That night, for the first time ever, all of Xu's children were punished by being made to stand facing the wall in self-reflection, and even Xu Yi, who was always highly regarded by the family, was not spared.

They weren't even allowed to eat dinner; they were simply made to stand in the corner.

When Old Man Xu entered the house, he saw Fu Man'er standing by the wall, nodding her head. He quickly led her into the house.

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“Our little girl is the best. Don’t be like your brothers. They even went and hit people. They’ve really gone too far. Come on, Grandpa will take you to eat.”

Watching the two enter the main room with envy, Xu Wen patted his sunken belly, "When it comes to beating people, Sister Man'er is the most enthusiastic."

Of course, the adults in the Xu family felt that Fu Man'er was just a bit resilient, and it was impossible for him to fight like a boy.

Xu Yi couldn't help but laugh when he recalled the scene of hitting someone before. Fu Man'er was the one who shouted the loudest and hit the most, but none of the adults in the family knew about it.

"We can't let Grandpa know, otherwise Man'er will be starving just like us. Maybe Man'er can help us get something to eat later."

Xu Wu was also hungry, but now they could only smell the aroma of food, and all their hopes were pinned on Fu Man'er.

The atmosphere at the Xu family dinner table was a little somber today. Old Mrs. Xu felt angry whenever she thought about the adults who had been persuaded to leave and the crying children.

"They went out to fight all the time, and the other party came to their door demanding an explanation. These kids are such a handful."

She was alone at home at the time, but more than a dozen people came, including adults and children, saying that Xu Yi had led people to beat their child. Old Mrs. Xu didn't believe it at all; her grandson was so mature and sensible, it couldn't be possible.

But when Xu Yi nodded in agreement, she forgot all about the embarrassment and the five children in the family started arguing with the adults.

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The youngest, Fuman'er, started chattering away, repeating what her older brothers had said in a loud voice, which frightened the other child so much that she cried even louder.

Grandma Xu was so angry that her head was about to explode. She shouted several times before the situation calmed down. Both sides had their own reasons.

It was true that those children threw stones at Grandpa Hu first, but on the way back from the Hu family, Xu Yi was so angry that he took his younger siblings and gave those children a good beating.

Now that the adults have caught them red-handed, and before even the beaten old man Hu can say a word, what are those little brats from the Xu family doing jumping around like that?

Grandma Xu thought these adults were shameless. It was okay for their own children to hit others, but not for their own children to be hit. Although that's what she thought, she really didn't want to argue today.

They apologized to the other party and even gave them some eggs. It was just a squabble between children. The adults saw that Grandma Xu's attitude was good, and the Xu family had gained some reputation in the village, so they took the children back home in the end.

Seeing Grandma Xu's sullen face, no one dared to speak loudly. Fu Man'er looked at this person and then at that person, and finally could only bury her head and eat, feeling very scared.

After the meal, Grandma Xu instructed, "Genshan, take this food to Grandpa Hu's place later. He's a lonely old man, and he probably doesn't even have anything to eat."

"Genzhu, take this consultation fee to the village doctor. There's also a bowl of braised food in the kitchen; take that there too. Express your gratitude to him properly."

After all, the reason they were able to come for a medical consultation today was because of the Xu family's influence; we can't be so ungrateful.

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The two sons accepted the order and went out, while Ma Hong and Liu Fang began to collect the bowls and go out to wash them, leaving only the two old people and Fu Man'er in the main room.

Hearing that Grandma Xu had asked Xu Genshan to send food to Grandpa Hu, Fu Man'er was secretly happy, knowing that this way Grandpa Hu wouldn't go hungry.

But her four older brothers were still hungry outside. Thinking of this, Fu Man'er felt discouraged again. She would secretly go to the kitchen later to get some food for her brothers.

Before she could even begin, Xu Yi and the others were called to the main room, where several adults also entered. It was the first time Fu Man'er had ever seen what a mixed double insult looked like.

The adults chattered amongst themselves, and she shrank back without any backbone. She figured it was best not to admit she'd joined in the beating.

It's quite common for children in the village to fight and play around. After giving them a few words of scolding, Grandma Xu still sent them off to eat. They were all her beloved grandchildren, and she couldn't bear to punish them.

Upon hearing that they could eat, Xu Mao and the others rushed to the kitchen, and Fu Man'er followed, as she could still eat.

However, Xu Yi did not come out. When Fu Man'er turned around, both Grandma Xu and Xu Genshan had solemn expressions. Xu Yi had his back to her, and she didn't know what was going on.

Fu Man'er didn't know what Xu Yi had said to them that day, but Xu Yi always had a smile on his face when he came out. She also heard her grandmother say that Xu Yi was going to formally become Grandpa Hu's apprentice and was just waiting to choose an auspicious day to hold the apprenticeship ceremony.

However, what's more important right now is the new policy regarding crops.

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This all started with the county government's assessment. Inspired by Fu Man'er, Xu Genshu came up with a plan and went with the four scholars to Song Kangcheng for the final assessment.

Aside from him and Xie Ming, who were both young men, the other two scholars were thirty and forty years old, respectively.

These two men were completely oblivious to the world around them, focusing solely on their studies and never even setting foot on the land. Moreover, they felt that raising fish in rice paddies was indeed inappropriate, but the magistrate asked them to come up with a solution.

After much deliberation, they had no choice but to order all the people to do the same. Since the officials had given the order, how could the people dare to disobey?

"What if this rice-fish farming method fails? What will become of the people's lives?" Song Kangcheng's question left the two scholars at a loss for words. Weren't they only responsible for devising solutions? They still had to think about the aftermath.

Seeing the expressions on the two men's faces, Song Kangcheng waved his hand in disappointment, telling them to stand aside. He put the answer sheets they had handed him aside; they were filled with a whole page of nonsense, with nothing of practical value.

As for Xie Ming's and Xu Genshu's reports, Song Kangcheng couldn't help but smile as he looked at them. "Did you two discuss a plan together?"

The two men exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. "Reporting to you, sir, we haven't seen each other since we returned from that patrol until today when we came to the government office."

Seeing that their expressions didn't seem fake, Song Kangcheng's smile widened. He handed them both answer sheets, saying, "Take a look at each other's answer sheets first."

You wouldn't believe it until you see it; the two men actually had roughly the same idea, except Xie Ming's was a bit more assertive than Xu Genshu's.

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Xu Genshu advocated the principle of voluntariness, stating that families willing to practice rice-fish farming could be exempted from certain taxes during the autumn harvest.

Xie Ming believed that if the policy was to be implemented, the whole village should participate to ensure that the results would be effective.

As for the fish in the rice paddies, both of them believed that the government should provide them.

Firstly, it's not easy for the villagers to find so many fish fry, and secondly, fish fry aren't expensive, so it's not a big deal for the county government.

Secondly, if the rice-fish farming method succeeds, the villagers will benefit more and the people will become wealthy. Even if the method fails, the people will still get fish, whether good or bad, the fish will still belong to them.

"You two have a good idea." Song Kangcheng gave the two men an approving look. Xu Genshu came from a farming family and knew the lifeline of farmers, so he used the word "voluntary".

Xie Ming, however, surprised him somewhat. This man came from a wealthy family, yet he was able to understand the basic needs of farmers.

If we want ordinary people to try new things, we do need to give them something, and that something is a guarantee for them.

However, whether to act voluntarily or by order is something that makes Song Kangcheng hesitate.

"My lord, how about this?" Xu Genshu said after a moment's thought, "We can select one village to issue the order first, and the rest can be chosen voluntarily."

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This approach is effective and not too bad for the government, as it doesn't require such a large reduction in taxes.

“If a village has a lot of people who resist, each household can use a piece of land to implement this, so that the people can understand and support it,” Xie Ming added from the side.

They had overcome all the obstacles they could think of, and Song Kangcheng was overjoyed. He stood up and walked to the two of them, saying, "Good, very good. I hereby officially announce that you two have passed the assessment. I will report this to the imperial court. From now on, you can work hard in the county government."

"Thank you, Lord Song." The two men quickly stepped back and knelt down.

Song Kangcheng personally helped the two up, looking at their energetic and youthful faces, and said, "Go, you two should think about this countermeasure in more detail and implement it as soon as possible."