Prefect Xiao shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Village Chief Lin, but I'd like to go and take a look myself." He told the yamen runners to stay there while he went to explore on his own. When he came here a while ago, the old man had taken him to see the foundation, but it was still under construction and there was nothing there yet. He didn't want to go there now.
It had been more than twenty days since his last visit, but the place looked completely different. Two more workshops had been added, and there were also places to cook and eat. He watched for a while from outside the cooking area, and the dishes the women were making were all ones he had never seen before.
Those big pots were full of vegetables, and you could smell the aroma from the doorway. If it weren't for his status, everyone would want to go in and have a taste. Out of sight, out of mind, it's better to go look elsewhere.
Last time I came, the villagers of Taoyuan Village were still sleeping on the ground, and it was the same this time. However, some places had some newly made furniture, such as eight-immortal tables, grand master chairs, square corner cabinets, and canopy beds, and there were several elderly people making them.
They all look the same, so it seems like every family has one. But the foundations have only been dug, and the houses haven't been built yet. Why are they in such a hurry to make furniture? He didn't go to see those workshops. They are what Taoyuan Village depends on for its survival. If he went to see them, they might be offended.
After wandering around the village for a while, he heard the old man, Village Chief Lin, calling for dinner. Only then did he turn back. He didn't expect Madam An and Madam Xia to call him. Those two women never paid him any attention.
To think that he, a dignified prefect, would be beaten and glared at by a woman, and he couldn't say anything, was truly frustrating.
When he arrived, the workshop was already surrounded by people. The front of the group consisted of teenagers, while the younger children and the elderly were not seen.
Village Chief Lin walked over and said, "Your Excellency, this way please."
"Alright." Prefect Xiao returned to the house where he had started. He looked at the several tables inside, which were set with dishes and bowls and chopsticks, but no one was sitting on the chairs. They must have been waiting for him.
"Your Excellency, please have a seat here."
Prefect Xiao sat in the chair that Village Chief Lin had suggested, and then the others sat down, but they were all elderly people and children. There were six particularly large tables in the room, which looked as if they had been made in a hurry. The tables were not round, but long.
There were also tables along the walls of the room, but they weren't as wide as these six tables. The people outside came in through another door, each carrying a large bowl with vegetables inside and what looked like rice underneath.
Seeing that he wasn't moving and was looking around, Xia Hua reminded him, "Prefect, please eat. This is how we eat here, please forgive us." The yamen runners were also called into the room by Village Chief Lin to eat.
"No, this is good." After saying that, Prefect Xiao picked up the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, took a little bit of the food and put it in his mouth. It was delicious.
Before he could pick up any more food, An Shuyi added some rice to his bowl, and then gave the rice to the others. The dishes and rice had been prepared in advance for the convenience of the elderly and children.
Others don't do it this way. They use a bowl to get rice and vegetables, and then sit inside the house to eat. Some even squat outside to eat. However, the women are more particular. Several people will add a few dishes, sit at a table to eat, and chat.
"Thank you, Madam An." After saying this, Prefect Xiao hurriedly picked up some food to eat, asking every now and then what the dishes were. At his table, there were only the clan chief and his uncles, Village Chief Lin, An Shuyi, and Xia Hua.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua were originally eating on the side, but Chief Lin asked them to entertain him. He was a high-ranking official whom they had never met in their lives, and now he was eating with them. They didn't dare to say anything, let alone how to entertain him.
After finishing his meal, Prefect Xiao could only sit down and rest. He hadn't noticed that he had eaten too much. The food was just too delicious. They would bring out more dishes after he finished eating, and he couldn't stop eating.
He also ate the braised pork. Although it was delicious, it wasn't as amazing as other braised pork, braised chicken, etc. However, it was still many times tastier than the dishes at home.
Prefect Xiao stood by the carriage and said, "Madam An, Madam Xia, once the imperial edict of investiture arrives, I will have my yamen runners come to inform you. I shall take my leave now."
An Shuyi had her eldest son and Li Nan bring over the prepared items. "Your Excellency, this box is a gift for your wife and your daughter. It was made in our workshop. Inside is braised meat, and there is ice in it. It will be fine to eat it tomorrow. Please take care, Your Excellency. We won't see you off."
"Boss, put the things in the carriage."
Prefect Xiao looked at the three boxes and said, "Madam An, I am unworthy of this gift. I was originally here to thank the two ladies, but now I am taking these things back with me. This…!"
"Just take it, it's nothing special. Goodbye and don't bother coming back," Xia Hua urged bluntly.
This is only possible in their village. If they were in another place, they would be drowned in spittle if they stood and spoke with the prefect.
Seeing Madam Xia's unpleasant expression, Prefect Xiao wisely kept quiet. This woman was someone he dared to hit, so it was best not to provoke her. Although she looked old, she was no ordinary person, as she had managed to enter his residence quietly without being discovered.
He valued his life and didn't want to be killed silently that day. They might be the kind of unassuming heroes who had wandered here because they were fleeing famine and were worried that Jinnan City, where they had just settled, would not be safe, so they gave him the prescription.
"Then I shall take my leave. Take care, ladies." With that, he jumped into the carriage, and the yamen runner drove it away.
After watching him leave, Village Chief Lin turned his surprised gaze to the two of them.
Xia Hua turned her head and said helplessly, "What are you doing? Just say what you have to say." Staring at her with those dead fish eyes, was he trying to scare her to death?
After receiving permission, Village Chief Lin said, "Sisters-in-law, did the Prefect just mention that the imperial edict of investiture refers to you two?"
"Shushu had a prescription for treating cholera, which she gave to the prefect and some medicinal herbs. The emperor then bestowed upon Shushu and me the title of Ninth Rank Imperial Edict."
After hearing her words, Village Chief Lin immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, "May our ancestors bless us! Our Lin clan has suddenly gained two more ninth-rank imperial edicts! May our ancestors bless us!"
An Shuyi leaned closer to Xia Hua and asked curiously, "Doesn't it hurt? That's the floor." Although it was a serious matter, why did she want to laugh?
"It probably won't hurt!"
"But I heard a loud thud, and it definitely hurt."
"Sisters-in-law, please speak more softly next time, I can hear you," said Village Chief Lin. "Da Wa, help me up." He regretted kneeling so heavily; this broken floor hurt him terribly.
“Xia Clan, An Clan, is what Little Wood said true?” The Lin Clan Chief was standing in the distance, and they heard what the village chief said. Everyone gathered around to confirm if it was true.
Xia Hua looked at them and said, "It's true, but Chieftain, this is Shu Shu's prescription. I only got it because I went with her. I didn't give any to the village...!"
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