si-mexico Chapter 210 She Must Have a Name
Chapter 210 She Must Have a Name
"Please come in quickly!" Seeing that Lin Chang'er had come with the relatives of Magistrate Zhu and Magistrate Li, Wu Qingfeng had no reason to hide anything and immediately had his servant lead her into the council hall.
When Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu heard the name of their uncle, they exchanged a glance and then shook their heads.
These old folks have made a lot of money and are now at the age where they can enjoy playing with their grandchildren.
He's always on the go, running off wherever there's something new and delicious! Aside from making money, he's practically a nobody.
The floodwaters have just receded, and the upcoming autumn harvest will certainly be affected.
It's obvious to the naked eye that major grain merchants will raise grain prices. Moreover, this heavy rain will affect more than just their area. It's possible that soon, even with money, it will be difficult to buy grain.
They're having a real headache right now!
Why would they bother joining in this fun?
Wu Qingfeng, however, did not think so. Although Chang'er was a woman, she often saw further than he did, and was not just a housewife who stayed in her own little world.
Old Zhu and several other wealthy men were on good terms with her, which must have meant that she had already thought of something beforehand, but due to her limited financial resources, she pulled in a few of her old friends to do it together.
Unlike Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu, he was full of anticipation for what surprises Lin Chang'er would bring him.
Suddenly, he no longer felt sleepy. Seeing his superiors' attitude, Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu thought to themselves, "Lord Wu is sure to be disappointed this time."
When I get home from the yamen, I need to communicate more with my family.
Now, Lin Chang'er and Lao Zhu and the others arrived at the council hall and first greeted each other according to custom.
Old Zhu and the others were all older than Lin Chang'er, so Lin Chang'er didn't take the lead. "I only acted as an advisor. Uncle Zhu, Uncle Li, Uncle Chen, and Uncle Zheng all contributed more than I did. You can discuss the matter with the other officials."
That's what they say, but since they all contributed money, she has to have her name on the bill.
Old Zhu and the others knew that this was just a polite remark; to be honest, they wouldn't have thought of it if she hadn't brought it up.
Even before, when she first brought it up, some of her old buddies were hesitant to take action!
After exchanging glances, the four of them decided to let Old Zhu speak.
"That's right. In the past few days, the heavy rains have continued, and the river level has been rising rapidly every day. Chang'er was worried that there would be a major flood."
"At that time, the officials had been traveling to various prefectures and counties for days, and she was afraid that they might not have thought of this in their busy schedules. So she suggested that while they could still travel, they should buy more quicklime. In case of a flood, they could distribute it to the people in the prefectures and counties for disinfection after the flood receded. If there were any livestock that had been drowned by the flood, they should also be sprinkled with quicklime and buried deeply. In this way, the epidemic could be prevented."
"Then a few of us pooled our money and bought a large quantity of quicklime from outside. We planned to keep some for our own use and then donate it to the county government, which would then distribute it to our fellow citizens in the prefecture and county. In this way, we could all work together to prevent the epidemic."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qingfeng was overjoyed and said that she always managed to come up with surprises he never expected.
County Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu exchanged an incredulous glance, wondering to themselves what was going on. Why had their old folks suddenly started getting things done?
This is a good thing. However, even if they manage to avoid the pandemic, by autumn and winter, although they are located in the south and do not have a distinct winter, they will still face challenges.
However, due to poor harvests, famine was still inevitable.
They both sighed again.
Then, Master Zhu took a sip of tea and continued, "Besides this, Xiaonan Village was destroyed by pirates earlier. We live close to Xiaonan Village, and Chang'er, being mindful of potential dangers, stockpiled some grain with us old folks."
"Prepare for disaster relief when necessary. If it is not needed, that would be best. We can use it ourselves or sell it off."
"We have now stockpiled about 5 dou of coarse grains, which can be allocated by the county government to stabilize grain prices if necessary."
After he finished speaking, the entire council chamber fell into a deathly silence.
Wu Qingfeng's heart pounded. 5 dou (a unit of dry measure). With this batch of grain, plus the relief grain from the imperial court, although it would be difficult, it should be enough for Ninghai County to get through this crisis.
Thinking this, he took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly gave Lin Chang'er a knowing smile.
Lin Chang'er smiled at him, her expression conveying everything without words.
As for County Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu, their eyes widened and their mouths gaped open, remaining speechless for a long time.
He wondered if his ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke. This old man had been unreliable for half his life, and this sudden appearance was enough to be recorded in the county annals.
This achievement is worthy of a separate page in the family genealogy.
If their superiors weren't still around, they would have been so excited that they would have rushed forward and hugged their uncle, calling him "Uncle."
Wu Qingfeng was also grateful to these wealthy people for their generosity. He stood up, shook his robe, and bowed deeply to them, saying, "Wu Qingfeng, on behalf of all the people of Ninghai County, thanks you for your kindness."
County Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu also immediately got up and followed the luggage.
Old Zhu and the others hurriedly stood up to return the greeting, saying, "No, no, it's not necessary. You gentlemen are the ones who have devoted yourselves to the people of the county. It's just a matter of spending a little money."
"This is no small matter. As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by a penny. Besides, after the flood, grain prices will surely rise, and by autumn, I'm afraid even if you have money, you won't be able to buy grain."
"These individuals demonstrated remarkable foresight; their actions were truly life-saving."
Wu Qingfeng was not stingy with his praise and turned to Li Zhubu, saying, "Li Zhubu, the gentlemen and Miss Lin are so generous and righteous. As their officials, we cannot accept their kindness for nothing."
"Afterwards, you should draft an official document to inform everyone about the quicklime incident. This will both inform everyone how to use quicklime and the necessity of using it for disinfection, and also to commend the great deeds of the individuals involved."
"Regarding the grain, we'll wait until the imperial court's disaster relief grain arrives before making any further commendations."
Old Zhu didn't think much about why it had to be done in two parts, but as long as Lord Wu was willing to do this good deed for them, they were happy.
Lin Chang'er had already figured it out: Wu Qingfeng was afraid that if the matter got out, the higher-ups would reduce or even directly withhold the disaster relief grain from Ninghai County.
They donated what belonged to Ninghai County itself, and the higher authorities were obligated to provide every single grain of rice.
After the discussion, Wu Qingfeng told County Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu to leave the office early and go back to rest.
Of course, he also had a lot to say to Lin Chang'er: How have you been these days? Has anything happened at home?
How significant were the workshop's losses? And, did they even think about him? And so on...
As for County Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu, as soon as they left the county office, they immediately put their arms around each other's shoulders, displaying an intimacy that was almost unprecedented in their lives...