Mu Dazhuang and his group followed the county magistrate and Old Hu, walking towards the entrance of the county government office.
Mu Dazhuang tugged at Old Hu's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Old Hu, will you really get paid?"
Old Hu said, "The county magistrate has spoken, would I lie to you?"
Mu Dazhuang was skeptical, but he followed the group to the entrance of the county government office.
Nearly a thousand people had gathered at the entrance of the county government office. These were people who had been summoned to perform corvée labor. They hadn't started any work that day and were just waiting to see if they would be paid.
County Magistrate Li Qi had the officials from the clerk's office bring out the registration book. He sat behind the desk on the steps and announced loudly, "Next, those whose names I call, come up one by one to collect your wages."
A commotion broke out in the audience, with people heckling and jeering.
"They really are paying wages!"
"The county magistrate wasn't lying; he really did pay the wages!"
They stared wide-eyed, as if they were about to go up and collect their wages, their hearts pounding and their breathing tense.
"Li Wuwa!"
County Magistrate Li Qi read out the first name, paused, and waited for the person to come up before personally handing him one hundred copper coins.
The man immediately burst into tears and shouted to the nearly one thousand people below the steps, "Fellow villagers! We're really getting paid! We're really getting paid!"
The crowd erupted in uproar, their emotions running high.
"Magistrate! Upright and just magistrate!"
"We need to work! Let us work tomorrow!"
"Your Excellency! We can do it tonight!"
Li Qi ignored the jeers from the audience and continued calling out one name after another.
"Wu Chu Si!"
"Zhang Laosan!"
"Something happened in Qiudi?!"
"..."
Mu Dazhuang blushed and was filled with excitement, eagerly awaiting the magistrate's call of his name.
finally--
"Mu Dazhuang!"
Mu Dazhuang rubbed his hands together excitedly, stepped onto the stage, and accepted the copper coin personally given to him by the county magistrate.
"Thank you, Magistrate!"
Mu Dazhuang bowed repeatedly, then looked at the money in his hand and realized, "Wait, something's not right!"
"Your Honor, there are twenty coins too much!"
Mu Dazhuang had a full 120 coins in his hand. He was an honest and upright man, and subconsciously wanted to return the extra money.
But then the county magistrate said, "You worked very hard, so the extra twenty coins are a reward for you!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Dazhuang quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Magistrate! Thank you, Magistrate!"
"Okay, go down!"
Back on stage, the people who had worked with him looked at the hundred coins they had received and suddenly felt it wasn't so appealing anymore.
"Dazhuang, you actually gave us twenty more coins..."
"I really envy you..."
Mu Dazhuang was overjoyed, his smile incredibly bright...
...
The next morning, just as the clerk was about to open the county government gate, he froze on the spot, as if petrified.
The large open space in front of the county government office was packed with people.
The entire county has a population of less than 200,000, and right now there are at least 30,000 to 40,000 people standing here, filling the entire Daping area, and people are still arriving in droves...
Even the county town markets and streets were packed with people.
It's estimated that more than half of the people in the entire county have come!
Before the gate was even halfway open, the crowd outside began waving their fists and shouting menacingly.
"We have to perform corvée labor!"
"We need to get to work!"
The clerk was so frightened that he immediately closed the door again and rushed to the main hall to report the situation outside to his superior.
County Magistrate Li Qi never expected that such a terrible change would happen overnight!
But stabilizing the people and maintaining public order are the top priorities right now. He put on his green official robes and winged hat and immediately walked out of the main hall.
At this moment, County Magistrate Wu Xinzhong also quickly followed, and summoned more than a dozen yamen runners carrying water and fire sticks, just in case some troublemakers took the opportunity to cause trouble.
When the county magistrate, the county assistant magistrate, and the yamen runners wielding fire and water sticks came out, the people outside the gate consciously stepped back, making room for them on the steps.
Li Qi put his hands behind his back and shouted loudly, "Fellow villagers! I understand your desire to make money very well, but the county doesn't need so many people to build water conservancy projects!"
"Magistrate! We need to work!"
"Your Honor! Please let us get to work!"
The people shouted with all their might, afraid of missing this opportunity to make money.
Li Qi pressed his hands down, and the people quieted down a little. He then continued to shout loudly, "Fellow villagers! This year, the county will also change the system for corvée labor, and we guarantee that every household will be covered, okay?"
Seeing the crowd fall silent and many nod, he continued, "Gentlemen, since you're all here, line up and take the crop seeds home today. Plant them carefully, and you're sure to have a good harvest this year!"
"Can these seeds really grow into food?"
Upon hearing the question, Li Qi laughed loudly, "Of course! And I guarantee that every household can increase their grain production by over a thousand catties! The county will send elders to each village and hamlet to teach everyone how to plant, so please rest assured, folks!"
The crowd remained silent, some with doubt and others with anticipation in their eyes.
"Alright! Everyone line up in an orderly fashion, don't push, here are the seeds! Magistrate Wu, have the yamen runners maintain order, I'll go find the people in the storeroom to bring out the seeds!"
"Alright, Master!"
...
The seeds were finally sown at sunset.
Just as the county officials were about to close the county government gates and finish their work, they saw an old woman with gray hair, leaning on a cane, limping down the steps at the entrance of the county government.
"Go help him up..."
Li Qi looked at the yamen runner beside him, who immediately threw away his fire stick and helped the old woman up the steps.
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