Chapter 174 Asking the Master to Teach

The ice jelly is smooth and refreshing when eaten, and it can dispel the summer heat. The plum cake is sweet and sour, and the red bean and date paste cake is sweet and soft, with just the right amount of sweetness and not greasy at all.

Lord Han smiled and said, "Miss Li's cooking skills are good. This is the first time I have eaten this kind of food."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir."

Xie Yan said: "The recipe for the ice jelly made by Miss Li has been sold to Baiweilou. You two adults can go to Baiweilou to taste it after you return."

Lord Han sighed: "That's good, such a good delicacy should not be kept here, it can go to a wider world."

Xie Yan understood what he meant and remained silent.

After finishing his words, Xie Yan escorted Li Wanyue and her brother out of the county government office.

Walking out of the main hall, Li Sandong took a few deep breaths and finally came back to life.

The back of his clothes was wet.

Xie Yan looked at Li Wanyue: "I didn't expect you could make snacks."

"There's a lot more you didn't expect."

"Would you like to consider opening a snack shop?"

“I have this idea.”

Xie Yan smiled: "By the way, you should also harvest the sweet potatoes you planted."

"After harvesting, I distributed some to the villagers. After tasting it, they thought it was delicious and wanted to grow it too. They asked me to leave some for them to use as seeds."

Xie Yan nodded: "I have already reported this matter. When the two adults return to Beijing, I will report it to the court. I think it won't be long before they send people to collect some of these and use them as seeds for the next season for extensive planting.

You calculate how much you want to keep, and I will take the rest. It will be considered as the court buying it from you. You can name the price, but it cannot exceed the price I paid from foreign countries.

It doesn’t matter if they are all distributed, I will report to my superiors and collect them next season.”

Li Wanyue smiled and said, "No need. You gave me the seeds at that time. We agreed to give you some. I roughly calculated that I should keep 60%, which is already a great bargain. Moreover, these are for the common people, so you don't need to pay for them."

Xie Yan stared at her. The sunlight cast a layer of light on her, making her look even more beautiful.

"Okay, since you are so righteous, when the court gives out the reward, I will keep it for myself."

Li Wanyue was stunned. If the court really gave a reward, it would represent honor.

She immediately said, "I will definitely accept the reward from above. It is an honor, and you must not give me less when the time comes."

Xie Yan pursed his lips and smiled.

Li Wanyue thought of something and asked, "Master Xie, are there any talented scholars among these refugees?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"Our village wants to build a village school and is in need of teachers. I am thinking that among these refugees, if there are any students or scholars, our village is willing to hire them."

"Oh, I see." Xie Yan asked Qingfeng to get a booklet which contained the information of the people who had fled.

There are three students and one scholar inside.

The scholar took on the job of copying books and earned some money, while two of the students found jobs writing letters for others.

There was another student who did nothing and just stayed at the resettlement site.

Li Wanyue asked: "What's wrong with this man? Is he unable to let go of his noble character as a scholar? Is he unwilling to find a job to support his family?"

If that were the case, she wouldn't dare use it, for fear of teaching her child to have high expectations but poor skills.

Xie Yan looked at Qingfeng, and Qingfeng said, "It's like this. Chen Tongsheng's father died in the flood while trying to save his family. His mother got sick on the way and died soon after. Now there are only four people left in his family: him, his wife and children. He doesn't speak all day and just sits in a corner in a trance."

Li Wanyue understood that it was because the blow was too great and she couldn't get over it.

Xie Yan asked: "How about I ask Qingfeng to find the other two students to show you?"

"No, I'll go meet this Chen Tongsheng first. He has a wife and children to support, so he should agree."

Xie Yan nodded and walked a few steps. Thinking of County Magistrate Cao, he reminded him, "During this period of time, the personnel are in chaos. Try to go out as little as possible. Even if you go out, don't go out alone. Don't believe others just because you hear any news. If there is anything, send someone to send me a letter immediately."

Seeing his serious expression, Li Wanyue nodded.

Then Qingfeng sent Li Wanyue to see Chen Tongsheng.

Li Wanyue got on the carriage. A figure leaning out from the corner watched the carriage go away, then left immediately and went back to report.

After hearing the report from the servant, County Magistrate Cao, who was lying on the bed, grabbed the teacup on the bedside and slammed it to the ground, causing porcelain pieces to shatter and fly everywhere.

His face was ferocious. Xie Yan deserved to die, and that bastard deserved to die too. It was all because of them that he and his son's future were ruined. He would torture them severely and then send them to death.

On the other side, at the resettlement site outside the city, Li Wanyue was waiting outside, and Qingfeng asked someone to invite Chen Tongsheng out.

Chen Tongsheng looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, thin and with a sallow complexion. Next to him stood a woman holding two children, a girl about four years old and a boy about seven years old.

Chen Tongsheng looked at Li Wanyue and asked dully, "Are you looking for me?"

"Yes, our village is looking for a teacher to teach the children. I heard that you are a student, so I wanted to ask you if you are willing to teach in our village. But after seeing you, I gave up the idea."

Chen Tongsheng still asked dully: "Why?"

"Because I don't want the children in our village to become like you. When they encounter a little setback, they feel as if the sky has fallen. They are confused and like the walking corpse. Losing family members is painful, but letting the living family members continue to suffer because of you, or even lose their lives, is the most tragic."

Li Wanyue looked at the young woman and continued, "Look at your wife and children. Because of you, they look sad and thin. They can't see any hope. Do you think they can still survive?"

Chen Tongsheng's expression finally changed a little. He rolled his eyes and looked at his wife and children.

The young woman stepped forward and held his hand, saying softly, "Husband, you must live well. This is what your parents kept telling you before they died."

Chen Tongsheng's eyes were red. When he saw Li Wanyue turning around to leave, he immediately said, "Miss, please stay."

Li Wanyue looked at him and remained silent.

Chen Tongsheng wiped his face with his sleeves in embarrassment: "Girl, I am just a student, don't you think I am not very knowledgeable?"

"We are just a village school. We want children to learn some words and simple arithmetic. If you want your children to take the imperial examination, you don't need to hire someone to teach in the village."

Chen Tongsheng asked again: "Then...if I go to teach, what will happen to my wife and children?"

"Of course we'll go together. If you agree, I'll go back and discuss with the village chief. Food and accommodation will definitely be no problem. It's up to you whenever you want to leave."

"Okay, I'd like to teach."

Li Wanyue nodded, asked him to show his credentials, listened to his knowledge, and asked him to write a piece of writing.

The handwriting is very good, more than enough to teach children.

After returning to Daohua Village, I went to the village chief’s house.