"This is a cucumber? It's a cucumber. " County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang looked at the six cucumbers in front of him and raised his head to ask Song Jinggong. He did not understand why Song Jinggong rushed over to give him cucumbers. Could it be related to the murder case? Evidence?
"Sir is indeed amazing. You can recognize that this is a cucumber at a glance. That's right. Sir, try it and see if it's delicious." Song Jinggong thought that the county magistrate was frightened and pointed at the cucumbers for him to taste.
"I have eaten a lot of this. Zijin, you should take it back and eat it yourself." Cheng Lingxiang carefully looked at the cucumbers and did not find anything special about them. This made him unhappy.
Song Jinggong finally understood. It turned out that Cheng Lingxiang did not consider what season it was and was only waiting for him to give him benefits. Cucumbers had always been worthless. Thinking of this, Song Jinggong was not angry and smiled slightly.
"Sir is right. When this student goes back, I will make some chili sauce and warm some wine. While drinking the cucumbers, I will enjoy the scenery outside. It is really a great enjoyment in life."
As she spoke, Song Jinggong prepared to get up. Cheng Lingxiang was also thinking about that scenery, but he kept feeling that there was something wrong with that place. It was only when Song Jinggong said goodbye that he reacted and hurriedly called out, "Hold on, Zijin. Where did you get fresh cucumbers in the middle of winter?"
After asking this, Cheng Lingxiang looked at the cucumbers in a different light. The thorns on the cucumbers looked better and the flowers were more beautiful. The more he looked at them, the more he liked them. He even put his head on the cucumbers and gently smelled them. The unique fragrance of the cucumbers entered his nose and was very comfortable.
Song Jinggong saw the county magistrate's actions and was not in a hurry to answer. He just looked at them.
Cheng Lingxiang looked at them for a while and stretched out his hand to touch them. The cucumbers were kept warm and were not cold or hot. At this time, the six cucumbers were no longer cucumbers in Cheng Lingxiang's eyes, but silver. Six silver ingots were neatly placed there. They were green and almost the same thickness. The silver ingots were very beautiful.
"Sir, how is it? Is it comfortable to eat this kind of cucumbers in the winter?" Song Jinggong found the right time to ask.
Cheng Lingxiang nodded his head vigorously. "Good, good stuff. Zijin, you've put in a lot of effort. I didn't expect to be able to eat fresh cucumbers even when it's snowing. I wonder if Zijin only found these six?"
In an instant, County Magistrate Cheng thought of many things. If he gave this cucumber to the higher-ups, the higher-ups would definitely think well of him. He just didn't know how many cucumbers there were.
"I don't know if you would like to eat it, so I've brought six sticks this time. If you think it's okay, I'll bring you more when I get back. It'll be enough for you to eat for a whole winter." Song Jinggong had actually brought a lot this time and was preparing to sell it, so he deliberately said this.
"Where did the cucumber come from? Is there a way to keep the cucumbers in summer until now? "County Magistrate Cheng was most curious about this.
Song Jinggong shook his head in Weiwei and replied, "There's no way. The cucumbers in summer can only be kept for 20 days at most, and they can't have thorns on them. Cucumbers are grown. Two months ago, they were planted by a person on Zhuangzi. They can be eaten today."
County Magistrate Cheng was sitting there calmly at first, but when he heard that the cucumbers were grown, he immediately stood up and stared into Song Jinggong's eyes, wanting to know if he was lying. Seeing that Song Jinggong's eyes were clear and did not evade at all, he knew that it was probably true.
"Zijin, tell me quickly. How did the cucumbers grow? Was it that expert? Good ability. If he taught the method to the people of Tang, wouldn't they be able to eat fresh cucumbers in the winter? Moreover, the cucumbers are in the north and won't occupy other lands in the winter. The people will have another source of income for no reason.
Great merit, this is a great merit. Zijin, that person on Zhuangzi will definitely be praised and rewarded. How about this, Zijin will go back tomorrow and bring that person here. I want to submit a memorial. "
County Magistrate Cheng stood up and did not sit back down. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, talking as he walked. He did not notice Song Jinggong's helpless expression at all. After a while, when he saw that Song Jinggong did not speak, he stopped and looked over.
Song Jinggong smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, people on Zhuangzi also need to earn money. There are so many people who need to be fed. That person is very good to the villagers. Today, every villager gave a lot of things for free. He was also afraid that the heavy snow would crush the houses, so he specially paid for the houses and the kang beds.
Sir, you also know how much the cucumbers are worth in winter. Zhuangzi is waiting for the cucumbers to be sold for good money. Sir, if you ask me to say it, I dare not. If I offend that person, even if I run to the ends of the earth, it will be useless. Sir, you may not know what that person is capable of, but I have already experienced it. "
"Oh! That's right. The cucumbers are not expensive even if sold for ten copper coins. Naturally, there will be rich people who will buy them. Moreover, it's almost the new year. To be able to eat a mouthful of refreshing cucumbers on New Year's Eve will definitely make one feel different. "
After County Magistrate Cheng heard Song Jinggong's explanation, he also understood. Who would be willing to tell others such a recipe? Since it could be grown, it would definitely be eaten continuously for several months. How much money could one make in winter? Just thinking about it was frightening.
However, if he did not take it out, it would not be good if he was targeted. He knew the value of the cucumbers in winter, but others were not stupid either. What if he offended someone even more powerful?
Cheng Lingxiang considered this matter and slowly sat down. He looked at Song Jinggong and finally warned, "Zijin, this cucumbers are not easy to deal with. It could easily attract a fatal disaster. Why didn't that expert on Zhuangzi think of this? As long as you sell it, people will know. If you are not willing to give up the recipe, I will pretend that I did not see it today. "
"Sir is indeed a good official. You can think of the people under your rule. Sir, rest assured. Before coming here, that person told me that if sir says so, then I will tell you the solution. If sir wants to claim credit, then I will immediately go back and uproot the cucumbers."
Song Jinggong only had one feeling towards the young master, which was to look up to a tall mountain.
"Oh? You calculated that too? What's the solution? "County Magistrate Cheng was also afraid. Was this still a human? He took one step at a time.
"In reply to sir, the solution is not difficult. It is to transport the cucumbers here and let sir help to sell them. Sir, don't be anxious. When the time comes, if someone asks, sir can say that the cucumbers on Zhuangzi actually bear new fruits.
At this time, it is almost the Chinese New Year, so no one will investigate carefully. When the Chinese New Year is over and the money is more or less earned, the Zhuangzi will not continue to sell them. Instead, it will give some to sir for you to give to others. If someone investigates, they will definitely ask sir where Zhuangzi is. At that time, the cucumbers will naturally be killed. "
Song Jinggong told the method. In fact, there was one thing that they did not mention. It could also be said that he was lying. Zhang Xiaobao instructed him to do so. Another thing was that if the county magistrate did not warn him, he would immediately go back and harvest all the cucumbers this time. He would remove the other cucumbers and transport the collected cucumbers far away. He would use another identity to sell them elsewhere and still make a lot of money.
This was not what impressed Song Jinggong the most. It was what the young master said that the county magistrate would help him to think of things to a large extent. The other preparation was just for the unexpected.
Of course, Song Jinggong did not know how much psychology the young master had studied. From his several contacts with the county magistrate, he guessed the county magistrate's character. He only thought that the young master was good at prediction.
The county magistrate sighed. The person on the Zhuangzi could not make any more comments. Not only did he sell the cucumbers, but he also gave him a credit. It was an auspicious sign. With the cucumbers as evidence, he had no choice but to believe it. The county magistrate asked him to give them to others. Did he need to ask who he could give them to?
He could not refuse such a good thing. Once the auspicious sign appeared, no matter what the higher-ups thought, they would want to follow suit. Then, his future would be bright.
Thinking of this, County Magistrate Cheng nodded and said, "Well, since it is before the Chinese New Year, I will pick more cucumbers. Two days before the Chinese New Year, I will sell them. Zijin, you haven't eaten yet, right? Just right, I will use three cucumbers to make two dishes. Zijin, let's try it together. "
County Magistrate Cheng did not cherish it anymore. Since there were more, he would not miss a few cucumbers from his family. He ate three cucumbers first and sent the other three cucumbers later for his family to try.
Song Jinggong was not in a hurry to leave this time. He gladly complied.
*****
The cold wind blew from time to time. Even so, it did not make the people on the Zhuangzi side of the Zhang Family and Wang Family feel anything.
The old cow of Chen Hao's family was killed. One of the cows that Zhang Xiaobao had bought some time ago was also killed. This cow really had to be killed. As soon as it died in Chen Hao's family, it fell into a ditch and broke its leg.
Once the two cows were killed, there was a lot of meat. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan discussed for a while and decided to let the two people on the Zhuangzi side of the family have a meal together. It could also be considered as promoting the good of the main family.
Naturally, they could not just eat the beef. The meat of the two cows was really not enough to share. Moreover, they had to leave some for the New Year. They could only add some radishes to make a few big pots of beef stewed with radishes. They asked the people on the Zhuangzi side of the family to eat together. They made cornbread with rice flour and added a few salted vegetables. Together with the light stew, it was not bad to eat hot in this winter.
In this way, they did not need to kill two cows. One cow was not considered to have the tendons and other miscellaneous things. Just the meat alone was enough. They added some butter. A pot of stew did not need too much beef.
The farmers were not picky. It was fine as long as there was food. The aroma in the few big pots had already drifted out long before the meat was cooked. The adults were better off and could hold it in. The children sniffed their snot and anxiously swallowed their saliva. Some of the braver ones even went to the pot to take a look.
In order to not let everyone freeze, a few bonfires were built in the open space outside. The two farmers on the Zhuangzi side of the bonfires gathered around, chatting and laughing. They only got up to help when the meat was ready.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also rushed over at this time. They wanted to eat with everyone. Wang Juan was holding a handful of dried coriander in her hand. Zhang Xiaobao was holding a bowl of chili sauce by himself.
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