141 End of Text
◎Chen Jingshan, let's get married.◎
"A Zhao, I'm calm." Chen Jingshan's eyes were filled with blazing love as he spoke word for word, "You're right, promises are useless. These deeds represent all my property, and now, I'm giving them all to you to prove my love for you."
I, Chen Jingshan, will never let you down in my lifetime."
The draft whistled in their ears, and the rain gradually subsided. Droplets fell into the mirror-like water like plucking the strings of a musical instrument. The bamboo leaves also crowded around and pushed away, lying on the doors and windows to peek at them.
Looking at the person before him, Ye Yunzhao suddenly felt as if he had forgotten how to breathe. His heartbeat was like thunder, louder than the rain. His words were like a fine net, slowly enveloping her. The lingering ambiguity between them flowed, impossible to ignore.
It seemed like an eternity, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. Ye Yunzhao's ears were bleeding red, but he still stared at him and uttered words that were impossible to refuse: "Chen Jingshan, let's get married."
*
Three months later.
August is a month of contradictions, carrying the lingering heat of summer with the chill of autumn. Leaves sway in the bright sunlight, cicadas chirp in the wind, and the people on the ground are even more lively than the cicadas in the trees.
"Oh my! Your fish are growing well!"
"My wife cooked a fish yesterday, and it tasted really good!"
"Hey, my family also ate one. It tasted great, but it was just not very big."
"This weather is really strange. It was unbearably hot yesterday, but it seems to be a little cooler today."
"It's cool, but it's sunny!"
…
A few farmers dressed in ordinary clothes and wearing conical hats squatted beside the paddy fields, muttering to themselves from time to time.
Not far away, Dongxiangli Zhengze took Ye Yunzhao to the paddy fields. He was a little worried: "County Magistrate Ye, I checked a few days ago, and the fish in the paddy fields are not very big. Can they be sold?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao laughed. "Four fingers wide isn't considered small. Rice fish are just that size. Size isn't important; what's important is its unique taste. By the way, I remember you raise some at home too. Have you tried any?"
Dongxianglizheng hurriedly shook his head and asked curiously, "The fry are all caught in the river, so how can they taste different from ordinary fish?"
"Of course it's different." Her eyes sparkled as she watched the fish swimming in the paddy field and smiled. "The texture of the rice fish is firm, and it's hard to explain. Try it yourself in the next few days. I guarantee you'll want more."
Hearing her say this, Dongxiangli smacked his lips, regretting not having tried it first. However, he quickly suppressed his craving and asked, "I just wonder how much this rice fish sells for."
"I think it weighs only two pounds, about ten cents a pound."
"Ten cents a pound!?" he suddenly said, clearly startled. "County Magistrate Ye, this is too expensive! How can it be sold at this price?"
"Then let me ask you, are the fish in this paddy field all the same size?" Ye Yunzhao raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
"Of course it's different. The small ones are barely one kilogram, and the big ones can weigh three kilograms, but most of them are two kilograms." Dongxiang Lizheng answered in a serious tone.
"It's quite simple. Not many people in Yuezhou City have ever tasted rice fish. When we first started selling it, we said buy two big ones and get a small one for free. So, if you buy four or five catties, you get a one-catty small fish for free. So, that works out to eight cents per catty. People think it's a good deal, so naturally, business is good." Ye Yunzhao added, "Once they've tasted this rice fish, they'll naturally buy it. Don't worry."
Hearing her answer, Dongxiang Village Chief suddenly understood and exclaimed in surprise and joy, "What a good idea! What a good idea!"
"Oh, there's one more thing." Ye Yunzhao suddenly said with a smile, "I think there will be restaurants in Yuezhou City that buy rice fish. If the quantity is large, it will be cheaper. Although I can make a lot of money, I don't have to carry fish baskets to sell. It saves effort and worry. I can just sit at home and wait for the money."
His eyes lit up. Just now he was thinking, Lingnan County is not close to Yuezhou City. Fish is not like other things. You have to carry water on your back and sell it every day. I am afraid that you will be exhausted. If there is such a good opportunity to buy fish from the restaurant, why not do it?
Dongxiang Lizheng's eyes rolled, and he said with a smile: "County Magistrate Ye, I wonder if your family wants the rice flower fish. If Ruyi Tower wants it, then the people of Dongxiang will have less worries."
Ye Yunzhao's mind flashed with Chen Jingshan's appearance, and he smiled and said, "I'll ask him when I see him later. If Ruyi Tower makes a purchase, they'll send someone to look for you. Please explain what I just said to the people of Dongxiang, so as not to cause any misunderstandings."
"Okay! Leave this to me, don't worry!"
After wandering around Dongxiang for the entire afternoon, Ye Yunzhao finally turned into her home, the home of her and Chen Jingshan, until the sun set.
Chen Jingshan was busy in the kitchen, not knowing what she was doing. She had just started to make a pot of tea, and when she picked up the white porcelain pot on the table, it was completely full. Ye Yunzhao, quite surprised, poured a cup, and the light green tea fell into the white porcelain cup, forming a pool of light amber, the water just warm enough to drink.
With a smile on her face, she heard a voice from outside: "I just made the tea. I guessed you would come back at this time. It's so hot today. You must be exhausted from your trip to Dongxiang."
Chen Jingshan walked in carrying two plates of food. Seeing her grinning foolishly while holding a teacup, he asked, "What are you doing? Go wash your hands and eat. Today I made your favorite lotus root starch dumplings and steamed fish."
Ye Yunzhao put down the teacup and saw him bending over to serve the dishes. She hugged his waist from behind, tilted her head and kissed Chen Jingshan on the face. She said coquettishly, "Whose husband is so capable?"
Chen Jingshan became interested, raised his eyebrows and looked at her, deliberately whispering: "Why, in broad daylight you think of..."
Before she finished her words, Ye Yunzhao flew out like a magpie: "I don't want to listen, I'm going to wash my hands--" Looking at her back, Chen Jingshan smiled helplessly.
As they were eating, Ye Yunzhao mentioned what the Dongxiang village chief had asked him today. He wasn't surprised. While picking out the fish bones for her, he said, "Okay, I'll have Shopkeeper Zhang go find him tomorrow. We'll pick out another 20 or 30 and put them in the pond. Rice fish are delicious, and since you love fish, you can keep them in the pond and eat them until the New Year."
Ye Yunzhao put down his chopsticks, leaned on his shoulder, pointed at the rippling pond outside the door, and asked, "Keep it in here?"
"Yes." Chen Jingshan deliberately imitated her tone and brought a piece of fish meat with fish bones to his mouth. "What do you say, Zhao?"
"I've been raising it for Chinese New Year and I've become attached to it." Ye Yunzhao had already eaten quite a bit, pushed the fish back, and then looked at him playfully, "You're definitely willing to eat it. A kind person like me wouldn't be willing to eat it~"
Chen Jingshan sat up straight, feeling a strong sense of oppression. In the blink of an eye, he picked her up, clamped her movements with his arms, and whispered, "I'm willing to eat you."
"Put me down quickly—" Ye Yunzhao lost more than he gained, struggling in his arms like a fish out of water. "It's broad daylight, in such a clear sky, please put me down quickly, I'm so tired, I need to take a shower and go to bed..."
"Wash it later, there's still time."
The two's voices faded away, and under the witness of the stars in the sky, they made a vow that no one knew about.
——End of text——
【Author’s words】
This book ends here~
This is my first novel to be signed, and I'm feeling conflicted as I write this. On the one hand, without an outline or drafts, writing is incredibly difficult. As I gradually tell the story of County Magistrate Xiaoye, I've discovered many shortcomings. What I've written deviates significantly from what I had in mind.
On the other hand, the process of collecting, applying for the ranking, getting a bye, being downgraded, finishing, and getting the first reader's review were all very unfamiliar to me. During this process, I felt excited, expectant, proud, frustrated, and overwhelmed...
I am also lucky to have been able to connect with you all through this book and even receive your recognition. I can say that without you, it would have been difficult for me to persevere until now. Thank you very much.
I'm very happy to tell you the story of Xiaoye County Magistrate and to have been able to persevere until the end. In the future, I will work hard to learn writing methods and strive to create more and better farming stories (for farming fans, this is the case. You can enjoy the advance payment of the column. I plan to launch "The Guide to Making a Fortune by Setting Up a Street Stall in the Song Dynasty" in November 25th).
I'll post a few bonus chapters later, including the wedding of Ye and Chen and the ending of Han Xiancheng. If you have anything else you'd like to see, please leave a comment. I'll write it when I get inspired~
All in all, in a word, thank you, thank you.
The story of Ye Yunzhao and Chen Jingshan ends here. See you in the future.
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