Early morning had just broken, and the sky was only beginning to brighten when the people of Qingjian County were already lining up neatly at the train station, waiting for the small train to arrive.
Over the past five days, a massive recruitment effort had taken place, and most of the Qingjian County refugees had already found work suited to their abilities. Those with skills were absorbed into the craft workshops, while those without specialized skills took on labor-intensive tasks such as road building, tree cutting, and hauling materials. The entire settlement buzzed with activity from dawn to dusk.
The women were not idle either. The small train had been transporting large quantities of spinning machines and raw cotton from the main fort, delivering them into the hands of the women. Their task was clear. Spin the cotton into cloth, then send the finished fabric back to the main fort.
Under the guidance of Li Dao Xuan, Shan Shier had long since introduced a piece-rate wage system for the women. The more cloth they produced, the more they earned. It was simple, direct, and brutally effective.
Once this method had been implemented, the cloth production in Gao Village Family had experienced a qualitative leap. Output surged, efficiency improved, and even the lazier ones found themselves motivated by the promise of tangible rewards. Now, this same system had been extended to Refugee Valley, and the results were already beginning to show.
Even the elderly had found their place in this rapidly growing ecosystem.
The sudden influx of population had created a surge in demand for everyday items such as bamboo baskets and bamboo chairs. The older folks took to the hills, cutting bamboo, then sat under the eaves of their homes, weaving and crafting with practiced hands. Their income was not as high as the younger workers, but it was enough to exchange for daily necessities, and more importantly, it gave them a sense of purpose.
The only ones left without proper work were the children.
Li Dao Xuan cast a casual glance downward and immediately noticed them scattered all across Refugee Valley. There were at least four hundred of them. The older ones occasionally helped their families with chores, but the younger ones were running around aimlessly, playing without direction, turning the entire valley into their playground.
That would not do.
Children needed education.
However, the consequences of swallowing more than one could handle had begun to surface. The "Learning Hall" at the main fort simply did not have the capacity to accommodate so many children. Even if space could somehow be found, there was still only one teacher, Mr. Wang. There was no way he could handle over four hundred students on his own.
Clearly, more teachers would need to be recruited. And beyond that, a proper, large-scale school would have to be built.
Teachers could be arranged through Tan Liwen. As long as money was spent generously, persuading a few scholars from the county to come over should not be too difficult. As for the school building itself, that was another matter entirely.
Looks like I have to trouble my old buddy Cai Xin Zi again.
Li Dao Xuan opened WeChat and sent a message. "Hey, where are you messing around now?"
Cai Xin Zi replied almost immediately. "Still in Shanghai. I just handed your miniature Daoist temple to the organizers of the micro-sculpture exhibition. They were blown away and even set up a special display booth for you. I still have to attend a figure merchandising business exchange event afterward."
Li Dao Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then if I want another model made right now, that is not possible?"
Cai Xin Zi shot back, "What kind of nonsense is that? Of course it is possible. I still have staff at the shop. Just send over the design, and they will handle it. So, what are you making this time?"
"A school," Li Dao Xuan replied. "I want a 1:200 scale model of a school."
There was a brief pause, then Cai Xin Zi responded with a teasing tone. "Do not tell me you still have not had enough of studying and now want to keep a school at home to reminisce about your student days."
Li Dao Xuan chuckled. "Exactly. I want to collect a school. Just base it on our old alma mater, the one that makes me want to burn it down every time I see it. Number Thirty-Two Middle School."
Cai Xin Zi immediately switched to voice chat, her tone dripping with mockery. "So, are you adding wheels this time?"
Li Dao Xuan laughed and replied in voice as well. "I admit it. Adding wheels last time was completely pointless. That Hakka Tulou with wheels was a rash decision. I have not even used them once."
"That is what you get for messing around," Cai Xin Zi laughed. "Fine, I will take the order. I will have my staff make a 1:200 model of Number Thirty-Two Middle School and send it to you. But let me warn you, do not actually burn it. If you end up setting your own house on fire, that would be embarrassing."
"Then use fire-resistant materials," Li Dao Xuan said without hesitation.
Cai Xin Zi groaned. "Of course. The weirdest requirements always come at the end."
The two exchanged a few more playful insults before ending the call.
It had been a while since Li Dao Xuan paid attention to matters related to schooling. This conversation reminded him, and he quickly shifted his focus toward the Learning Hall.
The moment his perspective switched over, he saw Bai Yuan standing at the front of the classroom with a serious expression, teaching mathematics to a group of children seated below.
Mr. Wang had already finished the language lesson. Now it was Bai Yuan's turn to "impart knowledge on behalf of Dao Xuan Tianzun" and teach mathematics.
Li Dao Xuan listened for a short while and quickly realized something.
They were already covering material from the first semester of third-grade elementary mathematics.
That was fast.
In modern schools, children would normally take three full years to reach this level, yet Bai Yuan had pushed them here in just half a year, practically force-feeding them knowledge.
After thinking about it more carefully, Li Dao Xuan understood why.
There were simply fewer subjects.
Modern elementary students had to study language, mathematics, art, music, physical education, and after school they were dragged into endless extracurricular activities such as piano, calligraphy, dance, taekwondo, skating, and swimming. Their time was fragmented into tiny, scattered pieces.
But the children here only had two subjects.
Language and mathematics.
From morning until night, they focused solely on these two disciplines, relentlessly drilling them without distraction. Under such conditions, rapid progress was inevitable.
To be honest, this approach was not exactly healthy, but it was still far better than letting them run wild in the fields all day or do nothing but household chores.
While Li Dao Xuan was lost in these thoughts, Bai Yuan finished the lesson. The ordinary students dispersed, chatting as they left, but Shan Shier's daughter quietly slipped over to Bai Yuan's side with a playful grin.
"Brother Bai, they have all gone," she said. "Time for our extra lesson. Elementary sixth grade, second semester, the final section."
Bai Yuan nodded with a serious expression. "Alright. Let us study together."
Li Dao Xuan could not help but chuckle inwardly. So there is something like this going on.
The thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Bai Yuan and the nearly twelve-year-old young lady sat side by side at a desk, opening the textbook for sixth-grade elementary mathematics. Both of them had already progressed to the very last portion of the book.
The young lady tilted her head and asked curiously, "Brother Bai, once we finish this book, will we start studying middle school mathematics?"
Bai Yuan nodded earnestly. "Yes. My father is already far ahead of me. I need to catch up quickly. Otherwise, when he comes to test my studies next time, he will certainly be disappointed."
The young lady's eyes widened with curiosity. "I heard that Dao Xuan Tianzun has also prepared another book called 'Middle School Physics.' That book is currently in my father's care. Dao Xuan Tianzun said that after finishing elementary mathematics, we should not only study middle school mathematics, but also middle school physics. Both at the same time. They sound very difficult."
Bai Yuan smiled faintly, a hint of confidence showing. "It is not that difficult. I have already secretly taken a look."
The young lady blinked in surprise. "You peeked at it? Would you not get scolded?"
"Of course not," Bai Yuan replied calmly. "Why would reading books ever get you scolded? The Saintess said that Dao Xuan Tianzun likes children who love to study. When I went to get the middle school mathematics book last time, it was not really sneaking a peek. I was flipping through it right in front of the Saintess. She did not scold me at all. In fact, she said Dao Xuan Tianzun is hoping someone will start reading those books as soon as possible."
The young lady leaned closer, her curiosity burning brighter. "So what is inside?"
Bai Yuan began listing them off, counting on his fingers. "Length, time, sound, temperature, light, mass, density, motion, and force…"
He rattled off a whole string of unfamiliar concepts in one breath, leaving the young lady completely bewildered.
She stared at him, her face full of confusion. "What… what are all those things supposed to be?"