Chen Kai and Xiao Tian happened to be passing by. Chen Kai was worried that some of the bolder little kids might sneak in again, so he called out, "Brother Dashan, keep an eye on those little kids and don't let them sneak in to play."
Da Shan, who was in charge of managing this area where horse-drawn carriages were parked, replied, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."
A few days ago, the gaps in the fence where the carriages were parked were just enough to keep the horses out, but since the accident, the villagers have reinforced the fence and narrowed the gaps to just enough for a chicken to get in and out.
Watching the horse-drawn carriages is the favorite thing for the children in Anping Village to do, so whenever they have free time, the children will run towards the place where the carriages are parked.
Just a few days ago, a daring kid led the way into the shed and curiously touched the horse's legs, belly, and tail. Then, perhaps he pulled the horse's tail too hard, the horse kicked him backward, hitting the kid squarely, and the kid immediately started crying.
Hearing the crying, Dashan quickly opened the door, picked up the child who had caused the trouble, and chased the rest of the children out.
After going outside, he lifted the child's clothes and saw a patch of bruises. He had no choice but to call the child's relatives over.
After this incident, the villagers warned their children not to go near the horse-drawn carriages and livestock of outsiders.
At the same time, in order to prevent curious children from sneaking in again, they had to narrow the gap.
Several months later, the waterwheel blueprints were cracked.
After continuous experimentation, the Chen family's technology for making and assembling waterwheels had matured. So the Chen family opened two more factories, one in Anping Village, specifically for producing waterwheels, and the other outside the city, also specifically for producing waterwheels.
More and more bracken root powder factories are opening in their county, and local merchants have also opened dozens of water-powered mill production plants one after another, greatly increasing the output of bracken root powder. This has also sparked a wave of factory openings in several neighboring counties.
Although the production of bracken root powder has increased, the price of dried bracken root powder has not decreased because many people from other places have flocked to the area.
The appearance of the waterwheel in Anping Village caused quite a stir, and even those in higher positions paid close attention to it.
Anping Village has been completely transformed. Chen Kai and his team have completed half of their plan, but the crops they planted haven't sprouted yet, making the village look rather desolate.
And there's more big news: the Chen family has opened a training class where, apart from some of the food, students can learn most of the technical skills and crafts.
Now, more than half of the people in Anping Village are there to learn technical skills and crafts.
However, since the Chen family started the training courses, the ones who regretted it the most were those who used blueprints to fool outsiders; they could no longer fool anyone.
The school in Anping Village was also built, and all the children in the village entered the school to study. Finally, after discussion, the children were divided into three classes: one class attends classes in the morning and works in the afternoon, one class attends classes all day, and the other is a kindergarten, mainly for childcare, with the elderly in the village taking turns to look after the children.
Most children attend classes in the morning and work in the afternoon, while only a small number attend classes all day.
However, even so, it's already quite good. Life is tough now, and it's already very good that the villagers are willing to let their children go to school for their first education. This is a good start.
In Anping Village, a series of screams suddenly came from the Chen family's house. The Chen family's little girls were overjoyed, surrounding the chicks that had just hatched on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Er Ya exclaimed excitedly, "Children actually hatched! Uncle was right!"
Daya said happily, "This will save our family a lot of money. Not only will it save money, but we can also hatch chicks and sell them to make money."
Chicks are much more expensive than usual now, and they're hard to sell. If they could hatch a large number of chicks, they would definitely make a lot of money.
Sanya's mind was already occupied by roast chicken. She swallowed and said, "Then our family will raise lots and lots of chickens, so we can have chicken to eat every day from now on."
Now, their family is a bit better off. They have meat soup every day and can eat meat every few days. When their grandparents are in a good mood, they can even eat white rice. They feel like this life is too good to be true.
Some time later, in Anping Village, Er Ya rushed home and excitedly shouted, "Grandpa and Grandma, more adults have brought us money!"
The reason for saying "again" is because it was the same last time, and they received a lot of reward money, but the two elders of the Chen family were so excited that they fainted.
Old Chen's heart was pounding. He kept taking deep breaths, telling himself to stay calm, to stay calm. He had to hold on this time and not get too excited. He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity again.
Besides feeling ashamed about what happened last time, Old Man Chen felt mostly regret. What a great honor it was that the imperial family had bestowed upon him, and he had actually missed it.
It would be a lie to say that Zhou wasn't nervous, but she managed to stay calm.
Soon, a group of imposing men arrived. At the head of the group, besides the county magistrate who was accompanying them, the leader was none other than the same person from last time.
This familiar lineup made Old Man Chen and Mrs. Zhou beam with joy.
After receiving their reward, the two elderly members of the Chen family, though they didn't faint during the process, were not much better off. Even after the official had walked far away, they were still grinning foolishly.
This time, the reward was more money than last time, plus an additional 500 mu of fertile land.
Although they still had to cultivate the fertile land themselves, he was very satisfied; his family had practically become small landlords.
The Chen family received another reward, which caused quite a stir in the village, while outside, a storm was brewing.
In a private room of a restaurant in the county town, two men were drinking tea while listening to their subordinates' report.
"My lord, it has been confirmed that it is the Prince of Youzhou's residence that has come to deliver the imperial decree."
One of the men merely frowned upon hearing this.
Another well-to-do man cursed, "Damn it, it must be that bitch's pillow talk. Brother-in-law, if you want to advance further, you either need to eliminate the Chen family or control them. Otherwise, you'll still be in the same position even after you resign."
The man smiled obsequiously and said, "Don't worry, brother-in-law, I can handle this. Once we control the Chen family and they come up with something good, we'll be able to turn things around."
The wealthy man's family also produced a concubine who was highly favored by the emperor. However, because of the new sled and waterwheel, she was severely overshadowed. How could he accept this? If they couldn't have the Chen family, they would destroy them.
Originally, the imperial eunuchs who came to deliver the decree were supposed to be from the palace, but the Imperial Concubine intervened and changed it to someone from her maternal family. This was both a sign of imperial favor and a way to declare to the world that the Chen family was under their protection and could deter troublemakers.
She knew that the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind, and all she could do was protect them to the best of her ability.
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