Chapter 146 145. When the bed is empty
All the prominent figures in Qingmi County could no longer sit still.
Everyone is working honestly to make money and live their lives, but you are doing this quietly?
Especially those who were not on good terms with these people, or those who thought that Wang Yuanwai, who was not as wealthy as themselves and had no sons of talented scholars, had received a plaque and the favor of the county magistrate, would feel uncomfortable.
Within two days, quite a few people secretly delivered messages to the magistrate Xu Xingzhe.
This squire wanted to build this village road, and that landlord wanted to build that town road. Those who did not have enough money to build an entire road joined together, and several wealthy businessmen worked together to build one. Later, the road was divided according to the amount of investment, and each person named the section they built.
There was an owner of an old restaurant who had been entrenched in Qingmi County for decades and three generations. He was a local tyrant and had generously taken over the official road twenty miles outside the county gate.
He is also a good person.
Not only did he recruit refugees to build the road, he also paid them more wages, and claimed that the wages were ten cents a day and three meals a day. Even breakfast included meat, vegetables, soup and rice. He was determined to suppress the limelight of Lei Li and others and stand out from the crowd.
The county magistrate Xu Xingzhe was also very capable. He spoke to the old owner in a gentle and gratifying manner, and even praised him highly in the county notice. He made the plaque for the old owner a little bigger than others, giving him enough respect in advance.
All the work has been outsourced.
Not only did he not spend a penny on the plaque, he also gained merit and fame.
The magistrate was very happy.
He praised Lei Li and Zhou Yi repeatedly in private, and informed his subordinates about everything related to Lei Li. He gave all the relief he could and removed all the miscellaneous taxes he could. Even the villages that grew peppers for Lei Li received preferential treatment.
For example, the tax collector who went to the village to collect tax rice was so smiling and full of praise that even the village chief was afraid of him.
——Were tax officials in the past so easy to talk to?
If you meet someone with a good temper, you can chat about this year's harvest. If you meet someone with a bad temper, even if you have paid enough tax and rice, they will still find fault with you and will only let you go after accepting bribes.
"It is because the magistrate is wholeheartedly devoted to the people and understands justice. The people know you are a good and wise official, which makes this wise plan impossible to refuse."
Lei Li smiled and blew each other's praises.
They are all old foxes.
How many of those who can get a piece of cake and gain power in Qingmi County are stupid?
With such loud praise and the eagerness to erect a monument and present a plaque, any discerning person can see that this is a show put on by Lei Li and Xu Xingzhe, but so what?
Only a fool would refuse the opportunity to become famous when it comes right to him.
The landlords and gentry who participated in the road construction were all happy. They were all very proud and became more and more concerned about the road construction. As soon as they received the plaque, they immediately went to "recruit soldiers and horses" and get materials from cable workers in various places.
The major road construction project in Qingmi County was carried out in such a vigorous manner.
People from the county government served as supervisors, and the county magistrate Xu Xingzhe also visited various places to express his condolences from time to time. The landlords and gentry did not dare to cut corners, and were also afraid that if they did not do a good job, they would become negative examples, not only failing to build a reputation but also being ridiculed by others. So they all worked hard to repair the road well and carefully.
After raising seedlings at the end of July and transplanting rice in August, the farmers in the village have some free time, and naturally more people join the road construction.
Suddenly, even the number of men working as laborers at the port decreased.
When passing ships heard that a road was being built, they did not rush to reload after unloading their cargo. Instead, they strolled around the various road construction sites to watch the excitement and chat with each other while watching the excitement.
I heard that a certain village had something good to resell, and I even made a few deals.
No matter the size of your business, you can make some money.
—
The weather is hot and the ground is dry this year.
July 15th is the birthday of the Earth God. The Earth God is in charge of mountains, rivers and land, and forgives the sins committed by mankind in the world. He is regarded by the people as the patron saint of a peaceful and prosperous life and a good harvest, and is trusted by farmers.
The Earth Official is also in charge of the souls of the dead.
On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the Ghost Festival, the Earth God pardons sins, allowing the souls of the dead to emerge from the underworld and reunite with their loved ones. This is a spectacular sight, with hundreds of ghosts parading through the night. Therefore, the people also call the 15th day of the seventh lunar month the Ghost Festival, and on this day they offer sacrifices to their ancestors and the souls of the dead.
Therefore, the Zhongyuan Festival is not as lively as the Shangyuan Festival, where activities such as parades of gods and lanterns are held. However, more people go to the Temple of the Earth God to burn incense in order to pray for a good harvest this year.
At that time, most of the road construction workers had left.
After all, they are essentially farmers who dig for food in the fields. They will feel uneasy if they don't pay more attention to the Emperor of the Earth. Lei Li and Zhou Yi are also kind people. When they saw them, they gave the workers a day off and took the lead in going to the Temple of the Emperor of the Earth to worship.
Now, on October 15th, the Lower Yuan Festival, the birthday of the Water God, more people go to the temple.
There are many rivers in Nanjiang.
The god that the people of Nanjiang like to worship the most is the Water God Emperor. Almost all the refugees who fled from Nanjiang rushed to the Water God Emperor Temple in the county town to worship.
County Magistrate Xu Xingzhe, as the people's father and mother, is not the kind of corrupt official who exploits the people. He is also worried about this year's drought and the locust plague in Nanjiang.
He arrived at the Water God Temple early in the morning and brought his family to worship the Water God devoutly. The landlords and gentry also went to worship with their families, and Lei Li and Zhou Yi naturally did the same.
Although the two of them didn't really believe in these things and felt that it was better to rely on themselves for everything, they would rather believe it than not. If praying and donating some incense money could make it rain in the drought-stricken areas and save the people from suffering from drought and locust plagues, then they would be happy to donate more and pray more.
If there is a God.
Sincere wishes will come true.
If there is no God.
Believe in man and conquer heaven.
There were huge crowds of people inside and outside the temple, and you couldn't see the end of them at a glance. It made people feel heavy in their hearts.
—
The road was built until mid-November, the busy farming season. Farmers returned to the village to harvest and dry the rice and pay taxes, to avoid sudden rain or cold weather that would delay the autumn harvest.
The road construction site was suddenly short of staff, but it was not a big deal. After nearly four months of construction, some of the shorter sections were completed. The investor also held a road-opening ceremony and erected a monument with the road name and people's names engraved on it.
The overall project has reached the final stage. If we work hard, we may be able to complete it before the New Year so that everyone can have a prosperous and stable New Year.
—
Lei Li felt cold as soon as he got up this morning. He walked out of the bedroom and saw the first snow of the year falling down in Qingming County.
I don't know when it started to fall.
A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the trees and flowers in the courtyard. Fortunately, the road had been repaired and the refugees had a place to stay and rest. Otherwise, it would be so cold that they might have frozen to death.
Zhou Yi also got up early and practiced boxing in the yard. He broke out in a thin layer of sweat and wiped his forehead with a cloth. He walked towards Lei Li and said, "You're up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
"I can't sleep."
Lei Li took Zhou Yi's towel and wiped his sweat. She smiled and said in a low voice, "My husband was worried about me last night, so I didn't do much. I didn't feel tired when I woke up this morning, so I didn't want to sleep any more."
“…”
Zhou Yi's ears warmed at what he said. Ever since he forgot to address each other as husband and wife when he was half drunk, Lei Li always liked to tease him about this, especially when the bed was empty.
He looked away slightly before saying, "Let's have breakfast then. The kitchen is almost ready."
Zhou Yi doesn't cook every time.
If he was a full-time househusband, there would be nothing wrong with cooking for his husband and family every day, but he also has a lot of work to do, and there is a cook in the house.
Of course, if Lei Li or his parents want to eat something he cooks, he will also make time to cook it, after all, family comes first.
"Ginger should be awake now."
Lei Li saw Zhou Yi going to the baby's room and followed him. "I'll go check on him too. He's grown up now and can walk and run well, but his speech is still unclear. I don't know what's wrong."
“Some children are just late in speaking.”
Zhou Yi said indifferently.
But strangely enough, the first person little Jiang called was not "Dad", nor "Grandpa" or "Grandma", but "Brother".
That day was the birthday of the Earth God, and the Miao family went into the city to worship at the Earth God Temple. Xiaobao was playing with Shengjiang, and Shengjiang giggled and suddenly said "brother", which made Xiaobao smile with his eyes curved.
When little Jiang saw that brother Xiaobao smiled, he muttered a few words, and then called out "brother" twice in a baby voice, which made people's hearts melt.
It happened that Mr. Miao was holding little Jiang at that time.
Lei Li and Zhou Yi didn't hear it. After they knew it, they came over to coax Little Jiang and wanted to hear him bark a few times. Little Jiang giggled and didn't learn to speak, just spitting out saliva bubbles.
Lei Li laughed and scolded him, "You're just a little kid, yet you're treating me differently. When we get home, I won't let you drink milk. Let's see what you'll do."
Little Ginger was already ten months old at that time. He usually drank half complementary food and half milk. If he was greedy and was not allowed to drink milk but only eat complementary food, the little guy would sob and cry, and his crying was so heartbreaking.
Zhou Yi coaxed him with concern.
As soon as he got the milk, the little guy became well-behaved, burst into laughter, waved his little hands cutely, and talked to his daddy in "ah ah ah".
But the little guy still holds a grudge against his daddy for not giving him milk. He turns his little butt towards his daddy, and even when his daddy smiles and wants to hug him, he still whines and it takes him a long time to calm down.
Little Jiang, who had been warned several times not to give milk, pouted skillfully when he heard what his father said, and his big black eyes were filled with crystal pearls.
Lei Li smiled even more, touched the little ginger's face and said, "Alright, alright, why wouldn't I give you milk? If you really cry, your father will be heartbroken."
“…”
Zhou Yi looked at him with tears in his eyes. He was used to his shameless teasing, so he didn't say anything.
Later, when little Jiang was one year old, he could only say a few simple syllables after his birthday ceremony. Zhou Yi didn't quite understand and felt anxious. He asked Nanny Fang and saw a doctor, and learned that this was normal.
Gradually, he was no longer anxious.
Speak slowly or quickly, they are all our children. Our family has enough money to support them for a lifetime. As long as the little ginger grows up safely and happily, that's all that matters.
As for fame, wealth and success, Zhou Yi never thought about it.
Like father and daughter, like father and daughter. He knows his own worth. It is unrealistic to force the child to become a dragon or a phoenix. It would be fine if he doesn't act like a bandit like Lei Li.
——If there were two bandit leaders, he, a small soldier, would not be able to handle it.
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