In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 136 Returning to the old business

"Everyone make way, the village chief and Brother Dao are here!"

Just then, a loud shout came, and everyone turned around to look. They saw the village chief and Chen Dao walking side by side, followed by Chen Cheng, Chen Da, Li Ping and others.

"Is Daoge here?"

"Brother Dao, the wheat we planted has sprouted!"

"Brother Dao, the wheat has sprouted!"

"..."

Everyone crowded around Chen Dao, their faces beaming with smiles, their words seemingly both seeking praise and eager for Chen Dao to know the good news as soon as possible.

"Everyone, make way, don't block Daoge's way!"

Seeing that everyone was blocking Chen Dao's way, Chen He hurriedly signaled everyone to make way so that Chen Dao could reach the edge of the field smoothly.

Chen Dao stood by the field, looking at the patches of green sprouting from the once barren land, and felt a sense of peace in his heart!

To be honest, before this, Chen Dao was also a little apprehensive, unsure whether cold-resistant wheat could really grow in such frigid weather.

Good thing...

My magic touch is still as powerful as ever; the upgraded cold-resistant wheat can indeed germinate and grow in harsh, cold weather!

"thanks everyone!"

Chen Dao turned to the villagers and said, "I have seen everyone's hard work. The fact that this batch of wheat was able to sprout is all thanks to everyone!"

"Hehe! Brother Dao speaks so sweetly!"

"Brother Dao, what we've done is nothing!"

"Brother Dao, what are you saying? You give us steamed buns to eat, so it's only right that we work hard."

"..."

The villagers were clearly pleased with Chen Dao's words and laughed.

Chen Dao continued, "I, Chen Dao, have never farmed before and don't know how to take care of these wheat crops. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble everyone to continue looking after them! But don't worry, fellow villagers, I, Chen Dao, will not shortchange you on any food you are entitled to!"

"Don't worry, Brother Dao! We'll definitely take good care of your wheat!"

"I'm not bragging, but I've been farming for 20 years. Taking care of these wheat crops is a piece of cake for me."

"Brother Dao, you can rest assured. We will take good care of these wheat crops for you. Just wait for the wheat harvest."

"..."

Seeing the wheat sprout undoubtedly boosted the villagers' enthusiasm. Before the wheat sprouted, although they were willing to work because of the steamed buns provided by Chen Dao, they were still unsure and afraid of wasting their efforts.

Seeing the wheat sprout, the villagers finally felt reassured and their enthusiasm soared as they busied themselves in the fields.

Some villagers are responsible for irrigation, some for fertilizing, and some for clearing weeds, making the farmland look very orderly.

Chen Dao stood by the field, gazing at the tender green wheat sprouts, lost in thought.

The successful cultivation of cold-resistant wheat means that the days of food self-sufficiency are not far away. However, there is one thing Chen Dao still needs to be wary of, which is... whether someone will steal the wheat.

Cold-resistant wheat that can grow in frigid weather is undoubtedly a precious grain, making it hard not to covet it. This is why Chen Dao specifically brought Dahuang and Xiaohuang with him before leaving home.

Both Big Yellow and Little Yellow have a strong sense of territory, so having them guard the farmland should be no problem.

Thinking of this, Chen Dao squatted down and said to Big Yellow and Little Yellow, who were sticking out their tongues, "Big Yellow, Little Yellow, how about I leave this farmland to you two to guard from now on?"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Big Yellow and Little Yellow are quite intelligent and clearly understood Chen Dao's words, responding to him with barks.

Seeing this, Chen Dao immediately felt relieved, loosened the dog leash, and let Da Huang and Xiao Huang out.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Big Yellow and Little Yellow ran happily around the edge of the field, like the masters of the farmland, inspecting everything that happened in the field.

"With Big Yellow and Little Yellow here, we shouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing our wheat!"

Chen Dao squinted at Big Yellow and Little Yellow, who were quickly patrolling the farmland, and felt completely relieved.

Both Dahuang and Xiaohuang are like guard dogs equivalent to eighth-rank martial artists. If even they can't protect the cold-resistant wheat, then Chen Dao has no other choice.

As Chen Dao stood up, he suddenly saw Li Zheng standing not far from him. As if remembering something, he hurriedly called out to Li Zheng, "Mr. Li, please wait!"

Li Zheng, who was about to go into the fields to work with his sleeves and trousers rolled up, suddenly turned around and said, "Brother Dao, what's the matter?"

Although Li Zheng was a scholar, he didn't have much of the aloofness often associated with scholars. During this period, he worked in the fields with the villagers every day, and he became quite thin and tanned.

"I need your help with something!"

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Dao said, "I would like to ask Mr. Li to return to his old profession."

"Back to his old ways?"

Li Zheng looked puzzled. His old job was teaching the village children to read, but... this was simply impossible!

Even in peaceful years, very few families in the village could afford to send their children to school, let alone in these times when people can't even get enough to eat.

Even Li Zheng himself can't afford paper now, and as for pens... he has pens but no ink and no paper, so the pens are just decorations.

"Yes."

Chen Dao nodded seriously: "I plan to hire Mr. Li as the village teacher, to teach the children to read and do arithmetic."

The meaning of this is very simple: Chen Dao is preparing to reopen the village school. His purpose in reopening the school is also very simple. It is not for the purpose of taking the imperial examination, nor for understanding the profound words of sages. It is simply to let the children in the village learn arithmetic and literacy!

As Chen Dao's family raises more and more chickens and ducks and produces their own grain, Chenjia Village will have more and more commercial exchanges with the outside world. At that time, the importance of people who know arithmetic and are literate will become apparent!

It's a very simple principle: if you can't even do basic arithmetic when doing business with others, aren't you just waiting to be ripped off?

"Only teach literacy and arithmetic?"

Li Zheng asked with some surprise, "The purpose of studying in Xia Kingdom is almost always the same: to pass the imperial examinations. However, arithmetic accounts for a very small proportion of the examinations. Li Zheng didn't understand why Chen Dao would attach so much importance to arithmetic."

"Correct!"

Chen Dao nodded: "Mr. Li doesn't need to teach them too many profound principles. He just needs to teach them some commonly used characters and arithmetic!"

After saying that, Chen Dao added, "Of course, I won't let you work for free, Mr. Li; you'll be paid!"

At this point, Chen Dao paused for a moment, then continued, "The salary will be tentatively set at one tael of silver. What does Mr. Li think?"