Chapter 178 1/3

Qian Fugui harbored doubts in his mind, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He followed Shen Zhilan’s lead and inquired about Li Qingzhi.

Coincidentally, due to the book sent by Zhang, the provincial governor, Shen Zhilan had inquired about Li Qingzhi and even looked into some books written by him.

With a smile, Shen Zhilan recounted some of Li Qingzhi’s deeds to Qian Fugui, praising him profusely.

The more Qian Fugui heard, the more perplexed he became. The Li Qingzhi described by Shen Zhilan bore no resemblance to his impression of his nephew!

He had some matters to attend to tomorrow, but after the New Year’s Eve, he intended to visit Chongcheng County to meet his nephew.

When Qian Fugui left the Shen residence, he carried a wooden box.

Inside the box were several books, abbreviated versions of Li Qingzhi’s works, as Shen Zhilan had described, exceptionally well-written.

Shen Zhilan also mentioned that Li Qingzhi had written a new book, which would be printed and sold at the Shen family’s bookstore after the New Year.

The sky had already turned completely dark.

Both sides of the cobblestone road were lined with houses, each illuminated by lights shining through the windows, yet there were few pedestrians on the streets.

Shen Zhilan instructed two servants from the Shen family to accompany Qian Fugui back with lanterns. Walking on the main street, Qian Fugui still felt somewhat bewildered.

He had learned too much on this day.

That night, Qian Fugui hardly slept. He wrote several letters, some to his younger brother and others to the managers under his employ.

Early the next morning, he summoned a few trusted individuals and instructed them to deliver the letters. Then, he sat in front of the man who had betrayed him, smiling as he asked, “Xiao Ba, isn’t your son only three years old?”

The man, who had been bound upon his return to the inn, trembled all over, looking at Qian Fugui with fear.

In Chongcheng County, Li Qingzhi descended the stairs with a yawn, preparing to have breakfast.

Yesterday, after his conversation with Qian Fugui, it was already around four in the afternoon by modern time when they finished. It was around five when they reached the dock; traveling by boat at night was slower. By the time they returned to Chongcheng County, it was already past eleven in the evening, and when he finally went to bed, it was already in the early hours of the morning.

Although he could stay awake with the help of his golden finger, he normally wouldn’t do so. He preferred to ensure he had enough sleep. Today, he just woke up a bit later.

Jin Xiaoye and the others had already had breakfast. Jin Xiaoye was currently directing people to move things into the house, while Li Damao and Li Ermao were playing on the side.

Upon seeing Li Qingzhi, the two children immediately rushed over. “Dad, are you hungry?”

“Dad, Uncle Chang asked me to tell you that the food is in the pot.”

Li Qingzhi went to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the pot, finding half a pot of hot water at the bottom. On top of it was a steaming rack, with a small basin of egg-fried rice and a bowl of tofu pudding.

On the new dock side, there were now as many boats as the original dock, and people were gradually opening shops here.

Buns, steamed buns, noodles, fried dough sticks, soy milk, tofu pudding… These common foods were all available near the new dock.

This tofu pudding should have been bought by Uncle Chang.

In Chongcheng County, people usually ate tofu pudding with soy sauce and chopped green onions, but Uncle Chang was more particular. He made a broth with wood ear mushrooms, diced meat, tofu skin, and eggs, similar to hot and sour soup, and poured it over the tofu pudding.

This kind of tofu pudding was absolutely delicious!

Li Qingzhi ate happily, and the students who stayed behind for the New Year’s holiday at Chongcheng Elementary School were also enjoying themselves.

They were having porridge today, but each person received a salted duck egg and a large spoonful of stir-fried pickles.

The porridge was especially thick and comforting. After finishing a bowl, everyone felt content.

Since it was the end of the year, Li Damao and Li Ermao didn’t need to go to school today. Li Qingzhi took them to Chongcheng Elementary School.

Li Damao and Li Ermao really liked this school, which was just a wall away from their home. Li Ermao asked, “Dad, can I study here in the future?”

“Probably not. They start from the basics here, and what they teach would be too simple for you,” Li Qingzhi replied.

When Jin Xiaoye taught the female workers from Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop, Li Damao and Li Ermao had listened in. The knowledge taught there was indeed too basic for them.

“Then can I be their teacher?” Li Ermao asked again.

“You’re too short,” Li Qingzhi said.

“Dad, I can bring a stool to teach them!” Li Ermao suggested.

“That’s possible. You can try it later,” Li Qingzhi agreed.

Li Damao, hearing this, was also excited. “Dad, can I do it too?”

“Of course, you can. Xiaodou, you can also be a teacher.”

“I can’t, I can’t be a teacher,” Zhao Xiaodou hurriedly declined.

Li Qingzhi patted his head. “You can, Xiaodou. You’ll be a good teacher.”

Zhao Xiaodou lacked confidence, so Li Qingzhi would always praise him. Every time he praised Zhao Xiaodou

, the latter would be very happy.

“What about me?” Chang Cui asked.

Li Qingzhi lifted her up. “Cui Cui, let Cat Sister take you to listen in.”

Chang Cui could go to school, but she was a bit young, so there weren’t many requirements for her. She could just listen casually for now.

In the morning, Li Qingzhi accompanied the children, and in the afternoon, he continued writing “The Solitary Traveler’s Diary.”

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

Li Laogen wanted to go back to Miaoqian Village to celebrate the New Year. This way, he could show off the sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner to the villagers.

But Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye disagreed.

The house in Miaoqian Village hadn’t been lived in for a long time, and it would take a long time to clean up. What was the point?

“You young people just don’t understand. You have to go back to your hometown for the New Year!” Li Laogen insisted.

“Here is only a few miles away from the village. How can that be considered our hometown?” Li Qingzhi retorted.

“It is!” Li Laogen insisted.

Li Qingzhi couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. “Anyway, we’re not going back.”

Li Laogen was so anxious that he jumped up and down, stomping his feet.

He really did jump up and down.

At a height of only 1.5 meters, he bounced on the ground several times, never reaching as high as Li Qingzhi.

In front of Li Qingzhi, Li Laogen was like a child.

Li Laogen had no choice but to say resentfully, “If you’re not going, I’ll go by myself!”

Li Qingzhi asked, “Are you still eating at home?”

“Yes!” Li Laogen replied without hesitation. He wanted to show off a bit, so of course he had to eat at home!

But he would bring some dishes to Miaoqian Village to show off to the villagers!

Seeing him like this, Li Qingzhi couldn’t help but laugh.

Early in the morning, Zhao Laosan came to take Zhao Xiaodou home and brought a chicken and a duck to Li Qingzhi.

Since Juewei Zhai opened, the price of chickens and ducks in Chongcheng County had increased. Raising chickens and ducks could earn quite a bit of money, so almost every household with surplus grain bought chickens and ducks to raise.

Zhao Laosan’s stepson and stepdaughter were not young anymore, and the elders in the Zhao family were still in good health… Although Zhao Laosan had been busy outside almost all year and had no time to do household chores, the Zhao family still raised chickens and ducks.

Next year, when Zhao Laosan came to guard Li Qingzhi’s gate and his wife came to work as a chef, the Zhao family’s fields would be completely taken care of by his stepson. During the busy farming season, if they were too busy to handle it… Li Qingzhi had said that they would be given a break during the busy farming season so they could return to work in the fields.