The spring breeze turned the weeping willows green. Birds perched on the branches and fish swam gently in the water.
Baoxin County, which had temporarily calmed down, continued to live as usual. The only difference was that there was no need to fight for water this year. No one would get hurt, and there was no need to hope for rain. As long as there was water in the well, there would be no shortage of water in the fields. They were willing to be tired from carrying water.
On this day, a group of more than sixty people came from the northwest of Baoxin County. There were three large carriages carrying people and more than ten carriages carrying goods.
When the group saw Baoxin County, they stopped. An old man came down from each of the three carriages. One had his hands behind his back, one was stroking his beard, and the other was gnawing on a large meat pancake.
A group of children from the nearby villages gathered around curiously. They were not afraid of strangers and just watched. The children standing in the cold river also stopped.
"Yuanzhi, why are the clothes of the children here better than those in Ruyang? That is an important and bustling place. "
The old man with his hands behind his back said to the old man stroking his beard.
"That's right. Not only are their clothes nice, but their faces are also rosy. If it weren't for the rustic air between their eyebrows, no one would suspect that they were children from the capital."
Old Man Yao evaluated as he sized up the children who were crowding around to look at the spectacle.
Old Man Chang swallowed the meat pancake in his mouth and burped twice. He said, "That goes without saying. Look at who is the official here. Capable people are capable no matter where they are. There is no lower county around Luoyang. If there is a lower county, these two little guys will go there.
Incompetent officials want to find a good place to take advantage of others. Capable people go to places that others don't think are good. What are you fishing for, little girl in the river? This old man will exchange meat pancakes with you. "
In the river, there was a girl holding a small net made of straw rope. She lifted the net and replied in a crisp voice, "Old Grandpa, Xiang 'er is fishing for river snails. I want to exchange them for money to buy chickens for Mother to nourish her body. Mother has just recovered from a long illness and is weak."
"Oh? Can river snails be eaten at this time? "Old Man Chang was not ignorant. The river snails did not seem to have much meat.
"Yes, they can. The biggest restaurant in the county, the Fengwu Pavilion, has a special dish called river snail soup. Grandpa, are you passing by? If you enter the county, you can't ride your horse. You'll be punished. "
Xiang 'er said as she walked out of the water. She took out a shell from her bosom, opened it, and rubbed it with a finger. Then, she rubbed the shell on the back of her hand until it was warm. Only then did she look at the team carefully with a smile.
As soon as the three old men saw the shell, they knew what it was. It was the Zhang family's signature product, hand oil. The price of this thing was not low after it was shipped over. A shell would cost at least ten copper coins. How could the little girl afford it?
When he took a closer look at the texture of the shell, he was even more surprised. It turned out to be the coconut oil series. That was not something that could be bought with ten copper coins. Where did the little girl get it?
Old Man Pi asked curiously, "Xiang 'er, where did the shell come from?"
"My sister gave it to me. Let me tell you, don't even think about stealing my hand oil. My sister is the deputy county magistrate, a very high official." Xiang 'er cautiously took a step back and warned them.
"A ninth rank deputy county magistrate is also a very high official? Who told you that, Xiang 'er? "Old Man Yao jokingly laughed.
"Yes, she is a high official. How dare you provoke my sister?" Xiang 'er was unhappy when she heard that her sister was a low official.
The three old men shook their heads at the same time. Old Man Chang shook his head the most vigorously, "No, no, no, who dares to provoke that little girl will die. Even if she doesn't use force, she will pester people to death. How did Xiang 'er get to know the deputy county magistrate?"
"I got to know her the day she came. She even asked people to send medicine to my mother. My mother's illness was finally cured. My sister and brother are both very good people. Old grandpa, do you know my sister?"
Xiang 'er heard that the three old men's tone was very peaceful. They didn't sound like bad people, so she moved forward.
Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "Are you Grandpa Bi, Grandpa Zhang and Grandpa Yao? My sister told me that there are three old men and they are very fun. "
"What kind of fun?" Old Man Pi didn't expect that in Cuckoo's heart, the three of them were fun. "It's fun.
She said that the three of you are very capable and always act like children. It seems that it's true. Big brother, second brother, come back after catching the toads. We have guests. The one who keeps stroking his beard must be Grandpa Yao. Xiang 'er will treat you to braised toads. "
Xiang 'er judged that the three old men were the' Old Urchins' that her sister had mentioned. She shouted at her two brothers who were catching toads in the field.
"Are you really treating us to food?" Old Man Yao put down his hand and stopped stroking his beard.
"Of course. The guests of the deputy county magistrate and the registrar general are the guests of our county. The enemies of the deputy county magistrate and the registrar general are the enemies of our county." Xiang 'er replied seriously.
Old Man Chang waved his hand, "No, no, there are too many people. There are not enough toads to share. We will walk forward. Xiang 'er, would you like to talk with us?"
Xiang 'er glanced at the three old men's team and found that it was indeed not enough to eat. They caught a hundred toads, but each of them couldn't eat two toads. She puffed up her cheeks regretfully and nodded, "Then wait for Xiang' er for a while. Xiang 'er is going to the county to sell things. We can go together."
Xiang 'er's two brothers carried a wooden bucket of river snails and more than two hundred toads in a net. They sent Xiang' er to the three old men's car and asked for their names worriedly. Only when Old Man Pi gave the two of them a nameplate did he let Xiang 'er go with them.
The three old men entered the same car. Including Xiang 'er, there were four people in total. They slowly moved forward in the car.
Old Man Pi raised the curtain and looked at the paddy fields along the way. Looking at the people patrolling the fields, Old Man Pi suddenly had a feeling of returning to San Shui County.
He took out a few snacks from the drawer and put them in front of Xiang 'er. He asked, "Xiang' er, your clothes were also given by your sister?"
Xiang 'er didn't restrain herself. She picked up some meat floss and put it in her mouth. She touched the clothes she was wearing and answered, "No, other children also have clothes. This was given by a program in the county. Oh, it's called the Sapling Protection Program. The money left by the rich businessmen in the county to dig wells was used to make clothes for the children in the county.
The leftover money was used to buy a lot of beans and eggs. Every day, the children drank a big bowl of soy milk and fried two eggs. The money hasn't been used up yet. When it's used up, it's said that someone will take out more money. There will be a score in the county. Those with more points will be able to occupy a position in the county in the future.
At first, I thought that no one was willing to take the money. Later, I don't know why, but the rich all rushed to take it. They were afraid that they would be slower than others. There were also a few merchants who agreed that after the spring plowing, they would find teachers to build schools in each village. The children didn't need to take anything.
Last time I went to the county and saw my sister, she said that it was because of reputation. A gentleman takes advantage of others, while a villain lures others with benefits. Once the matter is settled, the means are not important. "
Xiang 'er said whatever was on her mind. Even if she wasn't very clear about many things, it was true that her family's life had improved.
As the three old men listened, they knew that it was Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's idea. Only the two of them could do such a thing. They would do anything to achieve their goals. Others had to rely on their superiors. After all, their family's business was big and their identities were different. Once they missed the opportunity, it would be too late for regrets.
Old Man Yao looked out of the car and saw more than a dozen people digging holes in the empty land nearby. He asked Xiang 'er curiously, "What are they doing?"
There are many wells in the county, so we don't have to worry about running out of water. My sister said that in the future, we will all process and sell them together. Once we plant them, we will have money. My sister also planted a lot of flowers. She said that we can use them to make perfume and put them in glass bottles. We can sell them for a lot of money. I can raise a few lambs and wait for them to grow up to drink milk.
Everyone says that God has opened his eyes. His Majesty also knows the hardships in the county, so he sent the best people in the Tang Empire here. I think my sister and brother are not good at all. Xiang 'er always laughs with me. Not good, not good at all. "
Xiang 'er would only drink some milk with her sister when she entered the county. It was very delicious. When she had her own family in the future, she looked forward to it.
When the three old men heard Xiang 'er's words, they suddenly laughed.
"That's right. It truly is because His Majesty saw that you weren't doing well, so he sent the two most formidable men of the Great Tang over. This' formidable 'does not mean that the other is formidable. It means that they are capable. Of course, they are capable of dealing with their own people, but they are truly formidable when dealing with people from other countries.
Old Man Pi said with emotion. He had to admit that it was indeed a blessing to have two little guys in a place. With them in charge, the imperial court could be very assured. They did not have to worry about the people living a bad life, and they did not have to worry about the army of some country suddenly attacking. The imperial court was now discussing the issue of Baoxin County being changed from a middle county to a county, because Xiao Bao and Cuckoo came to be officials.
Xiang 'er did not know so much. After hearing Old Man Pi's words, she asked, "Sister and brother are very capable? More capable than the Prime Minister? "
"Capable? What is the Prime Minister? The Prime Minister is also changed every few years. He has to act according to His Majesty's mood. These two can't be changed. His Majesty only has one kind of expression for them, and that is a smiling face. "Old Man Yao finally realized the gap between him and the two little guys.
"How do you know that the Prime Minister is not as good as my brother and sister? But I think so too. "Xiang 'er shook her head and said.
"I'm just guessing. When I have the chance, I'll ask Zhang Shuo if he dares to fight for power with your brother and sister. He dares to fight with others, and he even won. Let's see if he has the guts to play tricks with your brother and sister. "
Old Man Yao curled his lips and said very confidently.
"Is that so? Is Zhang Shuo the Prime Minister? He's called the Head of the Secretariat? I heard from my sister that he's also a very interesting old man. "
Xiang 'er liked it when people praised her brother and sister. Seeing that there was still red water on the small table in the carriage, she poured herself a cup, raised her head, and drank it. She smacked her lips and said, "It's sweet and sour. It tastes like grapes. When I drink it, my stomach will feel warm."
When Old Man Chang saw that the little girl drank a large cup of wine, he quickly made space for her and took out a blanket. When the little girl had a place to sleep, he covered her with it.
Sure enough, Xiang 'er fell asleep after a while.
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