Because Li Shimin was there, lunch was extra sumptuous, and it was even better than during the Chinese New Year.
Mrs. Xu asked Aunt Song to greet everyone she could find at home.
However, due to the special circumstances in Zhang San's family, only Zhang San and Li Shimin could enjoy so many dishes.
While Zhang San was eating, his heart was bleeding. No matter how big the family fortune was, it would not be able to withstand such extravagance and waste! As the saying goes, the wool comes from the sheep. While eating, Zhang San was thinking about how to harvest the wool from the Guo Commercial Bank.
Otherwise, I really feel sorry for this meal.
Li Shimin's mouth was full of oil after eating. Zhang San wondered if Li Shimin had not eaten enough in the palace, but the braised pork was three pieces in one sandwich.
I almost picked up the pig ears and ate them, like a starving ghost reincarnated.
After having enough wine and food, Li Shimin burped happily. Xu Huang very discerningly brought a cup of tea to Li Shimin to rinse his mouth.
"You boy, I will eat your meal to see if you feel sorry for you. If you can achieve great things in the future, learn more from your father-in-law." Li Shimin picked his teeth and said to Zhang San.
Zhang San thought to himself that he had not seen Fang Xuanling for several months. If his mother-in-law hadn't lived at home, Zhang San would have wondered if Fang Xuanling still remembered having a son-in-law like him.
Of course, it was Zhang San's fault. He married his daughter home and forgot about his father-in-law.
"The emperor is joking, how can I be reluctant to part with you? It's too late to be happy!" Zhang San smiled awkwardly.
"When you're full, you can lead the way and go to your village. Let me see what the richest village in the Tang Dynasty looks like." Li Shimin stood up and said to Zhang San.
"Okay Your Majesty, but when did our Zhangjiacun become the richest village in the Tang Dynasty? This is all a lie."
"Don't hide it. The tall chimney in the distance is an example!" Li Shimin said, pointing to the tall chimney of the kiln factory in the distance.
"These are all good teachings from the emperor. I am just using my remaining energy to contribute to the construction of the Tang Dynasty."
"It's not a good thing to be smooth-tongued and blindly flattering. When did you become like this?"
"What I said is true, and I am not trying to flatter you." Zhang San replied with an upright face.
"I have been walking all the way, and it only got better when I reached the boundary of your Zhangjiacun. Your road is much better than the official road." Li Shimin walked on the road paved with sand and gravel, looking at the smoke curling up in the distance.
The tidy and clean Zhangjiacun sighed.
"It would be great if all the villages in the Tang Dynasty were like this village. Then our Tang Dynasty could be considered a prosperous Tang Dynasty!"
Zhang San echoed from the side: "With the emperor here, the Tang Dynasty will definitely prosper."
"I think what you said to Qingque was very good. You should get rich first and then get richer. The lives of those villages near your Zhangjiacun have also improved a lot. You have done a good job in this." Li Shimin gave a rare compliment.
.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. This is what I should do. We are all neighbors and we should always live a good life together."
"Your Zhangjiacun can be considered a small town now, with markets, workshops, schools, and medical clinics all available. It's hard to imagine that this was all completed in just two years."
Li Shimin watched and talked as he walked, Xu Huang followed behind him, and two guards led the horse. Zhang San accompanied him and answered Li Shimin's questions.
This time Li Shimin traveled with only Xu Huang and two guards, so the old eunuch was always on high alert.
"In front is the Zhangjiacun School. Now we have expanded the school. Children of school age from nearby villages can also come in to study. However, they still have to charge some tuition. After all, Master and the others also need to be paid." Zhang San added the word "wage".
The bite was very hard, but unfortunately Li Shimin didn't pay attention at all.
"I heard that you also organized a literacy class? Are you going to drive all the people in your village who can't read a single Chinese character to learn?" Li Shimin asked.
Zhang San was very angry when he saw that Li Shimin didn't mention paying him wages at all. However, when Li Shimin asked, Zhang San still answered honestly: "Yes, it won't work if you don't study. How can you do business if you don't know Chinese characters?"
"Is it that simple?" Li Shimin continued to ask.
"That's not entirely true. Knowledge is power, and knowledge is productivity. With knowledge, people's ideological realm will become different. The wealth of material life gives rise to the need for spiritual life. Without correct guidance, people will suddenly become rich.
, they may do some bad things, I don’t want to see the people of Zhangjiacun become that kind of evil rich."
"You really think about your villagers."
Li Shimin was standing in the square in front of Zhangjiacun School, hearing the sound of reading inside, and was full of vitality.
At this time, Muramasa also drove his ox cart to Zhangjiacun School. Visiting Zhangjiacun twice every morning and evening became Muramasa's daily routine.
"Sir, what are you and your nobles looking at?" Muramasa parked the oxcart in front of Zhang San and Li Shimin. This man had been here several times and claimed to be Mr. Li Erlang. Everyone in the village called him nobles.
This man has no airs at all and likes to chat with the elderly people in the village.
"I took Mr. Li Erlang to visit our village. When I heard the sound of reading coming from the school, I stopped to take a look. You visit the village twice a day, haven't you seen enough?" Zhang San replied with a chuckle.
"How can I see enough? The village changes three times a day, and every day is different. It's always new. Let me tell you that your uncle Zhang Liu's sheepfold in the backyard is going to be expanded again, and his old water sheep is giving birth again.
When I came here, I saw him looking for Ergou."
Li Shimin stood aside and listened to Muramasa and Zhang San chatting about what was happening in the village. He was very interested. Zhangjia Village was changing three times a day as Muramasa said, and he often saw new things.
Li Shimin had been here several times in private, chatted with many elderly people in the village, and was a guest at their homes.
Seeing their old life, Li Shimin was very pleased. "The young are taken care of and the old are supported" is the current situation in Zhangjiacun.
The villagers are busy every day, with smiles on their faces and expectations for a new life, working hard for a better life day after day, year after year.
Children are no longer sallow and thin, and have endless energy all day long.
I heard that Zhang San also established a nutritious breakfast standard, which is a cup of soy milk and an egg every morning. This is the standard breakfast at Zhangjiacun School, plus some vegetables and meat.
Muramasa knew that Zhang San had other business matters, so he said a few words to Zhang San, then said goodbye to Li Shimin and Zhang San, and continued to drive the bullock cart to visit other places.
"Your Majesty, forgive me, the old man talks too much." Zhang San saw that the two of them were just chatting, ignoring Li Shimin who was standing next to him.
"It's okay, I like to hear you talk about these everyday things. I have met Muramasa a few times. He is a very nice person, but I haven't seen him for a while. When I saw him today, I found that he has indeed aged a lot."
"I got sick in the cold winter two years ago, and my physical condition has not been good since then. Now I am spending my free time at home. I like to drive an ox cart around the village when I have nothing to do. I must have wanted to see more of the village!" Zhang San also said.
Sigh.
Fortunately, Sun Simiao was here, otherwise Muramasa might not have been able to survive that winter.