121 The pleasant scenery of Dongxiang
◎Good children should not take...other people's things...◎
Looking at the unique trademark in his hand, Ye Yunzhao was overjoyed. He quickly agreed with Master Wanjun to send Sun Ning's salary together in the future, and then hurried to Hu Er's blacksmith shop.
"Look, can this pattern be engraved?" she asked breathlessly, pointing at the trademark.
Hu Er took the thin paper and felt a dilemma. The picture was simple, but the difficult part was the words on it. But looking at County Magistrate Ye who had helped him a lot, he really didn't know how to respond.
Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Ye Yunzhao understood: "I have an idea, see if this will work."
As she spoke, she flipped the paper over, so the front of the icon was facing the ironware. She pointed to the back of the paper and said, "Sprinkle some water on it, and the pattern will become clear. How about you carving it while you look at it? Do you think it's feasible?"
Hu Er seemed to be thinking about something. This method was quite clever, but she probably didn't know that the pattern on the soldering iron was not carved out bit by bit with a knife, but was made by burning molten iron, pouring it into a special container, and then slowly demoulding it. Only in this way could it be done.
After he started explaining a bit, Ye Yunzhao was visibly stunned. She had never tinkered with these things before and clearly didn't understand the intricacies involved. If she still needed to mold and remove them, it would be really troublesome... She bravely tried to probe, "If only a shallow mark is needed, wouldn't that be okay?"
Hu Er had never done anything like this before and was unsure: "Never mind, I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, County Magistrate Ye, please don't blame me."
"What are you talking about? Don't blame me. Just remember all the iron blocks you consumed during this period. I will bring the money when you come back to get something next time." Ye Yunzhao reminded.
I thought that since I had the trademark pattern, there shouldn't be any accidents when engraving it, but I never expected that this soldering iron couldn't be used for engraving.
Ye Yunzhao was filled with regret. He should have noticed this when he came to the blacksmith shop just now. The patterned iron was so rough and the joints of the iron blocks were a bit thick. It didn't look like something hand-carved at all.
But if this doesn't work, is there any other special way?
She was frowning in thought when Hu Er carefully picked up the paper and asked, "County Magistrate Ye, do you have any extra copies of this map? I'm afraid I might accidentally damage it while forging iron..."
Before he finished speaking, Ye Yunzhao took out a thick stack of drawings from his pocket and said confidently, "Don't worry, just do it boldly. I have plenty of identical drawings."
At this point, Hu Er nodded. He estimated that this thing could not be made in one day, so the two agreed to meet again in three days.
When sending Ye Yunzhao away, he did not forget to remind Ye Yunzhao to think of other methods in the next three days. If he fails, there are still alternatives.
She changed from the excitement she had when she went out, and wandered back to the county government office a little helplessly. Before she entered the gate, she heard the movement inside.
"These two baskets are mine. Count them, yamen runner. There are three hundred and sixty-four woven mushrooms that meet the requirements."
"There are one hundred and twenty-one in my basket."
…
It was already 1:00 p.m., and there were still seven or eight people in the county government office selling woven mushrooms. Only two yamen runners were busy, and they looked obviously overwhelmed.
"Fellow villagers, why are you here so late today?" Ye Yunzhao raised his voice and walked forward quickly, saying with a smile, "After a quarter past noon, we have to wait until tomorrow..."
"Ah? I didn't say that before..."
"That's right, what should we do then..."
She smiled and said, "We won't make you make an extra trip today. We'll collect these right away, but next time if it's too late, we'll have to wait until the next day."
Several people hurriedly agreed with a smile: "Okay! Next time we will come earlier."
Ye Yunzhao and two yamen runners counted the mushrooms and the money, and it took them nearly half an hour to finish.
There were countless piles of woven mushrooms and a large basket of dry bamboo leaves piled up in the yard of the county government office, which had to be packed up quickly.
"How long have you two been busy?" Ye Yunzhao looked at the two men who were sweating profusely, rubbing their arms and shaking their legs.
The two yamen runners gestured with a wry smile. They'd been busy counting and falling for nearly an hour and a half. She calculated on her fingers that almost as soon as she left, someone else came to sell the woven hat mushrooms.
Ye Yunzhao held his forehead and smiled bitterly. These two silly kids have been so busy until now!?
She immediately asked, "Have you had lunch?"
"We've eaten." The two said in unison, "Liu Yatou just brought us some food."
"As long as they're not hungry, it's fine." Ye Yunzhao nodded reassuringly and gave the two of them a heads-up. "Tomorrow, don't work like idiots. Tell them to count the food themselves, and you two just sit aside and watch."
The two were stunned, and one of them asked, "County Magistrate Ye, but in this case... I'm afraid some of the weaving mushrooms haven't dried out yet, and you can feel the roughness by pinching them. Chief Secretary Liu specifically instructed that they must be completely dried, otherwise they will get moldy!"
"You two, turn around." Ye Yunzhao ordered them to turn around.
Although the two didn't understand why, they still did as they were told.
"Did you see that?"
"Look...what did you see?" someone asked at a loss.
She was speechless and was about to speak when another person probed, "Court Magistrate Ye, are you trying to tell us that all these woven mushrooms are the same color?"
”
Hearing this, she snapped her fingers and patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "You are a teachable boy. The sun-dried wicker mushrooms are almost all this color. Look carefully when they count them tomorrow. If there are any that are the wrong color, it's not too late to pinch them again."
"County Magistrate Ye is so awesome!" The silly boy who couldn't see anything just now gave a thumbs up in amazement.
Ye Yunzhao had a gratified smile on his face, and he naturally used the "brainwashing" method on his subordinates: "Not bad, not bad. Let me tell you secretly, this county magistrate is quite optimistic about you two. Work hard, and let's make Lingnan County better and better.
Don't worry, this will be a bit more difficult, but it's a win-win situation. First, when Lingnan County becomes prosperous, how can I, as the county magistrate, not benefit from your help? We have twelve or thirteen people in the county office, and when we run low on staff, we'll definitely have to recruit. Those of you who do a good job will naturally move up. Second, when the time comes, who knows how many people will praise you!
Don't tell anyone else about this, just do your job! I've seen it all."
After explaining everything, she patted their shoulders vigorously and gave them an expectant look. Seeing their happy smiles, she left without waiting for them to speak.
Ye Yunzhao, who worked hard in Lingnan County for more than half a year, realized a truth: If you can't lead your subordinates, you will work until you die!
After she dealt with the matter at the county government office, she hurried out again, carrying an enormous backpack. Ye Yunzhao's shoulders were hurt by the heavy backpack, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: There are too few subordinates, so he still has to do everything himself...
I harvested a lot of mushrooms this morning. The weather was strange the past few days, so I can't delay this any longer. It's best to pack them early and put them all in wooden boxes.
She went to Dongxiang first, planning to take advantage of the good weather today to conduct an on-site investigation into the specific situation in Dongxiang.
When they arrived in Dongxiang, it was about three quarters past three, the hottest time of the day. Ye Yunzhao adjusted his hat and looked into the distance. The scenery he saw was really beautiful. If it were in modern times, it would be nice to develop it into a scenic spot.
Dongxiang is not like Xixiang where there were endless wild grass and wasteland. There was misty fog above the distant mountain in the east. Normally, clouds and fog would appear in the morning and evening, but not here. The top of the mountain was a blend of clouds and fog, and below was a silver hanging waterfall. The water came from the mountain and flowed into the mirror-like paddy fields in Dongxiang. There were farmhouses everywhere nearby. Ye Yunzhao couldn't help but sigh in her heart: She had spent so much effort in Xixiang, but now she could only barely compare with it.
The erratic mist between the mountains was carried away by the wind like a wild horse, and after hitting another hill, it dissipated like dust. Ye Yunzhao took a deep breath and felt a chill in his internal organs.
She walked in in a good mood. There were not many people in Dongxiang who could not afford to eat. In addition, she had visited the place several times during the winter and was quite familiar with the route. Therefore, Ye Yunzhao planned to solve the problem in her mind within an hour.
She walked hurriedly. The dilapidated little mud house was very different from the other little houses made of mud bricks and seemed a little out of place.
Ye Yunzhao stood outside the wooden fence and called out, "Is anyone home?"
Before she finished speaking, a dusty little girl emerged from the shabby house. She hurriedly asked, "Xiaohua, come here. Are your mother and father home?"
The girl named Xiaohua shook her head woodenly and said timidly, "Mom and Dad... are in the fields..."
In the fields? Ye Yunzhao was a little surprised. Xiaohua's parents were tenant farmers. In their early years, they worked for the landlords. However, ten years ago, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he implemented a policy of banning landowners. In the past two years, even the landlords in small places like Lingnan County have been cleared out.
Although tenant farmers did not have to work hard, they had almost no land or paddy fields of their own. Therefore, many of them starved to death in recent years, and some of those who survived became refugees. It was a sad story to tell.
Xiaohua's parents were lucky. Although they were tenant farmers, they still had two or three thirds of second-grade land. However, Ye Yunzhao had seen with his own eyes that the two and a half thirds of land were not big. Normally, one person could handle it, so why did both of them go there today?
"Thank you, Xiaohua." She bent down, smiled, and touched the little dirty thing. She took out about a pound of coarse flour from her backpack, and took out a piece of cake wrapped in a handkerchief from her arms. She said in a gentle voice, "Take the coarse flour in this cloth bag into the house, and Sister Ye will give you this sweet thing to eat, okay?"
Xiaohua's eyes lit up and she kept swallowing, but drool couldn't help but flow from the corner of her mouth. However, even so, she still refused, "Thank you, Sister Ye, I... I don't want it. Mother said... good children can't take... other people's things..."
"Am I someone else?" Ye Yunzhao blinked at her. "Besides, this bag of noodles was bought by your mother. Sister Ye is tired now, so Xiaohua, you have to help me carry this heavy bag of noodles in. This sweet cake is a reward for your help."
Xiaohua was naturally fooled by her words. She nodded hurriedly, took the cloth bag of coarse noodles and ran into the house, looking back from time to time to see if Ye Yunzhao was still there.
Then she came out again in a hurry and handed the cake to her: "Thank you for your help, Xiaohua. Eat it. I'm going to the field to find your mother."
Xiaohua took the cake very tenderly, but didn't dare to eat it. She just held it in her dirty little hands and licked it with her tongue. The sweet taste spread from the tip of her tongue to her heart.
She was very proud of the fact that she had helped to earn this cake. She happily brought it into the house, placed it on the table, and stared at it motionlessly. Although she was already very tempted, Xiaohua still swallowed her saliva and leaned over to lick it again:
Wait for mom and dad to come back and eat together!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
