Jiang Ling smiled and led Zhao Erleng's wife to the kitchen, carefully teaching her how to stir-fry the base sauce and explaining all the precautions to her.

Zhao Erleng's wife seems to have a talent for cooking. Jiang Ling only taught her twice and she learned everything, and even offered some of her own opinions.

Jiang Ling nodded in satisfaction, and then the two talked for a while. After thanking her again, Zhao Erleng's wife left reluctantly.

After seeing Zhao Erleng's wife off, Jiang Ling went straight to Uncle Lu's house and asked Uncle Lu to drive the oxcart towards the government office of Pingxi County.

As soon as they arrived at the yamen gate, Zhao Liu waved enthusiastically to Jiang Ling and led her into the inner hall before she could speak.

A few minutes later, Magistrate Duan appeared before Jiang Ling with a somewhat worried expression.

"Big brother, what's wrong with you?" Jiang Ling asked curiously.

In Jiang Ling's memory, Magistrate Duan almost always had slightly narrowed eyes, slightly upturned lips, and a smiling face. This was the first time Jiang Ling had ever seen him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed and his face dark.

"It's nothing, nothing. It's just something from the court. By the way, what brings you here today?" Magistrate Duan forced a smile and waved his hand dismissively at Jiang Ling.

Seeing that Magistrate Duan did not continue speaking, Jiang Ling, though curious, did not press him further. She took out the previous design drawings from her bosom and said to Magistrate Duan, "Some time ago, I had a dream. In the dream, there was an old man with a white beard who gave me a prescription, saying that it could increase the nutrients in the soil and make the plants grow faster!"

Magistrate Duan was very curious after hearing this, and quickly took the prescription from Jiang Ling's hand. The more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed. Finally, he showed a wry smile and tentatively asked, "That's it? Is it really effective?"

"At first, I was also skeptical, but I felt that the white-bearded old man in my dream must not be an ordinary person, so I made a little and put it in my field. As a result, the cotton I planted grew better than the surrounding cotton!"

After saying this, Jiang Ling admired her own ability to lie without batting an eye.

Magistrate Duan frowned and pondered for a long time before finally sighing helplessly, "If this method really works, it will truly solve a major problem on my mind!"

Jiang Ling looked at Magistrate Duan with a puzzled expression but remained silent. Magistrate Duan seemed to realize that he had been somewhat out of line. He hesitated for a while before finally saying, "This... if this prescription really works, sister, do you know how many people you will benefit?"

Jiang Ling was even more confused when she heard what Magistrate Duan said. Worried that he might misunderstand her thoughts, she quickly explained, "Actually... actually, I planned to mass-produce this stuff and sell it, but unlike food and drink, this stuff doesn't have an immediate effect!"

"So...so, I was wondering if we could cooperate!" As she finished speaking, Jiang Ling became increasingly less confident. She even felt a little regretful, wondering if coming to see Magistrate Duan today was the right decision.

Unexpectedly, Magistrate Duan seemed to have already seen through Jiang Ling's idea. He nodded and continued, "I understand what you mean, but I want to say that if this thing is really effective, once it is promoted, you will really benefit many people, and I can guarantee that if the Emperor finds out, he will definitely praise you highly!"

At this point, the magistrate added, "How do you want to cooperate with me?"

Magistrate Duan's words made Jiang Ling a little embarrassed. She opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her head and said, "This time, I was rash and presumptuous. I'll go back first!"

Having said that, she turned to leave, but before she could even stand up, Magistrate Duan followed closely behind, grabbing Jiang Ling's sleeve and saying anxiously, "Sister, what are you doing? Why are we being so distant?"

Jiang Ling was surprised that Magistrate Duan would suddenly grab her sleeve, and she almost fell. Jiang Ling was a little annoyed and frowned as she looked at Magistrate Duan.

Magistrate Duan suddenly grabbed Jiang Ling's hand and looked at her seriously, saying, "Sister, I know I'm being presumptuous and don't act like a scholar at all, but could you please not leave and let me finish what I have to say?"

At this moment, Magistrate Duan stared intently at Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling, who was usually full of ideas, was flustered. Her eyes darted around nervously, and she stood stiffly in place, letting Magistrate Duan hold her hand.

"I...I..." Magistrate Duan took several deep breaths, gritting his teeth as if he had made a great decision, and said, "I...I like you!"

Jiang Ling felt as if she had been struck on the head, her head buzzed, her heart raced, and her face flushed.

She didn't know what to say, so she could only look around nervously.

"I know I'm being abrupt and unreasonable, but these words have been in my heart for a long time. I don't know when I fell in love with you, but the moment I heard Zhao Qianyu ask you to be his stepmother, my heart was in turmoil! I was really worried about what would happen if you agreed!"

"It wasn't until later, when you didn't agree to his request, that I... I felt a little relieved... I don't know if you can accept me, but after saying these words, at least I feel better!"

As he spoke of this, the magistrate suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ling was completely stunned. She never imagined that she, a woman with four children, would be confessed to by the county magistrate.

However, her mind was still in turmoil. In modern times, Jiang Ling was not good at handling romantic relationships. Although she had been in two relationships before, both ended because the men said she was too capable or too strong.

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