In the backyard of the county government office, Song Wanyin was anxious, tugging at Wang Xian's sleeve and urging him, "Hurry up, Meng Zhao's new store is opening today, I already said I'd go and support her, what if we're late?"
Wang Xian lowered his head slightly, rubbed his eyes which had been filled with case files all morning, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Wanyin, if you want to go, you can go by yourself. Why do you have to drag me along?"
Upon hearing this, Song Wanyin pouted slightly. "I'm only doing this for your own good. You spend all day with these case files. What fun can you possibly have? Meng Zhao's potato noodles are delicious. You'll definitely like them. I just want to go and try them with you."
Wang Xian raised his head slightly and looked at Song Wanyin's appearance. A warm feeling welled up in his heart. "Then I'll just send someone to buy two portions and bring them to the county government office to eat. It's just on Xishui Street, not far away. I'll have the servant go and come back quickly so it won't delay the meal."
Seemingly dissatisfied with his words, Song Wanyin raised her voice a few notches, "What kind of support is delivery? To truly support someone, you have to sit in the shop yourself. Today is the first day of opening. If there aren't many people in the shop, how will others think it's delicious? I heard from Meng Zhao that she spent a lot of money to buy the shop. If business is bad, she'll be so heartbroken."
Wang Xian sighed, “Wanyin, you know I’m the head of a county. There are quite a few people in this county who know me. If I go to a restaurant and someone sees me, it will inevitably lead others to speculate about my motives, which could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings. To avoid this situation, it’s better if you go alone.”
Upon hearing this, Song Wanyin couldn't help but snort coldly, "I think you should just go out and wander around like me. You always plan your route in advance, thinking that this will prevent others from thinking too much, but what happens? People have already set up a stage for you along your route, and in the end, you just sulk."
When the topic of the docks came up, Wang Xian's face darkened. Since arriving in Qingshi County, he had been dealing with various handover matters. He had finally managed to find time to go out and inspect the area, but he had been fooled by some cunning clerks.
Although he came from a prominent family, by his generation, the family had long since fallen into poverty. He had witnessed the suffering of countless people and the coldness of human relationships, so how could he be fooled by them? However, he was new to the area and had not yet established himself in Qingshi County. He could not act rashly for the time being. When the time was right, he would definitely reorganize the county government of Qingshi County.
Song Wanyin continued to persuade him, "Didn't you worry all day that Qingshi County didn't have any industries that were worth mentioning? I think the braised meat that Meng Zhao sells tastes really good. I've never had such good braised meat in the capital. Why don't you go and support her? It'll be a contribution to the county's industries."
Wang Xian shook his head slightly and began to patiently explain, "Wanyin, what can truly be considered an industry are all extremely large in scale. Take Sichuan tea, for example. A single tea garden can stretch for hundreds of acres. From planting to harvesting, and then to processing and selling, countless people are involved."
"Or take the silk of Jiangnan. From planting and picking mulberry trees to production, weaving, dyeing, and embroidery, everyone, from ordinary people to skilled craftsmen, plays their part. This is the true meaning of an industry."
"As for your sister's braised pork shop, think about it. There are only so many people in our county. No one can eat braised pork every day. Even if she is good at managing it, she can only open two or three shops at most and hire a dozen or so workers. How can such a scale be considered an industry?"
As Wang Xian spoke, he pondered Meng Zhao's matter. "However, her starch workshop is doing quite well. I heard from my subordinates that two hundred acres of wasteland have been successfully reclaimed, and the workshop has now started recruiting people from the surrounding villages."
Thinking of this, Wang Xian felt more appreciative of Meng Zhao and no longer refused Song Wanyin's suggestion. He gently took Song Wanyin's hand and slowly stood up.
“My wife must let me change my clothes; I can’t go there in my official robes.”
Seeing that Wang Xian had finally relented, Song Wanyin was overjoyed. She quickly pushed him to the back, saying repeatedly, "Okay, okay, hurry up and change your clothes. We have to hurry, or we'll really be late."
When the two arrived at Xishui Street, they were shocked by the scene before them. There were long queues outside the shops, and the shops were so crowded that the doors could not be seen from a distance.
Wang Xian turned his head and glanced at Song Wanyin beside him, a helpless smile on his face, and said, "Are you sure your little sister Meng Zhao still needs us to come and support her?"
Song Wanyin subconsciously scratched her head. Although there were quite a few people at the shops on Tongfu Street before, they weren't this crowded. It seems she was worrying for nothing.
However, since they were already here, they couldn't just leave quietly. They had to at least say hello to Meng Zhao, so they squeezed forward.
Fearing she might fall, Wang Xian protected her and walked forward. Meng Zhao saw them and greeted them warmly.
"Sister Wanyin, you've arrived."
Song Wanyin responded with a smile, "I originally wanted to support you, but I didn't expect so many people. I won't trouble you any further. I'll come over in a couple of days."
Meng Zhao hurriedly replied, "Thank you so much, Sister Wanyin. I've been so busy today that I haven't had a chance to properly entertain you. When you come over in a couple of days, I'll definitely cook you some delicious food to make it up to you."
The two smiled at each other, and Song Wanyin didn't say anything more. She pulled Wang Xian and turned to leave.
Meng Zhao skillfully cut the braised meat in his hand and steadily handed it over. "Brother Wu, it's sixty-seven coins in total. This is a bowl given away as a gift when our shop opened. I even filled it with some braising broth. Please take it. Oh, and please give my regards to Aunt Zhang. Tell her that my mother and I haven't been to the docks for a while and we've been missing her quite a bit."
They don't set up stalls at the dock, but Aunt Zhang still thinks about them. Today, she even had her son come to support their new shop opening. This kind of friendship is truly rare.
Wu Rongzhou snapped back to reality, took the braised meat, and paid for it while his mind was filled with thoughts, constantly thinking about the two people Meng Zhao had greeted earlier.
Judging from how Madam Meng greeted them earlier, she seemed unaware of their identities. Should he expose them? Would it cause Madam Meng trouble? Then, suddenly remembering the head of the household affairs office who had caused Madam Meng trouble, Wu Rongzhou decided that he should still speak up.
After walking a few steps, Wu Rongzhou stopped and came to Meng Zhao. With a slightly solemn expression, he said, "Madam Meng, may I speak to you in private?"
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