Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Shop Opening Plan

Nearing the end of the year, the college has a ten-day weekday and one-day off schedule. Now that the days are shorter and the nights are longer, the class schedule has been adjusted. Xu Yunfan still insisted on making an exception for the two little ones, working five days and having two days off. They can study when they should study and play when they should play. But unfortunately, today is not a day off, and the two children are not at home. Xiaobao came to the village just now. Qin Run was worried about leaving the child with others, so when Xu Yunfan finished breakfast, Qin Run had already put Xiaobao in the backpack and carried him on his back.

Seeing Xiaobao who seemed to be stuck, Xu Yunfan: "..."

"Don't we have a sling or something like that at home? There's no main road in this mountain village, so we have to walk in. Xiaobao is so heavy, carrying him for a long time will make you and him tired. Can you borrow a sling and we can take turns carrying him?"

Putting the child into the backpack, it would be fine if Xiaobao was thin, but this child is fat. Today's backpack is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. When Xu Yunfan sees Xiaobao's head popping out, he always worries that he will get stuck inside and he is not sure if his little feet will touch the bottom of the backpack.

Qin Run shook his head. "No, I'll go to Aunt Qin's house and ask."

Aunt Qin has many children. During the busy farming season, even children who are only a few months old have to be taken to work in the fields, so they naturally have to be carried on their backs. She definitely has a baby carrier.

Xu Yunfan flipped through the slings that Qin Run had borrowed and examined them curiously. He saw that there were two long straps on the slings, and a few festive peonies were embroidered on the back of the slings. There was also a strong little rope at the bottom, which was used to tie an adult's waist.

"How do I use this?" Xu Yunfan didn't know how to use it, so he could only ask.

Qin Run tied the small rope around Xu Yunfan's waist with his own hands. He patted Xu Yunfan on the back and said, "Bend down. I'll put Xiaobao on your back."

Xu Yunfan did as he was told and let Qin Run wrap the two long straps around his chest to form a cross, then around his waist to the back and finally around his waist to tie a knot.

The first time Qin Run saw Xu Yunfan carrying a child, he took a look and found it inexplicably funny.

In the village for so long, Qin Run rarely saw men carrying children in slings. At most, they would just hold the children in their arms. Qin Run said, "Why don't I do it? If you do this, some men might laugh at you."

Xu Yunfan didn't take it seriously and moved aside to avoid Qin Run's hand that was about to untie the belt. "How can it be funny? Giving birth and raising a child is not just your job. Men have to do it too. How can it be funny that I carry a child? They are the ones who are funny."

When Sun Wu came back to pick up Xu Yunfan, he saw Xu Yunfan's appearance and, like everyone else, couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Where did you borrow that sling?"

It’s not that Sun Wu thought it was funny to see Xu Yunfan, a man, carrying a child on his back. It was mainly because Xu Yunfan gave them the impression of being an aristocratic young master. But who would have thought that this noble young master could carry a child on his back? Look at him standing there with the child on his back, turning his head back from time to time to talk to Xiaobao. Anyway, he looked quite decent.

Just as it is hard for ordinary people to imagine that a successful person worth hundreds of millions, who wears leather shoes, a suit, a shirt and a slicked-back hair all day long, would carry a child in a sling, it is very surprising.

"Run'er borrowed it from Aunt Qin's house."

Xu Yunfan got on the ox cart, and Qin Run took out the small quilt from the backpack and covered Xiaobao with it. "It's windy when riding on the ox cart, Xiaobao, be good and don't pull the quilt, okay?"

"I know. If you get a cold head, it'll hurt." Xiaobao said, his face wrinkled. "Then you have to drink bitter medicine."

Perhaps because he was facing Qin Run and Xu Yunfan, Xiao Bao confirmed that he was in an absolutely safe environment. He no longer felt uneasy, timid and afraid as when he first arrived at Xiao Qin's house, and he could even talk a few more words.

Xu Yunfan exclaimed in surprise, turned his head and looked back, not forgetting to pat Xiaobao's butt. "You know all this, it's rare. I thought you had no idea in your little head."

Xiaobao happily shook his big legs and put his hands on his temples, "Xiaobao, there's something in here."

"What is it?"

"Didn't Father know?"

Xu Yunfan paused for a moment, "How should I know what's in your head?"

"But...but..." Xiaobao seemed anxious, "But there is something inside." It was as if something was about to break through the shackles, but it was just one step away. He remembered that someone often praised him for having something in his brain, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Seeing Xiaobao getting anxious, Qin Run quickly comforted him, "Xiaobao has grown up. Xiaobao's little head must be full of cleverness, right?"

"Yes, Xiaobao is very smart. Daddy often praises Xiaobao for being smart."

After hearing what Xiaobao said, Qin Run and Xu Yunfan's expressions changed and they both fell silent.

It is not difficult to hear the mistake from Xiaobao's words. The daddy Xiaobao mentioned must love Xiaobao very much, but he has lost his child now.

Qin Run felt bad at the thought of his child being missing. He thought he would definitely go crazy.

Xu Yunfan said with a smile: "Really? Xiaobao's little head is full of cleverness? Xiaobao, prove it and let the fathers see how powerful Xiaobao is, okay?"

"Okay~" Xiaobao happily clapped his hands on Xu Yunfan's shoulders and started quacking.

Sun Wu in front turned his head back from time to time to look, but unfortunately Xiaobao was either looking at Xu Yunfan or turning his head to look at Qin Run, so Sun Wu could only see half of the child's chubby face.

I heard that the new child in Xiao Qin's family is incredibly cute and beautiful. Sun Wu just took a look and found that it was true. Such a cute baby, speaking in a baby voice, makes people's hearts soften. Although he didn't understand what the child said, Sun Wu inexplicably felt that the child had some abilities.

Sun Wu didn't understand, but Xu Yunfan raised his eyebrows. Even Qin Run was a little surprised. After Xiaobao finished reciting, he immediately praised: "Our Xiaobao is really amazing. He can even recite the Three Character Classic. Does Xiaobao know anything else?"

Qin Run understood the "Three Character Classic". Don't ask him how he understood it. As soon as Xiaobao recited it, he could recognize it and his mind automatically told him that this was the "Three Character Classic".

Xiaobao said happily, "Yes."

He counted on his fingers one by one, "Xiaobao also knows the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and..."

The more Xiaobao knew, the more Xu Yunfan frowned.

Something is wrong.

Something is very wrong.

Since Xiaobao remembers that he has learned these things, it makes no sense that he would not remember where he lives, who his parents are, or even his own name.

Xu Yunfan touched the hand that Xiaobao stretched out, and the childish voice of the student could be heard in his ears. He said nothing else and just listened quietly to Xiaobao reciting.

There is no doubt that Xiaobao is indeed a very smart child. He can memorize not only the enlightenment books, but also some other books. But what surprised Xu Yunfan was that this child not only knew a little, but also knew how to remember. Therefore, the reason why he could memorize so much was not because of rote memorization, but because he had his own set of memorization methods.

Xiaobao is only three years old. Are kids these days so naughty?

Xu Yunfan's expression was complicated, but Qin Run didn't notice. After getting off the carriage, Xu Yunfan looked up at the narrow path in front of him that was only wide enough for one person to pass through. He couldn't help but confirm with Sun Wu, "Brother Sun Wu, are you sure you didn't take me to the wrong place? Is this the road?"

Sun Wu nodded confidently. "This is the road to Dashan Village. I made inquiries after you told me you wanted to go there yesterday. This is the right place. Also, people who have been there say you have to cross six mountains to get there. Those stone paths are fine when the weather is clear, but they are difficult to walk on when it snows or rains. There are a few small villages inside, but Dashan Village is the farthest, so the road might not be safe. Run'er, remember to find a stick to protect yourself along the way. Go quickly, I'll wait for you here this afternoon."

Xu Yunfan: “…”

What does it mean to climb six mountains?

Xu Yunfan wiped his face and secretly encouraged himself. What was there to be afraid of? He was a man who had experienced special training. It was just six mountains. He could handle it.

After crossing three mountains, Qin Run was out of breath. "Yunfan, do you want me to carry Xiaobao on your back?"

He is so tired, and Xu Yunfan must be feeling tired too.

Xu Yunfan shook his head, breathing a little hard. "No, I can still carry it. We've only walked halfway. No wonder people in Dashan Village rarely go out. If it were me, I wouldn't go out either."

"That's why the people in Dashan Village are so poor because of inconvenient transportation! I've heard before that many people are reluctant to marry their sons and daughters to Dashan Village, saying that the men there are too lazy and even have trouble making ends meet."

Now that he had gone there in person, Qin Run realized that sometimes it was difficult to get rich without convenient transportation. No wonder Xu Yunfan had suggested to the Qin family to build roads before, and said that to get rich one must first build roads.

It’s not that the men in the mountain village are too lazy or don’t work hard enough, but the situation and the environment they live in are such that it is even more difficult for them to get rich than for the villagers outside.

Decades ago, the Qin family was lucky enough to be able to reclaim wasteland and settle down here after fleeing. But decades later, after the court encouraged the people to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, and after decades of reproduction and development, where are there so many places for you to reclaim wasteland in the villages outside?

In areas with convenient transportation outside, each village has some idle land that can be reclaimed, but it is not much and cannot meet the needs of accommodating dozens of families.

There were dozens of households. Which village could take in so many? If they were dispersed and placed in less fortunate villages, it would be inconvenient to provide assistance when the time came. Human nature was truly complex. Even if someone from the same village received assistance, even if that person had fought in the battlefield and their life was harder than theirs, some would still feel unbalanced and even jealous. After all, they hadn't been in the battlefield, their injuries weren't on their shoulders, so naturally they couldn't empathize.

Although these people who came back from the battlefield were more or less injured, they had no problem doing their daily work and it was not a problem for them to form their own village.

Finally, after searching everywhere, the people from the imperial court found that Dashan Village was a good place.

Dashan Village is a bit remote, but there is still a lot of land there. More than ten years ago, each family could get more than ten acres of land. After more than ten years, everyone split up the land, and now each family only has a few acres of land.

It is difficult for men in the mountain village to find a wife. If they want to get married, the betrothal gift alone has to be two or three taels of silver higher than others.

If you don’t want to pay, then you will be single for the rest of your life!

Even so, the money that the previous generation saved in a year from owning more than ten acres of land was spent on marrying a wife.

Xu Yunfan carried Xiaobao on his back while stuffing the still-warm bun Qin Run had kept in his arms all the way into his mouth. After swallowing the bun, he heard no more movement from the little guy behind him, so he said, "Xiaobao fell asleep again?"

Qin Run stopped and took a look, "Well, he's still young and sleeps a lot."

Xu Yunfan: "Oh, no wonder I didn't hear him making a fuss. The little guy seems to have a high IQ. He's like me in this respect. If I train him well, he might become a rare talent like me in the future."

"Well, I guess Xiaobao's family conditions were pretty good before." To be able to teach a three-year-old child like this, apart from the child's own intelligence, as parents, it would be useless without certain conditions to support it.

Xu Yunfan thought for a moment. "If he wants to learn, I can teach him. If he can't sit still, forget it. Let's wait until he's older. He should play when he needs to. Many geniuses rely on self-discipline, not pressure. For example, I was a very self-disciplined person when I was young. I would feel uncomfortable if I didn't read for a day. I always felt like something was missing."

This surprised Qin Run.

After all, it’s really hard to tell that Xu Yunfan is that kind of person now.

self-discipline?

Xu Yunfan is very self-disciplined. Every time he has a class, he has to wake this guy up in the morning. If he doesn't call him five or six times, he will definitely not get up. No matter it is windy or rainy, he will never miss a day of staying in bed.

Xu Yunfan's words were probably a bit exaggerated. Qin Run thought that the reason why Xu Yunfan had so many ideas was probably not because of his self-discipline, but because he was just too smart.

Do you always feel like something is missing if you don’t read books?

Don't think that Xiao Hengzhi didn't know about the books that were sent to him. Xu Yunfan didn't read much of them and put them all in the bottom of his box.

Qin Run blushed at Xu Yunfan's words, his pupils flickered slightly, and he stammered, "Then you are really amazing. No wonder you seem to know everything."

Xu Yunfan waved his hand rather rudely, but the corner of his mouth raised in a cheerful arc. "No, no, you should be more confident in yourself and get rid of the "if" feeling. But this matter is between you and me. When we are out there, we should keep a low profile."

Qin Run: “…”

He really couldn't continue to brag about this, so he could only ask something else bluntly, "Yunfan, last night you said you wanted to tell me what you were going to do in Dashan Village."

"Of course we're going to recruit people!"

"Recruiting people?" Qin Run didn't figure out Xu Yunfan's intention. "If we want to recruit people, can't we recruit them from outside?"

Xu Yunfan nodded. "Yes, after all, there's work to do and plenty of people are eager to come. But I want to give priority to these heroes. Although they haven't been able to become household names like others on the battlefield, their achievements cannot be buried. It is because of their dedication that we can have peace and tranquility in the Great Yan Dynasty. My grandfather was also a soldier, and I was trained by him personally. So, even if I haven't been to the battlefield, I know the hardship. Here, my ability is limited, so I'll help as much as I can."

Qin Run said nothing, just looking at Xu Yunfan's back, feeling warm and at ease in his heart. "So what are you going to do? Do you want to build a few more factories and invite them to work here?"

That's indeed a good idea.

However, Xu Yunfan looked at the mountain in front of him, which was half covered by fog. Because of the thick fog, the path was a little muddy. If you walked on it without non-slip shoes, you would probably have fallen and broken your butt.

Fortunately, Qin Run had been prepared. He had added something to their shoes, making them non-slip and durable. Xu Yunfan looked at the mud hanging from the sides of his shoes and stamped his foot hard in disgust. He then pressed his foot left and right on the weeds by the roadside to rub the thick mud that wouldn't come off. "Let them go to work. It's a waste of time to go back and forth on this mountain road."

"Then what do you want them to do?" Qin Run wondered.

Xu Yunfan: "Won't our paper mill be able to produce the first batch of bamboo paper soon? I think we can also make hemp paper in the future since we have more paper. However, at present, the books of Dayan Dynasty are still very expensive, so we can open another bookstore."

Hearing this, Qin Run disagreed and said, "You are right. It is difficult for us to study here, not only because paper is expensive, but also because books are expensive. If you want to open a bookstore to sell books, you should find students to copy books. It is not possible to ask villagers to do this job." How many villagers can read and write?

Even if we are looking for students, we have to select them first before we can recruit them, otherwise those who can't write well will not be accepted.

Xu Yunfan: "Who said I'm going to hire people to copy books?"

Qin Run: "If you don't copy books, how can you sell them?"

Xu Yunfan chuckled grimly. "Copying books is too slow, and how many students can I find to copy books for me? Every student's handwriting style is different, and it would be inconvenient to check them later. So I plan to print them directly and then cut and bind them into volumes. This way, not only can I ensure that every word is the same, but there are also no mistakes. Isn't that more convenient?"

Qin Run didn't seem to understand Xu Yunfan's words. "What do you mean by 'directly print and directly bind into books'? I don't quite understand."

"It's normal not to understand. Let me explain in detail. My method is wood movable type printing... So I need someone to carve the characters, then I can select the characters according to the content, set the type mold, and then press the paper up..."

The process of wood movable type printing can be roughly described in a few words, but carving, that is, making the type mold, is not simple.

The steps of making the type mold are complicated. After the engraving is completed, the wooden movable type needs to be sawed out with a small fine-toothed saw. The font must be clear, flat, and uniform in size and height. This kind of work cannot be done quickly but requires precision. People without patience cannot do it at all.

But for the people in the mountain village, Xu Yunfan thought, even if they were not professional craftsmen, they should have the patience and be willing to improve their skills to do the job well.

Moreover, Xu Yunfan had inquired before, and found that outside craftsmen were unwilling to take on such delicate and complicated woodworking that was not paid by the piece.

Qin Run's mouth opened wide, and he kept sucking in air. He seemed extremely surprised, but also seemed to be too tired to speak clearly. "Yun Fan, what did you say? There is such a method?"

"Of course not? This is a great invention. When we were studying there, there were related questions in textbooks and regular exams. How could I lie to you?" Xu Yunfan had just finished three meat buns and had said so much, he was thirsty. "Run brother, I'm a little thirsty."

He slapped his head and said, "I forgot to bring water. What a mistake."

To be honest, he really didn't know that the mountain village would be so far away. When he should have been careful, he was a rough guy and didn't prepare anything.

Qin Run took two deep breaths to calm his excitement. When he heard Xu Yunfan say he was thirsty, he quickly put down his backpack and took out a water bag from it. "I brought some water, but it's cold. Drink a little. When we get to the villagers' house, we can get a cup of hot water."

"Yeah." Xu Yunfan drank the water and stopped talking about printing. He knew that Qin Run already knew what to do.

The two of them, one has many ideas and the other has strong execution ability. It is hard for them not to make money when they join forces.