Seeing the clan leader staring at him intently, the man swallowed hard and said, "Only a few people are willing to sell noodles, and the rest want to stay and make noodles."

This was not what Li Yan had expected. She asked in confusion, "Why is this?"

We had clearly told them that they would get more pay selling noodles, so why did they choose to take less pay?

It's obviously not that they are afraid of hardship. Li Yan understands the villagers. If she can help them earn more money, this little hardship is nothing!

Seeing that the man hesitated for a long time and refused to explain the reason, an aunt who followed him said, "Alas, girl, we don't know arithmetic and are afraid of being cheated when we go out, so we dare not accept this job!"

Li Yan was speechless for a moment. This was something she had not expected.

Patriarch Li suddenly realized, "This is indeed a problem. If you want to do business, you naturally have to deal with numbers. They might be able to do simple arithmetic on their fingers, but this is selling food. If the number is large, and there are more people buying with them, the situation will be chaotic. They may not be able to cope!"

People at that time were generally illiterate and had no math education. They counted by counting on their fingers. It was really difficult for these villagers to go out and sell their goods.

Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "Now that there's a village school in the village, I'll open a separate arithmetic class to help the uncles learn arithmetic so they can be competent in selling goods!"

An older man asked somewhat embarrassedly, "How can we learn this if we can't even read a single word?"

"We are already so old, will people laugh at us if we go to school again?"

A few older men were silent. They also had the same concerns. They had to go to school. They were so old, and they still had to go to school with their own children. The thought of it made them feel embarrassed.

"The sages said, 'Learning never ceases.' This means that learning cannot stop and has no end. This also means that no matter your age, you must continue learning. Since the sages say so, what do you uncles have to worry about? If anyone laughs at you, you can use this sentence to retort!"

Chief Li looked at the silent villagers and said angrily, "If you don't want to, go back home and find someone who is willing to learn. The maids don't mind taking the trouble to teach you, but you still have all kinds of concerns!"

Seeing that the patriarch seemed angry, the villagers expressed their opinions one after another. How could they not be willing to learn arithmetic? Arithmetic is indispensable in every aspect of life.

Not to mention that the family has to ask the clan leader for help in calculating the taxes and silver they have to pay every year.

Some families have so many chickens at home that they may not be able to count them all.

The reason for the hesitation is that he is afraid that he will be slow to react and unable to learn, and will be laughed at by the villagers. After all, he is so old!

Seeing that the villagers had no objections, Li Yan said, "Then starting tomorrow, after the children finish their classes, all the uncles and aunts will come to the arithmetic class!"

The woman standing nearby asked hurriedly, "Can we come and listen, too?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Any villagers who want to come can come to the village to study tomorrow!"

After hearing this, everyone present showed joy on their faces.

At this time, the woman who was assigned to press the noodles asked, "Do we still need to press the noodles these days?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Uncles and aunts, please make noodles as usual these few days. Don't worry about not being able to sell them. Just go ahead and work!"

There are no such prepared noodles for sale in the market in Rongcheng now, but Li Yan is still very confident about the market prospects of these noodles!

From large restaurants, food stalls, and inns to small roadside snack stalls, all can become their customers in the future, not to mention the general public!

Just think about it, it takes at least half an hour to eat a bowl of noodles from kneading the dough to cooking it.

Now this kind of prepared noodles skips the production process and can be eaten directly after being cooked, which is very time-saving and labor-saving!

With Li Yan's words, everyone stopped hesitating and rushed back to the noodle shop. Everyone was now full of energy and busy preparing the goods!

After everyone left, Chief Li sighed and said, "Thank you on behalf of everyone!"

Everyone was able to live a comfortable life this year, all thanks to this girl, and as the clan leader, he also had more face in front of the clan leaders of other villages.

Li Yan smiled and said, "This is where I was born and raised. I just hope everyone can live a good life!"

Patriarch Li was deeply moved and patted Old Man Li on the shoulder, praising him: "You have raised a good granddaughter!"

The next day, Li Yan was tending to her pepper seedlings in the backyard when she heard her mother calling, "Yan'er, come here quickly! Miss Zheng is here!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan put down the watering can in her hand and hurried to the front yard, only to see Zheng Hui standing in the yard with a smile on her face, followed by a maid and a servant holding a pile of gifts.

Li Yan stepped forward and said, "Sister Zheng is coming, why didn't you send someone to inform us in advance?"

Zheng Hui smiled and said, "Why don't you welcome me?"

"How could that be? It's hot outside. Come inside and sit down!" He said, pulling Zheng Hui into the house.

As Zheng Hui followed Li Yan into the main hall, she said to Li Yan, "My father was full of worry when he went out yesterday, but he no longer looked worried when he came back. Later, my mother learned from my father that you were going to donate all the high-yield crops. My mother was grateful for your generosity, so she asked me to bring some gifts to thank you. I hope you don't dislike them!" After that, she waved to the little girl behind her to bring the things over.

"These three pieces are from Jiangnan silk, these three pieces are cotton cloth, and there are also fifty taels of silver. Although these things are not enough to make up for your loss, they are also a token of my mother's kindness. Please accept them, sister!"

Li Yan waved her hands repeatedly, "How can I accept Madam's favors for nothing?"

"What do you mean by 'for nothing'? My mother said that what you did saved my father's future. I don't think this little bit is enough!"

Zheng Hui said sourly, "I've never heard my father praise a girl before, but I finally saw it yesterday!"

He then affectionately took Li Yan's arm and said proudly: "But you are the friend I met first. My father praised you, which also proves that I have good taste!"

"I donated the food without any intention of repaying the favor!" Li Yan explained.

Li Yan voluntarily donated these high-yield crops because she really couldn't protect them. Rather than let others covet them, it would be better to disperse them. She had to do this and it was not as righteous as the county magistrate thought.

Zheng Hui patted Li Yan's arm. "I know. Bringing these things here was my mother's idea. She feels that you helped Dad solve his current predicament, so you can't pretend to know nothing, and you can't accept it with a clear conscience."

She winked at Li Yan cunningly again, "Just accept it, otherwise my mother will say I'm not doing my job well when I get back, and I'll have to come here in person again!"

If she continued to refuse, it would be a bit hypocritical, so Li Yan thanked her, "In that case, thank you very much for your reward, Madam!"