Chapter 178: County School

Yan Yu remembered that she had set the labor points for scented soap at 100.

It was really wonderful that the children were willing to contribute their labor to exchange for thoughtful gifts for their families—this was something truly commendable and worth supporting.

However, she really couldn’t assign a high score to the task of picking up stones.

After some thought, Yan Yu said, “Picking up stones earns 4 points per day. If you want to save up enough for the scented soap, it will take quite a while.”

Si Tie and Wu Tie were overjoyed. Before coming, the two little brothers had estimated that at most, Yan Xiao’er would give them two or three points, with three being the absolute highest.

After all, the Yan family could do the work themselves, and their help only made things a bit faster.

Besides, picking up stones was the only task they could do—other work was beyond them.

“We’ll save up slowly, no rush,” said Si Tie.

Wu Tie, in his childlike innocence, blurted out the truth: “Scented soap is so expensive! We have to do a lot of work to earn enough.”

Yan Yu: At least you understand that much.

If this stone-picking job had been more sustainable, she wouldn’t have disrupted her established point allocation no matter what.

With two little helpers, the Yan family’s fieldwork went much faster.

Yan Yu had agreed with them beforehand—since they would only be working half a day today, each child would earn 2 points, totaling 4 points for the two of them.

Both kids nodded in understanding.

The Luo family’s field was not far away, and there were also people working there. They saw the two little ones running over but didn’t say anything.

Yan Yu took that as tacit approval.

As for hiring child labor again, Yan Yu felt absolutely no pressure.

If anything, she was the one taking a loss!

—

After lunch, Yan Huaiwen had a moment of free time.

He added some fresh water to the inkstone and carefully ground the ink.

Then, he took out his notebook and spread it open.

He wrote:

“First arrival in Crouching Tiger.”

“Tianyou secretly gifted me a brush made from horsehair.”

“The brush is light…”

Yan Huaiwen frowned slightly, feeling a bit annoyed. He shouldn’t have casually written those last two words—it made him seem too frivolous.

But since they were already written, he had no choice but to complete the thought.

With steady, bold strokes, he added two more words:

“Yet weighty in meaning.”

A gentle breeze ruffled the pages, and the ink gradually dried, no longer as dark as when it was first applied.

Much like his shifting emotions—he now felt that recording it this way was actually quite… nice.

After tidying up his notebook, Liang Manshan hurried over from town.

“Brother Huaiwen, just now, Lord Tian asked whether we’d be interested in enrolling our sons in the city school.”

Yan Huaiwen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “City school?”

“Yes, the county school here in Crouching Tiger,” Liang Manshan explained. He hadn’t expected it either—back in Leshan Prefecture, even as a tongsheng (a scholar who passed the county exam), he wasn’t qualified to enter the county school. But now, in Crouching Tiger, his son had the chance to attend before he did.

“Lord Tian said that Crouching Tiger doesn’t have many scholar-students. The teaching official position is currently vacant, and he is serving as a temporary replacement. If Xiangheng and Fengnian are interested in studying, they can attend as auditors.

He also mentioned that if we have time, we could visit the county school as well.”

Yan Huaiwen immediately understood.

It was likely that the latter part of the message was the real intention.

Did they want him and Liang Manshan to help with teaching?

“What do you think, Manshan?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

“Fengnian’s academic level isn’t quite there yet, but it would still be a great experience for him to see the county school,” Liang Manshan admitted frankly.

Yan Huaiwen, however, had some reservations.

If his son were to study in Crouching Tiger City, the daily commute would be too exhausting and distracting.

He might have to rent a place in town.

From what he knew, Lord Tian was one of the few officials who had remained in office for more than three years after being assigned to Guanzhou by the imperial court.

His ancestral home was in Jiaozhou, and he had passed the jinshi (highest imperial exam) examination.

Temporarily serving as the teaching official was well within his capabilities.

“I’ll discuss this with my family first,” Yan Huaiwen said.

Liang Manshan didn’t press further—he had the same concerns.

They would likely need to find a residence in Crouching Tiger City. It wouldn’t be appropriate to house their sons in the government office.

—

Meanwhile, Yan Lao’er returned with ten thousand red bricks.

Originally, he wasn’t supposed to get this many, but the buyer who had ordered them seemed to have run into delays with their construction project. Since they wouldn’t need the full supply right away, they took only half, allowing Yan Lao’er to grab the rest at a discount.

Yan Yu couldn’t help but grin when she saw the bright red bricks.

She was certain she could sell at least five thousand of them, keeping the remainder for the Qi family’s uncles so they could start construction whenever needed.

“There’s even better news,” Yan Lao’er said cheerfully. “The brick factory also ordered 300 catties of charcoal from me, saying they’d help sell it at their place.”

“Haha!” Yan Yu reacted instantly. “You gave them a lower price so you could earn a markup, didn’t you?”

Yan Lao’er chuckled knowingly.

“I earn a profit margin on the bricks, and they earn one on the charcoal. Not bad, huh?”

He had deliberately set a lower price for the brick factory, knowing this kind of deal was possible.

Businesspeople were always sharp when it came to profits.

“While there’s still daylight, let’s head back to the fields and do some more work,” Yan Lao’er said, stepping forward.

Yan Yu quickly called out, “Dad! We finished early! Surprise!”

Yan Lao’er: …

A thought crossed his mind, and he frowned. “Did your mother join in? She’s really daring, bending over like that.”

Yan Yu glanced at her mother behind him and couldn’t help but snicker.

Li Xuemei instinctively looked around.

Fortunately, Yan Lao’er hadn’t spoken too loudly—no one else should have heard.

“Say that louder, I dare you,” she said, stepping up and pinching a piece of soft flesh at his waist.

Yan Lao’er yelped and turned his head to see his beloved wife.

“Heh heh! Well, uh, dear wife, I sold 300 catties of charcoal and made 8.4 taels of silver! Heh heh! Finally, we have some proper earnings. Otherwise, I’d feel guilty making money off just our fellow villagers.”

Li Xuemei narrowed her eyes at him. Trying to change the subject again?

“Wife, I was only concerned for you! What if you strain your back? You’ve been reading medical books, so you should know—pregnancy is delicate. No matter how careful you are, it’s never too much. Forget what others think—just take it easy and protect yourself.”

More than the child, Yan Lao’er cared about Li Xuemei herself.

As for the baby—well, it was his now anyway.

Not that it mattered much to him in the first place.

Or maybe it did? Either way, he had fully accepted it. Looking at his wife, then at himself, he figured the baby would resemble one of them. As long as it wasn’t someone else’s kid, it was all good.

Fatherhood is simple: raise the child, and he’ll be mine.

Give me a kid, and I’ll give him a dad.

Anyway, his main concern was medical safety.

Better to avoid accidents whenever possible.

A peaceful life—that was all he wanted.

Li Xuemei couldn’t resist his affectionate concern. It made her heart melt.

Softly, she said, “I didn’t do much. The children did most of the work.”

“Dad, our labor points attracted the child workers…” Yan Yu laughed.

At first, it was just Si Tie and Wu Tie, but once other kids heard, they all joined in.

With so many children crouched down picking stones in their field, it was quite a sight.