Yang Xi thanked Miss Zhao for bringing the chair, indicating that she had been sitting for a while and wanted to stand up. She walked to Sun Shi’s side and replied, “I’ve been a bit busy lately. I’ll continue teaching once the house is finished.”

Sun Shi asked, “I heard that the foundation for the house has been laid and construction has already begun.”

Because of the corvée labor, she hadn’t had time to care about the Zhou family. It was a rare opportunity for Madam Yang to come out today, so she decided to have a chat.

Yang Xi nodded. “Construction has already started. It should be finished in about half a month. After it’s been dried out and the smell dissipated, we can move in.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Shi asked, “Won’t the corvée labor affect the construction of the house?”

Yang Xi explained, “Each family only needs to send one able-bodied laborer for corvée labor. Every family in the village has several able-bodied laborers, so it won’t affect the construction of the house.”

Sun Shi thought about her own unfinished courtyard and had been busy buying adobe bricks and timber these past few days. Today, her husband had taken his two sons to the village to hire people. “We’ll build the courtyard with adobe bricks. It should be finished in about seven or eight days.”

Yang Xi asked, “Have you bought enough adobe bricks?”

Sun Shi’s thin face broke into a smile. “Yes, enough. Big villages are great; it’s easy to buy adobe bricks.”

Yang Xi then asked when construction would start and learned that it would start tomorrow. “Let me know if you need any help.”

Sun Shi had the urge to take advantage of the situation but didn’t dare. Her husband had given her a stern warning, so she shook her head and said, “Everything is ready. Thank you for your concern, madam.”

Yang Xi walked around the courtyard for a while longer, then, feeling it was about time, she took her bouncing son back to the house.

Inside the house, Liu Ke was working on a problem. He had brought his own pen, ink, paper, and inkstone; he needed to keep records of his calculations, practice his numbers, and keep the accounts neat so the person reviewing them would be more comfortable.

The day for corvée registration arrived quickly. The Zhou family lived in town, and Liu Lizheng personally led the yamen runners there. After registration, Liu Lizheng didn’t leave immediately.

He asked, “Can I listen for a while?”

Yang Xi was speechless.

This was blatant freeloading; they couldn’t just send him away. The yamen runners had come personally, and they were very polite during registration, all out of respect for Liu Lizheng.

Zhou Yu succinctly replied, “Sure.”

Liu Lizheng took his son’s pen, glanced at his much neater handwriting, and was quite satisfied. He stroked his beard, ignoring his younger son’s pleading look for the pen.

Zhou Yu wouldn’t re-explain the lesson to Liu Lizheng; he’d let Liu Lizheng understand as much as he could.

Liu Lizheng was much better at math than his son, despite his advanced age. He was surprised that there was such a simple accounting method; no wonder his younger son learned so quickly and could calculate so well in his mind. However, he still needed to ask Zhou Xiansheng.

Zhou Bing put down his book, glancing at Liu Lizheng out of the corner of his eye. He felt his own knowledge was still lacking!

At noon, knowing the Zhou family’s meals, Liu Lizheng sent his son to buy roast chicken and some snacks to go with the drinks.

Liu Lizheng said, “Let me add a few more dishes.”

Zhou Yu’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. These days, he had only seen this old man handling money, and this was the first time he was willing to spend money.

“Please speak frankly, sir,” he said, lest he have no choice but to agree after the food was in his stomach.

Liu Lizheng clicked his tongue inwardly. This Zhou Xiansheng was far too cautious. “It’s nothing; I just wanted to ask if my youngest son’s simplified arithmetic skills could be passed on to his second brother?”

He had five sons, and treating them all equally was too difficult. The eldest son was the heir, so he had to be favored from a young age. The second and third sons were neglected. The fourth son was clever, and his in-laws treated him like their own son, so he learned the in-laws’ skills in processing medicinal herbs.

The youngest son was born in his old age, so naturally, he was favored.

His second son hadn’t said anything, but he was also upset about sending his youngest son to learn, and Liu Lizheng felt a pang of unease seeing it.

Zhou Yu’s mind raced. “Your second son is good at math?”

Liu Lizheng, “Did my youngest son tell you that?”

“No, I guessed.”

Liu Lizheng was speechless. “So easy to guess? “

Zhou Yu pulled his son into his lap, squeezing his son’s chubby hand. “He can only teach your second son, not to anyone else.”

Liu Lizheng was hoping his son could teach his grandson!

Zhou Yu explained his plan: “Once the house is built, I plan to open a school in the village to teach the children to read and do math. If you trust me, you can send your child to study.”

Liu Lizheng was stunned, frowning. “Does Xiansheng have any official rank?”

At the very least, one had to be a Tongsheng. The private schools in the town were all run by Xiucai.

Zhou Yu said, “No. If you trust me, just send him over.”

He wasn’t forcing any child to come study under him. This was one of the differences between the North and the South. Back in Jiazhou, when he offered to teach in the village, people would send their children over without asking many questions.

Things were different in the South. Shanghe Village alone had produced two Xiucai, and there were three private schools in the town. People had plenty of options to choose from and compare. Someone like him, lacking any official credentials, simply wouldn’t be widely recognized.

Why didn’t Shanghe Village have a private school? Because the Xiucai had moved to the town.

After sitting through a lesson, Liu Lizheng became certain that Zhou Xiansheng possessed genuine ability. Ordinary people placed their faith in academic degrees and official credentials, but then another thought occurred to him: it was actually better that not many people believed in Zhou Xiansheng’s abilities. That way, his own family could quietly reap the benefits.

“Of course, I trust Xiansheng,” Liu Lizheng said.

If Zhou Xiansheng could guide his younger brother all the way to the Tongsheng examination, then he certainly couldn’t be lacking in ability himself.

Liu Lizheng had some wine that afternoon, and Liu Ke accompanied him home. They would return the next day.

That afternoon, Liu Lizheng drank some wine, and Liu Ke went back with him, planning to come again the next day. That evening, Yang Xi prepared Zhou Yu’s luggage for his corvée labor, including a change of clothes. Corvée labor would involve living in a communal dormitory, and even if the pay was better, the conditions wouldn’t be much better. She also made sure to bring a good blanket.

Yang Xi stared at Zhou Yu’s hair, making Zhou Yu uncomfortable. “Is there something wrong with my hair?”

Yang Xi asked with concern. “Will you get lice when you come back?”

Zhou Yu exclaimed, “!!”

That was a good question. They hadn’t encountered any refugees on their journey south, and they had been careful to avoid lice.

The people performing corvée labor were a mixed bag. Few bathed in winter, so many were infested with lice. Every household carried combs and used them to comb their hair!

Zhou Yu didn’t want to go to corvée labor; just thinking about it made his scalp ache, and he couldn’t help but scratch it.

Yang Xi also felt a chill run down her spine; if one person got lice, the whole family was likely to be infected. “I’ll go to the pharmacy tomorrow and buy some medicine powder for you to take.”

Zhou Yu agreed.

The dike construction started at the border of the county, quite far from the town; being closer meant he could commute.

The day for corvée labor arrived quickly. No yamen runners picked them up; everyone had to go on their own. Those with better conditions had oxcarts to take them, while those without had to walk.

Yang Xi was worried, so she and Third Yang personally escorted Zhou Yu to his corvée labor. Liu Li was arriving in an oxcart, and the two families traveled together.

The journey from Yangzhen to the dike takes nearly an hour. They first need to repair the dike at the county border. Their group hadn’t arrived early; villagers from nearby villages were already there.

Yang Xi saw a long line of men performing corvée labor, with yamen runners registering names to check for any evaders.

Yang Xi didn’t dismount. Liu Lizheng, leading Zhou Yu and Liu Ke, went to find their uncle. Yang Xi noticed more and more people performing corvée labor heading this way. 　

Observing them up close was quite impressive.

A little while later, Zhou Yu returned. Liu Lizheng looked at him strangely, and Zhou Yu’s eyes were also full of surprise.

Yang Xi asked, “What’s wrong?”   

(End of Chapter)

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