6 The county is short of a clerk
◎Making farm tools is also related to engineering construction◎
The next morning, after having breakfast, Wang Cuihua picked up the remaining yellow clay and broken rice stalks at home and walked towards the headman's house.
Normally, villagers were required to pay an entrance fee to enter the city, but Lingnan County was too remote, the people were poor, and there were cases of people starving to death, so the fee was waived last year.
However, it is still necessary to go through the necessary procedures.
The head of the village is surnamed Zhang. He lives in the eastern end of Xixiang, not far from the county town.
"Auntie, are you home?" Wang Cuihua saw the courtyard door wide open and walked in with a smile.
"Cuihua is here. She's at home. I called her over." The aunt who was busy in the kitchen poked her head out and answered.
After a while, Zhang Lizheng, who was about forty years old, came out from the inner room and asked, "It's Cuihua. What are you doing in the city?"
Wang Cuihua knew that this was something that needed to be clarified before the event was completed, so she was naturally clear about it.
"Yesterday I heard that the roof of County Magistrate Ye's kitchen collapsed. Dazhuang and I thought about repairing it for her in the next two days. I thought we should first pick out the yellow clay and rice straw we have at home." Wang Cuihua said.
Zhang Lizheng lowered his eyes to look at the things on the shoulder pole and said, "County Magistrate Ye treats us well. You and Dazhuang are also thoughtful people. Please wait here for a while."
Wang Cuihua stood in the yard and waited for a while. Zhang Lizheng came out from the inner room with the pass. Things went very smoothly.
The prison usually lasts for thirty days, which is more than enough time for County Magistrate Ye to repair the roof.
When Wang Cuihua arrived at the county government office, she happened to run into Liu Mazi, who was on his way to Carpenter Sun's house. Lingnan County's government was short of officers, and apart from the eight guards at the east and west gates, there were only three or five patrol officers left, and Liu Mazi was one of them.
After briefly explaining her purpose, Liu Mazi glanced at her shoulder pole, waved his hand, and let her into the government office.
Wang Cuihua carried a shoulder pole into the courtyard of County Magistrate Ye, and then hurried back to Xixiang to fetch some red clay. She went back and forth three or four times and finally prepared enough clay to fill the roof.
This was the scene Ye Yunzhao saw when he returned to the government office at noon.
Liu Dazhuang, who was supposed to be having lunch at home, was mixing mud in his yard, while his wife Cuihua was collecting pottery bowls.
Ye Yunzhao stood at the gate, his mouth slightly open, stunned for a long moment, and said: "What are you doing..."
"County Magistrate Ye, you're back?" Wang Cuihua hurriedly explained, "We heard yesterday that the roof of your kitchen collapsed, so Dazhuang and I wanted to help you fix it..."
Wang Cuihua was afraid that Ye Yunzhao would misunderstand, so she quickly added, "We are here to thank County Magistrate Ye for his plowing cart. Repairing the roof is free, no money required."
Ye Yunzhao looked at her sunburned face and innocent smile, and stood there in a daze.
Since ancient times, people have often said that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. Ye Yunzhao had heard this in his previous life.
But she looked at the woman in front of her, so simple and pure. She also thought of the people she had met since coming to this dynasty. It can be said that most of them were kind and lovely.
At this moment, she remembered a sentence she had seen: If a person wants to live a meaningful life and have a valuable existence, he cannot just live for himself, but must use his own strength to contribute to others, the country, the nation, and the society.
If Ye Yunzhao had previously worked hard to fulfill her original wish, now she really wanted to do something for the people of Lingnan County.
Wang Cuihua saw that Ye Yunzhao remained silent for a long time, thinking that he was angry at her for acting on her own. She swallowed her saliva and mustered up the courage to speak: "County Magistrate Ye, if you don't like it..."
Ye Yunzhao came back to his senses and noticed her uneasiness. He smiled brightly and said, "How could that be? I was so happy. I had thought I would find someone to fix it after the plow cart was finished. I never thought Madam Cuihua would be so considerate."
Wang Cuihua, who had received the county magistrate's praise, changed her usual aggressive attitude and showed a bit of embarrassment on her face. She said, "County Magistrate Ye, if you have any other house you want to build, just tell me."
When this was mentioned, Ye Yunzhao remembered that he had originally planned to build a bathhouse in the southeast corner of the yard. He wanted to wait until this busy period was over before doing it, but who would have thought... Now it is like a pillow appearing in the middle of a nap.
"Of course there are, but I'm afraid we'll need to find some more people. It's too tiring for you two to do all this work."
As Ye Yunzhao spoke, she took out two small ceramic bowls from the half-collapsed kitchen. She melted some sugar, stirred it into two bowls of sugar water and handed them to them.
"You two should take a break first. The sun is too strong now."
"This...this...this..." Wang Cuihua looked at the sweet soup that Ye Yunzhao brought and hurriedly refused.
Sugar is a good thing!
Although there are wild sweet potatoes in the mountains, people only cut down a few of them occasionally and chew them to taste their sweetness.
Ye Yunzhao didn't let her refuse, and stuffed it into her hand. He just smiled and said, "We still need Madam Cuihua's help in building the house."
Only then did Wang Cuihua take the ceramic bowl, lower her head, and sip the sugar water with great care. Ye Yunzhao turned to Liu Dazhuang and briefly described his idea.
Liu Dazhuang was always taciturn and not as tactful as Wang Cuihua. He answered bluntly, "Okay."
For two days in a row, Ye Yunzhao occasionally went to Sun Ning's house to check on the efficiency of the plowing cart production. He spent most of his time in his own yard with Wang Cuihua, mixing mud and splitting bamboo strips...
Ye Yunzhao was so tired every day that his back and waist ached. When he entered the house, there was only a square table and two benches, and there was not even a place to lie down comfortably.
After struggling to wash up in the evening, Ye Yunzhao collapsed on the bed and fell asleep in less than an incense stick of time. He was really exhausted.
Fortunately, everything went according to her expectations.
Early this morning, she went to Sun Ning's house as usual to check the progress of the plow carts. When she went there yesterday, many plow carts had been pulled to the East and West Townships for the villagers to use.
Although Sun Ning looked reserved and delicate, she was actually quite intelligent and discerning. She had chosen several villagers who all had some talent. At first, they had only been sawing wood strips according to her instructions, but in the past two days, they had begun calling her "Master" and had been helping her assemble the plow.
"County Magistrate Ye, if nothing unexpected happens, the plowing cart will be ready today." Sun Ning saw Ye Yunzhao, stopped, and said softly.
"So fast? That's great!" Ye Yunzhao was surprised and happy.
Only after solving the major issues of trenching and sowing did Ye Yunzhao feel completely relieved. Agriculture has been a big deal since ancient times, not to mention that only if the sowing work in the early stage is done well can the harvest in the later stage be good.
She called Sun Ning aside and tentatively asked, "Sun Ning, if I ask you to work in the county government office, would you be willing?"
"Me?" Sun Ning looked up at her in disbelief.
Who wouldn't want to work in the county government? Even if it was a lowly, sinecure position, it would naturally earn her respect. More importantly, if she did get into the county government, it would protect her somewhat.
"But I can't do anything except sawing wood..." Sun Ning said with a wandering look, not very confident.
"This is the most useful." Ye Yunzhao smiled lightly with his eyebrows curved.
According to regulations, the county government should have six departments - the official department, the household department, the ritual department, the military department, the criminal department, and the work department, and each department has different responsibilities.
However, Lingnan County has always been poor and has no extra money to hire people, so the rooms are naturally empty, and all the corresponding official duties are supervised by Ye Yunzhao and Han County Magistrate.
Now that the important task of sowing was over, Ye Yunzhao might be able to draw all the farm tools she could remember and have Sun Ning make them for use in case of emergency. As for the salary, she was willing to give some of her own salary to Sun Ning.
After Ye Yunzhao told this to County Magistrate Han, he actually made a good suggestion.
Sun Ning was appointed as a clerk in the workshop, which was mainly responsible for engineering construction, and making farm tools was also related to engineering construction.
"I've discussed this with County Magistrate Han. You can come to the county government office and work as a clerk." Ye Yunzhao was afraid she wouldn't understand. "Actually, you'll just be working as a farm tool clerk. But when the county school is built, you'll have to work as a teacher for one day every ten days."
"As for your salary, I can't promise you too much. I can only give you some of my salary every year."
"Please think about this matter carefully and give me your answer the day after tomorrow. If you don't want to come to the county government office, I can naturally help you find a shop in the city and revive your Sun's Carpentry Shop."
Ye Yunzhao has always been thoughtful and explained the two options clearly. She raised her hand and gently patted Sun Ning's shoulder, then walked towards the farmland with big strides.
In the distance are green mountains and clear waters shrouded in clouds and mist, and nearby is the harmonious scene of yellow oxen pulling a three-legged plow cart. Ye Yunzhao couldn't help feeling a little proud when he saw it.
"County Magistrate Ye! You are here. Are you thirsty? This is the mountain spring water I just drew this morning. It's so sweet! Please try it!" A peasant woman saw Ye Yunzhao, her face flushed, her tone became cheerful, and she was about to bend down to pour water as she spoke.
Ye Yunzhao hurriedly stopped her: "No, no, I'm not thirsty, Auntie, you keep it for me."
Every household had a small clay pot beside their fields. The villagers toiled tirelessly, never returning home all day. In the morning, they would fill the mountain springs with water and carry two corn buns—their food for the day.
Although it is autumn now, it is not yet the time of true cool and refreshing weather. In addition, with so much hard work, water can be said to be extremely precious.
The peasant woman smiled innocently, wiped her face with a handkerchief, and said, "County Magistrate Ye, what kind of car is this..."
"Three-legged plow cart." Ye Yunzhao added with a smile.
"Yes! It's this triangular plow! It's so practical! Look how fast it plows the fields! Not only is it fast, but the furrows are also deep, and you don't have to bend down to sow seeds! County Magistrate Ye, you scholars are really smart!" The peasant woman spoke honestly.
Before Ye Yunzhao could say anything, another peasant woman beside him chimed in, "Who says it's not true? It's mainly because County Magistrate Ye is so kindhearted. My farmland was originally low-quality, but now that the ditch is so deep, it's more like medium-quality farmland! Next year's harvest will definitely be good!"
"That's right! We are blessed to have County Magistrate Ye! County Magistrate Ye, I have nothing to thank you for. Take these wild fruits and eat them. They are very sweet..."
As they talked, they began to stuff food into Ye Yunzhao's arms again. She struggled hard and tried to refuse: "Auntie, Auntie. You can keep these for yourself. If you really want to thank me, when you go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables in a few days, ask me to come with you so that I can open my eyes."
"That's no problem!" several peasant women replied.
Only then did Ye Yunzhao escape. She strode along the side of the wheat field, remembering that she had seen the household register and land register of Lingnan County in the county government office.
In theory, everyone can get one mu and three fen of land after the age of fourteen. If they get medium-quality land, they can get an additional three fen, and if they get inferior land, they can get an additional six fen.
As a result, every household had to cultivate quite a lot of land. Moreover, the current one mu and three fen was much larger than the one mu and three fen in later times.
With the tripod plow, work is much easier and less labor-intensive than before.
In addition, there are large tracts of unowned wasteland in Lingnan County, but the price is not cheap. Because of this, very few people buy wasteland.
Ye Yunzhao walked and checked the ditching situation, squatting down from time to time to check the condition of the plowed soil.
But she heard a farmer chatting with another person behind her: "Just now I saw County Magistrate Han leading a few people to the vegetable fields."
"What are you doing in the vegetable field? Are you planting beans?"
"Ah, you're still planting beans?! Last year, the beans got infested with worms, which was so annoying!"
Planting beans? Infested with insects?
Ye Yunzhao turned around quickly and asked, "Where is County Magistrate Han now?"
【Author’s words】
"If a person wants to live a meaningful and valuable life, he or she cannot live only for himself or herself. He or she must use his or her strength to contribute to others, to the country, to the nation, and to society." - Huang Wenxiu
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