Chapter 131: Mischief

The team returned to the village in a mighty procession. The villagers were busy and were shocked to see so many people pouring into the village.

Over the years, only the county magistrate and the governor visited Huanggou Village a few days ago.

There are so many people coming back for the first time, the village can’t accommodate them all! They are all important people, where should we put them?

"Oh! The barbarians are coming!" Madam Zheng exclaimed when she saw the Slang people in the crowd.

The other villagers looked over and saw that there were more than a dozen strong men inside. "Oh my god, why are the barbarians here? Grab your weapons!"

"Don't panic, don't panic! Madam Zheng, these are distinguished Li guests who are here to observe! They are here with the officials from the county government and the provincial government." Su Bucheng said with a smile.

"Mr. Su, why are the Li people here too?" Some villagers were puzzled. The Li people were very bad, so why were they allowed to come?

"This is what the Governor and the County Magistrate meant. The Li people are also citizens of the Tang Dynasty. As the parents of the Tang Dynasty, we should treat them all equally!

"If they learn how to do it, they'll have enough food and clothing, and everyone will live and work in peace and contentment. How wonderful!" Su Bucheng said good-temperedly.

He had not experienced the suffering of the previous families, so he could not say that they were wrong. People's cognition is related to their own experience. He could only try his best to ease the conflict between the two sides and resolve it slowly.

Letting the Li people come to learn today is the first step. By living together and communicating more, we can deepen our understanding of each other, eliminate misunderstandings and enhance friendship.

A friendly neighbor can make people feel much more at ease and help each other.

It was already noon, and nearly forty people needed to eat and drink. Su Bucheng had no idea how to arrange them.

"Father, you should arrange for them to rest at their homes first, and have lunch in the factory at six o'clock in the afternoon." Su Ying suggested.

With so many people staying in the villagers' homes, there was no big pot to cook.

It’s better to cook rice in the big iron pot from the vermicelli factory. One pot is enough.

"OK!" Su Bucheng and Su Ying divided the work.

Su Bucheng and the village elders assigned the nobles to different households to stay, while Su Ying and the women from the vermicelli factory cooked and made dishes.

The food for these cadres who went to the countryside was collected at the village chief's house. There were too many people, almost all of them were strong laborers, and Su Ying was worried that one iron pot of dry rice would not be enough.

Su Ying scratched her head and decided to make some beans and vermicelli stewed with rice, and also a portion of hot and sour fern root vermicelli salad, a portion of stir-fried shredded radish, and a portion of braised konjac.

After everyone was settled, we returned to the vermicelli factory, where the aroma of burnt rice wafted out.

"Gurgle..." From time to time, the crowd could hear the rumbling sounds of hunger.

"It's time to eat!" There were bowls and chopsticks on several tables, as well as several large pots of freshly cooked rice and several pots of vegetables.

Everyone lined up with bowls and chopsticks to get rice and dishes. This way of dining was a bit like in a military camp, and everyone felt it was novel.

Everything in this meal was very unique. The officials did not mind that there were no chairs to sit on. They each found a corner, squatted or sat, and ate their meals.

It was the first time in my life that I ate iron pot stewed rice. It was dry and fragrant, the beans were pink and sweet, the vermicelli was soft and glutinous, and it had a taste of salt and the aroma of soy sauce. I almost swallowed my tongue after taking a bite.

Lingnan is not as good as the inland areas. Even officials rarely eat good food. Today's braised dry rice is a real delicacy for them.

Take another bite of the spicy and sour fern root noodles, wow, it’s sour and spicy, really appetizing!

And what is this taupe-colored, bouncy thing? It has a unique texture and goes really well with rice.

Even the humble stir-fried shredded radish is spicy and delicious.

Everyone was picking and guessing, their hands constantly shoveling rice into their mouths.

The officials who usually pay attention to their table manners lost their composure today. They choked after taking a few bites.

"Here are rice soup and vegetable soup. If you are thirsty, come here and drink some!" Su Ying came out carrying two more wooden barrels.

When everyone heard this, they all gathered around. Some liked vegetable soup and ordered it, while others were curious, "What is rice soup?"

"It's rice oil, which is drained out when cooking rice. It quenches thirst and is nutritious." Su Ying explained.

Oh, that’s it!

Occasionally, wealthy families would steam rice and eat it. Isn't this the liquid from the rice? They usually call it rice oil.

Birds of a feather flock together. Officials and common people automatically group themselves together, and each feels comfortable only when they are with people they are familiar with.

The Li people were talking in a language that others couldn't understand while eating. Su Ying looked at Die Xiu, who smiled at her and said, "Delicious!"

Su Ying smiled and brought a bowl of rice soup to Diexiu.

The Li people all stopped and looked at Su Ying silently. On the way, this girl was the one who handed over the goods and settled the bill with the shopkeeper, and here she was the one who arranged food and drinks for everyone.

The food is so delicious!

The Li men had a good impression of this skinny girl. The girls in their village were capable, but none was as capable as her!

"Eat slowly!" Su Ying smiled friendly at the people.

"Thank you!" The Slang men understood and hurriedly expressed their gratitude!

With a good start, communication between the two sides became much smoother.

"Sister." Diexiu called Su Ying and pointed at the konjac in the bowl.

"This is the konjac dish made with konjac!" Su Ying didn't rush to leave and introduced how these dishes were made.

She didn't know whether people could understand her slang, so she tried to speak more slowly.

The Li people listened attentively. "I never knew you could cook in an iron pot! Iron pot food is so delicious! Tea oil stir-fries are so fragrant! The Han people are so clever!"

With rice soup and vegetable soup, the officials and common people had a unique meal.

Wang Yannian finished eating, drank the last mouthful of rice soup, burped, and sighed with satisfaction.

It's been so many years, and I've never tasted food so delicious! This Huanggou Village really has something special.

"Mr. Su, what are your arrangements for the future?" Wang Yannian was curious. With so many people and so much to learn, how would the former Chang'an County Magistrate deploy them?

"Sir, we will all listen to the lecture here first to understand the specific planning of Huanggou Village, and then visit one by one and listen to the detailed explanation." Su Bucheng said calmly.

"Well, that's good, the arrangement is very organized!" Wang Yannian agreed very much.

After a while, several villagers came carrying two blackboards and a wooden frame and set them up in the open space in front.

Everyone didn't know what he meant and looked at Su Bucheng.

Su Bucheng walked to the blackboard and picked up the chalk to write.

"Welcome all the distinguished guests and guests from the Li people to Huanggou Village. Before you begin, let me give you a brief introduction so that you can have a general understanding..."

Su Bucheng talked freely in front of the blackboard.

He talked about the vermicelli, tea oil, and beekeeping that are currently being produced in the village, then talked about improving the soil and crop rotation, and then talked about the upcoming projects of digging ponds, building lime kilns, and constructing roads.

The Li people understood it haltingly and found it incredible. They were curious and eager to see how it was made.

The officials of Wu County Government were also very calm. They came here not only to learn, but also to provide guidance and participate in the construction, which was considered a great contribution. In the future, if there were such matters in the county, they would be in charge of the construction.

However, people from other county governments thought it was impossible. Even the government couldn't do it, so how could a small, deserted village achieve it in such a short time?

Especially improving the soil and rotating crops are simply unheard of. Isn't this just nonsense?