84 Sun Ning hunting pigs?

◎It was worth it for me to be scolded on behalf of County Magistrate Ye a few days ago◎

Although it is winter, today is a rare sunny day, with the warm sun hanging slanting in the sky.

Ye Yunzhao and the Xixiang village chief rushed to the poor family's house one after another. Fortunately, they had already got a thorough understanding of the people in Xixiang, so they didn't waste much time today.

At the beginning, Ye Yunzhao had marked the people on the list who had difficulty surviving the winter. Now, after a careful inspection and a lot of hard work, she found that the situation of the poor people in Xixiang was exactly as she had guessed.

Seven households were short of food and clothing, and three households had only enough food to get them through the winter. The situation was better than Ye Yunzhao had expected, but the village head didn't know what she was thinking. He just looked at her gloomy face and hurriedly explained:

"There are two disappointing families. The men in their families are still strong, but they're all lazy. Before winter, the city needed laborers, so I asked my son's employer to negotiate for a long time and found two vacancies for them..." The village head walking behind her sighed. "Who would have thought that after only two hours of work, they would complain of being tired and run back! Alas—County Magistrate Ye, tell me what's going on..."

Ye Yunzhao turned around and said, "It's too late to talk about this now. We still have thirty quilts left from the previous one hundred. You and Brother Dayuan will go to the county government office tonight and bring six quilts..."

"Great!" Upon hearing this, the head of Xixiang Village was immediately happy, but he realized belatedly: there were obviously seven households that needed quilts, so why were they only allowed to move six quilts?

Before he could think any further, Ye Yunzhao had already resolved his confusion: "Distribute the five quilts as normal. As for the two lazy families you mentioned... Aunt Xiangyun has taken the trouble to split the quilt into three parts. Give two to them, and keep one for you. That should be enough to buy a thick cotton-padded jacket."

The village head was both surprised and delighted: "This is a good idea. If they try to get the thick quilts by being cunning, I'm afraid they will lead others astray. County Magistrate Ye is wise, but the thick cotton-padded clothes must not be allowed..."

The two of them were talking as they walked, and now they happened to arrive at the door of the village head's house.

You have to know that thick cotton-padded clothes are not something that ordinary people can afford. Even the headman's family, after years of saving, can only save up three pieces. For a family of three, there is not a single extra one.

For all these reasons, Aunt Xiangyun, who was sitting in the yard mending a coat on a sunny day, suddenly stood up when she heard the words "thick cotton-padded coat" and asked in an unbelievable manner, "Thick cotton-padded coat? What thick cotton-padded coat?"

Seeing her like this, the village head immediately scolded her in a low voice: "Nonsense! What nonsense are you talking about in front of County Magistrate Ye!"

Aunt Xiangyun showed a hint of embarrassment on her face, but Ye Yunzhao stepped forward, took her hand, and said with a smile: "Aunt, can you divide the quilt into three?"

She said quickly, "Of course, it's very simple!"

The village head beside him said, "County Magistrate Ye, I appreciate the cotton-padded jacket request, but how can you keep it all to yourself... No, no, no."

Aunt Xiangyun saw that neither of them was smiling, and she was a little confused: "What's wrong with you? Come on, sit down first, I'll go get some hot tea..."

Seeing that she was about to leave, Ye Yunzhao secretly exerted force on his hands and said without question: "I have made up my mind on this matter. Do as I say."

Seeing her firm attitude, the village head sighed and squatted aside. Aunt Xiangyun hurriedly said, "What's going on? County Magistrate Ye, don't be angry. Sit down quickly."

She turned and kicked him: "You idiot, how dare you yell at County Magistrate Ye! Why don't you admit your mistake to County Magistrate Ye quickly!"

Ye Yunzhao quickly waved his hands and explained the whole story clearly.

"County Magistrate Ye, are you serious?" Aunt Xiangyun touched her pounding heart and asked in surprise.

Ye Yunzhao nodded. "Really? First, I want to thank you two for helping me. Second, I've worked so hard. I'd like to ask you to take the covers off the quilt and make two sets of quilt covers out of coarse linen. The coarse linen ones are for them, and you can keep the original coarse silk and cotton ones for yourselves."

After hearing her words, Aunt Xiangyun was both surprised and delighted. She was surprised by the generosity of this capable female county magistrate. She was delighted by the low price of coarse linen. Coarse silk and cotton were both fine fabrics rarely found in ordinary households. It would be a pity to use it as a quilt cover, but if it could be cut into clothes, it would naturally be smooth and soft. After all, she could actually trade her own coarse linen for coarse silk and cotton. No matter how you looked at it, it was a great deal!

After thinking about this, she could hardly control her excitement and was so ecstatic that she couldn't utter a word.

Ye Yunzhao naturally knew the twists and turns involved, but instead of being angry, she felt relieved. Compared to the rigid head of the village, she actually preferred working with this lively aunt.

Ever since she'd traveled here, thinking back carefully, she'd troubled them both quite a bit. Although he was a village head, in this dynasty, it wasn't like the modern world: even the smallest officials had to adhere to the Party's leadership and be good officials to the people.

But the people here don't understand these things, don't understand socialism, don't understand Marxism, don't understand the Communist Party. Ye Yunzhao adheres to the principle of mutual help and can't really do what he should do. If he can provide some appropriate help, it will make them help him more attentively and meticulously. Why not?

Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "Aunt Xiangyun, can you do it?"

She was stunned at first, then saw the anticipation in Ye Yunzhao's eyes. She understood the meaning in the blink of an eye, her eyes shining. "County Magistrate Ye, leave this matter to me and put your mind at ease! I, Liu Xiangyun, will definitely handle this matter beautifully!"

That's the good thing about talking to smart people: get to the point.

Ye Yunzhao laughed and said to the village head squatting beside him: "Don't forget to move the quilt tonight."

At this point, the Xixiang village chief could no longer persuade the two of them, so he stood up and said, "Don't worry, County Magistrate Ye."

Aunt Xiangyun asked her to have some tea, but Ye Yunzhao had something else on his mind, so he left in a hurry.

After sending her away, Aunt Xiangyun stood at the door, looked around, and after confirming that no one was there, she quickly bolted the door. Unable to conceal her joy, she whispered, "It's done! It's worth it for taking the blame on County Magistrate Ye a few days ago."

The village head squinted his eyes, puffed his beard and glared at her, saying, "You are so bold, woman! You dare to ask for the county magistrate's things? She was just being polite! How come you, a fool, actually took it seriously? Now that you've come here, it seems like we are greedy for more. How unbecoming!"

His words were very unpleasant to the ear. Aunt Xiangyun, who was usually gentle, flew into a rage. She picked up a broken bamboo basket from the corner and threw it at him: "Mr. Lu! What are you talking about! If it weren't for you two, would I be like this? You act like a good guy all day long, and you really think you are an official? Don't you open your eyes and see that without me, would you be able to live so well?

Besides, how old is Dayuan now? He'll be eighteen in the spring! It's time for him to get married. Have you ever worried about him?"

When Aunt Xiangyun mentioned this, tears welled up in her eyes. She glared at him, wiped away the tears on her face, and said firmly, "Tomorrow I'll go find a matchmaker. I must arrange a marriage for Dayuan before the New Year. I want this coarse silk quilt cover! I want it for my future daughter-in-law to make new clothes for! No one can stop me!"

After that, the yard fell into a brief silence. The rotten vegetable roots in the broken bamboo basket flew all over him. Aunt Xiangyun raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

The village head sighed deeply, threw the rotten vegetable roots on his body into the broken bamboo basket, and said, "Xiangyun... I didn't say anything nice just now. Alas - she is not just someone else, she is the county magistrate! We can't afford to offend her..."

Aunt Xiangyun said bluntly, "County Magistrate Ye has always been generous, not so petty. I think you're just confused. Besides, since the county magistrate has offered it, we should accept it and remember her kindness. There will be plenty of opportunities to show our filial piety in the future. How can you not offend her by refusing it like this?"

The village head was stunned. He was so cautious and prudent that he had never seen a woman understand. He suddenly came to his senses, breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly hugged Aunt Xiangyun: "Yes! Yes! Yes! With a wife like this, what else could a husband ask for!"

Her face flushed, and she quickly pushed him away, "What are you doing in broad daylight? Let go quickly, it would be bad if others saw us..."

*

Ye Yunzhao naturally didn't know what they were talking about. She turned a few times and was heading towards Sun Ning's house.

Thanks to Sun Ning's carpentry skills, watering the fields in Xixiang is now much more convenient. Since he had been imprisoned in Yuezhou City a while ago, they hadn't seen each other for a month. Sun Ning had injured her ankle before winter, and it was unknown how she was doing now. Ye Yunzhao kept thinking about it, and the large bones in his backpack were bought specifically for her.

However, Sun Ning's home was in a remote area, and the muddy ground that had been soaked by snow water a few days ago had not yet completely dried up. Ye Yunzhao had to circle around three or five times before he finally arrived safely.

But the wooden door was closed. Ye Yunzhao knocked a few times, but no one responded. She had no choice but to open the gate and go into the yard to wait.

This was a unique custom among the people of Lingnan County. The courtyard gate was locked with a wooden latch, and only the main house door was locked with a copper lock. The reason for this was simple: copper locks were expensive, and locking the courtyard gate with one would be unsafe. Furthermore, the courtyard walls were generally only half a person's height, and the family's valuables were kept in the main house. If the main house was not locked, it would have been stolen.

As for buying two copper locks, that is not something that ordinary people would consider. Sun Ning has long been known as a carpenter because he has built many water conservancy facilities for Ye Yunzhao.

In the past few days, most of the trellises in the mushroom shed were made by her. Whether it was grain or copper coins, it could be used as compensation. As a result, Sun Ning never bought a copper lock again, let alone those who made a living in the fields.

However, when Ye Yunzhao came again this time, he was surprised to find that Sun Ning had half-buried seven or eight round flat stones in the yard. There were gaps between them, so that one could reach the main door in seven or eight steps, which also ensured that clothes, shoes and socks were clean. Combined with the thatched shed next to it, it was quite interesting.

She was concentrating on playing "skipping stones" in the yard when suddenly a noise came from far away. Some of the noise was so loud that she couldn't believe it:

"Oh my! Sun Ning, you're amazing! How come you went into the mountains and hunted a wild boar?"

"Carpenter Sun, are you selling this wild boar meat? If you are, why not sell me half a wild boar leg? It's almost the end of the year, and the girls and boys at home are clamoring for meat every day!"

"Carpenter Sun, do you need help butchering a pig? I think this wild boar must weigh over 300 pounds! My son is strong and powerful. He even helped County Magistrate Ye butcher pigs before! What do you think? If you agree, I'll go back and get him right away!"