Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 217 - 215: Not Far Now

"Would it be difficult to meet each other? If you simply sent a message, I could easily visit you too! I should have thought about visiting you earlier knowing that you are pregnant." Mrs. Liu felt a twinge of guilt at this point.

"Dear sister, your unwavering care for me leaves no room for negligence! It’s as though my biological parents have come back to life."

During her pregnancy, Mrs. Liu kept sending her nutritious food to boost her health.

Xu Wenhui, overcome by emotion, shed tears reminiscent of past events.

Foreman Liang quickly soothed her, "What’s the reason for your sudden tears?"

"Even though you are about to be a mother, you still behave like a child. Women shouldn’t cry during pregnancy, otherwise, the baby might turn out to be ugly." Mrs. Liu attempted to consolate her with a minor scare tactic.

Motherhood often brings forth immense fortitude; mothers are capable of enduring just about anything for their children.

Indeed, upon hearing this, Xu Wenhui hurriedly wiped away her tears.

Mrs. Liu told her about things to be careful of during pregnancy, particularly during childbirth. Childbirth during this era could be life-threatening, so Xu Wenhui listened attentively.

Shen Chengyao took Foreman Liang to the study room in the front yard, where Xiao’er had been discussing mushroom farming with Shangguan Xuanyi.

...

"Cultivating mushrooms is considerably cheaper than off-season vegetables. You could place many racks in a small thatched house, as long as you can accurately control the room temperature and humidity of the culture medium..."

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded and Xiao’er continued,

"The variety of mushrooms sold in the market is too limited, and many edible mushrooms are virtually unknown. If we could provide these, the people would truly be fortunate."

It was currently springtime when mushrooms are in abundance in the mountains, and she needed to look for some spores. frёeωebɳovel.com

"When will you go looking?" The woods are dangerous and Xiao’er appears fearless. She was determinedly willing to walk towards danger! She couldn’t be allowed to go alone!

Shangguan Xuanyi sipped tea while attentively listening to Xiao’er, occasionally nodding or responding.

"In the next few days, or perhaps after the rain." Mushrooms are more plentiful after rainfall.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded and pondered if he would be able to accompany her. If not, he would arrange for a hidden guard to accompany her!

"These items are treasured by the people in the city. If we can truly cultivate them, we can promote their growth in impoverished mountain villages across the counties. The villagers could sell them in the markets of towns, county towns, and prefecture cities, thereby improving the living conditions of many people."

Xiao’er had already found out from Shangguan Xuanyi that Shen Chengyao would soon be bestowed a higher official rank.

Even though the imperial edict hasn’t been issued yet, the fact that Shangguan Xuanyi had mentioned it meant it was a certainty!

Xiao’er naturally knew that Shen Chengyao, a commoner, taking on this official role would invite much criticism and ridicule. However, she planned to silence these critics by successfully cultivating these rare delicacies which normally only grow in the wild!

By promoting the cultivation of these mushrooms in impoverished villages across the country, the lives of ordinary people could markedly improve, and they would also enjoy increased culinary diversity.

This is particularly true for people living in the north where culinary options during winter can be scarce.

Officials are duty-bound to benefit the people! This is especially true for agricultural officials whose actions are closely tied to the livelihood of the people!

Let this batch of mushrooms be the spark that lights the fire under the governance of Shen Chengyao!

She wished to tell everyone that their contributions to agriculture were many, and this made Shen Chengyao deserving of his position! He could do even more practical things for the people!

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded. He naturally understood these intricacies.

That’s why he believed that no one within the dynasty was more suited to the position than Xiao’er’s father, Shen Chengyao.

While the Imperial Examination is a means to select talents, not all talents would participate in the examination!

He had always advocated for the policy of knowing and efficiently utilizing people. It was his method since he has been traveling extensively from an early age and learned that talent often originates from the grassroots.

If this bridge is successfully constructed, then numerous sturdy bridges like this one could be built across the nation. Let alone a minor agricultural official, Shen Chengyao could even become the Minister of Works!

The issue of bridges is not exclusive to a single village, it is a widespread challenge for the entire dynasty!

If a durable bridge could be built over each river across different regions, combined with the consistent breakthroughs in agricultural development, he was confident that a golden age for the Minze Dynasty was imminent!

Just then, Shen Chengyao entered with Foreman Liang.

Foreman Liang was now busy supervising several construction sites other than the villas owned by Xiao’er’s family. He had already brought out a group of people under his command. Daily, he only needed to inspect and supervise the construction site for problems and resolve them as they arose.

"Uncle Liang, I am thinking of building a bridge. Do you have any manpower available?" After exchanging courtesy greetings, Xiao’er cut to the chase.

Foreman Liang had built many houses, paved roads, but had never constructed a bridge. Upon hearing this proposal, he realized that Xiao’er was offering him another learning opportunity.

"Yes, firstly, those who have been following me can now handle projects independently, and they have also trained quite a few newbies. For the ongoing projects, I just need to check them from time to time." He had caught on to a significant amount of new terms from Xiao’er, which had become increasingly fluent.’

Foreman Liang had a relentless fascination with construction, and he visited multiple construction sites every day, occasionally even working hands-on.

Xiao’er had taught him a lot about construction engineering technologies. Whatever he didn’t understand, he could ask her and get an answer.

"Are we using cement and steel bars to construct the bridge?" He had wondered about this. Construction of bridges is a complicated task, requiring careful considerations such as calculating the optimal distance between piers, too close would waste manpower and materials, too far could risk the bridge breaking.

Moreover, many bridges are washed away every year during flood season. Some wooden bridges are even completely swept away!

So, when building a bridge with concrete, there are questions like how deep the foundation should be, how big the piers should be, what the distance should be between two piers, how much steel bar and cement is needed to ensure that the bridge won’t be swept away in heavy flooding? These issues seemed daunting due to the sheer number of factors to consider.

Xiao’er nodded, "Tomorrow, Foreman Liang, come with me to a site for detailed investigation. In the meantime, let’s conduct some research. Let’s join forces to build the world’s first concrete bridge!"

Foreman Liang was excited by Xiao’er’s words!

The world’s first concrete building was constructed by him and his crew!

The world’s first concrete road was built by him and his crew!

Through these achievements, he had already earned a prominent reputation throughout the prefecture and even in neighbouring counties. People sought him to build their houses!

Now, he had the opportunity to build the world’s first concrete bridge!

How could he not be excited!

Which great man didn’t aspire to fame and success, especially when they could make a contribution that significantly impacted the world!