Chapter 123: Tomato Stir-fried Eggs

Yan Ning then said, "It is a type of very hard road; it is not affected by rainy or sunny days and can be used for many years."

The two still had no concept of cement.

They only felt that the current official roads were already hard enough, so what else needed to be built?

Yan Ning went into a room inside the Eastern Palace and brought out a small wooden house model.

The small wooden house model was quite large; inside was an exquisite little wooden house, while the courtyard outside was paved with several stone slab paths, and there was even a fish pond in the courtyard.

Yan Ning said to them, "Look, this is the cement road."

Yan Ning pointed to a grayish, dusty little path that was completely different from the other paths.

Grand Tutor Chen gave his assessment: "This road is somewhat detrimental to the aesthetics; stone slab paths are better looking."

Yan Ning raised an eyebrow, "Then take a look at how hard this cement road is."

Grand Tutor Chen poked it, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes widened, "This, how could there be such a hard road?"

Grand Tutor Jiang also poked it, then pressed down with force, "So hard?"

Yan Ning nodded: "It certainly is; I searched everywhere for materials, and it took quite a long time."

To prove the usefulness of the cement, Yan Ning specifically took water and poured it on top.

"Look, this cement ground is just as hard when it rains, unlike ordinary roads that turn into a muddy mess."

Grand Tutor Chen asked with some curiosity: "Such a brilliant method, who taught it to you?"

Yan Ning spouted nonsense: "It, it was on the road to Lingnan, we met a merchant, and he told me about it."

Grand Tutor Chen and Grand Tutor Jiang looked at Yan Ning with complex expressions.

The father and daughter were truly lucky, full of treasures, as if they possessed great fortune.

The two exchanged a glance, feeling that these two were the auspicious omens of the Daxia dynasty.

Yan Ning said: "If cement roads could be paved everywhere, transportation would be convenient, it would be easier to promulgate laws in the future, and it would be convenient for villages to bring goods out to sell; this cement road is indeed necessary to pave."

Grand Tutor Jiang hurriedly said: "Since it is so good, we should indeed pave more of it."

Grand Tutor Chen also agreed, "It is indeed a good method that benefits the country and the people; why haven't I seen you mention it at Court?"

Yan Ning sighed, "I wanted to mention it, but I calculated the costs and felt it was a bit of a money burner."

Grand Tutor Jiang hurriedly asked: "How much money would it take? The national treasury should have it, right?"

Yan Ning sighed, "We have to wait a bit longer."

She quickly calculated that if the road surface were built wider to allow four carriages to travel side-by-side, the cost would be high; one kilometer would cost about one thousand taels of silver.

And the nearest Jin City is over one hundred kilometers from the Capital, which would cost over one hundred thousand taels; if one adds the road repairs for nearby villages, building such a road would cost at least three hundred thousand taels.

Yan Ning said: "There are too many roads I want to build; from the Capital to Jin City's official road, plus repairing the roads for nearby villages, this way, it is estimated to cost at least three hundred thousand taels of silver."

Grand Tutor Chen and Grand Tutor Jiang gasped.

"Actually, I feel that this cement ground is just so-so; the price is expensive and it doesn't have that many special functions."

"Yes, yes, yes, there is no rush to build this road."

Yan Ning nodded, "Indeed, there is no rush; let's save up more money first and build it slowly."

However, after this, the two old men no longer restricted Yan Ning; if she was happy to attend class, she could come, and if she wanted to go outside to run factories, she could go.

Grand Tutor Jiang and Grand Tutor Chen felt that Yan Ning's plans were vast.

From Explosive Packages to high-yield Seeds, then to running a School, and also cleaning up the officialdom...

They always felt that they were prepared for even more surprises.

Yes, Grand Tutor Jiang and Grand Tutor Chen both approved of Yan Ze dismissing officials.

The imperial court provides wages and authority, yet they do nothing; dismissal is still light, and only those who intentionally resist or intentionally cause trouble will be locked into Tianlao.

Moreover, those who have been dismissed now only need to be willing to teach in the School for three years, and they can retake the imperial examinations.

Grand Tutor Jiang felt that this was quite humane.

Yan Ning just went on like this, fishing for three days and drying nets for two, intermittently, and actually managed to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics.

The two old men thought on one hand about letting Yan Ning learn more, as such high talent would be a waste if she didn't study hard.

But on the other hand, they thought that Yan Ning had her own rhythm, and letting her tinker for a while might lead to some other good ideas.

It was another day of rest, and Yan Ning went with her father to the Imperial Farm to see how the crops were growing.

On the way, the two passed by a School, and even from the carriage, they could hear the clear sound of reading.

Yan Ning then had the carriage stop.

The stone was inscribed with Wangxian Village, and after entering the village, Yan Ning walked toward the School.

The sound of reading inside was loud; Yan Ning leaned against the window to look, and the children inside were all shaking their heads while reading, and the teacher was also reciting along with them.

She looked carefully and saw that there were children inside wearing clothes several sizes too small and covered in patches.

Following a series of policies, there were also over a dozen little girls inside reading along with everyone else.

Yan Ning also saw a wooden board hanging outside, with the names of every student written on it, and a few empty columns behind them prepared for writing down midterm and final exam scores.

This School was run quite well.

Yan Ning watched for a while and then left.

In another year or so, she wanted to have Wei Wu and the others keep an eye on the schools in every township.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the Imperial Farm.

Yan Ning had come this time to see how the crops were growing.

As soon as Yan Ning got off the carriage, Steward Feng came over.

He bowed slightly and led Yan Ning and the others inside to see how the crops in the farm were doing.

Once they arrived, they saw a striking splash of red; it was the tomatoes hanging on the branches, each one looking exceptionally beautiful.

Yan Ning immediately picked a few, intending to go back and make sugar-preserved tomatoes, which would also be good for stir-frying with eggs.

The Potato was also cooked, and Yan Ning had already decided what to eat tonight.

Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, stir-fried eggs with tomato, and a farmhouse-style stir-fried meat; she and her father were eating quite simply.

Yan Ning did not plan to stay here tonight; she still had to attend court early tomorrow morning, otherwise she wouldn't make it in time.

Yan Ning took a bite of the tomato and couldn't help but sigh, "Tomatoes are still the best; I haven't eaten them for so many years."

After finishing the tomato, Yan Ning took a Spirit Fruit to eat.

It tasted sweet after she ate it.

She felt a bit annoyed: "I still have so much beef in my space; I should have let them add a Tomato Beef Brisket."

Yan Ze smiled and said, "Pick some more tomatoes to take back in a while, and have the people in the Imperial Kitchen make it tomorrow."

Yan Ning felt a little expectant.

When she passed by, she saw not only tomatoes, but also a large patch of seedless watermelons in the melon field, which would likely be ripe in a while.

The dozens of watermelons in her space were almost finished, so she needed to restock.

Thinking this, Yan Ning casually picked up a piece of the farmhouse-style stir-fried meat.

As soon as she ate it, she spat it out.

Yan Ze hadn't eaten it yet and asked, "What's wrong? Is it not good?"

Yan Ning shook her head: "There is a strange smell; I guess they didn't add seasoning to remove the gamey taste, or perhaps the pigs here are just quite gamey."

After watching all the videos in the transmigrator's guide series, Yan Ning felt it was necessary to go take a look at the pigsty.