For the three people who saw the Ezhou Bridge for the first time, they must be extremely shocked. In such an era, anyone who saw such a magnificent bridge for the first time would be shocked speechless. This was a very normal thing, and there was nothing to doubt.
Looking at the shocked expressions of the three people, Ang Lee was very happy. This was recognition of his design level. After all, this magnificent bridge was designed by him. Without his design, this bridge could never be built.
Since the three people were so shocked by the bridge, Ang Lee allowed them to visit at will. They didn't have to follow him all the time, which was not conducive to seeing more scenery.
"Standing on the top of the bridge, looking down at the passing ships, the people on both sides of the river pass freely, the fishing boats on the river come slowly, hahahaha!"
Ang Lee was in a good mood. He made a poem as soon as he said it. Moreover, it was written by himself. He didn't plagiarize others. At most, it was slightly modified and borrowed from the ancient words. Moreover, the first two sentences were five words, and the last two sentences were seven words. It was quite strange in the Tang dynasty, but the meaning of the poem was very obvious and suitable for the occasion.
"Good poem, good poem, really suitable for the occasion!"
The accompanying subordinates didn't dare to say no. As soon as they heard Ang Lee reciting the poem, they praised Ang Lee, saying that he recited it well. In fact, they were just flattering him. This poem was not very good. It could only be regarded as ordinary.
"A bridge connecting the north and south, the natural moat is opened from here. The construction of the bridge is due to all of you."
Ang Lee looked at the magnificent bridge and sighed.
He had said this sentence when he first came to inspect the bridge. Now he said it again to deepen the impression of his subordinates.
Because there were too many senior officials around Ang Lee, the passing people all knew that Ang Lee, who was surrounded in the center, was a very important figure in the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. They all looked over curiously, and even made the not very wide sidewalk a little bit jammed. For this reason, the officials in charge of the order of the bridge only needed to come out to maintain order and let the pedestrians pass quickly. In addition, some guards were sent to the middle road to guard, which could also reduce the traffic pressure on the sidewalk.
"Grandma, look."
Li Hanlu bumped into the pair of grandfather and grandson when she passed by last time. This time, she happened to pass by again. The child's eyes were very sharp. He saw Li Hanlu and Li Hanlu from afar. Moreover, he seemed very excited.
"Grandson, there are a lot of people ahead. I can see that they are all important figures. You can't run around recklessly."
The old lady cautiously grabbed her grandson's arm to prevent him from running around and bumping into important people. If he did that, it would cause her trouble.
"Grandma, it's Elder Sister. Elder Sister, a few days ago …"
The child's speech was still not very clear, but he was able to tell the story intermittently. At least, his grandmother, who had been taking care of him for a long time, could understand.
"It's too far. Grandma can't see clearly."
The old lady's eyesight was already blurred. How could she see clearly from a long distance? But the child's eyesight was good, so it was easy for him to see clearly.
In order to protect Ang Lee's safety, after Ang Lee got on the bridge, the petty officer in charge of guarding had already prepared to close one of the two sidewalks. The pedestrians coming and going could only walk on the same sidewalk. Anyway, they were all walking, so they were completely separated. On the other sidewalk, there were only Ang Lee and his entourage, as well as many guards.
In other words, the distance between the old lady and her grandson and Ang Lee was the width of the bridge. Although it was not very far, it was not close either. It was normal for the old lady to not see clearly.
The pedestrians coming and going were inevitably curious. Therefore, once they walked to the middle of the bridge, they would instinctively stop and watch, thus causing traffic pressure. The soldiers and petty officers in charge of the bridge's safety would constantly urge the pedestrians not to stop. Those who should cross the bridge should hurry up to maintain the normal operation of the bridge.
"Grandma, it's Elder Sister."
The little grandson suddenly broke free from his grandmother's hand and squeezed through the gap under the guardrail to the middle road, then ran to the opposite sidewalk.
"Grandson, come back, come back."
The old lady was frightened. There was a carriage in the middle road, and the people on the opposite side were all important people. It would not be good if they collided.
Perhaps no one expected a child to barge in, so when the child crossed the middle road, no one stopped him. Obviously, they did not react in time.
After the soldiers reacted, they were not very nervous. After all, no one would think that a four-year-old child could pose a threat to Ang Lee's life, let alone an assassin.
However, the child's barge still caused a little chaos. Many soldiers ran to the child, ready to pick up the naughty boy and send him back to the opposite side.
The small commotion attracted Li Ya 'er's attention. Her eyesight was very good, and she was very curious. When she saw the child running over, she walked over to see what was going on.
"Madam, please calm down. A child suddenly barged in."
Seeing Li Ya 'er walk over, a small official bowed and said.
Li Ya 'er smiled at the child and said, "I know this child. Come, bring him to me."
The soldiers were stunned. They quickly carried the child over and placed him at Li Ya 'er's feet.
"Goudan 'er, why did you come here by yourself? Where's Grandma?"
Li Ya 'er asked.
"Elder Sister, I'm not Goudan 'er. I'm Gouwa. Grandma is on the other side of the road."
Gouwa said seriously.
This made the surrounding people laugh. Goudan and Gouwa were no different. They meant the same thing.
At this moment, Gouwa's grandmother was on the other side of the road. She looked very nervous and did not know what to do.
"Come, bring Goudan 'er, no, Gouwa's grandmother here."
Li Ya 'er used her identity to give an order to the small officials on the bridge.
These small officials and soldiers were very low-ranking. Naturally, they did not dare to disobey. They quickly ran over and brought Gouwa's grandmother over.
"Hello Madam, we see you again."
The old lady was very excited. She did not know where to put her hands and feet.
Ang Lee soon noticed the pair of grandmother and grandson. He walked over with Li Hanlu.
"Husband, we met this pair of grandmother and grandson when we passed by here last time. I told you about them on the way."
Li Hanlu was in a good mood when she saw the pair of grandmother and grandson. She said with a smile.
"Haha! That's fate! Hahaha! "
Ang Lee was also very happy. He was naturally happy that he could fulfill his wife's wish. He walked forward and was ready to tease the child in front of him.
"Kiddo, you're Gouwa. What do you want to do when you grow up?"
Ang Lee walked over and looked at Gouwa as he asked.
Gouwa was a little scared when he saw a stranger. He looked at Ang Lee in a daze and did not dare to speak. He seemed to be in a daze.
Usually, children from the countryside who had not seen much of the world were like this. They were more timid. Once they met a stranger or a big shot, they would be scared to death.
"This … Gouwa is timid when he sees a stranger. He doesn't dare to say a word."
The old lady said nervously.
"Assistant Minister Li, children from the countryside are all like this. They are afraid of strangers."
A small official said so.
Li Hanlu looked at the old lady and said, "Madam, this is my husband. He is also the Assistant Minister Li who designed this bridge."
"Aiya! You are Assistant Minister Li! You are the benefactor of our village! Gouwa, kowtow to our benefactor. "
The old lady said excitedly and wanted to kneel down.
Li Ya 'er was beside her. She quickly helped the old lady up and said softly, "Elders are respected. You don't have to bow."
Gouwa was very obedient. Although he was a little scared, he quickly kowtowed when his grandmother asked him to. His small knees did not seem to hurt at all, probably because he often knelt.
"Good boy, get up and have some candy."
Li An asked Xiao Yin to help the baby up and took out some candies for the baby to eat.
Gouwa was embarrassed and did not dare to accept it until his grandmother spoke. He took the candy with trembling hands and carefully put it away. Then, he still looked at the people around him in a daze.
"Madam, we have never met before. Why do you say that I am the benefactor of your village?"
Ang Lee asked curiously.
The old lady hurriedly said, "Benefactor, you may not know this, but our village is not far from the south. There have always been more people than land. It's fine if it's a good year, but if it's a bad year, many people will starve to death. Although the imperial court will provide disaster relief, the roads are difficult to travel. By the time the imperial court sends the disaster relief rice, many people have already starved to death. Our old man was starved to death. He was not in good health. If he could have held on for one more day, the imperial court's disaster relief rice would have arrived.
After a sigh, the old lady continued, "But it's different now. Our benefactor built the bridge here. In the future, even if there are natural disasters, the imperial court's disaster relief rice can be quickly transported to our village. Usually, we can even go to Ezhou City on the north bank from the bridge to sell some local specialties. It's also more convenient for the children to go to the north bank to find work. It's also much more convenient to visit our relatives. In the past, because we had to cross the river, we could only visit our relatives a few times a year. But now, it's different. Our lives are getting better and better. In the past, the people in our village could only eat meat once a year, but now, it's different. Every family can eat meat two or three times a month. People are also more energetic than before. It's all thanks to our benefactor! Thanks to you, our lives would not have become so good without this bridge, and it would not be so convenient to go out. "
Although the old lady was relatively old and did not have much knowledge and culture, she spoke one sentence at a time. She looked quite capable. At first glance, she was the number one person in the village. She was an influential person who could help everyone.
Ang Lee could even guess her occupation. Maybe she was a matchmaker because her eloquence and expression really looked like a matchmaker.
After all, a person's eloquence was generally practiced. Only through continuous practice could a person's eloquence continue to improve. The old lady in the countryside did not have many opportunities to practice her eloquence. Only people with a profession like a matchmaker would have more opportunities to practice their eloquence and speak more appropriately.
The old lady spoke very clearly, and Ang Lee naturally understood at once. It turned out that the old lady's village was a poor small mountain village. Because Ang Lee built the Ezhou Bridge, the village had undergone earth-shaking changes. The lives of the people had become much better than before. As a result, they regarded Ang Lee, who was responsible for building the bridge, as a great benefactor of their village.
This was the same principle as the later generations who did not forget the person who dug the well when drinking water. If no one dug the well, the surrounding people would not have well water to drink. Therefore, when drinking water, they had to thank the person who dug the well. Similarly, if there was no Ang Lee who was responsible for building the bridge, the people in the nearby village would not have a good life. As a result, they naturally had to be very grateful to Ang Lee. It was Ang Lee's bridge-building operation that gave them the premise to live a good life.
Ang Lee chatted with the old lady for a long time. He also understood the thoughts of the people at the bottom. Although they were now beginning to be rich, they did not lose their conscience. They were very grateful to the people who made them rich. This gratitude was quite precious and very likable.
Ang Lee was delayed for a long time on the bridge. At the same time, it also delayed the grandmother and granddaughter's journey. Therefore, when they left the bridge, Ang Lee asked the local officials to send the grandmother and granddaughter with a carriage so that the group of grandmother and granddaughter could not reach their destination after dark.
After getting on the train, Ang Lee and Li Hanlu were still talking about what had just happened. The more they talked, the more they found it very interesting.
It was not until now that Ang Lee really understood why Li Hanlu and Li Hanlu had a feeling of fate after seeing them once. It was because this pair of grandmother and granddaughter were really interesting.
According to the fixed speed, the train set out for the scheduled destination at a moderate speed. It would probably take many days to reach Chang 'an City. However, the news that Ang Lee had returned to the mainland would be sent to Chang' an City sooner.
Because Ang Lee was the soul of the industrialization of the Tang Dynasty, everyone paid great attention to his return. Whether it was the nobles and officials of the imperial court or the ordinary people, they all used this matter as the biggest topic of discussion. The news that Ang Lee had returned to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty was everywhere in the streets.
The newspapers in Chang 'an City publicly reported the fact that Ang Lee had returned to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty with the news on the front page. In addition to introducing Ang Lee's return to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty, they also focused on the important achievements of Ang Lee in opening up the Maritime Silk Road in the south and the admiration and submission of overseas countries to the Tang Empire.
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