With Cen Xiao's identity being exposed, some people who had originally wanted to take advantage of Yang Cui's pastries no longer dared to do so.
Meanwhile, Yang Cui received more and more invitations, some inviting her to admire flowers, others to have meals or tea, but where would she find the time now?
Manager Yu and Manager Ma had already guessed that Cen Xiao's identity was not simple. After all, he was so familiar with their master, so how could his identity be anything but?
I never expected that he would be the famous General Cen.
The couple received the imperial decree to leave the capital, but the apprentices had not yet fully mastered the pork-based dishes.
Yang Cui also said she wanted to host another pork feast and some new dishes. If this person leaves, won't the business be gone?
The ice products have been selling like hotcakes lately, and Manager Yu didn't even ask Yang Cui when she would hold another pork banquet. But now that he heard Yang Cui was coming to Beijing, he came right away.
"I think they've learned the pork dishes we made before pretty well. Now that vegetables and peppers are in season, it's time for them to learn other dishes. Don't worry, Manager Yu, they'll definitely learn them before I leave."
Except for An Xiaojiang and An Xiaohe, who were a bit lacking in skills, the others who came to learn had been cooking for a long time and had a solid foundation, so they understood it very quickly.
When Yang Cui taught them, it didn't actually take much effort. On the contrary, they took a long time to cook, and with a little guidance from Yang Cui, many of their dishes tasted even better than Yang Cui's.
"When will those new dishes you mentioned be available? I'd like to tell our regular customers about them."
"Let's do it in seven days."
"Alright, I'll go back and tell our regular customers right now. You wouldn't believe how many people have asked about it; they're all very curious about your new dish." When it comes to making money, Manager Yu is always the most proactive.
She has strong execution skills, her own ideas, and good management abilities. Ah, I really wish I had an employee like that.
Yang Cui sighed again.
*
Because she was about to embark on a long journey, Yang Cui only needed to teach the new pork dishes and didn't worry about anything else.
She also has her own pastry shop, rice noodle factory, and farm, and she has to manage all the work, so she is very busy.
"President Yang, please don't worry. We all know right from wrong. You treat us well, not only paying us high wages but also giving our children the opportunity to go to school. We are all very grateful. Even if you are not home, we will work hard and never let you worry about your family when you are thousands of miles away," Hu Binzi said.
Hu Binzi's words were not flattery, but heartfelt.
Yang Cui not only respected every worker, but also paid them high wages. The children could also go to school for free. Yang Cui held a special place in their hearts. When working for other people, they could be lazy, but when working for Yang Cui, if anyone dared to be lazy, the others would unite and curse their ancestors for eighteen generations.
*
The students in the introductory class at First Hope Academy will graduate in three months.
Yang Cui approached Zhou Daqing and gave him fifty taels of silver, asking him to buy a vacant plot of land nearby and build a larger and more spacious academy.
She has already contacted three more tutors, one of whom will teach accounting. For children who are not good at reading, they can learn accounting after they are given a basic education, and maybe they can become accountants in the future. It's always good to have more skills.
The other two teachers were experienced scholars who were mainly responsible for teaching students who had already received their initial education and were about to take the imperial examinations. Yang Cui named this class the Rising Star Class.
For the introductory class, Yang Cui promised that it would never be charged.
The accounting class is a one-year program, with two hours of class time each day. Only twenty students are admitted at a time, and the tuition is one tael of silver per person. It guarantees that you will learn the skills.
The number of students in the Rising Star Class is determined by the teacher. The tuition fee is the same as outside, but students with excellent grades receive a subsidy for the Four Treasures of the Study every year.
Yang Cui's purpose in running this school was not to make money, and in fact, she couldn't make money from it. It was all free and subsidized, so how could she make money? She had to put money into it.
She did it to cultivate more talent. In life, once you have money and power, you should always make a difference.
After Yang Cui finished speaking to Zhou Daqing, Zhou Daqing was stunned for a long time. This news was just too shocking!
Zhou Daqing suddenly stood up with a serious expression and bowed solemnly to Yang Cui: "Madam, you are very kind."
"Grandpa Zhou, what are you doing? Xiao Cui isn't calling out to you anymore." Yang Cui offered a helping hand.
“You are now the General’s wife, and we cannot neglect our proper etiquette.” Zhou Daqing said with a serious expression. “You trust me and have entrusted me with such an important matter. Rest assured, I will definitely handle it perfectly.”
Yang Cui trusted Zhou Daqing's abilities.
"Grandpa Zhou, I trust you to get things done, but I won't let you work for nothing. In the future, if you pay more attention to the affairs of the academy, I will give you one tael of silver every year as a hard-earned fee."
Zhou Daqing waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, you have done so many favors for the Zhou family. I'm just running errands, how can I accept money?"
Yang Cui could have easily let her uncle take such a good job, but she chose him instead. Zhou Daqing was willing to put in the effort just because of this trust, not to mention that the Zhou family would benefit from the academy.
"From now on, the teacher will teach two classes at a time, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each class will have three lessons a day. The number of students in each class should not be too large, and should be kept below thirty-five. Priority will be given to the children of my factory workers, regardless of gender."
"I'm afraid early education is of little use to girls."
In this era, it was believed that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. Women married and had children in their teens, and kept having children. It seemed that studying more was indeed of little use, but Yang Cui wanted to try to change things.
"In short, if possible, you should let your Zhou family girls learn more characters, it might come in handy in the future."
Zhou Daqing didn't know what Yang Cui was up to, but he figured he couldn't go wrong by listening to her.
*
When Yang Cui wanted to expand Hope Academy, Zhou Daqing spread the word as soon as he returned to the Zhou family.
He did it on purpose, but this time it wasn't to deliberately disgust the Lin family. He just felt that Yang Cui had done a great thing, and since it was a great thing, everyone should know about it!
This news was like a thousand arrows piercing the heart of the Lin family once again.
The more successful Yang Cui made the academy, the more distressed they felt. Originally, a few members of the Lin family had wicked ideas and wanted to take advantage of the livestock raised by the Zhou family, but after Yang Cui became the general's wife, they dared not do it.
Everyone knows that Yang Cui and the Zhou family have a good relationship. If they are captured, what if General Cen leads his men to raze the village to the ground?
In the past, when the members of the Lin clan were jealous and envious, they would secretly say a few bad things about each other. Now, they don't even dare to say anything bad.
Lin Gouya wrote a letter to Lin Shikang, informing him of the situation on his end...
(This part is almost over; my trip to Kyoto is about to begin.)
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