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The light, carefree feeling returned with the summer breeze rustling through the long trees, and she couldn’t help but cheer, "Higher!"
The carefree sensation of her younger years surged back, and her smile relaxed as well.
Her dark hair flowed like silk in the wind, and her laughter rang out like the sound of a silver bell.
"Higher, Leonardo!"
"Alright!"
Lorenzo stood on the upper floor, gazing down at the young couple enjoying themselves. After a long while, he chuckled.
Although he stood by the window, no sunlight came in.
The swing quickly became the most popular pastime.
Not only were there three swings in the Doge's Palace courtyard,but the lord's children could play on them from morning till night. Other nobles also requested designs from the craftsmen and had several swings built.
The young noblewomen, cooped up in their chambers, started to come up with different ways to play on the swing, with some even managing to swing high without falling off.
The current pope of Florence, the most enlightened Lorenzo, was so open-minded that he could even tolerate pagan oil paintings, and indulgence no longer had the same sinful connotation as it did with the Roman pope.
Gradually, even in the municipal square, swings were reconstructed, with blacksmiths crafting silver-painted roses and climbing vines that adorned the posts.
Not long after, Florence’s first kindergarten was officially established.
It not only had spacious classrooms, a public dining hall with posted menus, but also included nuns and other charitable women from monasteries, who took care of every child with great care.
From two to five years old, children could play, rest, and learn basic language and small skills without a worry in the world.
The kindergarten also had a doctor and regular supervisors, ensuring the safety and health of the children.
The existence of such an institution seemed almost like a fairy tale—
Any female worker from the Medici workshop could entrust her child to the care center for just five silver coins for four months, and meals were included!
What a great deal! As long as the child was dropped off in the morning and picked up in the evening, the parents could focus on their work and earn money for the family during the day!
When the news first spread, many people couldn’t believe it.
They thought it was a joke because, after all, what businessmanwould spend their own money on such charitable acts?
But Hedy truly made it happen.
The kindergarten wasn’t very large, with only five classes, but it could accommodate about seventy to eighty children.
Before the opening, all the spots had already been filled, and some even went so far as to send gifts, begging for them to make room for one more child.
Not only the common folk, but the nobles also began visiting one after another, hoping that Hedy would open a special kindergarten just for the aristocracy.
Their children were often looked after by nannies, but there were always various oversights.
— The palace was indeed not suitable for children to run and play; even a casually damaged painting could be a priceless masterpiece from three or four centuries ago.
If these upper-class children could gather together from an early age, it would not only help with their future marriages but also foster cooperation and friendship between powerful families.
The lord was quite generous, directly investing in the construction of new kindergartens throughout the city's north, south, east, and west, with a brand new kindergarten specially built in the central area for the nobles—one that could only be accessed by referral and had plenty of restrictions.
Once Hedy realized there was support from the government, she felt much more at ease. She began to print even more copies of the "Baby Care Guide," aiming to save the lives of more children.
