The boat went against the current, following the original river that would stop after a certain distance.
At this time, the river was no longer the same as before. There were boats going down the river. Some were carrying goods, and some were carrying people. All of them seemed to be very happy.
"Father, this river flows through Huayuan County. It's a pity that it was taken by the nephew of the minister. Otherwise, our family would have a big income."
Zhang Xiaobao introduced the river to his father, who smiled from time to time. Zhang Zhong knew the reason. It was because he was the top scorer this time. After a lot of trouble, he finally got the top scorer. His family spent a lot of money for this.
"Xiao Bao, you are tired. You have to take care of the things at home, but you also have to worry about the things outside. Sigh ~! You can even help me, your father, with his official career. It's all thanks to my son. If it was someone else, what would the Zhang family do? "
Zhang Zhong looked at his son's chubby face and said with emotion. He had already stopped thinking about why his son was so powerful. That was not important. What was important was his son. Filial and sensible. Even if his son suddenly flew in the sky one day, it was still his son.
Zhang Xiaobao did not care about tiredness. He really did not do anything. It was just a small matter. As long as he took some time to think about it, he could arrange it.
With this waterway, the distance from the capital to Zhangjia Zhuangzi was reduced by two-thirds. The value of this waterway was reflected in this. The boat was in the front, followed by several boats. All of the things on the boats were bought by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. There were many things to eat, drink, and play.
The capital was indeed the capital. It was much more prosperous than Sanshui County. There were also many kinds of goods. The two of them bought things for their family, for the villagers, and for the children. All of these things cost more than 500 strings of coins. Among them, there were many things that were not too expensive.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could imagine how happy the people in Zhuangzi would be when they returned.
If they had taken a detour like before, it would have taken them half a month to reach their destination. However, now that they were going against the current, it would take them about six to seven days to reach their destination. After five days, they entered the territory of Huayuan County. While the boat was moving, many people suddenly appeared on the shore.
The man on the left bank flung a rope to which a stone was fastened to the right bank. The man on the right bank caught the rope, and with a tug on both sides, the rope was stretched out in front of the boat.
Zhang Xiaobao and the others were looking forward to going home one day later, but they didn't expect that someone would block the boat. Zhang Zhong hadn't taken office yet, so he couldn't use his identity as the county magistrate to pressure them. He originally had the three official titles of Cloud Cavalry Officer. Maybe someone forgot or something, but they didn't take it back.
"Who is blocking the boat?" Er Hu, who was responsible for protecting Zhang Zhong on the boat, shouted to both sides.
"Your boat is crossing our river. Naturally, you can't do it for free. You have to pay. A boat needs to be paid. If you pay, the boat will go over. If you don't, go back the same way you came."
A man on the left bank shouted at Zhang Xiaobao. The people on both banks also shouted a few times to boost their morale.
Zhang Xiaobao smacked his lips and said, "It seems that we still have to put in some effort. Huayuan County is not like Sanshui County. Unexpectedly, there are such unruly people. Should we use good words to educate them, or should we use violent means?"
When Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, she carefully looked at the people on both banks and said, "I guess we have to use both. Looking at the clothes these people are wearing, they are not so poor. They actually found such a simple way to make money. They are very smart."
She didn't say that they didn't work for it. After all, they threw a rope. A rope was actually nothing. If they wanted to go over, they could just go over. The key was that there was still a rope over there. If they wanted to go over, they had to break the rope. She was afraid that these people didn't throw ropes, but stones to the boat. That would be troublesome.
Er Hu, who shouted, naturally wouldn't give money to others. How could a river become someone else's? He immediately shouted again, "The person on the boat is Cloud Cavalry Officer, who is about to take office as the county magistrate of Huayuan County. If you don't get out of the way, you will be charged with robbery."
Er Hu's words were effective. The people on the shore didn't know whether it was true or not. They could only say that they would rather believe it than not. They covered their faces with their hands, turned around, and ran away. The rope was also pulled by a person and disappeared in front of the boat.
The boat continued to move forward, but Zhang Xiaobao didn't feel happy at all. If those people could think of a way to block the boat, they would definitely block other people's boats. If they didn't do something about it, who would be willing to take this road in the future?
"I have to talk to Grandpa Bi's nephew about this. He is in charge of the wharf. If every boat is blocked, then the wharf can't be prosperous. When my father takes office, he will start to deal with these people. I don't know what kind of resistance he will encounter. If there is someone like Zhangjia Zhuangzi here, it will be really difficult to deal with."
Zhang Xiaobao planned to let Grandpa Bi's nephew test the water to see if it was deep. When the time came, he would think of a solution according to the specific situation.
Wang Juan also thought of this situation. "It depends on how the yamen runners in the yamen are. If they are like the yamen runners in Sanshui County, then your father can't expect to do anything. He will be deceived all day long. There are also the county's Deputy Secretary and the county's Deputy Secretary. Originally, the Deputy Secretary also had the opportunity to be the county magistrate. Do you think he will cooperate with your father?"
"I'm not afraid. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. Let's try peaceful means before resorting to force. When my father takes office, we will give those yamen runners some benefits and see what they do. If they are respectful to my father and obedient, then we will treat them better. If they take the benefits and still act contrary to my father, then we will let them see what we can do."
Zhang Xiaobao had already decided that as long as his father took office, he would first gather the yamen runners. Otherwise, if he couldn't do anything, how could he build up Huayuan County? How could he make political achievements? He still had a lot of ideas that he didn't take out. He kept them for his father.
Zhang Zhong was also thinking about the same thing. He didn't know what to do. When he heard the two children talking about the future, he felt that he was a little old, even if he was only in his twenties.
After a short delay, the boat sped up again. Zhang Xiaobao stood at the bow and looked at the rushing water in front of him. He said to Zhang Zhong, "Father, the boat can't move at such a fast speed. When it comes to places with strong currents, it can't move anymore. We have to move bit by bit. Why don't you find some work for the people who don't have land to do after you take office?"
"Xiao Bao, what kind of work do you think we should find?" Zhang Zhong put his hand on Zhang Xiaobao's shoulder and asked softly. His son was too smart. He could think of a job that could increase the income of the people in the county in the blink of an eye.
"Trackers. Ask them to put in some effort and arrange for trackers to be sent to those places with strong currents. It's good to send trackers over there. It's just a few coins per tracker. Along the way, we have encountered four trackers. There are two trackers in the county now. When we move forward, we can send ten trackers to each tracker. Two trackers can send twenty trackers.
If each family sends one tracker, then all twenty families will benefit. If we send eight to ten trackers a day, each tracker will earn ten coins. Ten coins can buy a lot of things for the people. Needless to say, how much do you earn in a year? "
Zhang Xiaobao said to his father. However, Zhang Zhong was a little disappointed. "Xiao Bao, there are only twenty or so families. Even if there's another tracker ahead, there will only be thirty families. It's still too little."
"Father, it's not little. A small idea can solve twenty or so families. Think of a few more. Many a little makes a mickle. You can also ask those who don't have much labor at home to set up stalls by the river and sell some things. If the people on the boat want to eat and drink, or if they want to buy some trinkets for their families, they can solve some of the problems."
Zhang Xiaobao knew that his father didn't have any experience in this area. Even if he learned a little from County Magistrate Cheng, it was just an armchair strategist. He didn't know how big of an effect it would be to solve the problems of a few dozen families with the poorest living conditions. He could only counsel his father slowly.
When Zhang Zhong heard this idea, he felt that it was a good idea. He nodded. "Xiao Bao, it's a pity that you are still too young. Otherwise, you should be the top scorer. If you were in the Imperial Court, the people in the Imperial Court would be blessed."
"Father, it's not easy to do things in the Imperial Court. You can't just do whatever you want. Obviously, your idea is good, but after some debate, you still can't do it. Father, if after you take office, the Deputy Magistrate and Registrar in the yamen are not on the same side as you, you can fight with them yourself.
If you can't win, we can think of other ways. In the future, when you become an official in the capital, you can't avoid these kinds of fights. Politics is a kind of art. Isn't that right, Cuckoo? "
Zhang Xiaobao now decided to let his father train more, just like how he trained Wang Juan's father. Wang Juan's father was much more mature than before. After suffering a few losses, he finally learned some things.
Zhang Zhong understood that his son was leaving him some face. What he meant by "think of other ways if you can't win" meant that if the father can't win, the son will do it himself. Sigh ~! I wonder who's the father?
The boat continued to move forward. Sure enough, they saw a place with turbulent water. This way, they could arrange for three places to pull the fiber cable. Each time, they only needed to pull the cable less than a thousand steps. The boat was small, so it was not as tiring as the boats in the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Those who were not willing to spend this much money could slowly row there.
Seeing that they were about to reach home, those who were eager to return home continued to row even when the sky was dark. They had no intention of stopping. They wanted to reach home early.
When the sun rose, they could already see the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water from afar. The people on the boat cheered. This time, they were returning with supreme glory.
Those people had already seen Zhang Xiaobao's boat. The telescope was still very useful. When the boat got closer, the sound of firecrackers began to ring out. Four Zhuangzi villagers gathered around, wanting to welcome the top scorer.
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