People are in high spirits when they have good news.
Grandpa Zhang is now in charge of town affairs and is busy all day long with no free time.
But the kitchen staff at the guild hall prepared special tonics for him, and with his brand-new silk clothes and his gray hair smeared with soybean oil, he looked radiant. Even the wrinkles on his face had lessened, and he was no longer the decadent person he used to be.
Upon seeing Song Liyun, Old Master Zhang chuckled, "Miss Song hasn't been to town for quite some time. If it weren't for Manager Mu and Steward Han being there every day, I would have almost lost all contact with her!"
After handing over the affairs to Han Ming and Manager Mu, Song Liyun gradually faded from the town's sight, especially after returning from Hecheng, she didn't show up in town for several months.
When she heard Grandpa Zhang say that he couldn't hear from her, she smiled faintly and said, "That's because I trust you, Grandpa!"
Grandpa Zhang's face immediately lit up with a smile: "I dare not disappoint the young lady's kindness."
As he spoke, his smile gradually disappeared, and his expression became solemn. He said, "I owe my current state to your help, young lady. Without your firewood and food, I would probably still be trembling on that dark earthen bed in the Yangrong Courtyard."
"I'll never forget my savior, no matter what else I've forgotten!"
"As long as I remain the head of the village in Suijin Town, whatever you need, my frail body will do as you please."
His words, spoken casually and lightly, were in fact the most weighty promise.
Old Master Zhang knows perfectly well how he came to be where he is today.
It was Song Liyun who saved a group of elderly people who were waiting to die with just a few coins' worth of acorn flour, and arranged a hopeful life for them.
Song Liyun smiled with narrowed eyes: "Grandpa Zhang, you flatter me! I hope you take care of your health. Suijin Town will not be able to do without you in the future. We are still waiting for you to lead us to prosperity."
Among those who survived the horrific tragedy of the Shattered Gold Incident, Old Master Zhang was probably the first to change his fate.
Although the village head was not an official, he was the law in the eyes of ordinary people. He went from being a down-on-his-luck scholar to an official.
Moreover, he has already asked a matchmaker to inquire if there are any women of suitable age, as he wants to remarry.
Grandpa Zhang, who was over fifty years old, was considered an elder in the Wu Dynasty and had grandsons.
But now he's thinking differently; he wants to marry a younger woman to spend the rest of his life with, and if he could have another child, he would be completely satisfied.
There was another reason why Old Master Zhang swore his loyalty to Song Liyun at this time.
He had lived for over fifty years, experienced all sorts of ups and downs, and even walked through the gates of hell several times, so he had long since developed a shrewd and calculating mind.
Song Liyun not only had a good relationship with the garrison, but was also highly regarded by the county government.
The yamen runners who came to town on official business would often say: "The Tianxiang Restaurant run by Miss Song in your town is so good." Magistrate Jiang even used this to encourage other merchants in Qili County.
This is treating Song Liyun as a role model for the entire county!
However, Song Liyun has been appearing in town less and less these days, and Han Ming has been taking care of everything.
A few days ago, Han Ming and Xue Zhuang had a few words of argument. Although it didn't escalate into a fight, Han Ming was clearly unhappy.
He represented Song Liyun, and Xue Zhuang openly provoked him, which was tantamount to going against his own daughter.
However, Han Ming was not an impatient young man, so he naturally wouldn't bring up this matter with Song Liyun.
Old Master Zhang could manage the conflicts among the town's residents, but he couldn't manage the Song family's business; he could only watch as a rift developed between the two.
However, this was a minor matter, and he couldn't possibly have suddenly come to Baolin Residence to discuss it.
Today, Song Liyun came to the guild hall alone without even bringing Han Ming and Abu. He knew something bad was going to happen.
Therefore, the clever old man Zhang took the initiative to express his opinion.
Half an hour after Song Liyun appeared at the guild hall, Xue Zhuang also arrived.
Compared to when he had just left the army, Xue Junhu was now much fatter. His once handsome face now had a double chin, with two thick lines of flesh squeezed out.
Upon seeing Song Liyun, he first wiped his fat face with a pine-green handkerchief from his waist, then chuckled and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Miss Song!"
Song Liyun smiled faintly: "You're too polite, Master Xue!" She did not get up to return the greeting.
From the moment Xue Zhuang appeared until now, his attitude has been impeccable; he remains as respectful to Song Liyun as ever.
Seeing that Song Liyun was smiling but not as approachable as before, Xue Zhuang knew that she was going to confront him and became secretly on edge.
Song Liyun had saved his life before and led everyone to prosperity, so he still genuinely wanted to repay her kindness.
But as time went by, and Song Liyun was no longer around, the feeling of gratitude in his heart inevitably began to soften.
Everyone sat down at the table, and the waiter brought in washed fruit and a plate of snacks. At Mr. Zhang's signal, the door was closed.
Song Liyun remained silent. Xue Zhuang discreetly served tea, but it was Old Master Zhang who spoke first: "Brother Xue, have those lads from Xia Liu Village been causing trouble these past few days?"
When people from surrounding villages and towns come to the market, there are many people and many things to do, which inevitably leads to some disputes with the military households in the town. Xue Zhuang then leads people to mediate.
His mediation methods were also simple and brutal; he would beat and scold the villagers from outside the town.
Those who obeyed were given a beating; those who disobeyed were beaten and then sent to the county government.
Xue Zhuang was feeling uneasy, not understanding Song Liyun's intentions. When he heard Old Master Zhang's question, he quickly went along with it.
"Of course we wouldn't dare cause trouble again. This is a military town; we can't let them bully the military households here."
"We agreed that the price of soybean dregs wouldn't increase, but they're going to raise it by one coin without my permission."
Grandpa Zhang nodded: "That's true. The market price has been set long ago, and it's impossible for them to raise it."
However, Brother Xue, I heard that the bran in those villages has been bought up, but what about the beans…”
He suddenly stopped talking, saying that the person who bought the bran and soybean meal was Song Liyun.
Song Liyun had already understood the reason.
Nowadays, the military households in the town are raising rabbits, and every household is raising a large number of them, so the grass in the fields is not enough to meet the demand.
Besides buying rabbit feed from the Song family, to save money, I also collect vegetable leaves, straw, and hay myself.
So at each market, villagers from the surrounding area would bring some of their own bran and soybean residue to sell in town.
Originally, the Song family's feed mill also purchased its raw materials from the surrounding villages, which inevitably led to conflicts with rabbit farmers in the town.
This was a problem that Song Liyun had anticipated and had arranged for Han Ming to purchase the goods from Qili County long ago.
Moreover, with Jiang Feng's coordination, some villages have used reclaimed land to grow large quantities of coarse grains and grass powder, and the by-products from acorn workshops are also used as feed materials.
However, the military households in the town could not do this, and the price of soybean meal and wheat bran sold by the villagers gradually increased. Some people had already started fighting with the military households for a single penny.
Seeing that Song Liyun remained silent, Xue Zhuang had no choice but to say, "Miss Song, we are all military households. We should help each other and work together. We cannot kill each other."
Song Liyun raised an eyebrow and chuckled: "What does Master Xue want to say? Please speak frankly!"
It's true that Xue Zhuang and Song Liyun are military households, and they always think of military households first when there's any benefit to be gained.
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