Anyone who wants to see these books can only borrow them from Jiaren.
We can't say that Jiaren will be able to do whatever he wants at the academy, but at least no one will dare to bully him, and everyone will treat Jiaren with respect.
Looking further ahead, the students in the academy come from different backgrounds. Whether they go out to take the imperial examinations or make a living, as long as they benefit from these handwritten copies, they will remember the kindness of the Li family and become part of Jiaren's network.
It must be said that Jiaren is lucky.
After he entered the academy, his family opened a small shop to support him. Now, Mr. Wen is going to such lengths to pave the way for his future studies and examinations...
Mr. Wen was afraid that the Li family would be reluctant to part with it, so he broke it down and explained the reasons and benefits in detail.
Everyone then understood that Li Lao Er stood up and bowed deeply to Mr. Wen to thank him for his concern for his son.
Mr. Wen smiled and helped him up, "We're family, no need for such formalities. It was only because the fourth brother was willing to risk retrieving these books that I was able to do so; otherwise, no matter how much I planned, I would have been powerless to succeed without the necessary resources."
After saying that, he added, "I only have today off, and I have official business tomorrow. I'll take the books and head to Luo'an now, and try to get things arranged tonight so everyone can rest assured."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Wen. Come again another day, and let Hongying cook some good dishes so our family can have a proper meal together," said Grandma Li gratefully.
Afterwards, he sent Li Laosi to the field to pick a basket of melons as a gift for Mr. Wen.
It wouldn't be right for Mr. Wen to visit the academy empty-handed...
Soon, Mr. Wen had counted all the books in his collection, then carefully poured them into his carriage. Carrying a basket of melons, he took Wen Hai to Luo'an.
When they reached the entrance to the valley, Li Lao Er was still worried, so he asked Liu Biao Tou to take Jia Yi and Liu Yang with him.
Jiayi and Liu Yang didn't feel tired at all, and they were even more excited when they heard that they were going to the academy.
Jia'an and Jiaxi paced anxiously, looking at their second uncle with pitiful expressions. "Second Uncle, we haven't been to the academy yet, and we miss our eldest brother too."
Li Lao Er couldn't bear to see his nephews like this. They would only stay one night and then come back, so he said, "Go on, go on, you two don't cause any trouble. Come back early tomorrow."
"Haha, Second Uncle is so great!"
"We promise to obey!"
The two mischievous boys jumped into the car quickly, urging it to leave fast, afraid that their second uncle would change his mind or that their grandmother would find out and stop them.
Grandma Li didn't have time to pay attention to them at the moment. She had been away from home for several days and was missing them terribly. So she carried her granddaughter on her back and wandered around the front and back yards. As they walked, they arrived at the riverbank.
In the past month, the winter melons and cantaloupes have been almost sold out, and the riverbank is now empty, making it easy to spot.
The village chief, with his hands behind his back and a pipe in his hand, walked back and forth in the fields.
He guarded this treasure trove of the village day and night, feeling uneasy even if he left it for a moment.
The scorching sun had turned his face a bronze color, but the corners of his mouth remained upturned.
To prevent outsiders from coming and causing trouble by stealing the melons, the village mobilized all available manpower and kept watch for a full month.
In just a few days, the winter melons and cantaloupes were almost sold out, so half of the staff were withdrawn.
Seeing Grandma Li and Jiayin arrive, the village chief beamed and announced the good news to them, "Look at this treasure bowl of ours! It has done a great service to the village. Everyone knew it was a good plant when it was planted in the spring, but no one expected it to be so precious!"
Grandma Li put Jiayin down and laughed, "That's right! Everyone's laughing in their sleep. One acre of melon patch is worth more than a hundred acres of fertile land!"
The village chief casually picked a melon, washed it in a bucket of water next to the shed, and then handed it to Jiayin.
Remembering the basket of melons from earlier, Old Lady Li said, "That basket of melons was a gift for the teacher at Jiaren Academy. It's considered a purchase by our family, and I've already had my second son put it on the tab."
The village chief waved his hand, "Why bother calculating so clearly? In fact, we all benefit from your family's help. If your family hadn't saved Young Master Ye, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to find melon seedlings for us."
“One thing at a time. Everyone is focused on the income from the melon patch right now. We shouldn’t ruin our relationship over this little bit of money.”
Since Old Lady Li refused to take advantage of the situation, the village chief let it go.
Jiayin's little teeth weren't strong enough yet, and it took her a long time to chew off a little bit of the melon rind. She stomped her feet in frustration.
The old lady quickly helped to crack the melon open, carefully leaving the pulp inside, and handed the melon flesh to Jiayin.
Jiayin held it in her arms and nibbled on it slowly like a little mouse. The sweet taste made her squint her big eyes, and she looked adorable no matter how you looked at her.
The village chief couldn't help but gently touch her high ponytail and said with a smile, "These children are really lucky. In a while, the village plans to build a school. If there aren't enough people in the valley, we'll hire them. We can't let the children miss out on studying and learning skills just because they're trying to earn work points."
"Yes, this is a big deal. We old folks are only so capable of this much. What the village will be like in the future depends on the children."
The old lady was a strong advocate for education; otherwise, she wouldn't have gritted her teeth and sent her grandson to the academy.
You have to understand that a monthly tuition fee of ten taels is a heavy burden for any family.
As Jiayin listened to her grandmother and the village chief talking, she began to make her own plans.
The melon patch is already mostly empty; it's likely that by the end of the month, it will be completely harvested and the garden will be closed for good.
But she also planted two acres in her space, and could always harvest hundreds of winter melons and more than a thousand cantaloupes.
When the time comes, find an opportunity to have Dongmei and Yeshan send it out, saying that Young Master Ye planted it privately. That way, a large sum of money will come in.
Moreover, this money doesn't need to be distributed among the village, and her family doesn't even know about it; it's all hers alone.
Jiayin became happier and happier as she thought about it, and couldn't help but giggle, which attracted the attention of Grandma Li and the village chief. "This child is so cheerful, she can even laugh out loud by herself."
Jiayin blushed and ran to sit next to her grandmother. The old lady picked her up, put her on her lap, and kissed her several times. "Our Fu Niu is a little lucky star. She will eat well and have no worries about food and clothing from now on."
At this moment, Li Lao Er also came over and discussed with the village chief about distributing the grain and wages that evening.
This month's harvest was plentiful, enough to feed everyone for a year. However, the riverbank land in the village was almost entirely uncultivated, leaving everyone uncertain about the future. They decided to continue using grain as the entry fee.
If you have extra grain, store it. Having grain in hand gives you peace of mind.
As for wages, they will be distributed in the same way as last time. The money earned from selling winter melons and cantaloupes will be deposited in the bank and distributed at the end of the year.
Although the villagers have all gone through thick and thin together, we still have to be wary of the poor suddenly becoming rich and then having crooked thoughts.
It would be safer to wait and see for a few more months.
Jiayin yawned as she listened, and soon fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already evening.
As Li Laosi cautiously recounted the women he had encountered in the mountains to his wife, Tao Hongying had already secretly pinched him countless times.
Unfortunately, Jia Yi wasn't around, and no one could testify for Li Laosi. It was truly a hardship for Li Laosi, who kept rubbing the tender flesh on his side...
Jiayin, holding her bowl of porridge, kicked her little feet and secretly watched the fun. She laughed so hard she almost ate the porridge into her nose before her grandma tapped her on the forehead and calmed her down.
Leaving aside how miserable Li Laosi was, let's just say that when Mr. Wen and the others arrived in Luo'an, the academy was about to close.
He handed over the invitation and was quickly welcomed inside.
Mr. Wen and Mr. Peng were classmates and close friends when they were young. Although they had been separated for many years, they started to see each other again after this visit.
Despite their different experiences over the years, their temperaments and personalities remained unchanged, so they still got along extremely well.
Otherwise, Mr. Wen would not have felt comfortable sending Jiaren here to be taught by Mr. Peng every day.
When good friends meet, they naturally exchange a few jokes and banter.
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