Chapter 80

Bian Ji's so-called fine wine, Lin Bei looked at it, and it was somewhat turbid and yellow, made from millet, commonly known as rice wine, and was stored in a wooden pot. As for the exquisite cuisine that Lady Feng was skilled at, Lin Bei also took a look. He found that there were green onions and ginger mixed together to stew something, but another dish was roasted meat, neatly arranged, with a bit of salt on the side for dipping. In Lin Bei's view, this kind of food was not very good, but Bian Ji already thought it was quite nice. He drank a mouthful of the rice wine and a mouthful of the dish, looking as happy as a god.

"Perhaps what the teacher meant by 'exquisite' is just the ability to roast meat?" Lin Bei thought amusingly, because he noticed that Bian Ji clearly ate more of the roasted meat.

Lin Bei did not drink the wine. The alcohol content of this rice wine was too low, only about one or two degrees. In modern times, drinking a bottle of beer would be equivalent to drinking a jar of this rice wine here. However, Teacher Bian's alcohol tolerance was not very good. After drinking half a pot of rice wine, his face was already red, and he was a bit tipsy. Lin Bei could only shake his head; this cat-like alcohol tolerance was still drinking.

The night passed without incident.

That night, Lin Bei slept, but he needed very little sleep, so he woke up just as the sky was beginning to brighten. Then he directly swam down to the Dragon Pool and had a good bath.

Doudou and Qiqi also jumped out of their nest. They also woke up very early. Lin Bei surfaced, and the two little guys circled above him, chirping happily several times, then flapped their wings and flew away. They now only considered this place as a resting spot.

The hunters gradually woke up and greeted Lin Bei. They had all slept by the fire, fully demonstrating a spirit of hard work and simplicity, and even Cui Lan was no exception. After a night's rest, they looked much better, and the young people's recovery ability was quite astonishing, with the fatigue of the past few days completely gone.

Then the guards, and Zhen Ding and Bian Ji, also woke up. They first washed their faces, then drank some spring water from the spring, and then tidied their clothes.

"Sir, are we going to the school today?" Bian Ji asked. Although he had slept late last night, his spirit was very good. The beauty of the mountains and rivers had always been appreciated by great sages in ancient times, and Bian Ji felt that he was also getting closer to those sages.

Lin Bei nodded: "Yes, I'll go to the school and see if there's anything that needs to be done."

Lin Bei was quite concerned about this matter. Once the school was built, there would be more people. At that time, he could assign tasks to the students, such as setting up a farm, which would require manpower in the initial stage to enclose the land. Additionally, with more students, through teaching, their recognition of Lin Bei would be quite high. With high student recognition, after their promotion, the common people would not be so afraid of Lin Bei. Gradually, they would recognize him and then promote him, creating a virtuous cycle.

Cui Lan took out the ledger of the farmers' locust catches, driving a large ox and following behind Lin Bei. She would distribute the items at the school, which was also something Lin Bei was very concerned about.

For Lin Bei, a few days earlier or later might not make much difference, but for the farmers, it was different. This could affect their perception of Lin Bei's credibility. Lin Bei could be inconsistent when dealing with the gentry, but he would not be with the farmers.

Upon arriving at the school site, the trees had indeed been cut down, and the area had been cleared into a large open space. Several large bonfires were burning, emitting wisps of blue smoke, as all the weeds and branches had been burned.

It was still early, and the laborers from Xishan Township might still be on their way, so there were only a dozen or so night guards. Lin Bei recognized An Zhongzhi, Wang Laicai, Mu Tou, Jiu Lang, and Lady Feng. This young lady was using a large pot to stew something, the water already boiling and bubbling, with a very strong aroma.

An Zhongzhi had sharp eyes and, seeing Lin Bei and his group, ran over: "Sir, you're finally back." His face was full of surprise, without any pretense.

Lin Bei nodded at him, and An Zhongzhi quickly clapped his hands: "Everyone, the sir is back, and the teacher is here too."

Everyone gathered around. They had all seen Lin Bei before, so they were not at all afraid. Instead, more of their attention was on the mountain goods on the ox's back. These people had all caught locusts to some extent, so they were naturally more interested.

Lin Bei looked and decided to distribute the mountain goods. Cui Lan smiled and, without further ado, started calling out names.

An Zhongzhi had no part in this. While the goods were being distributed, he introduced the situation to Lin Bei: "Sir, all the trees have been cut down, but it will probably take another ten days to level the ground. I've also had people start cutting the wood that has been transported out. Once the ground is leveled, the wooden boards will be brought over, and the construction can start immediately, which will be very quick."

"Oh, right, sir, we've widened this small river a bit. Fortunately, this river is here, making the transportation of wood quite convenient. The hunters also mentioned that it would be nice to have a few boats, which would save a lot of effort."

The small river had been widened to over three meters. Digging any further would be quite difficult because of the rocks, but these people's ideas were good, knowing how to utilize natural resources. Lin Bei had not thought of making small boats at the time.

Lin Bei asked Bian Ji: "Teacher, doesn't this bare land look a bit unappealing? It lacks a sense of tranquility."

"Sir, you don't need to worry. Once the buildings are constructed, trees will be transported and planted to add some greenery. Additionally, dozens of pavilions will be built to serve as places for scholarly discussions."

This "scholarly discussion place" was not for romantic encounters but for discussing books and doctrines, which was very popular in this era, and scholars considered it very prestigious.

Bian Ji pointed around: "Sir, I plan to divert the water from this small river into the school grounds and plant lotus and willows. In the future, we can row boats, recite poetry, and meet friends, with a pot of turbid wine, wouldn't that be beautiful?"

Zhen Ding clapped his hands: "Teacher, your words are beautiful. Even I, a crude person, am quite moved."

Lin Bei also admitted that Bian Ji's idea was really good. The school was already in a beautiful location in the mountains, and with these added scenic elements, the environment would definitely be even more beautiful. Whether for studying or teaching, the mood would definitely be pleasant. If one could occasionally step out of the school and see the magnificent scenery of Fushan, many people might not want to leave once they came.

Lin Bei felt that he should also contribute some ideas. In the future, the Nanyue Academy could be made into the top academy of the Three Kingdoms period, and it might even be remembered for thousands of years like the Yingchuan Academy.