Chapter 549: Messy

"This is all thanks to Mrs. Song and Miss Song." Cui Sanlun expressed his gratitude to the Song family without reservation.

Mrs. Song blushed and hid behind Mr. Song shyly.

Madam Song was very generous: "When a person is happy, he is in high spirits. The change in Mr. Cui's mood is the key to his health improvement."

Li Mingde thanked the Song family again and again and warmly invited them to stay at the Li Mansion for a few days.

In order to raise grain for Yunzhou, Li Mingde specially moved to a large house in the suburbs, where there were few people and the space was large, making it convenient to store grain.

It’s just that it’s too far from his workplace, so Li Mingde has to get up early before dawn every day.

In short, there is enough space to accommodate even a dozen more people.

Song Daben wanted to refuse, but Li Mingde was very firm: "Song Lang, don't be so hasty to refuse. I'm afraid this Hezhong Mansion is not quite what you imagined. You three are a family of three, and you've just arrived. You should stay in our Li Mansion first."

Cui Sanlun frowned and winked at Ambassador Song, who then accepted Li Mingde's kindness.

This time, Li Mingde did not bring any yamen runners with him, but instead brought about twenty strong men from the Baida Express.

A group of people were walking in the street in a mighty manner, and the people on both sides of the street all moved away from them from a distance.

Cui Sanlun lifted the curtain of the car and met the evasive gazes of the common people, his brows furrowed more and more.

To get from the pier to Li Mansion, you need to go through the west gate of Hezhong Mansion.

Hezhong Prefecture is even more dilapidated than Junzhou. Many collapsed houses along the road have not been rebuilt, but shacks have been propped up with the remaining walls and bricks and tiles.

But you can say it is not prosperous. When passing by the canal, you can still hear the laughter coming from the canal flower boats.

The rebuilt compound is exceptionally grand, with walls taller than a person blocking the view of outsiders.

The most imposing one is the Hezhong Prefecture Governor's Mansion. Even from the west city gate, you can see its towering roof.

In the carriage, Madam Song held Miss Song's hand tightly. For some reason, she felt a sense of uneasiness that made her hair stand on end, as if countless pairs of eyes were staring at her and the carriage.

Only after they had completely exited the west city gate and walked onto the country road did Mrs. Song breathe a sigh of relief.

The strong men from Baida Express, who had been tense all the time, also relaxed a little.

The carriage went further and further away, and there were fewer and fewer people. The few people we occasionally met were all skinny and bony, like a pile of dried bones.

They either walked aimlessly on the paths in the fields, or simply lay on the loess, staring at the carriage numbly and letting flies fly around them.

When Mrs. Song saw this scene, she felt very sorry and opened the cloth bag, wanting to take out a few cakes.

"Madam Song, no." Li Mingde stopped Madam Song. "Although there is no famine in Hezhong, it is actually the same as if there is a famine."

What is the most feared thing during famine years?

The most frightening thing is to have a kind heart.

Song Da covered Madam Song's hand and thanked her solemnly: "Thank you, Mr. Li."

Song Da already understood why Li Mingde insisted on living in the Li Mansion by himself.

Li Mansion is located in Shanyazigou outside Hezhong Prefecture. There is a small village with less than a hundred people, which is also one of the largest villages in the surrounding area.

As soon as we arrived at the village gate, a lame old woman with two missing front teeth and a wrinkled face stopped the carriage.

"Please be kind, Li Lang, and buy this basket of fish?"

Li Mingde lifted the carriage curtain and asked the old woman to bring the fish basket over. Then he counted out a copper coin from his pocket and said in a reprimanding tone.

"One penny, no more. You go fishing in the ditch every day, even the young fish are not spared. When all the young fish are gone, what else can you catch?"

The old woman took the copper coin and smiled flatteringly: "I wish you a promotion and prosperity! When my Dalang and Youniang come back, I will let them thank you."

As soon as the old woman left, a thin woman came forward timidly.

She didn't dare to look for Li Mingde, but instead raised her hand to the burly men from Baida Express and made a gesture of [five].

How could the strong men dare to do such a thing under Li Mingde's nose?

"Go, go, go! Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"

The woman clutched her belt and retreated into the shack regretfully. The sound of a baby crying could be heard faintly from the shack.

Just as the Governor's Mansion in Hezhong Prefecture is particularly eye-catching, the Li Mansion in Shanyazigou is also unique.

The carriage entered Li's mansion and just stopped. Li Mingde lifted the curtain and wanted to help Cui Sanlun get off the carriage, but was waved away.

Song Da watched this scene in silence.

There were not many servants in the Li Mansion. Apart from the old woman who cooked and the family who guarded the door, there were only two additional cleaners.

He did hire more than a dozen guards to guard the house.

The old woman had already prepared a table of delicious food as instructed.

During this meal, no one spoke a word while eating or sleeping. There was no more liveliness and joy as when they first met.

After dinner, Song Da used the excuse that he was tired and wanted to rest, and took his family back to his residence.

Seeing them walk away, Cui Sanlun's long suppressed anger finally erupted: "Li Mingde, is this the Hezhong you govern?! You have so many fellow disciples and have read so many books of sages, and this is what you do?!"

Li Mingde personally poured a cup of tea for Cui Sanlun: "I knew Yizu would scold me, you finally let out your anger. Don't hold it in your heart, it will hurt your health."

"Stop talking nonsense to me!"

The servants in the yard heard the noise and ran away.

Li Mingde stroked his finally grown beard and sighed, "Ancestor, it's not that we brothers are in cahoots with each other, it's just that it's hard to save the collapsing building."

Li Mingde was full of complaints: "When we first arrived in Hezhong, we also wanted to make Hezhong peaceful and give our godmother a prosperous Hezhong County."

"In Tuanfeng County, Chen Zi used his share of the fruit wine to encourage agriculture. Guess what? Most of the seeds distributed for free ended up in the hands of local people. Chen Zi went to the village in person to seek justice for the farmers, but was driven away by the village elders."

"Brother Lian wanted to follow the example of Baichuan Academy and educate the people for free, but no one was willing to go. They would rather let the children go to pick grass for pigs than to go to school, saying that they were afraid that after seeing the world, they would not be able to live a life of bowing their heads."

"Yizu, even though I am just a chief clerk now, do you know how much my life is worth in Shuozhou? One thousand taels! If it weren't for my godmother taking over Shuozhou and shocking certain people, you might not have seen me."

Cui Sanlun was shocked: "How could this be?"

"Officials are greedy, and the people are cowardly and ignorant. Money makes the world go round. As long as you have money, you can even buy the lives of officials."

Li Mingde looked cold and indifferent, his tone was icy: "The chaos in the river is like a terminal illness. Unless we eradicate it from the root, it will sooner or later repeat the same mistakes!"

Li Mingde looked at Cui Sanlun with a burning gaze: "Looking at the whole world, only godmother has the ability and courage to change the chaos in Hezhong!"