Just as the tax payment was completed, two burly constables patrolling the streets came over, looking around as they went.
The vendors who had just been surrounding the farmers immediately quieted down and strolled into the crowd.
When someone stepped on his heel in the crowd, the idler who was shouting and cursing shut up.
Those thieves who wanted to steal things immediately changed locations.
Magistrate Zhang now keeps a tight rein on the city. Anyone who causes trouble or stirs up trouble in the streets will be dragged to the county government office and flogged.
The main problem is the hidden dangers left by the rioters who entered the city a year ago. Now everyone is like a frightened bird, and they will run away and hide whenever there is any noise.
Finally, two burly constables stopped in front of Xiaoman's stall, looking at the man who was busy arranging his goods and grinning: "Xiaoman, Li Laoshi!"
Xiaoman looked up at the sound and exclaimed with delight, "Brother Chen, it's you!"
The constable surnamed Chen laughed heartily: "It really is you! Tidy up, don't set up here, I'll take you to another stall!"
Xiaoman immediately picked up the things on the ground: "Brother Chen, what are Brother Xiang and the others doing?"
Chen, the constable, said with a smile, "You'll see them after you sell your goods. Aunt Jiang told me you were going to set up a stall, but I didn't believe it!"
The group chatted and laughed as they packed the odds and ends off the ground back into their baskets and headed toward the busiest alley.
Meanwhile, on Jiang Zhi's side, Wu Hongmao and the others, after finding out the location of the Huo family's small courtyard, said with a smile, "Auntie, since you're staying a few more days, we brothers won't linger here. We'll come to visit again after we finish our business!"
Jiang Zhi was delighted to find an acquaintance in the city: "Great, then come over for dinner tonight, I'll have Xiaoman grill some meat for you!"
At Laoyun Cliff, Xiaoman often roasted rabbits for everyone to eat.
Wu Hongmao shook his head: "Since we've come to the city, we can't let Auntie spend money. You just need to cook a pot of porridge, and we'll bring some cold dishes!"
"good!"
Jiang Zhi readily agreed, explaining that the Huo family's kitchen lacked all the necessary seasonings, making it rather difficult for them to cook for themselves.
After leaving the yamen, it was still early. Xu Errui looked at the sun that had just risen overhead and then at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, and exclaimed, "The city is really lively!"
If only Pear Blossom Town—no, if only it were as Mother said, and Xu Family Village were just as lively after the post station was built—how wonderful that would be.
Few young people can resist this thriving atmosphere.
Compared to the deserted scene in the city last evening, the county town now has the grandeur of a large county.
Jiang Zhi also became interested in the market: "Let's go to Rice Market Alley to find Xiaoman and see how much money they made!"
On the street, Jiang Zhishun looked at all the pharmacies. When she arrived at Rice Market Lane, she had a plan for her future.
The two searched all over Rice Market Alley but couldn't find Xiaoman and the others, and they started to get anxious.
Xu Errui looked around: "Could they be lost?"
Jiang Zhi, remembering that Wu Hongmao had made prior arrangements, remained calm: "Let's search again; he's probably gone to other streets and alleys."
Sure enough, not long after, Xiaoman, carrying an empty basket, appeared in the crowd talking to Li Laoshi, her face beaming with joy.
Xu Errui jumped up and down, waving and shouting at Xiaoman, finally getting the two of them to see him.
Xiaoman squeezed through the crowd: "Auntie, we've sold out of everything!"
He was overjoyed to have the silver in his pocket.
Jiang Zhi also wanted to know what was going on, but since it was a quiet place, she could only wave her hand and say, "We'll talk about it when we get back!"
Back in the small courtyard borrowed from the Huo family, Xiaoman gulped down a glass of water until she was full. Then, wiping the water from the corner of her mouth, she took out a handful of loose silver and several dozen copper coins and said, "Auntie, this is the money from the sale, a total of one tael and three mace of silver."
Li Laoshi said proudly, "We went to sell to the residents. With Lao Chen leading the way, those families didn't dare to make things difficult for us, and they paid us well."
Xu Errui pressed him for details, and Li Laoshi finally explained how he sold the goods.
When Chen and his men found Xiaoman, they saw that his belongings were messy and consisted of ordinary household items, so they went to several households.
The oak wood ear mushrooms harvested during Xiaoman (the 15th of the lunar calendar) are considered top-quality, and those families really liked them. They even said they would send them dried wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots whenever they had them, and they even bought straw sandals and hemp cloth.
Jiang Zhi nodded in agreement. This was a favor given to those yamen runners, and all parties involved benefited.
The day passed in this way, and in the evening, Wu Hongmao arrived with seven or eight acquaintances, carrying roast chicken, braised dishes, and the rarest beef.
Xiang Dejin also came with them. As soon as he saw Jiang Zhi, he explained that he was preparing household items.
It turned out that Xiang Dejin's family knew he had a job in the county government, so they arranged a marriage for him at home.
So Xiang Dejin used his demobilization pay, plus money borrowed from his family, to find a small courtyard in the city, bought it at a low price, and planned to use it for his wedding two months later.
Jiang Zhi was somewhat surprised. Buying a house and getting married so soon after finding a job seemed a bit too hasty.
However, Xiang Dejin was not young, being two years older than Xu Dazhu, so it was only natural for him to get married and have children. He quickly offered his congratulations: "When you get married, be sure to send a message to Xu Family Village so that we can all come to the wedding feast."
Xiang Dejin knew he had acted hastily, but having gone through a life-or-death experience, his family's greatest wish was for him to give birth to their child as soon as possible.
In nature, when organisms face a survival crisis, their first thought is to reproduce.
Just like bamboo, bamboo trees bloom and wither on a large scale before a catastrophic drought.
When bamboo flowers, the resulting bamboo rice is edible.
Scientific analysis suggests that bamboo can sense changes in the soil and needs to disperse its seeds to migrate to suitable new land.
In any case, reproduction is ingrained in the genes of every organism, permeating its entire life, and the more difficult the living conditions, the stronger the desire to reproduce.
After the group finished eating together, they found an opportunity to ask Dejin about Jiang Zhi's contract with the Huo family.
He knew that Magistrate Zhang also had his eye on the pills made by Aunt Jiang.
Jiang Zhi said, "This is just to explore a possible path with the Huo family. Later, when the county magistrate has more time, we can naturally make medicine separately."
Xiang Dejin nodded: "The new army is currently stationed at Majiabao and is attacking several surrounding prefectures with all its might. The princes of other fiefdoms have also raised their armies. Many refugees have entered Ba County. Magistrate Zhang still needs to make arrangements."
Jiang Zhi suddenly realized that the refugees outside the city were not from Ba County, but from counties outside Ba County.
This is really...sigh!
That's how war is; wherever it goes, it leaves behind devastation and refugees scattered. During the civil war in Ba County, everyone fled.
Now that Ba County has been pacified, more refugees from outside have arrived.
On the third day after arriving in the county town, the Huo family finally arrived.
Jiang Zhi was quite surprised to see the shrewd and capable second young lady of the Huo family standing next to the manager of the pharmacy. The person in charge of the Huo family pharmacy was a woman.
No wonder Huo Yanjie and that manager didn't show any unusual expression when they were discussing the contract with him.
I'm so used to treating everyone the same in modern times that I've forgotten that this is still a feudal system with many restrictions on women.
Miss Huo smiled brightly: "I'm sorry to have kept Madam Jiang waiting!"
This is my first time using AI to create illustrations for Jiang Zhi! Hehe! It's quite interesting.
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