The reason Gu An'an complimented Magistrate Du earlier was because she wanted to cooperate with the county government.
After all, she wouldn't stay in such a small county as Anping County forever. When Gu An'an plans to leave later, Gu's Restaurant will be handed over to Liu Jiuniang to manage.
Jiu Niang is quite reliable in her work, and her fiery personality means she's unlikely to suffer any losses.
But it lacked a bit of quick wit.
If we cooperate with the county government, firstly, it will solve the government's financial difficulties; secondly, it will provide clean pork; and thirdly, with the county government protecting them, we won't have to worry about Gu's restaurant being taken advantage of.
But now Gu An'an was genuinely praising Magistrate Du, "Thank you for reminding me, sir. You are truly a benevolent official who stands up for the people."
Magistrate Du waved his hand, "I am only a few years older than Madam Gu and have more experience. How about this, our county government will cooperate with Gu's family. If swine fever really occurs, we will share the responsibility fifty-fifty. If they raise pigs well, I will give them some money as a bonus at the end of the year. However, raising pigs is a bit complicated, and Madam Gu will have to take care of it a lot in the beginning."
Gu An'an smiled and agreed, "Of course. Putting everything else aside, I'll pay for the piglets myself, as a token of my sincerity."
Magistrate Du laughed upon hearing this, "Madam Gu is truly a straightforward person."
He was growing to appreciate this shrewd businesswoman more and more.
Although he came from the countryside, he had some extraordinary insights, and most importantly, he was bold but not greedy.
It's not easy to do all that.
The magistrate's appreciation relieved Gu An'an somewhat, as the slight gloom from seeing Su San Niang die in front of her dissipated considerably.
After discussing the matter with Magistrate Du and Clerk Liang, Gu An'an immediately signed a contract with the county government and pressed her fingerprint to confirm the matter.
"I will personally deliver the silver tomorrow. Please wait a moment, sir."
"No problem, no problem." Although Magistrate Du was eager to see the silver right now, he slowed down when he thought about how this was a long-term deal.
He personally escorted Gu An'an out of the county government office.
The county magistrate and his advisor, who had been working together for many years, returned to the back room and looked at the contract over and over again.
Master Liang couldn't help but sigh, "We won't have to farm anymore, right?"
“How can that be? Food is the most important thing for people. We still have to keep planting. I’ve been tending to those lands for so long. Next year’s wheat harvest will definitely be bountiful. How can we not plant them?”
Magistrate Du glanced at it again. In addition to the money for buying piglets, he also gave the money for building the pigsty. Madam Gu was really generous, giving five hundred taels of silver at once.
Why didn't he meet this Lady Gu sooner?
"By the way, didn't you have someone send you food? How's the food at Madam Gu's place?"
When it comes to this, Master Liang has something to say: "The taste is quite good, but your salary isn't enough to eat it all."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Du's expression became somewhat unnatural. "How can you say that? Do you expect me to abandon my sister-in-law and the others?"
Magistrate Du lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law.
Originally, Magistrate Du was able to bring honor to his family after passing the imperial examination, but his elder brother was so overjoyed upon hearing the good news that he drank too much and accidentally fell into the river and drowned.
Magistrate Du was distressed about this for a long time, but when he thought about his sister-in-law and several nephews and nieces who still needed to be supported, he ultimately did not follow his brother in death.
Sure enough, after being assigned to Anping County by the Ministry of Personnel, Magistrate Du brought his sister-in-law, nephew, and niece over and settled them in the backyard.
"That's not what I meant, of course. But you're not getting any younger, sir. How about I keep an eye out for you? You can't always be all alone like this."
Magistrate Du waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it, for my situation, I shouldn't delay the marriage of a fine young lady."
Although he was a minor official, his salary was meager, and he had to support his sister-in-law's family. With his nephews and nieces about to get married, this would be another considerable expense.
He should try his best to increase revenue and reduce expenditure to save money.
Upon hearing this, Master Liang sighed. This man was usually quite clever, so why was he so dull-witted in this matter?
Did he bring this up for no reason?
Didn't they see that Manager Gu had some designs on him?
Didn't Manager Gu divorce her previous husband?
She's pretty, capable, and most importantly, gets along well with adults.
True friends are hard to find.
A perfect match is right in front of you, how can you miss it?
Alright, he'll ask Manager Gu what he thinks later, and it won't be too late to bring it up after he's figured it out.
...
Gu An'an told Liu Jiuniang about the cooperation with the county government.
This excited Liu Jiuniang. "That would be perfect! But can those men really manage to raise pigs?"
“Our Magistrate Du is quite an interesting person, so we don’t need to worry too much.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiuniang couldn't help but laugh. "If it were really as you say, then Magistrate Du would become the number one pig-raising magistrate in our Great Ye Dynasty."
"A pig-raising magistrate." Gu An'an couldn't help but laugh. "Everyone says that if an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes. Our Magistrate Du doesn't grow sweet potatoes; he raises pigs."
Hearing this, Liu Jiuniang couldn't help but laugh. "You're making things up about Magistrate Du? Look at all those proverbs you've picked up!"
How could she not know?
...
After returning home, Gu An'an mentioned this matter to Jiang Mingyi and Jiang Mingzhu, the siblings.
She told the two of them for two reasons. First, she needed to oversee the construction of the pigsty and was afraid she would be too busy to supervise their studies. Second, Gu An'an always advocated for family democracy and felt that even if she didn't discuss something with her family, she should at least inform them.
Jiang Mingyi, however, hesitated slightly upon hearing this.
Jiang Mingzhu looked at her brother, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and spoke for him, "Is Mother planning to move to Anzhou Prefecture after you pass the imperial examination?"
Gu An'an did indeed have this plan.
The imperial examination for children was divided into three parts: the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the provincial examination.
The county examination was held in February, consisting of five sessions, and was presided over by the county magistrate.
The prefectural examination was held in April, consisting of three sessions, and was presided over by the prefect. After passing the county and prefectural examinations, one became a student of the preliminary examination and was eligible to participate in the provincial examination.
The provincial examinations were held twice every three years, in May, and were overseen by the provincial education commissioners.
Those who passed the provincial examination gained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). If they did well and came in first place, they were called "Anshou" (the top scholar in the examinations).
Becoming a scholar has many advantages.
However, these three major examinations—at the county, prefectural, and provincial levels—are quite arduous.
Sun Hanzhou said that Jiang Mingyi should participate in the children's examination next year, and coincidentally, Anzhou Prefecture will also have the provincial examination next year.
Gu An'an thought that if Jiang Mingyi passed the county examination smoothly, she could move to Anzhou Prefecture with the children.
It's convenient to take the exam later, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth.
Moreover, Anzhou Prefecture is a big city, which is better than a small county like Anping County.
This was Gu An'an's own selfish reason, which she had never told Magistrate Du or Liu Jiuniang, but she couldn't hide it from the two children.
Faced with Jiang Mingzhu's question, Gu An'an smiled, her gaze finally landing on Jiang Mingyi. "Is Yi'er afraid? Afraid of failing the prefectural examination and letting me down?"
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