"That guy's family member, Liu Da, used to be a villager in Baihua Village. Two consecutive years of natural disasters made these villagers completely lose their hope of survival. Some of them watched their relatives starve to death, while others couldn't bear it and resorted to cannibalism, eventually hanging themselves from the rafters of their own houses."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling's heart skipped a beat. Although she had learned about famine from TV dramas or movies, hearing it from someone else's own mouth today made her feel complicated. The thought of "exchanging children to eat" even caused her intense physical discomfort.
Her furrowed brows, pale face, and the way she clutched her chest startled Magistrate Duan.
"Jiang, are you...are you alright?" Magistrate Duan asked Jiang Ling anxiously.
"No...it's nothing, please continue, sir!" Jiang Ling said, forcing herself to calm down.
"The refugees here are easy to deal with, but I'm worried that this situation isn't limited to one place! Moreover, these refugees aren't inherently bad; they're all forced into this life of danger and bloodshed!" Magistrate Duan sighed softly.
Jiang Ling thought for a moment, then immediately stood up from her chair. She respectfully bowed to Magistrate Duan and said, "Lord Duan, I have an idea."
"Oh? Then tell me quickly!" Magistrate Duan looked at Jiang Ling with great surprise.
Jiang Ling's eyes darted around, her expression calm as she slowly spoke: "I remember when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he said that it's better to dredge than to block. If these refugees are really as you say, then why not give them a way out, exempt them from two years of exorbitant taxes, and apply for some relief grain for them? If there is a good harvest in these two years, they probably won't cause any more trouble!"
Magistrate Duan was very surprised to hear Jiang Ling's answer. He looked her up and down for a long time and said, "How could a peasant woman like you know the stories of Yao, Shun and Yu?"
"I heard all of this from my younger brother Jiang Zhishan. He told me so many times that I gradually remembered them!" Jiang Ling lied. After all, Jiang Zhishan was a scholar, so there was no way he wouldn't know these things.
Magistrate Duan nodded with satisfaction after hearing this, and then, as if he had thought of something, asked, "Was the school in Lujia Village also initiated by you?"
"You flatter me, sir. I only wanted my children to learn to read and write more! It's just that more and more people in the village wanted to learn to read and write, so I simply taught the children to read and write here! I haven't passed the imperial examination yet and am not qualified to open a school!" Jiang Ling replied.
When Magistrate Duan heard Jiang Ling's answer, he was secretly surprised. This seemingly ordinary village woman was doing one amazing thing after another.
Magistrate Duan squinted and scrutinized Jiang Ling for a moment before asking, "Jiang, your method is good, but what if these refugees don't obey?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling smiled faintly and said meaningfully, "Magistrate Duan, I am just a village woman. Why make things difficult for me? How could you not know such a simple question!"
"Hahaha! Good! Fearless in the face of danger!" Magistrate Duan was not angry after hearing Jiang Ling's words. Instead, he laughed and clapped his hands.
Jiang Ling glanced helplessly at Magistrate Duan. At this moment, she couldn't figure out what Magistrate Duan was up to, so she could only sit there awkwardly and force a smile.
After some casual conversation, Magistrate Duan personally sent a carriage to take Jiang Ling and the village chief back. The village chief was extremely uneasy along the way. He wanted to ask Jiang Ling several times what the magistrate and Jiang Ling had said after he left, but he was too embarrassed to speak.
The village chief sat there on pins and needles for most of the hour.
As soon as Jiang Ling returned to her old family home, she saw Zhao Erleng's wife pacing back and forth at the door, her face showing a look of anxiety.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're finally back!" Zhao Erleng's sharp-eyed wife saw Jiang Ling jump down from the carriage and ran over to her, saying.
"Sister-in-law, is there something you need?" Jiang Ling asked Zhao Erleng's wife with some curiosity.
"This..." Zhao Erleng's wife was about to speak, but she closed her mouth again after seeing the village chief getting off the carriage.
Jiang Ling, seeing Zhao Erleng's wife's appearance, guessed what was going on. She led Zhao Erleng's wife back to her own courtyard, closed the gate, and asked, "Sister-in-law, no one's around now, so just say what you need to say!"
"I..." Even Zhao Erleng's wife, who was usually so straightforward, started to stammer when she spoke.
Jiang Ling looked at Zhao Erleng's wife with some surprise but didn't urge her. Jiang Ling looked up at the sky; although it was morning, the sun's heat was still scorching the earth. Jiang Ling glanced at Zhao Erleng's wife, whose forehead was already covered in sweat, and said calmly, "Erleng's wife, don't rush. Tell me what's wrong. The sun is strong right now. Rest in the shade in my house for a while. I'll go get you some water!"
Before Zhao Erleng's wife could refuse, Jiang Ling slipped into the kitchen and soon came out carrying a pot of mint water and some snacks she had secretly bought from the mall.
"Oh dear, sister-in-law, you've gone to so much trouble for me!" Zhao Erleng's wife blushed with embarrassment upon seeing this.
"It's nothing. Sit down and have some mint water and snacks on this hot day. Tell me what's on your mind!" Jiang Ling smiled faintly.
Now, Zhao Erleng's wife was even more embarrassed. She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, and kept her head down, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
"Sister-in-law, you didn't come here because of my brother Erleng?" Jiang Ling asked tentatively.
Upon hearing Jiang Ling's words, Zhao Erleng's wife immediately stopped rubbing the clothes. After a long while, she nodded gently and said in a very ashamed tone, "Sister-in-law... I'm so sorry about this. I... I didn't expect it to turn out like this. You know how busy we've been with the autumn harvest lately..."
"Hey, Erleng's wife, you're being too polite. I understand, and look, we're all fine! Don't worry, I'll explain this to the village chief. Don't worry about it!" Jiang Ling said, placing a pastry in Zhao Erleng's wife's hand.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Erleng's wife immediately looked up, her face full of surprise, and asked again, "Really...really?"
Jiang Ling nodded gently and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, you helped us a lot when our family was in the most difficult time. You also scolded those gossipy women in the village a lot for what happened with Suihe. Based on these two points alone, how could I possibly blame Brother Erleng? Besides, people aren't robots. How can they work 24 hours a day without sleep?"
"What? A robot? What's a robot? What kind of new species is this?" Zhao Erleng's wife asked with wide eyes and a puzzled expression.
Jiang Ling realized she had let something slip, so she quickly covered her mouth, shook her head, and changed the subject. Zhao Erleng's wife didn't pursue the matter further.
After thanking her several times, Zhao Erleng's wife left Jiang Ling's house with a feeling of unease.
The autumn harvest season is neither short nor long, but Jiang Ling felt like she was living in misery every day. She secretly vowed that next year she would definitely find a way to mechanize the autumn harvest so that she wouldn't be exhausted like a dog.
This morning, Jiang Ling had just finished cleaning the table when she heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the door.
Before Jiang Ling could react, her front door was pushed open. When Jiang Ling saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat.
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