Chapter 379: Long Legs Walking with the Wind
It seems that Song Zhaolun did not collude with the evil people, and the accident was probably caused by someone else.
Such a righteous official should not have ended up like this.
Huo Changan inquired about the village where Song Zhaolun lived, asked someone to buy some food, and went there.
The village where he lived was located at the foot of a mountain. It had only forty or fifty households and was very poor. It was named Cuiping Village after the mountain it was leaning against.
There are not many people in the village who have fields, so they basically rely on the mountains for their livelihood.
Huo Changan wore casual clothes, rode his horse to the village entrance, then dismounted and walked into the village.
Whenever he met someone in the village, he would ask about the location of the Song family and chat with them.
The villagers were very wary of him and rarely talked about Song Zhaolun. They all said that he was just a fool and had ended up eating pig food, so why would they come to him?
Until I met an old woman who had difficulty walking.
Huo Changan said that he came to invite Song Zhaolun to return to the county government to work.
"I can't do it!"
He learned a lot from the old woman.
It was not easy for Song Zhaolun to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. He grew up in a poor family and learned from an old scholar. For more than ten years, he chopped wood and fetched water for the old scholar's family.
Later, he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. A wealthy man took a liking to him and asked him to be his son-in-law, but he refused. He preferred to work as an accountant in a restaurant in town, writing letters for people and copying books to earn money to buy more books to study.
When he went to the capital to take the imperial examination, the whole village contributed food, clothes and money.
Fortunately, he passed the exam and became an official.
He did not forget his neighbors. With his salary, he bought new hunting bows and crossbows for the village and provided relief to villagers in need.
He also took time to teach the children in the village to read.
After he became a fool due to an accident, the villagers did not despise him. They treated him as usual, with the eastern family giving him some porridge and the western family giving him some vegetables, and he just got by like that.
The old woman spoke highly of him and could not stop talking about him.
Especially now that Mingshui Temple has collapsed, she is very happy and says it was only a matter of time.
Although Cuiping Village is poor, no family has ever participated in the selection of goddesses and maids.
Because they trusted Song Zhaolun and knew there must be something fishy going on.
"Young man, I am an old woman who knows how to read faces. You look decent and are not a bad person. Otherwise, I won't say anything more to you. If you want to see Zhao Lun, go ahead.
Just leave after watching.
The officialdom is too corrupt. Zhao Lun was a good boy. It was a blessing that he didn't die that year.
It doesn't matter if he's stupid now. The villagers of our Cuiping Village are willing to support him. Whether the outside world chooses a goddess or a sorcerer, or changes the county magistrate or the emperor, it has nothing to do with us. Let them do whatever they want!
Anyway, we don’t have any land, so we don’t have to pay land tax. If someone comes to recruit soldiers, just let the kids run to the mountains, and leave us old guys to be killed if they want!
Huo Changan felt sad when he heard this.
"Thank you, grandma."
He took out a few large white flour buns from his bag, gave them to the old woman, and walked in the direction she pointed.
"White flour buns? This is good stuff. Better than those hypocrites who brought cakes."
The old woman squinted her eyes and looked at Huo Changan's back for a long time, then smacked her teeth and said, "He's really handsome, decent, and decent."
It’s not easy to see such a handsome guy for the first time in my life.
Not leaving!
I'll talk to him when he comes back later.
The old woman sat down under the big tree.
…
Huo Changan entered the fenced yard with two thatched huts.
Song Zhaolun and his widowed mother depend on each other for survival.
Song's mother was less than fifty years old, with gray hair. At this moment, she was bent over, repairing the chicken coop in the yard.
At the door of the thatched cottage, sat a young man in his twenties. He had a handsome appearance, neatly combed hair, and his clothes, although torn, were clean. If you didn't look at his cloudy eyes, you would never tell that he was a fool.
The courtyard is not big, but it is very tidy, which shows that Song's mother is a hardworking person.
Huo Changan's arrival surprised Song's mother.
It is obvious that he is not an ordinary person.
Even when his son was an official, he had never made such respectable friends.
"Who are you?"
"Aunt, I'm with General Huo."
"Well, what's the matter?" Song's mother asked calmly.
"It's nothing. I heard that Song Zhaolun was the county magistrate and was very popular among the people. The general asked me to come and see him." While speaking, Huo Changan kept looking into Song Zhaolun's eyes.
Song Zhaolun's eyes were dull, and even when he looked at something, he had no focus, as if he was living in his own world.
No different from many fools.
"There's nothing to see. Thank you, General. My son is already in this state. There's nothing I can do. Please don't bother me anymore."
Song's mother refused calmly without any arrogance or servility. Her face was weathered, but her eyes were firm, without any sadness or resentment.
No wonder he was able to raise such an outstanding son.
Because mother is not an ordinary person.
"Our general said that we can find the best doctor to treat Song Zhaolun. Don't worry, auntie, we don't ask you to do anything. This is to commend him for what he did for the people five years ago."
Mother Song was stunned and stared at Huo Changan for a while.
Then he said, "No need, he didn't do anything, it's all what an official should do, it's really not worth mentioning.
Thank you, General.
I have to cook now and don't have time to entertain you, please go back."
She ordered them to leave again.
At this time, Song Zhaolun said vaguely: "Eggs."
Mother Song looked at her son lovingly and said, "Okay, I'll boil an egg for you today."
As she spoke she walked towards the hut.
The axe she had used to repair the fence was lying on the ground. She might not have noticed it and was about to kick it in the next step.
Huo Changan kicked it away quickly.
Only then did Song's mother see the axe, and her eyes looked a little strange.
"Thank you very much."
"You're welcome. Auntie, I brought some food with me. It includes eggs, which you can heat up and eat."
Huo Changan put the bag directly into Song Zhaolun's arms, "Also..."
"Zhao Lun's mother, Zhao Lun's mother..."
A group of people suddenly came outside the fenced yard.
At the front was a middle-aged man, followed by a group of women.
"Village head, Sister Feng, sisters-in-law, what are you doing..."
When the village chief saw Huo Changan, his eyes were filled with surprise.
The women behind were already talking.
"Aunt Qian wasn't kidding. He really looks like the male fox spirit described in the book."
"Look at his eyes. If he smiles, he can capture your heart!"
"He's got a strong body too. Look at those long legs. He must be walking with the wind, right?"
"He looks young, maybe he's not even married yet..."
Huo Changan's face darkened.
In order to make riding more convenient, he didn’t wear a long robe, so his long legs were exposed, right?
There are really a lot of gossips in the village.
"Ahem..." the village head warned the women behind him.
This young man looks extraordinary, be careful when he is punished!
"Sir, you see, Zhao Lun is in this state now. I'm afraid he can no longer work for the government. It's such a pity."
The village head was worried and came to check.
Huo Changan nodded and didn't force it.
"You are the head of Cuiping Village, and I have something to tell you.
The land under the name of Mingshui Temple has been reclaimed and is being distributed. Tomorrow you will take the villagers to sign and divide the land. Each household will receive one acre, and the Song family can get an extra acre.
After Huo Changan finished speaking, he quickly said goodbye.
A heated discussion could be heard behind me.
While discussing whether to divide the land, someone interjected, "He's so handsome! A man this handsome wouldn't lie!"
"If he really wants to divide our land, I will give my daughter to him as his wife, without asking for a single penny in betrothal gifts!"
Huo Changan swore that he would never set foot in such a simple village again.
"Hey, young man, wanna chat for a while?"
Old Aunt Qian, who was standing under the tree, struggled to stand up with the help of a cane and waved at him with her toothless mouth.
It turns out that long legs really do bring the wind when you walk.
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