Chapter 220: Running a school, at Peking University, from now on call me President Lu

Liu Shoucai knew his second master's wife's family was formidable.

He also hurriedly stood up and said thanks.

Finally, Liu Shoucai sat down to eat together, and Lu Yuan looked at him and said:

"You just came back from Sea Ferry?"

Liu Shoucai quickly nodded, looking at Lu Yuan and said with a smile:

"Yes, Master, but this time coming back wasn't tiring at all; the round‑trip by train took only a few hours."

Lu Yuan nodded and said:

"How is Sea Ferry? Is it fun?"

Recently Lu Yuan had been thinking about whether to go out for a bit of fun; having been transmigrated here for so long, the farthest distance he'd traveled was to Qiu Qiu Village.

He hadn't been anywhere else.

Taking advantage of the fact that there's nothing to do now, his wife's belly has just begun to show and she can still move, why not go out together for a while?

It doesn't need to be long—just two days and one night.

We'll go tomorrow morning, play somewhere in the afternoon, stay somewhere overnight, and come back the next afternoon around four or five.

Anyway, Sea Ferry is nearby.

Especially now that there's a train, it's not tiring.

And at this moment, Liu Shoucai also kept nodding and said:

"It's fun, Master—Sea Ferry is really fun now, mainly because it's beautiful; the sea is truly beautiful."

"There's really a lot of seafood there; the fishing boats come ashore and directly spread out their catch to sell."

"I was in a hurry this time coming back—I didn't go to the harbor; next time I go, I'll bring back a few big yellow croakers for you, Master."

Yellow croaker, garlic‑pork.

Pan‑fried and stewed is the most delicious.

Just thinking about it made Lu Yuan's mouth water.

Immediately, Lu Yuan looked at his wife beside him and said:

"Wife, how about we go to Sea Ferry for a trip tomorrow?"

Go to Sea Ferry?

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, everyone in the room was stunned, and Lu Yuan continued:

"We'll go for two days and one night—take the train tomorrow morning, stay there overnight, and come back the next afternoon."

"I'll take my wife to see the sea; the weather is warm now, we can play on the beach for a while and eat fresh seafood."

Su Liyan had never seen the sea.

Most importantly, Su Liyan wanted even more to go along with her husband to have fun.

Immediately, Su Liyan kept nodding in agreement.

But just as she nodded, she turned her gaze to the household orders and such.

Lu Yuan then immediately said:

"It's fine; a day or two doesn't matter."

Hearing her husband's words, Su Liyan kept nodding happily.

Lu Yuan then looked toward Su Changliang and Gu Lie beside him and asked curiously:

"Are the two of you going or not?"

More people, more helpers—just in case something happens, right?

Of course……probably……nothing will happen.

After all……fundamentally speaking……my wife……is now a cultivator.

Su Changliang hadn't spoken yet, but Gu Lie immediately nodded excitedly and said:

"Let's go—why wouldn't we go!"

Changliang still had to go to work, but his mother beside him said:

"You should come along too—help your brother‑in‑law look after your sister on the way."

Upon hearing his mother's words, Changliang immediately smiled and nodded, saying:

"Fine, I'll go back tonight to ask for leave."

If both Changliang and Gu Lie go……

Then naturally, everyone in the room except Liu Shoucai will go!

The more people, the livelier.

Anyway, it's only two days—anything can be put off.

……

In the early morning, Lu Yuan's group arrived at the train station.

Everyone had first‑class tickets.

Only Lu Yuan's family was in this carriage.

Arranged by Gu Qingwan.

Everyone in the household knew Gu Qingwan's identity, so there was no need to pretend.

Breakfast was eaten on the train.

Nowadays there are dedicated attendants who push snack carts aboard.

It's not much different from Earth.

Moreover, the decor of this first‑class compartment is quite nice, and there's even a sofa.

It should be arriving around one o'clock in the afternoon.

Over in Haijin, Gu Qingwan has also made arrangements; someone will come to pick up the car when the time comes.

As for where to stay tonight, it's just a normal restaurant.

It's not to the point of saying we're going to a temporary palace or anything.

After all, Gu Qingwan came out this time secretly.

After Lu Yuan had eaten and drunk his fill, he lay on the sofa, holding his wife, and looked at the scenery outside the window.

This sofa is really comfortable.

Just like the Soft Dream, they are all made by the Jiangnan Forging Bureau.

Huddled in the sofa, it's especially comfortable.

Lu Yuan thought, after renovating his three-courtyard residence, he should also get this sofa.

Su's mother stood to the side, watching these two people — son-in-law and daughter — squeezed onto one sofa, and couldn't help but smile.

These two are truly loving; over these past few days, Su's mother noticed that whenever her son-in-law had free time, he would embrace and hold her daughter.

This is really good.

As for Gu Qingwan, she simply sat in one spot, with several boxes placed in front of her.

Even though we're out to have fun, we can't neglect government affairs; we still need to look at them.

Su Changliang and Gu Lie huddled together, not knowing what to say, smirking in a lewd way.

Both of them didn't dare to speak loudly.

Su Changliang is under his mother's control, and Gu Lie is under Gu Qingwan's control.

If anyone speaks a bit louder, later they'll really get a slap.

The steam train isn't very fast; along the way, it goes and stops, and at each stop, quite a few people lean on the train here, hawking goods.

Lu Yuan glanced at these people outside the window.

The vast majority are children, looking about ten or so years old, propping up on their feet, straining with both hands to hold up the bamboo baskets they carry.

They raise the goods in their baskets as high as possible, so people on the train can pick them out.

Lu Yuan glanced at these children and furrowed his brow.

Before this, Lu Yuan felt he was still a big kid.

But ever since his wife became pregnant, Lu Yuan has also undergone a shift in mindset.

These thoughts of his are now quite different from before.

Just looking at these children makes him feel somewhat uneasy inside.

"How old are you? How much for these loquats?"

This one, who looks about ten years old, looked at Lu Yuan and said with a smile:

"Grandpa, I'm twelve this year, and these loquats are three fen for two."

Just twelve years old......

Although the boy's development is a bit late, it's obvious he's somewhat malnourished.

Lu Yuan took out a coin from his pocket and directly handed it to the boy, saying:

"I'll take the whole basket."

Having said that, Lu Yuan directly lifted the whole basket from outside the window.

The boy, excited, immediately dropped to his knees, palms together, and repeatedly bowed to Lu Yuan, saying:

"Thank you, Grandpa, thank you, Grandpa."

Along this route, the mountains and waters are fine, but the people are not.

Almost every time they reach a train station, they can see a situation like that of the boy just now.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is still poor......

Finally, after finishing their meal on the train at noon, it was past one in the afternoon.

Everyone then got off at Haijin Station.

As soon as Lu Yuan's group stepped off, an official immediately came up.

Gu Qingwan came this time using Lu Yuan's name, Earl Lu.

So, these people only knew that an earl from the capital had arrived, and didn't realize that among this group there were actually princes and imperial lords.

The Haijin officials thought Lu Yuan had come for an inspection.

These people, upon meeting Lu Yuan, began to brief him on the current situation in Haijin.

Haijin is still very prosperous.

The reason is simple: this is the Haijin Guard, and it's right next to the Imperial City.

Some factories, sheds, and all sorts of miscellaneous things in Huangcheng — as soon as Huangcheng had them, Haijin would have them second.

Moreover, Haijin was originally a very important port in the north of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Back when there was no railway, all the goods from the southern coastal areas had to enter port through Haijin, then go on to Huangcheng.

One could say, whatever Huangcheng has, Haijin must have; whatever Huangcheng lacks, Haijin also has!

"My lord, look, this whole area is just bicycle factories."

"Our Haijin's bicycles, once made, aren't just sold locally; they'll also be shipped by sea to two southeastern coastal provinces."

At that moment, Lu Yuan's convoy was on a large dam, below which stretched endless rows of factories, dense as far as the eye could see.

Lu Yuan sat in the carriage, looking down at the factories and giving a slight nod.

Then, an official again said:

Lord, would you like to go down and have a look, give some guidance?

Bicycles, trains, these things—all this work done by Lu Yuan—are known to the officials of Haijin too.

After all, the Ministry of Rites had already compiled and issued a record of Lu Yuan's recent achievements!

Everyone has seen it.

So, now that Lu Yuan has come, the officials of Haijin still attach great importance to him, and they admire him immensely.

Especially seeing him in person, looking only in his early twenties, their admiration naturally grew even stronger.

All kinds of flattery were directed at Lu Yuan, some empty words, but many were sincere.

Lu Yuan looked at the factories below, blinked, and then said:

Fine.

Going to have a look is fine; it's just a few steps away.

Afterward, Lu Yuan walked down with the Haijin leaders, while Su Liyan and Gu Qingwan's group followed behind.

Along the way, the Haijin leaders introduced Lu Yuan to this newly built industrial city.

Lu Yuan listened as he walked.

Soon, after reaching the workshop, upon entering, it was not much different from the armory in Huangcheng.

Anyway, it's just an assembly line.

However, after Lu Yuan walked around a few times, he slightly furrowed his brows and said:

He's also a craftsman??

On the assembly line before Lu Yuan, he saw several teenagers wearing adult-sized protective gear, sleeves rolled up, pant legs cuffed, and hard hats on their heads.

Upon hearing Lu Yuan say that, the few Haijin leaders again laid on the flattery.

Well… it couldn't really be called flattery.

Because those leaders genuinely thought that way.

The Haijin leaders gave Lu Yuan a thumbs-up and said:

Lord, the bicycles and threshers you invented are selling like crazy, and Haijin has been frantically building factories these days.

Pretty much everyone who could come from Haijin has already come; since we can't find enough workers, we've let the kids fill in.

These tasks are simple—just flip a switch, control the machinery, etc. —simple, Lord, you can rest assured, nothing will go wrong~

Listening to the Haijin leaders' words, Lu Yuan gave a strange look and said:

There are that many factories?

The Haijin leaders also explained to Lu Yuan that many of the factories in the north these days are located in Haijin.

There's no helping it, after all, Haijin is a port city.

Here, not only can railways be used, but also sea transport.

Naturally, factories are willing to be placed here—it's convenient.

After the factories here produce goods, they are loaded onto ships and shipped out directly.

So of course the factories have to be placed in Haijin.

Once railways are built, things will be different—of course, that's for the future.

For now, it's still like this.

After all, many factories were built in Haijin before trains were even developed.

The leaders continued to explain:

Lord, the speed at which you produce things is really too fast.

We just finished building the threshing machine factory here, and over there you've already produced bicycles.

We just finished the bicycle factory, and over there you've already produced locomotive engines.

Haijin is now frantically building factories; basically, everyone in Haijin city has been drafted.

Hearing the leaders' words, Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said strangely:

That doesn't justify having children come, does it?

Even if everyone in Haijin city went to the factories, does that mean no one from other cities would come?

With so many positions here in Haijin city, wouldn't people from other cities come to make a living?

After hearing Lu Yuan's words, the leaders glanced at each other and gave an embarrassed laugh, saying:

There are quite a few… but… those aren't really Haijin people… the fertilizer doesn't flow to outsiders' fields…

Since there are job openings, we will certainly prioritize Haijin's people; besides, even if these kids don't come to work, they'd just be playing around at home.

These kids' positions are all simple, so we don't need to pay much—just seven or eight yuan a month.

We also count their work hours; after they've been at it a while, they become regular workers, and when they start, they're already skilled—how great.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan understood.

This is how the local Haijin government saves money.

Lu Yuan fell into contemplation, while the officials beside him kept praising him.

They said how amazing Lu Yuan was, and so on.

These people are sincere; Haijin has so many positions that even kids can take them, which is surely thanks to Lord Lu Yuan!

But Lu Yuan felt……

Such tiny children… who can't even count four, five, six… just go into the factory……

Of course, given the background, there's nothing wrong with that.

But in Lu Yuan's view, continuing like this is not acceptable.

It's just that what the Haijin leaders said is also correct.

Even if these kids don't come out to work, staying at home they're just playing around; it's better to come out and work.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment...

Let's run a school.

Of course, with the Great Zhou Dynasty's finances, providing universal education, nine years of compulsory education without tuition— the Great Zhou Dynasty currently can't afford it.

At the very least, this would take five years, even ten years.

But we can lay the foundation now.

Most importantly, we first need to cultivate some proper, genuine teachers.

Cultivate genuine intellectuals, a group of truly useful talents for the state and the Imperial Court.

It's not just those from the Three Assists who merely memorize verses and become disciples of the sages.

Lu Yuan has decided.

The format of open university lectures.

Lu Yuan brought in top talents from various fields to study.

He will teach them personally!

Of course, besides these industrial subjects, Lu Yuan will also teach them math, physics, and chemistry.

Um... to be frank, Lu Yuan's current level in math, physics, and chemistry is just that of middle school.

Don't look at Lu Yuan being a college student; the knowledge he learned in senior year of high school, he's long forgotten, tossed it all after the college entrance exam.

But even if Lu Yuan only has middle-school level math, physics, and chemistry knowledge, it's enough here.

It's just to give these people an enlightenment!

What Lu Yuan needs to do now is to enlighten, to liberate thinking!

Lu Yuan gives these people a start, gives them a foundation; the rest, they will research on their own.

Putting it the old way, this is called 'the master leads you to the door!'

Lu Yuan is not a mere ink-stained scholar.

Having figured it out, he didn't even look at that factory.

He directly headed back to the carriage.

On the way, Lu Yuan didn't let those officials follow him; instead, he took Gu Qingwan's wrist and walked to the back of the crowd.

Gu Qingwan, having her hand pulled by Lu Yuan, felt inexplicably shy.

However, before Gu Qingwan could say anything, Lu Yuan directly said from the side:

"Wan-jie, I want to run a school."

Run a school?

Gu Qingwan was still a bit shy, but upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, she stared at him with a dazed expression.

And Lu Yuan nodded very firmly and said:

"Yes, it's about running a school; I've already thought of the school's name—Qingbei, and I want to serve as the president of Qingbei University."

Thanks to Chao Fan Ru Sheng Lao Ge for the 1600 book coins reward, thank you very much~

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(End of chapter)