The real spectacle should be attributed to Magistrate Zhang.
His height, towering over others, made him look like a moving lamppost as he walked through Xujia Village.
Fortunately, the villagers had been instructed in advance, and no one came to watch.
Although it's not yet the Lunar New Year, the villagers have already gone to work in the fields, and they are scattered in twos and threes in various fields, peeking in this direction.
The rapeseed in the field is less than a foot tall and is already almost buried by grass.
In the days before herbicides, the only way to remove them was by manually squatting on the ground and pulling them out clump by clump.
Although it was still winter, the cold season in Bajun was short, and grasses like cow's hair and tender goosegrass that could be pinched and released water grew.
These grasses can be picked and taken home to feed pigs and chickens, which is something the villagers never finish doing every day.
After passing a few houses, Magistrate Zhang saw the brand-new houses in Xujia Village and the terraced fields between them. He noticed that the rapeseed and wheat were growing well, and the land was lush and green. He couldn't help but sigh, "Who would have thought that just a year ago, this place was homeless people suffering from hunger and cold?"
"They say that every little bit counts, and every grain of sand counts. Building a house is a big deal for every household. Village Chief Jiang, it's a great achievement that you've led everyone to work together."
Jiang Zhi didn't have so many sighs; she only noticed that the grass in several plots of land had grown so tall that it blocked the trees, and she needed to quickly arrange for people to pull it out.
Otherwise, once the temperature rises, the ground will be covered with grass and no seedlings.
“Magistrate Zhang, even though the houses are repaired, everyone is still poor. They don’t even have tables; they use winnowing baskets as tables and eat squatting on the ground!”
When you meet an official, first plead poverty; don't show off. Flattery is hard to come by, and you won't get any rewards. A simple "the capable should do more" might just bring you a task.
Jiang Zhi showed no joy at being praised; she still had endless complaints.
Magistrate Zhang was clearly used to hearing about such poverty, and what he saw before him was far better than what he had witnessed elsewhere. He smiled slightly and said, "With the development of Xujia Village, it will definitely become prosperous in a few years."
Jiang Zhi's mouth moved slightly. People are like these plants and trees. As long as they are not cut down every two or three days, the mountains will naturally become lush and green if the forest is closed off for conservation.
To become wealthy, one should avoid war and disaster. However, this is a difficult thing to say, since Magistrate Zhang is an official of the King of Zhou, and the war is still ongoing.
"If Magistrate Zhang can provide more protection, the people of Xu Family Village will be extremely grateful," Jiang Zhi said with a smile.
The dozen or so new houses left a deep impression on Magistrate Zhang. After seeing the houses and fields, Magistrate Zhang wanted to return to the post station.
Taking advantage of his good mood, and knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Jiang Zhi quickly made a request: "Magistrate Zhang, the person who played chess with you just now once passed the imperial examination and received a stipend."
However, his repeated failures in the imperial examinations and the ridicule he received caused him mental distress and illness. The local instructor said that his sickly appearance was ugly and detrimental to his civility, and even his stipend was revoked.
The woman thought, "Xia Xiucai is just having an illness; it's not a violation of the imperial examination rules. We can't erase the years of hard work he's put into his studies. I want to plead for his eligibility for a stipend."
Magistrate Zhang frowned slightly. He had just met with Scholar Xia and knew that although the young man was intelligent and talented, his speech, behavior and mind were different from ordinary people.
To him, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination and was highly talented, Xia Xiucai was just a Xiucai who had failed the exam.
Every time, many students who failed the imperial examinations would weep bitterly in front of the examination hall, and some even went insane.
Such a thing could not elicit any sympathy from Magistrate Zhang, who had once endured the imperial examinations and spent half his life navigating the ups and downs of officialdom: "The stipends are a reward for outstanding students from the Ministry of Education, not a fixed allocation to anyone. Xia Sheng has failed the exams year after year, so naturally he has none."
The instructor acted according to the rules, which was not inappropriate. However, dismissing Xia Sheng on the grounds of his morbid ugliness was unfair.
That's the gist of it; it's unfair to be penalized for being sick.
Jiang Zhi was a little disappointed. Magistrate Zhang did not treat Xia Xiucai any differently, which meant that Xia Xiucai really would not be able to get his stipend.
For Xia Xiucai, the significance of a bushel of rice and two hundred coins was far less important than the word "reward".
"Your Excellency, Xia Shuyan has the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the county level). Can his family be exempted from taxes?" Jiang Zhi felt that she still needed to get more benefits.
This time, Magistrate Zhang did not deny it: "Of course, but you need to have Scholar Xia make a record at the school and register him in the directory."
The population is scattered, and various registers are incomplete or damaged, requiring them to be filled in one by one.
Thankfully, it's just a registration for church staff, there's still plenty of time, I'll go later.
Jiang Zhi said earnestly, "The scholar, despite his illness, still has to teach night school in the village every day to educate the villagers. It's truly not easy for him. When the time comes, I will definitely report the scholar's story to the Pingchuan County Instructor."
Magistrate Zhang, who had been indifferent, suddenly perked up. He was interested in the night school and quickly asked for details.
Jiang Zhi then recounted in detail how Xia Xiucai used his rest time to teach the villagers to write, and how everyone in the village, young and old, listened to his lectures and learned principles.
More than building houses and providing grain rations, Magistrate Zhang preferred to hear about Scholar Xia educating the people, his tone clearly tinged with amusement: "Excellent, excellent! Such talent should not be wasted!"
He turned to the clerk following behind him and said, "Make a note of it. Xia Shuyan of Xujia Village is a good teacher who educates students at the night school. He deserves to be recommended! Since he cannot be given a stipend, let the instructor give him another reward."
The silent clerk immediately took out his inkwell and hastily wrote a line on a small slip of paper.
Jiang Zhi was stunned: Oh dear, you've already copied my idea. Why didn't you mention the house repair?
As if sensing Jiang Zhi's doubts, Magistrate Zhang said, "I only felt that Xu Family Village was different from other villages because everyone was selfless and could help each other repair houses."
It now seems that it was Xia Xiucai's teachings of propriety, integrity, and self-discipline that led to such fine character in everyone. Xia Xiucai deserves a reward!
What about my own contributions? Have they been completely erased?
Jiang Zhi felt that Magistrate Zhang was too idealistic. Could education really improve the character of the people in Xujia Village?
No, it's the Vitex negundo branches that are more potent.
Another issue is that his method of assigning "work points" to everything is unacceptable and impractical in other places.
However, Xia Xiucai was pleasantly surprised to receive praise for attending the night school, and soon an attendant went to inform him.
Jiang Zhi pressed her advantage, saying, "Magistrate Zhang, I have another request!"
"Oh, what is it?"
"The woman wants to find a small valley about two miles from the village..."
When Jiang Zhi and Magistrate Zhang arrived at the post station, they saw Scholar Xia, Village Head Song, and a group of local gentry waiting outside.
This is an upcoming meeting for grassroots cadres!
The post station was only completed on New Year's Eve, and Jiang Zhi has not visited it yet.
The two rows of ten wooden rooms connected by a corridor are arranged on different levels by steps. There are also several side rooms on both sides. The supporting facilities include livestock sheds, hay sheds, kitchens and clean rooms, which can accommodate dozens of people at a time.
Since it was an official post station, there was naturally a large reception hall. Magistrate Zhang walked around the field ridge and needed to go to his room to tidy his appearance, while the others went into the reception hall to wait.
This place is nothing like the elaborate government offices; apart from the main seat at the head of the table, there are just a few chairs casually placed below.
It's obvious without even thinking that the main seat is where Magistrate Zhang will sit.
It was a rare opportunity for Song Lizheng and several local gentry to appear before the county magistrate. While they politely declined each other's presence, they quickly grabbed the seats closest to the head of the household.
After a period of commotion, everyone sat down. The chairs must have been prepared beforehand, as no one had anticipated the positions for Jiang Zhi and Xia Xiucai.
At this point, the two could only stand in the hall.
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