As a result of this incident, Jiang's prestige in Wujia Village soared!
In the eyes of most people in the village, Madam Jiang is a living goddess of wealth!
With the arrival of February, the entire village of Wujia began a new round of construction.
First, the factory was built. The money came from the clan's savings. The men in the village were mobilized to work on it. They used local materials to make custom bricks and tiles. With everyone working together, the factory was completed before the end of the month!
Jiang Yue didn't want the factory; she put it under the clan's name.
Her original plan was to guide the villagers in planting the medicinal plants, and then divide the work among themselves to process them after harvesting.
Now, she feels the importance and recognition that her clan places on her, and her mindset has changed. She feels a greater sense of belonging to this village.
Therefore, after thinking for a long time, she decided to take on apprentices in the village and teach them how to process medicinal plants, so as to pass on her grandfather's skills!
Of course, it was agreed when the factory was built that 50% of the net profit from the processed medicinal plants collected in the factory would go to her, and of the other 50%, 40% would go to the villagers and 10% to the clan!
Everyone must re-sign the medicinal herb planting agreement this year. Those who are not satisfied with the clan's regulations are free not to plant; no one is forcing anyone.
Surprisingly, everyone readily agreed.
At this time, Jiang Yue made a promise that she would set aside 10% of this year's profits to build a clan school in the village, hire a teacher, and provide early education for children over five years old in Wujia Village!
This move silenced even the few disgruntled villagers, who were now convinced of its merits!
Jiang Yue's prestige in Wujia Village only increased afterward, and every household in the village began to unite for the sake of their descendants!
During the busy spring planting season, men sweating profusely can be seen everywhere on the ridges of the fields.
Unlike previous years, this year there's a strange sense of hope!
"Hey, Wu Chutou, how old is your grandson?"
"Ahem, my grandson is only three years old."
"That's still a long way off, it'll be another two years."
"Yes, the clan school should be ready by then."
"I heard that the village chief and the clan elders were measuring land in the village, and that the Jiang family has already provided the funds to build a school."
"Really? That's great! If you read some books and learn some characters, you'll be more successful than our generation."
"Yes, these days, people are divided into scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. If a family has a scholar, even someone who is literate, the family's situation is much better. At least they won't be easily cheated."
"That's right! I heard the other day that a family in Zhangjia Village got scammed! They were swindled out of their savings for their funerals, and now they're eating nothing but chaff and wild vegetables to get through the New Year!"
"Yes, I heard about it too. If it weren't for a literate young man who noticed something was wrong, that family's daughter would probably have been sold into a brothel."
"These days, studying is great!"
"Yes, with the Jiang family leading the way, our village will definitely become prosperous!"
"Yes, yes, my dad said, don't listen to what others say, just listen to smart people and do good things!"
"Pah~ I've rested enough, let's get back to work~"
"Come on, let's see who can hoe the ground the fastest!"
Haha~
......
Many uninvited guests arrived at Jiang Yue's house.
These people all brought their children to see her, hoping she would take them on as apprentices.
"Sister Jiang, come and see, my son has several snails in his hand. He's definitely a smart boy!"
"Sister Jiang, look at my daughter! She's been incredibly bright since she was little!"
"Sister Jiang, look at my son!"
"Sister Jiang, look at my daughter!"
The men were quite polite and didn't dare to approach her.
But those women were different; they were all incredibly enthusiastic.
Seeing that her mother-in-law was trapped, Da Xue rushed over to help her out.
Everyone, please be quiet. My mother-in-law prefers peace and quiet and dislikes noise.
"If you keep making noise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Quiet~"
With her daughter-in-law protecting her behind her, Jiang Yue thought to herself, "My daughter-in-law is really something else."
Seeing that something was wrong, Yao Yao quickly called for Xiao Bai. After a few barks, the overly enthusiastic crowd was finally spurred to back down a bit.
But the eagerness in her eyes was giving Jiang Yue a headache.
It made her seem like a heartless man, as if she would be letting these people down if she didn't agree.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yue's face hardened, and she said in a gloomy tone:
"I do want to take on apprentices, but not just anyone!"
From the crowd, a bold woman spoke up:
"Yes, you're right. So, what are your requirements for taking on apprentices?"
"Three days from now, I will hold a selection ceremony at the village entrance. Anyone, regardless of gender, aged between ten and fifteen, is welcome to participate in my test!"
Jiang Yue thought for a moment and gave a definite answer.
Three days is enough for her to prepare.
Okay, thank you~
"Let's call it a day, let's call it a day~"
"Don't bother Master Jiang anymore~"
"Okay, sure~"
......
No matter how unwilling a few individuals may be, they cannot overcome the compromise of the majority.
As for those who want to use kinship or family ties to blackmail us?
"Get lost!"
Sorry, Jiang Yue didn't give them any face at all and directly ordered her daughter-in-law to "send the guests out"!
The woman, who had been humiliated, hadn't expected Jiang to be so disrespectful, so she raised her eyebrows and sneered:
"Hey, what's wrong with you? We're all relatives, you—"
"Woof woof woof~"
Little White bared its teeth and was almost half the size of Qingyao. Perhaps because it was fed bones frequently, it was extremely robust.
"Clang clang clang~"
With the surviving white goose in the front yard leading a few geese to keep chasing away the intruders, the house finally became quiet in no time...
After closing the gate, Da Xue returned and asked:
"Mom, it's getting late, I should start cooking. What would you like to eat for dinner?"
"If you want something spicy, the stir-fried pork with chili peppers you made last time was really good with rice~"
Jiang Yue pondered that she had a particular fondness for spicy food and originally wasn't picky about it. However, after her daughter-in-law joined the family, she observed her taste and thus, the number of spicy dishes on the dinner table gradually increased.
"Okay, I'll go pick the vegetables right away~"
Da Xue nodded. Because she discovered that her mother-in-law liked spicy food, she even asked her mother for chili peppers from home and planted a small row of them in the open space in the front and back yards.
As for the meat, we dug a cellar and stored ice when things weren't busy after the New Year. My husband brings meat back every day and keeps it fresh in the cellar.
"Wait for me, sister-in-law, I'll help too!"
Now that her third brother has long since returned to the academy to study, Qingyao is now clinging to her mother and, secondly, her sister-in-law.
"Sigh~"
Da Xue responded and took her sister-in-law's hand. The two women got along as well as real sisters.
Jiang Yue sat in a specially made rocking chair and casually flipped through an illustrated medical book...
"Waaaaah~"
The little white dog bit its paw, making a low sound. Seeing that its owner ignored it, it listlessly lay down at her feet and stretched...
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