Douluo Continent: Rebirth of Ma Hongjun, Phoenix of Ultimate Light

Chapter 36 Repaying the Villagers! Building the Academy!

"Even obscure books are still books," Ma Hongjun said.

Qin Mo glanced at him but said nothing more.

But from then on, Ma Hongjun noticed that Qin Mo would put some newly arrived, less popular books on a separate shelf before he arrived.

The old man didn't say anything, but Ma Hongjun understood.

This is to help him.

Oscar's progress is faster than Ma Hongjun had anticipated.

With his level 25 soul power, he was able to hold his own against Li Yusong for twenty moves without using his soul bone.

The stick was no longer a clumsy tool in his hands, but a part of his body.

Li Yusong's assessment was: "This kid's combat talent is the highest I've ever seen among food-type Soul Masters."

none of them.

Friend neither confirmed nor denied the assessment, but Ma Hongjun noticed that Friend's gaze would linger longer during Oscar's training sessions.

He was observing carefully.

Observe this child walking on a new path, and see if he can forge a path that no one has ever walked before.

Auctioning candy beans and sausages became a regular source of income for Shrek Academy.

Shao Xin makes a batch of candy beans every month, which Flander then takes to the Soul Auction House in Soto City for auction.

Oscar also makes some Power Sausage and Recovery Sausage every now and then. Although they are not as expensive as Sugar Beans, they are cheaper and more profitable.

The college's financial situation has visibly improved.

The canteen meals changed from mixed grain porridge with pickled vegetables to white rice with one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup.

Teacher Shao Xin's culinary skills finally had room to shine, and every meal he made was quite presentable.

The dormitory bed boards have been replaced with new ones, and thick mattresses have been laid on them.

The leak in the roof has been repaired, and now we don't have to search the whole house for basins to catch the water when it rains.

Zhao Wuji bought some new training equipment from Soto City. Although it wasn't anything high-end, it was still better than the old junk.

Flanders even bought himself a new outfit.

The dark blue robe, though made of a rather expensive fabric, was at least free of patches.

Oscar almost burst into tears the day he saw Flanders in his new clothes.

"The Dean is finally wearing new clothes—" Oscar's voice was choked with emotion.

"Shut up," Flander said expressionlessly.

Ma Hongjun stood in the courtyard, watching the afterglow of the setting sun fall on the dilapidated courtyard wall.

The wall is still the same wall, and the soil is still the same soil.

But he knew that many things had changed.

With money in hand, the question of how to spend it became a problem.

Flanders called everyone into his office for a short meeting.

It was called an office, but it was really just a dilapidated room with a table with a missing corner and a few creaking chairs.

But today, there are a few cups of tea on the table that weren't there before.

"Let's start with the first thing," Flander said, glancing at everyone present. "Our academy has been able to survive this long thanks to the help of the villagers, young and old. They rented the land cheaply, helped build the houses, and always lend a hand whenever something happens. Now that we have money, we can't pretend we don't know."

.

Zhao Wuji nodded: "Of course. How exactly do we do it?"

"Ten gold soul coins for each household," Flander said. "It's not much, but it's a token of my appreciation. We'll also send some rice, flour, and cooking oil at the end of the year, so you can have a good New Year."

Ma Hongjun did some mental calculations.

The village is small, with a dozen or so households. Each household has ten gold soul coins, which adds up to just over a hundred.

This amount of money is nothing to Shrek Academy right now, but it's a considerable sum for those farmers.

More importantly, it's an attitude.

Shrek Academy is not a place of ingratitude.

Shao Xin volunteered to deliver the money.

He was the oldest in the college and had the kindest face, making him the most suitable person to interact with the villagers.

That afternoon, Shao Xin went there with the money and the things.

Ma Hongjun went along too, wanting to see how the villagers would react.

The first house is Old Li's house.

Uncle Li was chopping firewood in the yard when he saw Shao Xin and Ma Hongjun come in, and he was taken aback.

"Teacher Shao? What brings you here?"

Shao Xin recounted the events.

After hearing this, Uncle Li, still clutching his axe, stood frozen in place for a long time.

"Ten gold soul coins?" He looked down at the money bag Shao Xin handed him, his voice trembling slightly, "This—how can I accept this—"

"Please don't be so polite." Shao Xin stuffed the money into his hand: "I've troubled you a lot over the years, this is just a small token of the academy's appreciation."

Uncle Li held the money bag, his eyes reddening.

It's not that he's never seen money before.

But these ten gold soul coins are not just a number; they represent the gratitude of the people he has helped over the years, a testament to their remembrance of his kindness.

Standing beside him, Ma Hongjun looked at Uncle Li's reddened eyes and felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

When reading the original novel in my previous life, Shrek Academy left readers with the impression of being poor, dilapidated, and miserable.

But no one thought that behind this poverty and dilapidation, there were ordinary people in the village silently supporting them.

Without their tolerance and help, Shrek Academy might have gone out of business long ago.

Now that I have money, the first thing I do is not to buy myself new things, but to repay this favor.

This is Flander.

Stubborn on the outside, but soft on the inside.

After visiting more than a dozen households, it was already dark.

Shao Xin walked back to the college, his steps much lighter than usual.

Ma Hongjun followed behind him, the moonlight casting long shadows of the two of them.

"Hongjun, do you think this money is worth it?" Shao Xin suddenly asked.

"It's worth it," Ma Hongjun said. "It's more worthwhile than buying anything else. It can leave Shrek Academy with a good reputation for being grateful and repaying kindness. The villagers will help us spread the word, and naturally more people will come. It will also lay the foundation for us to obtain the proper permits in the future."

Shao Xin smiled and said nothing more.

The next day, Flanders called everyone to the courtyard and said he wanted to discuss the second matter—repairing the academy.

"These houses we live in now are habitable, but we can't live like this forever." Flander stood in the middle of the courtyard with his hands behind his back. "We need to recruit more students in the future, and who would want to come to this run-down place?"

Zhao Wuji brought over a wooden board and drew some crooked lines on it with charcoal pencil. You could barely make out that it was a courtyard wall, a school gate, and several rows of houses.

"This is what I came up with." Zhao Wuji scratched his head. "The drawing might not be very good, but the general idea is—the school wall needs to be rebuilt with stone. The school gate needs to be repaired to look decent. The playground needs to be paved so it won't be covered in dust every time the wind blows."

Li Yusong added, "The classrooms also need renovation. The doors, windows, desks, and chairs should all be replaced, and a new blackboard should be bought."

"The dormitories too," Lu Qibin rarely spoke up. "The current bed boards are too hard; it's not good for the kids to sleep on them for too long. The rooms for medicinal baths also need to be separate; they can't just soak in the kitchen all the time."

Shao Xin rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "It would be best if the cafeteria could be expanded; the current one is too small. When it's crowded, there's not enough room to move around. Also, I want a bigger kitchen; the stove is too small to operate comfortably, and the pots are too small..."

"The crowd chattered amongst themselves, filling Zhao Wuji's wooden board with more and more drawings."

Flander turned to look at Ma Hongjun and Oscar.

What are your thoughts, you two?