87 large turtles, breakthrough

Sister Lan took the beauty regimen, looked at Tu Fanghua's mysterious smile, and then at the book cover. It was indeed effective at improving complexion. Looking closely at the woman on the cover, she still looked as beautiful as ever.

"Don't worry, sister. This book only has beautifying effects; it's balanced and gentle, which is excellent. In the future, you too will stay young forever!"

'Okay, thank you, little sister. Please teach me!'

He Chen, accompanied by Yun Su and Yun Yan, looked around. Within the city's designated area of ​​the market, many people had already begun constructing houses. Some had even completed their outlines.

Beyond the open fields, the roadsides, 10 to 15 zhang wide, have been leveled.

Various ingredients are being transported along the way. Street food stalls are selling fried rice, fried noodles, dumplings, and wontons!

"Brother, look! What a huge turtle!" Yun Su exclaimed, seeing a turtle the size of a wooden bathtub. Jin Luo followed behind.

"How much is the turtle?" Yun Su asked, looking at the turtle. The fishmonger was dark-skinned, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt.

Upon seeing such a beautiful fairy, he stammered, "Fairy, take...go!" After struggling for a while, he finally managed to finish speaking.

"No need to take it, we'll buy it regardless of the price!"

"Ten taels is feasible. This morning we caught one the size of a washbasin and sold it for five taels! This one we just caught this afternoon. It took a lot of effort. We almost mistook it for a stone!"

'Okay, sure!'

"Thank you," the burly man said repeatedly, secretly thinking, "This should cover the cost of building the house, plus some savings!"

Jin Luo stepped forward, paid the silver, and had the turtle taken away.

The dark-skinned man gratefully accepted the money, gritted his teeth, and went to the stall selling sugar figurines and pies. He bought two sugar figurines and a pork pie; the pie smelled delicious, but he couldn't bear to eat it.

Hurry up and pack it up! I ran home as fast as I could, along the official road, for a long time, until I turned a corner and saw a simple thatched house. They were all pretty much the same, one room and one living room, with cooking in the front and resting in the back.

The surrounding area is filled with simple, unpretentious houses. They're all set up uniformly for the market, and quite cheap—five copper coins a month. Basically, it's free. Plus, there are daily security patrols and sanitation work.

Inside were two children, the older one, five or six years old, who had come home from school and was shelling beans. The younger one, two or three years old, was holding half a large steamed bun in one hand and munching on it, looking quite pleased with it. He was also cleaning the sand out of the beans with the other hand.

By day they weed the fields, by night they spin hemp; the village children each have their own responsibilities. Even the young grandchildren, not yet understanding farming and weaving, learn to plant melons under the shade of the mulberry trees.

Not only them, but also many older children from the nearby simple houses, were sharing the large steamed buns they had brought back with their younger siblings. Then they started helping with the chores.

A petite and delicate woman, dressed simply in coarse cloth, was weaving a cloth bag. Seeing her husband hurrying towards her, her face beamed with joy. It was certainly a good thing!

"Here you go!" he said affectionately, patting the two children's heads.

"Yes, it's a sugar figurine, thank you, Daddy!" "Thank you, Diedie!" Then she happily ate it slowly.

"You spoil them too much," the woman said, without a trace of reproach in her eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work. We've come all this way from the village, and luckily the market vendors gave us a lot of money. Look! This is what I brought for you! Eat it while it's hot!"

Wrapped in oil paper, there was a fresh meat pie! The aroma was so enticing that even the two little ones who were really into sweets couldn't help but turn their attention to it.

The pretty young woman put down her needlework. She took out a kitchen knife and divided the food into four portions!

"Eat together, you should eat more too, thank you for your hard work!" Then she gave the largest piece to the dark-skinned man, and the other two pieces to her two children. She kept a small piece for herself.

The schoolchild took the food and then handed it to the pretty woman, saying, "Mother, you eat. I ate a big meal at school at noon. Look, I'm still stuffed!"

She patted her eldest son's head, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, and whispered, "Come on, eat with us. You should eat something too. You must be starving after lunch. I'll make you both some egg and tofu noodles tonight!"

The dark-skinned man said in a low voice, "We caught an even bigger turtle this afternoon, but the adults just bought it. We have enough for building our house."

The woman was taken aback at first, then her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "That waterside is too dangerous; we can't go. What will we do if something happens to you?"

"Okay, I won't go," the dark-skinned man quickly reassured him.

"Father, should we tell my elder brother and the others?" the woman asked in a low voice.

"I heard that if you're willing to come now, you can pay off the rent in installments. There's a labor shortage right now, so it's easy to find work. Plus, they're hiring at the market, so you don't have to worry about not getting paid."

The dark-skinned man thought about how he wanted his family to move out with him. However, his father and elder brother had reservations, and only his wife would come with him, bringing their two young children.

Thankfully, the market offers free literacy lessons and meals. Besides, there are many job opportunities now, and the wages are fair; I don't worry about being cheated. 'Let me think about it; I'll ask again when I get back in a few days!'

As I walked along the road, I saw children leaving school, carrying the gray shoulder bags and small schoolbags that were provided by the school. The children hurried home.

They attend the nearest school, and aside from a very few elderly people picking them up, most children walk home quickly in groups. He Chen looked at the innocent yet remarkably precocious child before him.

He instructed, "Jinluo, from now on, all the areas around the students should be guarded by designated personnel to prevent any suspicious individuals from entering. If any suspicious people come to the market, inform me immediately."

Jinluo whispered, "Yes, sir. Your Excellency is merciful!" He then arranged for someone to handle the matter.

Yun Su, moved by the moment, exclaimed, "Brother, seeing them like this makes me feel so good. Father told me before that he started doing heavy labor before he was even twelve. Later, he joined the army, and fortunately, he had good fortune and acquired considerable cultivation."

At that time, I thought, if these children could learn to read for three years, then choose some professional skills for another three years, and if they had talent, continue studying for another three years, they would be fourteen or fifteen years old when they graduated, and they would have more choices.

He then continued, "Within the capital, only wealthy families study, study, study for the imperial examinations, all according to the imperial examination system. What use is it for ordinary families to study the imperial examination system for several years?"

He Chen nodded and said, "Then why don't you let Su'er try building it herself? Three years of primary school, three years of middle school, and three years of advanced studies!"

'Okay, brother, what you said is excellent. Brother, can I try it here? I'd like to try the three-year primary school, three-year middle school, and three-year advanced studies program that you mentioned!'

"Yes, of course! From now on, Su'er will be the highest-ranking person in charge of education in this city. Since it's a school, how about calling her Principal?"

"Okay, brother, from now on, I'll be the principal." He said with the air of a virtuous man accepting his fate, "Three years of primary school, three years of middle school, and three years of research-based learning."

Just as I finished speaking, purple clouds stretched for 30,000 miles in the sky, reflecting the stars of the heavens!