After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 349 Craftsmen
Liu Laosan nodded in despair, "If Miss Shen agrees, I'll do her a favor. If she doesn't, there's nothing I can do. But His Highness is wise and powerful, and of noble status. I'm sure he wouldn't use his power to oppress people, right?"

"Liu Laosan, I think you really aren't afraid of death!" Murong Xu gripped the teacup tightly, his anger almost tangible.

Seeing that Liu Laosan was as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a latrine, they really had no way to deal with him, so they had to ask Liusu to pass on the message.

Liu Su didn't dare to delay and immediately told Shen Tian about the situation.

“Miss, Young Master Murong is deeply in love with you. He sincerely wants to marry you. It would be a real pity to miss out on such a good man.” Liu Su kept speaking well of Murong Xu.

After Shen Tian finished drinking her medicine, she slowly looked her over before saying, "My elder brother came over today and mentioned returning to his hometown. Young Master Murong has already come to propose to me. That's fast!"

Liusu understood the implication, but she didn't think she was wrong. Shen Tian was just an ordinary peasant girl, and if Murong Xu hadn't taken a liking to her, she wouldn't have come to serve her.

“Miss, I’m only saying this for your own good!” Liusu pressed on.

Shen Tian looked out the window and slightly curled the corners of her lips. "Liu Su, I come from a humble background and am not destined to be served. You should leave!"

Liu Su looked up in shock, "Miss!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I, Shen Tian, ​​know my place. I would rather marry a commoner as his wife than become a concubine in a high-ranking family," Shen Tian said, enunciating each word clearly.

Liu Su's gaze towards her became somewhat complicated. "If you had ever seen the lives of women from high-ranking families, you wouldn't say such things!"

Shen Tian chuckled. "The life of a woman from a high-ranking family? Is it dressing up every day, having to follow the rules three times a day, or occasionally having the freedom to go out and do whatever she wants? It's neither! Women from high-ranking families have complicated rules. What kind of clothes do they wear, what kind of food do they eat, and what kind of rules do they follow? Even if they are sick, they cannot overstep the bounds to see a doctor. They are confined to that small place every day, just hoping for their husband's favor, competing with a group of women for his attention, fighting to the death. Do you think that kind of life is interesting?"

Liu Su stared at Shen Tian in astonishment, unable to understand how a peasant girl could know so much about the inner workings of the mansion, and was speechless.

After a long pause, he said dryly, "At least they have endless silks and satins to wear, countless delicacies to enjoy, and wealth."

"And then what? These are things you can't take with you when you die. Although I'm a peasant girl, my family isn't bad off. I can eat whatever I want and dress comfortably. If I go back to my hometown, I can do whatever I want. I can marry an ordinary man and be in charge of my own life. Isn't that better?"

Shen Tian spoke frankly about her pursuits.

Liu Su's face was a little pale, and she subconsciously turned her gaze away. "No one has ever been able to refuse Young Master Murong."

Shen Tian gave a wry smile. "So he's not a good person?"

“Young Master is of course a good person!” Liu Su retorted without hesitation.

Shen Tian smiled, "Since he's a good person, what would happen if I rejected him? Would he retaliate against me?"

Liusu was speechless after being rebuked and retreated in a sorry state.

Once outside the courtyard, she found Murong Xu standing in the pavilion, his face ashen, likely having overheard her conversation with Shen Tian.

Liu Su stepped forward and knelt down. "Your Highness, I have already tried to persuade Miss Shen, but she is determined to return to her hometown and has no other plans!"

Murong Xu kept replaying Shen Tian's words in his mind, took a deep breath, and said, "I understand. You may leave now."

Liu Laosan observed the situation for two days and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no movement from Murong Xu's side.

On the third day, Murong Xu arrived, but he didn't mention taking Shen Tian as a concubine again, acting as if nothing had happened. When he occasionally saw Shen Tian, ​​he was always polite and well-behaved, never overstepping his bounds. After Shen Dagou and Su Zhan sold the goods, they went to the Yong'an Marquis's residence again before leaving.

Besides reminding Shen Tian to take good care of her health and return home as soon as possible, he also talked to Liu Laosan about Shen Yi's bridge repair project.

Liu Laosan couldn't provide financial support, but he could find Shen Yi a few professional craftsmen. There were a few idle officials in the court, so sending them on a trip shouldn't be a problem.

However, I need to discuss this with Murong Xu.

When Murong Xu heard that Shen Yi was going to build a bridge in Lizhou, he took it very seriously and personally assigned two construction workers to Liu Laosan.

Shen Dagou and his men quickly returned to their hometown with the officials.

It was already summer when we returned to Shenjiazhuang.

It's strawberry season, and the villagers are incredibly busy. There are also wool processing workshops, which operate day and night because making leather bags generates a lot of wool. Most of the workers are hired from other villages.

The two officials were amazed by the prosperity of Shenjiazhuang and couldn't help but compose a poem as soon as they got off the carriage.

Su Chuan and his group led the workers into Su Tai's house.

The two officials were astonished that such a remote village under the jurisdiction of Lizhou had such nice houses; they seemed to have never seen anything like it.

Su Tai led them into the house, then served freshly baked pastries and buns, and brewed a pot of milk tea.

After the two officials finished eating, they were completely convinced and couldn't help but continue composing poems.

Shen Dagou was in a real bind and spoke first, "Sister Xiaotai, this is Lord You Kang and Lord Tian Ziyan. They are both engineers that the Marquis invited for Brother Shen. They are skilled in water conservancy, especially bridge construction."

"This humble woman greets Your Excellencies." Su Tai immediately stood up and bowed.

The two dared not accept, and quickly stepped aside. "Madam Shen, the Marquis has already told us about the situation here. Could you take us to the river to have a look?"

Su Tai took the twins to the riverbank.

Seeing such a wide riverbank, the two workers' expressions turned somewhat solemn.

Are you planning to build an arch bridge?

If that were the case, it would be a huge undertaking, and the prefect would probably have to report it to the imperial court.

Su Tai shook her head, wiped the twins' mouths, and said slowly, "We build pontoon bridges using cow and sheep hides as materials, with removable bottoms. We inspect them every six months and replace any damaged hides. Such bridges can last for a hundred years."

"A pontoon bridge? What kind of bridge is that? And how is the leather bag made?" The official was very interested.

With nothing else to do, Su Tai took them to a makeshift shed by the river.

The warehouse covers an area of ​​more than ten acres and is filled with various processed materials, including leather bags, thick iron chains, soaked and dried wood, as well as wire mesh and other miscellaneous materials that Su Tai occasionally sends here.

With her detailed explanation, the two construction workers seemed to have discovered a new world and eagerly asked, "Madam Shen, when will the construction of this pontoon bridge begin? We'd like to learn more about it."