Seeing that County Magistrate Cheng had come to invite them to eat, these impatient people followed him without saying anything. They were quite satisfied with the food prepared by County Magistrate Cheng these two days. As long as County Magistrate Cheng led them to the same place, the taste of the same dish was better than what they had eaten before.
Zhou Xihu's uncle, Zhou Qiong, was also among them. He was not like those who came to enjoy. When everyone else was arranged to get on the carriage, he found County Magistrate Cheng.
"An Ran, you must have spent a lot of money these two days, right? I can see that you are different from other county magistrates. Why don't you find more ways to make money? "
There was an obvious hint in his words. You are a county magistrate who has not been promoted or demoted in the past few years. Your position is stable. Why don't you make more money? It is not like there are no rich families in the county.
County Magistrate Cheng smiled helplessly. "You are right. But as an official, it is enough to eat, drink, and live. How can I trouble the people? Sir, please get on the carriage."
After sending Zhou Qiong to the carriage, County Magistrate Cheng sighed. He did not know who to tell. There are still a few people in Sanshui County who cannot be touched. They have retired. Why don't you try to touch them? Some transactions are controlled by these people. Besides this, there is also Zhou Qiong's nephew, Zhou Xihu.
Look at him now. He was not like this in the past. He caused trouble all day long. County Magistrate Cheng was too busy to take care of him. Where can he get money? Take it from the people? How much danger would that entail? During the first two years when the new Emperor was in power, the officialdom was in chaos. County Magistrate Cheng did not dare to do anything. During the first two years when the new Emperor was in power, county Magistrate Cheng did not dare to do anything. It was not worth it if he was treated like a chicken and killed to show the monkeys.
Last year, he finally relaxed a little, but before he could do anything, an auspicious sign appeared. So many pairs of eyes were staring at it. This year, another auspicious sign appeared. This was good. He could make decisions for the people with peace of mind. Giving gifts during the New Year would spread his reputation as a good official. No matter how stupid he was, he would not do something that would destroy his own reputation.
What's more, Zhangjia Zhuangzi was being watched by a master. Who knew what those two people were thinking? If he really did something that would infuriate the heavens, what would he do if the expert got angry?
He walked to his own carriage. Before he got on, he glanced at the other people's carriages who were in a hurry to leave. He sneered and entered the carriage.
This time, only the two bailiffs and the deputy district magistrate followed them. The rest of the yamen did not follow them. They knew that this time, they would suffer and would not be able to eat anything delicious.
If he wanted to eat, he might as well go home. He still had some salted vegetables sent by Zhangjia Zhuangzi at home. He didn't know what they put in them, but the taste was different from other places. It wasn't particularly salty, but it was refreshing with a hint of freshness. When he drank it with the porridge, the taste was indescribable.
Once County Magistrate Cheng's carriages started to move, they could not stop. They actually walked for more than an hour. The people in the carriages were puzzled. They had already passed through the prosperous areas of the county. Could it be that there was a good hotel hidden in a remote place?
Thinking of this, those who had such thoughts became excited. They wanted to go to a place with mountains and rivers. It would be best if there were a few small bridges and some pavilions. They could eat delicious food that they had never eaten in other places, talk about the scenery, and recite a few lines of poetry. This trip was not in vain.
Thinking of this, their mood became better. They did not feel annoyed sitting in the carriage.
"Uncle, something seems wrong. There is no restaurant here. Even the roadside tea stalls are a pile of rubbish. Where does County Magistrate Cheng want to take me?"
Others did not know the situation here, but Zhou Xihu knew. He followed a group of bad friends. Back then, he rode a horse and went around the entire county. He already knew where there was anything.
"Xiao Hu, are you sure? I don't know where we will go if we continue on this road. Could it be that we are going out of San Shui County? "When Zhou Xihu heard this, he could not help but be surprised. He asked his nephew softly.
Zhou Xihu waved his hand. "If we want to go out of the county, we will have to walk until midnight. There is a village in front of us. Although it is called a village, in fact, there are only a dozen families. There is not even a river around it. They can't dig a well for drinking water. They all drink water from a water bottle in the mountains. They are farming inferior fields. Not to mention that the harvest is not guaranteed.
I think County Magistrate Cheng is crazy and wants to take him there. Forget it, I don't expect to eat anything. Uncle, come. Luckily, I'm used to eating the food made by the Zhang family's farmstead and brought some. Eat first, otherwise you'll be hungry later. After another quarter of an hour, the vehicles in front won't be able to pass and we'll have to get off and walk. County Magistrate Cheng, you'd better take a shortcut, otherwise we'll have to climb the mountain. "
Zhou Xihu jumped off the car and ran to his small car. He took some things and came back. He put the things in front of his uncle and poured half a bowl of wine for his uncle. He signaled his uncle to eat.
Zhou Xihu was not pretentious. He could already guess what he would eat when he entered the village. His body was his, and he would feel bad if he was starving. He picked up the food that his nephew gave him and ate it. Zhou Xihu also ate.
Sure enough, just as Zhou Xihu said, when the uncle and nephew finished eating, the team stopped. County Magistrate Cheng jumped off the car first and said to the crowd,
"Everyone, the carriages in front are no longer feasible. It is better to get off and walk. After walking for a while, we will reach a good place."
"Really? County Magistrate Cheng, is it a place with mountains and rivers?" A person who was holding back his hunger fantasy asked happily.
"Yes. Just like the poem recited by Young Master Song, there is no road …"
"We know about this. Song Jinggong's quote from Song Jinggong, the Gifted Scholar Song, has already spread to the other side. The next sentence is, 'There is a light at the end of the tunnel.' Good, good place to go.
Before County Magistrate Cheng could finish his sentence, this person said and shook his head as if he was the one who wrote the poem.
"Then, you will have to work hard." Cheng Lingxiang had a smile on his face. He raised his hand and led the way with the deputy district magistrate and two bailiffs.
"It's okay. It's okay. I didn't expect there to be such a good place in Sanshui County. Everyone, please." This person also smiled and waved his hand. He pretended not to care and followed behind. The others naturally followed.
At first, the road was still easy to walk on, but after half an hour, there was no road under his feet. He could only vaguely see that there was a trace of less grass in the half-withered grass. It should be that someone had walked by occasionally, which was why it was like this.
Zhou Xihu stayed beside his uncle with two water bags on his back. Seeing that the crowd was still talking about the scenery, he whispered to his uncle, "Uncle, it's over. County Magistrate Cheng really wants to torture people. If we walk to the village on this road, we may see people before dark.
If we really want to go there, we will have to walk for two hours. Fortunately, I brought enough water. I know that County Magistrate Cheng is not a good person. I will get you a stick later. You can use it as a crutch. Don't force yourself. "
As Zhou Xihu spoke, his eyes looked around, trying to find a suitable branch. He knew that his uncle rarely walked so far and would get tired easily. Zhou Xihu did not doubt his uncle.
Zhou Qiong did not doubt his nephew. When he heard these words, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for suffering. Looking at the waterskin on his nephew's back, he was very satisfied. His nephew was really sensible now. He knew how to do business to earn money for his family. He knew how to care for others and even made some arrangements in advance. When he went to the Zhang family's farmstead, he had to thank them properly. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked his nephew in a low voice.
"Xiao Hu, I didn't eat the beef jerky in the car just now. I thought it was too dry. Did you bring it? I think you will be hungry when you see people. "
'Peng, peng, peng!' Zhou Xihu patted his arms and winked. "Uncle, don't worry. I've brought everything. Didn't you see me go back to my car when I got off the bus? Not only did I bring the beef jerky, but I also wrapped a large scallion pancake and two salted duck eggs in oil paper.
These were all made by Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Unfortunately, there was no hot water. Otherwise, there would be beef marrow oil tea noodles in my car. They are all gifts for me to show filial piety to my elders. I eat now and usually go to their shop. The price is cheap and the taste is not bad. These pancakes were bought this morning. "
Zhou Qiong looked over and found that his nephew's body was indeed bulging. He couldn't help but sigh. His nephew had gotten lucky this time because of the trouble he caused. Someone who could help a business partner to be filial to their elders couldn't be a bad person.
At this time, he could not wait to get rid of these people and go to Zhuangzi to thank them. He also wanted to see what he could do to help. He could not just wait to take advantage of them.
Zhou Xihu and his nephew Zhou Xihu were ready. County Magistrate Cheng had also eaten and drank to his heart's content. The two fourth-rank officials from the imperial court had also been given tea and snacks by the yamen runners. They must have eaten some, so they did not have to worry about being hungry.
As for the rest of the people, they were suppressing the nausea in their stomachs and talking about the flowers and trees. When the drought came, the flowers were about to wither and the grass was wilting. The scenery was not so charming.
County Magistrate Cheng still had the same smile on his face. As he walked, he sped up slightly. Everyone followed him and the group of people walked towards the legendary Another Village.
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