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

Chapter 481 Village Establishment of Industries
Xiong Feng laughed, "We're all from the same place, it's normal to recognize each other."

Shen Congrong wholeheartedly agreed, "Village Chief, Brother Xiong Feng used to live in Dahe Town."

“Dahe Town! That’s quite possible! No wonder it looked familiar!” Shen Ying chuckled to himself and turned back to his carriage.

After the caravan arrived in the prefectural city, half of the people stopped there, while Shen Congrong and the others continued to follow the imperial envoy.

Shen Ying and the others watched the convoy leave, then quickly found Ren Yazi at the address given by Shen Yi and handed him Lu Tong's handwritten letter and token.

The boy only knew a few words, but he wouldn't mistake the token. After hearing the purpose of Shen Ying and the others' visit, he immediately helped them look at houses and estates.

"Houses and land in the prefectural city are more expensive than in the county town. For example, a house that costs five or six hundred taels in Zhaohua County may cost seven or eight hundred taels here, and the location may not be good. You should keep that in mind."

Shen Ying nodded seriously, "We are buying this house mainly for our children's education. It would be best if it were safe, quiet, close to the academy, and convenient for going out."

These requirements may sound demanding, but each one must be met.

Upon hearing this, the young man immediately flipped through the booklet and pondered, "In that case, you'd better buy in the south of the city. The south of the city is inhabited by wealthy families with grand mansions. Even if they are next to each other, they won't affect each other. Moreover, the houses are large, and you can renovate them yourself. You can turn them all into houses without any problem."

Most importantly, there is an academy in the south of the city, run by the government, which specializes in recruiting children from wealthy and official families. The teachers there are also very capable. If you find those people difficult to get along with, you can also find a teacher in the academy. Hiring a teacher costs about twenty taels of silver a year.

Moreover, the south of the city is free of all sorts of shady characters, and the constables patrol three times a day, making it extremely safe.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ying immediately made the decision, "Great! We'll buy the house in the south of the city!"

"Great!" The young man laughed even more heartily than Shen Ying, and randomly flipped out another booklet. As for the estates, that was simple. There were several estates for sale in the suburbs of the prefectural city, both large and small, and even tenant farmers were readily available.

"If you trust me, I'll find you a farm where the seller is easy to talk to and the tenants are honest. You just need to prepare the money."

Shen Ergou was a little worried, "What if we find out something's wrong later?"

The young man patted his chest and assured him, "If there are any problems, just come to me! After all, I was recommended by Lord Lu. I wouldn't lie to you, even if I could lie to anyone else, right?"

Shen Ying nodded in agreement, "Alright, we'll do as you say."

With the help of the servants, Shen Ying and the others bought the house and the estate in just three days.

The house is located in the south of the city. The grand houses here are typical of Lizhou architecture. There is a large courtyard in the house for daily leisure, and the rest are all houses, one after another, which can probably accommodate sixty or seventy people.

The furniture inside is all there, except for bedding and the like. It's the dead of winter, so we can't be careless.

After Shen Ying acquired the house, he had several of the younger children clean the house while the others went to the street with him to buy quilts, winter coats, and other items to keep warm.

It took about two days for the children to calm down.

After finishing these tasks, Shen Ying, along with Shen Ergou, prepared tuition fees and apprenticeship gifts, and delivered another letter of recommendation from Lu Tong to the academy.

After several twists and turns, the children finally enrolled in school smoothly.

At this time, Lizhou welcomed its first snowfall.

Shen Ying bid a reluctant farewell to Shen Ergou and the others in the wind and snow. After leaving the prefectural city, he went to the manor again under the guidance of the servant.

The village was desolate in the heavy snow, and nothing could be seen in the fields. The servant boy took Shen Ying to meet the tenant farmers and introduced them to each other.

Shen Ying gave some important instructions before leaving.

When he returned to Zhaohua County, weary from his journey, he went to see Shen Yi immediately.

"Oh my God, going on a long trip in the dead of winter is going to kill me! I used to envy Big Dog and the others for their business, but now it seems that not everyone can make this kind of money!" Shen Yingse huddled up in a ball.

Shen Yi had already asked someone to prepare two stoves for him, but he was still trembling incessantly.

Shen Yi quickly handed him a bowl of hot ginger soup. "Uncle, has everything been taken care of?"

Shen Ying drank a bowl of soup, which calmed her down a bit, and then she spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Everything is done. We bought a large house in the south of the prefectural city for 1,200 taels of silver. The house is very big, enough for all the children in our village to go to school. If it's not enough in the future, we can just buy another one. Anyway, the village doesn't need the money right now. The house belongs to the village, and it won't be lost if we leave it there."

In addition, I bought an estate outside the city, with eighty mu of fertile land and one hundred mu of dry land, plus some houses and such, for a total of six hundred taels. The tenant farmers are already there, and the village will have to send someone over every year to collect the grain.”

Before buying it, he was extremely anxious. After buying it, he felt he hadn't bought enough and regretted not bringing more money with him.

Shen Yi nodded repeatedly, "In this way, our village will also be a village with industries in the prefectural city!"

How many villages can achieve what Shenjiazhuang has?
Shen Ying smiled from ear to ear, "That's what I was thinking too. Let's save up some more money and buy more later. I've figured it out now. Everyone will miss the money if it's just in their pocket, but no one will remember it if it's spent and turned into something."

And we can make money every year, so everyone benefits, right?

"Uncle is wise!"

Shen Yi praised Shen Ying extensively and asked him to stay in the county town for one night. The next day, he had Yu Bei drive him back to the village in a horse-drawn carriage.

Shen Ying returned to the village, and the villagers rushed over to inquire about the situation in the prefectural city. When they learned that the village had acquired new industries, they were as happy as if it were New Year's Day.

Because of the cold weather, everyone dispersed after a short while.

Shen Ying looked at her husband, He Shi, with a puzzled expression. "Why do I feel like there are far fewer people in the village?"

He rolled her eyes at him. "They've all gone to the other side of the Daxun River to pack seafood for Xiaotai. How could there be a shortage? I'm not talking to you anymore. I still have to go to the wool sweater workshop to work! The caravan will be setting off in seven or eight days."

As soon as Madam He left, Shen Ying hurriedly put away the land deeds and house deeds and went out to work.

The day the caravan set off was the same day the imperial envoy's main force returned to the capital.

Upon arriving here, Shen Congrong and her group clearly felt a different sensation.

Previously in Lizhou, when the people heard that they were candidates who had passed the imperial examination, they looked at them with admiration and reverence, and even spoke to them with great caution.

Even though the people of the capital knew about their situation, they didn't react much, appearing indifferent and apathetic.

Su Yongzhang was somewhat puzzled and displeased. "Cousin, do they look down on us?"

Shen Congrong looked around and shook her head. "I don't think so."