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"Yes, I want to buy a school. To be honest, I have two younger sisters at home, and after the New Year, I plan to send them to school for their education. But our village is a small place, not to mention there’s no school, there are very few children who attend school at all.

So, I plan to buy a school in town, both to provide a place for my sisters to study and to offer some convenience to other children.

Therefore, I enquired about Old Mr. Cheng’s place. "

Ma Junying smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to Old Mr. Cheng.

His hands still bore faint ink stains, suggesting he had just been copying books for the children in the house.

Lin Yuan had heard from Shopkeeper Liu before that Old Mr. Cheng lacked the funds to buy new books, so he often copied them himself before distributing them to the children.

Ma Junying, however, did not notice the ink stains on his hands, but rather took a glance at Old Mr. Cheng, then turned to Lin Yuan with a smile and said, "No wonder the old gentleman called me out here—it seems someone has come to compete with me in business."

Lin Yuan was momentarily startled before she caught on and laughed, "It turns out you, Young Master Ma, are also planning to buy this school?"

Ma Junying let out a hearty laugh, his vibrant voice shining through the darkness like a ray of light, bringing warmth and brightness to those around him.

"Yes, Old Mr. Cheng has gotten old and his health isn’t so good.

He has no one to take care of him, so as soon as I heard he was considering selling the school, I came right over.

This school is the half-a-lifetime’s work of the old gentleman, and his wish to see the children learn together is something I hope not to shatter, especially not in his old age. "

Ma Junying looked somewhat emotional as he glanced over the entire courtyard. It had to be said, although the courtyard was large, it was also truly simple, and could even be described as plain.

Lin Yuan watched as Ma Junying seemed to be reminiscing and couldn’t help feeling a bit shameful.

To be honest, her purpose in buying this school was not solely to provide her two younger sisters with an education; she also wanted to give Meng Liangdong a good place where he could utilize his talents.

Of course, she didn’t discount the idea of expanding the school someday, attracting more students, because she believed that with Meng Liangdong’s knowledge and his meticulous nature, he would manage the school exceptionally well.

As long as he could nurture a student able to enroll in the Zhuma Town School, or even produce a Scholar, then Zhuma Town School would become renowned.

At that time, she wouldn’t have to worry about lack of Silver coming in, would she?

Compared to Lin Yuan’s objectives, Ma Junying’s intent seemed much more pure. After all, Lin Yuan was a businesswoman, and economic interests were one of her considerations. Hence, in front of Ma Junying, Lin Yuan felt quite inferior.

"In that case, since Young Master Ma came first, you can buy the school. I... I won’t buy it," Lin Yuan said, her voice lacking some confidence.

Ma Junying was still lost in thoughts of playing with the children here, when he was caught off guard by Lin Yuan’s suggestion to let him buy the school. He paused, then shook his head with a smile, "Never mind, let Miss Lin buy it."

Lin Yuan was puzzled; she could tell he was very attached to the school, so why would he let her have it?

As if perceiving Lin Yuan’s confusion, Ma Junying smiled and said, "My plan to buy the school was only to save Old Mr. Cheng any distress. In truth, I still feel quite at a loss about what to do with it afterwards. Especially considering that Old Mr. Cheng’s health is deteriorating, he surely won’t be able to teach the children much longer.

And myself, I will be busy preparing to travel to the capital for examinations next year, and won’t have enough time to teach the children. "

Ma Junying’s intense gaze turned toward Lin Yuan, "I reckon, with Miss Lin’s intelligence, you must already have a plan for taking over, right?"

Lin Yuan chuckled and did not deny it. She had to admit, Ma Junying had a pair of very wise eyes which seemed to see right through her.

Lin Yuan looked toward Old Mr. Cheng, saying, "To be frank with you both, in fact, I do have someone very suitable to teach the children. He’s the Mr. Accountant of Rice Flower Fragrance, by the surname Meng and the given name Liangdong.

He’s been studious since childhood, and although it can’t be said that his knowledge is extensive as a five-carriage scholar or eminent as an eight-bushel scholar, the learning in his heart is truly admirable. It’s just that..."

Lin Yuan sighed and shook her head, "It’s just that Mr. Meng has not been able to perform normally in the examinations every time he participates. I guess it’s probably because he puts too much pressure on himself, hence during the exams, he can’t perform to his true level."