The village headman showed a thoughtful expression, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly said, "Speaking of the teacher, I do have someone in mind."
"Please speak, village head."
"That man's surname was Wei, and he was two years younger than me. We started our studies at the same time and both passed the preliminary examination. However, I failed my studies and did not continue to take the exam, while he passed the county-level examination at the age of seventeen. At that time, all the teachers in the academy praised him highly, saying that he would have a great future."
At this point, the village head couldn't help but sigh softly, "It's a pity that he was unlucky. The first time he went to the capital, he encountered bandits. Although he was rescued by the local government, it still delayed him. The second time, he arrived in the capital smoothly, but he fell seriously ill before the exam. Later, his parents passed away one after another, which delayed him for several years. By the time he finished his mourning period, he was already old and gradually gave up on his studies."
"Fortunately, he came from a farming family and had done a lot of farm work since he was a child. In addition, he had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level), so he had some status in the countryside and was exempt from land tax. With the family's land, he lived a decent life. He and his wife had only one daughter, and I heard that they raised her very well. Unfortunately, no matter how well they raised her, she was not destined to take the imperial examination."
"However, when I went to their village to collect potatoes a few days ago, I heard from the villagers that his daughter sent her son to him for upbringing, and now he is busy raising his grandson every day, hoping that his grandson can make up for his regrets from back then."
After listening to the village head's words, Meng Zhao pondered to himself that this scholar Wei had failed the imperial examinations several times, but he had not become depressed. Instead, he had returned to farming, which showed that he was resilient enough. Moreover, coming from a farming family, he must have a deep understanding of the living habits and thoughts of farmers, and he would probably be able to teach according to their aptitude.
Moreover, he raised his own daughter exceptionally well, and now he's devoting himself to his grandson's education. It seems that he hasn't forgotten what he learned after all this time.
“Alright, you can give it a try there. If Scholar Wei is willing to come, he can bring his grandson along, which can set an example for the children in our village.”
The village head nodded slightly in agreement. Once the village school was built, the teacher would naturally be invited to oversee it. Therefore, in addition to building the village school, an extra courtyard would be built for the teacher to live in.
After arranging everything, Meng Zhao drove the donkey cart back to the county. The village head was busy preparing to build the village school while also sending his family to the county to buy some gifts to sound out Wei Xiucai's opinion in advance.
When the appointed time arrived, Meng Zhao first arranged the day's tasks for each of them, then changed into the new clothes she had bought in Huian County last time, and went out with Shen Yun.
The two walked to Chunfeng Tower, where Manager Zhao hurriedly came to greet them and led them to a private room on the second floor. After Manager Zhao left, Shen Yun breathed a sigh of relief. "Sister Meng Zhao, Chunfeng Tower is really luxurious. Even the stair railings are carved. How much silver must that have cost?"
Meng Zhao explained softly, "Most of the people who come to Chunfeng Tower are wealthy families. They care about appearances and enjoyment. If they don't put some thought into the decoration and furnishings, they are not worthy of the status of the people who come here."
Shen Yun looked around curiously. The room was decorated very elegantly. A carved mahogany round table was placed in the center, surrounded by several chairs of the same material. On the screen next to her, a hand-embroidered landscape painting was lifelike. Even though she hadn't seen many good things, she could tell at a glance that it was very valuable. Incense was also burning in the room, adding to the tranquility and elegance.
Seeing Shen Yun looking around curiously, Meng Zhao didn't stop her. At her age, she should broaden her horizons.
However, this time Xiao Youzhi didn't make her wait too long. Soon, footsteps came from outside the door, and Shen Yun quickly turned around and stood behind Meng Zhao.
The closed door opened, and Xiao Youzhi stepped in with steady steps, a faint smile on his lips, exuding an innate air of nobility. Behind him followed Chen Xiaowu, who was carrying a tray.
Upon seeing Xiao Youzhi enter, Meng Zhao stood up to greet him, "Young Master Xiao, it's great to see you again. It's truly not easy to meet you."
Xiao Youzhi smiled and said, "I've been very busy these days, and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Madam Meng. But this time I brought you a gift."
After saying that, Chen Xiaowu waved his hand gently, bowed and stepped forward, placing the tray in his hand on the mahogany table. Xiao Youzhi and Meng Zhao sat down at the table one after the other.
Xiao Youzhi leaned forward slightly and pointed to the two boxes on the tray, indicating that Meng Zhao should open them.
Meng Zhao didn't understand what he wanted to do. After opening each item one by one, she saw what was inside. Her smile froze slightly, and she asked softly:
"What does Young Master Xiao mean by this?"
Xiao Youzhi, seemingly oblivious to Meng Zhao's subtle change in expression, continued speaking eloquently, "The item on the left is a new product recently introduced by a grain shop in Jiangnan, called Tuanfen. I've heard that adding it to dishes makes the broth richer and coats meat, making it crispier when fried."
Meng Zhao's smile remained unchanged as he continued to look at Xiao Youzhi. Xiao Youzhi pointed to another dish and said, "This dish contains a chef's secret recipe from Yongcheng County. It's never passed on to outsiders. I heard that he gained the boss's favor by using this recipe, and within five years he bought a house in the county and even married two concubines."
Xiao Youzhi's gaze finally met Meng Zhao's somewhat stiff smile, and his eyes held a deeper meaning. "I don't mean anything by it, I just want Madam Meng to think things through before she speaks, so as not to lose harmony."
Meng Zhao reached out and pulled the tray towards herself. She took out the one on the left called "Tuanfen" and crushed it with her hand. "This Tuanfen is yellowish in color. You can tell at a glance that it contains a lot of dust and impurities. If it is used in the cooking process, not only will the effect be mediocre, but it will probably also affect the taste and quality of the dish."
He didn't stop after saying that, but reached into the box and rummaged through it. Sure enough, he picked out some fruit peel residue and placed them on the table one by one.
"These are enough to show that the production process is crude and the management is lax. In the long run, something bad will definitely happen. The Xiao family has such a good reputation, they shouldn't want to be affected by this small group of fans."
Xiao Youzhi fell into a brief silence after hearing what Meng Zhao said. Meng Zhao wiped his hands and picked up another box.
The contents of the box were pure white and very cleanly extracted. I squeezed it and it could be crushed into thin slices. There was a little more moisture left, but in terms of quality, it was not much different from the starch in her workshop.
Meng Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly and continued, "He discovered this thing five years ago, yet he's still just a cook. This shows that he's short-sighted, lacks foresight, and only knows how to cling to small, immediate gains. Young Master Xiao, are you sure there will be any good development in cooperating with such a person?"
Xiao Youzhi pursed his lips slightly, a complicated look flashing in his eyes, but he did not refute. Seeing that Xiao Youzhi remained silent, Meng Zhao chose to back down, "I will accept the gift that Young Master Xiao gave me, no matter what. It's a coincidence that I didn't come empty-handed today either."
Upon hearing Meng Zhao's words, Shen Yun, who had been silent, immediately understood and took out a paper package and a piece of paper, carefully placing them on the table.
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