As soon as Zhou Ri heard this, he started acting strangely too.
"It's nothing, nothing at all."
The more he insisted it was nothing, the more Song Qingchao felt there was indeed something.
So she lowered her voice, with a hint of threat, "Really nothing?"
"Really!"
Zhou Ri promised with a blushing face.
Song Qingchao narrowed her eyes.
These two definitely had something going on.
It seemed she couldn't get it out of the people involved, so she'd have to find Zhou Yi another day to ask.
As the eldest of the Zhou brothers.
Zhou Yi would surely know a lot about his brothers' affairs.
If Zhou Yi didn't know, then she'd go ask the other three, Four, Five, and Six.
Those three together could get anything done, they were practically a live wire.
"Miss, we're here for serious matters."
Song Qingchao teased him a bit but didn't press the issue further.
"Did Zhou Yi tell you everything?"
Zhou Ri nodded, but he still had some questions, "If we give them these things, will they still listen to us in the future?"
Song Qingchao pointed a finger at him lightly.
"We can help once, but we can't help forever. Producing these things on our own isn't enough in terms of quantity."
"Do you understand the principle of teaching a man to fish being better than giving him a fish? Besides, many hands make light work. Everyone working together is much more effective than me working alone."
Zhou Ri nodded, seeming to understand, yet not quite.
"I'll do as Miss says."
"Tomorrow I'll have Zhou Yi and the others accompany you. You'll be in charge, so be sure to remember, nothing must go wrong."
Zhou Ri seemed delighted, "Thank you, Miss!"
After finishing her instructions, Zhou Ri shot out like the wind.
As he left, he nearly collided with Liu Zhe'er, who was just entering.
This time, both of them very cautiously bowed to each other.
Song Qingchao watched, thinking, this further confirmed her suspicions that Zhou Ri and Ying Zhong definitely had something going on!
Liu Zhe'er had entered with Zhou Yi.
Seeing Zhou Ri bolt out, Zhou Yi immediately followed, afraid Zhou Ri might cause trouble.
"Chao Chao Jie, you were looking for me?"
Liu Zhe'er sounded a bit timid, as if she had made a mistake.
Song Qingchao waved her over and gestured for Liu Zhe'er to sit by the brazier.
"Don't be nervous."
She poked at the sweet potato on the brazier, "Why are we being so formal?"
Liu Zhe'er fidgeted, nervously clutching her collar, "Chao Chao Jie, please don't be angry. I insisted on following Aunt Fang, it's not Aunt Fang's fault."
Song Qingchao realized it was about this.
Sigh, she thought she was worried about something else.
"I'm not angry."
Song Qingchao stroked Liu Zhe'er's hair; Zhe'er's hair had grown much longer.
"Really?"
Liu Zhe'er immediately lifted her head, looking at Song Qingchao with bright, clear eyes.
Song Qingchao couldn't help but smile, "Really."
She playfully flicked Liu Zhe'er's nose, "Would Chao Chao Jie ever lie to our Zhe'er?"
Liu Zhe'er instantly brightened, her voice soft and sweet, "Then Chao Chao Jie, you agree to me following Aunt Fang?"
Song Qingchao pretended to ponder, frowning and remaining silent.
Seeing Liu Zhe'er about to cry, she finally relented, "It's not impossible."
Liu Zhe'er, sensing a turn of events, stopped her tears.
Song Qingchao couldn't resist teasing her, "What? Is little crybaby threatening me with tears?"
Liu Zhe'er wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm not."
She said very seriously, "Aunt Fang is very capable. I want to learn more from Aunt Fang so I can help Chao Chao Jie in the future, so Chao Chao Jie won't be so tired."
"Good child."
Song Qingchao, deeply moved, hugged Liu Zhe'er closer.
"Chao Chao Jie has been very busy recently and can't take care of you, so you need to take good care of yourself. Since you want to follow Aunt Fang, I won't stop you..."
Liu Zhe'er immediately wrapped her arms around Song Qingchao's waist, "Chao Chao Jie is the best!"
Song Qingchao patted Liu Zhe'er's back.
She changed the subject, "However, I do have one condition."
"Ah?" Liu Zhe'er looked up, her pigtail almost brushing Song Qingchao's face.
Song Qingchao smoothed down Liu Zhe'er's pigtail, "You need to graduate from Teacher Ji Yanzhuo's class before you can fully follow Aunt Fang."
"I attend all of Teacher Ji's classes, and to not fall behind, I find Shao Yu to tutor me in the evenings."
So this girl knew about the importance of studying.
That put Song Qingchao at ease.
She nodded, "Study hard and make progress every day."
"Chao Chao Jie, don't worry!" Liu Zhe'er wriggled out of Song Qingchao's embrace and bent her arm into a "bow" shape, "Look, I have muscles too! Brother Zhou Yi says I'm very strong."
Song Qingchao dotingly ruffled her hair.
"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Liu Zhe'er nodded, "I'll go back and review my books for a while before sleeping. Chao Chao Jie should also rest soon, Zhe'er sees how busy you are."
"Okay, go ahead."
After Liu Zhe'er left, Song Qingchao was finally able to relax a bit.
Wait, she seemed to have forgotten someone today...
As soon as she remembered, she stood up and saw Zhou Yi.
Song Qingchao thought, thankfully it was Zhou Yi. If it had been someone else, they might have exploded by now.
"Um, Zhou Yi, what did you need?"
Sorry, she had genuinely forgotten why she had called Zhou Yi!
Zhou Yi remained very calm.
He simply went over all the matters concerning Sifangtai with Song Qingchao.
As Song Qingchao listened, she became increasingly impressed with her past self.
She had spotted these eight people from the Lin family at a glance.
What a great deal!
"Everything has progressed quite smoothly. You'll be in charge of all matters when I'm not around."
Zhou Yi frowned.
He didn't quite understand Song Qingchao's meaning.
"Master, what are you going to do?"
"Me?" Song Qingchao stretched her shoulders and neck. "I'm going to do some important things."
Seeing Zhou Yi still didn't understand.
Song Qingchao decided not to say more, "You just need to remember what I said."
"The farming tools we made, when lending them out for the first planting, you must remember to collect them."
"While I'm away, you must instruct them to sow according to the seasons. You'll need to discuss this with Old Tian; never let them do as they please. Remember, for the three cellars in the south, if the granaries aren't filled during the autumn harvest, then go find Mu Mu, he'll know what to do."
"When things calm down, the paper mill should be completed. We need to fully utilize the idle population to develop industry. For selling paper, you can contact Su Nanyi; he's always kept in touch with the government and can turn our paper into silver."
"After the autumn harvest, as winter approaches, we must train rigorously. We cannot slacken just because the weather is cold. This is the time to accelerate talent cultivation. Everyone must attend the literacy class. Find Ji Yanzhuo for curriculum matters. If anyone is disobedient, hand them directly to Zhou Ri."
"Also, ask Aunt Fang about any recognized skills. If women are taken in, send them to Ying Zhong to learn medical skills. They must know the simplest things like bandaging and stopping bleeding."
"By next spring, we will no longer help everyone till the land. If they want to use tools then, they will exchange them for grain. All specific matters will be up to you."
Song Qingchao said a great deal.
Zhou Yi absorbed it all.
"Master," his voice was a little choked, "How long will you be gone?"