Old Master Zhou respectfully invited Zheng Qingshu to sit in the main room for tea, but he declined. Instead, he found a stool in the courtyard and sat down. When Xingxing came in, he smiled gently at the little girl, his eyes subtly scrutinizing her.
"Would the magistrate like some honey water? Xingxing will make you a bowl." Xingxing stopped not far from Zheng Qingshu and asked in a childish voice.
"Thank you very much then." Boss Zhou had already gone to boil water for tea, but Zheng Qingshu still smiled and thanked Xingxing. This little girl was quite interesting.
"Then please wait a moment." Xingxing took her short legs and went to the main room.
At this moment, Ruru walked over. She stopped in front of the magistrate, tilted her head and looked at him, "What a young official you are! You are more handsome than other officials."
This person is obsessed with looks.
Zheng Qingshu was amused, his smile reaching his eyes. "Thank you for the compliment. I have a question for you, and I wonder if you can answer it truthfully?"
"What do you want to ask? I'll tell you what I can." Ru Ru spoke softly, her eyes carrying a hint of wariness.
She's a clever little girl. Although she's the youngest, she's quite shrewd. She's beautiful and doesn't look like a country girl at all.
"Why don't you kneel before me? You didn't kneel when I came last time either. Why is that?" Zheng Qingshu didn't necessarily want anyone to kneel before him, but he had a feeling that the little girl and Xingxing were deliberately not kneeling. Moreover, the fact that these two little girls were not afraid of the officials made him feel curious.
"Why do I have to kneel when I see you? I didn't know the rules the first time. I just wanted to know what would happen if I didn't kneel." Ruru said seriously, clearly telling the truth.
Zheng Qingshu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. He wasn't about to argue with the two young girls. "It's alright, but not every official is as easy to talk to as I am. If you don't follow the rules when you encounter other officials, you'll be punished."
Listen to him say "you all," not "you." Actually, he just wants to know why Xingxing doesn't want to kneel. This little girl in front of him is just imitating Stephen Chow, which is why she doesn't kneel.
Don't think that just because Xingxing is inside, she can't hear the conversations outside. Zheng Qingshu didn't try to avoid her; he didn't lower his voice, so he was intentionally letting her hear him.
But what bad intentions could Xingxing possibly have? She just doesn't want to kneel down to anyone, so what?
It's so annoying. Kneeling hurts my knees and gets my pants dirty. She just doesn't like kneeling.
She may not have known the rule of kneeling before officials before, but she understood after Zhao Guihua told her. However, she was particularly averse to kneeling before others. Deep down, a voice seemed to be telling her that she should not kneel, absolutely not.
For reasons that were neither clear nor easy to explain, Xingxing was particularly resistant. However, she wouldn't tell Zheng Qingshu why, hoping he would forget about it and never come to the Zhou family again, so that they wouldn't have to face each other or argue about whether or not to kneel.
Zheng Qingshu was just a little curious, but he didn't dwell on it. Last time, when this little girl suddenly threw a tantrum and refused to go to class at the Song residence, he didn't ask about it again, did he?
"Zhou Linglong is a very quirky person. I think she's arrogant and proud. She definitely wouldn't be willing to kneel down to others. I think she'd rather others kneel down to her."
Tie Qingfeng was just making a casual remark. Thinking about how Xingxing had ignored him earlier, even someone as composed as him couldn't help but grumble a few words. However, at that moment, he never imagined that in the future, only others would be kneeling before that little girl.
Although they really wanted to argue with him, Xingxing and Ruru were both very perceptive and didn't pick a fight with Tie Qingfeng because Zheng Qingshu was there. The two little girls held hands and ran to the kitchen, no longer serving the two uncles and nephews.
Old Zhou went to the well in the backyard, took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and then came out to entertain Zheng Qingshu and Tie Qingfeng. The tea in the house was picked from the mountain, and the snacks were dried fruit.
Judging that the county magistrate and his nephew wouldn't care about these things, Zhou Laoda said a few words and didn't force the two anymore. Zheng Qingshu then talked to him about reclaiming wasteland.
"We've already planted the wasteland today, but it's not finished yet. We'll continue tomorrow. This year, we've cultivated a lot of sweet potato vines, so the planting area is large, and the sweet potatoes are also big. My family is planting a lot faster than others. Other families are only just starting to clear land..." Old Zhou rambled on and on, reporting the village's situation in one go.
Zheng Qingshu nodded. What Zhou Laoda said was almost identical to what the yamen runners had reported to him.
"Besides paying taxes on rice, you also have to hand over 60% of the sweet potatoes you grow. All the sweet potatoes you cultivate after clearing land have to be handed over. Just hang in there, as long as we get through this natural disaster." The last sentence was clearly meant to reassure them.
Old Zhou looked honest, but he was actually numb. He dared not refuse to do what the court asked of the people, unless they were driven to the point of desperation. Otherwise, he would persevere no matter how hard it was. Generally, the people would not rebel unless they were pushed to their limit.
However, the current emperor is a good emperor, as all the people know. Unfortunately, this good emperor has terrible luck. Since he ascended the throne, there have been few years of peace in the country. Either there is a disaster here or something happens there. The people feel sorry for the emperor.
There are all sorts of rumors circulating outside. Some people with ulterior motives have even secretly commissioned folk songs to be written and sung in the streets and alleys of the people, further vilifying the current emperor's image and implying that he is unworthy to be emperor and that even Heaven cannot tolerate him, which is why he will punish the people after he ascends the throne. They believe that as long as he abdicates, the world will surely return to peace and the disasters will stop.
Regardless of what is said outside, one thing is undeniable: His Majesty is capable. Apart from being helpless in the face of natural disasters, he is competent in governing the country.
At this moment, no matter what Zheng Qingshu said, Boss Zhou would just nod and agree.
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