Compared to that, the recipe for making medicine using garlic held by the young Crown Prince was truly worth a fortune.
Garlic was worth very little, based on their knowledge, the preparation method might not be that difficult. It was precisely because of this that they had acted against their conscience to give the prescription to the Marquis, only to find that even a physician as rare as Physician Yan could not concoct it.
They did not doubt that the prescription was fake, nor did they doubt that the medicine was fake; they suspected that there might be something in the preparation process that they had overlooked.
Unfortunately, the Marquis would not allow them to act, so they could only suppress their doubts.
Fu Chunsheng honestly reviewed the list, after finishing, he hesitated for a moment before approaching Zhu Ci to say, "Young Master, there are a few people on here that I am unsure about. Would you like to take a look?"
Zhu Ci asked, "Hmm? Unsure? What is inappropriate about them?"
He took the list and glanced at it. Fu Chunsheng pointed to several names among them and said, "These several seem to be children of the Baochang. These two are his grandsons, these two are his maternal grandsons."
Zhu Ci frowned after reading it: "Nonsense! How can you let children come out to work?"
Fu Chunsheng had originally felt that it was unfair of the Baochang to plant all of his own children in there, but after hearing Zhu Ci's words, he couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.
He couldn't help but cast a strange glance at Zhu Ci, thinking to himself: Your tone makes it sound as if you're much older than them, but several of those so-called children are actually older than you.
Some of the young masters here are already sixteen years old, he didn't think anything of those who were eleven or twelve and already out working.
The Marquis's manor does not keep idle people; they had already begun working for the Marquis when they were eleven or twelve years old.
After carefully reading through the list, Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "Eliminate everyone on the list under the age of eighteen. As for these orphans.. have the Baochang send them over."
In this era, Xi Zhenliu was not the only poor child; there were many other orphans in Lishui Village.
These children had all survived only because their families had hidden them in cellars or even more concealed locations.
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he paused and asked again, "Those orphans.. are they all boys?"
Fu Chunsheng said in a low voice, "I will go and ask."
Zhu Ci nodded, after thinking for a moment, he said, "If there are any young girls under fifteen, send them here as well. Hmm, wait.. no rush, I'll go ask Xi Zhenliu first."
Fu Chunsheng was somewhat puzzled, not understanding why he needed to ask Xi Zhenliu; what could that child possibly understand?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: We have principles, you know! We don't employ child labor. If it really comes down to it, I can give them a home as well~ [A cat standing in a courtyard seriously counting rooms. jpg]
Next update at noon~
Chapter 45
When Zhu Ci went looking for him, Qiu Jingfu was leading Xi Zhenliu in reciting the Thousand Character Classic.
Zhu Ci did not barge into the classroom, but instead had Fu Qiulu bring a stool to sit by the door and listen.
He listened while contemplating, thinking that for basic education, he could simply have Qiu Jingfu follow the common methods of this era, but once they reached more advanced studies, it would be best to make some changes or perhaps add more subjects.
Chinese and history should be combined into one subject, mathematics must be included, there should be physical education too—hmm, let's say martial arts training.
His plans were mostly settled, it had also reached the time for the midday dismissal.
Xi Zhenliu had been reciting all morning, leaving his mouth and tongue parched. As soon as class was over, he immediately ran out, his eyes shining as he bowed to Zhu Ci: "Young Master."
Zhu Ci patted his head: "Good boy, go play over there for a while first. Wait until I have something to tell you."
Xi Zhenliu obediently went to the side and began practicing horse stance.
Zhu Ci asked softly, "Master Qiu, have you been accustomed to the food, clothing, housing, travel these past few days? If there is anything you are not used to, or if Qiulu has overlooked anything, please tell me directly. Do not let yourself suffer."
Qiu Jingfu had originally thought that Zhu Ci had come to inquire about his studies, after all, he had been teaching Xi Zhenliu for five or six days now, before today, the Young Master had not asked anything.
Qiu Jingfu immediately said, "Thank you, Young Master. Miss Qiulu is very attentive; everything is fine with this old man."
Zhu Ci nodded and said, "Then I am relieved. I came this time to ask if Teacher Qiu would mind having a few more students?"
Qiu Jingfu was somewhat surprised after hearing this: "A few more people? Who are they?"
Zhu Ci explained, "Ah, just those orphans from Lishui Village."
He did not explain much further; Qiu Jingfu likely understood the orphans' situation better than he did.
Qiu Jingfu's expression turned solemn as he listened, he bowed solemnly to Zhu Ci, saying, "This is a righteous deed. This old man thanks the Young Master on behalf of those children."
How could he not know that those orphans would find it difficult to survive in such a world?
It was just that before, he could barely look after himself, now he also had to live at the mercy of others; even if he provided a considerable amount, it would still be difficult to raise those orphans.
At most, he could only provide occasional assistance. To send these orphans to the Coal Production Factory, he had to give Xi Ping a heads-up, stating that he was willing to put in a good word for them with the Young Master, in hopes that they could attend the lectures.
For Qiu Jingfu, whether it was one sheep or a flock of sheep, it was all the same.
The most important thing was that if there was only one student, what if Xi Zhenliu lacked talent? The Young Master would doubt his teaching ability. If there were more people, as long as one or two were outstanding, he wouldn't need to explain himself.
Upon hearing that Zhu Ci actually intended to adopt those orphans, he was deeply moved, his devotion to him became even more unwavering.
Could a person who cannot bear to see the suffering of the common people be a bad person? When working with someone like this, the thing one least needs to worry about is being discarded after being used.
Seeing his agreement, Zhu Ci said, "In that case, I shall go and select a site. Although this courtyard is not small, it is ultimately not suitable to be used as a school. I will find someone to build a new one. If Scholar Qiu has any requirements, please feel free to voice them."
In an instant, Qiu Jingfu felt as though his life had finally become complete.
Not only were his future needs for food, clothing, shelter, transportation secured, but he was even about to have his own school, as if all the hardships of the past sixty years were being compensated for at this very moment.
Qiu Jingfu said repeatedly, "You are too polite, Young Master. This old man has no special requests."
After exchanging a few polite words with him, Zhu Ci turned and led Xi Zhenliu to the study.
Once they arrived in the study, Zhu Ci considered his words and said, "Little Xi Zhenliu, how about I sign a lease agreement with you?"
Xi Zhenliu blinked and said, "What does the Young Master want? Is it a little pony or a little rabbit? Or perhaps wooden swords and wooden sabers? There is no need to borrow; I will give them all to you."
Zhu Ci smiled slightly after hearing this. "It's not those. Right now, there are some homeless young girls who need a place to stay. I want to borrow your land to build a new house. Don't worry, that house will be yours in the future; they will only be staying there temporarily. I will move elsewhere in the future."
Zhu Ci had originally wanted to let those young girls move in; his courtyard was incredibly large, to say the least, even without that many rooms, he could build some more.
However, after thinking it over, he felt it was ultimately somewhat inappropriate; if boys came to his place, they would be considered his future subordinates.
If the little girl enters his courtyard, people might look at them through colored glasses.
Moreover, among those orphans, there were several boys who were already fifteen or sixteen years old, at that restless age of youth; it would be unfortunate if any trouble were to arise.
Since Zhu Ci had adopted those children, he naturally had to consider their needs in every aspect.
It would be best to let them live outside, the location of Xi Zhenliu's house was the most suitable; it wasn't very far from his courtyard, nor was it too close, so he could look after them if anything happened.
Xi Zhenliu said very readily, "My family's house can also be given to the Young Master."
Zhu Ci patted his head and said, "There is no need. Remember, your land and property are things your parents left for you to establish yourself and make a living. In the future, no matter who asks for them, you must not agree, even if they want to buy them from you. Not until you are eighteen; only then can you dispose of them as you wish."
Xi Zhenliu nodded, looking as if he understood but didn't quite grasp it.
In order to leave a lasting impression on this little fellow and make him realize that landed property was a very important thing, Zhu Ci simply took him to Xi Ping to act as an impartial judge.
Xi Ping knew that after Zhu Ci even adopted those poor girls, he said repeatedly, "They have truly encountered great luck with the Young Master."
Zhu Ci sighed and said, "They are all pitiful souls."
Boys can barely survive in this world, girls.. even if they do survive, it might be a miserable existence.
If I see them, I'll give them a hand.
The only thing that worried him was that he now had a family to support, the possibility of going out to sea had dropped to its lowest point; he couldn't exactly take a group of children out to sea, could he?
A child's immune system hasn't fully developed yet; what if something happens to them?
Xi Ping was unaware of his reflections, having only witnessed the establishment of this lease agreement. He hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Young Master, this old man heard that you intend to build a school?"
Zhu Ci responded, "Yes, I'll also need the Baochang to help find some able-bodied men to build the house; they'll be provided with food, wages will be paid daily."
Xi Ping waved his hands repeatedly. "We are all neighbors and kin, helping each other. How could we possibly take the Young Master's money?"
Zhu Ci insisted, "Life is difficult for every household right now, with the strange weather we've seen this year, even if it warms up, the farming season will have been delayed to some extent. It's uncertain how much grain can be harvested, so we cannot let everyone work for nothing."
He knew that in the countryside, there were customs; when a family built a house, the men of the household would go to lend a hand. As long as they provided food and a bit of tobacco, it was fine, no money was required. It was all about villagers helping one another.
But he couldn't possibly go help people build houses, let alone given the current situation in the village, where few families likely had extra money to build houses. Even if they did have money, as long as their houses weren't damaged, they would rather save their money than easily spend it on repairs.
Xi Ping saw that he was persistent and did not try to persuade him further, but the words he wanted to say seemed filled with hesitation.
Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhu Ci asked, "Why the sudden interest in the academy?"
Xi Ping said with a forced smile, "This.. it is that this old man has a bit of selfishness, wanting his grandson to follow and study at the academy as well."
Zhu Ci understood, after thinking for a moment, he said, "I need to think about this matter. At present, all those who can go to Scholar Qiu's place to study are children I have adopted. To be honest, these children are meant to work for me in the future.."
Before he could finish his sentence, Xi Ping said repeatedly, "My grandson can also work for the Young Master."
This kind of matter was definitely a good thing for the Xi Family; even if Zhu Ci hadn't said it, he would have wanted his grandson to follow the Young Master.
After hearing this, Zhu Ci glanced at Xi Ping and said, "The lad in your family is not like those other children. Fine, I have it in mind. Once I return and think about it, I will let you know whether it can be done or not."
Xi Ping could only see Zhu Ci off with a sense of trepidation.
After Zhu Ci left, Xi Shan carefully came out and asked, "A-fu, what did the Young Master say was different? How is it different? Are Dalang and the others not smarter than those other children?"
Xi Ping gave him a glance, tapped the ground with his cane, said with frustration, "With a father as stupid as you, how much smarter could Dalang and the others possibly be?"
Xi Ping muttered with some indignation after hearing that, "It's not like I was born from you. If I'm stupid, then you.. Ouch.."
Xi Ping was struck by a staff before he could even finish speaking.
He grimaced while rubbing his back and said, "A-fu, don't just hit me, tell me why instead."
Xi Ping sighed and said, "Those children have no parents and no kin, so naturally they have nothing to hold them back. Sigh.."
These children had their lives saved, so they must be grateful to the Young Master in their hearts, they will be loyal only to him in the future.
Xi Ping said directly upon hearing this, "Then Sanlang and Silang would be fine too. Just let them follow the Young Master constantly; the Young Master certainly won't make them neglect their family."
Dalang is to inherit the family business in the future, so he cannot be sent away easily, but the other sons could be.
You certainly have high hopes. It's not even certain whether the Young Master will accept them, let alone if they are to be given away—if they are to be given away, they must all be sent at once. Dalang absolutely cannot be left behind.
The eldest grandson, who was to inherit the family estate, was illiterate, while the other grandsons were able to read and practice martial arts. This wasn't valuing the eldest grandson; this was mistreating him.
Xi Ping scratched the back of his head after hearing that. "Sigh, that's true."
At this very moment, Zhu Ci was also pondering this question.
He was short on men; it was impossible to rely entirely on training orphans, not to mention how young these orphans were? How long would it take to train them before they could be of any use?