Chapter 790: The Warmth of Spring....
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was not easy for ordinary families to provide for their children’s education. In other private schools, the parents would send things to the teachers during the New Year Holidays.
Besides that, daily expenses for school supplies were considerable. The pressure would be significant for ordinary folk. Otherwise, poor students could not afford to study for Chu Country’s Imperial Exams.
However, prestigious families could invite famous scholars to give lectures at these schools. The former also had more learning resources than the poor. Nir. and Mrs. Yang attached great importance to education. Still, they could not afford it last time. After Su Binglan’s help, their conditions improved, and Yang Hua was already thirteen years old.
He would not learn as quickly as a child, even if we attended school. Hence, it was a little more challenging for him to become a scholar.
Furthermore, the wars were so chaotic that Mr. and Mrs. Yang did not want their son to take the Imperial Exams and pledge loyalty to the emperor.
If the emperor had not suppressed Prince Ruozhu and Princess Ruobing, perhaps the princess would not have died, and the prince would not have fallen severely ill.
Of course, the commoners knew about these things. The emperor and the crown prince were terrible people who even harmed those loyal to them.
Meanwhile, Fiery Blue Academy differed. Since Prince Ruozhu and Princess Binglan ran it, they would nurture their people better. Moreover, the admission was free, and the location was private.
Mr. and Mrs. Yang were ecstatic and wholeheartedly supported Yang Hua’s decision to attend the academy. Mr. Yang seemed to have thought of something and said, “If you can learn something, you can be more helpful.
“From what Miss Su said, the academy’s construction is underway. They could complete it in more than a month if you’re lucky. You don’t have to help in the shop this month. You should get a head start on your reading.”
Mrs. Yang nodded. “Yeah, you should read more books to make it easier for you to catch up with the other students.”
Mr. Yang added, “You should learn how to hunt from one of our neighbors. I’ll tell him to teach you some martial arts, too.”
Su Binglan, Su Yi, and Su Chun spent a few days on the road before reaching Su Teng Village. They could feel the weather had become warmer. Su Binglan said, “It feels like spring.”
The sun was warm, and the wind carried its warmth throughout the village. The cold winter wind was no more. Moreover, the warm wind blew on the trio’s faces, making them feel relaxed.
Although it would be slightly chilly in the morning and evening, it was not as frigid as the winter wind.
Since spring arrived, the trees and flowers began to bloom again. The trees and grass by the roadsides looked greener than ever, giving a sense of prosperity.
One could see many villagers working in the fields from afar. Some were weeding, while others watered their plants.
Su Binglan knew everyone would be planting crops after the first spring rain. After all, the crops would grow very well after the rain. It was not ideal for the villagers to carry buckets of water from the river for their crops.
Su Binglan looked into the distance and said, “Let’s go. I wonder what everyone in the village is doing right now. My granduncle should have informed everyone about the potato and sweet potato seeds by now.”
‘l must tell everyone how to sow the seeds personally,’ with that in mind, Su Binglan hurried into the village.
She seemed much more relaxed after seeing the familiar sight and people. She could not help but smile and be grateful to be home. The village resembled Su Binglan’s heart.
From the west side, she noticed that the construction teams had completed the buildings she needed on the commercial street. The place looked beautiful with the new factories, workshops, business districts, shopping malls, theaters, and so on.
The commercial street resembled a bustling metropolis of modern times. The village now looked livelier than the capital.
The construction team had built everything according to Su Binglan’s arrangements. The whole area looked neatly arranged from the outside. Moreover, the green bricks and tiles looked gorgeous.
Su Chun praised inwardly, ‘Only Master is able to design such a majestic place.’
The trio dismounted their horses and walked as they observed the changes in the village, Su Chun and Su Yi were curious, wondering what the shop owners would do in a place like this.
Su Yi asked, “Master, this place will be prosperous with all these shops.”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “Yeah, we’re in the village’s commercial area and food street. The shops on both sides can only sell food. There’s a shopping mall beside it with three floors. The first and second floors will be for apparel, while the third floor can be a food court.’
Su Binglan combined modern architectural styles with ancient styles to form the shopping mall and food street.
She pointed and said, “That’s the grand theater. The crew can perform plays there. The new plays are a few coppers per person.”
The theater could accommodate many people. The more people showed up to watch the plays, the more the theater would earn. However, the production team would perform several free plays during festivals.
It would allow the villagers to feel the festival’s liveliness. Since there were only a few entertainment programs in this era, Su Binglan wanted to arrange some dramas for the people to watch.
However, her primary purpose for rehearsing these dramas was for her husband.
The trio continued walking, and Su Binglan noticed the paper mill. It was much larger compared to the embroidery shop. When she looked at the doorway, she saw her parents and greeted them, “Father, Niother, I’m back!”
The older couple quickly turned around when they heard the familiar voice. The two exclaimed in unison, “Binglan, you’re finally back!”
Su Fengmao added, “We missed you so much! I wasn’t used to you not being home.’
The older couple stood before Su Binglan and happily smiled at her. Shen Qiuhua asked, “Did you lose weight? Did you have a hard time during your travels? Did you eat and sleep well?”
Su Binglan felt a warmth in her heart when she heard her parents’ warm and caring words. She replied, “Don’t worry. I ate and slept very well.”
Shen Qiuhua sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. Your father and I have prepared everything you need for the paper mill. We were just waiting for you to return before we proceed further.”
The older couple felt energized and ready to follow their daughter’s lead. They were rearing to go, wanting to make high-quality yet affordable paper.
Su Binglan smiled, saying, “Since you’ve prepared everything, we’ll start operations once everyone’s here.”
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao nodded in agreement. They would support their daughter in everything she wanted to do.
Su Binglan said, “There’s still plenty of work to do around the village. Has
Granduncle told the villagers about the potato and sweet potato seeds?”
Shen Qiuhua responded, “He gathered everyone for a meeting recently and told them everything. The villagers were excited to buy the seeds from him. He hasn’t distributed the seeds yet because he wants to discuss the details with you first..”