Spring is a season full of hope!
As the temperature warms up day by day, the weeping willows that have grown tall along the official road have green leaves as silk as silk, and the tender leaves gleam in the sunlight after being washed by the night rain.
The orphans adopted by Jiang Zhi ran and played on the road outside the school, their faces full of innocent smiles.
Xu Changming, carrying a basket of dog poop, was chasing after Peiqi again: "You damn bastard, you can't dig in there. If you want to dig, go dig in an open space."
Although Peppa had delicious food every day after entering the village, and even ate at every house she went to, she also lost a lot of fun. For example, she had to find a place for her to dig around randomly and practice her mouthing.
Peiqi stood still, just rolling her eyes at him. She only ran away when Xu Changming was about to catch up with her, heading straight for Sishuitang.
There were too many strangers at Sishuitang recently, so Peiqi stayed in Shijiazhuang and didn't go back.
The people there are a bit silly; they often stare blankly at themselves.
As usual, Peppa went to the yard to ask for food after opening the gate, but there was no spinning wheel in the front room and no bamboo-splitting basket on the back door.
Paige has no concept of life and death; it only knows that these people sometimes appear and sometimes disappear, just like Jiang Zhi and Er Rui are often away from home for several days at a time.
Perhaps after a while, those two will be back with bowls in hand, shouting, "Peppa, time to eat!"
There was no one at Sishuitang except for Madam Tan, who was preparing the meal. When she saw Peiqi come in, she was so startled that she quickly threw a handful of vegetable leaves on the ground: "They're all gone, they're gone. You eat and then leave quickly."
At this time, apart from Lotus Pi, who was working upstairs, no one else was there.
Some are at work, some are at school, and even the youngest, Hui-ge, is in daycare.
Chunfeng and Dazhu worked in the soap workshop. She couldn't do heavy work, but she could do some manual labor and could also instruct the four new workers.
The people of Xujia Village are no longer idle. After Chunfeng became pregnant, Errui selected a few people from the neighboring villages to walk more than ten miles to work every day.
These workers all signed ten-year contracts, so they know exactly what they should and shouldn't say.
In fact, given the current social standing of Jiang Zhi, Er Rui, and Xiao Man among the people, even without a written contract, no one would dare to risk their entire life and fortune.
In rural areas where imperial power doesn't extend to the countryside, these local officials are like local tyrants; if they're ruthless, a single word can make someone's life unbearable.
Tian Tao was in charge of the pharmacy, so naturally she needed to check on it every day.
Jiang Zhi and Er Rui were at the county government office, talking to the newly arrived magistrate about the bridge repair project.
There are several rivers in Pingchuan County, and several villages require people to walk on stone steps to get around. In the summer, when there are heavy rains, flash floods often sweep people away, and in the winter, one can easily step into the water.
Jiang Zhi is now willing to donate money to repair the bridge.
After Magistrate Zhang was promoted, the new magistrate of Pingchuan County was a middle-aged man in his thirties surnamed Yu. He was going to take over Pingchuan County, so he naturally put a lot of effort into investigating the area.
Knowing that the woman in front of him was the most famous local gentry in the county, who had not only transformed a dilapidated village of refugees into a model for the entire county, but also generously taught planting techniques, doubling the yield of cotton fields in the county, she was someone that all the old farmers in the villages needed to visit for the New Year.
Rural people believe in practicality; this is what truly fills other people's stomachs with food.
More importantly, he donated a prescription, which was specially commended by the current regent, the imperial uncle, and he also raised the rising star, General Nie.
Now they are building schools, helping more than a dozen orphans and widows in the county, and even adopting orphans back to their villages.
Faced with such a peasant woman who could speak directly to the emperor, Magistrate Yu spoke very politely and courteously. He summoned the clerks from the county government's workshop, took out a map of the county, and laid out the villages that needed bridge repairs one by one: "Madam Jiang, these villages all need bridge repairs. Three people drowned in this village last year, and one person almost drowned in this village but was fortunately rescued."
Because village chiefs from various places came to pay their respects for the New Year, Jiang Zhi had a general understanding of the situation in each village without leaving home. She chose the most difficult village and said, "Let's repair this one first. We'll trouble the county government to prepare the necessary stone materials."
Philanthropists who donate money are welcomed wherever they go, and those who repair bridges and roads are deeds that will go down in history.
Jiang Zhi did not personally oversee the construction process; Er Rui and Xiao Man were adults and could handle these matters on their own.
Every time a bridge is built, the name of the Xu family Jiang clan is left behind.
Jiang Zhi no longer goes out. Now that the two elderly people in Sishuitang are gone, she is the elder.
Chunfeng is now eight months pregnant and about to give birth. She needs to make some preparations to help Xiaoman's grandparents, who have left, take good care of Chunfeng and the children in the family.
Time passed quickly, and before Grandpa Xiaoman's 100th birthday had even passed, his great-grandson was born.
The baby's cries that echoed again in Sishuitang, along with the laughter of Nini, Caixia, and Huige, washed away the gloom of the past few months.
Just as plants wither and flourish every year, people are born and die in waves, and life goes on day by day. This is probably the scene that the two old people would most like to see.
When the Sishuitang family had a new baby, Chunfeng's family came to visit again, but this time Chunfeng directly refused to see them again.
Some things were beyond resolution, and Chunfengniang could only leave in tears.
Chunfeng has cut off her own path to her family home, while Qiaoyun can't find her family home at all.
Now that they have the opportunity, Jiang Zhi and Er Rui have been inquiring about Qiao Yun's family.
Qiaoyun had been away from her parents' home for ten years. According to the place name of her parents' home that she knew, it was not on the map of Pingchuan County. She could only determine that it was a county based on the fact that they performed corvée labor together.
In an era when everything was copied by hand and management was chaotic, it was common for there to be discrepancies between local dialects and official documents. The only solution was to ask caravans that went into the mountains to buy mountain goods for information along the way.
Persistence pays off, and we actually found it.
That day, a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a coarse blue cloth shirt and carrying a large bundle, suddenly appeared in Xujia Village.
In the sweltering summer, sweat soaks and dries clothes, leaving behind rings of white sweat stains.
He was standing outside the village when Xu Changming stopped him and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing in the village?"
The young man nervously tugged at the bundle on his back and smiled, "Grandpa, is this Xu Family Village?"
Xu Changming cautiously sized up the young man in front of him: his face was honest, and just by looking at the embroidered clothes on his sleeves, as well as the machete and water-carrying bamboo tube on his waist, he knew that the young man came from the mountains.
But Xu Changming remained vigilant. There were too many valuable things in the village, and he couldn't let strangers in and out: "Is this Xu Family Village? What's your name? Which family are you looking for? Tell me your name!"
The young man quickly said, "I'm looking for Xu Maowan, Uncle Maowan! My sister is his daughter-in-law."
Xu Changming's eyes widened immediately: "Maowan, your sister is his daughter-in-law... Oh dear, the wild boar is coming!"
Just as he was about to speak, a large wild boar suddenly emerged from the ditch beside the road.
Upon seeing the wild boar, the young man immediately drew his machete: "Grandpa, run!"
Xu Changming quickly stopped them: "Don't cut it, don't cut it, these are our animals."
The young man looked surprised: "Raising wild boars? Wild boars destroy all the grain my family grows every year."
Xu Changming stopped pressing the young man about his background: "If you're looking for Xu Maowan, just follow the wild boar, it will lead you there! Peiqi, take your people back, your master's guests have arrived!"
Follow the wild boar!
The young man was stunned.
However, seeing the wild boar waddling ahead towards the village, he had no choice but to hurry up and catch up.
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