Gu Changwu about everyday things. Hearing that everything was fine at home, she felt relieved.

After they finished talking, Meng Zhao sat down to talk to Gu Changwu.

"Second Uncle, do you know any teams that can transport goods to the surrounding area?"

"What do you want to ship, and where are you shipping it to?"

Meng Zhao stated his plan: "Transport about three thousand catties of starch to Yuyang County."

Upon hearing this, Gu Changwu pondered for a moment and said, "If it's about transporting starch, I'm afraid the escort agency won't take the job. They usually escort valuables. However, I can contact some porters. They usually run goods around the county, but if the price is right, going to Yuyang County shouldn't be a problem."

Meng Zhao nodded slightly, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble you with this matter, Second Uncle."

"Hey, it's nothing, just a small matter."

After Meng Zhao confirmed the details with the village head and Gu Changwu, he told Gu about it.