134 Go to Yuezhou City again
◎Are you really going to wear this dress to meet the new prefect?◎
"Why isn't it raining yet..." Ye Yunzhao muttered to himself, holding up his face and looking out the window.
Han County Magistrate, who was standing behind her, was puzzled when he heard this: "I heard that the fish nests in Dongxiang were completely cleared by the rain yesterday. I'm afraid the rain now will wash away the fish nests."
She turned around and said casually, "Yu Chao, don't worry. County Magistrate Han, what brings you here to see me today?"
He looked troubled. "You specifically instructed us to leave some money in the public account for road construction, but now it's almost time to pay the salaries of the clerks in the yamen. I really can't make up my mind, so I came to ask the county magistrate's opinion."
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao sighed with worry. Not giving up, he said, "The people of Xixiang must have paid a lot of mushroom tax for selling woven mushrooms a while ago. How much money is left in the government account now?"
"Of course I included that." County Magistrate Han pulled out the official account book from his pocket and handed it to her. "The amount...isn't that much."
She took the account book and flipped through it quickly, pointing at the figures one by one. Suddenly, she was shocked: "This is all the money left?"
Seeing this, County Magistrate Han also sighed, "Didn't you instruct the yamen runner Liu to transport the wooden crates of woven mushrooms from Yuezhou Wharf to the capital two days ago? It cost quite a bit."
Yes, the water transport a few days ago did cost some money. Liu Mazi had specifically informed her when he left that day. But now that it had been shipped, he should be able to bring the remaining balance back with him, so he could hold out for a while longer.
Seeing that she was still hesitant to speak, County Magistrate Han asked again, "Should we distribute this money to the lower-level officials first?"
Ye Yunzhao thought it over again and again, then gritted his teeth and decided that he couldn't just let people work without living. "Let's pay their monthly salary in a couple of days!"
County Magistrate Han nodded, but didn't leave. He pretended to be indifferent and continued, "So, is the road construction...putting it on hold for now? Speaking of which, these past few days when I visited East and West Townships to check on the spring planting, I often heard people mention the stone road. I guess the people are looking forward to it even more than we are."
These words were like a huge stone weighing down Ye Yunzhao's heart. She had mentioned the road construction a long time ago, but the construction had not started yet. The people must be very upset.
The amount in the public account is not too small, but if you want to build stone roads in Lingnan County, the cost will be so high that if there is no funding support from the state government, based on the speed at which their county government saves money, it is unknown when the roads can be paved.
The most important thing is that the cobblestone road is far from as simple as she imagined. There is no cement here and even lime is rare. Therefore, the paving process is more complicated and requires more manpower. Even if no wages are paid, two meals a day must be provided.
The more Ye Yunzhao thought about it, the bigger his head became. He covered his head and shook it, saying angrily, "Go out, go out, you go out first, I want to be alone for a while."
County Magistrate Han then took back the account book as if he suddenly realized something and retreated silently.
She heard the door closing, the sound growing farther and farther away, and then she looked up. Her hair was a little messy from the ravages she had just made. She sat down by the window again, looking at the clouds in the distance, closing her eyes and praying to herself: "God, if you are good to me, please make it rain tomorrow, okay?"
That night, Ye Yunzhao fell into a deep sleep. Dark clouds slowly drifted in with the wind and stopped over Lingnan County. The rain she had been expecting all day long finally came.
*
The next morning, before going out, the slight dampness in the air and the fragrance of the soil made Ye Yunzhao very excited.
She excitedly changed into a cloud-white dress, without tying her clogs. Seeing that she didn't have time to eat breakfast, she put on a bamboo hat, looked at the hens that had gone into the chicken coop, and happily left the county government office.
The cloud-white clothes were not very resistant to dirt, and it had rained all night. As she moved, mud spots flew everywhere. In a short while, the hem of Ye Yunzhao's skirt was covered with many black mud spots.
When she passed by Aunt Hu's butcher shop, Aunt Hu, who was sitting at the door listening to the rain, called out to her enthusiastically: "Ah, County Magistrate Ye, why didn't you tie your clogs when you went out? If you don't mind, tie on my pair first and then go!"
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "It's okay."
Aunt Hu looked up at the sky. The rain had gradually subsided, but she was still worried. "Are you really not going to do it? But I'm afraid your cloth shoes will get soaked in no time."
"Really." Ye Yunzhao smiled at her, "Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I have something important to do right now. I'll chat with you another day."
Aunt Hu naturally knew about Ye Yunzhao's recent visit to Yuchao with the Dongxiang people, so she thought she was busy with this and quickly said, "Okay, be careful on the road."
She walked hurriedly, turned around and waved to Aunt Hu: "Okay! Aunt, please go inside and don't get wet in the rain."
After saying goodbye to her in a hurry, Ye Yunzhao first went to Dongxiang. Unexpectedly, when she walked to the river, there was another person.
The man was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, standing by the river, doing something unknown.
"Who are you?" Ye Yunzhao asked inquiringly.
The sound was mixed with the sound of rain. The man did not move, but stared at the river intently. She raised her voice and asked again, "Who are you?"
The man turned around when he heard the voice, and saw that it was the head of the Dongxiang village under the bamboo hat.
Ye Yunzhao was surprised and asked, "Village Head? It's raining now, why are you here when you're not at home?"
"I'm afraid the rain will be too heavy and wash away the fish nest, so I came to take a look." Dongxiangli was looking at her mud-spotted skirt and asked in surprise, "County Magistrate Ye, why don't you wear a straw raincoat when you go out?"
As he spoke, he was about to take off his clothes. Ye Yunzhao was afraid that he would ruin his plan, so he quickly declined: "Nothing, nothing."
Then, as if nothing had happened, he changed the subject and asked, "Is the fish nest damaged?"
He hurriedly said, "It seems to me that there is nothing. How about you take another look?"
Ye Yunzhao leaned over to take a look. Due to the spring rain that had fallen all night, the water level had risen slightly. Raindrops were hitting the river surface with a "crackling" sound, splashing fine white water. Through the hazy water, he could vaguely see the fish nest at the bottom of the river, which had not moved.
She smiled and said, "The fish nest is fine. If the current is strong here, there's nothing wrong. I'm sure there won't be any problems elsewhere. You should go home quickly. We can talk about anything else after the rain stops."
"Hey!" Dongxianglizheng adjusted his hat that was blown askew by the wind and quickly responded.
The two of them walked side by side back along the same route. He kept chattering along the way: "County Magistrate Ye, do you really not want the raincoat? I made this raincoat before the New Year. It's not dirty."
Ye Yunzhao waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't want the raincoat anymore, but I really need your help with something else."
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"I remember you have a mule at home. Can you take me for a ride? I want to ride it to Yuezhou City." After she said that, she laughed to herself a few times. When she thought about what she was going to do today, she couldn't hide her excitement.
"Okay." Dongxiang Lizheng agreed, then realized belatedly and said, "County Magistrate Ye, you want to go to Yuezhou City now? Even in the rain?"
Ye Yunzhao held onto his bamboo hat and nodded, muttering, "If it hadn't rained, I wouldn't have gone..."
"What?" He saw her lips move slightly, but the raindrops hit her hat and the only sound in his ears was the rain.
"I said I'll go now," she replied hurriedly, adding, "The prefect wants to see me about something important. I can't delay."
The head of Dongxiang Village naturally didn't understand the twists and turns in Ye Yunzhao's mind. After hearing what she said, he hurried back to lead the mule for her.
Ye Yunzhao was waiting outside the door. After a while, he led out a brown-gray mule from the yard. It was not big, but because farmers often used mules to carry things, it looked gentle and very tough.
He handed her the reins and gave her seven or eight instructions. Then Ye Yunzhao climbed onto the mule's back in a rather awkward manner and staggered away.
The man and the mule walked for a long time. Ye Yunzhao looked back and saw the headman of Dongzheng Village still standing at the gate of the courtyard looking into the distance in the rain and fog.
Ye Yunzhao bent down and touched the little mule's face: "Thank you for your hard work today."
Because the mountain road was difficult to walk on in the rain, she felt that no matter how much she walked, she would never reach the end. When she was so shaken that she felt like her whole body was about to fall apart, she could see the gate of Yuezhou City in the distance.
She quickly slid down from the mule's back. Her legs were numb, and she continued to dawdle slowly for a long time. By the time her legs had recovered, she had just passed the city gate.
There were shops in Yuezhou City that specialized in looking after horses and cattle, but the prices varied depending on the breed. Ye Yunzhao had originally planned to walk to the Yuezhou government office; this time, the mule couldn't be tied up outside the government office. However, if the mule were to stay here, it would cost seven or eight cents, and before she even paid, she felt the pinch.
After hesitating for a moment, she led the mule in the opposite direction and stopped. It was "Qiluofang" where Fangniang was.
Ye Yunzhao led it directly to the back door and said to the servant at the back door, "Brother, could you please call Fang Niang for me?"
The servant gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Why don't you go through the front door and call her?"
She looked down at her clothes and explained, "My clothes are not clean today. If I go directly into the shop, I'm afraid it will affect your boss's business. Therefore, I've come here to trouble you, little brother, for help."
Even though she spoke so logically and with good reason, the servant still refused to give in and showed no intention of helping: "Just wait outside the front door. Get out of the way, I'm busy..."
Before he finished speaking, the door to the backyard creaked open, and a servant came out carrying several pieces of coarse cloth. He put the things on the ox cart with great effort. When he walked back, he saw the two men in a stalemate: "What are you doing..."
He looked at Ye Yunzhao, who was almost soaked, and said suddenly: "Hey! Aren't you the one who bought the silkworm sand earlier?"
She then recognized the man. It turned out to be the servant who had helped transport the silkworm sand. She quickly said, "It's me, it's me. Little brother, can you help me call Fang Niang out?"
"Yes, you can stand under the eaves to avoid the rain first, I will go and ask her."
After saying that, he went into the yard, leaving the taciturn servant and Ye Yunzhao looking at each other in bewilderment.
Soon, Fangniang came out holding an oil-paper umbrella. Seeing that her clothes were all wet and covered with black mud spots, she immediately went to meet her and said, "What's going on? Come in with me and change into my clothes first."
Ye Yunzhao quickly pulled her aside and explained briefly, "The clothes are fine, Fangniang. I just wanted to ask if I could leave this mule with you. I have important business to attend to with the prefect, and it's not convenient to carry it with me."
She was the magistrate of Lingnan County and had done a favor to Aunt Wang. As Aunt Wang's daughter-in-law, Fang Niang was grateful and naturally would not refuse. She quickly took the reins and said, "Of course I can, but are you really not going to change your clothes?"
"No." Ye Yunzhao smiled and touched the mule's head. "Thank you, Fangniang. I'll come back to take it when I get back from the government office."
She nodded in agreement and was about to enter the courtyard when she suddenly turned back and whispered, "County Magistrate Ye, are you really going to wear this dress to meet the new prefect?"
"Of course...wait a minute—" Ye Yunzhao was stunned. "What new prefect?"
Fang Niang looked at her in astonishment: "After the beginning of spring, a new prefect was appointed. Didn't you know?"
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