Lu Lin stayed in Shaxian for another two years. Under Lu Lin's governance, Shaxian began to flourish. Centered around Shaxian Street, which was run by Chen Xiaocai, many shops opened up around it, and all kinds of shops sprang up everywhere.
It's completely different from when Lu Lin first took over.
Just then, Lu Lin received a transfer order from his superiors.
Chen Xiaomi looked at the transfer order and said, "What is this! It's like picking the peaches!"
Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: Shaxian was originally a poor county, and because it was close to Liao, no one was willing to come, so official positions were sold. Lu Lin is now managing Shaxian well, and with Liao and Shaxian starting to trade, the situation is naturally different. Shaxian has probably become a hot commodity in the eyes of many people.
Lu Lin didn't see anything wrong with it. "It's good to change locations. Taxes are due soon."
Shaxian County was once plagued by famine due to its poor soil, and it was also subject to invasion by foreign enemies. As a result, the county has been exempt from taxes for the past few years, and it has become a well-known wealthy county. It would be inappropriate to continue exempting it from taxes.
Lu Lin has been in Sha County for many years, and the people have a good impression of him. If he suddenly brings up the matter of collecting taxes, some people may resist. As the saying goes, "A grain of rice is appreciated, but a bushel of rice is resented."
For Lu Lin, it was something he couldn't have asked for: someone was willing to take his place in doing this.
"Moreover, although a princess was sent to marry a foreign ruler two years ago, and there should be peace for ten or twenty years, who knows what the people of Liao are thinking?" The old emperor of Liao seems to have lost his edge, but his sons are all ambitious. If the old emperor were to suddenly pass away, the situation would be unpredictable.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "You're right!" There have been times in the past when the Liao Kingdom unilaterally broke the alliance.
"It's a good thing to be able to leave this place." Over the past two years, he has amassed quite a fortune. With so much money, he shouldn't have a bad life wherever he's transferred. However, doing so might be a bit unfair to General Ji.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "What you say makes sense."
Chen Xiaomi sighed. Although she knew Lu Lin was right, she still felt a little regretful.
Having lived in Shaxian for so many years, Chen Xiaomi had developed a deep affection for the place, and she knew all her neighbors well. Going to a new place meant starting all over again.
"What about the vegetables?" Chen Xiaomi asked worriedly.
All the shops in Shaxian County were built up by Chen Xiaolai bit by bit under Lu Lin's guidance. If Lu Lin leaves, Chen Xiaolai should probably go with him.
If they don't leave, who knows what the new magistrate is thinking? The shops run by Chen Xiaocai are incredibly profitable. The new magistrate is no ordinary person; he seems to be the descendant of a second-rank official in the imperial court.
However, Xiao Cai has quite a few people under his command! If Xiao Cai leaves, what will happen to his subordinates is also a problem.
Lu Lin sighed and said, "Xiao Cai is no longer a child. He should have his own considerations, and we should respect his opinion." Lu Lin thought to himself: Xiao Cai is much more experienced now. Over the years, if it weren't for Xiao Cai's financial resources, many of Lu Lin's ideas would not have been able to be implemented.
Chen Xiaomi thought for a moment and said, "I'll go talk to Xiao Cai about it." To Chen Xiaomi's surprise, when Chen Xiao Cai learned that Lu Lin was going to be transferred, she immediately said that she would go with him without any hesitation.
“Let’s go then. I’ll follow wherever you go, brother,” Chen Xiaocai said.
Chen Xiaomi asked with some surprise, "You're willing to do that?"
Chen Xiaocai said calmly, "I'm still a little reluctant to leave." However, money can never be earned enough, but life is only once. Chen Xiaocai would occasionally worry about the Liao invasion. If Chen Xiaomi hadn't been unable to leave Shaxian, Chen Xiaocai would have considered moving away long ago.
"Big brother, where is Brother Lin moving to this time?" Chen Xiaocai asked.
It is Yucang County. It is said that Yucang County is close to the sea and is a fishing town.
Chen Xiaocai rested her chin on her hand and said, "Sounds good!"
In Shaxian County, the rivers are quite good, but fish and shrimp are relatively scarce. Lu Lin said that eating fish makes you smarter, but I don't know where he got that conclusion from. Nevertheless, Chen Xiaolai will try her best to get more fish and shrimp to eat.
Chen Xiaocai sighed and said, "Xiaomai said a few days ago that he was going to come to Shaxian. Now we can send him a message to tell him not to come."
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes! We'll talk about it after we settle down in Yucang County. As for Ji Yun'an, let him focus on preparing for the exam in Kyoto."
Back then, when Ji Yun'an gave up on the rankings, many people thought he was being arrogant. If Ji Yun'an failed the exam this time, things would get really interesting.
...
When Lu Lin saw Chen Xiaomi return, he asked, "How did it go?"
“Xiao Cai is quite receptive to this, saying that she will sell off all her businesses soon,” Chen Xiaomi said.
Lu Lin nodded and said, "That Yucang County seems to be a good place." Yucang County is a coastal county, and many people there make a living by fishing. The area is rich in various aquatic products.
"I wonder if I'll be able to get crayfish over there." Lu Lin hadn't seen any lobsters since arriving, and he was starting to miss the taste of crayfish.
Chen Xiaomi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "Spicy crayfish?"
Lu Lin nodded and said, "It's spicy crayfish."
Chen Xiaomi blinked and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Lu Lin nodded and said, "It's delicious." Thinking back, the spicy crayfish at the night market in his previous life was a truly nostalgic delicacy! Delicious crayfish paired with beer was pure bliss.
Seeing Lu Lin's blissful expression, Chen Xiaomi said, "Let's see if we can get some when we get to Yucang County."
Lu Lin nodded hurriedly, "There are many ways to eat lobster, such as spicy lobster, garlic lobster, salted egg yolk lobster..."
Chen Xiaomi blinked and said, "It sounds delicious!"
Lu Lin took some time to visit Ji Chengkang at the camp.
Ji Chengkang looked at Lu Lin and said with some regret, "This is really terrible. It was so hard to get Shaxian to this point."
After Lu Lin arrived, Ji Chengkang witnessed every little change in Shaxian County.
After the previous magistrates of Sha County arrived, they only knew how to complain about their bad luck and made no contribution to Sha County. Lu Lin smiled and said, "It's better than being dismissed from office."
Those who bought their official positions were the most likely to be dismissed. It seems that Lu Lin was the only one left who bought his position at the same time as him.
Ji Chengkang nodded and said, "That's true."
"If Lu Lin didn't have a lot of achievements, he might have been dismissed by now. Yucang County is actually not bad. It's not as cold as Sha County, and there are very few battles there." It's just a bit poor. However, Sha County was also very poor at the beginning, but now it has become a hot commodity in the eyes of many people.
With Lu Lin's abilities, he should be able to establish himself in Yucang County very quickly.
Lu Lin sighed and said, "When we get there, let's start all over again and take it slow."
Ji Chengkang smiled and said, "Lord Lu has been in Shaxian for several years. Many people who came to Shaxian before said they didn't recognize him when they came back. Lord Lu should be able to spend a few years building Yucang County into a prosperous county."
Lu Lin smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Lord Ji."
Ji Chengkang pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that the Prince secured this place, Yucang County, for you."
Lu Lin was taken aback. These official vacancies weren't easy to fill. Yucang County was far better than Sha County back then. Moreover, Yucang County seemed quite close to the capital; he'd been thinking, "Wow, it's so close to the capital!" when he saw the map. "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness!"
Lu Lin stroked his chin and suddenly felt that he might have the makings of an official.
Having finished dealing with most of the backlog of official business, Lu Lin prepared to leave.
Lu Lin looked at the county government office and said, "What a pity." Back then, he spent a lot of money to repair this county government office, and it has been expanded to some extent in recent years. It belongs to the public and is not easy to sell, so it can only be sold to later generations.
"This is what they call 'one generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade.'" Lu Lin shook his head, somewhat annoyed. The new county magistrate was really lucky! He got a good house to live in right away, and they even fixed up his kang (heated brick bed).
He was in a terrible situation back then. When he arrived, the county government office was leaking everywhere, and the walls were moldy. Everyone's luck is different!
Having finished his business, Lu Lin officially prepared to leave.
Lu Lin left this time full of ambition. Back then, when Lu Lin took over the position of magistrate of Sha County, he didn't have much money left and few people around him. At that time, many people were not optimistic about him and thought that he would probably die in Sha County or leave because he couldn't stand it. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed.
Lu Lin and his entourage, consisting of five horse-drawn carriages and more than a dozen mule carts, headed in a grand procession towards Yucang County.
Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi left the fastest. Chen Xiaocai had many businesses, and if she sold them hastily, she wouldn't be able to sell them all in time. Therefore, Chen Xiaocai had to stay in Shaxian for a while longer before she could reunite with Chen Xiaomi and the others.
Yuanbao swung his legs and said, "Dad Lu Lin, I heard that there are a lot of fish in Yucang County. Will we eat fish every day after we go there?"
Lu Lin glanced at Yuan Bao and said, "Yes!"
Yuanbao sighed and said, "I don't like eating fish! I like eating meat; I feel that meat is chewier."
Chongchong nodded and said, "Yes! Yes! I also like to eat meat, and those veterans also said that eating meat can make you strong."
Lu Lin glanced at Yuanbao and Chongchong and said, "It's good enough to have fish to eat. If you don't want to eat fish, then eat wheat bran."
Yuanbao glared angrily at Lu Lin and said, "Dad, wheat bran is for livestock."
Lu Lin snorted and said, "When there's nothing else to eat, it's good enough to have this. You two are so lucky but don't know how good it is."
"Dad, do you like to eat wheat bran?" Chongchong asked, swinging his legs.
Lu Lin: "..." How could he possibly like eating that stuff? Although there were some people in his past life who advocated eating whole grains, the way they ate them was completely different from what he was doing here.
Chongchong raised his finger and pointed at Lu Lin, complaining, "Xiaomi's dad, Lin's dad is bullying us! He doesn't even want to eat the food himself, but he makes me and Chongchong eat it."
"I only made you eat this because neither of you likes fish," Lu Lin said irritably.
Chen Xiaomi smiled at Lu Lin and the two children and said, "Alright, alright, let's talk about it when we get to Yucang County. We won't know what the situation is like until we get there."
After traveling for more than twenty days in a horse-drawn carriage, Lu Lin finally arrived at Yucang County.
Yucang County is much closer to Kyoto than Sha County, and it is a much more stable place than Sha County.
The former magistrate of Yucang County was already seventy years old. The old magistrate had spent decades in officialdom, basically moving from one county to another.
After completing the handover, the old county magistrate left.
Lu Lin moved the things into the government office. The county government office of Yucang County had three courtyards and was very well furnished, with several rooms for the servants.
Lu Lin lay on the bed, turning over excitedly. "The situation here is better than I expected!"
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes!"
At least, he doesn't need to start building houses as soon as he arrives. The county magistrate, registrar, and yamen runners in this county government office are all the same people he knew before, so Lu Lin doesn't need to worry about many things.
Of course, having the same team has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that these people are skilled and can save you some trouble. The disadvantage is that they might become too skilled and make Lu Lin blind.
Lu Lin lay in bed for a while, then got up and said, "Let's go out and explore the local customs and culture."
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Okay! But didn't you say you were very tired?"
"No pain, no gain," Lu Lin said earnestly.
Chen Xiaomi pouted, thinking to herself: Curiosity still overcame fatigue! But that's understandable. From now on, Lu Lin will be the magistrate of Yucang County. As the county magistrate, Lu Lin will naturally be interested in his own little plot of land.
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