bookcurios Chapter 144 One step too late, self-deprecating.
Chapter 144 One step too late, self-deprecating.
She turned around hastily, waving excitedly, "It's Lord Shen! Lord Shen is back! Lord Shen, hurry up, Sister Gu is leaving."
Shen Qingyan couldn't hear what Cao Cao was saying, but he knew Cao Cao was lively and enthusiastic, so he thought she was greeting him and returned her a smile.
At the same time, Gu Xixi heard the countdown reach 0, and she closed her eyes.
Shen Qingyan rode closer and noticed Cao Cao's anxious expression. He followed Cao Cao's gaze and saw the supermarket disappear from its spot in an instant.
The spot where the supermarket once stood is now empty, and even the small flowers and grass are still fresh and untouched, as if the Fa Da Cai Supermarket had never existed there.
Shen Qingyan reined in his horse, which let out heavy breaths from its long journey, and came to a steady stop after pausing for a few steps.
He sat blankly on the horse, somewhat at a loss.
Even though he knew he could go back to Xilan County to see Gu Xixi again, the scene of the supermarket disappearing was just too shocking. It was a concrete manifestation of Gu Xixi suddenly disappearing from his world.
His heart still trembled involuntarily, he felt a pang of disappointment, a wave of panic... and much more.
The villagers were terrified by what they saw. They rubbed their eyes, looked at each other, and after confirming that what they had just seen was not a hallucination, they knelt down in unison.
They knelt and bowed in the direction where the supermarket had disappeared, their expressions filled with emotion.
"Miss Gu is indeed a goddess. She has returned to the celestial realm after completing her mission of saving people from suffering, and she even took the magical shop with her. We are grateful to the goddess for saving our lives."
"Fairy Sister Gu, until we meet again. I will definitely go to the private school. Thank you, Sister."
"So there really are gods in the world. No wonder even a talented man like Lord Shen... Miss Gu saved 800,000 disaster victims, and saved good officials like Lord Shen and Lord Chen... The grain was also delivered by Miss Gu... We should erect a statue and a monument for her and worship her for a long time to express our gratitude."
……
After a hasty bow, he walked up to Shen Qingyan and waved to him from his horse, "So you're Lord Shen! Lord Shen, why didn't you tell Sister Gu that you liked her? She's gone now, what are you going to do?"
"Originally... it was still a step too late."
Shen Qingyan chuckled. He had originally thought that all he needed to do now was to implement the government's policies, which would be half of his grand ambition. His teacher had told him to cherish the present...
Therefore, he specifically chose to return to Xilan County to continue his post, forgoing the victory celebration banquet to come here.
He thought that perhaps he could say it, and even if Gu Xixi had no feelings for him, he wouldn't regret it... Was this fate? It was as if he and Gu Xixi were in two different worlds, a gap that no human could bridge.
“Your sister Gu has just gone home. I’ll go to her house to find her and then tell her. What do you think, Cao Cao?” Shen Qingyan jumped off his horse, took out a piece of silver and handed it over. “Your sister Gu likes girls to study and broaden their horizons. Take this and use it to study.”
His Majesty's reward consisted of one hundred taels of silver. He took twenty, and the rest were given to Chen Yanxu for the purpose of supporting impoverished students. Cao Cao should also receive one.
Cao Cao didn't take it, but shook her head. "Lord Shen, Sister Gu has already helped me earn a lot of money. My brother and I can afford to go to private school now. I've also bought a lot of things from the shop, which I can sell to the wealthy Young Master Wei. I'll have a lot of money then, so you can give it to other people who need it."
There must still be people who haven't been helped by Sister Gu and can't afford the tuition to attend the private school.
Shen Qingyan chuckled. He had only been with Gu Xixi for less than half a month, yet he had already learned her words. So he took back the ten taels of silver and took out several dozen copper coins. "Then keep these as a gift from me to send you to the private school."
Cao Cao then reached out and took it, smiling contentedly.
After the two finished speaking, the surrounding people gathered around.
"Lord Shen, how are you these days?"
"Lord Shen, is the new emperor any good? Although the new policies are good, we are really poor right now. If there are several children in the family, it is difficult for them all to attend a private school."
"Lord Shen, where are you going to take up your post? Could you perhaps take up a post in Qingfeng County?"
……
Everyone was very enthusiastic, and Shen Qingyan patiently answered, "Fellow villagers, our new emperor is diligent in governing for the people and encourages open discussion. He is a good emperor. Uncle, His Majesty is also considerate of the people's hardships, so he is already preparing to establish pilot private schools for compulsory education starting in Xilan County."
"If the pilot program is successful, it will be implemented in all counties within three years, and the tuition will be very cheap, ensuring that everyone can afford to attend a private school. Once students have obtained their official titles, starting from the lowest level, they can then pay for their own admission to a better private school..."
In this way, the rest of the people who are literate and those with talent can be supported.
There are also student loans and other assistance programs that Miss Gu mentioned, and they will submit a memorial to His Majesty based on the actual situation.
The people became more and more excited as they listened, especially many women, who felt that the bright sunshine overhead was very fitting for the occasion.
After everyone expressed their gratitude, Shen Qingyan spurred his horse and turned back towards Xilan County.
Cao Cao seemed to be deep in thought, and then quickly rushed home. Her mother was now much better and could move around with the help of a cane.
"Mother, let's move to Xilan County. Lord Shen has gone back to be an official, and life there will definitely be better. Besides, students there don't have to pay to attend private schools now!"
……
Modern-day, get rich in the backyard of the supermarket.
Chen Yu was finally released. This time, seeing that Gu Xixi didn't rush forward again, he waited for Gu Xixi to complete her full medical examination before going over, picking her up, and spinning her around.
"Xixi, why did you take so long? I was so worried about you. You have no idea, that Mermaid King scolded me."
Gu Xixi numbly clung to his shoulder: ...
"Didn't you yell back?" Don't think she doesn't know. "Mermaids are simple-minded. They only looked at your memories to make sure you're a good person, which is understandable, considering you were almost wiped out by humans. We're in business. You really acted recklessly this time."
Chen Yu then pouted and lowered his head.
Gu Xixi became smarter and more mature after completing the mission.
"Alright, call everyone to a meeting and report on our work." Gu Xixi rubbed her eyes, yawned, and followed Chu Feng as they walked and talked.
Everyone else immediately got to work, and it wasn't until evening that Gu Xixi had a chance to go back to her villa to rest, but she was still somewhat distracted.
[In the future, you shouldn't be so easily moved by emotions. There are countless business partners in this world, and if you... It's not that I'm criticizing you for being sentimental, but continuing like this won't do you any good.]
In the Great Huang Dynasty, Shen Qingyan was different.
Gu Xixi answered subconsciously, saying that she didn't have that kind of... in the other trading worlds.
"[How is it different? Shen Qingyan is nothing more than a speck of dust in the three thousand worlds, an ordinary human being.]" The system's tone was calm, but in the final, slower cadence, it sounded like a self-deprecating murmur.