"This..." Jiang Zhishan hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer. To be honest, he had never even considered this matter.

When he left the academy, he was prepared to never be able to study or take the imperial examinations again. Now, his eldest sister is like a ray of light, managing to change the course of his life.

Jiang Zhishan hesitated for a moment before replying, "Don't worry, elder sister, I've made up my mind. I'll stay here until I take the exam, and I'll be teaching the children in Lujia Village to read and write!"

Jiang Ling's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. She was conflicted about the matter. She wanted to keep Jiang Zhishan, but she hoped even more that Jiang Zhishan could successfully take the exam. Hearing Jiang Zhishan's words, Jiang Ling looked at Jiang Zhishan and asked, "Zhishan, is it alright if you don't go to school?"

"Elder sister, you may not know this, but I already know everything that is taught in the academy. As for what happens outside the academy this year, I guess it is related to the control of locusts and drought. Elder sister and my nephew are both involved, so you must know this better than anyone else. Therefore, I have thought about it and decided to stay until before the exam."

Hearing Jiang Zhishan's words, Jiang Ling felt a mix of emotions, like a bottle of mixed flavors had been spilled. She didn't say anything more, only telling him to rest early before returning to her bedroom.

Looking at the sleeping children and touching their thin clothes, an idea suddenly popped into Jiang Ling's mind.

This era was different from modern times. Cotton was not planted much in this era, and the yield was very low, so the price was very expensive. Only some merchants and high-ranking officials could afford it. As for poor people, they would mostly choose reeds as a way to keep warm in winter.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling secretly opened the online store while the children were sleeping and bought a book called "The Complete Book of Agriculture". Although Jiang Ling had never farmed since she was a child, she was no longer the Jiang Ling of the 21st century, but the Jiang Ling of Lujia Village. She could only slowly get used to and accept it.

By the moonlight, Jiang Ling flipped through the thick "Complete Book of Agronomy" and finally found the relevant content about cotton cultivation.

Lujia Village was nowhere to be found in any historical period, so Jiang Ling could only make a simple distinction based on the crops grown by the villagers and the weather.

The book says that cotton can be planted in the south in July and August. Thinking of this, Jiang Ling plans to go to Changning Town again tomorrow. According to the calendar, it is almost August now. She has just bought land, so she can set up a plot as an experimental field to see if cotton can grow.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling was instantly wide awake. Under the moonlight, she began to study the book "Complete Book of Agricultural Science" diligently. It wasn't until the third watch of the night that Jiang Ling dragged her somewhat sleepy body to bed.

The next morning, Jiang Ling gave Jiang Zhishan a few instructions and then sat on Uncle Lu's oxcart. With Jiang Zhishan at home taking care of her four children, Jiang Ling felt much more at ease going out.

When the village women on the bus saw Jiang Ling appear, they cautiously asked, "Jiang, how long...how long will your brother stay in Lujia Village?"

Jiang Ling immediately understood what the village women were thinking when she saw their longing eyes. She said calmly, "If you want your children to come and study, then come. It's fine. You can give us whatever tuition fees you want. We don't care how much or how much you give."

"Really...really?" Several village women were taken aback, staring at Jiang Ling in disbelief.

Just then, Uncle Lu coughed softly and said to Jiang Ling, "Jiang... Jiang, may I let my grandson Lu Huzi also go to study and learn to read with your younger brother?"

"Of course you can, but..."

"But what?" Several village women immediately interrupted Jiang Ling and asked.

“However, my house doesn’t seem to be that big anymore. I’m worried that there won’t be enough room for the children.” Jiang Ling recalled that, including her own children, there were more than ten children in total. If any more children joined, she was afraid that her house really wouldn’t have enough room.

"Don't worry about that. We'll talk to the village chief later. There's a vacant lot right next to our Lu family ancestral hall. It's the perfect place for the children to have classes!" Uncle Lu said with a smile.

Hearing what Uncle Lu said, Jiang Ling nodded in agreement.

Lu Bo said this partly out of personal motives. When he was young, he worked as a shop assistant in a general store and he especially admired the shop owner's abacus. The clattering sound of the beads being gently moved was incredibly pleasant to hear.

He had patiently begged the shopkeeper to teach him, but the shopkeeper thought he was just a country bumpkin and not qualified to use his abacus.

After several rounds of mockery, Uncle Lu finally left the general store in anger. As for the abacus, he didn't touch it even once on the day he left.

These past few days, he heard that Jiang Ling's younger brother had come to Lujia Village. He was said to be a scholar preparing to take the imperial examination. His long-dormant heart was stirred once again. However, due to his advanced age, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could only pretend to be his grandson and secretly learn from him when his grandson came back.

Thinking of this, Uncle Lu asked again, "Madam Jiang, I heard you need an abacus, right? How much is your abacus? The books are very expensive!"

Jiang Ling rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, this was made by an old carpenter. It only costs fifty copper coins, unlike the ones sold in the bookstore which are so expensive!"

"Ah! Jiang, where...where is that old carpenter? I...I was thinking of buying one for my child!" A village woman nearby quickly chimed in after hearing this.

"Well... how about you sisters give me the money and I'll go buy it for you? I can't quite describe the exact location, but I can find it myself!" Jiang Ling thought for a moment and made up an excuse.

Upon hearing this, the village women thought about it and agreed. They had a lot of things to buy on this trip, and if the place was too far away, it would only waste their time. So the village women quickly said, "Oh, well... then we'll trouble you, Sister Jiang! We'll give you the money right away!"

As they spoke, several village women took out copper coins from their pockets and placed them all in Jiang Ling's hand. Lu Bo, who was driving the cart, also quickly chimed in, "Jiang Shi, you...you also help me buy an abacus. I'll give you the money when we get there!"

The oxcart slowly came to a stop at the entrance of Changning Town. Before Jiang Ling could get off, several village women and Uncle Lu gave her another reminder. After Jiang Ling agreed, they still watched her disappear into the crowd with some unease.

Jiang Ling walked into the general store and asked the yawning owner, "Excuse me, do you have cotton seeds?"

"Cotton seeds? Wait a minute, let me go take a look!" Clearly, the shop owner was also a little unfamiliar with this term. He came out from behind the counter and walked towards the shelf.

After a long while, the shopkeeper walked up to Jiang Ling with a piece of paper on which some seeds were placed and said, "These are cotton seeds. I don't know how long they've been stored. I'll sell them to you for five copper coins!"

Jiang Ling took out five copper coins from her pocket and placed them on the table. The shopkeeper looked at Jiang Ling and reminded her, "This stuff is neither edible nor drinkable. Auntie, I think you must be a village woman. You should think it over!"

Jiang Ling curled the corners of her lips, thanked the shopkeeper, carefully wrapped the seeds, and put them in her bosom.

Just as she stepped out of the grocery store, Jiang Ling's attention was drawn to a vendor selling chicks and ducklings nearby.

"Brother, how many copper coins is each of these ducklings?" Jiang Ling asked, looking at the fairly lively ducklings.