After Manager Wei arrived, Mu Yi'an took out the plan she had made.

"Manager Wei, gather the manpower first and clear the slope. Astragalus is planted in the spring, so don't delay it."

Manager Wei looked at the drawing his wife made, understood it, and had a clear idea of ​​what was going on.

Mu Yi'an told Steward Li to finish his work and then go to the brokerage to buy a few servants.

After clearing the land, she plans to plant fruit trees all over it.

Apples, pears, peaches, and grapes are all varieties that are well-suited to the local climate.

Mu Yi'an had another idea in mind: once the fruit trees blossomed and bore fruit, the high-quality fruit could fetch a good price.

Lower quality fruit can be made into canned fruit.

Mu Yi'an knows nothing else; everything she thinks about and does revolves around agriculture.

That's all in the future; the fruit trees will bear fruit at least three years from now.

However, the fruit trees on the estate will bear fruit this year, so she can give it a try.

"Madam, the master and mistress have arrived."

Fang's words interrupted Mu Yi'an's train of thought, and she put away her homemade notebook and quill pen.

After all these years, Mu Yi'an still hasn't gotten used to calligraphy, and her handwriting is still so ugly.

"Please come in, and let Sister Zhao serve some tea and snacks."

After Fang's wife went downstairs, Jiang's brother and his wife came in a little while later.

"Brother, sister-in-law, please have a seat."

"Yi'an, you seem quite busy. I see a lot of people coming and going outside."

When Sister-in-law Jiang came in just now, she saw a lot of strong laborers, but she didn't know what they did.

"I bought a piece of mountain land nearby and am hiring people to clear it."

"Brother, has the village school found a teacher?"

"Yes, he's been invited. He's a scholar from town who was preparing for the imperial examinations, but he gave up on it. His third grandfather and the others invited him over."

“What can we do if we don’t give up? Our grandson is about to get married, and he still wants to keep taking the exam. Our family is going to starve.”

Sister-in-law Jiang also knew that old scholar who did nothing but take the imperial examinations his whole life.

Seeing that kind of person, Sister-in-law Jiang was quite glad that her husband had given up on her in time, and she didn't feel any regret.

"Alright, stop gossiping about people behind their backs."

Brother Jiang didn't want to comment on the choice of taking the imperial examination; everyone has different opinions.

"Brother, the place for the children's lessons is all set up. Let me show you."

Mu Yi'an wasn't interested in the old scholar's affairs; her mind was full of other things, and she had no interest in gossip.

Mu Yi'an and Sister-in-law Fang led the way, with Brother Jiang and his wife following behind.

"Brother, this used to be the study of the outer courtyard. From now on, it will be your study."

See if there's anything missing, and I'll have Butler Li get it for you.

There are beds in the study; you can stay overnight if you need to stay out late.

Mu Yi'an kept the outer courtyard study exactly as it was, the same one that Jiang Shuyun had arranged herself.

However, all the original books were taken to the prefectural city, leaving only some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

"It's fine, we don't need anything. I'll tidy up here myself."

Looking at the spacious and bright study, Brother Jiang was filled with excitement.

After so many years of studying, he finally has a decent study.

"Okay, brother, you can tidy it up however you like, as long as it's convenient for you to use."

There are four classrooms here now, one for literacy, one for arithmetic, one for farming, and one for embroidery.

Each classroom can accommodate a maximum of fifteen students.

The eldest brother is in charge of teaching them to read; the other teachers have already been hired.

Mu Yi'an showed Brother Jiang around so he could learn more about the place.

"Sister-in-law, how should we students choose? Should we focus on completing the training?"

"The first batch of students were selected from the homes of long-term and short-term laborers employed in the village, and no tuition fees were charged."

Although there is no tuition fee, each batch of students cannot continue learning indefinitely.

Regular assessments will be conducted, and those who fail three times will be asked to leave.

This is not a charity, nor is it a place for the elderly to retire. Anyone who is not motivated or whose mind is not on learning will be removed.

Mu Yi'an did this not entirely for fame, but also because he genuinely wanted to do something good.

She earned her two fortunes partly due to luck, so doing some good deeds is a way of accumulating blessings for herself and her family.

Brother Jiang never expected that Shuyun and her sister-in-law would be so generous, offering a free school!

"Brother, the literacy book compiled by Shuyun is only required for children who come to learn to read. They only need to learn the more than 500 characters in it."

Our school is meant to provide a way for children from poor families to make a living, not to prepare them for the imperial examinations.

We'll make it clear to them then: we can afford to help them learn to read and write and acquire some skills, but we cannot afford to help them with the imperial examinations."

"I understand, I know what to do."

Brother Jiang understood and knew what to do next.

That's all settled. Brother Jiang will start working tomorrow.

After seeing off Brother Jiang and his wife, a group of people came to Mu Yi'an's house.

"Madam, this is the village head from the next village."

After Sister Fang introduced them, the village head smiled somewhat reservedly.

"Madam Jiang, I apologize for disturbing you."

The village head pursed his lips; he remembered that's how it was described in the play.

"Is there something you need?"

"That's right, these are Huang Daya and Huang Erya. They want to sell themselves to pay for their mother's funeral."

The village head was a little unsure of himself; he didn't know if such an unlucky thing would anger the head of the household.

"They have no other relatives?"

"I have an older brother and sister-in-law, but they are not from the same mother."

Their father passed away, and the three of them, along with their brother and sister-in-law, separated from the family.

The three of them had a very difficult time; her mother had always been in poor health, and now, she hadn't made it.

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