Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were called over. They left quickly and came back quickly. Zhang Xiaobao's father asked a few questions and they answered selectively. They did not say anything substantial, mainly because Zhang Xiaobao was afraid that his father would be thinking about other things all day long and would not have the energy to study. Even if they wanted to find someone for the imperial examination, they would need to have the ability and knowledge to do so.
The snacks were also brought back. Those were the snacks that the two of them made themselves. Usually, they would give some to the people in the courtyard.
"We've made a profit. This year, the whole county is considered to be a disaster, so the production will be reduced by half. We don't have to pay taxes, and we don't have to take out extra silk. We only need to contribute some labor. It's only a few days. Discuss with the Ge family and Zhuangzi to let the county magistrate fix our river.
We can use our own people to fix things in our own place. We can even get some construction funds and widen the river. We won't be able to take over the fertile land. Let's go and eat the beef marrow. It's fresh. "
Zhang Xiaobao felt that he had done a big favor for the family and was in a good mood. As he spoke, he skipped like a child towards the kitchen.
Wang Juan stood there in a daze for two seconds before running over as well. "Don't think about the construction fees anymore. Fix the river properly. What if there's another flood tomorrow? We can't fool around with our own place. The money allocated might not be that much anyway. If we peel it off layer by layer, we won't have much left."
The two discussed how much money they could allocate this time. How much money could County Magistrate Cheng put here and what would happen to the river? They went to the kitchen one after another. There were already people taking out the bone marrow of a few bones and putting it on a plate for the two little ancestors to eat.
Since the ox had fallen to its death, they immediately sent someone to check on it. Qi Li and Senior Feng came together. When they saw the yamen runners and the ox, they were sure that the ox had indeed fallen to its death. One of them took two catties of beef from the farm and left happily.
When the bailiff left, he also took the ox head and half a fan of beef. When he returned, he could cook some beef soup to drink. Knowing that his wife was pregnant, he also gave him half a hoof of ox tendon. He told him to take it back to eat. When he felt disgusted, he would feel better after chewing.
The bailiff's eyes were red when he received the items. Before he left, he left a message, saying that if there was any trouble, he would bring his brothers over to help. In the future, if the cow fell to its death, he would come over to prove it. Even if he accidentally fell on his neck with a knife, it would still count.
The rest of the meat was taken back to the main courtyard and sent to the Wang Family. The people in the inner courtyard had a meal of beef stewed with radishes. There wasn't much meat, but there was enough radishes. The beef bones were kept by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The rest of the meat was frozen and occasionally cooked for the family.
"Young Master, do you think this bone marrow is enough?" When the people in the kitchen saw that the two little ancestors had come, they put away all the knives and watched the stove. A person in charge of the kitchen brought a plate to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and asked respectfully.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at the plate. There were six strips of bone marrow of different lengths and thicknesses. He nodded and said, "Well, okay, it's enough. It's enough for Cuckoo and me. It's just cooked, right? Make more, steam it in the pot, mix it with the stock, add less salt, some chopped green onions and coriander, and send it to my family and the main house of the Wang Family. Oh, remember not to add coriander in one bowl. My grandma doesn't like it. Cut some ginger foam. Grandma likes to eat that. "
The person in charge of the kitchen immediately went to arrange it. At the same time, he sighed. His grandson was two years old, but he always pestered the family for this and that. He had never said that he would let the family taste what he wanted. Looking at the young master and the young lady, they would think of the family when they had something good. They even remembered the old lady's favorite food. They couldn't compare with them.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate the bone marrow at noon and took a nap, Zhou Qiong had already arrived at the Qin Family's village. He came back in a hurry. He was afraid that those people would find that he had left and it would take a lot of effort to explain.
Following the yamen runners waiting outside the mountain, when they entered the village, County Magistrate Cheng immediately greeted them. He arranged a place to rest and asked someone to send food.
The officials who were still working here were all exhausted. There was no part of their bodies that didn't ache. They weren't picky when they were eating last night. They ate whatever was given to them. When they slept last night, they were scattered among their families. Until now, they still didn't know that there was one less person working here.
The two assistant ministers were very relaxed. They wandered around together and occasionally gave advice to the villagers on what to plant. Especially the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, he helped the villagers draw a picture of a tub and asked them to follow it. In the future, it would be more convenient to get water from the tub.
Naturally, the food they ate was better. At noon today, they actually ate two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of soup. They hadn't seen the army from the prefecture for more than a day. They even asked, but the answer they got was that they were assigned to other things.
When Zhou Qiong came back this time, he first talked to County Magistrate Cheng. The yamen runners were not in a hurry to show up. They let the officials do more work and tire themselves out so that it would save them some trouble. The yamen runners understood that the officials were tired after walking for such a long time. If they had a good rest the next day, they might recover a lot.
However, after working for another day, they would definitely be sore and painful. If they worked for a few more days, they might get used to it. However, if they worked for another day and walked back the next day, the feeling was obvious. At that time, they could only be fed by others and couldn't even lift their arms.
"Lord Zhou, have you finished your discussion this time?" County Magistrate Cheng asked Zhou Qiong to sit down. He poured the warm wine and pushed the wine bowl in front of Zhou Qiong.
"Yes, there are two small things. One is about Xiaohu's business. I don't care about this, Xiaohu just has to do it. The other is that they want to build a restaurant on the river. When there is no water, we can go and take a look and help out. For the last thing, I need County Magistrate Cheng's help."
Zhou Qiong was indeed tired and thirsty. After saying these words, he raised the bowl and drank it. He let out a long breath and felt comfortable.
County Magistrate Cheng helped to pour the wine again and asked, "What do you want me to help with? Is it about the disaster this year? This is a small matter. Our county is indeed suffering. "
"It's not about this. I want you to go with them in summer or autumn. Maybe to the east of Taihang Mountain or to the south of Henan. The drought in those two places is worse than here. There may also be a locust plague. Zhangjia Zhuangzi has prepared a lot of food and some chickens and ducks are waiting to be sent to eat the locusts.
In this way, the Baihu's food will be saved. When the time comes, you will get a medal, and so will I. You have won a lot of praise for the two auspicious signs, the curved plough, and your actions during the New Year. However, it's still not enough to arrange a good position. If you go with them this time, your political achievements will be enough. Maybe you will get a higher rank than me. "
Zhou Qiong said enviously. Now he was helping County Magistrate Cheng. When the time came, Zhangjia Zhuangzi's people would also help him. In fact, they had done him a big favor last night. It turned out that the position of Prime Minister was changed. If it was someone else who said this, he would not believe it. However, he had to remember this in his heart when he saw what the two masters had done.
County Magistrate Cheng understood as soon as he heard this. So this was the plan of the other side. No wonder they asked him to help delay until the summer and autumn season. This was a great contribution. No matter who took out the grain, as long as it was in Sanshui County and he could show up, he would be counted in.
"Thank you for telling me, Mr. Zhou. I wonder who will be sent to take care of this matter this time? At that time, if I can say a few words, my side will be more secure. I wonder what those two experts look like? "
County Magistrate Cheng was envious of Zhou Qiong now. It was an opportunity for him to meet the two masters.
Zhou Qiong shook his head helplessly. "I don't see them either. The two masters are really good. Before I said I wanted to meet them, they had already sent someone to solve my doubts during the meal. They are really good at predicting. I can't tell you more. Just remember, during summer and autumn, don't get too close to the Right Prime Minister. Just be a good official."
"So, that Yao … is going to retire?" County Magistrate Cheng was shocked. He could not understand. Now that the person could still be trusted by the higher-ups, why would he come down? He had doubts in his heart.
Suddenly, he remembered that the two masters of Zhangjia Zhuangzi did not tell him. They told Zhou Qiong and had nothing to do with him. In this case, they felt that his position was too low and there was no need for him to know about this matter. Maybe it was really like this, so he had to be careful.
When County Magistrate Cheng wanted to ask some more questions, he found that Zhou Qiong had already started eating. He had to suppress the doubts in his heart and planned to find a way to ask when he accompanied the disaster relief.
The two chatted for a while. After the meal, Zhou Qiong directly lay down to rest. County Magistrate Cheng sensibly left. When it was almost night time, he found Village Chief Qin and whispered a few words in his ear.
The officials who had worked for two days dragged their tired bodies back to eat when they were called together. Suddenly, they found that the food on the table had changed. It was no longer the rice balls that were hard to swallow, but a small vegetable box. No wonder it smelled so good just now.
There were also more dishes. The bitter and astringent pickles were gone and replaced with three dishes: mushroom fried meat, egg fried with shallots, steamed radish dipped in sauce, and a bowl of wild vegetable soup with a lot of oil floating on it. This was not a bitter wild vegetable, but a cat's ear, also known as Qingming grass. The soup made by the small vegetable box and the cat's ear was very fresh and tender.
All the officials sat there but did not dare to move their chopsticks. They were afraid that these people did not have good intentions.
At this time, a yamen runner appeared in front of everyone and explained, "Lords, I'm back. Tomorrow morning, you don't have to work and can enjoy the beauty of the mountains and rivers here."
Last time, I promised that as long as a place entered the top five on the classification list, I would add four more chapters. Today, I reached the top five, so I would add four more chapters. Thank you. To be honest, I have not missed a single day.
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