Chapter 394 Method

The rooster in the yard had just crowed for the third time. Morning light filtered through the window lattice onto the blue brick floor, casting a few slender streaks of light and shadow. Gu Jiayue was straightening her clothes in front of the bronze mirror, mentally contemplating her trip to the county government office to find Zheng Qinghe.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw a shadowy figure walking in from the courtyard gate. Who else could it be but Zheng Qinghe?

He was wearing a half-worn dark blue official robe with a little dust on the collar. There was a faint dark blue under his eyes, as if he had not slept well.

"Jiayue." He spoke as soon as he entered the courtyard, his voice a little hoarse. "Hu Zi said, you want to discuss something with me about the refugees?"

Gu Jiayue paused, nodded, and spoke calmly, "There are more and more refugees outside the city. How does County Magistrate Zheng plan to resettle them?"

Zheng Qinghe couldn't help but frown at the mention of this. He raised his hand to rub his temples, a trace of fatigue on his face. "Alas," he sighed heavily. The young man, who was usually very careful about his appearance, actually sat down on the stone steps. "Maybe the news that Annan County is providing water and food to the refugees has spread. These days, a large number of refugees have been rushing here every day. It seems that the open space outside the city is almost full of people."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the city, his eyes filled with worry. "Too many people means chaos. There have been several fights outside the city these past few days. The county government is short-staffed, so how can we stop them all in time? I'm worried they'll get angry and kill someone. If a riot breaks out, it'll be troublesome."

Gu Jiayue listened quietly without interrupting.

She turned her head and looked at him. In her memory, although he was a modest gentleman, his inherent dignity made him look a little arrogant. Now, he has only been in Annan County for a year and has changed a lot.

He became more steady, and he no longer talked about beautiful articles, but about the common people.

It had become darker, and the brocade fan that he always held in his hand had disappeared. The calluses on his fingers were caused by working in the fields with the common people.

He looked a little stronger, and the half-worn official uniform seemed a little tight on him.

But he doesn't seem to have changed, and is still the neighbor brother in my memory who cares about the country and the people.

Zheng Qinghe paused, then continued, "I've been thinking about having them reclaim the wasteland. This drought can't continue forever. When it rains, we'll plant the hybrid rice you gave us. That rice has a high yield, and in two years at most, it'll make up for the losses from this drought!"

When he said this, his tone was filled with anticipation. This was the effective solution he had finally come up with after pondering it for several days.

Gu Jiayue listened and shook her head. "But the food and water you give them every day is barely enough to keep them alive. With so little food, how can they have the energy to do hard work like clearing the land?"

Hearing this, Zheng Qinghe sighed heavily, his voice filled with helplessness. "I can't do anything about it. There's only so much food and water. If they get too full, what will happen to the people in the county? I can't hold on for much longer!"

"I have a way!" Gu Jiayue took a half step forward and said with certainty.

Zheng Qinghe's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stood up straight, the fatigue on his face fading a little. "Oh? Jiayue came up with a good idea? Tell me quickly."

Gu Jiayue's lips curled up slightly, a mysterious smile on her face. "Your idea of ​​reclaiming wasteland is a good one, but food is limited right now, so asking them to do heavy work is unrealistic."

She paused. "The most important thing right now isn't to let them create value, but to give them something to do. When people have something to do, they're less inclined to argue or fight."

Zheng Qinghe pondered her words for a moment, his brows gradually relaxing. "You have a point. But if we don't let them open up the wasteland, what else can they do?"

"Study! Let them all study!" Gu Jiayue said firmly.

"They can barely even eat, and you still want them to study?" Zheng Qinghe widened his eyes, his face full of confusion, and his voice became a little louder.

"Yes," Gu Jiayue nodded, her tone firm. "Let them study. If they learn a few words every day, they can get some extra food and water. With such benefits in front of them, they will definitely study hard and focus their minds on this, so they won't have time to fight or cause trouble!"

Zheng Qinghe did not refute immediately, but lowered his head and thought.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the stone steps, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and then slowly turned into thought.

After a long while, he raised his head, his eyes showing a little more recognition: "This method... is indeed not bad."

He gazed into the distance and said slowly, "People die for money, birds die for food. Right now, no one is full. If there's a chance to get food and water with just a little effort, anyone who wants to survive will rush forward at all costs."

He suddenly slapped his thigh. "This isn't just useful for studying, it's also applicable to the land reclamation I mentioned earlier! Set a certain number of acres of land to be reclaimed each day. Those who finish early will receive more food, those who finish on time will get the usual, and those who finish after the deadline will get nothing. This way, they'll put all their energy into working, so how can they have the time to compete?"

After saying that, he looked at Gu Jiayue with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Your idea is indeed good, but why did you think of letting them study?"

Gu Jiayue smiled calmly. "County Magistrate Zheng is willing to provide food and water to these refugees. Besides being soft-hearted, is he actually hoping to get them to stay in Annan County and settle down?"

Zheng Qinghe was caught on the spot. He chuckled twice, a look of embarrassment on his face. "I didn't expect you to see through it."

He stood up and looked toward the county government office, his tone filled with both regret and longing. "Annan County is too small, with too few people, to sustain economic development. Natural growth won't work in the short term, so we have to import population from outside. But in a good year, who wants to leave their hometown for another county? Besides, the county magistrates won't allow it, aren't they worried about population loss?"

"This drought has given Annan County an opportunity," he said with a hint of emotion. "As long as we can keep these refugees here and give them land and housing, I'm confident that Annan County will be transformed once the drought is over!"

Gu Jiayue nodded and followed up his question, "Do you want Annan County to have more well-educated, well-mannered residents who can distinguish right from wrong and are easy to manage, or do you want more people who are stubborn, have outdated ideas, and are difficult to manage?"

Is this even worth thinking about? Zheng Qinghe immediately said, "Of course, he's well-educated and easy to manage!"

"Then don't we have to let them study?" Gu Jiayue said in a lighter tone, "Only by studying can we understand the truth and know the truth of things!"

She looked at Zheng Qinghe. "Besides, doesn't County Magistrate Zheng want Annan County to become a place where everyone can learn to read? Other counties can't achieve this development path, but in Annan County, I'm confident I can accomplish it within three years!"

Universal literacy? Zheng Qinghe was stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with shock.

Not to mention Annan County, even the prosperous Kyoto wouldn’t dare to think about this!

Even the emperor couldn't make everyone literate, so how could Gu Jiayue be so confident?

He stared at Gu Jiayue for a long moment, then suddenly nodded vigorously. "Okay! Let's try it together!"

He thought for a moment and said, "It's unrealistic to ask them to study all day. How about this: they study in the morning and exchange their studies for food. After lunch, they'll go to reclaim land in the afternoon. Food and water will also be distributed according to the rules. Those who perform well will be directly given household registration and housing in Annan County! This way, we can keep them here legitimately!"

The two of them discussed the details based on this idea.

From how to arrange teaching, to the specific boundaries of the land to be reclaimed, to the standards for the distribution of materials, we pondered over each sentence one by one, and before we knew it, it was sunset before we finally finalized the matter.

Then the two of them walked towards the city gate together.

As soon as I arrived at the edge of the city, I saw a sea of ​​people outside the city, stretching as far as the eye could see. There were tents next to each other, and many people sitting on the ground.

Gu Jiayue was both surprised and happy.

What is shocking is that there are so many victims and the pressure is quite high; but what is joyful is that with so many people, how much educational value can be gained every day!

Zheng Qinghe stepped forward and waved behind him.

Chen Ada, who was following behind him, immediately ran out with a copper gong in his hand and stood in front of the porridge stall.

"Bang, bang, bang--" Chen Ada struck the gong hard a few times, and the harsh sound immediately drowned out the noise of the crowd.

The refugees all raised their heads and looked towards him, their eyes full of curiosity.

"Everyone, please be quiet! Please be quiet!" Chen Ada shouted at the top of his voice. "Our county magistrate sees that everyone is having a hard time and is willing to continue to take you in. But Annan County has limited supplies and water, and we can't provide them for free every day. Therefore, the county magistrate has established new rules, and everyone listen carefully!"

He cleared his throat and said aloud, "Starting tomorrow, all refugees will gather at the city gate in the morning to learn to read! If you can recognize a word, you will be given a cup of rice or a cup of water. If you can recite a poem, you will be given a bowl of rice or a bowl of water..."

As he spoke, he picked up a coarse porcelain cup and bowl from the side and gestured with them.

"In the afternoon, we have to go to the south of the city to open up wasteland. Each person has to open up half an acre of land every day! If you finish in two hours, you will be rewarded with two catties of rice or a bucket of water; if you finish in four hours, you will be rewarded with a catty of rice or half a bucket of water; if you take more than four hours, you will get nothing!"

As he spoke, he picked up the wooden barrel and showed it to everyone so that they could see the weight clearly.

"And!" Chen Ada raised his voice, his tone serious, "If you perform well for a month in a row, you can get household registration in Annan County!"

Household registration!

As soon as these two words were uttered, the refugees below were in an uproar.

With a household registration, you are no longer a rootless refugee. You can build a house and settle down in Annan County and never have to wander around again!

A man in a patched short jacket squeezed forward and asked anxiously, "Sir, are you telling the truth?"

Chen Ah Da grinned and patted his chest: "If you don't believe me, how can you not believe our county magistrate?"

"Believe it! Believe it! Of course we believe in Lord Zheng!" the refugees around shouted.

In the hearts of the people, Zheng Qinghe has long been like a living Bodhisattva. Not to mention such a small matter, even if it is something more difficult, everyone still believes in him.

Chen Ada added, "Participation in both of the above two items is voluntary and not forced. But if you don't participate and cause trouble within Annan County, don't blame us for kicking you out!"