Ruihai took a look, nodded, picked up two peanuts, put them in his mouth, shook his head, and felt very comfortable. He also praised: "Madam's cooking skills are still so good."
"As long as Lord Rui is satisfied, this treat is considered a homely one, and it's not against the rules for ordinary civilians to afford it. Please enjoy your meal."
Ruihai smiled, shook his head, and sipped the wine again.
"Come on, have a sip. I don't know how many years it has been since I last touched this stuff."
Zhang Mingtu raised the wine glass and looked down. He found that the wine was not clear in color, and was even a little turbid. The fermentation was not very good, and it was even slightly sour.
But he didn't care too much and just tilted his head back and went down.
Ruihai seemed to be quite emotional: "This is a gift from a fisherman's family in Xingguo County. It is a fine wine that they have treasured for more than five years.
"That family was sent out every year by the county government to work on the dike. The son died from overwork on the dike, and the daughter-in-law and grandson disappeared when the dike collapsed and flooded. They must have been fed to the fish."
At this point, Rui Hai paused and said, "In theory, the imperial court allocates thousands of taels of silver every year, which is enough to provide food and accommodation, and to build the dam. However, for decades, no one in Xingguo County has been able to repair the dam.
"The runners assigned there were also recruited from nearby villages. Not only were they not provided with food or wages, but they were also required to search for materials themselves..."
Zhang Mingtu listened to the song quietly. In fact, his future brother had also experienced such a story. He suggested that his brother at the beginning went to declare customs with the simplest and most straightforward ideal, and then faced the most tragic fate.
The story Ruihai told is very similar to what Zhang Mingtu and his future brothers will experience. In fact, they are all similar. The huge Daxia is similar in all places, and the tragic stories basically have the same core.
"He brewed this pot of wine for his son and daughter-in-law, intending to celebrate their grandson's first birthday. But then, it was gone... it was all gone.
"What I did in Xingguo County was not very good. I just checked the account books of corruption over the years one by one, and then used a small portion of the confiscated silver to cure the flood.
"Decades of flooding—it sounds incredible, doesn't it? The fisherman's son desperately went to the mountains to blast rocks to repair the dam, but his efforts were in vain. For them individually, it would never be possible to repair it; it was too difficult.
"But as for the county government, as long as they're willing to provide food and a small amount of labor to get the materials ready, their enthusiasm will be higher than anyone else's. If specialized personnel are involved in surveying and mapping, the construction standards will be very high. At least within the next twenty years, there won't be any major disasters."
Rui Hai paused at this point and said, "The reason why the fisherman's son is desperately trying to fix this one is because several of his villages are located downstream of the dam, and they flood every year. The people there are very active in wanting to fix it, but it's useless."
Zhang Mingtu listened quietly. Rui'er must have been very painful and upset when he went through all those things. Now when he talked about this story after drinking, there were still waves of emotion in his words.
But he was much calmer than at the beginning, and there were no tears in his eyes. He just described everything in very ordinary words.
"I changed some things, repaired the dam, and punished the yamen runner who had withheld the workers' money. The fisherman knelt before me and refused to get up. He dug this jar of wine out of the ground and gave it to me.
"I never accept anything from anyone, no matter if they are ordinary people or rich kids..."
When Ruihai said this, his hand trembled, and he turned his body slightly to the side for a moment, then turned his head back again. Zhang Mingtu saw that there seemed to be a little light flashing in his eyes.
"The fisherman turned around and jumped into the river right in front of me. His entire family was dead. He had nothing, no boat, no descendants. The only thing he had was this pot of wine."
"This is a good wine."
Zhang Mingtu finally spoke.
Rui Hai's words were a little choked, but he straightened his expression and recovered.
"I have been carrying this bottle of wine with me all these years. Whenever I feel difficult and can't get through it, I will take it out and take a look at it, and then I will be full of strength again.
"I originally thought I would carry this pot of wine with me for the rest of my life, until it would eventually be buried in the earth. I never thought that one day I would take it out and share it with you."
"A very good jug of wine."
Zhang Mingtu drank another glass. Ruihai listened and shook his head: "I have told this story to many people, including people of my generation, but no one cares.
"They have been from humble backgrounds since childhood and live in heaven. Compared to these characters, the difference is too great for them to understand."
"You've done a great job, haven't you? You've done enough to be fair. If it weren't for you, I don't think I would have continued to this point. You've actually influenced me a lot."
Ruihai laughed, thinking that Zhang Mingtu was too modest. Judging from his current achievements, Zhang Mingtu was far above him. His influence was not confined to one place, but radiated throughout Daxia, benefiting hundreds of millions of people.
But what Zhang Mingtu said was indeed sincere. In the beginning, he himself was very confused, and his future brothers were also very confused. Many times they didn’t know where the road was going. The road ahead was too dark and they couldn’t see the light.
Many times, he had taken other paths and never thought about changing the entire Daxia from this aspect. It was Ruihai who truly gave Zhang Mingtu light and hope.
"How is my sister-in-law doing?"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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