Hearing Hu Fan say this, Mao You chuckled, "Lord Hu, do you think he's suitable to be the village head now?"
Hu Fan nodded with satisfaction, "You handle this. Tell Zhao Chunqiang to get lost quickly, don't delay Chen Xiaobei's arrival."
Mao You agreed and left with a smile.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaobei, accompanied by Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiaoer, had already arrived at Qingniu County town.
Under Cui Hongyu's direction, the carriage turned left and right, finally stopping in front of a courtyard house. It was an ordinary household.
But there were some unusual features.
The main gate was painted vermilion, a type of gate usually only used by wealthy families in this era.
To the left of the main gate, a bamboo grove was planted. The bamboo leaves rustled in the wind.
To the right of the main gate stood a plum blossom tree. There were no plum blossoms at this season, but the leaves were quite dense.
Cui Hongyu stepped forward and gently tapped the iron rings on the door a few times.
Before long, with a creak, the door opened.
A girl of twelve or thirteen, dressed in coarse cloth and with her two small braids neatly done, appeared.
Upon seeing Cui Hongyu, the girl's face lit up with a warm smile.
"Oh, Auntie is here!"
Cui Hongyu nodded, "Xiao Hua, is Ziyan in?"
"Yes, Auntie, please come in."
Before even entering the house, Xiao Hua called out loudly, "Master, Master, Auntie is here."
Soon, a door opened and a voice floated out before the person appeared, "You're so startled, you have no manners."
The voice was as pleasant as a warbler's song.
As the voice faded, Ziyan walked out. She truly had eyebrows like willow leaves, a mouth like cherries, and eyes that sparkled with beauty and charm.
Dressed in a white gown and with hair reaching her waist, she looked like an immortal from a painting.
Seeing Cui Hongyu, Ziyan appeared very excited. She stepped forward and took Cui Hongyu's arm, "Sister, you haven't visited for over half a year."
As she spoke, she looked at Chen Xiaobei and Chen Qiaoer with eyes full of confusion.
"Sister, who is this..."
Cui Hongyu smiled gently, took Ziyan's hand, and turned to Chen Xiaobei, "This is my husband, Chen Xiaobei, and this is my sister, Chen Qiaoer."
"Husband, this is my good friend, Shen Ziyan."
Ziyan looked at Cui Hongyu with surprise, but it flashed by. She maintained her smiling demeanor and bowed to Chen Xiaobei, "Ziyan greets Young Master Chen."
After speaking, she stepped aside, "The three of you, please come inside."
They entered the house.
Xiao Hua served tea to everyone and stood obediently behind Ziyan.
"Sister Ziyan, I don't usually come to you without a reason. I've come this time because I need your help with something."
Ziyan smiled slightly, "I knew it. Whenever you visit, you always have something to ask."
"Alright, no more jokes. I'm serious this time," Cui Hongyu said with a solemn expression, "My husband has built several schools in Hetou Village, but we lack a teacher. I want to ask you to come out of seclusion and teach the children to read."
Ziyan was taken aback, "Sister, I'm afraid I can't do that."
"I'm used to living a leisurely life alone and can't do something so restrictive."
Cui Hongyu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and gently put it down before speaking at a moderate pace, "Being a teacher, how is that restrictive?"
Ziyan still shook her head, "Oh, Sister, please don't make things difficult for me. They say that poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people. I don't want to go to a mountain village."
Cui Hongyu looked at Chen Xiaobei again, then said with a smile, "You don't need to worry about that. Who in the village would dare bully you? Just tell my husband, and he'll stand up for you."
Ziyan looked at Chen Xiaobei, who was just a young man of sixteen or seventeen. She couldn't help but laugh, "Sister, stop teasing me. Since you're here today, stay for a meal. I'll personally cook a soup for you."
Cui Hongyu's expression was truly serious, "Ziyan, I'm talking business with you, really. As long as you go to Hetou Village to teach the children, you can name your price."
Ziyan looked at Cui Hongyu in surprise. Seeing her serious demeanor, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, "Then how about ten taels of silver a month? Will you pay that too?"
Now it was Cui Hongyu's turn to feel awkward. Ten taels of silver was indeed an exorbitant price.
She turned to look at Chen Xiaobei. Chen Xiaobei thought to himself that ten taels of silver was indeed a high price, but knowledge was priceless. As long as the children could learn more, ten taels was ten taels. He had plenty of ways to make money anyway.
At worst, he could make a few more trips to Hua Hao Tang each month.
"Alright, ten taels it is. Miss Ziyan, we have a deal."
Now it was Ziyan's turn to be surprised. Her eyes widened as she looked at Chen Xiaobei in disbelief.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu smiled gently, "Ziyan, I forgot to tell you, my husband is the village head of Hetou Village, so he has the final say in this matter."
Ziyan's eyes widened even further, "What, he, he's the village head?"
Cui Hongyu said with a smile, "What, does he not look like it?"
Chen Xiaobei looked at Ziyan and said earnestly, "Miss Ziyan, we've agreed then. When would you be willing to come to our village?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ziyan's face flushed red.
She looked at Cui Hongyu, then at Chen Xiaobei, and finally turned back to Cui Hongyu, stamping her foot, "Sister Hongyu, you two colluded to bully me."
After saying that, she turned and went into the inner room.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu shook her head helplessly and sighed. She suddenly raised her voice and shouted inside, "Ziyan, I forgot to tell you, our village has many students. You'll need to find someone else to come with you. The two of you can go together."
There was no response from the room, but Cui Hongyu didn't care. She continued, "I'll give you three days. I'll come to pick up the person then. Be prepared."
After speaking, she pointed towards the door, signaling Chen Xiaobei to leave quickly.
Chen Xiaobei didn't understand why, but he still took Chen Qiaoer's hand and walked out with Cui Hongyu.
Xiao Hua followed behind, escorting the three of them to the main gate.
Cui Hongyu said to Xiao Hua, "Go back and tell Ziyan not to delay my husband's important business."
When Xiao Hua returned to the house from the main gate, Ziyan had already come out from the inner room, "Sister Hongyu has left?"
Xiao Hua nodded, "Master, do we really have to go to their village?"
Ziyan nodded, "Sister Hongyu is asking me for the first time, how can I not help her?"
"But she said you need to find another helper. Where will you find one?"
"I have my ways."
As she spoke, Ziyan returned to the inner room, dipped her brush in ink, and wrote a letter with swift strokes.
"Take this letter to Sister Huang Ying and ask her to come and assist me." Su Dan Novel Network
Chen Xiaobei, who had rarely visited the county town, took Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiaoer to a silk shop. They bought fabric and had a tailor measure them for new clothes.