The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 270: Blackboard

Shen An and Shen Yin prepared hot water and tea for their guest, but Zeng Ziqian waved them off, declining the offer. He was in a hurry to leave, his urgency to implement the composting and crop rotation methods evident.

Shen Lie personally saw him off. After walking only a short distance, Zeng Ziqian recalled something and stopped. He turned to Shen Lie and Sang Luo, asking, “I want to bring two farmers who are familiar with composting to the capital, as they may need to provide some hands-on guidance there. Do you have any recommendations for such individuals?”

“To the capital?”

The couple exchanged a glance.

Sang Luo asked, “Do you know when you will be departing and how long you’ll be gone?”

“Departing as soon as tomorrow, by water route. It should take around forty days to return. Meals and lodging will be covered by us, and the government will provide an allowance of eight hundred coins for the trip.”

Sang Luo understood and said, “Alright, I’ll go ask around and, if I find suitable candidates, I’ll send them to the county office early tomorrow.”

“That works.”

With that, they parted ways.

Sang Luo waited for Shen Lie to return and asked, “Did you ask Uncle Tian and Zhou Cunzheng if they are willing to go on this trip?”

Old Chen was an excellent worker, but at over sixty, he might not handle the long journey well. Chen Youtian was an experienced farmer, and Zhou Cunzheng was not only good at farming but also literate. Sang Luo felt more confident if they went together.

Since Zeng Ziqian had set a tight schedule, the couple decided to visit the Chen and Zhou families that very night.

“To the capital?” Chen Youtian, who had been awake preparing desks and chairs with Old Chen, nearly dropped his jaw in disbelief.

“Yes,” Sang Luo explained the situation and asked if Chen Youtian was willing to go.

Before Chen Youtian could respond, Mrs. Chen eagerly answered, “Of course, go! It’s where the Emperor resides! The government will cover expenses and provide eight hundred coins.”

The Chen family had been making quite a bit of money with Sang Luo’s help, but eight hundred coins was still a lot for Mrs. Chen. The key was that they would be going to the capital, a place she had never even dared to dream of visiting.

“What a great opportunity!” Mrs. Chen was afraid Chen Youtian might hesitate.

She responded quickly, while Chen Youtian, after some initial hesitation, was also convinced and asked Sang Luo, “Will we only be teaching composting?”

“Yes, and we might also need to explain crop rotation methods.”

Chen Youtian, being trained by Sang Luo, was familiar with composting. He nervously licked his dry lips, looked at his father, his mother, and Qin Fangniang, all of whom were visibly excited.

“Alright, I’ll go!”

Sang Luo smiled and said, “Uncle Youtian, don’t be nervous. I’ll also check with Zhou Cunzheng. If he is available, you can travel together. Since it’s by water, you’ll mostly be on the boat. Just follow the officials.”

Hearing that Zhou Cunzheng might also go, Chen Youtian felt more at ease. “It’s good to have a companion. I’ll feel more secure.”

On the other side, Zhou’s family also learned from Shen Lie about the trip to the capital. They were just as excited and nervous. Zhou Cunzheng, in addition to being nervous, was so excited that he felt a bit lightheaded.

“This will be the highest official post I’ve held in my life. I didn’t expect to get such an opportunity thanks to Ah Luo.”

He immediately went to the Chen family and met with Sang Luo and Chen Youtian. After checking the weather in the north with Shen Lie, both families packed their clothes and were so excited they couldn’t sleep, making the night seem like an endless pancake griddle.

At the Shen household, Shen An, Shen Ning, and Shen Yin were also extremely excited. When Shen Lie and Sang Luo left, Shen Ning, having heard some commotion, got up and asked who had been there. After hearing from Shen An about the situation, he immediately realized something.

“Second Brother, has Big Sister-in-law achieved another accomplishment?”

“A great accomplishment.” Shen An, who had studied extensively, understood the significance of increased grain production for Da Qi and its people.

He felt not only pleased but also a different kind of pressure. He now understood why his elder brother had been working so hard in the academy, rarely taking a break after Big Sister-in-law’s repeated awards.

They were the ones being carried along. The faster Big Sister-in-law achieved success, the further they fell behind, increasing the pressure on them.

“I’m going to take a bath. And then read some more!”

—

Shen Lie did indeed feel pressure, but he did not show it too much in front of Sang Luo. After being away from home for a few days, they freshened up from their travels and had a quiet conversation before resting.

Early the next morning, as soon as the sky lightened, Chen Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng arrived at the Shen household with their baskets, ready to head to the city with Shen Lie and his brothers.

The Shen family had just finished breakfast. There was a delightful sweet fragrance in the courtyard. Sang Luo looked at Shen Ning, who smiled and went inside to get two small bamboo boxes, saying, “Big Sister-in-law made some new treats this morning. Uncle Youtian and Uncle Zhou, please take these with you for the journey.”

Zhou Cunzheng exclaimed, “Today is our lucky day, with such good food!”

They thanked Sang Luo and Shen Ning with smiles and put the boxes into their baskets. When Sang Luo saw the baskets, she noticed that besides the packages, they also contained some cakes and water.

Sang Luo had business to attend to in the city. Since it was the fifth day of the month, Shen Lie and Shen An needed to deliver a batch of cakes and bread to the shop. The group set off together. Chen Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng, with their baskets, blended in well, their excitement and the slight curl of their lips making them look no different from their usual trips to the fan workshop or the mountains.

After arriving in the city, they first delivered the goods to the shop, completed the handover with Xin Niang, who had been waiting there, and then Shen Lie and Shen An personally escorted Chen Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng to the county office. Sang Luo went to the back office to see Concubine Fan.

Concubine Fan had heard about Sang Luo renting the estate and setting up the workshop a few days ago and was curious. However, she had not visited Daxing Village due to her health and concerns about transmitting illness to Ayao and Qian Bao. Last night, she heard that Sang Luo had developed both a composting method and crop rotation techniques, which had been around for years. The composting method could increase rice yield by forty pounds per acre, and crop rotation prevented frequent fallow periods.

Zeng Ziqian had written a memorial the previous night and handed over some matters to Prefect He, as he was about to head to the capital.

Concubine Fan was thrilled. She was no longer lounging on the consort’s couch but stood up to greet Sang Luo.

“Is it true you came to visit me? Tell me about it. Just a few days have passed, and you’ve accomplished so much!”

While calling for tea and snacks, she pulled Sang Luo into the flower hall, but her keen nose caught a pleasant sweet fragrance, and her gaze fell on the small basket Sang Luo was carrying.

“What delicious treat have you brought me? It smells so good!”

Concubine Fan hadn’t had much of an appetite for several days.

“Egg tarts. They’re freshly made, a new product we’re planning to offer at the shop, though we don’t have the proper equipment yet, so they don’t look very nice. Please try them and see if they suit your taste.”

Indeed, egg tarts.

The estate had not introduced new products for a while. With so many sheep in the estate now, and an ample supply of sheep’s milk, Sang Luo decided to develop some new products.

Making these tarts wasn’t easy. There were no pre-made tart shells, no foil, and no white sugar. Although she didn’t have butter, she used vegetable oil to make the tart shells. White sugar was replaced with honey, and the tart molds were the smallest bowls from the set of congratulatory gifts received from the Wang family during their relocation.

After several attempts with a clay oven, and some batches ruined, she finally managed to produce something decent, though… they turned out rather large.

Concubine Fan, enticed by the aroma, tried one as soon as she entered the flower hall. Having never tasted such a treat before, her usually indifferent appetite was piqued: “These are delicious!”

Mrs. Zhong sighed with relief.

After finishing the tart and wiping her hands, Concubine Fan began to discuss the composting and crop rotation methods with Sang Luo. Though she found them intriguing, she had already been impressed by the improved plow and papermaking techniques. The conversation soon shifted to the workshop: “I was going to ask you earlier. Since you’ve set up a workshop for the fan industry, aren’t you worried about the recipes being leaked?”

In wealthy families, secret recipes were typically kept strictly confidential and only entrusted to loyal servants.

Sang Luo explained, “We’ve signed confidentiality agreements, and important processes are handled by trusted individuals. Other less critical tasks are managed by workshop workers. This method isn’t foolproof, and if the business grows, we’ll need more people.”

Concubine Fan wanted to suggest hiring more people but reconsidered given the current population of Da Qi. Instead, she asked if Sang Luo had other business in the city.

“With Ayao and Qian Bao being so young, they need constant attention. You can’t have come just to see me.”

Sang Luo smiled and replied, “Not exactly. The egg tarts you had—I’m going to order some ceramic molds and buy a few other things.”

She then explained her plan to set up a literacy class for the workshop workers and their children: “I’m just getting some teaching materials.”

Concubine Fan was surprised: “You’re hiring a teacher for the workshop workers and their children?”

Sang Luo nodded with a smile: “There’s no need to be so surprised. If they’re well-educated, they might end up working for me in the future. It’s naturally better if workers are literate.”

Concubine Fan asked, “Do you really have such foresight? Aren’t you worried they might leave after learning?”

Sang Luo responded cheerfully, “I’m doing what I want to do now. If they leave after learning, then that’s fine too.”

“Doing what you want?” Concubine Fan murmured, then nodded: “That’s true. It’s good to be sincere with people. They’ll naturally be more loyal to you. What teaching materials do you need? Rulers?”

Sang Luo shook her head with a smile: “No need for rulers. I plan to check with the carpenter’s shop to see if they have a piece of board painted black.”

The literacy class would include both adults and children. Teaching children to read the Thousand Word Classic might be easier, but adults could find it challenging and might struggle.

Thus, Sang Luo planned to tailor her teaching approach, adding simple, practical, and engaging content to complement the Thousand Word Classic, similar to modern children’s flashcards. She would start with common items and gradually introduce more difficult words.

She and Shen Ning had secretly made a lot of paper in the backyard. Although cards and ink would work, having large, easily erasable chalkboards would be more convenient for on-site teaching.

Of course, Sang Luo, being only human, wasn’t an expert in everything and didn’t know how blackboards were made, only that chalk seemed to be made from plaster.

She planned to visit a furniture shop to either buy or order a piece of black-painted wood.

Whether it would work out was yet to be seen.

“A black-painted board? What’s it for?”

“It’s for writing with white chalk. I don’t know if it will work; I need to have both the board and the chalk to test it out.”

Concubine Fan had never heard of chalk before and found it curious but didn’t ask further. Instead, she turned to Mrs. Zhong: “Do we have a set of old black-painted furniture in the storage room?”

Mrs. Zhong nodded: “Yes, it’s probably from officials who used it during the previous dynasty.”

Concubine Fan invited Sang Luo: “Don’t bother with the furniture shop. Painting takes time to dry. Come with me to the storage room. I remember there’s an old writing desk. If we take it apart, it’s just a board. See if you can use it.”

Sang Luo hadn’t expected such a fortunate opportunity and was delighted: “That would be perfect! I wouldn’t dare use a newly painted board for at least ten to fifteen days.”

Mrs. Zhong led the way to the storage room, and they indeed found a writing desk.

“Is it the right size?” Concubine Fan asked.

“Perfect! I couldn’t be luckier!” Sang Luo exclaimed.

Concubine Fan smiled and said, “You go ahead with your shopping. I’ll have the desk taken apart and sent to your home.”

Sang Luo, appreciative of the help, added: “I know you have skilled people. Could you also help modify the desk legs and other pieces to make a stable stand for the board? It doesn’t need to be very high, just enough for children to write comfortably.”

“Of course, that’s no problem. You just wait to use it,” Concubine Fan assured.