Chapter 71
After lunch, Mrs. Luo worriedly asked her second son how he was doing in the government office and whether he was being bullied.
Fu Wei simply replied that he was living well in the yamen and was not bullied.
Seeing that Luo wanted to ask other questions, Yu Ying said that Fu Wei would have to go to the yamen to report for duty in a while, so he should take a nap before going on duty so that he would not feel sleepy in the afternoon.
Hearing this, Mrs. Luo hurriedly urged her son to take a rest.
Before Fu Wei was about to go on duty, his sister-in-law took out the cloth shoes she had made.
They are Fu Wei's two pairs of cloth shoes.
After Fu Wei tried it on, it fit perfectly.
With these two pairs of shoes, he could wear the new shoes when going out and the old shoes at home. Fu Wei no longer had to carefully wipe the mud from the soles of his shoes before going out every day to cover up the traces of his walking.
After putting on new shoes, Yu Ying saw Fu Wei out.
Walking through the alley, even though they had lived there for two days, there were still people who looked at the couple curiously.
The neighbors were quite curious in the past two days and kept craning their necks to look at them.
They simply said that the husband was handsome, but unfortunately he was lame. If he wasn't lame, why would he marry a woman with black spots on her face?
Looking closely, the young woman's appearance was not that bad, but it was like a stain on a piece of white cloth, which was hard not to notice.
These two people seem to be a good match but they don't really complement each other. But if you really say they don't complement each other, they are surprisingly a good match, which is very strange.
Yu Ying didn't care about the strange looks. After she walked Fu Wei to the entrance of the alley, she stopped and said to him, "The housewarming party starts at noon. It will surely have dispersed before you get back from your shift. I should have been back by then."
Even if she didn't say it, Fu Wei had already anticipated this.
He turned and looked at her.
His eyes fell on her face, and after a few more quiet glances, he slowly spoke: "Be careful when you go back."
Yu Ying smiled faintly and whispered, "You too, be more careful of others in the county government office."
Fu Wei nodded lightly, withdrew his gaze, and pushed Su Yu away.
As they walked further away, Fu Wei's face became gloomier.
As she said, separation is just for them to have a better future. Even though they are reluctant, they have to face it.
*
In the afternoon, Yu Ying borrowed fifty cents from her sister-in-law, and then went to the carpenter's shop with her sister-in-law.
She chose an octagonal table that didn't look very big, plus two high stools, and spent eighty cents.
After buying the tables and chairs, I asked the carpenter shop to deliver them to Xikou Lane.
This table can be used as an extra table this afternoon, and can also be placed in Fu Wei's room as a desk in the future.
After noon, Yu Ying, her sister-in-law, and Luo Shi prepared two tables of dishes together.
The dishes were similar to the ones we had when we entertained Huo Yachai yesterday: stewed mutton with radish, braised pork, braised fish, stewed tofu, and one green vegetable.
The two tables of dishes made Fu An and Fu Ning's mouth water.
They had never eaten mutton, and even rarely ate fish. Occasionally they would eat meat every two or three days, but it was just simply stir-fried, and it was not as red as it is now, and it looked so delicious.
Yu Ying brought the dishes into the room and laughed at the brother and sister: "Your drool is almost dripping onto the floor, why don't you wipe it off quickly?"
The brother and sister believed it and raised their hands to wipe the corners of their mouths with their sleeves in a surprisingly similar manner.
Fu An was the first to realize that his aunt was trying to scare him, and he yelled in embarrassment, "Aunt!"
Yu Ying pursed her lips and smiled, then continued serving the dishes.
At this time, Manager Chen, Uncle Chen, and the waiters from Wu's Restaurant had all arrived.
Shopkeeper Chen came over carrying a live chicken, and his waiter brought two boxes of snacks.
Yu Ying welcomed them into the house and asked her eldest brother to entertain them.
Yu Ying asked Fu An to tie up the chicken and let Luo Shi raise it in the future.
Besides, although the main guest was not there, the guests still had a great time and left in high spirits.
Before leaving, Luo called Yu Ying into the house and handed her a hundred coins. "It must have cost you a lot of money to rent this house. I don't have much money, so take this hundred coins."
Luo still left some silver money in case Erlang couldn't afford the money to buy food.
Yu Ying pushed the money away and explained, "Erlang paid the lion's share, I didn't pay much either."
Luo Shi didn't believe it: "Where did Erlang get the money? Don't say such things just to reassure me."
Yu Ying was about to continue explaining, but thinking that Luo might become more worried after the explanation, she gave up and accepted the hundred coins.
After cleaning up, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law moved a table and a stool into Fu Wei's room.
She spread the tablecloth on the table, and placed on it pen, ink, paper, an oil lamp, and a bamboo tube with two bamboo branches inserted in it.
Finally, a curtain was hung up. Although it was a mud house, it had a touch of elegance.
Yu Ying retreated to the door, took a last look at the room, and then slowly closed the door.
Before leaving, he handed Fu An a few packets of powder at the door and told him: "If there are bad guys who want to catch you, don't force them. Find a chance to sprinkle this powder on them, and then find a chance to escape."
Fu An was stunned for a moment and was about to ask how he could have met such a bad guy, but then he remembered that his aunt had also met such a bad guy, so he quickly nodded.
"Also, don't believe anyone who says there's a job offering money. They're just scamming you. They'll take you away, tie you up, and force us to pay money to redeem you."
Fu An exclaimed "Ah!" This was probably the first time he had been exposed to this kind of anti-fraud education, so his face was full of confusion.
In the book, Fu An's ending is that he was kidnapped and his whereabouts are unknown.
Many years later, Fu Wei never gave up looking for his only relative, but he never found him.
Fu Ning, who was standing by, also listened very carefully, and silently took his aunt's words to heart.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch, so don't be greedy for small gains and lose the big picture, okay?"
Fu An nodded: "I understand."
Yu Ying finally instructed, "Don't run around. Just walk around here, or go to the government office to pick up your uncle."
It's always safer near the government office.
After Yu Ying gave numerous instructions, she left with her elder brother, his wife, and Fu Ning in Uncle Chen's ox cart.
When Fu Wei came back from his shift, it was Fu An who opened the door.
Although there were occasional voices of my nephew and mother talking in the yard, it was in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of this afternoon.
The heart that was just filled now seems to be missing a corner.
After opening the door and seeing the changes in the room, Fu Wei slowly walked to the table.
He raised his hand and placed it on the tablecloth-covered table. His slender fingers gently stroked the table, and his eyes fell on the bamboo branches in the bamboo tube.
It is obvious who prepared this.
Her thin lips gradually rose, and her heart felt sweet.
*
Yu Ying returned to Lingshui Village and looked at the house with no one in it. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she smiled faintly and turned around to continue doing other things.
Yu Ying brought Fu Ning with her, and took two boxes of cakes and two portions of melon seeds to send to Song Sanlang and the He family. She also took some new facial cream made from mutton fat to the He family.
After Yu Ying chatted with Aunt He and He's sister-in-law in the yard for a while, they saw the men of the He family coming back from the fields.
The He family had little land, so they would go to collect herbs in the morning and work in the fields in the afternoon. After finishing their own fields, they would also visit the Fu family's herb and vegetable fields.
Yu Ying called He Erlang over and looked carefully at his cheeks and hands.
After applying it for four days, the chapped cheeks on both sides were healed by 60%.
The chapped skin on both hands has also improved by 50% to varying degrees.
From this perspective, her facial cream is as effective as that from Ji's Medical Clinic, but better than the other two.
However, the effect of the facial cream, which is similar to that of Ji's Medical Clinic, may not be the same as that of other medical clinics in Cangwu County.
He Erlang felt a little embarrassed when being stared at, but fortunately his skin color was dark enough that no changes could be seen.
Yu Ying took out the newly made facial cream and said to him, "From now on, whether it's your face, hands, or even your feet, apply this facial cream."
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Can you show me your feet?"
He Erlang thought of his feet with severe cracks, and his face was embarrassed, but he still nodded.
Yu Ying took a look and saw that He Erlang's heel was so cracked that blood and flesh were visible.
She instructed, "Apply more to your heels. I'll take a look tomorrow."
After Yu Ying finished her instructions, she glanced at the slightly chapped face of He's grandson.
If this facial cream is very effective, the chapped skin on the He family grandson's face will be healed in just one night.
Yu Ying asked him to wash his face, and then put some facial cream on it: "Don't wash it, it should be fine tomorrow."
Niu Niu responded with a full-bodied "Okay", and then asked, "Aunt Fu, when will An An come back?"
Yu Ying said, "I'll be back to stay for a few days after a while."
Yu Ying took the opportunity to tell Uncle He and Aunt He where Fu Wei was living now. If they went to the county town, they could also stop there to rest.
After staying at Aunt He and Uncle He's house for a while, she returned home. Before it got dark, she went to sort out the eighty kilograms of medicinal herbs.
*
The sky darkened and a cold wind blew.
County government office.
After dinner, County Magistrate Zhou went to the study to look for books.
He took down a few bamboo scrolls from the bookshelf and was about to leave when he saw the papers he had casually placed on the table today.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, thought for a moment, then took the paper out of the study and returned to the backyard.
When he returned to the house, his wife was sewing. He said, "You're still sewing so late at night. Aren't you afraid of going blind?"
The graceful woman, about thirty years old, glanced up at him and said, "Then why don't you always wear out these clothes?"
County Magistrate Zhou touched his nose and said, "Isn't it because the clothes are not durable?"
The woman sneered and said, "No matter how durable the clothes are, they can't be damaged by your daily boxing and martial arts training."
County Magistrate Zhou didn't say anything more, and only said, "Then you should finish sewing and rest."
After giving the instructions, he took the bamboo slips and sat down beside the couch.
He glanced at the paper in his hand, thought for a moment, then put the bamboo slips on the low table and opened the paper first.
I just planned to take a few casual glances.
When the paper is opened, what appears is not a dense collection of insights, but novel frames.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and began to study it with a bit of curiosity.
Since I was the one who tried the case yesterday, it only took me a moment to figure out how to look at it.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw the clear content above.
Madam Zhou heard the laughter and looked up: "What did you see that makes you so happy?"
County Magistrate Zhou said, "Do you know about the new staff members who have joined the government office?"
Madam Zhou thought for a moment and said, "I know. As for the one with the crippled leg, I saw him from a distance. He had a handsome appearance. What a pity."
He sighed and asked again, "What happened to him?"
County Magistrate Zhou showed his wife the paper in his hand.
Madam Zhou took a look and said, "It's just a few grids with the contents written on them. What's so special about it?"
Magistrate Zhou took the paper back and said, "Forget it. You won't understand it even if I show it to you."
He pondered, "I originally thought that since Fu Wei had been a nobleman for twenty years, he might actually have some abilities, so I decided to let him join the government."
"Stay for three months. If he's capable, I'll keep him. If he's not, I'll let him go. After all, I don't have high hopes for him. Since he has nothing to do, I'll just arrange for him to attend my trial and give me a summary the next day."
Madam Zhou frowned and thought for a moment, "Don't you judge trivial cases every day? What's there to summarize?"
County Magistrate Zhou said, "It's because there's no work for him."
He sighed again, "I almost forgot what case I tried yesterday, but I didn't expect Fu Wei to list all the cases from yesterday, including the time of the trial and who sued whom. It's clear at a glance. This memory and the way of writing are not what amazes me the most."
While sewing clothes, Madam Zhou asked, "Anything else?"
Magistrate Zhou laughed and said, "I originally thought these well-read young men from aristocratic families loved to show off their literary talent. Apparently, I was too prejudiced. Do you know what Fu Wei's opinion is on this chicken theft case?"
Magistrate Zhou succeeded in arousing his wife's curiosity, and she asked, "What did you write?"
He smiled and said, "Petite theft happens everywhere. It's nothing unusual."
"Did he really write that?"
Magistrate Zhou nodded and continued, "Women quarreled and threw feces at each other. His views are just mundane and boring."
"Don't you think he's being perfunctory?" Madam Zhou looked suspicious.
Magistrate Zhou laughed heartily and said, "Every word of his opinion speaks volumes about what's really in my heart! It's not perfunctory at all! Besides, if he really analyzes these cases in detail and focuses on trivial matters, he'll be of little use."
Seeing him laughing heartily, Madam Zhou also laughed and said, "It seems that you think highly of this young staff member."
Magistrate Zhou's smile faded, and he sighed, "I've been in Yu County for three years now, and it feels like I can see the end of my career. I don't see any hope of promotion at all."
"Mr. Qian and Mr. Sun can only assist me in managing Yu County. But generally speaking, they don't have much understanding of the imperial capital and the court. Fu Wei has only been in Yu County for half a year, so he knows a little bit about the court affairs."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou thought for a moment and said slowly, "Since you've said so, you must have an idea."
County Magistrate Zhou nodded.
The two aides are temporarily balanced, but if there is one more, they will inevitably fight.
Whether Fu Wei can withstand it depends on his own ability.
The next day.
When Fu Wei was on duty, he was called to the study by County Magistrate Zhou.
County Magistrate Zhou took out the summary paper he had handed over and praised it generously: "The summary is well done."
"Thank you for the compliment, sir, but this general style was suggested by my wife."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Isn't this what you've thought of?"
Fu Wei nodded: "The content was indeed written by me."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou raised his chin and said, "I wanted to see if you were truly capable, but I won't engage in any empty talk with you now, let alone any trials. I'll just get straight to the point."
At this point, County Magistrate Zhou's face turned stern: "Yu County is poor. In your opinion, how can we change the current situation?"
Fu Wei was surprised by the magistrate's directness. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Food is the foundation of the people. Grain is the most important thing."
Magistrate Zhou, however, scoffed as if he had heard a joke, "Mr. Qian and Mr. Sun said the same thing two years ago."
"Who doesn't know that food is the foundation of the people? But Lingnan is already covered by dense forests, and the mountains are full of miasma, poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts. Farming is so difficult, how can we even talk about farming?"
"Besides, the arable land is limited, and the people don't have money to pay. Do you think the government will advance the money for them? If so, you are overly respectful of the government."
Fu Wei pondered for a moment, then said, "There's limited arable land, so we should reclaim it. The court has a policy that for newly reclaimed sloping land, only one hundred coins per mu will be collected annually for the first three years, and no grain is required. Even if sloping land can't be used to grow food, other plants can be cultivated in exchange for silver, which can then be used to purchase food from other places."
County Magistrate Zhou: "You make it sound so easy. Cultivate something else in exchange for money? First, where would they get the money to rent the land? Second, what can they cultivate to make money? Third, how can Yu County afford such a large expenditure?"
The two of them raised questions back and forth, then answered them, and then raised questions again.
"Your Excellency, please write to the governor of Cangwu County and propose that the county experiment with having the people first owe the rent for their land, and then repay the debt when they earn money next year."
Fu Wei pondered for a moment, then said, "As for what to grow, Yu County has many sloping lands. While not suitable for farming, they are suitable for growing herbs. The north can't grow the same herbs as the south, and the south can't grow the same herbs as the north, so selling herbs from different places to each other is a huge profit."
Fu Wei's words were clear and logical, so this time, County Magistrate Zhou did not immediately question him.
After a few breaths, County Magistrate Zhou told what he knew.
"Most of the herbalists who come to Yu County to buy medicinal herbs are small businesses. Several medical clinics are worried about not being able to sell the herbs from their own fields. Why do you think the herbs grown by ordinary people can be sold?"
Fu Wei's expression became more serious, and he replied, "It's not about waiting for others to come and buy us, but about going out and buying."
County Magistrate Zhou raised an eyebrow and asked, "Go out?"
Fu Wei nodded and said, "Send the herbs to the medical clinic in the north."
County Magistrate Zhou: "Who will deliver it?"
Fu Wei: "Officials and civilians can form a caravan and ship away with the medicinal herbs. With official documents, the checkpoints won't dare to maliciously detain them and will simply inspect and release them quickly. This way, the journey can be shortened significantly."
"By purchasing at a low price and selling at a high price, the government can make a profit from the difference. On the way back, they can buy food and medicinal herbs from the north and sell them on the way, which is another source of income."
Finally, Fu Wei truthfully told Yu Ying what he had learned: "The cheapest medicinal herbs are sold at 15 wen per jin. If you buy them in the north, you can sell them for 40 or 50 wen per jin."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Fu Wei suggested again: "The clinic has several large plots of medicinal fields. My Lord, why don't you cooperate with the clinic first and sell the medicinal materials abroad? You can settle the payment after receiving the money. This way, you don't have to worry about not being able to pay for the goods."
At the end, Fu Wei asked the most important question: "Poverty continues to repeat itself. Are you worried that the current situation in Yu County will get worse?"
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou fell into deep thought.
Magistrate Zhou seemed somewhat convinced. After a long moment, he looked at Fu Wei and said, "Please organize what I have said today in detail and clearly. I will call Mr. Qian and Mr. Sun to discuss this matter with you the next day. As for the matter concerning the clinic, we will discuss it separately after we have agreed on whether to proceed or not."
*
As promised, Yu Ying took Fu Ning to deliver the medicinal herbs to the inn and received more than 1,300 coins.
When she came out of the inn, it was almost noon, so she rushed to the yamen.
As soon as I arrived at the yamen, I saw a young yamen runner pushing Fu Wei out of the alley at the side door of the yamen.
The young yamen runner was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was the one who went to Huo Yachai's house to have the housewarming dinner with him. He was Mo Xiaoyachai.
Fu Wei seemed to sense something and turned around to look, and saw Yu Ying in a cloth skirt and straw hairpin among the crowd.
The two of them smiled at each other across the pedestrians.
Yu Ying took Fu Ning's hand and walked towards them, and took over the job of pushing the wheelchair from Mo Xiaoyacha.
Fu Ning called out to Fu Wei, "Uncle."
Although the voice is still a little unclear, it is much better than when I first learned to speak.
Fu Wei nodded lightly.
Yu Ying explained: "She said she missed her brother and grandma, so I brought her along."
Fu Wei asked her, "Did you deliver the herbs smoothly?"
Yu Ying nodded: "It went smoothly. I'll be here as soon as the herbs are delivered."
Fu Wei knew that the inn was some distance away and Fu Ning must be tired, so he carried her on his lap and let her go back in the wheelchair together.
Fu Ning became close to his uncle and was no longer afraid of him.
Half a minute later, they arrived outside the yard.
After knocking twice, I heard Fu An's voice from inside the yard: "I'll open it, I'll open it!"
As soon as the door opened, Fu An saw his aunt and sister, whom he had been thinking about, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Aunt, sister!"
Little Funing grinned and called out "Brother" through his gap-toothed smile.
Mrs. Luo also hurriedly wiped her hands and walked out of the main hall, saying happily, "My dear grandson Ningning."
"Grandma." Fu Ning also ran towards his grandmother.
Mrs. Luo picked her up, then looked at her son and daughter-in-law and said, "We've just made lunch. Let's eat first and talk later."
Knowing that Liu Niang was going to deliver medicinal herbs to Yun County, Luo specially prepared some extra food.
After a simple lunch, with Yu Ying around, Fu Wei did not plan to rest, but called her into the house to talk alone.
He explained to her in detail the proposal he had made to the magistrate, and also the meeting to be held tomorrow.
After hearing this, Yu Ying nodded and said, "Although those who have grain and silver will be respected in the future, when we can't grow grain, these medicinal herbs are also in high demand."
At this point, he looked at Fu Wei and said, "If this proposal is really confirmed, I will immediately rent more than ten acres of sloping land and have someone cultivate it. Then I will buy it back at a low price and make a profit from the difference."
Fu Wei's face was solemn: "I will make sure he succeeds in this matter."
If it succeeds, the people of Yu County will have another way to survive during the subsequent wars, and there will not be corpses everywhere.
While talking about promoting herbal medicine cultivation, Yu Ying also took the opportunity to tell Fu Wei about her plan to go to Cangwu County.
"The effect of my new facial cream is much better than the previous ones, and even better than those from several other medical clinics. So I plan to make a hundred bottles and send them to Cangwu County for trial. My eldest brother, his wife, and Song Sanlang will also go with us."
Yu Ying asked He Erlang to use facial cream, and the effect was obvious after just one night.
It takes several days to travel from Yu County to Cangwu County. There is no telling what dangers there may be along the way, so we can only feel at ease if we travel together.
Fu Wei's expression froze for a moment before he asked, "When are you leaving?"
Yu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Because I want to sell this at a higher price, I can't use bamboo jars. If I want to sell a hundred jars, I need to prepare clay jars first, and then the sheep tail oil. This will take at least a few days to prepare."
At this point, Yu Ying continued, "Ningning and I will be staying in Yu County for the next few days. I will have the facial cream ready within three days. After three days, my elder brother and the others will also join me in Yu County."
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