Chapter 1508: Teaching and Educating People

Zhulan touched the children's foreheads. The doctor didn't find anything. The children all ate the same thing. If there was poisoning, it shouldn't be all twenty children. They were all from the same pot. If something was to happen, it would happen all at once.

The doctor checked carefully and confirmed that the children would be fine after taking the medicine and resting for a night.

The women who cooked were getting anxious and worried. They were all from nearby villages and were short of food. They came to the farm to cook. Although they could not take the food out, they could eat until they were 70% full, and the monthly settlement was also food. Not only could they leave food for the family, but they could also make some money and take it back. There were countless people in the village who envied them.

Several women came in, one of them was in charge of the kitchen, and she said carefully, "The food is prepared to be 70% full, and it's almost the same every day. We didn't put anything wrong."

They were all around 40 years old and had lived a lifetime of experience. They would not make mistakes with the wild vegetables they cooked. They really didn't know why something went wrong.

Zhulan signaled housekeeper Wang to take people downstairs. There was nothing wrong with the kitchen, and it couldn't be poisoned. If there was poison, it should be put in together. She said to Qingxue, "Go check it out."

Qingxue nodded and went out. After a while, she came back and said, "These two groups bought some herbs and exchanged them with the doctor for more than ten copper coins. They secretly went to the village to buy some potatoes and cooked them outside. Look, these are the potatoes they found."

Zhulan knew the reason. In ancient times, people would wash potatoes and eat them with the skin on. They were reluctant to throw away any of them. They had also eaten sprouted potatoes, but they learned their lesson after a few lessons. Later, people would peel the sprouted potatoes and then cook them thoroughly.

A few children probably undercooked the potatoes and were reluctant to throw away too much, so they got poisoned.

Steward Wang said, "The food in the manor is pretty good. We have been frugal and have never skimped on food, even though there is talk of frugality in the palace. How come these kids secretly roasted potatoes for themselves?"

"The little brats are eating up their fathers. Look at these two groups of children, they are all boys aged 11 or 12. They don't have enough fat in their stomachs, so they can't resist hunger even if they eat a lot."

Her private orphanage cannot be compared with the royal orphanage. Orphans in the royal orphanage can still eat meat once a month, but she can only rely on herself here.

A lot of money was donated at the beginning. She kept a part of it and used the rest to buy a farm. If the capital can be self-sufficient this year, other states will also gradually take in orphans.

Everything has to be calculated carefully.

Zhulan cooked porridge with the millet and dates she brought from home. There were so many children that each child could get a bowl of very thin porridge, and the remaining millet was left for the twenty children to nourish themselves.

During dinner, Mingrui came. He came on horseback. Zhulan asked, "Why are you here?"

Mingrui, "I was worried about grandma, so I came here after packing up after school."

"My child, I will be back tomorrow. The children are fine."

Mingrui, "Then your grandson is worried about you. Mingjia and a few others wanted to come too, but I didn't let them. Grandma, I brought some food with me."

Zhulan pointed at the table and said, "I've already finished eating. You came in a hurry and haven't eaten yet. You can keep it for yourself."

She ate a bowl of porridge, a potato pie, and a dish of wild vegetables with the children in the orphanage.

Mingrui came in and saw the dishes on the table, "Then I'll eat the same thing as grandma."

"No, there's nothing in the pot in the kitchen. Please eat the snacks I brought with me."

Mingrui brought a lot of food, including a piece of meat. He asked Grandma Qingxue what she had eaten in the evening. Knowing that grandma would not eat alone, he signaled the servant to send the meat to the kitchen and put it in the porridge tomorrow morning, which would also add some meaty flavor to the children.

At the Zhouhou Mansion, Zhou Shuren came back and saw the letter, and heard the news that was sent back. It was good that it was not premeditated. He was worried that his wife was not eating well or sleeping well. He asked why his wife did not bring him any food when she left. The only thing that comforted him was that Mingrui had thought it through.

Zhulan did not have trouble eating or sleeping as Zhou Shuren had expected. She had dinner and went to see the children before dark. The girls were well-behaved and the boys were not naughty either. It is said that orphans mature after experiencing the ups and downs of life. Orphans in ancient times knew how to cherish the opportunity to survive.

Zhulan was probably tired as she slept well the whole night. When she woke up in the morning, she heard a lot of noise in the courtyard and saw Mingrui directing several boys to carry rabbits.

Zhulan, "Did you go there this morning?"

"Well, my servant and I are both pretty good at fighting, so we went to try our luck this morning and we actually encountered one."

"You, your clothes are all wet, go change your clothes."

"Um."

Breakfast was also porridge with the meat Mingrui brought in. The children ate it very carefully, with a look of satisfaction on their faces every time they swallowed a mouthful. The second brother's children were able to cook and eat, and they also drank porridge. A piece of meat was just for flavor and it wasn't too greasy, so the children could eat it.

After breakfast, the children washed their own dishes and prepared to go to class.

Coincidentally, Rong Enqing came to class early in the morning today. Zhulan was not in a hurry to go back, so she sat aside with her grandson and listened.

There were also farmers helping with work standing by the windows outside, and it was too difficult for ordinary people to learn to read.

Zhulan came up with the idea for the blackboard used for teaching the children, and had someone make it. It was a very large board, and the words could be written in large sizes so that everyone could see them clearly.

Rong Enqing not only taught Zhulan to read, but also told her stories, and Zhulan listened with great interest.

Zhulan tilted her head and said, "Mr. Rong is right."

As a result, she saw that her grandson's eyes were shining, which she had never seen in Mingrui before.

Mingrui came back to his senses and said, "Grandma, teaching and educating people is great."

Zhulan, "Yeah."

She knew that Sun Zi had accompanied the Crown Prince out of the capital to give lectures to children. Did this mean that he fell in love with her?

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren stared at the application forms for silver on the table. All of them needed silver, the biggest ones being Prince Liang and Rongchuan. Construction required silver, and the country had a mountain of gold but couldn't take it. Food prices had already risen due to food shortages, and if silver depreciated further, the people would have no way to survive.

But where could he get the money? The several states in the South that were hit by floods last year did not collect any taxes and had to rely on money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to survive. The damaged dams had to be repaired, so money was needed everywhere.

Zhou Shuren waited for all the doctors to arrive and said, "You all know about the court this morning. The King of Qin needs the Ministry of Revenue to send people to the grassland. Who among you is willing to go?"

No one spoke up, no one wanted to suffer, some doctors came in without even raising their heads.

Zhang Jinghong wanted to go, but after thinking for a while he decided to take a gamble: "I am willing."

Zhou Shuren saw the others heaving a sigh of relief, and rolled his eyes in his heart. He said to Zhang Jinghong, "I've made a note of this. You all can get out now."

Zhang Jinghong was the last one to leave. He came back soon after leaving. "Sir, I really want to go. Please help me say a few more words."

He only has one son in his life, so he has to plan more for his son. If he misses this opportunity, it will be difficult for him to get another one in the future.