The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

An Lingrong continued, "The fact that our workshop can earn so much money is inseparable from the hard work of these workers. Therefore, I plan to build a canteen in the south to provide them with two meals a day as a welfare benefit."

According to today's rice and vegetable prices, brown rice with one meat and one vegetable doesn't cost much money. When the workers are well fed, they will be more motivated to work. This is a good deal no matter how you look at it.

Song Jiashu thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is right. When people are united, they can move mountains. If we can make them worry-free, the business of the workshop will only flourish."

An Lingrong nodded slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes: "It's more than that."

She walked to the window, her finger moving further outside the workshop. "I'm going to build two private schools on that vacant lot, one for boys and one for girls. I'll only charge a small amount of tuition, and they'll allow the children of the workers in the workshop to study."

Song Jiashu and Shen Pingchuan looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

After a while, Song Jiashu finally found his voice: "Madam, you... aren't you afraid of losing money?"

An Lingrong smiled brightly, "Given the current profits, we can definitely afford it. Besides, all this investment will earn the workers even more dedication. In the long run, we'll only make money."

Then he looked at Shen Pingchuan: "Brother, what do you think?"

Shen Pingchuan bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, you have served the country and the people. I am ashamed of you."

"Sir Song, I'll trouble you to take care of these matters."

An Lingrong paused, then added, "I hope school can start on time in September...and classes can begin!"

Song Jiashu swallowed unconsciously, then stood up solemnly: "I will definitely live up to your trust!"

This kind of courage is not inferior to that of the men in the court.

Song Jiashu worked very quickly, and within a few days, the canteen caught fire.

The scorching sun of midsummer was scorching the earth, the cicadas were chirping one after another, and even the century-old locust tree beside the courtyard wall had its leaves wilted by the sun, and its branches were drooping listlessly.

However, the scene inside the workshop was three times hotter than this scorching summer day.

The open space in the center gradually filled with people.

People gathered in groups of three or four, whispering about today's meeting.

Suddenly, there was a slight commotion at the edge of the crowd. Someone called out softly, "The boss is here!" Everyone fell silent at the same time, and their eyes turned in the same direction - An Lingrong walked slowly towards them, her plain moon-white skirt swaying gently in the morning breeze, and a jade hairpin in her hair reflected the morning sun, and tiny pieces of light flowed through her black hair.

Behind her were Shen Yunfei and Liu Zhu. The three of them walked calmly, and their dancing clothes exuded a certain elegance.

The originally noisy open space suddenly became quiet.

After An Lingrong stood still, she swept her eyes over the crowd gently, with a faint smile on the corner of her lips.

"Dear aunts, dear sisters, I'm sorry to have wasted your time today!"

Everyone unconsciously moved closer, and a few young girls even stood on tiptoe. The men in the back row couldn't help but hold their breath, for fear of missing a word.

"I called you all here today because I have something good to tell you."

Hearing the good news, everyone looked at her with burning eyes.

"The weather has been getting hotter these days. You've all been working hard. Lord Song and I have discussed that the workshop will provide two meals a day for everyone from now on: breakfast at 3:30 AM and lunch at noon."

When these words came out, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Boss, how much silver do you need every day? Will it be deducted from the wages?" A thin woman asked timidly, her rough fingers counting unconsciously, obviously worried about the expenses.

Another person bravely asked, "Boss, can we not eat in the workshop?"

An Lingrong's smile deepened. "Of course you can choose not to eat in the workshop. You're saving me money. After all, these two meals are free. It's a benefit I'm giving you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd exploded.

"Boss, are you serious?"

"Of course it's true." An Lingrong turned and pointed to the newly built house to the west, where smoke was already rising from the chimney. "See that over there? The dining hall is already built, and the chef has been hired. They'll start cooking today. Once you're done, you can go eat."

She tilted her head slightly, and Liu Zhu immediately understood. She stepped forward and said loudly, "Today's lunch is brown rice, and the side dishes are pork stewed with vermicelli and stir-fried radish, and an egg drop soup!"

"What, rice?"

"And there's meat, which is better than what I ate during Chinese New Year!"

The crowd went wild.

A loud voice in the crowd said, "Oh my goodness! The boss wants us to live a good life!"

An Lingrong looked at the ecstatic faces of the crowd, raised her hand gently, and the crowd quieted down again.

"From now on, we'll have extra dishes on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and special arrangements will be made for holidays. I hope everyone will have enough to eat and have the energy to do a better job in our workshop. But let me be frank: this meal is provided for you. If you can't bear to eat it and want to take it back to your family, that's fine. But if you're too weak to work and you're delayed, I'll fire you. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself."

Everyone nodded: "The boss is right. Only when you are full can you have the strength to work. We can't lose the big picture for the sake of small gains."

I don't know who took the lead in shouting "Thank you, boss", and then, one after another, the sound of thanks echoed over the workshop.

When the noise gradually died down, An Lingrong pointed to a vacant lot in the distance where construction was underway.

"See that over there? In two months, your sons and daughters will be able to study and learn calligraphy in that newly built school." She paused. "You only need to pay the teacher ten cents a month. The workshop will provide the pens, ink, paper, and meals."

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

Several women subconsciously covered their mouths, while the men looked at each other, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

There was a breathless anticipation in the air.

After an unknown amount of time, a thin woman standing in the front row raised her hand tremblingly, her voice trembling: "Dong, Dong, you mean... our child... can go to school?"

An Lingrong smiled slightly, a gentle frown etched in the corners of her eyes. "Yes, everyone, male or female, is welcome to come. Lord Song has already invited the teachers, and has also invited female teachers to teach the girls embroidery, literacy, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Suddenly, thunderous cheers broke out from the crowd.

A white-haired old lady burst into tears: "I have lived for fifty years and never thought that my grandson could go to school!"

"The boss is so good to us. There is no better boss than you in the world!"

"I must work twice as hard, even if it means risking my life, to repay my boss's kindness!"

The golden sunlight penetrated the clouds and gently fell on An Lingrong's shoulders, giving her slender figure a layer of dazzling gold.

At this moment, this woman who is always gentle in her daily life seems to be emitting a sacred and warm light in the eyes of everyone.

Listening to what everyone said, An Lingrong lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, but she couldn't hide the smile of relief on the corner of her mouth.

From today on, the fate of these people will truly begin to change.

And she finally lived up to this opportunity of traveling through time.