After parting ways with Li Bai, Wang Wei did not find an inn to rest. Braving the heavy rain, he passed by a grocery store and bought a bamboo hat at a high price. He covered his wet head with it to protect himself from the rain and prevent himself from getting sick.
He walked along the street and entered the widest main road. Not long after, he saw the Hongnong County yamen. There were two yamen runners guarding the entrance. To be precise, they were enjoying themselves.
A shed was set up at the entrance of the yamen. It was large enough to protect the yamen runners sitting in the middle from the wind and rain.
Light smoke with the aroma of meat drifted out of the shed. When Wang Wei breathed in the strong scent of cumin, he wanted to have another meal even though he had just eaten not long ago.
Wang Wei's appearance did not attract the attention of the two yamen runners. They continued to roast the delicious food. The egg-sized pieces of beef were skewered and turned back and forth on the charcoal fire. The oil dripped down and made a sizzling sound. A little salt was sprinkled to make the oil evaporate faster. When the cold wind blew, it had a different taste.
"Good life, good enjoyment." Standing at the entrance of the yamen, Wang Wei praised softly. He continued, "Who said that torrential rain is difficult? The light smoke drifted. Like blood charcoal red and oil yellow, don't forget that the Immortal Court is in the human world. "
"Good poem. Come, make another one. I'll give you a skewer." A yamen runner heard the voice and raised his head. He waved the unroasted skewer in his hand and praised.
"Thank you. I'm not in a hurry to eat the meat. Are the officials in the county? I'm here because of the Emperor's order to patrol this place. " Wang Wei tried to resist the urge to take out the pistol he gave to the yamen runner for self-defense and shoot him. His face was darker than the sky.
While speaking, he walked into the shed and took out his identity document to show it to the two yamen runners.
The yamen runner who spoke just now was stunned. He swallowed his saliva and nervously looked over. After a few glances, he confirmed that Wang Wei's identity was not fake. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Uh! I didn't know that you were coming. Please forgive me for not welcoming you. "
The other yamen runner beside him also had a good eye. He quickly handed Wang Wei a few skewers of freshly roasted meat and said shyly, "Sir, please have a taste. It's fresh and fragrant. I'll report it to you right away. Wait a moment, wait a moment."
Wang Wei turned around and saw half of a child's head poking out from a corner not far away. He narrowed his eyes and sized up the two bailiffs. The muscles on his cheekbones moved upwards, revealing an expression that was both sad and smiling at the same time. He silently took the meat skewers, pinched cumin from the seasoning box beside him, and slowly sprinkled it on the meat skewers. He took a bite first, then turned around and waved at the child hiding in the corner, raising the meat skewers.
Unable to resist the temptation of the meat skewers, the child stepped out in a flash. His two little feet stepped on the water alternately, creating a trail of waves as he dashed over. He first turned his head to look at the bailiff left behind. Seeing that the bailiff didn't make a sound, nor did he stare at him, he raised his little face and asked, "For me?"
"Let's eat together, okay?" Wang Wei handed over two skewers.
"Okay." The child took it happily and opened his mouth to take a bite. Suddenly, he spat, "Bah! Who roasted it? The inside isn't cooked, and the outside is burnt. Let me do it. "
The child didn't allow Wang Wei to explain. He snatched the remaining meat skewers from Wang Wei's hands, added his own, and put them back on the stove. Then, like a magic trick, he took out a small pair of scissors and quickly cut off the burnt meat. He smoothly flipped the meat skewers with one hand, and with the other hand, pinched the seasoning on the side and sprinkled it on the meat skewers from time to time.
It didn't take long for the meat skewers to be cooked. Just by smelling them, Wang Wei found that they smelled much better than before. He looked at the child in surprise and asked, "Kid, how do you know how to barbecue?"
"I opened a barbecue shop before I came to the county town. Let me tell you, it's not good to directly use fresh meat when barbecuing. There's blood that hasn't been cleaned, so you should first 'simmer' it. Also, I don't know who cut this meat. It's too easy to break apart when you barbecue it. Moreover, the heat isn't uniform, so it'll get stuck in your teeth when you chew it. Today, you treat me to it.
After the child finished speaking, he blew two puffs of air to disperse the smoke. Looking at the color of the meat, he nodded with satisfaction and handed the meat skewers back to Wang Wei.
Wang Wei's mood suddenly became much better. It wasn't because the child knew how to barbecue meat skewers, but because of the child's optimistic spirit. He opened his mouth and bit off a piece of meat. While chewing, he nodded, "Delicious, good skill. I never thought that barbecuing meat skewers would require so much knowledge. Do you like barbecuing meat skewers in your family?"
The child replied with a 'sure' expression and nodded, "Yes, my family loves to eat meat skewers. My father said that if he doesn't like to eat meat skewers, he should never sell them to others. Because he likes to eat meat, he studies it and is devout."
Hearing the child's words, Wang Wei was stunned. He just felt that the child was pitiful, so he invited him to eat meat skewers once. He didn't expect to hear such words. No wonder the child didn't show that he cared too much. It turned out that he was rich. There was no doubt about this. If the child knew that he would never sell the meat skewers he didn't like to eat to others, how could the child's business be bad?
Thinking of this, Wang Wei asked the child, "How is the family now?"
"Not good!" The child shook his head and said, "A lot of money is gone. The three hundred cows and five hundred sheep that we just bought last month are gone. The chickens, ducks, and pigs are also gone. The loss is even greater. The most important thing is that the county's school is full. I can't squeeze in, so I missed a lot of classes."
"Well, don't worry, everything will be fine. When the flood passes, your cows and sheep will be back." Wang Wei comforted.
"No, this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster. The previous county magistrate of Hong Lu River had built a very strong river. How could it be washed away? In fact, we know that County Magistrate Yan was short of money, so he dug up the river and took away our money and livestock. I heard that … "
"Little brat, shut up. If you talk nonsense again, I will kill you." Before the child could finish his words, the bailiff who stayed behind roared loudly with his eyes wide open. He began to roll up his sleeves, looking like he was going to beat the child.
"Humph!" The child hid behind Wang Wei and poked his head out, "The king is the boat; the commoner is the water; the water is the boat; the water is the boat; the water is the boat; the water is the boat; the water is the boat. You can seal my mouth, but how can you seal the hearts of the people in the world?"
"That's right, that's right." Wang Wei nodded repeatedly. A feeling of admiration for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan rose in his heart. This was the result of the Chaoyang Operation. The child he met at breakfast was polite, but now the child was telling the truth. It was all thanks to the Chaoyang Operation.
When he was a local official, he heard that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in Baoxin County had started the Chaoyang Operation. He thought that the two children were bored and would not do anything. Who knew that in the whole Tang Empire, as long as there were merchants, there would be a school for the Chaoyang Operation. Their contributions were boundless.
"Sir, don't listen to his nonsense. The county magistrate is devoted to the people. However, the rain this year was very heavy, and the county magistrate was powerless. He could not eat and drink every day."
The bailiff hurriedly explained to Wang Wei, with a bitter expression on his face.
Wang Wei was no longer a greenhorn. How could he not know the truth? The only thing he could do now was to meet with the officials in the Yamen and try to understand the situation as much as possible. He would cooperate with Li Bai to collect information outside and report it to the imperial court when the time came.
"No wonder His Majesty didn't send anyone to help us. Hongnong County is now under the control of the local officials. Even if two or three hundred people come with us, it will be useless. How can we arrest them if we can't find any evidence?" he thought. If we arrest them by force, we will be besieged by the local officials. "
Wang Wei thought that he understood the Emperor's difficulties and sighed inwardly.
He turned around, touched the child's head, and said against his will, "Go. I believe that County Magistrate Yan is worried about your problem and trying to find a solution. You should understand the difficulties of the local officials. The river must be not strong enough. Go back to your family. I think County Magistrate Yan will find a solution soon. Go, ah."
"How can it not be strong enough? That's … "
"I know. Go. No matter who built it, there will be times when they are careless. Everything will be fine." Wang Wei didn't let the child continue. He picked up a few skewers of barbecued meat and stuffed them into the child's hands. Then he pushed the child's shoulders and let him go.
The child's eyes were full of confusion. Seeing this person, who should be an official, push him, he threw the skewers on the ground angrily. "I knew it. None of the officials are good. I knew it. I knew it."
Looking at the little figure running into the rain, Wang Wei pursed his lips tightly.
"I didn't know that Lord Wang was coming. I was late to welcome you. Please forgive me." At this moment, the door of the Yamen creaked open and a thin person came out first.
*****
"Don't catch a cold, don't catch a cold. If you are seriously ill, you will get an injection. It hurts. I am drinking medicine now to prevent it." Under the heavy rain, Xiaobei drank a bowl of Isatis indigotica powder and smacked her lips.
The others also drank the medicine given by the team doctor. They didn't drink the sweet medicine, so the doctor didn't have time to coax them.
Xiaobei casually wiped her mouth with her sleeve and pointed forward. "Forward." The team waded in the direction she pointed.
After walking forward for about a quarter of an hour, a river appeared. Xiaobei looked at sister Xiaozhu blankly. Xiaozhu looked around and said, "This is a tributary of the Honglu Water. This river is called the Hongyuan River, which is the main river of Hongyuan Village. It seems that there must be something wrong with the Honglu Water, which caused this place to be flooded."
Xiaobei nodded. Since sister Xiaozhu said that it was the Hongyuan River, it must be right. Sister Xiaozhu was not only good at drawing, but also very good at drawing maps. She had a strong sense of direction.
At this time, the person in charge of observing nearby said, "Xiaobei, there is a bridge in front. Unfortunately, it has been submerged by the water, leaving only a bridge deck half hidden under the water. We can cross it."
"Then let's find a high place to cross it." Xiaobei took the umbrella from the person next to her and held it. Under the protection of the others, she walked toward the bridge.
Just as they stopped at a large slope beside the bridge, the water level of the river suddenly rose, and a flood peak came from upstream. If one looked carefully, they could see dead pigs and dogs with their big bellies floating in the water. There were also countless branches and grass.
"Not good, the bridge is going to be damaged. A big tree is being washed down." When Xiaoyuan looked with her binoculars, she saw a big tree crown floating in the river upstream. Presumably, there were roots hanging down from the tree. It was not completely horizontal and was slanting toward the bridge.
Xiaobei and the others were shocked. That tree was as thick as two adults hugging it. For such a thick tree to be washed over by the water, one could imagine the consequences if it hit the bridge.
Just like that, the crowd watched as the big tree crashed toward the submerged bridge.
"Boom, crack!" Everyone felt the ground under their feet tremble. When they looked at the bridge again, their eyes were wide open.
They saw that the tree that crashed into the bridge was broken at the waist where it came in contact with the bridge. The upper part of the tree, with white stubble, smashed into the bridge.
Because of the tree's existence, the water did not directly pass through the bridge. The exposed part of the bridge had a big crack and a few small cracks. As for the smaller cracks, they did not know.
But even so, the bridge was not destroyed.
"Ah? That works? Who built the bridge? It's flooded and hit by a big tree, but it can still hold on? "Xiaobei's eyes were wide open as she stuck out her tongue.
Two people in the group immediately jumped down, ignoring the water that was rushing towards them. They swam to the bridge where a pillar was exposed on the shore. They dived in and touched it. Then they held onto the bridge railing and shouted to Xiao Bei, "There are words on it, '18th year of Kaiyuan, Xia, built by the village school, Zhengzheng Construction Group.'"
As they spoke, there was a hint of pride on their faces.
"Ha!" Xiaobei waved her little fist excitedly. "I knew it. The sturdiest part must be built by my family. Zhengzheng construction, strong bones."
The others were also proud.
The person in charge was puzzled. "Based on what you said, Honglu River's water conservancy project should also be built by our family's construction group. Usually, after finishing the local project, they use the profits to build the main body of the local school. Since that's the case, why did the dam burst?"
"Yes, yes. How can it be broken? Could it be that the construction team cut corners? I'll lend them some guts. "Xiaobei was also puzzled.
"Something must have happened that outsiders do not know about. Let's wait until the investigation is over." Xiaoyuan chimed in.
The group of people waited for half an hour on the slope. After the flood had passed, they continued to move forward. When they were crossing the bridge, they carefully looked at the place where the tree hit. There were two steel bars that were directly broken, and a few that were bent. The net made of iron wires that were as thick as a pinky finger was also broken. Inside the net, there were cobblestones and small pieces of cement scattered everywhere.
The main body of the bridge had a big crack. The crack extended all the way to the middle of the bridge, but even so, the bridge was still horizontal on the river and did not collapse.
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