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

This really hit a nerve with Master Pu, and he immediately started complaining, "At first, I found him an old gentleman from the prefectural city. He used to teach at the Cui family's school, but after the Cui family had some trouble, the old gentleman lost his job and came to my house."

The old gentleman was a bit old-fashioned, but his knowledge was excellent. Unfortunately, my brat was so ignorant that he not only wouldn't listen to the old gentleman's words, but also burned his beard.

The old gentleman was so angry that he fell ill, which almost scared me to death. I consulted doctors and doctors, provided tonics and soups, and even gave him a lot of money as compensation, just in case something happened to him and we couldn't afford to bear the consequences!
After the old man recovered from his illness, he refused to continue my child's early education no matter what I said. Helpless, I had to send him back. After making many inquiries, I finally found a middle-aged man with some knowledge in Ping'an County.

I wasn't expecting my child to be a great student, just to get some basic education. But I never imagined that the tutor would come to my house and have an affair with a lowly maid. I've lost all face!
I chased that bastard away. I had lost all confidence in finding a tutor. Later, my wife's family recommended a tutor who had previously worked as a clerk in the yamen. When his superiors transferred him, he was left behind. The new magistrate had his own clerk, so he returned to his hometown but couldn't find a suitable job.

This gentleman seems quite nice, and he appears well-educated. My child can accept him; he's currently staying with us. Perhaps I can help you inquire about him.

Shen Yi's heart pounded as he watched Master Pu's angry fingers pawing the air. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Master Pu had a way in.

"Good, good, good! Thank you so much, Mr. Pu! My four children all have a good foundation, so they won't be difficult to teach. But please don't be too rigid, sir. I'm worried that my wife will jump up and down before the children even have a problem with it."

Master Pu gave him a knowing look and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Our master's tuition is two taels of silver a month. After all, he used to be a secretary, so it's reasonable for him to ask for this tuition."

Shen Yi silently did the math and felt that two taels of silver was quite reasonable, so he nodded immediately, "Then I'll trouble you, Master Pu."

"It's easy to talk about."

After seeing Shen Yi off, Master Pu turned around and saw his troublesome youngest son engrossed in eating. He jogged over and sat down next to his son. "Is the snack delicious?"

Little Twelve nodded frantically.

“Is the milk tea delicious?”

Little Twelve kept nodding, looking as if he hadn't eaten anything good in eight lifetimes.

Master Pu's expression was indescribable. "Your Uncle Shen's four younger siblings are all capable, and now they're hiring tutors too. If you don't work harder, you'll fall behind. When that happens, if you want to eat these delicious foods, will you dare to come over?"

Little Twelve swallowed the food in her mouth, took a sip of milk tea, and said, "It's okay, Uncle Shen can just deliver it to me."

Master Pu: "He's a town official! Do you think he's our family steward?"

"Then I'll just ask for food at my aunt's doorstep and not go in, that'll do!" Little Twelve said smugly.

Master Pu has passed away!
As soon as Shen Yi left the Pu family's house, he started strolling around the streets. The bridge had only been opened yesterday, and today he found many villagers from Moshi Town had come to the town. Some were carrying game, some were carrying wild fruits, some were selling firewood, and some were even selling fish.

They were just ordinary, half-sized fish from streams and rivers. Wealthy families might spend money to buy them for something fresh, but poor families wouldn't even glance at them.

Regardless, if Dahe Town can have this many people even when it's not market day, it must be incredibly bustling during the big market day.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi immediately ran back to the town government office, gathered all his subordinates together, and said, "I have an idea."

"Speak frankly, Your Excellency, and we will take care of it immediately."

The person speaking was the head of the township at the head of Dahe Town. Ever since he witnessed the power of the pontoon bridge, he had been extremely attentive to Shen Yi.

Although the others weren't as overtly obedient, they all followed Shen Yi's lead without question. Shen Yi was pleased to see their cooperation and said, "Today is neither a large market nor a small market. With so many people buying and selling in town, if we were to have a large or small market, it would be unprecedented. My idea is to set up a large market at the town entrance, with two long rows of stalls, where everyone who comes to buy or sell will have to pay one coin to rent a stall."

Of course, if they have few items and their family is really struggling, they can share with others. We'll also send people to patrol the market to prevent any trouble. What do you all think?

Several township heads huddled together and whispered among themselves.

When they heard that they would have to pay for setting up a stall, they were initially reluctant, but when they heard that people would be patrolling behind them, they fell silent.

Everyone knows how chaotic market days can be. Not only can children get lost, but a single egg could also lead to a bloody incident. If no one is in charge, it could have serious consequences. If there were patrol teams and standardized stalls, at least the vendors would behave properly, reducing the chaos by half.

"I think it's feasible!"

The others nodded in agreement.

Shen Yi flashed eight teeth and said, "Then it's settled. We'll find someone to build a stall now, and I'll go to the town entrance to take a look. We'll mark out the most suitable spot."

This market also needs to consider the business of the shops in the town, so it must extend from inside the town to outside the town without affecting the passage of vehicles and horses.

Shen Yi was busy fiddling with things until dark.

Fortunately, with the pontoon bridge, the return journey was effortless, though it was a bit dark and the bridge surface was difficult to see.

The next day, he specifically sought out the bridge keeper to inquire about the previous day's earnings.

The bridge keeper excitedly brought out a locked box. "Shen Yi, all the copper coins we collected yesterday are in here. We old folks could barely move them. You should count them quickly."

Shen Yi opened the box in front of them, counted the copper coins one by one, and grinned, "Not bad, not bad. Three hundred and sixty-eight coins on the first day. It will definitely be several times more during the New Year and other holidays."

An old man excitedly sucked in his saliva, "That's right! I didn't expect so many in one day, no wonder the box is so heavy!"

Shen Yi took out the ledger, wrote down the amount, and asked everyone to put their fingerprints on it.

"I'll take this money first. There are two copies of the ledger; you keep one, and I'll keep one. We'll need it for paying wages and repairing the bridge! By the way, I came back late yesterday. Walking on the bridge in the dark was quite scary. I suggest we put up two lanterns at intervals and light them when it gets dark. We'll also charge an extra coin for crossing the bridge at night. What do you think?"

After careful consideration, the old men all agreed that this was a good idea.

Leave this matter to them. Shen Yi crossed the river to collect the money from the other side. There were significantly fewer people coming from Dahe Town to Moshi Town, but the total amount from both sides exceeded five hundred coins.

That's the amount you can make in a day, and at least two hundred taels a year. Even after deducting the wages of the bridge keeper and the money for lighting the lamps, you can still have a considerable amount left.

It is more than enough to inspect and repair the bridge surface.

This will allow the system to function in a virtuous cycle. (End of Chapter)