Chapter 19 A Family of Kind People
Ouyang Rong discovered that the water in Longcheng was indeed deep.
After descending the mountain, the official road to Longcheng County is frequently blocked by temporary "lakes".
The fields outside Longcheng County are like a blank sheet of paper that has been filled with circles drawn by a child, cutting them into patches of marshland.
Fortunately, Donglin Temple was very popular, and many fishermen used their boats to ferry pilgrims. Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, Yan Wuxu, and others traveled in this way, taking Xie Xun to Penglang Ferry on Butterfly Creek and successfully putting him on a large ship bound for Jiangzhou. Xie Xun would transfer there to return to Bailudong Academy.
Actually, Butterfly Creek is not a creek, but a wide river. This river meanders and resembles a butterfly wing, so it was called Butterfly Creek by the people of Longcheng. Moreover, the banks of the creek are full of colorful butterfly flowers.
It is located between the Yunmengze in the south and the Yangtze River in the north, and is also the most important connecting waterway between these two major water systems.
Therefore, Penglang Ferry connects the north and south. To the north, one can go to the most prosperous heartland of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in Jiangnan Road, and to the south, one can go to Lingnan Road. It is a bustling commercial hub.
Longcheng County is situated on both the east and west banks of the Butterfly Creek, and the county prospered around it. Most of the buildings, including the county government, are crowded on the east bank, while the west bank is relatively sparse, where the residences and properties of some of Longcheng's wealthy people are located.
Even now, despite the flooding in Longcheng, the bustling docks and porters' work haven't been significantly affected. Only the refugees, who have been left stranded on the streets with their families, can vaguely recount the devastation of this flood.
Ouyang Rong, Yan Wuxu, and Xie Lingjiang stood on the bustling dock on the east bank, watching Xie Xun's ship gradually disappear into the distance.
Zhen only saw Xie Xun down the mountain before going back to pack her things to move to the county government office; she did not come with him.
The wind was a bit strong at the ferry crossing, but the morning sun felt warm on my skin.
"Junior sister, please take good care of me in the future."
“Brother Lianghan, let’s address each other as equals, or just by our courtesy names.”
"Alright."
Ouyang Rong didn't mind Xie Lingjiang's polite and rigid manner. He turned his head and squinted at the opposite bank of Butterfly Creek.
"Is there a market nearby? I'll go get some things."
Xie Lingjiang asked a question, and Yan Wuxu pointed her in a direction. After that, only the young county magistrate and the blue-robed constable remained in the same spot.
"My lord, where are we going now? Should we go back to the county government office? I have already notified Magistrate Diao and the others as you instructed. They should be waiting for us at the county government office now."
"No rush." Ouyang Rong shook his head, then suddenly pointed to the opposite bank and asked, "Whose family owns that tall fortress and mansion built on that mountain over there? And what are those smoking workshops around the mountain for?"
Yan Wuxu didn't even glance at it; he already knew what the county magistrate meant, and answered directly:
"That's the Liu family compound. The workshop down the mountain is the famous Guyue Sword Shop in Jiangnan, which is also a property of the Liu family."
"The Ancient Yue Sword Shop? The Liu Family?"
Yan Wuxu patiently explained:
“In ancient times, our Longcheng was the land of Wu and Yue. During the pre-Qin period, it was a famous place for sword making. It seems that there was a master sword maker named something like Zi who dug a mountain and built a furnace by Butterfly Creek to make swords for the emperor and the feudal lords. So some sword making techniques have been passed down locally, and there are many sword makers. However, after the founding of this dynasty, this industry in Longcheng gradually declined, leaving only a few sword shops. Gu Yue is one of the old brands.”
"The Liu family is the largest powerful family in the area. Their ancestors made their fortune in Longcheng by trading water. However, they were just powerful landlords before. But the young patriarch of the Liu family is very ambitious. In his early years, he spent a lot of money to take over the declining Guyue Sword Shop and merged it with several other sword shops. After that, the business became more and more prosperous."
"We men love swords. The swords that the Guyue Sword Shop is currently producing have long been popular among the upper echelons of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I've heard that they've become prized possessions on the desks of the royal family, nobles, and powerful figures in Guanzhong. It's already a well-known sword-making shop. Even the swords made by the most skilled craftsmen in the shop are extremely hard to come by. Even the governor of Jiangzhou has to wait in line."
"Wouldn't the Liu family become incredibly wealthy?"
"It's not just about getting rich overnight. A few years ago, the Liu family even presented a sword to Empress Wei through a nobleman in Luoyang. The emperor was overjoyed and rewarded them with the honorary title of Imperial Sword Envoy, ordering them to forge swords. Now, they've even had most of the local taxes waived."
"The Liu family is now the most powerful family in Longcheng. Other local gentry and powerful families follow their lead. The entire west bank of Butterfly Creek is their sword-making furnace. A small portion of Longcheng's fertile land and property belong to them. A large portion of the city's residents make a living in their trades. Many foreign ships stop here to buy swords."
"Hmm, so you control the city's pillar industries..."
"Does Your Excellency know what the people of Longcheng call the Liu family?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then smiled, "It can't be Liu 'Half-City', can it?"
"Hmm, that's quite fitting, though they're pretty much the same. The people privately call the Liu family the Dragon King family, saying that the Liu family on the west bank is a Dragon King temple that even a great flood can't wash away. Over the years, no matter how big the flood in Dragon City is, it won't affect them at all. On the contrary, they've become richer and richer. Isn't that just like the Dragon King?"
"Then let me guess, hmm, is the Liu family a kind and benevolent family?"
Yan Wuxu was somewhat surprised, "How did you know, Your Excellency? Did you hear about it before?"
He added, "The young master of the Liu family is Liu Ziwen, who is usually charitable. During this flood, at the invitation of Magistrate Diao, he took the lead in building soup kitchens and is indeed well-known for his good deeds in the county."
Ouyang Rong gazed at the row of sword furnaces on the opposite bank, squinted, and muttered to himself, "Such local bullies."
Yan Wuxu suddenly remembered something and said, "The Ashan family were government slaves in the Guyue Sword Shop, so they took their master's surname, Liu."
Ouyang Rong nodded, finally understanding why A Qing had the character 'Yue' carved on her forehead. And there were countless similar government slaves and craftsmen in the sword shop across the street.
The young magistrate stood quietly for a while, enjoying the breeze from the river, and looked around at the somewhat dilapidated dock.
Having just walked from Donglin Temple to Penglangdu, the images of the starving people along the way still linger in my mind.
He wasn't cold-blooded or negligent in ignoring the refugees sleeping on the streets behind him, but rather leisurely strolling around enjoying the breeze.
He wanted to figure out a problem. Before he figured it out, no matter how hard he tried to do disaster relief, it would be a waste of effort because he would never grasp the main problem.
Sometimes, man-made disasters are more terrifying than natural disasters...
At a certain moment, Ouyang Rong finally turned around.
"Let's go to the West Market to find our junior sister, then we'll head back to the county government office."
...
In a bustling market town about half a mile away.
Food fell from the sky.
It really fell from the sky.
Roast chicken.
Grilled fish.
Bird's nest.
Shark fin.
Steamed pork with rice flour.
And so on and so forth, all these precious and delicious foods in the county right now have fallen from the sky.
It landed on the old stone slabs of the main street in the bustling city.
It's a pity there was no bowl underneath to catch the falling food, so it got dusty, but it still looked and smelled delicious.
It was piping hot and still had oil on it.
The first to discover this miraculous "pie falling from the sky" was a lame little beggar. A piece of braised pork hit him on the head. He angrily grabbed it in his hand, first looking bewildered, then rubbing his eyes, and then wolfing it down, almost biting off his fingers in the process.
Then, the lame little beggar pounced on him, letting the food fall on him, and raised his hands to the sky to receive it.
If I'm not mistaken, they were trying to use people as "empty plates" to catch the food, but soon the aroma of the meat attracted other "empty plates" as well.
The starving people who were originally lying on the street slumped over from hunger suddenly rushed forward.
They can lie down, stand, or jump.
There were tears, laughter, and some people crying and laughing at the same time.
And dozens of meters above their heads, there was an open window.
A large hand grabbed the delicacies and tossed them out the window, plate after plate.
It turned out that it wasn't a miracle at all.
Instead, someone was feeding them.
“Sigh, we can’t let only my eldest brother do good deeds. I have to do good deeds too. Our family is full of kind people. They say that good people are rewarded, and I agree with that. What about you? You can’t be so cruel as to disagree, can you?”
"So please serve the food quickly. If you delay my good deeds, I'll send you and the cook flying out of here. You know me; everyone who flies out praises me for keeping my word."
The first volume might include some things I've wanted to write but haven't dared to... However, as usual, Xiao Rong is kind-hearted, and like in the previous book "Sword Maiden," there won't be any abuse of the main character or the female lead, so everyone can enjoy it without worry.
(End of this chapter)
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