25. Chapter 25
"Eat shit!"
Qi You watched Elu rolling around on the ground. Dachun was angry with his beloved son, but also worried that Qi You would be angry. His eyes darted back and forth between him and Elu, and both father and son were in a state of great excitement.
"It's okay, the Helu people are still young." Qi You said with a smile.
No matter how thick-skinned Dachun was, he could hardly hold it anymore.
Qi You is half a year younger than Elu, and he makes the little bully of Shunyi look like a pile of mud.
Seeing that it was getting late, Dachun was reluctant to use all his strength to discipline Elu because of his rolling style. Qi You was in no mood to watch any longer, so he turned his horse and urged, "Lead the way!"
Dachun was helpless and glared at Elu in anger. He asked his servants to bring him over in a sedan chair. He quickly mounted his horse and ran to the front.
As he passed by, Qi You carefully observed the surrounding environment. Because of the earthquake, most of the original ditches had collapsed and had not yet been repaired or dredged.
Qi You thought of the county annals and water conservancy materials he saw in the capital, which were basically before the 18th year of the Kangxi reign.
At the time, he thought it was a slow update, but now, seeing the situation on the scene, his heart moved slightly, and he asked casually, "Are those ditches?"
Upon hearing this, Dachun quickly turned around and looked in the direction Qi You pointed. His expression changed, and he said with a sad face, "Those ditches were destroyed in the earthquake of 18 years ago. The whole county suffered greatly that year, and it was far more than the one that Qi Ye saw. We've barely recovered a bit in recent years, but we simply don't have the manpower or money to repair the ditches. Now the county town has no city walls, the county government has no government office, and County Magistrate Lin and his men are still working in a tent."
Qi You didn't comment and continued to ask: "What if the land is dry and needs watering?"
Dachun pointed to the distance and said, "There's no shortage of water here. There are several rivers. In the distance is the Chaobai River. When we need to irrigate the fields, we can just fetch water from the river. It's not far."
Qi You just smiled and said nothing.
The fields arranged by Dachun were not far from the house. There was a small hill between them, and they were just around the corner.
Qi You looked at the tall house in the distance and the low, dilapidated thatched house next to it and asked, "Whose big house is that over there? It's quite impressive."
Dachun laughed dryly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. That's my house. I built a few new rooms after the earthquake, and since my sons are getting married, I have to build a few new houses to bring their brides home. Seventh Master, I've already cleaned up your yard. Since you said you didn't want to live in the main yard, I vacated the second son's yard. It's newer, so please don't mind it."
Qi You withdrew his gaze from the group of dilapidated straw huts and said calmly, "I don't mind it. Compared with the thatched huts over there, it is already a hundred and eight thousand times better."
Dachun smiled a few times, turned around, his face was sinister, a grin appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he turned the corner with Qi You.
This bend is particularly clever. There is no smell around the house, but after turning it, the strong stench of sewage hits you in the face.
Qi You thought of what E'lu had said before when he betrayed his father, and he was mentally prepared.
Killing eight hundred enemies and losing a thousand of his own, Dachun is both stupid and evil. Anyone who can become the village head shouldn't be too stupid, but it seems he's been here too long, so long that he's forgotten who he is.
Qi You looked at the crisscrossing fields of crops before him. The winter wheat looked like a green carpet, and in the smooth rice fields, groups of bondservants were carrying loads and pouring manure into the fields.
Dachun held his breath and rode forward. Just as he was about to speak, Qi You had already dismounted and handed the reins to Degao.
Seeing the specks of manure spilled on the ground, Dachun gritted his teeth and dismounted from his horse. He shouted at the man who was carrying them and pouring manure on the ground, "Lin Daniu, Master Qi is here, why don't you come over and pay your respects?"
The man paused and slowly turned around to look at them.
Qi You's heart suddenly tightened.
Lin Daniu couldn't tell his age. Qi You was still wearing a cotton-padded jacket, while he was only wearing a tattered singlet. He had a dark, thin, square face, and cheekbones that looked like they could pierce through the skin at any moment.
Those eyes were as dull as a dry well, and seemed to react a little slowly. After looking at them for a while, the hand like a dead tree root tightly grasped the handle of the spoon and then let it go.
He walked forward with a hunched back, knelt silently on his knees, and prostrated himself in the muddy ground stained with manure.
"Hey, Master Lin... please get up, no need to be so polite." Qi You's mouth was so bitter and numb that he was speechless for a moment.
He had never seen someone with such a numb expression as Lin Daniu, like a living dead, with no sadness or joy.
Lin Daniu kowtowed, slowly stood up, hunched his back, and stood there motionless.
Dachun glanced at Qi You and angrily scolded him, "You little dog slave, are you speechless in front of the Seventh Master? The Seventh Master wants to ask you how to farm, how can you be silent?"
Lin Daniu remained silent, just standing there, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
After Dachun finished training Lin Daniu, he turned to Qi You and said with a smile, "Seventh Master, you've seen the fields. They're applying manure right now, and it stinks everywhere. That's how farming works. Seventh Master, do you want to stay here and watch over me, or should I take you back to the palace?"
Qi You looked at the busy bond servants in the distance and asked, "Do all the crops need to be fertilized today?"
Dachun was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Juelu's loud curse at the top of his voice: "It stinks! You little dogs! Who told you to spill it on the ground?"
Qi You looked up and saw that Elu had gotten off the sedan chair and was being carried towards him by the sedan bearer.
Dachun's face changed slightly, and he looked disappointed in Qi You. Seeing that Qi You looked normal, he couldn't help but break out in a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
Qi You ignored Elu and asked again, "Do you want to apply manure to all your crops today?"
Dachun glanced at Lin Daniu and said hurriedly, "Seventh Master, you don't know that the fields must be fertilized before planting the seedlings, and winter wheat cannot be fertilized without manure. Farming depends entirely on manure and God's blessing. There is really no other way. Please forgive me, Seventh Master."
Qi You uttered an "oh" and his eyes lingered on the dirt on Lin Daniu's forehead. He said, "Master Lin, your forehead is dirty. Wipe it off first."
Lin Daniu's face finally showed some reaction, his skin moved, and he raised his hand to casually wipe his forehead.
Qi You sighed in his heart, smiled and said, "You go and do your work first, I'll watch from the side for a while."
Lin Daniu bent his knees and was about to kneel again. Qi You raised his hand lightly and said, "Stand up. There's no need to keep kneeling. I'm here to work with you. If you keep kneeling, you'll only delay the work at hand."
Lin Daniu froze, bent over and stepped back, then went to the dung bucket to continue working.
Qi You stood and watched for a while, then slowly walked over and asked in a gentle voice, "Master Lin, how many times do you need to fertilize the land?"
Lin Daniu's throat made a sound, and after a moment, a few words came out: "Only once, there is not enough manure water."
Qi You didn't know how to farm and hadn't paid attention to the various fertilizers used in later generations. However, even if he knew the composition of the fertilizers, it would probably be difficult to make them in the current environment.
Dachun pulled E'lu and muttered something to him. E'lu pouted and reluctantly tiptoed to follow Dachun to Qiyou.
Qi You didn't even look at them, but looked thoughtfully at the busy scene in the distance.
The surroundings were dirty and smelly, and Elu couldn't stand it any longer. He waved the whip in the air and said, "Slave, just fall to the ground. You have to pour it bit by bit. Are you doing this on purpose?"
Lin Daniu said nothing, and sprinkled the remaining manure in his hand evenly and patiently on the ground. When he was about to put down the spoon, E'lu came forward in a rage, raised his whip and hit Lin Daniu.
Qi You's face darkened, and he pushed E'lu hard, causing him to stagger a few steps. His foot slipped on the manure and he fell directly into the ground that had just been watered.
Immediately, Elu's scream resounded through the sky.
"Master Lin, lend it to me." After saying that, Qi You took the spoon from Lin Daniu's hand and scooped up a full spoonful of manure water.
Half of it was splashed towards E'lu, and the other half was splashed towards Dachun, who had his hands tied and was frantically directing his servants to pull his beloved son.
Qi You looked at the father and son, whose heads and faces were covered in yellow and green, with a cold look in his eyes: "This time it's shit, next time it's death!"
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