"careful!"
Li Qigong blurted out a loud shout, intending to rescue him but being too far away, he watched helplessly as his brother-in-law threw himself at Guo Honglei, thinking angrily: How shameful, absolutely shameful!
Wen Xi couldn't stop his momentum at all. Just as the two were about to collide, Guo Honglei was quick-witted and dodged sideways. He grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him. Without changing his expression, he said, "Master Wen, be careful."
"Ha--" Several guards stared at the embarrassed and clumsy fat man, wanting to laugh but holding back.
Wen Xi stood still, his shock barely easing him, breathing awkwardly. His hat was askew, and he raised his hand to adjust it roughly, then bowed and apologized, offering his thanks. "Thank you very much, Captain Guo, for saving me. I'm so sorry, so sorry. Just now, ahem, I slipped and accidentally offended you. I apologize for the rudeness. Please forgive me."
Guo Honglei was eager to visit his wife and daughter, so he had no time to think about it, let alone socialize. He casually replied, "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."
"I wonder...what is this old man's name?" Li Qigong looked at the thin and vigorous old man.
Guo Honglei didn't want to engage in a long conversation with outsiders, but it would be rude not to introduce them, so he simply replied, "This is the doctor. He's here to see my daughter. I have important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. We'll talk again some other time."
"Ah, it's the doctor!" Li Qigong and his uncle saluted one after another.
The former imperial physician smiled kindly and nodded in response to the stranger's greeting, his demeanor graceful.
Wen Xi was upset about the embarrassment he had just made. To make amends, he quickly announced, "It's a day off today, and we came to visit your daughter, but unexpectedly ran into you at the door. It's urgent to see a doctor, and we can't waste even a quarter of an hour. Please, come in!"
Guo Honglei raised his hand to usher in the doctor: "Please."
"Let's go." The old imperial physician took the lead and stepped into the threshold of the corner gate of the rear yamen.
Not long
After Jiang Yushu received the county magistrate and his wife, she was anxious to return to her room to coax her child, and thought to herself: I'll just say thank you and send the guests away.
Huang Yichun and his wife greeted the young patient and discussed his condition for a few words. After a few dry chats, he took a sip of tea, remained silent for a moment, and then sat upright and said, "Just now, on the way to the county government office, when I passed by the south city, I saw the area designated as a workshop. Many people gathered and were clearing away the ruins. I think it will be cleaned up by the middle of next month."
"very good!"
Jiang Yushu nodded in satisfaction and, involuntarily, turned to official business. "Potatoes are a high-yield food and will sooner or later become a staple on people's tables. Unfortunately, they don't store well, so they need to be made into flour or vermicelli to extend their storage life and facilitate distribution to various places."
"Everywhere?" Huang's wife was puzzled and asked curiously, "Where?"
Jiang Yushu is eager to try, looking forward to it, "Five lakes and four seas!"
Huang Yichun, who was naturally dull, smiled and said, "Let's wait and see."
Jiang Yushu's thoughts shifted, and her tone changed as well. Frowning, she said, "It's a beautiful wish, but right now, there's no sign of a workshop. Clearing the ruins, procuring stone and wood, completing the construction, experimenting with flour production, and so on are all complex and tedious tasks. I'm not a superhuman, so I must select a reliable person and entrust him with the important task of overseeing the daily operations of the workshop."
"I'm new here, and my understanding of the people in the government office is far less profound than that of County Magistrate Huang. In your opinion, who would be the most suitable person to be the workshop manager?"
Tuning County's first government-run flour mill was established, and with no plans to approve the opening of private mills, all money, grain, flour products, and so on passed through the hands of the clerks. It's easy to imagine that the clerks held some real power.
Supervising workshops is obviously a lucrative job.
"This..." Huang Yichun was stunned for a moment, lowered his head to drink tea, hesitated for a while, and answered cautiously: "Although your Excellency has been in office for a short time, I believe that with your intelligence and talent, you will be able to pick out the right candidate!"
Jiang Yushu had already roughly figured out her deputy's character and was not surprised at all. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the servant report:
"Madam, the Second Master is here with the doctor!"
"oh?"
Jiang Yushu immediately stood up and said happily, "Finally, they're here!"
"Second Master?" Huang's wife stood up, and Huang Yichun whispered, "Her husband, Captain Guo."
Jiang Yushu was about to go out to greet him, but she stopped and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, my husband has asked a doctor to see my daughter, so I have to excuse myself—"
"No, of course, it's about curing the disease!" Huang Yichun said hurriedly, "Sorry for bothering us for a while, we'll take our leave now. Please go on with your work."
Huang's wife responded, "Come visit again another day."
As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Honglei led a group of guests into the living room, and the place suddenly became lively with people greeting each other.
Jiang Yushu took a quick look and quickly walked to the old imperial physician. She knelt respectfully and bowed, saying gratefully, "It's been a long time since we last met. How are you? After my son, I have to trouble you now. I'm so grateful for saving my life. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely ask my child to kowtow to you and express my gratitude!"
"I dare not, I don't deserve it. Madam, please stand up." The old imperial physician raised his hand to support her, his eyes kind and gentle. "It is a doctor's duty to save the dying and the wounded. Madam, there is no need to do this."
Guo Honglei asked in a low voice: "Where's the child? How is she?"
"Not very good." Jiang Yushu was obviously anxious.
Seeing this, the old imperial physician waved his hand and didn't take the hot tea. Instead, he said, "Where is the patient? I need to see the symptoms with my own eyes before I can prescribe the right medicine."
At the same time, next to
"Hey, Qigong and I just arrived, and Lord Huang is about to leave?" Wen Xi greeted him warmly. Li Qigong asked with a smile, "Wait a moment, shall we leave together later?"
Huang Yichun had no choice but to nod. With the arrival of several more male guests, Huang's wife became more reserved and sat quietly beside her husband sipping tea.
Jiang Yushu called the steward over and said hurriedly, "Please sit down, have some tea and chat for a while. Let me take the doctor to see my daughter first."
The guests nodded in agreement.
A moment later, bedroom
Guo Xiaoyan had repeated fevers and a poor appetite. No matter how the wet nurse and maidservants coaxed her, she kept crying and refused to open her mouth to eat or drink.
When the servants saw Guo Honglei and the doctor he brought back, they quickly made way and stood by to pay their respects as if they had seen their savior.
Guo Honglei waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite!" He couldn't wait to get closer to the bed and take a look.
The baby, who was more than five months old and wearing a maroon jacket, turned over as soon as he was free, facing the inside of the bed, with his back to everyone, and sobbed in grievance.
When Guo Honglei first visited her, his daughter was just one month old. It had been a long time since they last met, and seeing her crying with her back to him, his heart instantly softened as a father... He gathered himself, bent down, reached out and gently patted the baby's shoulder, calling out, "Xiaoyan? Yan'er? Why are you crying?"
Guo Xiaoyan mistakenly thought that she was going to be fed again, so she immediately struggled, moved inward with all her strength, and continued to sob, her small body curled up and trembling constantly.
"You——" For a moment, Guo Honglei was at a loss.
The nurse pointed to the bowl of porridge and explained, "The girl is sick and has a poor appetite. She doesn't want to eat, so she cries."
Jiang Yushu sat down on the edge of the couch and held her daughter in her arms, sighing, "This child is a bit picky about food. Doctor, please take a look at my daughter's illness. Is it serious?"
The baby's eyes welled with tears. When she saw the bowl of porridge, she immediately turned away and hid her face in her mother's arms. Then, she noticed the stranger and looked up confusedly, sometimes looking at the old doctor, sometimes at her father.
Guo Honglei stared at his daughter intently. As they looked at each other, he smiled subconsciously and asked sternly, "Little girl, you haven't gotten over your crying habit yet?"
"Woo woo woo~" The baby blinked his eyes, and the tip of his slender nose turned red, making him adorable.
Jiang Yushu hugged her struggling daughter tightly, "Alas, I'm afraid it's hard to change."
Like you. My father-in-law told me that you were a very tearful child… Guo Honglei sighed inwardly, "Alright, stop crying. Be still and be quiet. Doctor Guan is treating you."
The old imperial physician was kind and amiable. He successfully calmed the little patient down and concentrated on taking his pulse.
Soon, the living room
The four of them drank two cups of tea and chatted for a while. Huang Yichun put down his teacup, stood up and suggested, "The county lord is busy taking care of his daughter and has no time to receive guests. We are here to visit the patient. It's enough to show our sincerity. Why don't we take our leave now?"
Li Qigong and his uncle exchanged a glance, put down their teacups, and replied cheerfully, "It's time to leave. We shouldn't disturb them for too long."
"Walk."
"Mrs. Huang, please." Li Qigong lowered his head slightly and raised his hand to signal the county magistrate's wife to go first, politely.
Huang's wife was stunned, and immediately had a good impression of the Dianshi she met for the first time. She hurriedly said, "You go first!" She took a half step back and followed her husband's steps.
The group said hello to the steward, asked him to say goodbye to the magistrate on their behalf, and then left one after another.
When I stepped out of the yamen, I saw carriages from three families lined up beside the wall and under the trees.
As everyone descended the stairs, Wen Xi casually said, "Oh, this morning, when I was passing through South City, I happened to see laborers carrying waste materials in the area where a workshop was about to be built. It was so congested that the carriages were stuck for a quarter of an hour!"
"That area is indeed very lively." Huang Yichun walked down the stairs and walked towards his carriage.
Li Qigong glanced at the county magistrate and said, "Such a large workshop, I'm afraid it won't be completed before the New Year."
Huang Yichun shook his head, "It's probably impossible."
"Then, when will it be completed?" Wen Xi glanced at the county magistrate.
Huang Yichun shook his head again, "I don't know the details either."
"Ah? No?" Li Qigong pretended to be surprised and asked tentatively, "Didn't the county magistrate hand over the management of the workshop to you? How could you not know about it?"
Huang Yichun slowed down his pace and shook his head for the third time. "Who told you that? That's not true. The county magistrate has always been in charge of this personally. She's done it before, she's the first to do it, and she's very experienced. No one in Tuning can compare to her."
"Hahaha, that's right!" Wen Xi was half-believing and half-doubting, "Our county magistrate is as brave as any man!"
It's strange that she hasn't ordered the county magistrate to be in charge yet. Could it be... that she wants to choose me? Li Qigong pursed his lips into a line, his imagination running wild.
Nighttime Bedroom
After Jiang Yushu finished her shower, she pushed the door open and walked into the inner room. Sure enough, she saw her husband holding their daughter.
Guo Honglei heard footsteps and quickly signaled to his wife to be quiet.
"Are you asleep?" Jiang Yushu tiptoed closer and asked in a whisper.
"Well." Guo Honglei carefully placed the swaddle on the couch. She bent down and pulled the quilt to cover her daughter.
Immediately afterwards, the wet nurse and the maid began to tidy up the curtains and prepare for bed.
"Take good care of her."
"yes."
Guo Honglei turned around and took two steps, but returned worriedly. He lifted the curtain and took a few looks to make sure his daughter was asleep before returning to the bedroom with his wife.
a moment
Jiang Yushu was exhausted and sank headfirst into the pile of bedding, muttering, "I feel much more at ease now that the imperial physician Guan has prescribed medicine. Otherwise, I would never sleep well."
"Thank you for your hard work, madam." Guo Honglei took off his outer robe.
"What's so hard about it? For my own flesh and blood, I'm happy to do it!" Jiang Yushu turned over and lay flat on her back, praising her: "Yan'er cries a lot, and it's amazing that you have the patience to hold her and comfort her for most of the day."
"I... just wanted to take a look."
"What are you looking at?"
Guo Honglei sat on the edge of the couch and answered seriously, "Let's see how long the little girl can cry. Let's see how long she cries before we get tired of her."
Jiang Yushu couldn't help laughing, "Excuse me, Second Master, what have you discovered?"
"Currently, from what I've observed, she can cry for two quarters of an hour at a stretch, and even after a break, she can continue crying until she's tired or sleepy. She doesn't seem to get tired at all." Guo Honglei frowned, and helplessly praised, "Compared to when she was one month old, she's even more powerful."
"She's truly worthy of being our daughter!"
Jiang Yushu was very sleepy and murmured, "Oh, let her cry as much as she wants. I don't have any requirements for my child to become successful. I just hope she can recover soon." She closed her eyes and her breathing quickly became steady.
Suddenly, something slid down and landed on her forehead. It was heavy and cold.
Guo Honglei held the item in his hand and shook it gently. His eyes were bright and he whispered in her ear with a smile, "Wake up, I want to show you something."
The author has something to say: Double Eleven is coming soon [rubbing hands excitedly]
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