Chapter 616 The Shen Family Leaves
Cheng Wanwan also brought gifts for her family.
After the gifts were distributed, only the new species presented as tribute by the Kingdom of Laki remained on the carriage.
The plant specimens, consisting of seeds and rhizomes, were preserved exceptionally well. However, the cultivated specimens fared much worse, remaining as seedlings. Given their already weak vitality, and the arduous journey they underwent, they were all on the verge of death, seemingly on the verge of passing away at any moment.
Cheng Wanwan was too lazy to bother with the golden apple snails and other inedible things.
But crayfish can't die. Their official scientific name is Procambarus clarkii, which is translated as "crawfish" in the Great Yu Dynasty. These creatures like to grow in ditches and are often seen in rice paddies. Their pincers are sharp tools that can sever the roots of rice seedlings, reducing the yield of rice. Therefore, when these creatures first entered China, they were always disliked. Later, various delicacies were developed, and this invasive species was almost eaten to extinction.
Crayfish can survive in temperatures ranging from -11 degrees Celsius to 30-40 degrees Celsius, demonstrating their strong adaptability to the environment. Some died, but some survived.
Cheng Wanwan immediately had a small pond dug next to the yard, specifically for raising crayfish. The first year was for experimentation. Only after the experiment yielded results could it be promoted on a large scale. This would be autumn and winter, when the crayfish would enter a period of slow growth. They would grow to adulthood by the end of the year, just in time for breeding next spring.
She had other aquatic species raised in the artificial hills and ponds in the yard, so they wouldn't spread into the farmland. If they died, so be it; she could write whatever she wanted in the report.
The remaining invasive plants were planted and tested in a specially designated area far from the farmland. In fact, she had known about the invasive nature of these plants for a long time, but she still had to pretend. After all, there were more and more people in the village, and she was being watched by more and more people. She couldn't make any mistakes in any aspect of the things the emperor had entrusted to her.
By the time all the plants were planted, it was already early October.
The weather is getting cooler and cooler, and autumn rains come one after another, drizzling incessantly.
In this season of autumn chill, the new magistrate of Ping'an County has finally taken office, while Shen Dongming is about to take his family to the capital to assume his post.
Cheng Wanwan went to see him off.
Outside Ping'an County, on the ancient road, there were three carriages: one for the master of the Shen family, one for three or four servants, and the remaining carriage was for luggage.
"Wanwan, once you leave, who knows when we'll meet again?" Old Madam Shen sighed. "I hope Sidan will pass the imperial examination soon, so you can go to the capital and reunite with us."
Shen Zheng smiled and said, "Grandmother, you're wrong. Whether Si Dan passes the exam or not doesn't matter much. Your godmother is the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. When foreign envoys come to the capital in the future, the Emperor will definitely summon your godmother to the capital to receive them. We will meet again soon."
Cheng Wanwan knew in her heart that since she had taken on the position of a sixth-rank official, she had to shoulder certain responsibilities.
She began, "San Niu is a reckless boy. As his mother, I've always been worried about him being in such a complicated place as the military. I hope that after Lord Shen settles down in the capital, he can take good care of San Niu."
“Of course.” Shen Dongming nodded. “Our two families are godparents, and San Niu is practically my godson. Don’t worry, San Niu and I keep in touch.”
As the two families were saying goodbye, a carriage quickly approached from a distance.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing that it was Madam Lin, the Imperial Censor, who had arrived with her daughter.
"Luckily I'm not too late." Imperial Censor Lin jumped off the carriage. "If I hadn't heard the people talking about it, I wouldn't have known that Lord Shen was leaving today. Since I took office as Imperial Censor in Huzhou, I have been very grateful for Lord Shen's care, so I came here to see him off. The road is long and the mountains are high, I wish you a safe and smooth journey."
Madam Lin took out two sachets from her sleeve: "The journey has been difficult, and it's easy to get dizzy from sitting in the carriage for a long time. I've prepared some sachets to refresh your mind. You can hang them on your waist, Madam."
Madam Shen took the items and said with a smile, "Thank you, Madam Lin."
The fact that the Lin family came to see him off shows that they value the Shen family and the agreement between the two families. In this light, Xiao Zheng's chances seem pretty good.
Madam Lin glanced at her daughter standing to the side: "Didn't your father ask you to give a book to Young Master Shen? Hurry up and go over there."
Miss Lin Weirong's face immediately turned red. Her mother had told her to give up on such thoughts, but now she was making no attempt to hide it from so many people...
Holding a book in her hand, she walked hesitantly toward Shen Zheng, though there were still several steps between them.
Shen Zheng, who was always carefree and unserious, suddenly became flustered.
Ever since Lin Weirong appeared, he has felt uneasy. He longs to see the woman he has been thinking about day and night, but he is afraid of being too abrupt, so he has to suppress his feelings.
Now that the girl has walked up to him with the permission of her elders, if he were to avoid her or act serious, he would be being disrespectful.
He coughed and asked, "What book is Miss Lin holding?"
“This is the Book of Changes, with annotations by a master. You can take a look when you have time,” Lin Weirong said, blushing. “Young Master Shen is now a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, which is enviable to many scholars, but he should not stop there. I hope that Young Master Shen will read more books and achieve good results in the next imperial examination.”
Her mother still felt that the status of a scholar was too low. If it weren't for Lord Shen's sudden promotion, her mother wouldn't have changed her mind so quickly.
In her opinion, it was Lord Shen's business to get promoted, but she hoped that Shen Zheng could use his own abilities to gain her mother's approval.
Shen Zheng naturally understood the implied meaning in her words.
He took the book and said firmly, word by word, "Miss Lin, rest assured, I will study even harder and make sure I pass the next imperial examination."
Lin Weirong nodded slightly.
She didn't dare linger and quickly returned to her mother's side.
Madam Shen was very pleased with her prospective granddaughter-in-law, but she did not make any other abrupt moves. She smiled and said, "It's getting late, so our family will be leaving now. Please wait a moment."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than voices suddenly came from the ancient road, which had been deserted just moments before.
Looking up, I saw that the city gates had opened at some point in the early morning, and many people were coming out of the city.
"Why didn't you say anything before you left, Lord Shen? We would have come to see you off."
"Lord Shen served as the magistrate of Ping'an County for decades. He was our benefactor. Now that we are parting, we don't know when we will meet again."
"Take care on your journey..."
The villagers and their neighbors came spontaneously to see him off, and Shen Dongming's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
He waved to the villagers before stepping onto the carriage. Even after the wheels had rolled, he kept lifting the curtain and looking back.
Slowly, the carriage disappeared down the ancient road.
Among the people who came to see him off were the newly appointed county magistrate.
He was a top-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations, which is why he was assigned to Ping'an County as its magistrate, much to the envy of many of his fellow scholars.
Because everyone knows that Sui Gongren is from Ping'an County, with Sui Gongren around, Ping'an County will only develop better and better, and it will be easy for him to achieve political success. It is estimated that he can be promoted after working for three years. How can people not envy him?
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