Looking at the people under his jurisdiction, whose faces were somewhat haggard due to poor food and living conditions, Xu Rao said, "Fellow villagers, I promised you that after spring, we will rebuild the county town and build new houses for you. This is the fund for rebuilding our homes. I have calculated it, and it should be enough. When the time comes, I will make sure you all live in new houses and can live a good life."
When those people saw the chests of gold and silver, they felt their eyes were dazzled. They had been worried that Magistrate Xu was just trying to appease them by saying he would rebuild their houses, but now they actually had money. So much money, all in chests and chests of gold and silver! How much money was that?
Xu Rao said, “Fellow villagers, this is what you deserve. You have made such great sacrifices for our country, so you deserve to be treated like this. As long as I am in Hexi County, I will not let you be bullied for nothing. Don’t worry, I will not only build houses for you, but I will also provide you with basic living necessities. I will buy and settle all the pots, pans and utensils for you.”
Amidst cheers, Xu Rao said, "The New Year is just around the corner. This year, we're going to have a different kind of Spring Festival. As the New Year begins, everything is renewed. Let's make this New Year a new beginning for Hexi County. Folks, slaughter sheep and cattle, and eat whatever tastes good!"
This New Year has been a source of great pride for the people of Hexi for many years. It was from this time that Xu Rao truly entered the hearts of many people. He was not only praised in Hexi, but also known to many people in Ganzhou, which is far away. There was a magistrate named Xu in Hexi who, after the county town of Hexi was destroyed by the Northern Di people, built a new city for the people of Hexi and provided new houses for every resident of Hexi. Although the people of Hexi were homeless at the time, their living conditions now surpass those in Ganzhou.
The old city was full of ruins, and everything required manpower. Demolition alone would require a lot of manpower. Xu Rao couldn't wait, so he found many people to come and look at the terrain and landforms. Then he started building a new city on the west side of Hexi City.
At the beginning of construction, the city's drainage system was put in place first. Although Hexi is not a rainy place, it is always better to do things in advance than to scramble at the last minute. The houses were built with three, four, or even five rooms. These were the main houses, with an east wing, a west wing serving as a kitchen, and a toilet. The city was divided into alleys, with several alleys forming a block. In each block, some commercial buildings were built along the street. Most importantly, all the roads in the city were paved with large bluestone slabs.
In the first month of the lunar calendar, they started measuring the land, drawing up house plans, and searching everywhere for experienced builders. They also had to purchase the materials needed for construction. After the first month, Wei Lang divided his troops into groups, and besides those left for daily training, he sent several thousand men every day to help build the houses. They were busy until May, when it was time to harvest the wheat. Xu Rao ran out of money, but there were still some finishing touches to be done. Xu Rao wanted to use the money Zhang Zhaoci had, but felt a little embarrassed. Several mysterious figures came from the capital and solved Xu Rao's urgent problem.
These people are considered mysterious because, apart from Xu Rao and Granny Lu, even Zhang Zhaoci had never seen them before. They arrived without making a sound and left without a trace, coming in the middle of the night and leaving before dawn. It was Granny Lu who invited Xu Rao to the front courtyard of the General's Mansion, which had already been cleared out, before Xu Rao finally saw them.
The visitor spoke with Xu Raoguan for a long time in the front courtyard of the general's mansion. Before leaving, he left behind a carved mahogany box filled with silver notes, repeatedly instructing that these notes should be used for the reconstruction of Hexi City. Then, he hurriedly left before dawn.
Xu Di held the heavy box, sighing inwardly, feeling that this was the heartache of parents everywhere.
With money in hand, one becomes bolder. Xu Rao, who spent his days wandering around the construction site, was dark-skinned and thin, but always in good spirits. On this particular day, everyone noticed that Magistrate Xu was in even better spirits.
Xu Rao was usually very approachable, and the soldiers who came to help with the construction would sometimes joke with him. A couple of days ago, because they were already struggling financially, Xu Rao was always frowning, worried that there wouldn't be enough money to allow everyone to move into their new houses on time. But now, not only are the new houses completed on schedule, but the money for building the city wall, and a high-quality one at that, has also been secured. Xu Rao was overjoyed; anyone could see it.
Someone joked with Xu Rao, "Lord Xu, did you find some money?"
Xu Rao laughed and said, "Yes, you adults have really found money, and not just a small amount, but a lot of money."
Then someone chimed in, "Sir, does that mean we can have an extra meal at noon?" They would eat lunch here while working, take a short rest afterward, and then continue working until evening before lining up to return to the barracks.
Xu Rao smiled and said, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to buy pork right away. I'll stew pork for you at noon, and we can also have some white flour pancakes, how about that?"
The workers cheered enthusiastically, and Xu Rao quickly ordered people to make purchases. There were still many houses in Hexi County that hadn't been completely destroyed. Once the weather warmed up, some people moved out of the General's Mansion, did some simple repairs, and moved back into their own homes. Others, who were merchants, had already set up their stalls early, even if they were just selling needles and thread, they did it with great joy. Whenever Xu Rao saw the hopeful smiles on the faces of the people, he felt that these ordinary people were actually the greatest. After suffering setbacks, they slowly recovered and worked hard to make their lives gradually return to normal, slowly making their lives like before. They were like the roadside weeds; after a wildfire, when the spring breeze blew and the spring rain fell, they would be full of life again.
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