How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

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"Try turning the impossible into the possible again?" Mo Ziyi's eyes lit up.

"Yes!"

"What is it?"

"Let's have breakfast first, and then we'll go up to the riverbank..."

Breakfast is finished.

A knock came from the courtyard.

Zhou Wenju looked up and smiled. He saw Zhang San through the courtyard gate.

Today, Zhang San is dressed in new clothes and looks very energetic.

Because today marks his inauguration.

Yesterday, he bid a reluctant farewell to Zhou Wenju in the Hexi Valley, carrying with him his own sense of helplessness and uncertainty about life.

But then he received an offer from Zhou Wenju.

Since you have no home, no gun, and no purpose in life, why don't you come with me and become my housekeeper?

Just this one sentence.

Zhang San was excited all day.

Back in Hexi Valley, he also earned the most genuine envy from his companions.

Being a steward for the young master is something every young man in Hexi Valley longs for. Even if it's just being a regular guard at the Zhou family's courtyard, everyone would be overjoyed.

Who is this young master?

He is the living Buddha of all families in Qishan.

He is the most capable person in the world.

He was also a scholar...

If it weren't for the fact that he had to take office today, he would have gotten completely drunk last night.

Zhang San arrived, bringing a package.

There were no changes of clothes in the package, only silver notes, 80,000 taels of silver notes. The share of the first batch of arms deals, 80,000 taels of silver had already been exchanged at the "Qiankun Bank" for easy-to-carry "Qiankun Silver Notes" that were valid in the five regions and four kingdoms.

"Young Master!" Zhang San bowed outside the door.

Zhou Wenju laughed and said, "Hong'er, Lü'er, let me introduce you. This is Zhang San. From today onwards, he will be the steward of the Zhou family. Hmm... this little courtyard is called 'Fu' (府), but it seems my father is good at beating people, so let's just call it 'Zhou Yuan' (周院)! Steward Zhou Yuan, you're officially in office! Welcome, welcome..."

The words "My dad beats people" made both Mo Ziyi and Rou'er laugh.

Hong'er and Lü'er quickly ran over to welcome the newly appointed housekeeper.

Zhang San presented the package to Zhou Wenju: "Young master, this contains the silver notes we exchanged yesterday, totaling eighty thousand taels."

"Why are you giving it to me if you're keeping it?" Zhou Wenju said, "A steward is supposed to manage the household's food, clothing, and daily necessities. My little courtyard has nothing but money; we're so poor we only have money. So, you'll be in charge of the money!"

"Huh?" Zhang San was very surprised. So much money, young master, you're letting me manage it? Aren't you afraid I'll run away with it?

Logically speaking, the housekeeper shouldn't be in charge of the money; that should be the young mistress...

Is that beautiful young lady in the pavilion over there, the one who looks like a fairy, the young mistress...?

His gaze fell upon the red pavilion.

Rou'er's lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

However, a voice from Mo Ziyi reached her ears: "If you dare to associate me with the words 'young mistress' in any way, I'll pull out a gun and shoot you in the butt..."

Rou'er was frightened and held on tightly, not daring to make a sound.

She's truly unafraid of being shot.

However, the gun will tear the clothes...

If both sets of clothes are torn, won't you be naked?

"Well, since you're here, Third Brother, let's arrange some basic things here at once!" Zhou Wenju said. "You don't need to ask me for instructions on any matters, big or small, in the mansion. Buy the best of everything, including food, drink, and other necessities. Just do it according to the standards of a wealthy, privileged young man from the city."

The three looked at each other, completely unable to believe their ears.

"Furthermore, we need to discuss wages," Zhou Wenju said. "The third son will receive eight taels of silver a month, and Lü'er and Hong'er will each receive five taels of silver a month. They'll be paid on time!"

Upon hearing this, all three of them widened their eyes.

Zhang Laosan spoke first: "Young master, I... I have no home or family, what use is money to me? So..."

"You're currently homeless and without a home, will you still be homeless and without a home in the future?" Zhou Wenju interrupted directly, "If a person doesn't have any ambition, wouldn't they be like a salted fish?"

Zhang Laosan suppressed them on the spot.

Hong'er and Lü'er knelt down with a thud: "Young master, we...we bought them!"

The meaning is quite clear.

They were bought; what they bought was their future.

How could they possibly still be receiving wages?

The wages have been bought out in one lump sum!

These are the rules of buying and selling!

"So what if we bought it? Does buying it make us less than human? Everyone, remember this! Once you enter the Zhou family, you're family. There aren't so many rules to follow!" Zhou Wenju said, "You all need to understand why I bought this little courtyard here. The fundamental reason is that I didn't want to be stuck in the county government office following the rules. If I came here, the rules would still be following me like a shadow, haunting me. Wouldn't I have wasted my eight hundred taels of silver?"

The three looked at each other, seemingly having quite a lot to digest.

Zhou Wenju drifted away and returned to the Red Pavilion: "Miss Purple, let's go up to the riverbank."

Mo Ziyi, Rou'er, and Zhou Wenju left the small courtyard and walked down the riverbank.

Rou'er asked Zhou Wenju, "Brother Zhou, do you really want to live a life like a spoiled brat?"

"In this world, existence is the only hard truth," Zhou Wenju explained to her. "Officials all over the country don't want their children to become纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled brats), and society strongly rejects them. Logically speaking, the trend of纨绔 should be blocked at every level, so why do纨绔 still spring up like mushrooms after rain? It's because of a basic principle:纨绔 is fun..."

Mo Ziyi couldn't help but say, "Hey, don't lead the kids astray!"

"Rou'er, are you a child?"

"No, if I were a child, how could you bear to hit me so hard, shooting me in the butt with a gun?"

"You...you all..." Mo Ziyi was completely at a loss...

Ten miles outside the city.

The Donghe River embankment is bustling with activity.

After nearly a month, County Magistrate Zhou Liangsheng returned to the construction site.

Over the past period, Qishan County has undergone tremendous changes. Everyone is like a dumpling in a steamer, not knowing when they will be served at the dinner table or what seasoning they will be dipped in before being swallowed.

Zhou Liangsheng really had no reason to go up the embankment.

However, after yesterday, everything has settled down.

He remembered the river embankment again.

The original intention of building the river embankment was to snatch food from the jaws of death, to break through the tight encirclement of the He and Li families, and to turn the tens of thousands of acres of fertile land on both sides of the river into land for the people of Qishan to live on.

Even though the situation has changed drastically, the people of Qishan have overthrown the He and Li families, and each household has been allocated fertile land.

But who would complain about having too much fertile land?

Especially in this era, when there are no jobs to be found, all that's left is to toil in the fields, making a living from the soil. Having more fertile land is ultimately a good thing.

Therefore, the once-stalled river embankment project has been restarted.

And it's very urgent.

Because the rainy season will arrive in early spring next year, and that time is very close.

If the rainy season arrives and the riverbanks are not yet completed, then there will be huge trouble. All the previous efforts will be washed away by a sudden flood...

A month was wasted.

We were somewhat passive regarding the construction schedule.

However, there are also positive changes.

At least these villagers who were digging the river channel and building the river embankment were full of enthusiasm, because they respected the old man on the river embankment to the core!

They would not hesitate to make the master sweat and bleed, let alone make them shed a drop of blood.

Moreover, the magistrate even paid out of his own pocket to buy them winter clothes, and the silver issued by the government also reached every household. At this stage, the villagers have food in their stomachs and are full of energy and strength!

Zhou Liangsheng's gaze swept over the three thousand villagers in front of him, who were full of enthusiasm.

Glancing at Lao Qi beside me, who had lost an arm but was still full of energy, I suddenly felt that the past month had actually been quite worthwhile...

Just then, he saw his second son, Zhou Wenju, walking gracefully towards him from the other side of the riverbank.

Seeing the young man's current behavior, the old man felt a slight surge of emotion...

The person next to him is Mo Ziyi!

My daughter had previously told her mother that a senior sister from the Mo family had come looking for her brother, and that it was possible that her brother had found a lover at Mount Huding.

This made her mother very excited.

As a mother, once her son is an adult, she always hopes the women around him will be more open-minded; once her daughter is an adult, she always hopes the men around her will be more upright and decent...

This kind of inner conflict transcends dynasties and eras; it's a timeless truth.

If a senior sister from Huding Mountain could also follow her all the way to Lingnan, wouldn't that indirectly prove that her son is outstanding?

So, the lady subtly inquired about the girl's background: what was her family history? What was her status? Could she be a formal disciple...?

Unfortunately, Zhou Shuang's mind was always on her second brother's money, and she never cared about his love life, so she couldn't answer her mother's questions.

The only way to figure it out was through common sense, according to the county magistrate, Zhou Liangsheng.

The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that the senior sister who came to our door must be from the outer sect.

Inner disciples are official members of the Mo Sheng family; how could they possibly be so shameless?

However, yesterday, a surprising turn of events occurred, and this senior sister made her official debut...

She was actually Mo Ziyi!

Who in officialdom doesn't know him, dressed in dark purple?

Those are the pride of the Ink-Character Studio!

That's the eldest daughter of the Holy Family's Holy Master!

That was the extraordinary genius who, once established on the northern border, caused a million-strong Yan army to retreat in disarray.

That's even more like a half-step Grandmaster whose literary rank has reached the pinnacle of literary excellence...

This morning, Zhou Liangsheng was still pondering whether he should personally pay a visit to this senior scholar Wen Dao…

Yes, even in the realm of literature, there is a basic code of conduct: the hierarchy of literary ranks must not be disobeyed.

His magistrate was Wenxin.

Mo Ziyi is a scholar.

He was on a completely different level, so even if he were to visit, it would be perfectly in accordance with etiquette.

It was precisely because of the ambiguous relationship between Mo Ziyi and his son that he couldn't visit her—if a father-in-law were to accidentally come to pay respects to his daughter-in-law, that would be an unbelievable tale.

Although the possibility of this is extremely low, almost impossible.

But today, seeing them walking side by side, chatting and laughing all the way, the old man's sense of "impossible" quietly softened, and for a moment he even forgot where he was...

Old Qi, who was beside him, raised his eyes and looked at the three of them.

The three approached.

Zhou Wenju spoke first: "Your son greets Father!"

Zhou Liangsheng bowed slightly: "Miss Mo!"

"Lord Zhou!" Mo Ziyi also bowed slightly, her bow being slightly higher than Zhou Liangsheng's.

Old Qi waited for her to straighten up, then bowed deeply: "Old Qi greets Miss Mo and thanks Miss Mo."

He didn't say much.

But they both knew...

For Lao Qi, Mo Ziyi was his savior.

However, this life-saving grace cannot be brought up in public.

All it takes is a deep bow and a word of thanks to make both parties understand each other perfectly.

"Miss Mo has come to my Qishan. Wen'er, please accompany her around and show her around," Zhou Liangsheng said.

Zhou Wenju smiled: "Father, we've come here today not for sightseeing, but to lend you a helping hand!"

"Hmm?" Zhou Liangsheng was slightly taken aback.

Mo Ziyi was also slightly taken aback.

He made it clear beforehand that he was going to perform a miraculous feat, so why did he say he was going to help his father?

Zhou Wenju said, "Father, the dike is not very sturdy if you just pile up these stones and earth to dredge the river. If the floodwaters rise next year, it will be a minor issue if the dike is destroyed. The key issue is that once the dike is completed, the residents on both banks will definitely build houses. If the dike is destroyed at that time, it will surely cause loss of life."

Zhou Liangsheng said, "How could I not know what you mean? If we want the riverbank to be strong, we need to mix glutinous rice paste with quicklime and pour it over it. However, where in Qishan can we get so much water for this purpose? There is only one way: build it up for now and wait for the rainy season next spring. When the glutinous rice matures next year, we can collect the rice paste and repair it."

Zhou Wenju shook his head: "Using glutinous rice paste is not only a small amount, but it also competes with the people for food, which is a really bad idea! How about I turn waste into treasure and make something else so that Father can use it in a few days?"

"Turning waste into treasure? Making something else?" Zhou Liangsheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Mo Ziyi's heart skipped a beat.

She finally understood.

What he was going to create was the very thing he had told her this morning: a demonstration of transforming the mundane into the extraordinary.

"Exactly!" Zhou Wenju said.

"What is it?" Zhou Liangsheng took a deep breath. "What are its effects?"

"I call this 'cement'!" Zhou Wenju said. "When mixed with water, it initially resembles mud and can be easily shaped. It hardens after half a day, and after three days, it becomes as hard as iron and stone. It is truly a miraculous tool for building dikes, paving roads, repairing bridges, and constructing houses!"

Zhou Liangsheng's eyes lit up: "This is also... the Mohist way of weaponry?"

He asked Zhou Wenju, but he was looking at Mo Ziyi.

If someone else told him that such a magical artifact existed, he would absolutely not believe it.

However, these words came from his son, who is a member of the Mohist school! Moreover, he has a legendary prodigy of the Mohist school by his side.

The Mohist school of thought embraced all kinds of wondrous artifacts.

For example, guns!

Before the invention of the gun, who could have imagined that such a marvelous weapon could exist in the world?

Now let's talk about cement...

He has already believed it.

However, what he saw, and whether it was just his imagination or not, seemed to him to be that Mo Ziyi also looked bewildered…

Zhou Wenju nodded gently: "Father is right. This is another door in the art of craftsmanship, turning waste into treasure and serving the people's livelihood."

He seemed to agree with his father's words, but he also avoided one point his father had made.

Zhou Liangsheng spoke of "Mohist principles of tools and methods," while he avoided mentioning "Mohism" and only spoke of "the way of tools and methods."

"Turning waste into treasure, serving the people!" Zhou Liangsheng nodded deeply: "If the way of technology can truly serve the people, then it is the great way! But I wonder how to do it?"

Zhou Wen raised his hand slightly and pointed to a mountain next to him: "Father, please look. This mountain is covered with white stones, which are called limestone. The soil on that mountain is clay. These two mountains are barren, with no trees or crops growing. They are nothing but two waste mountains. However, these two materials can be refined into cement."

Zhou Liangsheng, impatient with all this, cut straight to the point: "Tell me quickly, how exactly is it refined!"

Zhou Wenju chuckled softly: "How to refine it is up to my senior sister..."

Zhou Liangsheng and the constables beside him all had their eyes fixed on Mo Ziyi's face, looking very eager...

Mo Ziyi was completely stunned. She didn't open her mouth or look to the side, but instead used her literary skills to transmit her voice to Zhou Wenju: "What kind of trick are you playing? If you dare to make me lose face like this, I'll never forgive you..."

The voice was urgent and fast.