Chapter 78 Construction, work, work, work
Sifang County.
A dozen or so construction workers stood among the mountains, looking down at the undulating peaks, feeling a deep headache.
Worker A, rubbing his chin with his right hand, said, "I think when we're building roads, we can't just consider connecting the two places; we also need to make them as smooth as possible. Otherwise, how will cars travel in the future?"
Before he could finish speaking, staff member B chuckled and said, "Isn't that obvious? The question is how to repair it, what slope and what curve would be the most convenient and cost-effective?"
The only female staff member held a charcoal pencil and paper, sketched a simple mountain path, and then outlined a few winding roads. She wasn't very satisfied with it.
After a long pause, she looked thoughtful and said to her colleagues, "Shall we go to the academy and find some math students who are good at math to help us calculate the slope and curvature?"
Staff member C asked in confusion, "Why are you looking for the student instead of the teacher?"
The female staff member smiled but said nothing.
Suddenly, staff member B thought of something and asked, "Isn't the administration office in a hurry to fix it?"
After arriving in Sifang County, all the staff of the Administrative Office moved directly into the former county government. Currently, in addition to counting the population and organizing land reclamation, they are visiting various places to consider how to build roads, plant crops, and construct workshops.
The construction department is in charge of urban development, including squares, roads, academies, libraries, markets, etc., but the administrative office has only designated an area and has no plans to build anything in the short term.
Staff member Ding crossed his arms, glanced at his colleague, and said, "There are too many things more important than the administration office. We have plenty of space to work, so let's talk about it later."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "Even the goddess said not to build her a goddess's palace. Are we more... than the goddess...?"
Staff member A looked shocked. "Not building the Goddess's Palace? Does that mean the Goddess won't come to Sifang County in the future?"
The female staff member replied, "No, the goddess said that we can reserve a room for her in the administration building."
Upon hearing this, staff member A breathed a sigh of relief.
riverside.
The staff from the fruit industry department looked at the river, then at the mountains not far from the river, and then at the relatively flat wasteland a little further away, and nodded in satisfaction.
A middle-aged woman said with a smile, "I'll write a letter to Mr. Jiang, the owner of the distillery, right away and ask him to come and take a look."
A young man clicked his tongue and asked, "Do you really think this place is suitable for building a wine county?"
The man, in his fifties, squatted down, grabbed a handful of mud, and kneaded it.
He smiled and said, "The soil and climate in Jinzhou are quite good. We can grow fruit trees, as well as corn and sorghum."
"With such good soil, it is very suitable to develop a wine-producing county."
A young girl picked up a stone and threw it into the river, where it splashed up small water droplets.
She shrugged. "But is the river's flow and water quality sufficient for planting and brewing wine year-round?"
The middle-aged woman said, "So if we choose this place as the wine county, the first thing we need to do is dredge the waterways."
The young woman pointed up the mountain, "The second thing is to dig soil and plant fruit trees."
“Hey, when we came here, I saw a pond and I thought we could dig it up and plant lotus flowers in it,” a middle-aged man suddenly said.
The others were speechless: "What does this have to do with what we're talking about right now?"
The middle-aged man hummed, "Lotus roots are no worse than fruit, and besides growing lotus flowers, you can also raise fish, ducks and geese in the lotus pond."
"You just want to create a lotus pond, don't you?"
"Oh, I remember now, you really liked that poem 'Moonlight over the Lotus Pond,' and you copied it ten times by hand!"
Meanwhile, in the military camp north of the county seat.
Fang Qin and his team are recruiting new employees.
All the men who came to register lined up and were checked one after another.
"Name."
"Guo Erniu".
"age?"
Thirty-seven.
Where are you from?
"It's in Qinggangling Village, Shimen County, which is next door."
Who are the members of your family?
"My dad, my wife, and three children."
The person taking notes looked up at Guo Erniu and asked, "Is there anything wrong with your health?"
Guo Erniu was stunned.
The soldier standing beside him said coldly, "Stand up."
Guo Erniu subconsciously got up.
The soldier then asked him to raise his hands, kick his legs, and bend over, and asked him if there was anything wrong with his eyes and ears.
Guo Erniu: "..."
He was surprised. What did that mean? If I had a problem with my legs, would they not accept me?
He was right. The rest of the group, including those with mobility issues, arm problems, poor eyesight, or hearing impairments, were asked to leave.
The recorder said, "You can go to the workshops to find work. Currently, the woodworking workshop, stoneworking workshop, ironwork workshop, and brick and tile workshop are all under construction and are recruiting people."
Guo Erniu: "..."
That's really strange; the military actually selects its personnel.
He wondered, what kind of work did this workshop do?
Because it was a new county construction project, the workshops that were moved here were not located in the county seat, but in the suburbs and neighboring county towns.
Wood, stone, bamboo, iron, bricks, tiles, and coal were all necessities, and these workshops were the fastest to be built.
While working, they also recruited new people from across the county.
The administrative office also recruited people from all over the county who were literate, literate, and good at math, which was a great surprise to some locals.
After all, what people fear most is having no room for advancement.
Nowadays, anyone can enter the Sifang County Administrative Hall simply by passing an "interview," regardless of their background, family history, appearance, or gender.
Local residents and migrant workers alike were all encouraged!
Mo Jingchun hurried into the county government office and saw the head of the secretariat carrying a thick stack of papers walking towards him.
She stopped and asked, "How is it?"
The person in charge was troubled: "Many people have signed up, but not many meet the requirements."
Mo Jingchun smiled and said, "Don't set your expectations too high. They can improve their abilities through learning and practice."
The person in charge said, "But we don't need too many people. Those who don't pass the interview can go to the academy or the workshop."
Mo Jingchun nodded. "You reminded me. Why don't you also recruit teachers for the academy?"
The person in charge shrugged. "I think it would be better to select the tutors from the academies in Anling County. The people here in Sifang County haven't learned our mathematical knowledge."
Mo Jingchun said, "Okay, you can coordinate with Dean Qian."
The two exchanged a brief greeting and then passed each other, each going about their own business.
Mo Jingchun's eyes were dark and swollen, but he was in high spirits.
Since arriving in Sifang County, she has been responsible for everything, busy with this and that every day, and only gets an average of two hours of sleep.
Surprisingly, he is full of energy and always approaches every task with high enthusiasm, never getting distracted.
So much so that everyone else in the administration office thought she was practically inhuman.
No wonder he was able to become the governor of Sifang County.
On the street.
The people of the county town, armed with hoes and shovels, carrying baskets and bamboo hampers, worked enthusiastically to dig and repair roads.
The person in charge of this section of road inspects it regularly, and immediately calls for rework if any repairs are not done well.
"Uncle Yang, is it really necessary to keep such a close watch?" someone joked jokingly.
The person in charge glared at him and said, "Bullshit! This road is going to be paved with blue bricks. If it's not done well now, we'll have to redo it when the blue bricks are laid later."
"Uh." Well, it's definitely better to get it done now.
The person in charge glanced at the roadside and raised his voice, "Drainage ditch! Everyone, be careful when you work, do a good job of drainage, and be careful to prevent dirty water from clogging it and making it stink!"
"Leave the space for the roadside trees; we're going to plant ginkgo trees here."
"Hey you guys over there, don't sit there, get up and keep working! Once we finish this section, we can rest and eat!"
Upon hearing that they could eat once the work was finished, the hundred or so road workers became excited, and some couldn't help but drool.
"The food bestowed by the goddess is so delicious!"
"Yes, yes, I've never eaten such delicious white rice!"
"The food was all delicious."
"Absolutely! It's high in oil and salt, but it's so delicious! I've never eaten such delicious food in my life!"
"You have no taste! Fresh pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, and fish taste good even without a lot of seasoning!"
"And fresh vegetables."
"I can't believe I can eat cucumbers in winter..."
"...Could that goddess of Anling County truly be a deity?"
"She definitely is!"
"If it weren't for the goddess, how could she have given us food?"
"My goodness, the people of Anling County are so lucky!"
They chatted away, getting more and more excited as they talked.
Of course, I didn't stop working; in fact, I became more efficient because I was about to eat.
The hour of You (5-7 PM).
Everyone stopped working, and the food bestowed by the goddess appeared equally in everyone's hands.
Five dishes and a soup were served on an iron plate:
The first dish, braised beef brisket with tomatoes, features a rich and tangy tomato sauce paired with tender, flavorful beef that melts in your mouth, creating a complex and appetizing flavor profile.
The second dish was cola chicken wings, which were crispy, slightly charred, and glistening with oil. The cola released a caramel aroma after being heated to high temperature, which blended with the crispy outside and tender, juicy inside chicken, creating a sweet and savory flavor.
The third dish is stuffed chili peppers, which are fragrant and slightly spicy, filled with sweet and soft glutinous rice. After being deep-fried, they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a delicate and refreshing taste.
The fourth dish was stir-fried lily bulbs with wood ear mushrooms. The milky white lily bulbs, the glossy black wood ear mushrooms, and the emerald green celery were intertwined. The wood ear mushrooms were crisp and the lily bulbs were crunchy. After being stir-fried, the dish was refreshing and sweet.
The fifth dish is cold shredded lettuce salad. The lettuce shreds are fresh and crisp, and the seasonings are rich and layered, with a sour, spicy and slightly numbing flavor, making it refreshing and appetizing.
There was also a crucian carp and tofu soup, with smooth white tofu, tender fish, and a rich, creamy white broth. I don't know what it was made of, but the fish had no fishy smell at all; instead, it was sweet and delicious.
The broth is poured over fragrant white rice, making it exceptionally delicious.
The people of Sifang County felt exceptionally happy.
Initially, some people had objections to the Anling County army's forced occupation of Sifang County, to the so-called goddess, and to the young new prefect, Mo Jingchun.
After eating the meat porridge, noodles, and five dishes and a soup bestowed upon them by the goddess, they were completely convinced and no one openly expressed any dissatisfaction anymore.
Everyone worked very obediently, repairing roads, clearing wasteland, and working in the workshops as instructed...
"What? The workshop pays wages every month?"
The people were shocked.
The staff member from the administrative office said with a smile, "The military camp and our administrative office also receive wages every month."
"If you work hard, you'll be able to buy our new houses in the county town at a low price, or rent our houses in the market to open a shop!"
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Author's Note: I've always wanted to write about food, but alas, my cooking skills and writing ability are lacking... QAQ
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