Chapter 474 Welcome to My Island

Three days later, the sun was shining brightly.

Biquan Village is once again bustling with activity.

The villagers gathered around the old well in the village, and Zhu Lan held a conical frame woven with bamboo strips in his hand.

"Here it comes, the fine sand is coming!" Ah Chong shouted and put a heavy sack on the ground.

Zhu Lan asked A Chong for help. The two of them first wrapped the bamboo basket with several layers of gauze, and then spread a layer of fine sand on it.

Lin Sanlang also came over and put down the sack on his shoulder. The surrounding villagers looked at it curiously and saw that the sack was full of black charcoal.

Zhu Lan had someone use a hammer to break up the charcoal and spread it on top of the layer of fine sand, and then added a layer of gravel and rice husk powder.

A simple filtering device is basically completed.

A villager was skeptical and frowned and asked:

"Is this thing...really more useful than the mountain god?"

Zhu Lan smiled slightly and asked someone to fetch well water and pour it from the top of the filter. Soon clear liquid seeped out from the bottom of the filter.

Lin Sanlang carefully took out the two ancestral white porcelain bowls, one bowl containing the original well water and the other bowl containing filtered water.

Two bowls of water were placed on a low table and the villagers gathered around to check.

"It seems that there is nothing different..."

"Blind Liu, why are you joining in the fun? Go away!"

"It seems that the colors of these two bowls of water are... a little different? Is it because I am dazzled?"

"No, I think the water in the bowl on the left is clearer..."

"With this thing, we won't have to pay that damn tax anymore!"

"Yes! I can keep the wine and meat from the New Year at home and eat them myself, that's great!"

Zhu Lan listened to everyone's discussion, but was thinking in his heart.

The materials here are limited, so we can only make a simple water filter like this for now.

She decided to write a letter to Zhou Da in the capital. He knew more about the materials and would definitely be able to give a more complete solution.

At this moment, a young man suddenly ran out from somewhere and shouted:

"Oh no, Grandma Sun is missing!"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and Ah Chong became immediately anxious.

Ever since Grandma Sun learned that the statue of the mountain god was made in advance by County Magistrate Kang Gaoyi and deliberately placed in the mountain to guide the villagers to find it and trick them into worshiping it at all seasons, she has not spoken a word the whole day.

A Chong thought that she was depressed because she knew she was cheated, so he asked her to stay at home and went out to help Zhu Lan.

But I didn’t expect that in the blink of an eye, Grandma Sun disappeared.

Lin Sanlang immediately asked everyone to stop what they were doing and everyone went along different roads to look for Grandma Sun. Zhu Lan also joined the search.

Not long after, someone found Grandma Sun in the ancestral hall.

The strange-looking mountain god statue in the ancestral hall had turned into pieces on the ground. Grandma Sun was poking and tapping at the pieces with her walking stick, cursing them with words like "liar", "bastard", and "worse than pigs and dogs".

I don't know whether he was scolding the clay sculpture or someone else.

It was not until Ah Chong pulled her back that Grandma Sun finally dropped her crutches. She felt a little relieved and looked much more energetic than usual.

After resolving the issues in Biquan Village, Zhu Lan prepared to leave.

Before leaving the village, Ah Chong suddenly ran over and pulled Zhu Lan aside, as if they had some secret to share.

Zhu Lan looked at him strangely, but A Chong hesitated for a long time and refused to say anything.

It was not until Zhu Lan was about to leave that Ah Chong asked her anxiously:

"You said before... that if people read more books, they can get rid of evil spirits. Is that true?"

Zhu Lan nodded first, then shook his head and said:

“Reading more books can help you see through ghosts and evil spirits.

If you don't do anything wrong, you won't have to worry about ghosts coming to your door."

Ah Chong nodded as if he had understood something, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he said loudly:

"Then I want to study too. I want to go to the best academy in Daliang!"

Zhu Lan chuckled and said, "Do you know where the best academy in Daliang is?"

Ah Chong rubbed the back of his head and thought for a long time, then said somewhat sadly:

"I've only heard people say that Longchang Academy in Jiangzhou seems to be very famous, but I don't know if they will accept me if I go there."

"Do you know how far Jiangzhou is from here, and how much hardship it took to get here?"

"I'm not afraid!" Ah Chong clenched his fists. "I want to study and become as powerful as you!"

Zhu Lan stared at him for a moment, and seeing that his eyes were firm and unwavering, his heart couldn't help but move.

She smiled and said:

"Since you have such ambition, I can write a letter and have someone bring it to you later.

Take my letter with you. If you can overcome all the difficulties and obstacles along the way and reach Jiangzhou, give the letter to the dean of Longchang Academy and he will accept you.

If you can't make it on the road, give the letter to the local branch of Tongyun Bank, and they will send you back safely."

"You underestimate Brother Chong too much. If you give in, you are a puppy!" A Chong stretched out a hand.

"Then we'll wait and see."

Zhu Lan and A Chong high-fived as an agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Youyou walking towards him with a carriage parked behind her.

The villagers had never seen such an exquisite and beautiful carriage, and they all came forward to watch.

Zhu Lan bowed to everyone and said goodbye.

"Thank you, Miss Zhu!" The villagers also said goodbye to her gratefully.

Lin Sanlang stepped forward and asked somewhat embarrassedly:

"Miss Zhu, I heard that the prefect will send someone over in a while?"

Zhu Lan nodded. According to Qiao Youyou's plan, someone would come soon to start preparing for the development and preparation of the Biquan Village scenic area.

"I will come back to take a look. Don't worry, Village Chief. From now on, Biquan Village and Nanzhou will get better and better."

After Zhu Lan finished speaking, he and Qiao Youyou got on the carriage and slowly left as everyone watched.

…

The carriage stopped in front of the government office and Xu Ying came out to greet them personally.

After entering the government office, Xu Ying brought out the county annals of several counties in Nanzhou and asked Zhu Lan where he wanted to go. He said he could arrange everything.

"The conditions in Biquan Village are indeed a bit difficult... Anhua County in the south is better, Miss Zhu, what do you think..."

Qiao Youyou took Zhu Lan's hand and said bluntly:

"She's coming with me."

This sentence immediately made Xu Ying feel troubled.

"President Qiao, Miss Zhu is still an exile. If you take her away, I'm afraid..."

Qiao Youyou said "Oh".

"Master Xu is so opinionated, so it's not appropriate for me to stay in Nanzhou and make decisions. I will return to the capital tomorrow—"

"No, no, no, please, President Qiao, you can't leave!

The Nanzhou Chamber of Commerce has just been established, and I don’t understand anything about it. There are so many things waiting for you to preside over…”

Xu Ying's eyes lingered on Qiao Youyou and Zhu Lan for a long time, and finally he made up his mind and said:

"Okay! As long as Miss Zhu doesn't leave Lingnan, she can go anywhere!"

…

On that day, a large ship slowly sailed out of the port of Nanzhou.

The golden sunlight pours down on the sea, and the sea breeze mixed with a slightly salty scent blows in your face.

Zhu Lan closed her eyes and smelled it carefully. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had smelled such a scent.

At dusk, a small island appeared in front of everyone, getting closer and closer.

Qiao Youyou stood at the bow, opening her arms in enjoyment.

She looked back and smiled brightly:

"Lanlan, welcome to my island."

(ps. I was forced to do hard labor by the company, so I will only write one chapter today, and I will definitely write one chapter tomorrow!)