Xiao Bei was completely well-behaved this time. He had a splint on his arm and looked very pitiful. He had an excuse to ask others to feed him when he was eating.
Zhang Xiaobao's little brother, Xiao Hai, was even more silent. Occasionally, he would be in a daze. If one got close, they could hear him whispering, "What is gravitational acceleration? How do you calculate it? Why do people get hurt when they fall? "
After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan settled Xiao Bei down, they found Xiao Hai, who was squatting in a corner and drawing on the ground with a wooden stick.
The two of them quietly approached him. They thought that Xiao Hai was sad for his sister. Just as they were about to persuade him, they suddenly realized that Xiao Hai was not drawing blindly. He was actually drawing a right triangle. There were numbers written on each side, and there was a simple addition and subtraction formula next to it.
Zhang Xiaobao had also studied with Wang Juan for a while. Looking at the addition and subtraction formula, he knew that Xiao Hai was calculating the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle. Perhaps it was because he did not know how to write a square, so he used addition and subtraction instead. He always set the length of the two right-angled sides to a very easy to calculate number.
In other words, it was the kind of Pythagorean. It was very simple. If the lengths of the two right-angled sides were two and four, he would not calculate the length of the hypotenuse.
"Xiao Hai, are you calculating the Pythagorean?" Wang Juan felt that it was very magical. She also squatted down and asked Xiao Hai.
Xiao Hai was too engrossed and was startled. When he saw that it was his brother and sister coming over, he nodded. "If Xiao Bei did not fall, Xiao Yuan also did not fall. After I calculate, Xiao Yuan will be able to fly out of the empty space on the platform that Xiao Bei jumped off and fall into the water."
"Hehe, Xiao Hai, you like to learn this?" Wang Juan laughed. Even if the two of them did not make a mistake, Xiao Yuan would only hit the platform that Xiao Bei was standing on when he flew.
Picking up a wooden stick from the side, Wang Juan began to calculate according to the rough data on the ground. She didn't even take into account air resistance, only gravity, and added it into the formula to find the limit of flying angle and height.
This kind of guidance method could be done by a high school student like Zhang Xiaobao, but for Zhang Xiaobao, it was still too difficult. Little Hai's eyes were fixed. Although he didn't understand why they had to calculate like this, he knew that Sister Wang Juan could calculate, and she was very good at it.
Wang Juan didn't expect Xiao Hai to understand immediately. She just wanted to let him know that if he wanted to learn computing well, there was still a long way to go.
"Little Hai, do you want to learn? It might take ten years, twenty years, or even longer, and then … "
"Then I can learn arithmetic to the highest level?" Little Hai asked longingly.
Wang Juan shook her head. "What I'm using now is just the basics. It's like learning one plus one equals something. No one knows where the peak of calculation is. Every time you climb a mountain that you think is the highest, you will find that there is an even higher mountain in front of you."
"What can you do after you learn it?" Little Hai asked again.
"Everything. This is called a coordinate axis, this is called a parabola, this is called …" Wang Juan began to explain some terms to Little Hai. She didn't expect Little Hai to understand immediately. She wanted to give Little Hai an impression first.
After Little Hai memorized the names of each place, Wang Juan said to Little Hai, "If you want to learn this step, you must first have a solid foundation in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Learn well. If there is anything you don't know, ask me. Go and see Xiao Bei. Because of your calculation error, Xiao Bei was injured."
"Okay, I will go now. I will learn well. Sister, are you and Big Brother really gods?" Little Hai had a goal in his heart. He stood up and suddenly asked.
"Yes. When you are good, you are a god. In the future, you will be a god too." Wang Juan rubbed Little Hai's head and left with Zhang Xiaobao. There were other things to do.
"I am a god too. I am a god too. I will learn arithmetic well. There is nothing I can't do." Little Hai encouraged himself and ran towards Xiao Bei.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were talking about their younger brother and sister as they walked back.
"I thought I would have to wait until they were in their first year to discover their interests. I didn't expect them to gradually reveal it now. I have to be more careful in the future. I can't let them be too biased. Otherwise, when they reach a certain level, they will find that their foundation is not solid enough. They will have to go back and learn again. It will be a waste of time."
Zhang Xiaobao felt that Xiao Bei and Little Yuan's injuries were worth it. At least they knew that Little Hai, who was usually relatively quiet, had such an interest. He could actually calculate the length of a string.
"Yes, every child is a genius. It just depends on whether you can discover it or not." Wang Juan also sighed with emotion.
*****
When Old Man Pi and the others, who had also received news of Xiao Bei's injury, rushed over, they saw Xiao Bei eating a cold drink with her arm in a sling. Today, she was injured, so she was treated more leniently. She ate three bowls in a row and was still eating. There was also an unlimited amount of candy.
This made her forget about the pain in her arm very quickly and become happy.
Old man Bi found out what had happened from the servants. He looked at the seesaw, then at the platform that was set up. He said to old man Yao, "It is indeed dangerous, but it let me know that the children of the Zhang and Wang families are indeed different from those of other families. This time, it is a human standing on the platform. If there is a stone placed on it, it would be a catapult."
"Yes, it seems that the little guys are quite capable. I didn't expect them to be like this usually. Their family just eats better food and says that they don't lack nutrition. They usually play more games, and when they tell stories, they always include what they learned that day. Everything else is about the same as other people's. Why is it that they are different after they are taught?"
Old Man Yao concluded. He was quite shocked. He felt that if all the children were raised like the children of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, then when this batch of children grew up, they would definitely be even more impressive.
Old Man Chang did not care about education. He only praised Xiao Bei's bravery and told Xiao Bei that if something like this happened in the future, don't forget to find Grandpa Zhang to play with.
He looked as if he wanted the world to be in chaos.
Xiao Bei and Xiao Yuan's injuries caused the servants in the family to receive the punishment they deserved. This was especially so for the bodyguards. They were whipped very hard. The people who whipped them were also not satisfied with them. They couldn't even protect a person, so how could they be bodyguards? This time, they were lucky and broke their arms. What if they broke their necks again?
*****
In Xin Cai County, after Li Linfu posted a notice to arrest the dream-chasing Daoist in the name of the county magistrate, the worries of the people were finally relieved. Since they did not have to be afraid of traveling to the southwest and did not have to continue controlling the land, then the river could be smoothly led to Baoxin County.
As soon as Li Linfu left Xin Cai County, Cui Rizhi received the news and knew about the notice. Looking in the direction Li Linfu left, he said to the attendant next to him, "It seems that this Li Linfu is not like how he was on the way here. We were all fooled."
"Sir is right. If Li Linfu does this, even if he uses this method to deal with Feng Changgong, it won't be very effective. Originally, it was a crime of beheading, but after Li Linfu did it, it became a crime of negligence. At most, Feng Changgong will be stripped of his official position. That way, the blow to the other party will be reduced.
Why don't we call that guy surnamed Yan over and ask him what he plans to do? It would be best if we can get our side, as well as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in Baoxin County. This time, Li Linfu is not going there to see the development of Baoxin County and learn from them like he said. He is probably going there to catch people. "
The attendant next to Cui Rizhi, who was also his aide, analyzed and said.
Looking at the busy people in the county, Cui Rizhi, who still didn't take Li Linfu seriously, waved his hand and rode to the Rushui River. He said, "Don't worry. Li Linfu is not that capable. How can he rope in Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan just because he wants to?"
"But we still have to be careful." The attendant was still worried.
"Of course. Let's go and take a look over there. The recruitment and training will probably start today. As long as we start early, the tax paid by Xin Cai County this year will be higher than before. When the time comes, we will take all the credit."
Cui Rizhi seemed to be very unwilling to think of Li Linfu as an opponent who could compete with him. He didn't even think of Li Linfu as someone who was more powerful than him.
As soon as Li Linfu entered the lower boundary of Baoxin County, he got out of the carriage and rode on his horse. He looked at the situation in Baoxin County along the way. He was also a registrar, so he knew what kind of scene was real and could reflect the good and bad lives of the local people.
The houses on both sides of the road were not renovated and looked old. If he only saw this part, then it could be said that the lives of the people in Baoxin County had not improved by much.
However, the difference was that although the houses were old, in the enclosed courtyards, he could see chickens and ducks in the front yard. There were also pigs in the back yards. Each family had also found an open space to feed the poultry and livestock.
It was almost noon. Smoke came out of the chimneys of the houses. Some had no smoke and were cooking by a unique stove outside.
Li Linfu narrowed his eyes and looked at the people cooking. He saw that the clothes they wore were not as good as the people of Xin Cai County. However, the expressions on their faces were much better than the people of Xin Cai County. None of them looked sad, and their actions were swift.
Li Linfu had seen such an expression before. It was the usual expression of people when there was a happy occasion.
He also said to the attendant beside him, "This is the human heart. As long as there is a good plan, it will be better than usual when doing things. It seems that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan have really put in a lot of effort."
"Master, look, there are a lot of people busy there. The road is blocked. Why don't we go around?" The attendant beside him also looked around. A gust of wind blew in, bringing a lot of dust. He narrowed his eyes and waited for the wind to pass. He pointed to a side road and wanted to go around.
Li Linfu, who wanted to understand the specific situation in Baoxin County, couldn't go around. Weiwei exerted force on her legs, and the horse under her sped up and ran forward.
The others also knew to follow behind. Without waiting for them to get too close, Li Linfu could see the situation clearly.
Many people carried sand and stones on their shoulders and pushed them with small carts to the sides of the road. The people on both sides held tools and dug and pressed. The weather was hot, and many people were bare-chested. Sweat flowed down their bodies, making them look like they were smeared with oil.
In addition, the mud was sticky, making people feel uncomfortable just by looking at it. The commoners who were working did not seem to feel uncomfortable at all and continued to work hard.
From time to time, there were people with buckets in their hands moving back and forth in the crowd. Occasionally, they would stop and use a ladle to scoop up the water in the buckets and pass it to the people who were taking a short break from work to wipe their sweat. The people who received the buckets raised their heads and drank it all. They gasped for breath twice and continued working.
After watching for a while, Li Linfu didn't see anyone deliberately slacking off. There were no supervisors here. If it was normal for the commoners to work, even if there were supervisors, the commoners wouldn't risk their lives like this. After all, that kind of work was calculated by the day, not by how much they worked.
"Go and ask." Li Linfu, who didn't know why they were continuing to work on the road, said to the person beside him. The person immediately trotted over and found the person who was busy cooking at the side to ask.
After a while, he ran back and said to Li Linfu, "The county magistrate of Baoxin County, He Yiwei, wants to repair the roads. He said that some of the roads are too narrow. In the future, it will be inconvenient if there are too many vehicles and people coming and going. So, he took out a thousand strings of coins and prepared to repair the entire county's roads."
"A thousand strings of coins wants to repair all the roads in Baoxin County? Is He Yiwei stupid? Not to mention a thousand strings of coins, even the wages and the money to buy materials can't be less than five thousand strings of coins. Do you think this is as simple as a village? "
When Li Linfu heard the words of the person who came back, he didn't believe it at all. If a thousand strings of coins could repair all the roads in a county, the sun would rise from the west.
The person who went over to ask continued, "Master, it is indeed a thousand strings of coins. This money is used to buy vegetables and food. Just now, I went over to ask. The people in the county don't want wages, and they don't need to go elsewhere to buy things. They prepare their own things. Even the baskets used to carry sand and stones are made by the people themselves.
A thousand strings of coins is probably only used to cook food, and they don't need it. So, they are afraid that people will get heatstroke in the hot weather, so they buy beans to make soup for them to drink. The person who walked around with the bucket just now filled the bucket with mung bean water, and added some rock sugar and salt. "
When he said this, Li Linfu understood. Indeed, if the first two things that the people did were calculated by the heavens, and the people didn't want money after that, a thousand strings of coins would be enough. But why were the people so stupid? The Zhang Family and the Wang Family were rich, so it would be a waste not to take it.
Li Linfu, who couldn't understand, dismounted and personally walked over to an old man who was sitting on the side of the road and using a willow branch in his hand to repair a recently broken basket. He squatted there and watched the old man nimbly repair the basket. He asked, "Old man, how much does it cost to repair this basket?"
The old man saw Li Linfu when he came over. The official robes he wore were very eye-catching, but the old man didn't care. If it was an official who came to see him work at such a close distance, he would definitely be nervous. He would be excited and afraid that he didn't do a good job.
However, ever since Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, and County Magistrate He of the county came, everything changed. It was no longer so difficult to see the officials. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo took a group of children to walk around when they had nothing to do. It could be easily seen that County Magistrate He would also take time out every day to explain the income and expenses of the county to everyone at the yamen entrance. He didn't have the slightest feeling of being high and mighty.
Therefore, even if another official came to take a look, there was no need to worry. He didn't believe that any official from other places would dare to come and cause trouble. There were many officials in the county who came and went, and they all went to learn.
At this time, when he heard the person in the official robes ask, the old man took a loose willow branch basket from the side and continued to repair it. He said, "It's free. I can't do other work, but I can still weave baskets."
"Why not? Old man, you are working for Baoxin County. It's not wrong to get a salary. Is it because the county doesn't pay you? Tell me, and I will impeach them. "
Li Linfu asked tentatively. He wanted to see what the people in the county thought.
As soon as the words came out, the old man's pair of turbid eyes stared at him. "Who do you want to impeach? Go, go, stay away from me. Don't delay my work. "
"I'm not impeaching. I'm just asking. I just said it. Even if you want me to impeach, I don't have the courage. Who doesn't know that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who are in charge of Baoxin County, can't be impeached? Am I right, old man?"
Li Linfu quickly changed his words. Perhaps it was because his tone was good, or perhaps it was because he was relatively handsome, he gave a good impression. This time, the old man didn't chase him away. Instead, he said while mending the baskets.
"That's right. Don't you know who Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are? If someone really impeaches them, not to mention that they are capable, even if their family is not capable, I will personally put a bloody handprint to protect them. As an official, you said something wrong. How can you say that you are working for the county?
Baoxin County is not other people's county. It is the county of Baoxin County. How can you ask for money when you are working for your own county? Are you thinking about it wrongly? "
"Yes, yes, thank you, old man, for reminding me. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have thought of this. Yes, how can I ask for money when I am working for my own county? Old man, we are in charge of our own county. Can we manage our own county? Does our own words count? "
Li Linfu was stunned. Since when did the people treat a county as their own? Since it was their own county, they couldn't just work for their own family. Therefore, he asked again.
"Why doesn't it count? Every morning in the yamen, County Magistrate He will tell us how much money is left in the yamen and where to spend it. If we don't agree, or if a lot of people don't agree, then the money can't be spent. Only when everyone agrees can it be used, for example, to repair the road.
When County Magistrate He first proposed it, I was also present. Everyone didn't say anything for a while, so County Magistrate He didn't dare to order to take out money to repair the road. Later, someone took the lead and agreed. They said that if the road was repaired, it would make it more convenient for pedestrians and vehicles to come and go. With more people coming and going, there would be more people doing business. The county would also collect more taxes. Naturally, more money could be used in the county.
Only then did we all agree. You didn't see that when County Magistrate He proposed it, he was sweating. He was afraid that we wouldn't agree. Some people said that if we didn't agree, County Magistrate He would easily fall ill. "
The old man, who had personally participated in the decision of the county, was very happy. He said to Li Linfu with joy. He put down the basket in his hand. Seeing that there was no basket next to him, he took the willow branch and began to knit it on the support.
Li Linfu really didn't know that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were in charge of this county. He only knew that they had built a model tour here. Now that he heard about it, he didn't know how to react for a while.
Since when did officials need to discuss things with the people and get the consent of the people? How much money was in the yamen was not the people's business. What did the people know? But Baoxin County really did this.
The effect seemed to be quite good. Not to mention other things, just the fact that when the people were working, they would work for them without any pay. Other counties could not count on it. Perhaps only places like Sanshui County and Huayuan County could do it.
It was good, but it was difficult. First of all, the officials had to be capable. They had to be able to think of good ideas to do things for the local people. In fact, the officials in the county had to be united. They couldn't scheme against each other and were willing to give up all their power under certain circumstances.
It was easy to say, but difficult to do. If Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan weren't in charge of Baoxin County, He Yiwei wouldn't be so obedient. He knew that he couldn't win against the two of them, so he compromised.
Maybe the old man saw that the official in front of him was easy to talk to and was a good person, so he persuaded, "This official, if he is also a local official, he should learn from the officials in this county. We are not unreasonable. As long as you tell us, even if you might do something wrong, we are willing to help.
Who doesn't want to let the people in the county have a better life? If the people in the county have a better life, they can take out money for us when there is a disaster in the future. Now, Baoxin County is not afraid of disasters. There is a lot of food in the yamen's warehouse. Regardless of whether there is a drought or a flood, when the warehouse is opened, we don't have to go outside to escape. Which official are you? "
After saying that, the old man wanted to ask. Until now, he still didn't know who the other party was.
"I haven't taken office yet, but I am in a neighboring county. Registrar, I have remembered what you said. When the time comes, I will learn from you." Li Linfu pointed in the direction of Xincai County and replied humbly.
The old man looked at Li Linfu again and nodded, "You look good as an official. When you take office, remember to come and ask if you encounter any trouble. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are very capable. Things that many officials find difficult to do are easy in their hands. In fact, some of the officials who come here specifically come to ask for solutions."
"Yes, even if you don't say it, I know. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan are well-known in the imperial court. In the future, I will come and see you more often. Let's combine the two counties and live a good life."
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.
