Liao Pingyuan kept saying he dared not, but the boatman took out a fishing net, cast it down, and caught several big, lively fish.

Liao Pingyuan had worked on the river repairing in his early years and learned many ways to cook fish from the boatmen. After taking the big fish and doing some simple processing, he cooked it with the simple cooking utensils on the boat. Before long, the people on the boat smelled a delicious aroma of stewed fish.

The old boatman took a bite and kept giving Liao Pingyuan a thumbs up. Liao Zhi Qiu took a bite and said in surprise, "Father, you actually have this skill!"

Liao Pingyuan tasted it and said, "I learned how to cook this when your grandfather and I went to the Dan River. People there like to make soybean paste. They stew the fish in the river with soybean paste and then stick a few flatbreads on the side of the pot. Eating the flatbreads with the stewed fish is just so delicious."

The Dan River is in Liaodong. Liao Zhiqi was surprised that his father had been to Liaodong, so he asked, "Did Grandfather take you there to repair the river?"

Liao Pingyuan ate a couple of bites of rice, shook his head, and said, “No, your grandfather took me there to visit a friend. I had just gotten married not long before, and your mother hadn’t even given birth to you yet. Your grandfather said that a friend was building a canal in Danhe and sent a letter inviting him to go there. Your grandfather wanted me to go out and broaden my horizons, so he took me with him. I stayed in Danhe with your grandfather for two months and learned a lot about how to cook Liaodong cuisine from the river workers there.”

Repairing waterways involves going to many places. For example, the Liao family has a family tradition of waterway management. When someone needs waterway repairs, they will ask a member of the Liao family, who have already achieved remarkable results in waterway management, to come forward. There are also some people in the Ministry of Works who have studied waterway management, but these people did not learn it from childhood. They entered the Ministry of Works through examinations. The Ministry of Works has special teachers responsible for teaching this knowledge, but it is still not as comprehensive as the Liao family's knowledge, which has been passed down for generations.

The boat traveled downstream in the canal and reached the point where it intersected with the Miao River after two days. It then turned onto the Miao River and went upstream. The boat, which was also attached to the side of the canal, was able to travel very fast even against the current after Xu Di modified the power unit. It arrived at the dock in Miaozhou in just over a day.

Xu Di had already sent people to wait at the dock. Liao Pingyuan disembarked and then took a carriage into Miaozhou City.

After Xu Di took office in Miaozhou, he used the silver he had plundered from the capital to repair the city walls of Miaozhou and to renovate the roads around the city, especially the post roads. In some places, he even paved them with bluestone slabs. In Daliang, the post roads were very important roads. They were not only the special roads for the court to transmit messages, but also a road for many merchants to transport goods. It was only a few years ago that merchants were allowed to use the post roads to transport goods, but they had to pay some fees, which were used for the daily maintenance of the post roads.

Liao Pingyuan sat in the carriage. Along the way, he could still see many places destroyed by the river. However, the road the carriage was traveling on was well-maintained and smooth. In some villages along the road, before it got too dark, he could see some people building houses. He could hear cheerful shouts from afar, which gave him a sense of positive and hopeful energy.

Liao Pingyuan secretly breathed a deep sigh of relief. He knew very well that being summoned to this place by Xu Di was the beginning of another kind of life for him. He was almost fifty years old, but Liao Pingyuan felt full of energy. He no longer wanted to think about whether his life would be in danger if he was discovered by the Third Prince's men, because he felt that those demons and monsters were insignificant in the face of hope.

Xu Di was extremely busy, so busy that he didn't even have time to eat. When Liao Pingyuan was dropped off at the gate of the government office, one of Xu Di's attendants was waiting to greet him. Upon seeing Liao Pingyuan's carriage arrive, he quickly said, "Mr. Liao, I'm so sorry. Our lord has just taken office and has too many things to do. He didn't have time to go to the river dock to pick you up. Our lord has already prepared dinner at the government office. Please come to the government office first to wash up and then have dinner."

Liao Pingyuan repeatedly said he dared not, and after being led into the backyard by his attendant, Xu Di came out of the room looking haggard. He bowed deeply to Liao Pingyuan, which startled Liao Pingyuan, who quickly returned the bow.

Xu Di said, "Mr. Liao, the matter of the river is extremely urgent. I urge you to use all your knowledge to help the people of Miaozhou to manage the Miao River."

Liao Pingyuan quickly won the bid and sat down. Just as the banquet began, someone came to ask Xu Di for instructions. Xu Di apologized and went out to talk to the person for a few minutes. When he returned, he said to Liao Pingyuan, "Mr. Liao, due to the special circumstances, I have too many things to do and cannot have a few drinks with you. Let's eat quickly. After we eat, I will take some time to explain the current situation of Miaohe to you properly."

Xu Di picked up his rice and ate quickly. He had just finished eating and hadn't even put down his bowl when someone came to invite him to go outside to inspect a scene. Xu Di could only arrange for a servant to take Liao Pingyuan and Liao Zhiqi to a neighboring courtyard to settle down.

Xu Di made a simple plan. It turned out that Chu Huaigui's residence was close to the government office, and most importantly, there was a small gate connecting it to the government office. There would be many people like Liao Pingyuan who would come from outside to Miaozhou to help with various things, so they would be settled in this residence, and all their food and lodging would be taken care of by a dedicated person.

Xu Di didn't just invite Liao Pingyuan to help manage the river. He also found about ten young men in their twenties who would live in the same courtyard as Liao Pingyuan and his son, Liao Zhiqi. These young men were all interested in river management and wanted to learn some skills. They would work alongside Liao Pingyuan and Liao Zhiqi in the future. Even if they didn't learn the Liao family's secret techniques, they would at least gain some understanding of river management. In the future, when Chen Yuyuan takes that position, there will be a great shortage of talent. Xu Di had already planned to start training them now, so that some useful talents would eventually emerge.

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