Chapter 118 Two Guards [VIP]
After Yang Jizong put Chen Yao on the bed, he slowly squatted down, reached out and lifted Chen Yao's calf, and took off her shoes.
"Zi, Zi'an, you..." Chen Yao watched those hands gently stroking the soles of her feet, feeling both shy and a little itchy. "Are you going to make shoes for me?"
After Yang Jizong measured her feet, he put her shoes back on. "Well, I'll make shoes for you from now on. What do you think I'm going to do to you, Yao? Or are you expecting me to do something?"
Yang Jizong supported himself on the edge of the bed with his hands and leaned towards her. Before his hands could touch her face, Chen Yao pushed him down on the bed.
"You just touched my feet, don't touch my face. Get up quickly and go back to your room to wash up." Chen Yao stood behind the screen, looking at the man who was lying on her bed.
"Okay, I'll listen to A Yao." Yang Jizong stood up from her couch, with a smile in his eyes that he couldn't hide.
After everyone got up, they started preparing breakfast together.
Miao carried a basket of steamed buns to deliver to the craftsmen who were helping to repair her house.
Her house is nearing completion.
At the Shen family dinner table.
Shen Qingshan ate a steamed bun with some Kongming vegetables and looked at Yang Jizong beside him. "You're going to the city to treat everyone to a meal today. When you come back, do you need me to pick you up in an ox cart?"
"Don't bother. Xiaofu and I can just take the bullock cart back from the city."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xiaofu appeared outside the door. He shouted inside and came to the living room. He bowed to everyone and handed two handkerchiefs embroidered by his mother to Chen Yao and Yang Wenying.
"This is a little gift from my mother. Please accept it with you, Master's wife."
"It's so beautiful, and it has my name on it. Thank Aunt Xu for me!" Chen Yao looked at her own handkerchief and then at Yang Wenying's.
When Yang Wenying saw her name embroidered on the handkerchief, she knew at a glance that the name was embroidered by her aunt according to the handwriting of Zhao Xiaofu. Her face turned red and she quickly put the handkerchief in her arms.
Huang Xing brought Zhao Xiaofu a pair of bowls and chopsticks and asked him to sit down and eat something, but Zhao Xiaofu declined. After handing him the handkerchief, Huang Xing left the living room and went to the chicken coop behind the house to feed the chickens with vegetable leaves mixed with wheat bran in a familiar way.
"Xiaofu is a really good kid." Huang Xing praised after taking a sip of porridge.
"I'm done eating. I have to go to the silkworm room in Wanhe Township first. A'yao, what are you and Baolai doing in the village today? Why don't you go to the silkworm room with dad?" Shen Qingshan stood up and asked.
Chen Yao also put down her bowl and chopsticks: "Dad, my cousin and I have to turn the wasteland behind the house into paddy fields today. We also need to dig canals at home, so I can't go to the silkworm room with you. When you go home, bring back a cart of silkworm manure."
Since his daughter didn't want to go with him, Shen Qingshan looked at his wife again.
"We all have things to do. What's wrong with you today? Do you need someone to accompany you to the silkworm room?" Huang Xing picked up the dishes on the table and glanced at her husband.
Shen Qingshan sighed and drove out alone in the ox cart.
After Yang Jizong finished the last mouthful of porridge in his bowl, he took the wine given by Chen Yao and took Zhao Xiaofu to say goodbye to his family and set off for Qingfeng Town.
It was already noon when the two entered the city. They did not go directly to the government office, but went to Zhiwei Tower first and booked a private room with the shopkeeper Ren.
After depositing the wine at the restaurant, the two went to the bookstore again.
Zhao Xiaofu stood beside the bookshelf, holding the books selected for him by Yang Jizong in his hands, his eyes shining.
"Spend more time memorizing this copy of the Sacred Edicts, and then write it down to me word for word."
"Yes, teacher."
"And this one, your writing is clear and organized, but too plain. Read more poems and songs by others and then write an article on flood control for me."
"Teacher, which water do you want to treat?"
"Fang County."
"But I'm not familiar with Fang County's moat and waterways. How should I write about it?"
"Go to the government office later, and I'll ask Lord Li to borrow the county annals for you."
If one is a descendant of a prominent family, then the county chronicles of various places can be circulated freely.
But poor children do not have this opportunity.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaofu immediately bowed in thanks. He knew that the Fang County Chronicles were not something that ordinary people could read.
After Yang Jizong finished selecting books for Zhao Xiaofu, he settled the bill with the bookstore clerk, which totaled twenty taels of silver.
"Thank you, teacher." Zhao Xiaofu happily followed him to the government office, holding three books.
When Li Menghong learned that Yang Jizong had come to the government office, he didn't want to see him at all, fearing that Yang Jizong was here to open the granaries and release grain.
So when the old official told Li Menghong that Yang Jizong came to the government office to borrow the Fang County Chronicles and wanted to borrow two yamen runners to accompany them to the villages to sow winter wheat tomorrow, he agreed without thinking.
Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu were sitting in the yamen's classroom waiting when they happened to meet Li Xin who had just returned from his post.
Li Xin was also a little surprised when he suddenly saw Yang Jizong.
"Young Master Yang, Mr. Zhao, are you here to see our master? I'll go in and tell you."
"No, we are here to treat you to a meal." Yang Jizong stood up and smiled at him.
When Li Xin learned that Yang Jizong had already booked a private room in Zhiweilou and brought some good wine from home, he realized that what he said yesterday was not just a compliment.
"Young Master Yang, please sit down for a moment. My brothers changed out of their uniforms, put their swords back in their places, and wrinkled their clothes nervously.
"No hurry, it's just right for us to sit down and chat. I stopped halfway, but something came up," Yang Jizong asked casually.
Li Xin told them that Liu Chuang and others had returned a long time ago.
"Why is that?"
Li Xin sighed, stretched his neck and looked outside. After confirming that no one was around, he dared to speak: "Our master said that there is not enough money. The merchants in the city have contributed once and stopped contributing, so the remaining money must be used to buy pens and ink for the poor children studying in the city."
As to whether the money is really gone or where it is used, it is unknown.
"Let's go on the blade."
"The purpose of building this road is to benefit the people. If we stop repairing it halfway, wouldn't that be giving up halfway?" Zhao Xiaofu on the side couldn't help but speak.
His words happened to be heard by an old official who came to deliver the county annals.
"Mr. Zhao, we have to prioritize things. You are going to take the exam for the scholar next year. Shouldn't we consider you first?" The old official looked unhappy and slammed the county annals in his hand on the table.
Zhao Xiaofu glanced at Yang Jizong and saw that he had no intention of defending him, so he took a step forward and said to the old official, "I was not thoughtful enough, please forgive me, sir."
The old official snorted coldly and handed the county annals to Zhao Xiaofu for Yang Jizong's sake, repeatedly warning him not to lose it. "When do you plan to return it?"
"I will come to the government office in person to return it in five days." Zhao Xiaofu bowed.
Seeing that he had calmed down, the old official turned to Yang Jizong and said, "The master said you can choose two yamen runners to accompany you."
"Thank you, Lord Li." Yang Jizong bowed to express his gratitude.
After the old official explained these two things, he left. As soon as he stepped out of the classroom door, he ran into the yamen runners who were returning from their work.
When Li Xin heard the noise outside, he quickly called everyone in.
When everyone learned that Yang Jizong really wanted to invite them to have dinner at Zhiwei Tower, the yamen runners changed their clothes much faster than usual.
There's no way around it. Nowadays, it's hard to get a seat at Zhiweilou, and there are so many delicious foods there.
"I wonder if Liu Chuang can come along?" Yang Jizong looked at Li Xin.
Li Xin found a brother and asked him to go to the South City Gate to take a look. If Liu Chuang was not on duty today, he would go to his house to invite him over.
The group first arrived at Zhiweilou. When the waiter saw Yang Jizong, he immediately took him upstairs to the private room.
"Mr. Yang, this is the menu of our restaurant. Please take a look at what you would like to order. Our boss said that he will treat you to this meal."
Yang Jizong ordered one of each of the signature dishes and left the rest to Li Xin and the others. He took out a ten-liang silver ingot from his purse and handed it over: "I appreciate Manager Ren's kindness. Go and bring up the wine I have stored here."
"Yes, I'll prepare it right away." The waiter took the menu returned by Li Xin, reported the names of the dishes and confirmed that they were correct, then went downstairs to the kitchen.
When he came up again, he was already holding a wine jar and a wine bowl.
Dishes were placed on the table first, and Li Xin distributed bowls and chopsticks to his brothers. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the jar of wine.
"Brother Li, Brother Liu is here!" The young yamen runner who went to look for Liu Chuang pulled Liu Chuang in through the door.
When Liu Chuang saw everyone in the room, especially Yang Jizong, he walked over quickly.
“Why didn’t Madam Shen come?”
"Liu Chuang, Master Yang is hosting a banquet for us today. Why are you asking about Madam Shen? Sit down quickly." Li Xin winked at the young yamen runner.
The young yamen runner immediately pulled Liu Chuang to sit down.
After everyone arrived, Yang Jizong opened the wine jar and poured wine for everyone.
"Although my wife is not here, this wine is made by her. You may want to try it first."
The white wine bowl was filled with purple-red wine, and it did smell like a light aroma of wine.
It was the first time for everyone to drink such a blood-red wine, and they all took small sips out of curiosity.
The moment he took a sip, he was hooked. "This wine is delicious."
"It's like fruit wine, but more fragrant than fruit wine."
Li Xin picked up the wine bowl and drank the rest, then poured himself a bowl and invited his brothers to drink together with Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu.
"Don't just drink, everyone should eat some food. If you hadn't followed me to the quarry yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to appease them." Yang Jizong thanked the yamen runners again.
"Young Master Yang, we were also following orders. To be honest, yesterday's trip was more enjoyable than my patrol in the city."
"That's right, we haven't had such a pleasant exercise for a long time."
Liu Chuang asked the people around him and learned that they had hunted for food for the laborers on the hill near the quarry yesterday. He couldn't help but admire Yang Jizong.
There was a knock on the door, and the waiter brought in more hot dishes.
Good wine and delicious food were placed on the table. Everyone was a passionate person, so while drinking and chatting, they all declared that they wanted to follow Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu to visit the villages and teach the people how to grow winter wheat.
Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu stood up and thanked everyone.
It also shows that only two people are needed for this trip. After all, Lord Li only agreed to assign two people to him.
"Then let's go to Brother Li and Brother Liu. They are both the most capable among the yamen, but they are just unlucky." Everyone strongly recommended them, which shows that the two are really good.
"It's not that I'm unlucky, it's that my family background is not as good as that of the Wang guy. It's because we have no relationship with Lord Li." Li Xin patted Liu Chuang's shoulder.
After all, they had been drinking, and these yamen runners, who had taken off their official uniforms, poured out all the grievances in their hearts.
Liu Chuang frowned and looked at Li Xin: "You've had too much to drink."
Li Xin slammed his wine bowl on the table. "I'm not drunk. Was what I said wrong? Liu Chuang, do you really think Li Menghong will use us after his promotion?"
"Instead of staying in this city all day, we might as well go out and gain some experience. Besides, teaching the people how to grow winter wheat is also a good thing. Do you want to come with me?" Li Xin stood up shakily and looked at him.
Liu Chuang drank the wine in his bowl and looked up at Yang Jizong, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes: "Just planting winter wheat?"
"Poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. If someone causes trouble, we'll have to ask the two of you to protect us, master and disciple." Yang Jizong led Zhao Xiaofu to stand up.
Li Xin lifted up the two men's arms while shaking them, and patted Liu Chuang's chest to assure them: "Don't worry, with Liu Chuang and I, we will ensure that you complete this task smoothly."
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