"Alright, if you're not going back, then you're not going back. You go take a shower first, and when you come out, I'll prepare some food for you to eat before you sleep." Since the inn was built, Calm had been fascinated by the lights and showers here, as well as the bedding on XiangBei's bed, which was as light and soft as clouds. He always found various excuses to stay here. Bei didn't mind, but just rearranged a small bedroom for herself.
The water for bathing in this roadside inn was all supplied from the water tower on the roof of the third floor. It flowed into an iron barrel on one side of a large coal stove, was heated, and then flowed into the adjacent reservoir. After adding cold water to adjust the temperature, it was conveyed to the various bathrooms through zinc-iron pipes. Turning on the valve would allow for showering or filling the bath. There were drain holes under the wooden bath tubs. Beneath the wooden toilet seats, ceramic pots were connected to ceramic pipes leading to the biogas pool. Two people took turns heating water for the entire inn 24 hours a day. Calm saved a lot of servants from the palace from having to stay up at night to serve, allowing them all to attend evening classes at the new school. With so much to do and a shortage of manpower for nowadays developing plan.
The first place to use biogas lamps besides this inn was the new school on South Street. Everyone could apprentice for free and learn various technical skills. Those who passed each exam received a detailed report and could then freely find work. If they didn't want to work, they could make a little money themselves, learn to make clay chickens, cakes, lotus leaf rice, bamboo tube rice, and other fresh foods. They could set up a stall on the roadside, brew two pots of herbal tea, and do some small business, enough to make a living. Then let the boys and girls at home learn a few more skills and find a future in a big shop or factory. That way, life would gradually improve.
The number of people coming was too many, and according to the time they came to attend the class, the headmaster divided the classes. The scholars from the Guards of Chengjia Wei and Tong families took turns teaching, so the new school became a 24-hour class. The school did not charge fees, but accepted donations. Regardless of the amount, a list was posted on the wall every week to thank the donors, arranged according to the amount of donation, and indicating how many times the person had donated. Unexpectedly, this caused those who usually liked to show off to compete for the top position on the list every time.
Xiangbei definitely welcomed this phenomenon and occasionally urged Calm to organize a charity donation exchange, similar to the form of modern cocktail parties, to announce the use of charity funds, provide some drinks and snacks. Unknowingly, it turned into a social circle of celebrities. Well, being rich is beneficial to the world. Isn't it good for the wealthy to compete in charity?
And those families who gradually moved towards prosperity by mastering one or two skills learned in the new school at small stalls or temple fairs also occasionally left some money at the charity donation place at the school to show their gratitude. These people always bumped into the responsible person in the school at this time and invited them to the special area of the school cafeteria for a meal, as a way of thanks.
Most of the people present were alumni who came to donate, and everyone talked about their own experiences and areas they wanted to improve in the school, and they happily agreed on the time to come donate next time, spontaneously forming a alumni circle for the new school. Xiangbei simply set aside a corner, hung up a plaque, and wrote: "East Binh New School Alumni Association," prepared a thick book, and personally added the first alum: Qiao Xi, Zebei Town, North and South Supermarket, age 23. This move later laid the most solid foundation for North's business achievements by creating a network of connections.
After bathing and eating some food, Calm felt refreshed for a while but couldn't sleep, so Xiangbei took the opportunity to pull Chang Mo downstairs and walked into the newly repaired courtyard wall of the Tong family's villa.
"Calm, and keep easy, I've never known how to explain the secrets I possess to you, but please believe that I have never wanted to hide or deceive you. It's just that some things are too unbelievable when spoken out loud, I, I..." Standing in the shadow of the courtyard wall, Xiangbei gathered courage to confess everything to Calm, but for a moment, she didn't know how to organize the right words and stumbled over her words.
"Hey, my girl, you don't need to explain. From the moment you opened your eyes and looked at me, I was captivated. Everything about you is so magical and incredible. Everyone around you feels your uniqueness, but what does it matter? You are as beautiful as a little fairy, aren't you? We all love you, and that's enough."