The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

The auspicious day for the patriarch to invite people to see it will soon arrive.

This time, Lu Linlang also invited officials from the county to celebrate together, and Yunyu also invited the scholars who came to Xishan Village last time to discuss academic matters.

Early in the morning, the people of Xishan Village were busy. People of all ages in the village came to help, and it was very lively.

The whole family put on new clothes to welcome the guests.

County Magistrate Xu, Chief Clerk Li and others also arrived, and they all brought their families with them.

Yun Yi is young and unengaged, and they also hope to have the opportunity to find such a son-in-law.

So this time they brought all their children with them. Although their family couldn't marry her, if Mr. Yun liked her, it would be a blessing for their family.

So when many girls saw Yun Yi, their faces turned red, they lowered their heads, and followed their mothers into the room with the other women to sit down.

"Ms. Lu, this is my daughter, Xu Lingfei, who is sixteen years old. I have always admired your talent, so today I brought her here to see her." Mrs. Xu took her daughter to Lu Linlang and introduced her.

"Mrs. Xu, Miss Xu, you are welcome. I have heard that Miss Xu is a talented woman. Now that I see her today, she is as beautiful as a flower. No wonder Mrs. Xu has been hiding her beauty. She actually has such a beautiful daughter."

Lu Linlang said to the others, and everyone started laughing.

"That's right. Miss Xu has always loved reading, unlike this good-for-nothing girl in my family who only likes to do needlework all day long. If Miss Lu has free time, I would like her to come and ask Miss Lu for advice more often, so that she can be more lively." Mrs. Li said with a smile.

"If you ask me, you are all really good at raising daughters. They are all so beautiful. I, an old woman, just wish I were a man. If I could marry one of them, it would be my blessing."

As the ladies talked, the topic naturally turned to their children's marriages, and they couldn't help but mention Yun Yi. Yun Yi was the most popular candidate for son-in-law in Chongshui, but they didn't know if their family had already arranged a marriage. If someone married into their family, their daughter would definitely be happy in the future without parents-in-law. Miss Lu was also an open-minded person, and her life would be much better in the future.

"He is still young and has not yet settled down. Let's wait until he is older." Lu Linlang heard their probing and rejected them all directly.

Yun Yi doesn’t have a girl he likes yet, and she doesn’t want to make the decision for him.

"Yes, Mr. Yun has achieved such fame at such a young age. I think he will definitely pass the imperial examination in the spring. We can talk about marriage then. Now he should focus on studying and not be distracted. By the way, the school in your Xishan Village is famous in Chongshui.

I have children who are still studying at home. Miss Lu, I heard that you are planning to build a college. I wonder if our children will have the opportunity to come and enroll. If Mr. Yun passes the imperial examination, who will teach him then?

This time they came with an important purpose, which was to inquire about the academy. They heard that construction would start this winter and students would be recruited next year, but they didn't know who would be the teachers then.

"We are indeed planning to build an academy. We have already asked someone to help us find a teacher. Our senior brother from Yunyi used to teach in the capital, but due to the turbulent times, he is still unsure where to teach. We invited him here, along with his friends. His senior brothers are all from the Juren family, and some do not want to enter the officialdom, but only want to teach students. We took advantage of this opportunity to invite them."

"Oh, so you're also a Juren. That's great! If there were more Juren, I'm afraid all the students in Chongshui would want to enter this academy. Miss Lu, considering our relationship, you must reserve a few more places for my family."

The ladies were delighted and wanted to share this good news with their husbands at home as soon as possible.

"No problem. The academy is open to students from Chongshui in its first year. As long as you can pass the academy's test, you can come to class. And there's another advantage to being a student from Chongshui. That is, as long as you have good character, it's easier to get into the academy than for students from other places."

"Okay, I must tell my children at home about this good news. Who would want to go to Hezhou or even further away if they can study nearby? You can invite so many successful candidates, so this academy must be good."

"Ladies, our academy is divided into two parts. Girls can also study in the academy. To avoid suspicion, they study in different schools from the boys. If you are willing to send your daughters to study here, the requirements are even lower than those for boys.

We have also invited female teachers to teach. If you are interested, you can send them when the academy recruits students. As long as they are unmarried women, they are welcome."

"Although we have heard that all girls in Xishan Village can go to school, they are all from the same clan after all. However, we are worried that our husbands at home will not agree. Miss Lu, we really need to go back and think about this matter carefully."

"That's fine, everyone. You can take your time to think about it. Although women can't enter the officialdom, it's a good thing for them to learn some skills. The courses we plan to offer women will not only teach the Four Books and Five Classics, but also teach them music, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial arts, needlework, cooking, and other courses."

"There are so many! Even I'm tempted. It just so happens that I'm not good at needlework or cooking. If I let my daughter learn, it will be easier for her to find a husband in the future."

When they heard that there were so many courses available, they were instantly excited.

At this time, Xing'er came over and talked about the person outside the door.

"Miss, there are a few businessmen outside. They want to celebrate and brought a few boxes of gold and silver. The manager refused twice, but they were unmoved. They even said they were from Hezhou and had some connections in the northwest. They just wanted to make friends when they passed by today."

"What kind of businessmen can pass through our Chongshui from Hezhou? I think these people are well prepared. I'll go and take a look." When Lu Linlang heard this, she felt that these people were not easy to deal with, so she took people there herself.

Sure enough, there were a few people standing at the door, and several boxes of gold and silver were placed on the table in a swaggering manner.

"I wonder where you are from. Have we known each other before? Why are you crashing my Lu family's banquet? Do you have a grudge against my Lu family?" Lu Linlang spoke preemptively.

"I suppose this must be Miss Lu. My brothers and I came from the northwest to help the emperor raise grain in the south. We passed through Chongshui and heard that a scholar was holding a banquet to celebrate here. This little money is not worth anything, but your family's steward is unwilling to accept our money. Isn't this a slap in our face?"

"Please don't be offended, everyone. This is indeed the rule I set. If you are sincere in your congratulations, our family does not need gifts. And even if you look down on this small amount of money, it can buy hundreds or even thousands of kilograms of food. If it is used to supply food and fodder for the military camp, it is enough to feed a thousand people.

Our great undertakings are built up bit by bit. I heard this is money for raising food, so we can't accept it. As long as the soldiers of Daqi can eat their fill, it doesn't matter if we don't. Please take back the money. I will immediately arrange wine and food for you and treat you well.

These people were obviously doing it on purpose, and Lu Linlang just used their words to block them back. At this moment, someone who heard the commotion at the door came out and happened to hear what Lu Linlang said.

"That's right. If the soldiers who are defending our country in the military camp can have enough food to eat and repel the enemy, we will send food to them even if we can't."