Throughout the year, people can eat rice porridge and leafy greens for half the year, and rely on various wild vegetables and leafy greens to fill their stomachs for the other half.
As for being full, don't be ridiculous. Just being alive is good enough.
When the Zhao family's entourage arrived in Lingbei City, it caused a great uproar.
I've never seen so many cattle and sheep before.
The sight of the emaciated, sallow-faced people, their hunger so palpable that they seemed eager to rush forward and take a few bites, was truly frightening.
Zhao Qingyan and her entourage randomly grabbed a soldier guarding the city gate and said that he was the newly arrived county magistrate on his way to take office.
Someone then personally escorted the Zhao family to the yamen (government office).
After giving the soldiers guarding the city a tip of one tael of silver, Xu Dongsheng went into the yamen to hand over the reins to the former magistrate.
The former magistrate of Lingbei County, Wang Yuanfeng, was wearing a faded official robe, with the elbows clearly worn thin.
Xu Dongsheng thought to himself, "If I use a little force, will my elbow stab me right away?"
Of course, this thought only lasted for a moment; he wouldn't be so rude as to stare at someone's sleeve.
Wang Yuanfeng knew that Xu Dongsheng had been transferred from the north.
Having traveled thousands of miles and walked for more than two months, one must be exhausted and worn out.
The moment he saw Xu Dongsheng, he felt jealous.
Xu Dongsheng was in such good condition that he showed no signs of fatigue.
He felt particularly distressed because of the fact that he was wearing brand-new silk clothes.
In this barren land, he diligently guarded it for six years, working tirelessly.
Not only was there no opportunity to profit, but worse still, they had to use their meager monthly salary to help the truly impoverished people.
This has resulted in him, a dignified county magistrate, being unable to even afford a new set of official robes.
This kid looks like he comes from a wealthy family; who knows how much he's plundered from the people in the north.
However, Wang Yuanfeng was in a hurry to leave; he didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for even a second longer.
Therefore, there was no time for formalities, and no time to be jealous of Xu Dongsheng.
At an unprecedented speed, all that could be handed over was handed over.
Looking at the remaining 30 taels of silver in the accounts, plus the 30 shi of rice in the government granary, Xu Dongsheng was deeply troubled.
He never imagined that a county town could be so poor.
"May I ask, Brother Wang, why is there so little pure grain in the official granaries?"
If any natural disaster were to occur, Lingbei County would be utterly defenseless.
Wang Yuanfeng touched his nose.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Last summer, the area was flooded, and the farmers' fields suffered poor harvests, so we couldn't collect the grain tax we were supposed to collect."
Due to a cold snap in winter, many wheat seedlings froze to death. Therefore, for spring planting, the grain reserves had to be released as seed.
Xu Dongsheng's gaze lingered on Wang Yuanfeng's face for about three breaths.
"Brother, why don't you take me on a tour of the granary?"
Xu Dongsheng said this because he completely distrusted the old man.
A county magistrate who would distribute reserve grain as seed grain is probably not very bright.
When they arrived at the granary, what Xu Dongsheng saw inside nearly made him furious.
"Brother Wang, is this the 30 shi of rice you left for me?"
Wang Yuanfeng felt very guilty. "What else could this be but rice?"
Xu Dongsheng sneered.
"It is indeed rice, but it also has another name: rice husk."
Brother Wang, are you trying to fool me by saying I'm young and don't know anything about farming?
If we let Brother Wang go today, wouldn't I be making up for it by giving you 30 bushels of rice for nothing?
Although it wasn't much money, it was a major taboo for officials.
It's as if Xu, having just arrived to take charge of Beixian County, is already trying to embezzle this small amount of grain.
Wang Yuanfeng saw that Xu Dongsheng was unyielding.
Wang Yuanfeng was on the verge of losing his temper, insisting that he reveal the whereabouts of the 30 bushels of rice.
In the end, they had no choice but to accept the 30 bushels of rice and distribute it to the people.
The reason for collecting so much rice husks was to make the accounts look better.
Xu Dongsheng just sneered.
The expression of "Keep making things up, keep making things up" is just too provocative.
Finally, Wang Yuanfeng personally rewrote the accounts and gave Xu Dongsheng a copy of the account book that contained no government offices and no stored grain, and only then was the matter considered closed.
As for how to balance Wang Yuanfeng's accounts, that's not Xu Dongsheng's concern.
Even without reviewing all the accounts, just a simple glance at them...
It is also known that before becoming an official, Wang Yuanfeng was probably someone who did not engage in productive work.
The entire handover process took two full days.
The Zhao family's herd of cattle and sheep was truly enormous.
Once inside the city, they found a real estate broker and bought 30 acres of land on the outskirts of the city.
The brokerage hadn't closed such a large deal in a long time, making the broker beam with joy.
Upon learning that the land purchaser was the new county magistrate's wife, the broker became even more attentive in his service.
They were afraid that they might offend the magistrate's wife by being impolite in any way.
Looking at Zhao Qingyan's youthful face, Ya Zi pondered to himself,
Whether this lady was his first wife or not, it is speculated that Zhao Qingyan might be his second wife.
After all, none of the county magistrates he had ever met were young.
Zhao Qingyan ignored the constantly changing expressions on Ya Zi's face, treating him as if she had encountered a madman.
As long as there are no problems with the land she bought, that's fine.
After both parties signed the contract, they went to the county government office to complete the legal process.
The clerk in charge of the transfer didn't dare accept the two taels of silver that Zhao Qingyan offered.
He simply said, "Madam, please don't flatter me. It is my honor to be able to serve you."
Zhao Qingyan knew what it meant to be a newcomer, so she didn't try to stuff silver into the registrar's hand.
"My family will slaughter a sheep tomorrow, and I will send the registrar a leg of lamb to try."
The registrar quickly bowed and said, "Then I will await the lady's lamb leg."
Zhao Qingyan has moved all the cattle and sheep to her newly purchased 30 mu of land.
Then, they left behind the tents, the wagons, and the food.
He told his entourage to stay overnight on his 30 mu of land.
Logically speaking, the southwest region should be a place where farming takes place all year round.
As it turned out, the previous owner of the land only wanted to sell it and had no interest in cultivating it; instead, the weeds grew very tall.
When the cattle and sheep arrive here, it's like they've entered a natural pasture.
The southwest is rich in snakes and insects. When Zhao Qingyan settled these people...
They also made sure to clear a space and spread snake repellent.
The accompanying personnel, having come from Lingnan to the north, naturally knew how to guard against those soft-bodied creatures. They assured Zhao Qingyan that she could rest assured.
Zhao Minggeng stayed here to help his son-in-law with the handover process, offer advice, and see how the area should develop.
Because he also had to take up his post, Zhao Minggeng could not stay in Lingbei for long this time, only three days.
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