Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan now had something to do. They were faced with a very profound problem.
"Is it because of curiosity, or because of the environment?" Wang Juan raised two points. The first was easy to understand, but the second was to adjust the environment around the children as much as possible. They had to constantly create accidents. Could all the children have the initiative to analyze and act?
"Then let's add more toys to it. Let's see if they can still think of ways to make some kind of change. Yes, change. Take the bell from the door to the rope. If the first time was a coincidence, then the next three times would be impossible.
Also, you see, they know that shaking the bell can make it ring, so they are exerting force on it. They may not know the principle behind the bell ringing, but they can observe. Very well, let them shake it. Perhaps they will learn to exert force in one direction after shaking it a little.
Make a small swing, lower from the ground, and thicker. See if they know how to exert strength in one direction at the same time when they climb up to play. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't know what kind of problems such big children could think about, but he knew that thinking was sometimes a habit. Since the four little guys showed it, then they had to be trained well.
Li Xun came down from the ladder at this time and said to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, "It's really amazing. They can think of putting the bell on the rope to make a sound. Maybe both of you are born to be amazing."
Zhang Xiaobao smiled and pulled Wang Juan along as he ran back. One reason was to let his parents come over to take a look. Perhaps the four little ones had not played enough. The other reason was to make other toys.
"I think we should make a simple little maze for them to play. When they can find the right way every time, we will make it a little more complicated. They will slowly get used to it." Wang Juan suggested.
"Okay, I will ask someone to do it later. The one in the amusement park is not good. It is too big, and it is not suitable for children to climb around. We should also design a kind of door. Make a password lock on the door, and use a big round ball as the password. As long as the ball is pulled in order, the door can be opened. First, three, then gradually increase the number. Let them play."
Zhang Xiaobao originally planned to take out such a game when the four little guys were one or two years old. It seemed that he should take it out now.
He really didn't know whether it was because of the good genes, the influence of the usual environment, or nutrition. Not to mention him, even the scientists who specialized in studying babies couldn't figure it out. It was too complicated.
While the mothers of the two families ran to check on the little babies, the two of them went into their own houses and started to design.
Two days later, the new toys were made..
At this time, the people who were sent by the imperial court to replace Zhang Zhong arrived. There were more than ten of them, and some of them were originally idle positions that were not assigned.
Before these people came, they were very polite to Zhang Zhong. Perhaps they were instructed by the people behind them, so they were very polite to him. In fact, they had no choice but to be polite. When they arrived at the place after a hard journey, the scene they saw shocked them to their core.
It was too beautiful. Being an official in a place like this was like being in a fairyland. Although they already knew that the construction here was good, when they saw it with their own eyes, they had a different feeling. When they came, there was a big difference between what they imagined and what they saw.
The arrival of the officials meant that Zhang Zhong was leaving. Li Xun also didn't want to stay here any longer. After packing up, Old Man Chang and Old Man Pi also quietly boarded the ship at night. Then, they slowly left the dock.
Zhang Zhong had gone through a parting once. He didn't want the people of Lu Zhou, or the people of Ulei County, who was closest to him, to line up to see him off like the people of Hua Yuan County.
However, on the morning of the second day after they left, when the local people found that the person in the yamen had been replaced, they immediately protested. They questioned the new Provincial Governor about where the good official had gone. It seemed that if the new Provincial Governor did not explain clearly, it would cause a revolt among the people.
The people of Lu Zhou did not care about the new official. To put it bluntly, it was too easy for them to deal with the new official. They could just send their children in the army to arrest the new official. There was no way for them to reason with the new official.
The mountain people would not stop them. They approved of Zhang Zhong more than the local people. In their eyes, there was only Zhang Zhong, not the Emperor. When Zhang Zhong said that he would lead them to revolt, they would also nod their heads in agreement. This was especially true for a mountain person's child who was also on the ship. He was also Zhang Zhong's adopted son. This made the mountain people approve of Zhang Zhong even more.
The new Provincial Governor was frightened. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. In the past, he had been a county magistrate and a judge, but he had never seen any place where the people loved and respected an official so much. Today, he had learned something new.
The people's customs were indeed different. Helpless, he no longer cared about his dignity as a Provincial Governor. He told the whole story from beginning to end. When he saw the house where he had enjoyed the night before, he took the initiative to ask for a place to stay.
The people were reasonable. They did not ask the new Provincial Governor to look for a place to stay. After all, a good official was rich and did not lack a house. Moreover, they hoped that the new Provincial Governor would treat them like a good official. After some discussion, they reached an agreement with the new Provincial Governor. As long as the new Provincial Governor did things like the previous Provincial Governor, he would be allowed to live in a house.
If one day, he had bad thoughts such as corruption or bending the law, then … it was not just a matter of whether he could live in a house or not. He might not even be able to make it back alive.
When they found out that the good official had left, the people were very disappointed. In the end, the new Provincial Governor came up with an idea. He asked the people to write a form of ten thousand people and had it sent to the capital.
The people of Lu Zhou were delighted. They found a long piece of silk cloth. Those who knew how to write would write, and those who did not would leave their fingerprints. Even the children left their fingerprints with the help of the adults. They rolled it into a big bundle and had someone carry it to the Chamber of Commerce here.
There were also merchants from the neighboring provinces in the Chamber of Commerce. When they found out about the situation, they also wrote their names. However, their names were different from the people's. They had to give their names to the people. After they wrote their names, they would write down the amount of money. The worst among them was at least 100 strings of cash. After they finished writing, they would take out the money.
There were a total of six provinces around Lu Zhou. Including the merchants of the Chamber of Commerce, there were more than 700 people. Everyone's money amounted to 200,000 strings of cash, which was nearly 1,300,000 catties of copper coins. A fleet of ships could not carry all of them. The money was piled up like a mountain.
The dozen or so new officials were frightened. The ten thousand people's forms of ten thousand strings of cash were given to them. What did Zhang Zhong do with all the people of Lu Zhou?
No wonder he left secretly at night. If someone found out about this, they would probably send him off for a few days. No matter what their purpose was, at this moment, they could no longer compare themselves to Zhang Zhong.
The new provincial governor came to Lu Zhou because he was greedy. However, when he saw the customs here and saw the gains after Zhang Zhong left, he wondered if he could get more money if he was not greedy. If he was greedy, he could lose his life here.
He was no longer jealous of Zhang Zhong. When the gap was too big, he could not be jealous.
News of what happened to Lu Zhou was sent to the capital by a messenger pigeon. Everyone who saw the news was moved. Although this was not the first time, the officials could not help but sigh.
With the ten thousand people's forms, 200,000 strings of cash, and the longevity of the people of Lu Zhou, Zhang Zhong did not need to be evaluated. Nobody dared to give him a low grade, not even a medium grade. Otherwise, it would be easy for the people of Lu Zhou to cause trouble.
Moreover, it was not only Lu Zhou. There was also Yaozhou, which was close to the capital, and Sanshui County, which had the annual rent and tax of two ordinary provinces.
If it were someone else who received 200,000 strings of cash late, the officials would definitely think of a way to impeach him, saying that he was a corrupt official. After all, he had too much money. However, when it came to Zhang Zhong, no one said so. The officials had a rough idea of how much money the Zhang family had. It was a lot, so much that they could take out 110,000 strings of cash to build the road for the Emperor.
The more money one had, the more money one could get. Even if the officials were mentally unbalanced, there was nothing they could do. Even the Emperor laughed and said that if anyone thought they were capable, there were still a few provinces over there. In the past, not to mention more than a year, even three years would be enough to catch up with the current Lu Zhou and come back for a promotion.
The officials retreated one after another. It was not that they did not want to be promoted, but they did not have the ability. The Zhang family was not human at all. They had even suffered a disaster. Otherwise, they might have come back this summer.
Zhang Zhong did not know many things had happened after he left. He could not tell what he was feeling now. He was a little reluctant and a little worried. After all, he had put in a lot of effort to build Lu Zhou. He did not know if the new Provincial Governor would treat the people of Lu Zhou well.
In such a melancholy, he thought of his son and daughter-in-law. Since the two of them were not in a hurry, why should he be? He believed that his son and daughter-in-law were already prepared. Yes, that was it.
Zhang Zhong looked at the night sky and thought so. Suddenly, he thought of his son's words, "The bright moon rises from the sea, and we share this moment from the end of the world."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were also standing in front of the window of the cabin, looking at the stars and the moon in the sky.
"It's so beautiful. I think of another song," Wang Juan said faintly.
"Don't tell me it's the song 'Stargazing' from more than 100 years ago again?" Zhang Xiaobao felt that the song was a little sad. He did not like to listen to it, even though he had a different feeling every time he listened to it.
"No, a child shouldn't sing such a song. What I'm thinking is, there are countless stars in the sky, and the brightest one is me. I don't know where I came from, and I don't know … Xiao Bao, let's go around Hainan Island, shall we? Shall we? "
Wang Juan suddenly asked after singing a few lines.
"Why? Isn't the Qiongzhou Strait closer? "Zhang Xiaobao was puzzled.
"Question, first couplet, world's end."
"Answer, second couplet, cape."
"That's right. I'm going to write there," Wang Juan said excitedly.
"Write to the ends of the earth? If you have such a hobby, we won't be able to finish writing even if we travel all day. There will be many famous places. "Zhang Xiaobao reacted quickly. He immediately knew what Wang Juan was thinking.
"Forget it. We'll talk about it next time. I don't believe that anyone can write before me. Did anyone write at Penglai Pavilion in Shandong? If we keep going by sea and don't enter the canal from Zhejiang, we can reach there. Then, we can go by the Yellow River, "Wang Juan said longingly.
In winter, it was faster to come to Lu Zhou from the direction of the capital or from Shandong. However, it was troublesome to go back. There was a cold current. If they wanted to go faster, it was easy. They just had to move the ship horizontally toward the sea for a distance. Then, they would be able to encounter a warm current.
However, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not want to go to Japan. Moreover, there were too many unknown dangers at sea. They had no choice but to go against the cold current.
This time, Wang Juan did not mention going to Shandong anymore. They found a place where they could turn into the sea, and the fleet went in. After they were surrounded by land, the people on the ship felt much more comfortable.
Those who were eager to return home increased the speed of their oars. The ship had enough supplies, and no one wanted to do any more business on the way. They did not stop at all until they reached the capital. Counting the days, only 40 days had passed. To Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, this speed could only be described with one word: slow.
However, for those who had never reached such speed before, this was a miracle. There were still more than ten days before the new year. It was enough for them to go home. The ship docked at the dock of the capital.
Zhang Zhong heaved a sigh of relief. He took the things he needed and went to the palace to look for the Emperor.
Li Longji did not expect Zhang Zhong to come back so soon. He thought that he would only arrive after the new year. He was surprised because he had a deeper understanding of the propeller and the ship with wheels on both sides.
An hour later, Zhang Zhong came out. In fact, he did not say much. He only asked about the situation on the other side and encouraged them. That was all.
At this time, the ship was too big for them to sit on. The river was too shallow, and so were the boats. They could only rush back by carriage. The Zhang Family and the Wang Family wanted to spend the new year with their villagers. This year, they came quickly and coincidentally. They wondered what would happen next year.
Zhang Zhong, who was sitting in the carriage, did not say anything. His face was flushed red, and he seemed very excited.
"Husband, is it difficult to meet the Emperor?" Jang Wong Clan, who was sitting beside him, asked.
Zhang Zhong finally regained his senses. He smiled and said, "It's not that it's difficult to meet the Emperor. It's because I found out about Lu Zhou."
He told her what happened on the second day after they left. Zhang Zhong leaned back in his seat and did not say anything. He only heard about it from the Emperor. He did not know why other people were officials, but he wanted to let the people live a good life and gain the recognition of the people. This time, he received it. That was why he was so excited.
Jang Wong Clan was stunned when she heard this. Then, she sighed and said, "It's worth it. Husband, you didn't do so many things for the people for nothing. As long as you have the Ten Thousand People Watch, it's fine. Money isn't important."
Zhang Zhong nodded and did not say anything else. The carriage was silent for a moment.
However, before Zhang Zhong could digest what he had just heard, when the convoy arrived at Hua Yuan County, Zhang Zhong's unsettled emotions surged again.
He did not know who leaked the news, but the people of Hua Yuan County already knew that Zhang Zhong had returned. When the convoy arrived at Hua Yuan County after five days, they could no longer move forward. The road ahead was blocked by the people.
They stood in the cold wind and did not say anything. They just looked at Zhang Zhong's convoy.
Zhang Zhong lifted the curtain and looked. He felt a headache coming on. However, he had to go down and greet them.
As soon as they saw Zhang Zhong, the people crowded around him and greeted him one by one. Some wanted to ask what Lu Zhou was like. Some were concerned about where Zhang Zhong would become an official next. They did not even care if they could offend the current Provincial Governor of Yao Province. They directly advised Zhang Zhong to think of a way to return to Yao Province and become the Provincial Governor of Yao Province.
When the people who did not know the details saw this scene, they were puzzled. They did not understand why so many people were here.
After asking around, they looked at Zhang Zhong with a respectful gaze. It was easy to become an official. However, it was not easy to return after leaving for more than a year and still receive the support of the people.
Among the people in the cold wind, only those who were closest to Zhang Zhong spoke. The others were silent. Even the seven or eight year old children were sensible enough not to make a sound.
Zhang Zhong had no choice. He found his megaphone again and shouted at the people around him. He told them that he was doing well and that he was doing well at Lu Zhou's place. He told them not to worry. Then, he asked the people to go home and celebrate the new year. He also wished them a happy new year.
In fact, the people did not intend to do anything. They just wanted to see Zhang Zhong. When they saw that Zhang Zhong's family was fine, they were relieved. After all, it was cold outside. After they saw the four children who were suddenly carried back, they said some words of congratulations and dispersed.
Zhang Zhong did not dare to leave, and he could not leave. He stood on the carriage and watched the people leave one by one. When all the people were gone, he climbed down and got into the carriage. He warmed his hands on the stove to prevent them from freezing.
His hands and face were cold, but Zhang Zhong felt warm in his heart. Even he knew it was cold. How could the people not feel cold after waiting for so long?
"Husband, do you realize that being a good official is better than being a corrupt official? Justice is in the heart of the people. " Jang Wong Clan's eyes were red. Clearly, she was touched. Even if the Emperor came, it would not be possible for so many people to welcome him unless he sent an army.
But her husband had just returned home, and there were people waiting for him spontaneously. If this was not a good official, what was?
Zhang Zhong also felt a sense of achievement. He sighed and said: "When I am old, I will tell my grandson that in the past … …"
"Fortunately, it is this era. If it was in our era, if there was an official who was loved like this, that official would be finished. Love and respect should be given to the leaders." Zhang Xiaobao said happily.
"Why do I feel that you are always attacking the leaders? We are all serving the people. We are the servants of the people. "Wang Juan had heard Zhang Xiaobao's complaints more than once. She felt that it was not good to be like this.
"Forget it. Don't you feel embarrassed saying this? I am not attacking anyone. I am just telling the truth. This era is good. Taking advantage of the good times to do more things for the people, it is not a waste to walk around the world again.
I am going to take advantage of the New Year to start providing free medical treatment to the people of San Shui County and Yaozhou. As long as they are local people, they will not have to pay to see the doctor. This is called returning the favor. "
Zhang Xiaobao was just saying. It was impossible for him to discuss more with Wang Juan. After all, Wang Juan had such a person in her family.
Wang Juan thought for a while and said: "In fact, it has nothing to do with the officials. It is a problem of human nature. The people who live at the bottom of society will be a big official one day. If he becomes a big official, won't he know the suffering of the people? Can he be a good official? Anyway, if you want to treat the people of a county or a state for free, where will the money come from?
We don't care about the money, but the problem is not how much money we have, but why and how to use the money. "
"It's simple. We can use the money from gambling. We can't control the lottery, but we can control the gambling. We have to contact the local government, and the money we earn can be used for medical treatment. This is not strange. Many countries have free medical education.
If others can do it, why can't we? It is not only in these two places, Lu Zhou will do the same in the future. Not only will the local people receive free medical treatment, but even the foreigners will also receive free medical treatment. The wool comes from the sheep. However, many people know that the wool comes from the sheep, but they insist on using the wool on themselves instead of the sheep. In the end, when the sheep dies, they have no wool to cut. "
Zhang Xiaobao did not care about money at all. He was very happy now. He was happy that he was born in this era. When he did good things, there was very little resistance. It was so small that there was no resistance. It was fine as long as he did not use his name to do good things.
If he did not emphasize the donation to the court and insisted on mentioning his name, the court would accept the donation and use the money on the people. Very few people dared to be greedy for the money. It had nothing to do with the law. There was also something called morality.
An official who violated the law was just following the rules. However, if his morality was exposed, the official could just commit suicide.
"You are still criticizing. Think about the current situation." Wang Juan could tell that Zhang Xiaobao seemed to be very dissatisfied with the people in the court.
"Why can't I talk about it? Now, I just want to grow up quickly. When the time comes, I will be the Prime Minister and universal compulsory education in the country, starting from the age of four until the age of 20. After that, medical treatment will be free. "
Zhang Xiaobao told her his dream. He felt that he was very noble. Sometimes, greatness was a kind of belief that encouraged him to achieve his goal.
Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao for a while and said, "Your goal is good, but everything depends on people to carry it out. Can you guarantee that no one will make any mistakes in the process of carrying it out?
Also, what's the point of education for so long? It's enough to know how to read. After all, not everyone needs to learn a lot of things. "
"Why not? If I had received a good education when I was young, maybe now I can … "
"Maybe you wouldn't have come here with me now."
"Then I still want to carry on and make it universal. The main reason is that many things can be passed down. Also, your understanding is wrong. Knowledge does not have to be used immediately. It is accumulated in life. When you think that it is very normal to know how to read and write, have you ever thought about the desire of people who don't know how to read?
The simplest example is when a notice is posted. You know how to read, look up, and you leave because it has nothing to do with you. But what if you don't know how to read? You don't even know what the notice says. You have to ask someone else.
When you use the simplest method to measure the distance, you may feel that it is very long. But do you know how many people want to measure the distance but don't know how to do it?
The sky is blue because we have all learned that it is caused by the different wavelengths of light. But people in Tang don't know that. If they don't explore, they will live happily and ignorantly. But when someone really wants to explore, he will be very distressed because it involves too much basic knowledge.
Ignorance is not terrible. What is terrible is that ignorance will cause you or others to lose their lives. At least we know the simple first aid method for carbon monoxide poisoning. You may not use it even once in your life, but when you really use it, it may save a life.
Knowledge is the general knowledge summed up by predecessors. I have to persist. I must popularize education and add in various specialties to form a system. "
Zhang Xiaobao became a little crazy again. Wang Juan had already known about Zhang Xiaobao's' illness'. She nodded and said, "I actually support you, but what if your education in the future offends people's thinking? I don't want you to become Bruno. Copernicus is very smart. "
"This is simple. Do you know Buddhism? When they started from India, it was not as comprehensive as what we know later. Later generations added in bit by bit. To what extent? It means that no matter how you question it, they have a reasonable explanation.
Then we can take a method to integrate the current thinking with the knowledge we want to teach. The ruling class doesn't care about right or wrong at all. They care about whether or not their interests can be protected.
All religions serve the purpose of war, but some people just don't admit it. People who believe in religions are easy to understand. They have lost themselves and seek external help. People who don't believe in other religions because they believe in themselves.
We can give the ruling class confidence, and that is, no matter how we teach, we will protect the ruling class in the end. This is a matter for the future. Do you think we will be treated well when we go back? "
Zhang Xiaobao finally stopped talking about this kind of philosophy and contradiction.
When Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiaobao say that they will be treated well, she nodded happily. Suddenly, she trembled a little and said, "Xiao Bao, let's cook what we like to eat. I think when we go back to Zhangjia Zhuangzi, we will eat roasted chicken and smoked chicken. They will definitely ask us to evaluate their cooking. I don't want to."
"Uh!" Zhang Xiaobao also reacted. Indeed, if he was an ordinary farmer, he would also take out his best smoked chicken when he saw that the master was back.
It was too scary, too scary. Zhang Xiaobao could imagine that as long as he tasted the roasted chicken or smoked chicken made by one family, he would also have to taste the other families'.
Yes, it was good to eat this kind of thing occasionally, but he couldn't eat it continuously.
Zhang Xiaobao's face turned pale immediately. He really could not imagine the consequences of eating so many chickens in a row.
Wang Juan's expression changed as well. She nudged Zhang Xiaobao and said, "Xiao Bao, you're the smartest. Think of a way."
"Oh, yes, I'll think of one right away." Zhang Xiaobao agreed without hesitation. He frowned as though he was faced with a problem that was more difficult than fraud.
*****
When the group arrived at the main restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water, the people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family who came to Lu Zhou finally relaxed.
The other places were sealed by ice, but here, they could still see the clear water flowing. There was a layer of mist on the water, completely shrouding the restaurants Between the Clouds and the Water.
This scene had nothing to do with the natural world. It was purely an illusion. First, they had people shaving ice, sprinkling salt on the water on time every day, and then roasting it on the water with a charcoal brazier.
Therefore, the water did not freeze, and there was still mist.
It was the new year. The three Zhuangzi members of the Zhang Family and a Zhuangzi farmer from the Wang Family came back to celebrate. It was the same last year.
As soon as the group moved out, the farmers who had been waiting there surrounded them. They did not ask questions like the people in Hua Yuan County. Instead, they just greeted them and started to carry things from the carts.
The four Zhuangzi farmers from the Zhang Family and Wang Family were not the only ones who came. Even the farmers from the Ge Family were here. It had been a long time since they last saw the main members of the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
They did not care much about the Ge Family. They were more concerned about the Zhang Family and Wang Family. A few days ago, they heard that the farmer from the Zhang Family, Zhang Qiu, was beaten up. His bones were broken, and there was a big cut on his leg. It was swollen to the size of his waist.
When they heard that the people who beat Zhang Qiu were from a big family in the south, they were scared out of their wits. Later, they heard that Zhang Qiu was treated and the whole family who beat him ran away. It seemed that the masters of the Zhang Family and Wang Family were still the original masters. Just like what they said on the 15th, they would light up the starry sky together.
Today, they had to take a good look and see if the master of the Zhang Family had gained weight or lost weight. Yes, he was not fat or thin, but he had become darker. The four little ancestors of the Zhang Family and Wang Family were also being carried by the young master and young lady. They were chubby and were strangely heavy.
Zhang Xiaobao hugged his younger brother and sister. He stood beside the carriage and looked at his home. He had not been back for more than a year, but it felt like a century had passed.
He did not know if the four little ones had telepathy or if they saw something fun at the same time, but they all giggled together.
Xiao Bei kissed Zhang Xiaobao with her mouth that was still drooling. Zhang Xiaobao was kissed by his sister and could not wipe it away. He could only move his younger brother to his side. His face was full of saliva and his brother's clothes. Anyway, he had to wash them later.
At this time, a farmer squeezed through the crowd and came over with a plate of roasted chicken in his hand. When he came over, a family member who had already been instructed immediately said,
"In order to celebrate the arrival of the New Year and to celebrate the New Year with the farmers, the main family abstained from meat and fish until the 30th. The people in the inner courtyard will follow suit."
"Oh, there's even roasted chicken. It's a pity that it can't be eaten." Zhang Xiaobao thought of the plan that the people in the inner courtyard had just mentioned. If he did not have foresight, his family would be finished.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
