Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Chapter 120 Calculation

Shen Li was talking to everyone when she turned around inadvertently and saw her father Shen Shaodong appear at the door.

Her bright eyes instantly curved into crescents, a brilliant smile spread across her face. She jumped forward like a happy little deer, saying sweetly, "Daddy, you've worked so hard! Let me give you a shoulder massage!"

After saying that, her small fist gently landed on Shen Shaodong's shoulder, with a girl's intimacy and coquettishness.

Shen Shaodong looked at his well-behaved daughter, his heart full of love. He stretched out his broad palm, gently touched Shen Li's little head, and said earnestly: "Regarding the planting of new grain, I don't know how the county magistrate has arranged it.

You are now the county lord. This is a matter of great importance to the people's livelihood. You can't just ignore it! I remember you said that the emperor asked you to take the lead in this matter. Why did you leave it to Bai Jin?"

Although there was blame in the words, there was more concern and reminder.

When Shen Li heard this, she playfully stuck out her tongue, a blush spread across her face, and she said embarrassedly, "I know, Daddy. He came to talk about this that day, and he left because of that incident!"

As she spoke, she winked at Shen Shaodong, with a hint of little girl's shyness and cunning in her eyes, as if hinting at something.

When Shen Shaodong saw this, he understood it instantly, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a knowing smile.

He gently took Shen Li's little hand and said, "Come on, let me see what you have been busy with these days." The holding hands conveyed the trust and intimacy between father and daughter.

The servants standing by were all very perceptive people. Seeing the father and daughter like this, they knew that they had some private topics to discuss.

Zhao Dali turned around first and hurried to the backyard with Lin and Zhao Qi, ready to continue the unfinished work at hand.

Zhao You also ran away cleverly to look for the young master Shen Xuan.

Only Liu Ruoxi stood still, her eyes flickering slightly as she stared closely at Shen Shaodong's back. There seemed to be an undercurrent in her eyes, making it hard to guess what she was planning.

Shen Yu had been paying attention to Liu Ruoxi's every move. Seeing her like this, he remembered that Shen Li had solemnly arranged for him to keep an eye on Liu Ruoxi and not let her out of his sight.

He was startled and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He followed Liu Ruoxi silently, not too far away and not too close, always keeping vigilant, as if he was a loyal guardian, guarding the peace and secrets of the Shen family, and not allowing any potential threats to grow quietly.

Shen Li took her father Shen Shaodong's hand and skipped back into the house.

After Shen Shaodong sat down, she turned around and carefully took out an exquisite wooden box from the cabinet in the house, and handed it to Shen Shaodong like a treasure, her eyes flashing with excitement and anticipation.

"Daddy, look." Shen Li gently opened the wooden box, and inside was neatly placed a stack of rain talismans and some movable type printing tools.

"That day, I gave Bai Jin this printed rain talisman. This rain talisman is not simple. With it, you can pray for rain in drought-stricken areas and save the people from suffering.

As for movable type printing, Dad, you know that if it is promoted, the printing of books will become more convenient and efficient, and knowledge will be able to spread more quickly. "Shen Li said as he picked up a movable type, his eyes full of pride.

She paused slightly and continued, “Dad, your daughter has been thinking about it, and now she has these two great achievements.

The Emperor would surely value and reward his daughter. Just think about it: this rain-making talisman can alleviate the people's hardship, and movable type printing can promote cultural prosperity. Such achievements will surely be viewed with special favor by the Emperor.

In the future, even if there are those who oppose my daughter's appointment as a county lord, seeing the emperor's favor towards my daughter, they will surely gradually subside, and those opposing voices will probably disappear like a passing cloud, and will no longer cause any waves."

Shen Li spoke with great joy, as if she had already seen a beautiful picture of the future.

Shen Shaodong listened attentively, the surprise in his eyes became more and more intense. After Shen Li finished speaking, he was still immersed in shock.

He never imagined that his daughter would have such amazing abilities and foresight.

He knew his daughter had won the rain talisman in a lottery, making it incredibly rare. He hadn't expected her to find a way to print it in large quantities! Movable type printing would be well-known today, but this was ancient! This is a truly remarkable achievement and meritorious service! It will benefit future generations and the nation.

Shen Li seemed not to be satisfied yet, so she turned around, picked up a roll of drawings from the desk and handed it to Shen Shaodong.

"Dad, these are the blueprints for the Shen Clan Ancestral Hall and Shen Clan School designed by my daughter, along with the corresponding budget."

Shen Shaodong slowly unfolded the drawing and his eyes were immediately attracted.

I saw that the ancestral hall was solemn and dignified in design, and its layout was ingenious and reasonable;

The planning of the school is even more ingenious, with courtyards, classrooms, and libraries all available. Every detail shows care and wisdom.

His hands trembled slightly, and he felt mixed emotions. He was amazed at his daughter's talent, but also pleased and touched that she was so sensible in sharing family affairs.

"Li'er, how...how did you do this? These designs are incredibly ingenious, and the budget is meticulously planned.

I never thought you would share so much of what I should do. You have really grown up, and I am surprised and proud of you."

There was a hint of excitement and sob in Shen Shaodong's voice that was hard to conceal. He held Shen Li's small hand tightly, as if holding the light of hope for the Shen family's future.

Shen Li took Shen Shaodong's hand and shook it. After a moment, she said with anticipation, "Dad, look, our budget is still quite generous. These two places only cost a few hundred taels, and the subsequent purchases will only cost a few dozen more. Let's just rebuild our own house!"

Shen Shaodong was slightly stunned, as if he had not expected his daughter to have such an idea. He pondered for a moment, and just as he was about to ask, Shen Li immediately said: "Dad, for the construction of the ancestral hall and the school, we can put all the credit on the emperor. We can tell others that the emperor rewarded us with silver and money, and we will use it to build these two places for the benefit of the village.

As for our own home, if we want to improve it, it will only cost a few hundred taels to do a simple renovation.

We can build the courtyard into a double-entry style, demolish the two courtyards next door, and then build them together. That way, our family will live in a much more spacious and comfortable place. "

Upon hearing this, Shen Shaodong couldn't help but frown and said with difficulty, "Li'er, a house this big can't be built with just a few hundred taels. Building a house is always expensive, from laying the foundation to building the walls, to all the materials and hiring the craftsmen, every single step costs money. How can a few hundred taels be enough to cover all that?"

Shen Li didn't care at all, still smiling, her big eyes sparkling with cleverness, she explained: "Dad, you forgot, when I calculated the budget for the ancestral hall and the school, I calculated it based on buying all the stones and wood from outside.

But now we have ready-made stones and wood on the mountain behind Qingshan Village. As long as we organize people to mine and process them, we can save nearly half of the cost.

So, judging by this situation, we will only need eight hundred taels of silver to rebuild our house. Don't worry, I have it all figured out."

Shen Shaodong looked at his daughter's confident look. Although he still had some doubts in his heart, he felt that Shen Li was always smart and might be able to handle this matter. The expression on his face gradually relaxed and he began to think about the feasibility of building this house.