It was spring, and the streets were bustling with activity. It was winter, and people were busy coming and going in a hurry. It was noisy in the middle of the day.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Sanshui County was bustling with activity. County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang licked the corner of his mouth. He had accidentally smeared the cucumber with chili sauce when he was eating earlier. He savored the fragrance of the chili sauce for a moment before he brought along two yamen runners and strolled leisurely on the streets.
In order to be close to the people and not disturb them, he did not wear his official uniform. He wore casual clothes and stood in front of the stalls for a while with his not too big belly. He did not mention his identity to show that he was a good official.
He thought that if something happened, he could solve it in time. Two fully armed yamen runners followed him and called him "County Magistrate".
Cheng Lingxiang walked very slowly and was immersed in the spontaneous greetings of the people. He always had a smile on his face, but in his heart, he was thinking that the expert's idea was really good. With a good reputation, he could show his face in the county as much as possible and let everyone know which county magistrate did not care about his rest and sent grain and oil to the poor families.
A thousand dans of food was not a small amount. Half a dans of food was enough for one family to eat for a month. Two thousand families had received the food, but he did not leave a single grain. It was the same for the oil. When he first sent it, each family was deeply grateful, which made him feel very comfortable.
It was all thanks to Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Otherwise, how could he have such a good reputation? He heard from his subordinates that many people were praising the county magistrate. If this continued, it would not be difficult for him to be promoted.
County Magistrate Cheng thought as he walked. From time to time, he would return the greetings of the people. His image of being close to the people increased greatly. As he walked, he came to the busiest street in the county. There were many shops on both sides and pedestrians on the street.
"Bustling, this is what I am looking forward to." County Magistrate Cheng sighed. The two yamen runners behind him immediately came up to flatter him. The three of them complemented each other.
While they were walking, there was a sudden deafening crackling sound in front of them, which startled County Magistrate Cheng and the people on the street. Once the sound started, it seemed to go on and on, making people's ears ring non-stop.
"Let's go. Follow me to the front to see who is causing such a commotion." County Magistrate Cheng was really bold. He didn't go back to the yamen to ask for help when he heard the sound. Instead, he walked quickly with two yamen runners.
When they arrived at their destination, the noise had not yet stopped. There were already many people who had stopped to watch. Some people were still shouting something, trying to compete with the continuous noise.
"Where is this? Tell me. "County Magistrate Cheng pointed to a three-story building in front of him and asked the two yamen runners beside him.
"Sir, what did you say?" The yamen runner didn't hear him clearly.
"I'm asking you, what is this place?" County Magistrate Cheng shouted.
"It should be the opening of a restaurant. Yesterday, I heard that someone bought a piece of land and is going to open a restaurant called Thousand Taste Town's Water Residence." The yamen runner heard clearly this time and replied loudly.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. Sir, I saw Young Master Song standing there as well. I'll bring him here." The yamen runner didn't know either. He shouted and saw Song Jinggong standing at the entrance. He hurriedly ran over and pulled Song Jinggong to the side of the county magistrate.
At this time, the noise finally stopped. Although it was gone, it caused quite a stir. Many people were talking about what made the noise. It was so loud that it was really shocking.
"Zijin is also here. Is this restaurant opened by Zijin?" County Magistrate Cheng's ears were still ringing, so he still shouted when he spoke.
"Sir, this restaurant is not opened by a student. It's owned by someone from elsewhere. You can tell from the name that it's Thousand Taste Town's Water Residence. They want to suppress the Baiwei Pavilion and the Waterview Tower." Song Jinggong also pressed his ears. He was close to that place just now, so his ears were still ringing.
"Oh, Zijin, do you know what that noise was?" County Magistrate Cheng saw that someone was opening a restaurant and nothing had happened. He didn't want to find trouble with them. Instead, he was interested in the noise.
Song Jinggong nodded and said, "Yes, that's firecrackers. A student gave them 100,000 times to open a restaurant."
"What's a firecracker?" County Magistrate Cheng felt that the surroundings were noisy now. He pulled Song Jinggong to a place where there were fewer people and asked. His voice was not as loud as before.
"Zhangjia Zhuangzi made something for some festive occasion. It's lively and can help to spread a little." Song Jinggong was also more comfortable than before. The ringing in his ears was not as loud as before.
"Oh? Zhangjia Zhuangzi again? Zijin, this 100,000 times firecracker was given by you. How much did it cost? "
Originally, County Magistrate Cheng was curious. When he heard that it was Zhangjia Zhuangzi, he first thought of a person. With that person, everything was reasonable. He was a little surprised by that person's generosity. So many firecrackers. How much did it cost?
"Sir, it's not much. It's only 2 taels of silver. This thing is cheap. It's a good deal to spend 2 taels of silver on opening a restaurant. This time, a student gave it to you for free. This way, others will know about it and it will be easier to buy it."
Song Jinggong explained. This was the idea of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If they sold it directly, others might not buy it. First, they would give out some of it. When the effect was seen, others would buy it. The selling price was 2 taels of silver. The cost was not much.
After explaining this, Song Jinggong saw County Magistrate Cheng nodding in agreement. He continued, "Also, this thing can ward off evil spirits. It's like the firecrackers used during the New Year. This year, Zhangjia Zhuangzi used this."
"Oh? There's such a use? That's right, firecrackers, these things are even louder than firecrackers and can ward off evil spirits. Indeed, it can ward off evil spirits. There are auspicious signs in the front and evil spirits in the back. That person is really amazing. Since that's the case, Zijin, sell some to the yamen as well.
County Magistrate Cheng thought that this way, it would be more lively. 200,000 times, 5 taels of silver would be enough. It was worth it to make such a big noise.
"Sir, you don't have to pay for it. Zhuangzi has asked many people to work on it. They will send it to you the day after tomorrow." Song Jinggong did not need to ask the little childe about this kind of thing. He knew what to do. A few taels of silver from the yamen were not worth it. It was good to use this thing as a gift.
County Magistrate Cheng thought for a while and did not continue to rush to pay. The farmstead had given them a lot of things, so they did not lack this little bit of money. Just the thousand dan of grain alone cost more than a hundred taels of silver. The farmstead was really generous in doing things.
With the firecrackers, County Magistrate Cheng was in a better mood. He did not continue to shop. After a few words with Song Jinggong, he went back with two yamen runners. He wanted to arrange how to spend the New Year's Eve. This year, it was not just a matter of a lantern.
County Magistrate Cheng returned to the yamen in a good mood. He thought that there was nothing to do. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, the deputy county magistrate, Zhang Mingsheng, hurried to find him.
"Sir, we sent an urgent document saying that we have reported the auspicious signs. In order to find out whether it is true or not, we will send an army officer to Sanshui County on the first day of the lunar new year."
Today is already the tenth day of the lunar new year and they just sent someone here. It will be five days later. The cucumbers are all gone and they remember the auspicious signs. Come, just in time. In two days, Song Jinggong will come to the yamen to send the firecrackers. I will tell him and let him handle it. The cucumbers should have grown a lot. Eat as much as you can and when they come, they will be gone. "
After hearing what the deputy county magistrate said, County Magistrate Cheng took the document and read it again. He was a little dissatisfied with the people above. At this time, they thought of using the urgent document. What did they do earlier? He did not know whether the cucumbers sent to them were eaten by them or given to others.
"Sir, do you have to kill those cucumbers? Can you transfer some of them away? It is just the beginning of spring and there is still a long time before there are any cucumbers. "
The deputy county magistrate, Zhang Mingsheng, was a little reluctant. He had an old mother at home and her body was not very good. She liked to eat light food. He gave all the cucumbers he got to his mother. Seeing that his mother could eat more rice, he was happy. If the cucumbers were suddenly gone, what would his mother eat? If there was no other way, he could ask Song Jinggong for some carrots. Those things were good to eat.
County Magistrate Cheng also thought so, but he had no other choice. He could not sell the Zhang family's farmstead. With Zhang Wuji's ability, he might be able to produce better things in the future. Besides, with the help of the two masters, he might have to ask Zhang Wuji for help.
At this time, when he heard what the deputy county magistrate said, he had an idea. He felt that it was possible. When people came, he would get some fresh cucumbers for them to see. When they went to see the cucumbers, he would move some of them away. Some of them should be able to survive and he could eat them by then.
Thinking of this, he did not wait for Song Jinggong to come. He asked someone to go to Zhangjia Zhuangzi to report. In order to make people believe, he even asked someone to bring the documents that were passed down from the higher-ups and told them his idea.
The person who went to Zhangjia Zhuangzi was the yamen runner who went there before. When he heard that he was going to Zhangjia Zhuangzi, he immediately became happy. The last time he went there, they treated him well. When he came back, he even got some money. This time, he had another chance. Without any delay, he rode a horse and rushed there.
The speed of the horse was very fast. Usually, it would take half a day to get there, but on a fast horse, he arrived at the destination in less than four hours. People who did not know saw such a fast horse and thought that it was an urgent report from 600 miles away.
When the bailiffs arrived at the manor, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were studying with their father. The two of them really admired their father. When it came to learning, he would take out a sentence and within it, there would be a story. Within the story, there would be a sentence, and within the sentence, there would be a story.
This was because of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If it were other children, they would have been scared to tears by so many things. Father Zhang was very satisfied. If he could teach students so easily, then he would have become a teacher long ago. These two children only needed to be taught once. After a few days, they would ask a few questions. When he told them, then they would know what to teach.
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