Jia Gaojie hadn't expected such a gain. If he could pass the imperial examination next year, it would be a significant achievement for him! And the top scholar wasn't just any ordinary student; he must be someone with exceptional talent!
He was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and knew that those who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations always came from among these people. To be the top scholar was equivalent to winning half the battle in the imperial examinations!
"Oh? There's such a capable person! Wow, Shiligou really has a lot of talented people! Village Chief Chen, you've done a great job!"
Upon hearing this heavenly sound, Chen Sheng felt a surge of heat rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. If there hadn't been so many people around, he would have burst into tears of joy.
Having served as a village head for so many years, always a dutiful and unassuming background figure, he never expected to have this day! To receive praise from the county magistrate is like his ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke!
This is all thanks to Da Wa's mother!
Hearing a commotion in the courtyard, Da Wa and Xiao Er exchanged a glance, thinking something had happened at the workshop, so they quickly opened the door to check.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the village head and several officials, with the officials surrounding a high-ranking official.
The waiter, quick-witted as ever, opened the door and, mimicking the adults, knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, sir. Are you looking for my mother?"
Seeing such a small child slowly and awkwardly bowing, even a stern man like Qi Zhubu found him incredibly adorable.
Jia Gaojie also found it amusing, "Is your mother home?"
"It's at home, please come in, adults!"
The eldest child had already heard the second child's voice and had already rushed to the backyard to look for him.
Qin Sanniang, who was looking at the wine yeast with Liao Hongying, heard that the magistrate had arrived. She quickly tidied her hair and smoothed the hem of her clothes before hurrying to the courtyard to greet the magistrate.
Even when meeting the county magistrate, one still has to kneel and bow. This wicked kneeling system is truly utterly unbearable.
Magistrate Jia was talking to Xiao Er when he learned that the child was still studying in a private school. Seeing that the child was about the same age as his own child, he gave him a simple test and discovered that the child's knowledge level far exceeded that of other children his age.
I wondered, is everyone in the village like this?
Then he heard the old village head say that the village school teacher was the newly arrived top scholar. Now he understood somewhat; no wonder! So he was the top scholar's student!
The waiter was speechless. Wasn't the county magistrate supposed to be a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)? Why would he ask such a simple question? He was already tired of studying things like "Exhortation to Learning" and "Love of History."
Xiao Er was quite talented and was assigned to Class A by He Yingyuan. This class consisted of students with strong learning abilities who would begin to explore some of the content related to the Four Books and Five Classics.
Seeing that Qin San Niang was not like an ordinary village woman, with her graceful demeanor and beautiful face, it was no wonder that she could raise such an outstanding son. This family was extraordinary.
"Mr. Qin, I have heard that you have invented a method for raising seedlings. I have come today to test you. Tell me how this method works and what its benefits are. If what you say is true, I will certainly report it to my superiors, and you will be rewarded. Moreover, it will be promoted throughout the entire county. In this way, you will have done a great service."
A county magistrate is indeed a county magistrate; no wonder he came from an imperial examination background. Look at how simple and clear his words are! He rewards the person involved and also accumulates merit—he's truly doing both spiritual and material work!
Admittedly, Qin San Niang is not short of money now, but no one would complain about having too much money! If there could be more tangible rewards, such as gold and silver, that would be even better. In addition, it would be a win-win situation if the people could have a better harvest. Naturally, she would speak frankly and without reservation.
From how to cultivate rice seedlings, to what stage of seedling cultivation before transplanting, what to pay attention to during the transplanting process, when to irrigate and when to fertilize, including how to raise fish in rice paddies and how many fish to raise, Qin San Niang explained everything she could think of.
Qi, the clerk, knew her. The two exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Qi remembered everything she said.
He listened and took notes, unable to contain his astonishment. The method of raising seedlings described by Madam Qin seemed to be a very mature technique, not something she was using for the first time! However, despite his extensive reading and years of experience managing agriculture and sericulture, he had never heard of it before!
Qin San Niang: Of course it's a mature technology, it's been used for hundreds of years! It's just that your Great Sheng is too backward to know! But I won't tell you!
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Jia's previous doubts vanished completely. This method of cultivating rice seedlings seemed entirely feasible, and he even considered that if the Prefect had any reservations, he could first implement it within his own jurisdiction.
Immediately afterwards, Chen Sheng called Cheng Shi and Chen Dahe over, and they provided further proof of the yield per mu. Qin San Niang also accurately calculated the yield per mu, and the figure was indeed astonishing.
Before they knew it, it was past noon. Magistrate Jia hadn't expected to stay there for so long. Now that the matter had been investigated and the results were satisfactory, he got up to leave.
Qin San Niang and the others naturally wanted to politely persuade them to stay, after all, it was midday, and it was lunchtime for farmers! They couldn't let the adults go back on an empty stomach, could they? They had to make sure things looked good!
"Gentlemen, you've all worked so hard. Why don't you stay for a meal in the village?"
At this point, most officials wouldn't offer to stay for a meal, let alone a county magistrate! How could the food here compare to that of restaurants in the city? They must have returned to the city after lunchtime, and the yamen (government office) provides overtime pay, so a meal at a restaurant is a must. Maybe they can even get a drink from the magistrate if he's in a good mood!
Therefore, everyone prepared to return home.
Qi Yuchen quickly agreed, "Then I'll trouble you!" He then said to Magistrate Jia, who was still in a daze, "Sir, I didn't eat breakfast this morning, and my stomach is really empty. I really can't walk anymore!"
Magistrate Jia and Registrar Qi exchanged a glance. "I don't believe you for a second!"
Cai Bo: Didn't the young master eat a basket of mutton buns and a bowl of auspicious eight-treasure porridge this morning?! Could he have misremembered? He must be craving something!
Qi Zhubu thought to himself that Qi Yuchen was a glutton and must have his own reasons for doing this. So he also advised, "Sir, since Minister Qi is hungry, why don't we try some local farm dishes here to change our appetites? We can pay for the meal later."
When Jia Gaojie heard that they all agreed to stay, he couldn't insist on leaving, lest people think he wasn't close to his subordinates. Besides, he came from a farming family and it wasn't that he couldn't eat coarse grains. He could just consider it a way to lose weight and remember the hardships of the past!
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