83 All of them are accepted by me
◎Do you know how poor families fare after winter?◎
The honest old man, Wu Lao San, grinned and clapped his hands excitedly at Ye Yunzhao, "Got it! Got it! County Magistrate Ye, it's all thanks to you!"
Seeing his reaction, Ye Yunzhao was completely relieved. She said, "As long as the weaving fungus grows, it'll be fine."
Wu Laosan said, "County Magistrate Ye, to be honest, when you were away a while ago, I also thought about demolishing the mushroom shed... Now that I think about it, it's really ridiculous..."
As he was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject: "County Magistrate Ye! How can I thank you enough? Are you busy right now? If not, why not come to my house for dinner? I'll kill a hen and make some soup!"
Seeing him getting more and more excited, Ye Yunzhao immediately waved his hand and refused, "No need to eat. Just take good care of the mushrooms and grow as many as you can. You can then pay more mushroom tax. I have something else to do today, so I won't say any more. If you have any questions, come to the county government office and find me. Don't go to the village head's house and cause trouble like you did before."
Wu Lao San nodded hurriedly, grinning, "Don't worry, County Magistrate Ye, I won't do anything rash."
Ye Yunzhao's excuse was not a lie. She came today to see how Madam Cuihua, Aunt Wang and the poor people in Xixiang survived the winter.
She hurried to Aunt Wang's house. At that time, Aunt Wang, who was always gossipy, was busy in the mushroom shed!
"Auntie Wang?" Ye Yunzhao saw that the wooden door of the yard was not locked, so she pushed it half open and walked in.
A familiar voice came from the mushroom shed in the corner of the yard: "Who is it? Come into the yard first! I'll be right out."
Ye Yunzhao followed the sound and she lifted the bamboo curtain in front of the mushroom shed door and looked inside.
The strong smell of fermented humus mixed with the unique fragrance of fungi rushed straight into her nose. The last time she saw the mushroom shed, it was still surrounded by yellowish-brown walls with three layers of black soil in the middle, but now, it is very different.
On each layer of the dark map, rows of tightly packed, wrinkled brown mushrooms emerged, each as compact as a sheep's stomach. Beneath the caps lay yellow-white stems. Standing nearby, sweating profusely, Aunt Wang busily sprinkled water on the mushrooms! This small, earth-yellow house radiated hope.
Aunt Wang cried out in surprise and delight, "Oh! County Magistrate Ye! Why is it you?"
She hurriedly put the wooden bucket for watering on the ground, and in the blink of an eye she ran in front of Ye Yunzhao. She couldn't stop smiling, and raised her hands to hug the person she hadn't seen for a long time, but her hands had just touched the humus soil, and she belatedly wiped them on her knees.
Ye Yunzhao smiled at her gratefully. "I had some personal matters a few days ago, which delayed the Xixiang people's mushroom planting. Aunt Wang, it's fortunate that you are in charge of the overall situation. Otherwise, I don't know how much trouble it would have caused."
As she spoke, she took out a piece of pork from her backpack and was about to hand it to Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang was shocked and immediately tried to evade the question, "What are you talking about, County Magistrate Ye? If you hadn't taught me how to grow mushrooms, how could I be where I am today? As for the matter in Xixiang, it would be embarrassing to bring it up again. I couldn't see any problems with the mushrooms of more than a dozen households, and yet they went to the headman's house and caused a scene several times. County Magistrate Ye... I... I'm ashamed of the trust you placed in me..."
Although she was usually a bit of a snob and a bit of a scoundrel, it was undeniable that Aunt Wang got along well with the people in Xixiang. This was her strength. When faced with major issues, she was the calmest and most intelligent woman.
Ye Yunzhao waved his hands repeatedly: "Auntie Wang, if you keep saying that, you're looking down on me. This is truly my fault. Please don't mention it again, and don't shirk responsibility for this piece of pork."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and grasped hers tightly, saying sincerely, "I will need your help a lot in the future. If you continue like this, I won't be able to trouble you again."
Ye Yunzhao's words left no room for doubt. Aunt Wang naturally accepted the apology with great joy and said with a smile, "What's the point of saying whether to help or not? If you need an old woman like me in the future, County Magistrate Ye, just ask!"
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "I'm definitely not going to be polite with you. I see that the baize mushrooms in your mushroom shed are growing well. They should be ready for picking in a dozen days. I'll come back to check then. But I'd like to trouble you to check on how the mushrooms in each household are growing these few days. If there's anything unusual, have Brother Dayuan come to the county government office to find me."
A few days ago, Lu Dayuan found a job making furniture in Lingnan County and had to go to Lingnan County early every morning.
With her words, Aunt Wang felt that her busy days had been worthwhile. She smiled brightly. Although she felt that she had a heavy burden on her shoulders, she was extremely happy: "Good! Good! Good! Don't worry, County Magistrate Ye, I will check every house tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to her in a hurry, Ye Yunzhao looked at the sun and rushed to Xixiangli Zheng's house without stopping.
On the first day of the new year, when I entered the courtyard, Aunt Xiangyun was sitting in the yard mending clothes, while my wife was busy cooking in the kitchen.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Aunt Xiangyun, Ye Yunzhao placed another piece of pork from his backpack on the stove. "I'm sorry you suffered a lot because of my affairs a few days ago. I cut this piece of meat at Aunt Hu's butcher shop. I'm giving it to you as a treat..."
Before she could finish her words, Aunt Xiangyun spoke up immediately, "No, no, County Magistrate Ye, please take it back! We haven't been wronged in any way."
As she spoke, she threw the pork into Ye Yunzhao's backpack. To be honest, Xiangyun had naturally resented Ye Yunzhao, and so did the head of the village.
It was clearly a promise Ye Yunzhao made to everyone. She disappeared quietly for more than ten days, and her family was insulted by those stupid villagers. Naturally, they were unhappy.
But who was Ye Yunzhao? She was the county magistrate. Even if she was unwilling, who would have the courage to argue with her? She thought she was going to suffer this loss, but she never expected that Ye Yunzhao would come today with an apologetic look and even brought about two or three pounds of pork as an apology.
At this moment, Aunt Xiangyun suddenly felt a little ashamed. She waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, County Magistrate Ye, keep it for yourself!"
The village head also echoed: "That's right..."
Ye Yunzhao really didn't like this kind of pushing and shoving, but due to his official position, their behavior seemed reasonable in this unfamiliar feudal dynasty.
She sighed in her heart. She had clearly let the other person down, but she couldn't even offer an apology... But in the blink of an eye, she suddenly had a "bad idea" in her mind.
"Alright—what are you doing!" Ye Yunzhao suddenly frowned and said coldly, "Could it be that you look down on the gift I gave you? Just accept it if I ask you to. Why are you pushing and shoving here?"
She had always been kind and compassionate, but she suddenly became serious and really scared them.
Only after the two of them had put the pork away did Ye Yunzhao finally smile a little, as if he had lost his composure, and murmured, "Wouldn't it have been better if I had accepted it earlier?"
When Aunt Xiangyun turned around, she realized that she had become her old self again. Only then did she realize that she had been "tricked" by her. She said affectionately, "Next time, no matter what you say, we can't accept it."
The village head said, "County Magistrate Ye, please have dinner at home. I just made it today..."
Before he could finish his words, Ye Yunzhao interrupted him and asked, "I have things to do today. Do you know how the poor families in Xixiang are doing since the beginning of winter?"
The village head washed his hands and sighed, "I went to check before the snow started, and there were still more than a dozen households that were in trouble. Then it snowed heavily, and someone came to my house to cause trouble again, so I didn't go to check again..."
His voice became smaller and smaller, his head drooped lower and lower, and there was a hint of self-blame in his words.
Ye Yunzhao thought of the people he had visited in the autumn, and a vague feeling of pity and worry arose in his heart: "Okay, after you have eaten, come with me to take a look."
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