Chapter 3068 Returning Home
Bai Erlang: "You want to buy their house and land?"
Bai Shan compared the blueprint in his hand and shook his head. "We don't have the money. We'll find a way to let them rebuild it according to our blueprints."
But this matter is not urgent. Bai Shan just kept it in mind. The most urgent task is to build the dock.
The newly arrived laborers followed the orders of the steward and carried wood into the water to build the structure. They were so cold in the water that they shivered.
This is not the most torturous thing. The most torturous thing is that every three days, the farmhands here line up to receive their wages, but they get nothing and can only watch.
To build a dock, even the most ordinary farmhand would earn thirty cents a day. If one needed to go into the water or had some skills, the wages would be higher, ranging from fifty to one hundred cents.
They were clearly working for fifty cents a day, but they didn't get a penny.
The laborers did not dare to be lazy, for fear that they would be punished with more labor, so they worked while sniffing in pain.
Because of the slack season, the farmhands who were stationed in various government-owned fields were gradually transferred here to help build the wharf. However, for their health, Bai Shan would let them take turns to return to the government-owned fields to rest.
The three of them stayed at the dock, planning every day how to make the best use of the people and things they had.
If County Magistrate Dong had not sent someone to find Bai Shan, he would have been able to stay here until the dock was initially built.
"Governor Guo summoned all the county magistrates to discuss important matters for the next year."
Bai Shan had to go back.
As soon as he was about to leave, Bai Erlang naturally didn't want to stay any longer, so he pulled Yin Huo back to the county town together.
In the end, County Magistrate Fang was the only one left to help Lord Cui.
Zhou Man's belly was already very big, but she was in very good spirits. Apart from the swelling in her hands and feet, which made it a little inconvenient for her to move, she did not feel any discomfort.
Recently, we even went to Qingzhou City to hold a free medical consultation.
Mingda was tired. The bigger his belly got, the worse he felt. Sometimes he would feel back pain just by standing, but he was also uncomfortable sitting or lying down, which made him a little bad-tempered.
As soon as Bai Erlang came back, she turned her head away. When he came around, she stood up, supported her belly, and went home with the senior palace maid.
Bai Erlang scratched his head in confusion and turned to ask Zhou Man, "What happened to Mingda?"
Zhou Man said, "Mingda is angry because you didn't come back to take care of her. Go and comfort her."
Bai Erlang, "Didn't you ask me to go out and work?"
He was reluctant to go out at first, and it was Mingda who scolded him, so how come it was his fault all of a sudden?
Zhou Man raised his eyelids and looked at him. "Are you going to leave Mingda and go on your own, and continue to discuss the right and wrong of this matter with me?"
Bai Erlang was startled and immediately turned around to chase Mingda.
Bai Shan turned to look at her, and seeing her warm expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Then if I don't come back to accompany you, won't you be angry?"
"I'm not angry," Zhou Man said. "I'm in better health than Mingda. Her pregnancy was much more difficult than mine. Physically, it was emotionally difficult, so she felt wronged. I just have some swollen feet and a sore back, but otherwise, I'm fine."
Bai Shan saw that she was full of energy, paused and asked, "So I won't come back..."
"I'm quite comfortable," Zhou Man asked thoughtfully, "Things are tough over in Jiangnan too. Doesn't the wharf have to open next year? If you're busy, you can actually live in Longchi."
She can also do something else. It's really nice to live without anyone to supervise her.
Bai Shan looked at her silently.
Zhou Man lowered his head slightly under his gaze. "I thought of it. It's getting cold. I prepared knee pads for you. Wait, I'll show them to you."
Bai Shan watched her go back to the house and immediately asked Daji, "What has she been doing recently? Why does she not want me to come back so much?"
Daji thought for a moment and said, "I haven't done anything. I just received and sent a lot of letters. Also, there have been a lot of doctors coming to the hospital to ask my wife for medical advice recently. My wife also took in two young ladies to teach them."
He paused and said, "Xi Bing has also been put in the medical department by my wife. Now the one who stays with my wife the most is Jiulan."
It seems that the medical department is short of staff.
Bai Shan looked at him suspiciously, "Is there nothing else?"
Daji shook his head, "At least what I saw is gone."
Bai Shan turned around and went back to the house in confusion. If that was the case, why was Manbao hiding from him and didn't want him to go home?
Zhou Man took out a knee pad and gave it to him. "Try it on. The seaside is windy and cold in winter. Bring it with you when you go to Longchi next time."
Bai Shan hugged her kneepad and asked her, "There are a lot of people in Longchi now, and people often get sick from the cold. Do you want to go there and check on them?"
"Sure," Zhou Man agreed immediately, "Pick a time."
Bai Shan became more and more confused, but he didn't show it on his face. He said, "Let's go together next time I go to Longchi."
Zhou Man asked, "When are you going next time?"
"The twelfth month?"
Zhou Man looked conflicted and said, "That's not going to work."
"Why?"
"The hospital is full of patients."
Bai Shan glanced at her face and said, "Oh," and said, "That's fine. We'll choose another time."
Zhou Man nodded repeatedly.
After dinner in the evening, Bai Shan went to the study to deal with official documents and took the opportunity to look through the letters that had recently been sent from various places.
He and Manbao never put up against each other, and their desks were leaning against each other, one on the left and the other on the right. When Bai Shan was not at the county government office, she would open his letters first. She would send someone to deliver the important ones to Longchi, and leave the unimportant ones. She would reply to them on their behalf or just leave them on the desk.
Her own letters were naturally stuffed in the drawer.
After Bai Shan finished reading his own, he looked at Zhou Man's desk. Seeing that she was writing something with her head down, he walked up to her and looked through the letters on her desk.
Zhou Man looked up at him, but perhaps because he was too used to it, he didn't take it to heart for a moment and lowered his head to continue writing his own things.
Bai Shan flipped through the letters and found many of them from Xiao Yuanzheng. He would never read them if they were not mutual friends, but these were too many. Six out of ten letters were from Xiao Yuanzheng.
He put them aside without looking at them. He flipped through the pages and found two letters from the Crown Prince. Then he leaned on the desk and asked Zhou Man, "Have I read His Highness's letter?"
Zhou Man responded indifferently.
Bai Shan opened the letter.
The first letter the prince wrote back to them was for the two of them. Manbao had mentioned this matter when he wrote to him. First, he urged Bai Shan to prepare as much official salt as possible to cope with the subsequent turmoil in Jiangnan.
The second was to warn Zhou Man not to be idle, but he still spread the tree she was looking for and the message she wanted him to convey.
The second letter came recently and was entirely addressed to Zhou Man.
The prince and Zhou Man asked for medicine, including some possible medicines for injuries and new medicines she had just made.
And the dosage is quite large.
Bai Shan vaguely guessed that Man Bao was hiding something from him, and turned to look at her, "Have you been making medicine recently?"
"Hmm, huh?" Zhou Man came back to his senses and immediately denied it. "No, I've been paying attention to rest recently and haven't been making medicine often."
See you at 10pm
(End of this chapter)
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