She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

“Village head, but we don’t have an ounce or two of silver to spare!” a villager said with difficulty.

"Exactly! With so many people to feed in the family, where would we find the extra money to send our kids to school?"

"Xiao Man'er, there are only a few dozen children in the village anyway, and you can earn money... Why don't you go all the way and cover everyone's tuition?"

"Nonsense! You guys are really... How could you say such a thing!" The village head was so angry at the villager's words that he pointed at him, not knowing what to say.

"Village head, you know how hard it is to make money these days..." The villager didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, and said with a grin.

"Making money is hard? What were you doing while others were up in the mountains gathering herbs? You all stayed at home all day, not wanting to move. Do you think money will fall from the sky? If you don't want your children to study, then don't force them. Just let your children live a muddled and aimless life like you!"

The village headman was also furious and gave those people a good scolding.

Shen Man overheard the murmurs of the crowd and, noticing that two families were indeed struggling financially, said to them, "Uncles and aunts, if you are facing difficulties but still want your children to go to school, please let me know. My family will cover the tuition fees in advance, but you will need to give me an IOU. As for repayment, you can choose to pay me back in cash or settle the debt with wages!"

"Debt settlement with work? What does debt settlement with work mean?" Everyone looked at Shen Man blankly, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

Shen Man explained with a smile, "It means using work to offset the debt. That is to say, you can come to my house to work and offset the tuition fees you owe. Of course, we can discuss the specific work content and the debt offset standards."

She secretly calculated that her family was about to build a new house, and she would definitely need to hire people to do the work. Most of these families who owed repair fees were struggling financially. If they could repay their debts through labor, it would not only solve their immediate problems but also help them build their new homes—a win-win situation.

Upon hearing Shen Man's words, the families who had been hesitating were immediately tempted.

After all, no parent doesn't hope their child will succeed. Even though they live in poverty, they all hope their children can receive a good education and achieve something in the future.

Now that there's an opportunity that allows children to continue their education while also paying off debts through work, naturally no one wants to miss it.

“Man’er, your idea is good. I’ll be the first to sign up. Please pay my three sons’ tuition first! I will work hard in the future and pay back the money I owe you as soon as possible!” Sun’s wife stepped forward and said to Shen Man.

She had three sons, and she wanted to send them all to school, but it was really difficult for her to come up with three taels of silver all at once.

“Okay, Aunt Sun, I’ll remember!” Shen Man nodded in agreement.

"I want to enroll my child too!"

"I'm signing up too! Man'er, thank you for giving our child the opportunity to study!"

Shen Man smiled and waved her hand, "We're all from the same village, so it's only right that we help each other. As long as our older brothers and sisters are willing to learn and become successful in the future, our village will be even better off."

"Alright, those who want to register, come to my house to register, write an IOU and give it to them. Don't let them waste both their money and their time!"

After saying this, the village head walked away with his hands behind his back. A smile he couldn't suppress played on his lips.

Man'er is such a good girl, she's smart, quick-witted and generous.

After the villagers had all left, Li Mufeng stepped forward and looked at Shen Man, asking, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​paying off debts with work?"

Shen Man tilted her head slightly, looked at Li Mufeng, and a bright smile appeared on her face.

She thought to herself that in modern times, there are all sorts of ways to settle debts, such as paying off debts with materials or assets, and paying off debts with labor is not a strange thing.

"It's very simple. I just put myself in their shoes. If I were those villagers, I certainly wouldn't want my children to lose the opportunity to go to school because of a lack of money. So, I came up with this solution, letting them pay off their debts through labor, so that everyone can benefit."

Upon hearing this, Li Mufeng felt even more admiration for Shen Man.

"I didn't expect you to be so intelligent and understanding," he said softly.

Shen Man blushed, lowered her head, and fiddled with the hem of her clothes.

"I just did what I could. Besides, we're all from the same village, so we should help each other."

Looking at her adorable appearance, Li Mufeng couldn't help but have a thought. If she used her intelligence on her studies, perhaps she could achieve something great in the future.

So he said softly, "Come to school with me tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Shen Man's mouth dropped open in surprise. She quickly waved her hand and said, "Ah, I have a lot of things to do at home, I'm afraid I won't have time to go to school."

Actually, she just didn't want to sit in a classroom with a group of children and start learning simple knowledge like the "Three Character Classic" from scratch.

To her, these were all very childish things, a complete waste of time.

However, Li Mufeng remained unyielding, firmly stating, "I don't know what important matter in your family requires a three-year-old to handle it personally. If there really is something wrong, you can simply tell Tingxian and let him find someone to resolve it."

After saying that, he glanced at the servant Tingxian standing to the side, indicating that he was not just saying it casually.

"Man'er, just listen to Young Master Li and go study. There's still your mother to take care of things at home!" Lanxiang said to Shen Man after overhearing their conversation.

She always thought that Shen Man's ability to read and do math was taught by the white-bearded old man in her dream.

She worried that if the white-bearded old man stopped appearing one day, Shen Man wouldn't be able to learn anything new.

After all, nothing in dreams is ever certain!

"Okay, I understand. By the way, Mother, the village head asked you to go to his place when you have time to handle the paperwork for buying a house." Shen Man reluctantly agreed, then she remembered the matter of buying land and building a house and reminded Lanxiang.

"Mother will go soon. Once we buy the land, we'll find an auspicious day to start building the new house!" Lanxiang was very happy when she mentioned building the new house.

"You're building a new house? Remember to prepare a room for me!" Li Mufeng said bluntly.

"Why should I?" Shen Man muttered in dissatisfaction.

“You’ve falsely accused me of being a thief, and I’m the teacher you brought back from the county town!” Li Mufeng replied loudly, his voice filled with undisguised amusement.

It's so satisfying to let this girl experience what it's like to be humiliated!

"Man'er, Young Master Li is just teasing you. How could someone like him stay in this poor, remote place? Don't worry, Young Master Li, my new house will have two extra guest rooms. You can choose whichever you like!"