Chapter 207: Official Hat
"This is the fresh fish we caught from the river. We want to give it to Sister Su and wish her plenty and peace every year." Hu Zi kowtowed to Su Yujin again.
The fish was a wild grass carp, quite large in size, with its gills opening and closing, as if it had just been fished out.
Fishing can still be done in winter. In fact, fish lose their usual vitality due to the low water temperature in the river, making them easier to catch. However, the river freezes into thick ice in winter, making it difficult to determine the location of the fish. The river surface is also colder than other places, making fishing very difficult.
Even the mere act of breaking ice in the severe cold has discouraged many people from wanting to fish.
And Hu Zi and his friends were able to catch such a big grass carp...
Maybe they feel that since they are here to pay New Year's greetings, they cannot come empty-handed.
Looking at Hu Zi's hands that were frozen like radishes, Su Yujin felt a little sad. "This fish is really big. I'll make some sweet and sour fish for lunch. It must be fresh and delicious."
Seeing Su Yujin happy, Hu Zi felt a great sense of accomplishment, and his little body straightened a little.
"The Huibin Restaurant has been closed recently. Do you have enough food for the New Year?"
There were more than a dozen young beggars of his age including Hu Zi. Su Yujin instructed Wu Jiantong to save some of the kitchen scraps and relatively intact fish meat left in the Huibin Building for them.
"Enough, enough to eat." Hu Zi nodded repeatedly, "Manager Wu and Uncle Zheng usually take care of us and save the leftover good things for us. If there is anything we can't finish on weekdays, we will also keep some for emergency use."
"We saved up a lot of dry food on weekdays, and when the hotel closed at the end of the year, Manager Wu and Uncle Zheng also gave us a lot of things. We really had a prosperous year, so Sister Su, don't worry."
After Hu Zi finished speaking, he grinned.
Before going out today, I brushed my teeth with willow twigs and rinsed my mouth with salt water, and my teeth are quite white.
"That's good." Su Yujin smiled and gave Hu Zi a lot of dried fruits prepared at home, asking him to take them back and share them with others.
Hu Zi thanked him profusely, but he only took some of the ordinary peanuts and melon seeds, leaving behind the walnuts, chestnuts and other slightly more expensive ones.
After sending Hu Zi away, Su Yujin lowered his head and thought for a long time.
When He Yanxiu handed her a cup of hot tea, she came back to her senses and said, "Thank you, Second Master."
"These beggars are either refugees without household registration or their parents are not at home and they are oppressed by their uncles and have no way to make a living. Even if they enter the county town to beg, they are unwilling to return home. They are really pitiful. If we can help them find some work so that they don't have to sleep in the open all day, it can be considered a good thing."
Su Yujin heard that He Yanxiu was also interested in this matter, and nodded quickly, "Yes, but since they don't have a household registration, we can't ask them to do the work."
Hiring people of unknown origin is considered illegal labor. If discovered by the government, severe penalties will be imposed.
This is why, although Su Yujin wanted to help them, she could not hire them to do any work. She could only ask Wu Jiantong to take care of their food and make sure they had something to eat.
"But if there is any way to get the government's approval and help them find a way to make a living, it would probably be a win-win situation." He Yanxiu said.
If the government approves it and is willing to help him make a living, then this matter can only be quite beneficial to the government.
What on earth could have achieved such an effect...
Su Yujin thought about it for several days and finally had a rough idea in his mind.
He even wrote down this idea on several pages and made a very detailed project feasibility plan.
Seeing that his work was well illustrated with pictures and detailed content, and the promising future was very tempting, Su Yujin couldn't help but give herself a thumbs up.
But, here comes the problem…
Even if such a plan is really good, can Lord Ye really lower his face to do such a thing? I am afraid that when he hears the first sentence, he will just laugh, respond politely, and say "wait for good news", and then there will be no follow-up.
Su Yujin frowned and paced in the yard for a long time.
He Yanxiu dressed neatly and came out of the house, and asked Xing'an to prepare the carriage.
"Second Master, are you going out?"
"Yes." He Yanxiu called Su Yujin, "Let's go."
He Yanxiu asked her to go out with him? Su Yujin was a little confused, "Second Master, what is this..."
"Aren't you worried about how to tell County Magistrate Ye about this?" He Yanxiu said, "I just happen to have something to ask County Magistrate Ye, why don't we go together?"
"Okay!" Su Yujin nodded hurriedly.
A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death. Even though He Yanxiu had no habit of bullying others by taking advantage of his power, given the huge disparity in official rank between him and County Magistrate Ye, County Magistrate Ye was probably afraid and gave him some face.
If you can do something or not, just do it. If you can worry about something or not, just worry about it. Then there is a hope that this thing will be accomplished! Su Yujin didn't even bother to change her clothes. She got on the carriage with He Yanxiu and went to the Ye family.
Officials usually have an annual leave of about twenty days, starting from the twenty-fifth day before the New Year and ending after the Lantern Festival after the New Year. So at this time Ye Yongwang was still at home, teaching his children to read, learn to read, play chess and practice calligraphy.
Upon hearing that He Yanxiu and Su Yujin were coming, Ye Yongwang hurried to greet them in person.
"Lord Ye, Happy New Year." He Yanxiu bowed.
"Happy New Year, Lord He, and Happy New Year, Miss Su." Ye Yongwang was flattered. He quickly invited them to the main hall and ordered them to serve the best tea in the house.
"It is an honor to have you, Lord, visit my humble home." Ye Yongwang sat upright, looking quite nervous.
It is definitely not just to wish a happy new year for someone of He Yanxiu's high official position to come in person.
And the matter that made He Yanxiu come to visit him during the New Year must be something very important.
Maybe it's about his official position? Ye Yongwang quickly recalled everything he had done recently or even in the past one or two years, racking his brains to think if there was anything he did wrong...
"Master Ye, you are too polite." He Yanxiu said, "I have been in Qinghe County these days. When I strolled on the streets, I often saw beggars begging on the streets. There were quite a few of them."
"Beggars often beg on the streets, which does look a bit indecent, but most of these beggars in the county are homeless children, quite pitiful, and usually very obedient and sensible, and have never stolen or robbed, so the government office usually doesn't control them too much."
Ye Yongwang said hurriedly, "Of course, there are too many beggars in the county. It's because my Qinghe County Office hasn't done enough. Sir He, don't worry. I have ordered the yamen runners to properly place these beggars in the past two days..."
Are you really here to hold me accountable?
Ye Yongwang felt that the sweat on his forehead was about to fall!
Happy New Year, my dear friends! In 2023, we will move forward bravely~ (End of this chapter)
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