Chapter 133 Disaster Relief
“Jiang Mi, I know you’ve made a lot of money, and I don’t want to morally blackmail you. Besides, the people in Qingyun Village haven’t treated you well either. Can you help me think of a way to get those wealthy landowners and merchants to willingly give money to help these disaster victims?”
Jiang Mi thought for a moment and said, "These people already have a lot of money. Once people have money, they want fame and power. Perhaps you can start from that point."
"Oh?" Zhao Decai said thoughtfully, "What you said makes a lot of sense. So what do you think these people specifically want? I'm just a county magistrate. I can't give them much fame or benefits, and I don't have any power... Besides, making connections with powerful figures is what the current emperor hates the most, so it's best not to do that."
Jiang Mi smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. Those local tycoons and wealthy merchants make a lot of money. Just tell them whoever donates money, and you'll give them a plaque to hang at home. It'll bring honor to the family. Moreover, the more affluent a family is like that, the more they hope that their family members can pass the imperial examinations. In that case, why don't you give them the opportunity to attend classes at the academy?"
Zhao Decai listened and found it increasingly reasonable: "That's right, these things have no impact, but they can satisfy their psychology. It's a good method. I'll go and write the plaque right now."
Jiang Mi stopped him: "I haven't finished yet. The plaque is praising them, but some people don't care. Why don't you be more accommodating and give them a chance to expand their business? The more they earn, the more taxes they pay, which will benefit you, the county magistrate, in the end."
Zhao Decai had no intention of profiting from it, but he thought the method was good.
"As long as they don't do anything immoral or immoral, then let them be. How big their business gets and how much money they make is up to them."
Zhao Decai will not restrict the development of talented people, but he will also not allow evil people to run rampant.
Having resolved his biggest problem, Zhao Decai's smile broadened considerably, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Jiang Mi continued, "Then I'll do my part too. After all, I used to be from Qingyun Village, and some of my neighbors were quite nice to us. Not everyone in Qingyun Village is a bad person."
Zhao Decai ultimately didn't bring up the matter of hoping Jiang Mi would contribute money. He simply couldn't bring himself to ask, especially since it was a voluntary act, not something he was forced to do, and Jiang Mi had already helped him a great deal.
“Jiang Mi, I know about your situation and your grudges with Qingyun Village, so you don’t need to worry about this. Besides, your method is very good, and they will definitely agree. The villagers of Qingyun Village should have no problem getting through this winter.”
Jiang Mi smiled slyly: "It's okay, I also want to gain some fame. I'm opening a restaurant anyway, so this is just to give my restaurant a good name. Besides, it's also doing a good deed, so it's like accumulating good karma for our Jiang family."
Zhao Decai looked at Jiang Mi with admiration: "What a good child. I wish you were my daughter. My daughter only knows how to eat, drink and play all day long. She can't even learn to embroider properly. She's really stupid."
Jiang Mi really liked Zhao Lianlian's simplicity: "I think it's great. I don't know how to embroider or anything, and Lianlian doesn't need to make a living by embroidery. There's no need to be so harsh. Besides, she's very happy to have you as her father."
Zhao Decai smiled kindly. Jiang Mi remembered Yang Liu, whom she had met outside, and asked, "I just saw Yang Liu from Qingyun Village outside. Is she here to see you?"
Zhao Decai's expression darkened at the mention of Yang Liu's name.
"No, I didn't even know she was here. Who knows what she's here for? I can't help her with anything."
Seeing Zhao Decai's expression and hearing what he said, it seemed that Yang Liu had indeed come to see Zhao Decai, and it certainly wasn't anything good, otherwise Zhao Decai wouldn't have shown such disgust.
"Yang Liu is a very cunning person, so be careful. I'm going back now; there's still a lot to do at the restaurant."
Zhao Decai had someone send Jiang Mi out: "The porridge distribution will start next month, and you can go and take a look then."
The government's distribution of porridge reassured the people, but the source of this grain had to be clearly explained. Jiang Mi was generous and took the lead by donating five hundred taels of silver. Other wealthy landowners and merchants donated at most one hundred taels, with the bulk of the donation going to Jiang Mi.
When the news spread, everyone was shocked. The people of Qingyun Village never expected that Jiang Mi would take out five hundred taels to help them. This immediately moved many people. Naturally, many people were also jealous of Jiang Mi's wealth. They were all the same villagers before, so why is the Jiang family living so well now?
When Zhao Decai led his men to distribute porridge in Qingyun Village, the villagers were all scrambling for the food. Fortunately, Zhao Decai was experienced and had his men stop the villagers first.
"I know everyone is very worried lately. After all, without food, it's like your lifeline and your livelihood have been cut off. But our government will not abandon you. So from today until the harvest, everyone can come here to get free porridge and rice. But I still hope that everyone can go out and be self-sufficient, so that you can at least save some money."
These villagers all understood that although the government provided food and drink, they couldn't live like this forever. If they wanted to make a decent living in the future, they had to earn more money. Look at the Jiang family; they've lived so well since leaving Qingyun Village, and now they have to rely on them for help.
"Everyone should line up and receive the porridge in order, but each person can only receive one serving. If a family member cannot receive the porridge, they can make an explanation."
Village Chief Yang and Yang Liu watched from afar, their faces grim; neither of them wanted to accept Jiang Mi's charity.
"Village chief, if you don't go, won't the county magistrate be unhappy?"
Village Chief Yang snorted coldly: "This guy was just a village head before. Look at him, he doesn't have the airs of a county magistrate at all. He's so close to the villagers. Is this how an official should act? If I were him, I would make these people kowtow to me three times and respectfully call me Lord Yang."
Yang Liu curled her lip where he couldn't see. If someone like Village Chief Yang became the county magistrate, Shushan County would probably be in for a rough time. Although Yang Liu was currently dependent on Village Chief Yang for her livelihood, she didn't want him to get promoted and become rich. If he did, he would definitely abandon her first.
At this moment, someone in the village asked, "Is it really the Jiang family who are helping us? They wanted to save our grain back then, but they failed because of Yang Liu, which caused us to suffer like this. I never expected that they would be driven out of Qingyun Village and then come back to help us. They are really good people."
"That's right, there were people who framed them back then."
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