Just as Father Zhang was talking happily, a bailiff rushed in with a head full of sweat. It was really hard for him in this warm weather. As soon as he entered the door, he handed over the document and described it according to the county magistrate's instructions.
The bailiff was sent away. Father Zhang looked at the document and thought that the two children did not understand, so he explained it to them. The class could only be stopped. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned to their room to think about how to deal with it.
"Xiao Bao, the county magistrate said that we should move some of the cucumbers away. What do you think?" Wang Juan thought about the consequences of moving the cucumbers away. It seemed that the cucumbers that were moved away were not easy to live.
"I agree. Move them away. Move the cucumbers away from one of the houses and move them to someone else's cucumber field in summer. Do it today. Don't pick the cucumbers and just leave them there." Zhang Xiaobao agreed.
"They will be frozen to death."
"Yes, let the cucumbers freeze to death. That is an auspicious sign. We can continue to eat the rest. We can still eat them for a long time." Zhang Xiaobao winked at Wang Juan and said.
"Smart. People who can be liars are indeed different. If we want to let people see the house, we need to tear it down. The project is too big. If we move the cucumbers away, we will lose a lot of money. Now is the time when we are short of money." Wang Juan understood and reached out to pinch Zhang Xiaobao's face and praised him.
Zhang Xiaobao did not move at all. His face was expressionless as he was pinched. After a while, he opened his mouth and said, "Tell all the villagers at the farmstead not to spread the news. For example, if anyone tries to goad them into action, threaten them, or tempt them into action. You'll be in charge of this.
"Okay, but that day, the child in Ge Zhuang was there. What should we do?" Wang Juan was indeed familiar with these things. Suddenly, she thought of the people in Ge Zhuang that day.
Zhang Xiaobao also slapped his forehead regretfully. He had made a mistake. He had not thought of so many things. That child would definitely tell others when he went back, and the adults in the family would know. What if the people who came to investigate had nothing better to do and went to ask Ge Zhuang's people? This was all very possible.
"What should we do?" Wang Juan couldn't think of a solution.
"Yeah, what can we do? How should they deal with it? Bribe Ge Zhuang? It's not easy. Well, the cucumber seedlings have been brought to the county yamen by the county magistrate in advance and are being planted there. Let's do it. "
Zhang Xiaobao's small hand kept bouncing on his leg. This was a habit of his. He would do this whenever he encountered a difficult problem. In the end, he finally came up with a solution. Wang Juan also nodded in agreement.
"By the county magistrate …? Okay, I understand. Then let's do it this way. Move the whole house over there and get two more carriages. Now that the snow has started to melt in some places, let the county magistrate find a good piece of land and pick the cucumbers. Pay attention to keeping them warm. When the people above come, it will be even better if the cucumbers are still alive.
Everything has nothing to do with Zhuangzi. If someone really comes to Zhuangzi to look, I will burn it all. This method can't be leaked out no matter what, unless it can be exchanged for benefits that will tempt us. This method can't be used to plant cucumbers. "
The two of them made a decision. They asked someone to find the yamen runner and told him not to treat him to a meal today. They gave him two taels of silver and told him to go back and tell the county magistrate immediately and let the county magistrate arrange everything.
The yamen runner also knew that this matter was not easy to handle. He took the money, drank a bellyful of water, rode the horse that had not fully recovered, and hurried back.
After the yamen runner left, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also began to get busy. This kind of thing could not be estimated, especially when Zhang Xiaobao did not have any understanding of the people from Zhuangzhou.
Bundles of firewood were piled up at the back of the house. As long as there was any bad news, these firewood would be lit. Some people had already put some wood on the wall, and when the time came, the wall would be pushed down.
By the time everything was ready, it was already dark. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan both sighed in relief. They lay on the kang bed and did not read anymore. They went to bed early.
At the yamen in Sanshui County, County Magistrate Cheng also learned of the situation. After thinking about it, he finally circled a piece of land by the river. First, he had people remove the snow, then dig up the soil below and use a torch to melt the frozen soil at the bottom. The excavated soil was treated slightly and then filled back in. Everything was done.
The next day, all the farmers at the Zhang Family's farmstead began to work. They carefully dug out the cucumber vines from the soil. There was soil at the bottom, and the shelves at the top were set up again. They placed them on the carts and covered the carts with cloth. Carts after carts began to be transported to the county.
The things on the cart were precious, so the speed of the cart was very slow. In the end, they did not arrive at their destination for an entire day. When night fell, they had to look around to see if there was anyone around and light some fires to keep the cucumbers on the cart warm.
During this operation, Song Jinggong and the Wang family's housekeeper were personally in charge. The two of them did not dare to sleep and could only sit by the fire to keep watch.
"Housekeeper Wang, are you thirsty? Eat a cucumber. " Song Jinggong plucked two large cucumbers from one of the carts. Without washing them, he rubbed them with his hands to remove the thorns. He opened his mouth and took a bite, chewing noisily.
Housekeeper Wang took the cucumbers and looked worriedly at the cart that Song Jinggong had just opened. He thought for a moment and asked, "Young Master Song, will the cold wind enter the cart?"
"Who cares if it will or not. In fact, when these things are transported there, don't expect to be transported back. It's just to deal with some people. As long as there are a few alive, it's fine." Song Jinggong said indifferently as he chewed on the cucumber. If one did not listen carefully, they would not be able to hear him clearly.
Housekeeper Wang thought for a moment and nodded. "Young Master Song is right. We won't be able to take them back. That's good. Each driver will get one."
The cart that Song Jinggong had just opened was opened again. The driver used the fastest speed to find the bigger cucumbers, plucked them, and distributed them one by one.
These people sat around the fire, eating and chatting. When the horses were almost rested, they put them on again and drove the carts forward. They arrived at their destination in the middle of the night.
Song Jinggong and Housekeeper Wang thought that they would have to stay outside for the night and wait until the next morning. However, as soon as the carts arrived, people from the yamen came to pick them up. They lit up the torches and headed directly to the circled land by the river.
There were already people waiting there. County Magistrate Cheng also came in person. He had not seen the cucumber seedlings. These days, he had eaten a lot of cucumbers. When he saw the carts coming, he ordered people to guard the surrounding area and not allow anyone to come close.
As the cloth on the carts was rolled up, the cucumber seedlings appeared in front of them. Eating cucumbers and seeing the seedlings with cucumbers were two different things. When they saw so many seedlings with cucumbers hanging on them, except for the people who sent them here, the others, including County Magistrate Cheng, were all surprised.
"They are indeed extraordinary. They make people feel comfortable just by looking at them. I can't wait to pluck one and taste it myself." County Magistrate Cheng sighed. The yamen runners and deputy county magistrate nodded their heads, especially the deputy county magistrate. He had already decided that he would bring his mother here to have a look tomorrow morning. The vigorous vitality in the snow was really shocking.
Following the county magistrate's order, the yamen runners began to put the seedlings into the pit that had been dug. They poured a little water that was not so cold from the house on top of the seedlings. Then, they used the cloth from the carts to wrap the seedlings in a circle to cover the top of the seedlings.
After doing all this, they lit a circle of fire outside the cloth and arranged a guard every five steps. They could not let the fire burn the cloth.
"Sir, we have finished here. It is very cold at night. You'd better go back and rest." The deputy county magistrate found two thick clothes and wrapped himself up. He decided to stay here and persuade County Magistrate Cheng to go back.
Cheng Lingxiang nodded his head and prepared to leave. After a few steps, he came back. "Forget it. I can't sleep even if I go back. I will ask someone to get some food and drink. I will stay here and wait."
Cheng Lingxiang was really worried. It was only the 11th day of the month and there were still four days left. The most worrying thing was the first night. If they could survive, then everything would be fine. They could do the same thing tomorrow. If they could not survive, then it would be troublesome when the higher-ups came.
Song Jinggong and the rest did not care. They each found a place to rest. They had been on the road for a long time and were tired.
The next day, when the dazzling but not warm sun rose, County Magistrate Cheng rubbed his red eyes and peeked inside through a gap in the cloth. After a few glances, he still couldn't figure out whether it was successful or not. He had no choice but to call for someone who knew farming. This person had a rough idea with just one glance.
"My Lord, I estimate that 30% of the seedlings will die in about three days. It's hard to say what will happen to the rest. I estimate that 20% of them will be able to survive for 10 days." After careful consideration, this person said to County Magistrate Cheng.
"Good, good, that's good. 30% of the seedlings will die. When the time comes, pick all the cucumbers on the seedlings. Keep the big ones for cooking and pickle the small ones."
Cheng Lingxiang was completely relieved when he heard that there were seedlings that could survive for a long time. He narrowed his eyes and asked someone to send the seedlings back to the residence behind the government office. The rest of the matters were left to the deputy county magistrate.
The deputy county magistrate Zhang Mingsheng saw that he was the most senior official here. He was relieved and took a nap for a while. When the sun was higher, he asked someone to fetch his mother.
After a while, Mother Zhang came. The old lady was not old. She was not in her sixties and was not in good health. She was helped down from the carriage by the deputy county magistrate Zhang Mingsheng. She looked around and asked,
"My son, why did you ask me to come here? Did you get into trouble? Don't worry. I am here. I will help you. If it doesn't work, I will go and beg your uncle. "
From these two sentences, Song Jinggong, who had already come over, knew that this old lady was from a scholarly family. Thinking that he did not have any relatives, he could not help but sigh. If his mother was here, she would definitely protect him like this.
"Mother, I didn't get into trouble. It is a good thing. Mother, come with me. I will show you something good." The deputy county magistrate helped his mother to the place covered by the cloth. He gently opened a gap and let his mother look inside.
"Cucumbers, so many cucumbers. My son, is this true? Who is so capable to grow cucumbers in this season? It is the blessing of our Tang Empire. " Mother Zhang looked inside, and her originally cloudy eyes immediately brightened up a lot. She said excitedly.
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