It's time to go.

Jiang Jiuniang nodded, and as she walked forward, she called out to those behind her, "Doggy, let's go!"

"They're here! They're here!"

The dog responded and came running out, panting.

He wanted to bring something for his mother, so he had been packing.

Jiang Jiuniang got into the car first, and Gou'er followed. Just as they were about to leave, Miao Lanlan came running over carrying large and small bags.

"Sister Jiang, wait a minute!"

Miao Lanlan caught up, not even bothering to speak to Jiang Jiuniang, and stuffed all the bags and packages she was carrying into the car. Only after she finished loading did she say, "These are some things that my mother and I prepared for you. They're not worth much money, but they'll definitely come in handy. Jiang-jie, take a look when you have time. Oh, and this whole bag is food, so try to finish it all before it spoils!"

"Thank you so much, Aunt Miao."

Jiang Jiuniang did not refuse, but sincerely thanked her.

"It's all the best, Sister Jiang, Brother Jiang, I wish you a safe journey!"

Miao Lanlan took a step back to make way for the carriage.

Jiang Jiuniang waved to her and said, "I've already had someone take the recipe you gave me and start preparing it. From now on, someone will send you a share of the profits every year. Even if your family moves, leave a new address at my shop so that my people can't find you."

Before this, they had already agreed on the profit-sharing ratio: Miao Lanlan 30% and Jiang Jiuniang 70%.

Jiang Jiuniang originally wanted to split the money equally, but Miao Lanlan refused to take it, so they could only split it three to seven.

"OK."

Miao Lanlan smiled and nodded, feeling that she was fortunate to have met Jiang Jiuniang.

After they finished speaking, the carriage slowly set off. This time, they didn't leave in the middle of the night, but during the day, so they didn't have to hide from anyone.

Because they needed to inquire about the treasure along the way, if they flew directly to the location, they would miss many opportunities to gather information.

The carriage was bumpy, but to make Jiang Jiuniang more comfortable, layers of soft cotton quilts were placed inside, so she couldn't feel the bumps at all.

As Jiang Jiuniang was dozing off, Gou'er came up to her and said, "Mother, I feel like I've learned something new again."

Tell me about it.

Jiang Jiuniang closed her eyes, her voice languid.

Dog cleared his throat and began to summarize his time in Qianzhou City.

"Before our mine started recruiting, I thought it wouldn't be difficult at all. After all, there are so many idle people, and our mine doesn't need that many people. But in reality, no one came. I was puzzled by this. I asked a few people, and they all said that they could live by lying at home. Who would want to go out and suffer? It's windy and sunny outside. How can it be as comfortable as lying at home?"

"Therefore, I discovered that if people are idle and do nothing, they will become more and more lazy, feel like they are just getting by, have no ambition for the future, do not want to change the status quo, and do not want to bring honor to their family or change their family's reputation."

"Firstly, because they have lived in this environment since childhood, they are influenced by the previous generation and don't think there's anything wrong with it. If they really can't survive, they'll sell their children; there's always a way to solve the problem. Secondly, they haven't been to school and don't know what the use of studying is, let alone think about changing their fate through education. This is the most serious issue. I've noticed that although there are many wealthy people in Qianzhou City, they don't seem to value education much. There are hardly any academies or even schools in the city. If this continues, the problems in Qianzhou City will only get worse and worse; it's not something that can be solved overnight."

Jiang Jiuniang listened with great pride. In the past, she had to ask Gou'er to tell her these things, but now he knew to tell her these things on his own initiative.

He started to become more attentive, able to spot problems and find solutions; his growth was significant.

"Although the task is arduous and the road ahead is long, Mother still wants to hear how you will solve these problems."

She opened her eyes and looked at the dog with a smile in them.

This time, Gou'er had indeed come up with a solution, saying, "First, the people's awareness is still weak, so we need to promote this idea more, making sure that the idea that education can change one's destiny is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and that everyone, whether rich or poor, takes it seriously. We can start by getting the rich to take it seriously, and then let them influence the poor; this way, the effect will be better. Second, we can have the government cooperate with the rich, giving them some benefits, and then having the rich fund the education of poor children, because the biggest problem for the poor is that they have no money; even survival is a problem, let alone education. Finally, Qianzhou City needs a truly good official who cares for the people; otherwise, none of this will be realistic."

At this point, the dog sighed, looking somewhat heavy-hearted.

Jiang Jiuniang found it somewhat amusing that he, such a small person, acted so maturely. She asked, "Why are you so sad? Just say what you want to say."

"Mother..."

The dog didn't answer immediately. Instead, it came closer and sat down at Jiang Jiuniang's feet, resting its head on her lap. Then it continued, "My dream used to be to be a military general, a great hero like my father, fighting enemies on the battlefield and protecting my country. But after coming out and seeing how the people live, I want to be a civil official so I can do a lot for them and help them live a better life. I'm a little confused and don't know what to choose."

Although he studied both literature and martial arts from a young age, it was only to read more military books and learn more military strategies so that he could outwit and outfight the enemy on the battlefield in the future. He never thought of becoming a civil official.

After all, he had always thought that civil officials were like they had nothing to do, spending all their time watching his family's life in the court, and making a big fuss about every little thing, which was just sour grapes and enviousness.

But now he understands that civil officials can actually do no less than military officials, and may even do more.

Military officials guarded the borders to prevent foreign invasion, while civil officials were responsible for managing the people within the country so that they could live and work in peace and prosperity, and make their lives better and better.

Civil and military officials actually complement each other.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Jiang Jiuniang said, "What's there to be conflicted about? Nobody said you have to choose one or the other. You can choose both."

"ah?"

The dog looked up at her in surprise. "Zun Du, fake Du?"

“Son, remember this: as long as you work hard and are good enough, nothing is impossible. It’s all about human effort. When the country is invaded by foreign enemies, you can take up a spear and go to the battlefield to fight them. When the country is at peace, you can pick up a pen and create a good living environment for the people you protect, so that they have something to do, books to read, and money to earn. Of course, this will be very tiring for you. You will dedicate everything to this country and rarely have time that truly belongs to you.”