webnovelfull Chapter 388 The Rice Turns Yellow, Back to the Village
Chapter 388 The Rice Turns Yellow, Back to the Village
After Jiang Shuzhi led the villagers to buy land and businesses, they returned home by boat.
Lin Ji became the favorite gathering place for county officials and constables.
First, Lin's restaurant is close to the government office; second, the food is unique and never gets old; and third, Magistrate Shi needs informants, as he can't be in two places at once and wants to know the two men's next move as soon as possible.
After all, last time only one village came to set up a business, and he made a perfect year's worth of business!
He wished he could gouge out his own eyes and stick them on the two of them every single hour of the day.
So they sent the county officials to have a few drinks from time to time, as a human form of "surveillance".
This inadvertently protected Lin's business, as no one dared to cause trouble there.
Anyone with ill intentions who speaks loudly will be met with the sound of a sword being drawn, almost as soon as they utter a single word.
The next second, more than a dozen knives from the constables were pressed against his neck, preventing him from uttering a single word!
Anyone who utters the second word will be rewarded with a set of prison clothes, a single cell, a broken bowl, and a pair of chopsticks!
Over time, Lin's Restaurant became the most unique establishment on the entire street.
While other businesses had to guard against thugs coming to cause trouble, Lin's shop rarely saw anyone making a scene, saving them a lot of trouble.
After Gao Mengli and Lin Xi recently converted the restaurant across the street into a restroom, they are not in a hurry to open for business.
Instead, they were waiting for the rice paddy fish in the rice fields under the jurisdiction of Pingyao County and Tang Guangjun, which would take no more than half a month.
…………
When the rice ears turned yellow, Gao Mengli handed over the management of Linji Restaurant to Hei Yi.
With Mengze by his side, they took a boat back to Pingyao County.
It's only been a few months since we last saw each other.
The changes in Pingyao County are minimal!
Once I entered the city, that suffocating, unpleasant smell was gone.
The streets were paved with flat stone slabs, and the osmanthus trees along the roads were in bloom, filling the entire county town with their fragrance.
Drainage ditches for town residents were also built along both sides of the street, and some students from the academy would occasionally throw something into the ditches.
"Huh, what are they feeding?"
Lin Xi lifted the carriage curtain, somewhat curious.
Gao Mengli asked Mengze to stop the car, as she also wanted to go and take a look.
The two jumped out of the car and walked over.
Gao Mengli stood by the ditch and looked down. She saw countless carp swimming in the ditch.
These carp eat everything, and putting them in drainage ditches can purify the water.
Her eyes shone with admiration. "Who came up with this idea? It's pretty good!"
"Yes, that way we won't have to worry about polluted water being discharged into the river and causing even greater pollution!"
Lin Xi nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, one of the students feeding the food stiffened.
He turned his head abruptly, his eyes instantly turning red.
"Mother, Father!"
Da Niu leaped forward and rushed over, grabbing Gao Mengli's waist in one go!
Gao Mengli was stunned for a moment, then hugged him back with delight, "Da Niu, Mom's back!"
Gao Mengli looked down at her son, who was snuggling against her in her arms. Her hand unconsciously ran through the stray hairs on the back of his head. Her fingertips touched a bit of cool sweat, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Her son, Da Niu, seems to have grown taller again.
Lin Xi, who was standing nearby, was surprised that her son had forgotten about him as his father so quickly. She teased him, "Cry, cry, cry! You've cried away all your good fortune!"
Da Niu raised his teary eyes, and like a completely different person, immediately hugged Lin Xi, crying, "Dad!"
Lin Xi froze instantly.
To be honest, this was the first time his son had properly hugged him.
He patted Da Niu's head, his own eyes reddening. "Go ahead and cry. Our family is so lucky, you can cry for a lifetime!"
Da Niu buried himself in Lin Xi's arms, his shoulders trembling, his tears soaking a large patch of Lin Xi's shirt.
For a moment, it was a scene of filial piety and parental love.
Suddenly, Lin Xi realized what was happening, pulled Da Niu away with tears and snot streaming down his face, and put on a stern face, which was quite intimidating.
"Da Niu, what are you doing here instead of studying at the academy?!"
After saying that, he slapped Da Niu's butt hard, making him feel what it meant for a father's love to be as solid as a mountain!
Gao Mengli stopped him from slapping her a second time, "Alright, alright, we don't hit children in our family!"
After saying that, she shouted towards the carriage, "Mengze, bring me the riding whip!"
She was furious! From now on, hitting children is no longer allowed; it has to become fashionable!
Upon hearing this, Da Niu quickly covered his backside and moved away from the two of them, shouting, "Dad, Mom, don't hit me! Listen to my excuses! Bah, listen to my explanation!"
Gao Mengli brought over the riding whip, snapped it twice, and glared fiercely at Da Niu. "Speak! If you don't say three, four, five, or six today, I'll let you taste seven, eight, nine, or ten lashes!"
At this moment, Chen Dada immediately stood in front of his good brother Da Niu and said, "Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, because the rice is about to be harvested, the academy has given us a seven-day holiday for the busy farming season."
I saw that Da Niu was home alone when he went back, so I invited him to come to the county town. Please don't blame him; we didn't skip class!
Gao Mengli paused in her hand, her tense expression softening slightly, but she still didn't put down the whip. She turned to look at Da Niu: "Is what you said true? The academy really gave us a break for the busy farming season?"
Da Niu quickly peeked out from behind Chen Dada, nodding repeatedly while protecting his backside with his hands, afraid that his mother would be uncivilized and give him a beating.
“Really, Mother! The Master said the autumn harvest is a big deal, and he wants us to come home and help with the work. If we finish our work at home, we can also study.”
I was thinking that since you and Dad run a shop in the prefectural city, and I'm alone at home anyway, that's why I came here with you. I really didn't skip class!
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a stern look.
The two of them immediately transformed into loving parents, reaching out to Da Niu.
"You silly child, you should have said so earlier! How were we supposed to know if you hadn't told us!"
"Exactly, they deserved to be beaten up for no reason!"
Da Niu reluctantly stretched out his hands, taking his father's hand with one hand and his mother's with the other, muttering under his breath, "You didn't even ask, you just started hitting me without saying a word..."
The two men chose to be deaf, pretending not to hear what was said, and led the ox to let the carriage pass.
Gao Mengli lifted the carriage curtain and greeted Chen Dada, "Dada, we're taking Da Niu back to the village now. If you have time, come over and visit us in the next few days!"
Chen grinned and waved his hand, "Okay, Aunt Lin, I'll go find Da Niu to play tomorrow!"
On the carriage, Da Niu held onto Gao Mengli's hand tightly.
Lin Xi leaned closer and squeezed in, "Da Niu, what's with the fish in that drainage ditch?"
At this point, Da Niu proudly patted his chest, "Of course, that's the method I came up with!"
Lin Xi's eyes lit up, and she urged, "Why did you think of doing this? Aren't you afraid someone will steal it!"
"Don't worry, Dad, there aren't any beggars in the county, so no one will steal from us!"
Lord Dou said that if beggars appeared in Pingyao, it would be his dereliction of duty.
So the former beggars are now sanitation workers in the county town, sweeping the streets every day!
And they really cherish the carp in the ditch.
After finishing their work each day, they would buy rotten vegetable leaves to feed the animals, and they would count the amount every day.
If they found the quantity was incorrect, they used their intelligence-gathering skills, honed from their time as beggars, to catch the fish thieves that very day!
After it happened so many times, no one dared to steal anymore!
Besides, those carp were raised in polluted water; most people wouldn't touch them!
Gao Mengli poked Da Niu's head with her finger, "Your little head is quite clever!"
Da Niu agreed wholeheartedly, “That’s right. My parents once said that our drinking water is underground and sewage seeps in, which can easily pollute the city’s water supply!”
Moreover, the entire county has started raising fish in rice paddies, and since then, the water in the paddy fields has become clean and clear.
I wondered if raising them in sewage would have the same effect, and sure enough, after raising them, the sewage was indeed much cleaner!
Lord Dou even praised me for this!
"Oh, what did Dou Weiyi say to you?"
Seeing Da Niu's energy, Lin Xi couldn't help but ask a question.
Da Niu grinned: "Hehe, you're praising me for being the son of both of you, that I'm smart!"
"Pfft~"
Lin Xi was delighted!
Gao Mengli was also amused!
In Da Niu's eyes, they seem to be something that makes the child quite proud!