Chapter 160 Marry her and make her Mrs. Shen
The fields of Dahe Village are a beautiful sight.
Standing on the edge of the field, Magistrate Shen even felt the urge to compose a poem.
However, he knew that the matter of ratooning rice could not be delayed. Most of the farmers in the village were hardworking, and if they had a little free time, they would probably take their oxen to the fields to plow. He had to issue a formal decree as soon as possible to prohibit plowing.
He and Cheng Wanwan came out of the field and prepared to return to the city.
"Zheng'er, I need to attend to official business first. Stay at the Zhao family home and don't cause any trouble. I'll send someone to pick you up in half a month."
Shen Zheng pulled Magistrate Shen aside and lowered his voice, saying, "Father, I have something very, very important to tell you!"
Magistrate Shen's expression turned serious: "Speak, I am listening."
"Dad, look over there." Shen Zheng gestured with his eyes in Cheng Wanwan's direction. "Aunt Zhao, how is she?"
Magistrate Shen looked at her with admiration: "Zhao Chengshi is very smart. She has her own insights and thoughts on everything. She is different from ordinary rural women. If she were a man, she would probably have achieved great things long ago."
Shen Zheng grinned and said, "Dad, haven't you always wanted to find me a stepmother...?"
"Nonsense!" Magistrate Shen glared at him. "It's always been your grandmother who's making the arrangements; I'm just cooperating. Since you don't like it, I won't go anymore. With you in the Shen family, the lineage is secure, and I can finally face our ancestors with a clear conscience..."
“Father, I was against this before because I was afraid that my stepmother would abuse me after she came into the family. What if she secretly put drugs in my food? Wouldn’t our Shen family line end?” Shen Zheng coughed and said, “I have confirmed for you, Father. Aunt Zhao’s character is absolutely fine. Most importantly, Aunt Zhao would never abuse me. Father, why don’t you marry Aunt Zhao and make her Mrs. Shen?”
Magistrate Shen was dumbfounded: "You, you..."
He never expected his son to bring this up and was completely unprepared.
He couldn't help but look in Cheng Wanwan's direction. Cheng Wanwan was talking to her sons. She smiled, her eyes filled with gentle joy.
Magistrate Shen looked away uncomfortably, his face stern, and said, "You're being ridiculous."
"Dad, do you dislike Aunt Zhao for giving birth to four sons? Do you think she's not good enough for you?" Shen Zheng snorted. "I've asked around. Aunt Zhao is only thirty-three, two years younger than you. You've even got a few gray hairs, but she still looks incredibly young. She's not inferior to a twenty-year-old girl. Most importantly, she's intelligent. She's much better than those Xu and Zhang ladies in the city..."
Magistrate Shen looked at Cheng Wanwan. She stood in the crowd, her whiteness almost dazzling. Summer wasn't completely over yet, and everyone in the village was tanned dark, but she wasn't tanned at all. Her whiteness was translucent. When a person is fair-skinned, they look healthy and younger.
If Cheng Wanwan knew about the conversation between the father and son, she would definitely grumble to herself. Ever since she came to Dahe Village, she has been secretly applying sunscreen every day. Some sunscreens have whitening ingredients, so it would be strange if she didn't get whiter.
Shen Zheng continued to persuade him, "Dad, Aunt Zhao is really nice. She's very good to me, and she's especially smart. Maybe she can even help you come up with some ideas..."
"Oh, is Young Master Shen praising our Aunt Dashan?" Old Mrs. Zhao suddenly walked in from the courtyard gate.
Both father and son were startled, and unease flashed across their faces.
Grandma Zhao said with a smile, "Aunt Dashan is indeed clever. Lately, the village head has been asking Aunt Dashan for advice on everything. Your Excellency, here are twenty eggs collected from various households in the village. Please take them home and eat them."
Magistrate Shen hurriedly declined, saying, "An egg costs only two or three coins, which is a good thing for the common people. How can I accept what the common people have to give me? This is unacceptable... Zheng'er, I'm leaving now. Don't think too much about it!"
He hurriedly fled from the courtyard, and Master Yuan followed, completely bewildered.
Old Mrs. Zhao chased after him for a few steps but couldn't catch up. She sighed and said, "If it were any other official, he would probably have to plunder every household in the village before leaving. Our Lord Shen is truly a good official."
Shen Zheng was very proud and looked at Cheng Wanwan, saying, "Aunt Zhao, my father not only cares about the people and has their well-being in mind, but he is also a very responsible person. He never lets his family suffer and always brings back good things for them. If you become a member of our Shen family, you will enjoy endless blessings for the rest of your life..."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Your dad is indeed a good man."
Good officials like this are rare, whether in ancient or modern times.
“Then…” Shen Zheng leaned closer, “Aunt Zhao, have you ever thought about…”
"Shen Zheng!"
Zhao Ergou shouted, covered Shen Zheng's mouth, and dragged him away.
Zhao Sidan explained, "Second Brother and Young Master Shen were just discussing business matters, Mother, don't overthink it."
After saying that, he ran away.
Grandma Zhao shook her head: "Although Young Master Shen is easygoing, he can't be this disrespectful. I'll go and have a serious talk with him..."
Cheng Wanwan quickly pulled the old woman back: "The children are used to making a fuss, let them be. The magistrate has left, so please help me, Mother, call the workers back."
The wages for a day's work are thirty coins. This has been delayed for so long, how much money must have been wasted? The old lady went to call for help immediately.
Before long, the men who made adobe bricks all returned and got to work with great enthusiasm.
At this time, Magistrate Shen had already arrived at the county office.
As soon as he entered, the registrar came to report: "Your Excellency, Magistrate Zheng, Magistrate Bai, and Magistrate Fu have all arrived."
The magistrates were from Fenghuang Town, Baiyun Town, and Hekou Town, respectively. None of these places had towns under their jurisdiction, so the people habitually referred to them as towns. In fact, they were registered with the imperial court. Ping'an Town was Ping'an County, Fenghuang Town was Fenghuang County, and above the county was the prefectural city of Huzhou, and above that was the provincial capital, and above the provincial capital was the capital city.
Magistrate Shen walked in, cupped his hands, and greeted everyone: "What brings you all to Ping'an County?"
Magistrate Fu asked, "I've heard that a farm tool to help with threshing has appeared in a village in Ping'an County. Is that true?"
Magistrate Zheng then said, "Although the autumn harvest is over, there will be another autumn harvest next year. If this is feasible, it can be promoted during the off-season, which would be a benefit to the people."
“What’s a stone roller? It can only be used as an auxiliary farming tool. Improving grain yield per mu is what truly benefits the people.” Magistrate Shen said, raising his chin. “I was just about to write a memorial to report to the Prefect. I really don’t have time to entertain you all. Clerk Yuan, please bring out the best Biluochun tea in the county and properly entertain the magistrates.”
Increased grain yield per mu!
This keyword immediately piqued the interest of everyone present.
Seeing Magistrate Shen's arrogant and smug demeanor, the magistrate of Hekou Town wanted nothing more than to beat up his old underling. However, this was not the time for violence. He pulled Magistrate Shen down to sit and said in a gentle tone, "Brother Shen, what's all this talk about increasing grain yield per mu? Can you tell us all about it?"
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