Chapter 119: Planning to Buy Books and Open a School

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Planning to Buy Books and Open a School

Yun Zhen’s corn won everyone’s unanimous praise.

Their attention shifted from the fabrics to the corn. The prospect of fresh food brought them immense joy; after all, eating was clearly more important than clothing. They would rather go half-naked with full stomachs than the alternative, because starvation could be deadly.

Besides, their old clothes were still wearable, and the Goddess had brought them new ones anyway. In the past, wearing the same outfit for over a decade had seemed perfectly normal. While they were astonished by the bright, fine cotton she had purchased, they were even more thrilled by the new food supply.

The Village Chief carefully cradled an ear of corn in his hands. "Goddess, is this ’corn’ filling?"

Yun Zhen smiled and nodded. "Village Chief, people in the Immortal Realm eat corn for breakfast. I’ve tried it myself. Not only does it taste incredibly delicious, but it’s just as filling as sweet potatoes. Eating just one ear will keep you full all morning!"

"Good heavens! How can the people of the Immortal Realm be so wise? To think they can grow sweet potatoes and corn that are both delicious and filling!" Li Cuilan covered her mouth in shock.

"That is exactly why they are immortals and we are mere mortals," the Village Chief said solemnly. "Immortals possess wisdom far beyond our reach. It is not something we ordinary folk can comprehend."

Li Cuilan and Yun Duo nodded in earnest agreement.

Yun Xiu was also extremely satisfied with the corn. "I will boil it tomorrow, though I wonder if everyone will get a full ear. There are over a hundred people in the village."

"Dad, there are about a hundred and twenty large ears of corn, so there won’t be enough for the whole village," Yun Zhen explained to her father. "However, the shopkeeper threw in twenty medium-sized ears for free. After boiling them, give the large ones to the adults and the medium ones to the children under six or seven."

"Zhen Niang always thinks of everything," Yun Xiu praised.

The Village Chief spoke up, "Goddess, the village elders came to me today to discuss a matter."

"Please go ahead and tell me, Village Chief," Yun Zhen nodded. "If it’s within my power, I will definitely get it done for the village."

"What matter?" Yun Xiu asked, completely unaware of the elders’ visit to the Village Chief.

"It is nothing too difficult," the Village Chief began. "Since our stone wall is almost finished, everyone will soon have some free time. The elders heard that you brought books for Mr. Kong, so they were wondering if you could bring a few more back. We could ask those in the village who can read to teach the children a few words. We aren’t asking for profound scholarly learning, just enough for them to know how to write their own names."

Now that the villagers had solved their food and clothing problems, they naturally started discussing their descendants’ education. The Village Chief also found the idea feasible. They were no longer just a poor, ordinary mountain village. Since they had a Goddess to save them from their suffering, remaining as ignorant peasants simply wouldn’t do; it would insult her prestige. If they could learn to read and understand basic principles, they might finally become worthy of her blessings.

However, this matter still required the Goddess’s approval.

Yun Zhen thought for a moment before replying, "I’ll keep this in mind. Everyone’s reasoning makes sense. As the ancients said, all pursuits are lowly; only scholarly learning is noble. Now that our village doesn’t lack food and drink, and we don’t need the children to do hard labor, it is indeed time for them to learn."

She then added, "And not just the children. Anyone who wants to learn how to read, regardless of age or gender, will be welcome to join the classes."

She figured that if the books weren’t expensive, she would just buy more. The medical books she had given Mr. Kong were in the writing system of her own world, which proved that the other world had their characters. She just had to make sure to specifically buy books that the scholars of her era could read.

Thrilled by her response, the Village Chief smiled broadly and thanked her on everyone’s behalf. "The villagers will never forget your immense kindness to the end of our days, Goddess."

There were only three households in the village with literate members.

The first was Yun Xiu. Back when his parents were alive, their family had been relatively well-off. With the help of his uncle, who was a capable hunter, the family had pooled their resources to support his education until he passed the county exams and became a junior scholar. Unfortunately, after his parents passed away, he went hunting in the mountains with his uncle and was gored by a wild boar. With a crippled leg and a ruined face, his hopes for the imperial examinations were shattered.

The second was Grandpa Zhang’s youngest son, Zhang Xiaoyong. His older brother, Zhang Dayong, had once dug up a wild ginseng root and used the money to send his younger brother to study under a teacher in town for a few years. While he didn’t have an official academic rank like Yun Xiu, he was still fairly well-read and knew most characters. Originally, he had found work as a bookkeeper at a rice shop, but when the blizzard struck, the job was lost.

The last household belonged to Mr. Kong. His parents had originally been servants for a wealthy family in the county town. When their masters relocated to another county, they had brought Mr. Kong to settle down in Taoyuan Village. He had loved reading medical texts since childhood, eventually learning the trade and working as an attending physician in the county town for over a decade. His son and grandchildren were all literate as well.

Yun Xiu volunteered, "If Zhen Niang brings books back from the Immortal Realm, I will teach the children how to read."

The Village Chief was delighted. Since Yun Xiu was a ranked junior scholar, having him teach the children was naturally the best choice. "I will ask Xiaoyong. If he agrees to teach as well, the two of you can take turns, alternating days."

"I’ll ask the shopkeeper who sells the tent houses in the Immortal Realm if they have a larger winter tent that can fit around twenty people," Yun Zhen said. "We can buy one and set it up behind the Village Chief’s tent house to use as a schoolroom."

Li Cuilan was equally elated. "That sounds wonderful!"

Even though she didn’t have any children of her own, she was overjoyed to see the village prospering and even preparing to open a school.

Having settled the matter of the schoolroom, Yun Zhen moved on to the next arrangements.

"Let’s leave the fabrics here for now. Once the stone wall is finished, we can have those skilled in needlework make new clothes for everyone to wear for the New Year.

"The corn needs to be taken to the kitchen so it can be boiled tomorrow.

"If there’s nothing else, everyone can go back to their own tasks."

Yun Duo chimed in, "We’ve all been so busy working that we haven’t even eaten yet, and Zhen Niang must be hungry too. Let’s eat first. Your father and the Village Chief made dough drop soup with diced meat and soy sauce. It smells incredible! Zhen Niang, you should have a couple of bowls."

Yun Zhen rubbed her perfectly round stomach, nearly burping. "Mom, I’m already full. You guys go ahead and eat. If I eat any more, I’ll be too stuffed to sleep."

She had already eaten at the cafeteria. Since everyone knew she had a place to dine in the Immortal Realm, they took one look at her satiated expression and didn’t press the issue.

"Dad, Mom, Village Chief, Aunt Cui Lan, you all go eat," Yun Zhen told them. "I’m going to head to my room and rest."

"All right, but let’s put the cotton fabrics away safely first," Yun Duo said, pointing at the piled-up bolts of cloth. "If we accidentally damage such luxurious material, we’ll be absolutely heartbroken."

The group carefully stacked the fabrics away, pausing to marvel at the luxurious materials once more.

"They say silk is lustrous and precious, and that the rich and powerful love wearing clothes made from it," Li Cuilan marveled as she gazed at an unrolled bolt of cloth. "But I bet they’ve never seen cotton with patterns even more magnificent than silk!"

"It’s a shame to turn such brightly colored fabric into everyday clothes. We ought to preserve it as a family heirloom," the Village Chief said, his heart aching at the thought of cutting it.

Yun Zhen tried to talk them out of it. "I bought the fabric precisely to make new clothes for everyone. It’s not a waste as long as it’s comfortable to wear."

Li Cuilan agreed with her reasoning. "Village Chief, the Goddess is right. Now that we are living the good life of a wealthy family, it’s only natural for us to wear clothes made from bright fabrics."

"We now have the skills to earn a living, so you don’t need to worry, Village Chief," Yun Zhen said softly. "Once we make big money in the future, we’ll buy even better fabrics for our clothes. I’ve actually got my eye on a material that’s even softer than fine cotton, called something like ’knitted cotton’."