Chapter 1369 The Returnee's Notes 443
After taking the third child back from Juan Niang, Zhi Bai, at Xie Ning's behest, reached an agreement with Juan Niang: if the child was a girl, Juan Niang would not harm her and would only sell her to her.
Juan Niang didn't ask any questions; she was just happy to accept the money.
After handing the child over to the old woman, Zhibai took her books and went to study with Xie Ning.
She had doubts, both about the book and about things outside of it.
However, she didn't see Xie Ning in the study. Instead, she saw a group of young girls reading. Whenever Xie Ning had money, he would let her buy books. Reading would broaden their horizons and teach them skills, which would help them live more wisely.
Even students from the school down the mountain came to borrow books!
Zhi Bai intended to slip away quietly, but her younger sisters spotted her without noticing. One by one, they came over to talk to her. She was already a chatterbox, and now she couldn't control her mouth and started chatting with her sisters.
The new members of the temple were also mentioned.
However, she didn't mention Juan Niang, only saying that she was a child she picked up on the road. The girls didn't suspect anything, since they had all come to Qingya Temple in roughly the same way.
Now, their lives are better than most people's.
Zhi Bai chatted for a while before escaping. As she ran, she kept smelling her sleeves, and now her whole body smelled nice.
When they reached the west wing, they saw a woman in a plain robe sitting opposite Xie Ning. She was the county magistrate's wife, who had come here after hearing about Xie Ning's reputation and had come to like the place.
He would come to burn incense on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, and then have a vegetarian meal. If Xie Ning was free, he would play a game of chess with him.
Today, the magistrate's wife brought a little boy with her. Zhibai looked like an old man at first glance, with a stern face and an old-fashioned demeanor.
However, the child watched the magistrate's wife and Xie Ning play chess very attentively.
“Master… Madam Min.”
The two were playing chess when Zhi Bai quietly walked behind Xie Ning and took over the task of brewing tea from the maid.
The game was quickly decided. Xie Ning was no longer a terrible player, but she would still have a win-loss record when playing against Madam Min.
After all, this is the only way to make it last.
Then Xie Ning pushed over a small box containing fifty taels of silver. “This is my donation to the charity. I am busy with affairs at the temple, so I will not go down the mountain. The people will remember your kindness.”
This magistrate is a rare example of someone who is not corrupt. Perhaps it's because he doesn't need to be greedy for that money. After all, his wife's family is quite wealthy, so there's no need for her to be greedy for such a small amount of profit and tarnish her reputation.
The magistrate's wife was also kind-hearted and took over the responsibility of the charity.
She had come to Qingya Temple before to see the children Xie Ning had taken in, because she was afraid that Xie Ning was a hypocrite who pretended to do good deeds but secretly used the girls he took in to sell their bodies.
Madam Min did not want to accept the money. "Master Changning, Qingya Temple has taken in so many elderly people, women and children. You treat those people for almost no money. You are doing the same thing as me."
But you and I are different. My husband is a local official, and as the wife of a county magistrate, it is my duty to care about the people.
"I absolutely cannot accept this money."
Xie Ning shook his head. "The floods in northern Jiangsu have worsened, causing countless refugees to flee south, and many have come to our area. In recent years, the taxes levied by the central government have become increasingly heavy, and the county government is also facing financial difficulties..."
Madam Min sighed, but ultimately accepted the money. She murmured, "Wasn't the route changed? How come there was still flooding..."
Although she was knowledgeable, she was still rather shallow, while Xie Ning seemed to know everything, which is why she liked Qingya Temple so much.
Her husband was learned but unwilling to teach her, while Xie Ning was willing.
Xie Ning picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard, arranging it to represent the terrain and landscape.
"During the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River flooded southwards, diverting into the Huai River and flowing into the sea. More than 700 years have passed since then. The original water systems of the Huai River basin, such as the Si River and the Yi-Shu River, have been destroyed, forming new lakes such as the South Four Lakes and Luoma Lake. The overall drainage system is disordered, causing minor disasters in the plains of eastern Henan, northern Anhui, and northern Jiangsu, and major disasters in the plains of heavy rain..."
There is also the effect of Hongze Lake, which turns the Lixiahe area into a flood detention area. Once the dam is opened to release floodwaters, it becomes a vast expanse of water.
Last year, the Yellow River breached its banks at Tongwaxiang in Lankao, Henan, and changed its course to flow north into the Bohai Sea. However, due to long-term siltation from the Yellow River, the old course of the Huai River in northern Jiangsu could no longer restore its original flood discharge capacity.
The Huai River was forced to change course southward, flowing through Hongze Lake and Sanhe before entering the Yangtze River, thus restricting its flood discharge path...
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