Chapter 1346 – Raising Daughters (Part 2)
The battle outside was raging, yet the common people were largely unaffected.
To increase job opportunities and reduce the disruption caused by jobless individuals on public safety, Jiang Pengji carefully researched and funded the repair of several official roads. She provided two free meals a day for the workers and offered a certain amount of copper coins based on their labor, along with a piece of flax cloth every season. If the workers completed the entire project ahead of schedule, they could receive an additional ten days’ bonus.
These roads would not only facilitate troop movements during wartime but also benefit the common people during peacetime, allowing them to transport surplus fruits and vegetables to sell elsewhere for extra income. In the past, a journey through the mountains could take ten days or more, leading to spoiled goods by the time farmers reached their destination. Now, it only took a day, keeping the produce fresh.
Jiang Pengji also encouraged women to work and support their families, offering other job opportunities more suitable for them besides roadwork. Improving women’s social status couldn’t happen overnight; it required a long time to change ingrained perceptions.
For instance, she was aware that some women could earn more from embroidery and weaving at home than their husbands did working outside. However, their income was seen as a mere “supplement” rather than a primary source, with even the women themselves believing they were not the breadwinners—rather, it was their husbands who held that role. It became the norm for them to adopt a position of inferiority voluntarily.
However, with Jiang Pengji’s strong rise, this sense of inevitability was beginning to change, which was ultimately a positive sign.
Though there were occasional bumps along the way, everything was moving in the direction she had envisioned.
As the convoy escorting Huang Song and others crossed the border of Wanzhou, the oppressive air of hostility gradually dissipated, replaced by a serene atmosphere. Huang Song’s anxious heart began to calm as he observed the scenery along the road.
Huang Song was sitting in the carriage with his head down, reading a book, when a strange noise and a peculiar smell drifted into his ears.
Frowning, he lifted the curtain to peek outside and saw a couple following an old cow on either side. A girl in blue and white clothing was sitting on the cow’s back, with a cross-body bag slung over her shoulder. Huang Song initially thought they were a family but quickly realized he was mistaken.
The man was a hunter from a village in Wanzhou; his childhood friend had been conscripted into the army and died on the battlefield two years ago.
The friend’s wife had become a widow, and life was tough for a widow with a daughter under four years old. The man frequently helped her, and over time, they found mutual affection. Under the advice of the Ice Person, they became a makeshift couple. The man treated his friend’s daughter as his own. He was overjoyed to learn that she had been selected to attend the Golden Scales Academy, unable to sleep for days.
Now, the couple was preparing to send their daughter to school.
Despite being a girl, in this era, any opportunity to receive education was precious; it was still better than having to do hard labor for a living.
Others said he was fortunate to raise this adopted daughter; wouldn’t she take care of him in his old age?
He thought so too, envisioning that when he had his own children, they could use their sister’s books to learn a few words.
Others didn’t have such benefits.
Huang Song had heard of the Golden Scales Academy, but in recent years, he hadn’t paid much attention, only knowing it was an introductory private school.
Now, looking more closely, he felt he had underestimated it.
Huang Song pulled back the curtain and smiled at the man, “Hey there, brother, are you heading to the market?”
The man, startled by the call, turned around and searched for a long time, only to see Huang Song’s heavily guarded convoy, causing his face to turn pale.
With trembling hands, he replied, “No, just sending my child to school.”
Huang Song beckoned them closer, and the couple, being common people, dared not disobey.
“Sending a child to school?” Huang Song glanced at the girl sitting on the cow’s back; she was nervously gripping her bag, her bright eyes staring wide. She wasn’t particularly cute, but she radiated the vitality unique to children, “It’s not easy to go to school nowadays; it must be expensive.”
The man tried to relax, and the guards around the carriage instinctively made some space for him.
“We have support from the governor, it doesn’t cost too much—” the man shook his head, “And she’ll eat well at school.”
The official in charge of selecting children said that those attending the academy would have free meals and housing, with free clothes made for them throughout the year.
Feigning surprise, Huang Song asked, “Is there really such a good deal in the world?”
The man replied, “Of course! The girl from that family at the end of the village has been studying for three years already!”
Huang Song asked a few more questions, and the man responded enthusiastically, some answers clear and some vague.
After all, as a rural hunter who could barely read, it was commendable for him to articulate whatever he knew.
Huang Song then shifted the conversation and posed a sudden question.
“…So, brother, won’t some people have malicious intentions and let their own kids take the slots meant for others?”
Such things weren’t impossible; some parents might very well snatch a slot from others for their kids.
The man paused, then angrily responded, “Who would dare to do such a thing?”
Huang Song laughed, “With everything being possible, is there no preventive measure from the governor’s side regarding this?”
If these benefits were meant to be acts of compassion, then they ought to truly reach the families of martyrs; otherwise, it would reflect poorly if any scandals arose.
The man quickly waved his hands, “That won’t happen! Who would dare do such a thing? Aren’t they afraid of being haunted by ghosts?”
Huang Song felt perplexed, but unfortunately, the man didn’t know much to clear his doubts.
Little did he know that Jiang Pengji never viewed human nature as an entirely benevolent force. When she established these welfare measures, she had thought of every possible issue. In the military camp, there were designated personnel who would regularly visit households. If any family adopting an orphan showed signs of abuse, that household would face severe penalties, and the abused child would be sent to a dedicated facility for proper care.
Every child was documented to facilitate the selection process for the Golden Scales Academy, making it difficult for outsiders to forge any information.
Despite the daunting task, Jiang Pengji believed such measures were necessary.
At noon, under the bright sun, the group finally arrived at Xiangyang County.
As soon as they entered the city, the couple led their old cow to ask for directions. The common people, spotting the child in her outfit on the cow’s back, eagerly pointed the way.
The head escort asked, “Are you heading straight home?”
This time, there were only three people in the escort party: Huang Song, Cheng Jing, and Feng Jue, who were conveniently heading to Wanzhou to deliver supplies.
The identities of the three were somewhat awkward: they were neither captives nor citizens, and it posed a problem how to handle them without granting freedom.
