Chapter 135 Insight
One hour later.
On the outskirts of the city, the fields were lush and green. Gao Quan stood on the edge of the field, looking at the scene before him, and was completely speechless!
If it could grow to maturity with such quality...
That must be an incredible achievement!
"This...this is the superior breed cultivated by the county magistrate?" His voice trembled slightly.
"Reporting to the angel, it is indeed so!"
Qu Zhinian quickly replied, pointing to several experimental plots specially designated for planting different varieties, "Angel, please look, those are the local inferior varieties from the past, sparse and short. These few rows are so-called superior varieties that the county magistrate found from outside the region, but they are also not adapted to this soil and water. Only this large area is full of new varieties that the county magistrate has painstakingly researched, repeatedly improved and selected! Drought-resistant, wind-resistant, and not picky about soil fertility! As long as it is cultivated properly, this scene can be achieved!"
An old farmer with white hair and a deeply lined face added honestly from the side, "Yes, yes! Sir! It's all thanks to Miss Xie for giving us these life-saving golden seeds! She even taught us how to compost and how to irrigate! This old woman has lived for seventy years and has never seen such good wheat! This year's harvest... is equivalent to the past five years! The county magistrate... is truly a living bodhisattva!"
As the old man spoke, his eyes reddened, and he wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his rough hand.
This simple, heartfelt gratitude is more powerful than any fancy words!
Gao Quan was completely convinced! And completely excited!
This must be the ladder to his meteoric rise to fame and fortune!
He stood up, took a deep breath of the wheat-scented air, and felt refreshed and invigorated!
"Excellent! Excellent! That's wonderful! Lord Qu! Xihan owes its current prosperity to your great contributions! When I return to the capital, I will definitely put in a good word for you and Princess Jianing before His Majesty and Eunuch Liu!"
He patted Qu Zhinian's shoulder forcefully, as if the two were sworn brothers.
Qu Zhinian smiled respectfully, and this time, he narrowly escaped.
The setting sun cast a warm glow over the small border town of Xihan.
Gao Quan followed Qu Zhinian into the bustling county town.
The scene before him left this eunuch, who had long lived in the deep palace and was used to seeing carved beams and painted rafters, speechless, as if he had stepped into a bizarre and fantastical dream world!
What came into view was not the muddy, sewage-filled dirt road he had imagined, but a type of ground he had never seen before!
It was hard and smooth; when the carriage passed by, not a speck of dust was raised.
The streets are lined with shops!
Cloth shops, grain stores, general stores, taverns, teahouses, and even bookstores with signs for Xihan Bookstore!
The shops are mostly clean and tidy, with a wide variety of goods displayed in an orderly manner.
The pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, definitely more than the recorded thousand people. Although their clothes were not fancy, they were neat and tidy, and most of them had calm smiles on their faces and walked briskly.
The sounds of bargaining, children's laughter, and vendors' shouts mingled together, making everything feel vibrant and full of life!
This...this is hardly a desolate, cold place! This is clearly...the bustling street scene of a prosperous prefecture in Jiangnan! No! It's even more lively, clean, and orderly than some markets in Jinling!
Gao Quan unconsciously held his breath, his eyes widened, and his mouth was slightly open, almost big enough to fit an egg.
He subconsciously stretched out his foot and carefully stepped on the hard, grayish-white ground!
"Lord Qu...this...this road surface is..."
Qu Zhinian smiled humbly yet proudly, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, this substance is called 'cement.' It was created by Princess Jianing when she was in this place. She obtained a miraculous formula and ordered people to experiment with it repeatedly. Once laid and hardened, it is as hard as stone, as smooth as a whetstone, and resistant to wind and rain!"
"The county magistrate said, 'Where there are roads, people prosper; where roads are smooth, people feel at ease. The western region is often windy and dusty, and the muddy roads are difficult to travel, which is a major problem for the people. Therefore, we have devoted our efforts to building this cement road to connect all the townships and villages.'"
"Water...cement?"
Gao Quan muttered the strange yet fitting name repeatedly, and stomped on it again.
What surprised Gao Quan even more was the orderliness of the streets.
Despite the large flow of people and vehicles, there was no sign of chaos!
At every crossroads, there stood an official holding a small red and green flag!
Their expressions were solemn, their eyes piercing.
As Gao Quan and his party approached a large intersection, the officials at the intersection suddenly raised their small red flags high, pointing them east and west, while shouting: "Halt! Slow down your carriages and horses!"
A miraculous thing happened!
Pedestrians who were originally planning to cross the road immediately stopped in unison outside the white-lined areas on both sides of the intersection and waited quietly.
Meanwhile, the carriages and horses traveling east and west began to pass through the intersection in an orderly fashion, their speed slow but remarkably smooth. Once the east-west carriages and horses had passed, the official immediately lowered the small red flag, raised the small green flag pointing north and south, and shouted again, "Pass!!"
Pedestrians waiting on both sides immediately stepped forward and crossed the intersection quickly and in an orderly manner.
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