Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

A silent night followed. Early in the morning, Li Dong and his family arrived. Chai Zhen arranged accommodations, allocating a courtyard to each family, one for Li Dong and one for Li Guang and his wife. Qiu Ju and Dong Shuang helped with the cleanup, replacing all the furniture with new ones. The bedspreads and quilts were all satin, and the curtains were luxuriously understated. The sofas were fitted, and the flooring was a polished marble surface never before seen. There was also a study where Xiaodong would draw blueprints and practice calligraphy.

A complete set of brushes, inkstones, paper, and inkstones were crafted from high-quality jade. The pen holder also contained modern drawing pencils, ballpoint pens, and A4 paper. Li Dong was delighted.

Outside the gate, everyone from Yeheng's residence had arrived. Yingchun opened the door and ushered them in. "Come in!" she bowed, her right hand extended. Yingchun and Xiahua had stayed behind to help out today. Xiahua led the maids to the living room, while Xiaonaibao and Chai Zhenjiaxing sat on the sofa, sipping tea. A group of people rushed in and knelt. Chai Zhen said, "Get up! We don't believe in this." Butler Ye stood up and said, "Everyone, get up! Get up whenever Master Chai tells you to."

Butler Ye led everyone and said, "The prince asked us to come and listen to the arrangements made by the second master." Chai Zhen: Well, our Chai Mansion will hold a banquet in the capital tomorrow to find a wife for my grandson. Butler Ye, please take a look at who we have invited. I believe we have told you everything. Butler Ye: "The prince has instructed that the housekeeper should be a woman of the fifth rank or above with a good family background and good character. She must be gentle and virtuous, able to support her husband and raise children, and also beautiful. A woman can bring wealth to three generations, not a woman who will bring disaster to three generations." Chai Zhen agreed and said, "Butler Ye, please take a seat. Jiaxing will find paper and pen and ask Butler Ye to draft a low profile." "Second master, just call me Ye Renwen." Chai Zhen: "Let me call you housekeeper. This is also a respect for you." "Okay." Soon, letter paper and ballpoint pen were brought, and Jiaxing gave them to Butler Ye.

Chai Zhen sent Jiaxing off to arrange for the men's work. The cook went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and the women were taken to a large room where a large cutting table had been set up. Yeheng's family employed sixteen women, all young and beautiful, skilled in embroidery, cutting, and sewing. Xiao Naibao had already deposited the necessary cloth and silk in the warehouse. They only needed to take measurements and go get the cloth cut. They were ready to make clothes.

After breakfast, Guoguo was measured first, followed by Li Dong, Ma Xiaohong, Li Guang, Chai Zhen, Jiaxing, Xiao Lao Er, and Zhang Baohua. All four beauties were taken care of. The night housekeeper said, "Time is tight. We need to wear clothes for tomorrow's banquet, so we all need to hurry. No embroidery, simple is fine, but the workmanship must be meticulous."

They chose the materials. Little Milk Bag chose apricot yellow and apple green. Li Dong chose raven blue and white satin, and Little Second chose bright red satin. The others chose their own. Chai Zhen chose navy blue. The women workers toiled away, while Little Milk Bag, in the middle, had fine tea, fruit, and snacks brought to them.

There were three big fires outside the kitchen, and the big pot was only outside for frying things, as instructed by Little Milk Bag, such as meatballs, fried potatoes, roasted eggplant, fried fish, roasted chicken, etc. There was also a big pot for making lunch, meat stew and hand-rolled noodles. Rolling noodles is for men, they have strength.

That afternoon, in the Imperial Study, a guard arrived with the news, "Master, the Magistrate of Taohua County has arrived, accompanied by a large group..." The guard paused, then continued, "They've also brought a pair of carriages loaded with coffins." The guard lowered his head, awaiting the beating. After a pause, feeling no pain, he raised his head slightly to see what the Emperor and Ye Heng were talking about. "Okay, I'll do it," Ye Heng said, bidding the Emperor farewell and leaving the Imperial Study. "Let's go," he said, approaching the guard. "Hey, hey," he hurriedly followed the Prince out of the study.

Ye Heng left the palace. Zhang Qingshan saw him from a distance, ran over, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I am late. Please forgive me." Ye Heng: "Get up. I know. Come and follow me."

Arriving at the Dali Temple, Wang Hao, the Grand Court Judge, hurried out to greet him. "Hello, Your Highness," he knelt on one knee. Ye Heng: "Please rise. I'd like to introduce you to Zhang Qingshan, the Magistrate of Taohua County, Lord Zhang." The Grand Court Judge: "Hello, Lord Zhang." Zhang Qingshan clasped his fists and saluted. "Hello, Lord Wang." Wang Hao: "Please come in, Your Highness, Lord Zhang." "Yes." Arriving at the Dali Temple's office, Ye Heng sat down. Wang Hao had tea brought. Ye Heng took a sip and said, "Those outside are all Imperial Guards. A few days ago, they followed me to Taoyuan County, Pingjin Prefecture, to fetch a doctor. When they were almost there, they were all killed to protect me. I want the Dali Temple and the Magistrate of Taohua County to investigate this case and give the Imperial Guards an explanation as to who is responsible for the assassination. If you can verify it, please report it to me. I have a witness; you can come to the palace anytime to confirm it." Grand Court Judge Wang Hao: "Okay."

Zhang Qingshan, the Grand Court Judge Ye Heng, and the other two stood up and went outside to collect the deceased soldiers. The Grand Court Judge arranged for the deceased Imperial Guards to be taken to the funeral home. A large amount of ice was stored underground to prevent the bodies from rotting. The Grand Court Judge personally recorded the number of people, which was 999. Upon hearing this, Ye Heng realized that one person was still alive. Ye Heng said, "Come to my house the day after tomorrow and bring a witness." The Grand Court Judge said, "Okay. I'll keep this in mind." Ye Heng finished his business and was about to leave. A carriage convoy followed him out. Zhang Qingshan asked, "Your Highness, how are these convoys going to be arranged?" Ye Heng replied, "They're tired from the long journey. Let's rest at the post station for a few days before we continue. I'll ask the Ministry of Revenue... Hey, I'll pay for each of them to receive a reward of 100 taels of silver." He then produced a 10,000 tael silver note and gave it to Zhang Qingshan. Zhang Qingshan took it and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. We are all really tired, so we won't wake you up." Ye Heng said, "Well, my second uncle is hosting a banquet tomorrow, so you should come too." Zhang Qingshan said, "Okay, okay. I will go." Zhang Qingshan knew where the Chai Mansion was, as he had been there before.

The two men went their separate ways. Zhang Qingshan took his men to the posthouse to rest, while Ye Heng went to Chai Zhen's residence.

Just when Ye Heng was about to write the invitations, the little milk bag was staggering around holding a big durian in her hands. Her cotton gloves and the durian blocked her head. Ye Heng just saw a little human head which was a big durian, walking towards him. He quickly stood up, walked to the little milk bag, picked up the durian, picked up Guoguo in one hand, and said, "Why don't you ask brother Ye to help you get it?" The little milk bag: "Guoguo can get it? You should give it to your brother yourself. Do it yourself." Ye Heng: "Little one, you have grown up. Two years old, right?" The little milk bag: "Yes, two years old." Ye Heng: "It's time for enlightenment. Do you go to school at home?" The little milk bag: "Yes. Guoguo can recite the Three Character Classic. When a person is born, his nature is good..." Ye Heng: "You recited it well." Guoguo: "I can also recite the alphabet. Ah, nest, goose, one, house, fish,..." "Guoguo knows both uppercase and lowercase letters," Ye Heng said, curious. "Then write it down." "Yeah, sure." Little Milk Bag sat down and wrote the alphabet on a piece of white paper. He also wrote down the initials, finals, and whole-word pronunciation. Little Milk Bag also explained to Ye Heng how to recognize Chinese characters using pinyin. Ye Heng realized the importance of pinyin in helping children learn to read. Ye Heng asked, "Do you have any ideas, Guoguo?" Little Milk Bag replied, "Guoguo wants to build a school on the mountaintop to teach a variety of subjects. For example, Pinyin will teach students how to recognize Chinese characters, count, and learn about the physics of natural phenomena. They won't just memorize ancient texts like they do now; they'll be much more adaptable to society. And foreign languages, too. Great! Let me tell you. And so on." Ye Heng listened carefully to Little Milk Bag and said, "Brother Ye supports you. When will it be built? You can tell Brother Ye." Little Milk Bag replied, "Yeah, sure. It's just an idea for now. Guoguo will write a plan later." Ye Heng looked at Guoguo, wondering what kind of child Guoguo was. But definitely not a monster! Guoguo is kindhearted, beautiful, and full of love, and hates evil. No matter what, he will protect her.

Ye Heng continued writing invitations, wondering which families in the capital had eligible daughters. He sent for his housekeeper to bring a list of names of families with good character, and as he wrote, he had them delivered. There were a full sixty families, all daughters of officials of the fifth rank and above. How could Li Dong possibly be a good match? However, since Li Dong didn't hold an official position yet, it would depend on whose family had good taste, which would also be a test! Little Milk Bag brought Ye Heng some durian and tea, then left.

Warehouse, Chai Zheng stood at the door, and Xiao Naibao put things in it, thousands of bags of rice, white flour, and yellow flour.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, everything. Vegetables and meats were also put out in large quantities. "Grandpa, come and take a look. Is it enough? There's no room left." Chai Zhen opened the door and saw that the warehouse was full. He said, "That's enough, Guoguo. Take some to the shop and sell it to the people." Little Milk Bag: "Okay! There's no room in the space." Chai Zhen: "I'll find someone to take it." Little Milk Bag: "I'm going to the space to harvest the crops. The crops are all growing in the fields." Chai Zhen: "You go ahead." Little Milk Bag disappeared, and she was no longer in the room. Even though Chai Zhen knew, he was still surprised!

Chai Zhen summoned Jiaxing to drive a horse-drawn cart to the warehouse entrance, and asked a few people to load the cart. They then took the rice, flour, and vegetables to the shop to sell. Chai Zhen said, "Don't sell them too expensively, but not too cheaply either. Our rice and flour are all sold by the pound. A bag of white flour is fifty wen, a bag of rice is one hundred wen, and a bag of yellow flour is seventy wen. You set the price for the vegetables yourself." Jiaxing said, "Okay. I'll sell them at your discretion." After three carts were taken away, the warehouse finally felt a little slack.

Little Milk Bag saw it and said, "Grandpa, you go out first." Chai Zhen understood, closed the door, and stood at the door. Little Milk Bag waved his little hand, and the warehouse became full again. "Grandpa, you go and do your work. Guoguo will go out later." Chai Zhen: "Okay."

When Little Milk Bag returned to the space, the men in black were busy harvesting and planting vegetables. There were several rows of sunflowers, all with plump seeds. Some were picking vegetables, some were planting vegetables, some were harvesting sunflower seeds, and some were climbing trees to pick fruit. In the fields, Little Milk Bag was driving a remote-controlled harvester, bringing in the crops. Someone was holding bags, filling them up as the truck reached the edge of the field. The 120 acres of land had incredibly high yields of corn, wheat, and rice. Finally, 60 acres of red soil were planted with wheat, 30 acres of black soil with rice, 15 acres of yellow soil with corn, and another 15 acres of yellow soil with vegetables.

Little Milk Bag taught the man in black how to shear the wool, wash the wool, dry it, and then pack it into sacks.

On the mountain, Little Milk Bag soared into the air, observing the eggs scattered across the hillside. A dog rode on a tiger's back, galloping everywhere, with the tiger cubs chasing and playing behind. Sheep leisurely grazed and strolled. In the distance, the horses grew stronger. Guoguo noticed more large horses, and even a foal. Without a word, she landed on the foal, "Let's get on the horse! Go, Xiaobai. From now on, you'll be Xiaobai." "Tululu," a horse neighed, the pony echoing Guoguo's words. "Xiaobai, run!" "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." The horses behind followed suit, but none of them surpassed Little White Horse, and they all trailed behind. The mountain seemed to have grown larger, and a small pasture had appeared on the backside, where the horses lived. Little Milk Bag decided to bring spiritual spring water there. The cattle had also increased in number, becoming fatter and stronger. Presumably, with more cattle, sheep, and horses, there would be more space. Little Milk Bag had the men in black bring in a row of troughs, filled with soybeans and water, for the horses and cows to feed. The tigers were occasionally fed meat, vegetables, and fruit by the men in black. Guoguo hardly needed to move around much. The robot, Xiao Shunzi, took care of everything.

"Remember to pick up the eggs!" My coworkers—the men in black. "Yes, Master." Little Milk Bag: "Swim every day, practice martial arts, eat well and sleep well." The men in black: "Got it, Master."

After saying that, the little milk bag disappeared in the space and appeared in the warehouse. Chai Zhen was guarding outside. He heard the movement, opened the door, and the little milk bag came out. Chai Zhen: "Are you hungry? Come and eat." The little milk bag: "Yes, let Grandpa hold you." Chai Zhen! The little girl acted coquettishly, blinked, and looked at Chai Zhen. "Hey," Chai Zhen picked up Guoguo and said, "Silly, it's time to eat. You don't even know you're eating!" The little milk bag: "Great Grandpa! Guoguo knows, you just want to finish the work?" Chai Zhen: "What are you doing that you ask Grandpa to do? You are still young." The little milk bag nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes."

In the living room, Ye Heng was drinking tea and staying tonight. He had his own room here. Little Naibao came in, and Xiahua followed with the meal. Little Naibao ate by himself. Chai Zhen and Ye Heng sat on the sofa, drinking tea and chatting. They were discussing the imperial examinations this August. The top martial arts student would go to the front lines with him, along with twenty other candidates. All prefectures and counties had been notified. Chai Zhen wondered if many people in his village would attend martial arts and studies. Speaking of tomorrow's banquet, where Zhang Qingshan would be attending, Chai Zhen wanted him to return early so that everyone in the village who wanted to take the exam could come. Little Naibao, having eaten his fill, sat on Ye Heng's lap, listening to the adults. Ye Heng said, "Second uncle, Guoguo needs to start his education!" Chai Zhen replied, "Alas, when I was home, I attended classes every afternoon. Since I came here, I haven't studied." Ye Heng replied, "There aren't any schools for children. Families hire teachers to teach their clan children." The imperial academy is an option, but Guoguo is too young and needs a companion. "Ye Heng thought, if it doesn't work, he can find a teacher, but Guoguo won't live here forever, so he can see tomorrow if there is a female teacher to teach this child.