Chapter 598 He had already let go.
Cheng Wanwan rearranged the courtyard, installing hidden circuits everywhere, with switches concealed in her sleeves.
In addition, she also asked Xiaodian to go home and bring down the wolf pack from the mountain to stay for a few days. She provided them with good food and drink, as these dozen or so wolves were needed to keep order in critical moments.
The day after he returned, Magistrate Shen came to Dahe Village.
After more than four months apart, Cheng Wanwan noticed that Magistrate Shen had lost a lot of weight and his skin had darkened. He must have been tanned from frequently going to the village for things like cotton and waterwheels.
"Congratulations, sir of Sui'an!" Magistrate Shen said, cupping his hands in greeting. "Now I should address you as Lord Sibin. It's truly unbelievable."
Two years ago she was just an ordinary peasant woman, and two years later she has transformed into the first female court official of the Great Yu Dynasty. It is truly unimaginable.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Lord Shen, you've come at the right time. Let me tell you about Xiao Zheng's situation. After the exam, he has been running around the capital seeking an official position. After several months of this, he has finally made some progress. If nothing unexpected happens, he should become a junior official in the Imperial Academy of the capital."
Magistrate Shen sighed, "Why won't this child listen to advice? Why does he insist on staying in the capital? It's full of scions of powerful families there; it's hard to make a name for himself..."
Cheng Wanwan carefully observed Magistrate Shen's expression and guessed that the father probably didn't know that his son had already fallen in love.
She coughed and said, "Um, Lord Shen, do you know why Xiao Zheng insists on staying in the capital?"
Magistrate Shen shook his head: "I asked about this matter every time I wrote to him, but he never gave a direct answer. Do the people of Sui'an know the reason?"
"Xiao Zheng stayed in the capital for the sake of the Lin family," Cheng Wanwan said truthfully. "It's Miss Lin, the eldest daughter of the Imperial Censor. Xiao Zheng knows that the Imperial Censor's family will return to the capital sooner or later, so he wants to stay there and establish himself, hoping that Madam Lin will marry Miss Lin to him."
"Nonsense..." Magistrate Shen's eyes widened. "Although Imperial Censor Lin is only a seventh-rank official, he is a member of the Lin family, which means he is destined to rise higher. If this kid passes the imperial examination, it's not impossible for him to marry Miss Lin... Where does this mere Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) get his confidence from..."
Cheng Wanwan said, "He's just a young man, how could he think so much? He likes Miss Lin, so naturally he's willing to work hard. And let me tell you, Xiao Zheng is much more mature and sensible than before."
Magistrate Shen remained silent.
He suddenly realized that he was not as good as his son.
He liked the woman in front of him, but it seemed he had never made any effort for her.
He watched helplessly as Sui Anren walked further and further away, higher and higher. Now, he had to look up high to barely see the hem of her dress.
He's already let it go, he's let it go a long time ago...
Cheng Wanwan felt the person opposite her suddenly staring straight at her. She coughed lightly, but Magistrate Shen was still in a daze. His eyes were very dark and unfathomable, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to call Yan Hong to add more tea, Cheng Yuanyuan walked in from the courtyard gate, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand: "I don't know when these strange things grew in your lotus pond. Daya tasted them and they were quite sweet. Can you tell what they are?"
After she finished speaking, she noticed that there were still people in the courtyard, so she quickly bowed and said, "This humble woman greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."
Magistrate Shen then came to his senses and said repeatedly, "No need for formalities, please get up."
Cheng Yuanyuan straightened up and moved away from Magistrate Shen. She was just a peasant woman who knew nothing and was most afraid of being with these officials.
Cheng Wanwan picked up the bamboo basket and was immediately delighted: "These are water chestnuts, both the tender and the old ones are delicious."
She took a bite and exclaimed, "Wow, it's so sweet! I could peel it and stir-fry it into a dish; it would be incredibly delicious!"
It should be that animals like birds brought water chestnut seeds from other places to Dahe Village. I didn't pay attention to it last year, but this year a large patch of them has grown.
Cheng Yuanyuan smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. I'll have Daya and Erya go to the pond and pick some more to bring over."
Cheng Wanwan glanced at Magistrate Shen out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, she had no choice but to say, "If Magistrate Shen has nothing else to do, why don't you stay for a simple meal?"
Magistrate Shen readily agreed, saying, "After dinner, let's talk about changing Dahe Village into Dahe Town."
Cheng Wanwan was taken aback: "Village to town?"
"The Prefect mentioned this matter at the beginning of the year, but because it is a major issue, it has been under preparation. Now it has finally made some progress," Magistrate Shen said with a smile. "This afternoon, I will convene a meeting with the village heads of the nearby villages to solicit everyone's opinions on the specifics."
Cheng Wanwan understood. Dahe Village was developing better and better. The scale of its market was comparable to that of Ping'an County, and the scale of Dahe School was several times larger than that of the largest school in Ping'an County. The biggest problem at present was that there were not enough people. So they had to absorb villagers from the surrounding villages. If the villagers from the surrounding villages were not willing to integrate into a town, this matter would probably have to be put on hold...
However, as time goes on, Dahe Village will only develop better and better, and it's only a matter of time before it's turned into a town.
She had the village head invited to talk to Magistrate Shen, while she and Cheng Yuanyuan quickly left. She simply couldn't stand the way Magistrate Shen looked at her; it made her scalp tingle.
"Wanwan, I feel that the magistrate..." Cheng Yuanyuan whispered in Cheng Wanwan's ear, "When I came in, he kept staring at you. Does he still want to marry you?"
She heard that more than a year ago, the county magistrate sent a matchmaker to Wanwan's house to propose marriage. So much time has passed, surely the county magistrate hasn't given up yet?
Cheng Wanwan chuckled dryly: "We were just talking about Xiao Zheng. Lord Shen is thinking about it, he wasn't staring at me."
"Wanwan, you're thirty-five this year. Are you really going to live alone forever?" Cheng Yuanyuan said sincerely. "I think the magistrate is really quite nice, otherwise..."
"Stop, stop, hold on!" Cheng Wanwan said with a headache. "Big sister, you're not even forty yet. Instead of worrying about my messy affairs, you should think about yourself. If you want to find someone else, I'll definitely try my best to introduce you to a good man..."
Cheng Yuanyuan's face immediately turned bright red: "What nonsense are you spouting? Okay, that's enough. Go pick the water chestnuts."
As the lotus flowers neared the end of their blooming period, some had already withered while others were in full bloom. Petals fell onto the lake surface, and many fish carried away the petals and leaves. Floating on the lake were countless water chestnuts, small and tender, which tasted sweet when peeled and put in the mouth.
After picking the water chestnuts, cook them, peel them, add some seasonings and mix. The delicious and sweet cold water chestnut salad is ready.
Two tables were set up in the courtyard. Cheng Wanwan specially separated the men's and women's seats, letting the village head and Zhao Dashan drink with Magistrate Shen, while she sat at a table with her two daughters-in-law and children.
After lunch, the village head immediately became busy and sent people to the neighboring villages to invite the village heads to a meeting.
Dahe Village built a special meeting place, which is located over the market warehouse. After the village management team was established, they had to hold small meetings from time to time, so they simply converted a warehouse into a meeting room, put some tables and chairs in it, and everyone usually discussed serious matters in this place.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
