The refugees outside the city had nothing to do with Jiang Zhi; she entered the city after her household registration was checked by the city guards.

When they parted ways with the vendors after entering the city, Jiang Zhi said to him, "If you encounter any difficulties on the road in the future, you can come to Xu Family Village and just find the village chief!"

The caravan was also happy; anything could happen when they traveled outside.

Having more friends means having more options, and it's safe to rest in the village.

Upon entering the city, Jiang Zhi first found the Huo Family Pharmacy. The manager, who must have already received the news, immediately led them to a courtyard: "Sister-in-law Jiang, this is Huo Family property. It used to be rented out, but now it's empty, which is perfect for you to live in. Please forgive us if anything is missing."

The courtyard was small and it was clear that it had been damaged by refugees; the roofs were covered with new tiles.

The Huo family was also prepared, with all the necessary household items, including pots, pans, and dishes, so all they had to do was buy groceries to cook.

Jiang Zhi thanked the shopkeeper who brought her there, and then asked when she could meet the pharmacist, explaining that she was there to teach him the techniques, and that was the important thing.

The shopkeeper said, "Sister Jiang, there's no rush. It's getting late, and you must be tired from your journey. Rest for a day first, and our boss will be free to come over the day after tomorrow."

"good!"

Jiang Zhi wasn't in a hurry. Tomorrow would be a good day for Xiaoman and Li Laoshi to set up a stall and sell things, and she would also have time to go find Xiang Dejin and the others.

The next morning, after Li Laoshi and Xiaoman went to sell their goods, Jiang Zhi took Errui to the county government office.

She did not rashly meet with Magistrate Zhang, but first inquired about Wu Hongmao and Xiang Dejin.

Previously, Xiang Dejin said they were from the Zhuangban (a type of military unit), and that they were following Magistrate Zhang to supervise agriculture in other areas. He hadn't seen them for several months and didn't know if their specific positions had changed.

After giving his name at the gatehouse of the yamen, and hearing that he was looking for a yamen runner, the handyman's attitude noticeably improved, and he quickly relayed the message inside.

Soon, Wu Hongmao came out, but Xiang Dejin was not there.

Before the Lunar New Year, Wu Hongmao and his companions recovered from their injuries and left, and did not return to Xujia Village for the holiday.

Half a year has passed, and Wu Hongmao, who was wearing official uniform, has grown a beard and become a respectable man.

Upon seeing Jiang Zhi, Wu Hongmao was quite surprised: "Aunt Jiang, when did you come to the city? Where are you staying? Have you had breakfast yet?"

Brother Xiang is off duty today and not at the government office. Is there something going on in the village? You can tell me the same thing!

Although surprised that Aunt Jiang was already at the county government office so early, Wu Hongmao was still very enthusiastic.

Jiang Zhi didn't stand on ceremony with him: "I don't have anything to do. I came to the city last night and have a place to stay. I just came to see how you are doing."

"Oh, Xiaoman and Li Laoshi are selling some things at the rice market right now. Could you please look after the child? It's his first time here!"

"Ah, Xiaoman is here too! Okay, I'll immediately have the brothers who went to inspect the rice market today keep an eye out!"

When Wu Hongmao heard that Xiaoman was setting up a stall, he immediately laughed and went back to the yamen to give a few instructions to the people patrolling the street.

Jiang Zhi was still waiting at the gatehouse. She chatted with the handyman and asked Xiang Dejin and the others what their jobs were.

The handyman was now very polite, saying that Wu Hongmao and his companions were also from the Zhuangban gang, and that they were responsible for street security and the defense of city gates and warehouses.

These men were highly trusted by the county magistrate, who even asked Jiang Zhi what her relationship with them was.

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "We're like family!"

She didn't specify their relationship, but Xiang Dejin had previously said he would treat Xiaoman as a brother and even sent her grain during the Spring Festival. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they were as close as family.

The handyman immediately became somewhat obsequious. Doing odd jobs in the county government was a form of corvée labor, but it required money to hire him.

As soon as Wu Hongmao returned to the yamen, he was followed by seven or eight yamen runners who all greeted Jiang Zhi.

Two of them had recuperated at Laoyun Cliff, but Jiang Zhi didn't recognize the others.

Only after asking did I learn that these people were all wounded soldiers from the medical ward, and naturally they had seen Jiang Zhi before.

After exchanging pleasantries, although Xiang Dejin was not present, the matter of medicine still needed to be discussed, so Jiang Zhi asked if she could meet with Magistrate Zhang.

This was easy to handle. Wu Hongmao went to the magistrate's study in person to report the matter. Although the yamen had just opened, he believed that Magistrate Zhang had already begun working in his study.

Sure enough, when Zhang Zheng heard that Jiang, who had offered "life-saving grain" from Xujia Village, had arrived, he immediately said, "Let Jiang in, I also have some questions to ask!"

The fact that his first female village chief came to him must mean she had a problem she couldn't handle.

As soon as Jiang Zhi entered the study, Zhang Zheng asked about village affairs without saying a word: "Jiang, Zhang Xing said that the position of village chief of Xujia Village is vacant and asked you to take charge. Do you have any difficulties?"

Jiang Zhi blinked: "No, everything is fine!"

Zhang Zheng frowned: "The people have just experienced a disaster, which has ruined two seasons of crops. We need to patiently comfort them and urge them to resume farming. No matter what, they must start a new life."

Jiang Zhi nodded: "The magistrate is right. All the farmland in Xujia Village has been planted with grain, and people are now making time to perform their corvée labor."

Zhang Zheng paused for a moment, then shook his head: "It doesn't matter if we don't finish planting. As long as half the land is planted with grain, we can plant more beans on the rest to fill our stomachs."

"Growing grain is the most important thing; corvée labor can be postponed."

He knew exactly how much grain the county government could provide.

The collected grain seeds were distributed to the returning migrants, but each household only received a pitiful amount of coarse grains such as sorghum and soybeans, which was far from enough to plant.

Even though he personally supervised several towns and villages around the county seat, they only managed to resume cultivation at 70-80% capacity during the planting season.

Jiang is now saying that everything in Xujia Village is complete. This is probably because she's afraid of being punished as the village chief, and it sounds like she's boasting.

Jiang Zhi had no idea what Zhang Zheng was thinking. She only heard that Magistrate Zhang only needed to plant half the grain and persuaded that the corvée labor could be postponed. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Magistrate, don't worry. Although it is a bit tough now, as long as we get through this season, Xu Family Village will be able to have enough to eat."

Zhang Zheng stopped frowning, because he realized that the village woman in front of him was speaking seriously.

Thinking of the Qinggang powder that relieved the famine of countless people... Zhang Zheng also began to believe Jiang Zhi's words: "The amount of grain seeds distributed by the county government is insufficient. Even if we buy seeds ourselves, we will miss the season due to the lack of oxen and manpower. How did you manage to do it?"

Jiang Zhi said, "The village raised funds to buy grain and formed mutual aid groups. The whole village worked together, rushing to plant the crops. People were chasing each other and workers were working overtime. The sowing of dozens of acres of land was completed in a very short time."

Zhang Zheng fell silent again, then got up and paced around the room a few times before saying, "With ten thousand people of one mind, even Mount Tai can be shaken!"

He still believed Jiang Zhi's words.

Self-financing and mutual assistance were things he, as the county magistrate, had never considered.

Jiang Zhi agreed with this statement. Without the mutual aid group, Xia Xiucai and his family would not be able to farm. Apart from a few families with more manpower, the other families would probably have to delay.

Moreover, because it's still made into manure balls, it requires transplanting seedlings, adding an extra step and taking longer.

If you're late, you'll be late again and again, and you'll go hungry in winter.

However, Jiang Zhi came to the county government office not to talk about farming; she mainly wanted to talk about medicine: "Magistrate Zhang, you mentioned to the head of the squad last time that you had taken some pills and they were quite effective?"

Zhang Zheng snapped out of his daze: "Indeed, I caught a chill last winter in the rain and it was inconvenient to buy medicine at the moment."

At the time, Xiang Dejin was accompanying me. He gave me some pills, which relieved my symptoms. I heard that the medicine was from you?