lcionline Chapter 426 Strong and Powerful
Chapter 426 Strong and Powerful
Chapter 426
Thinking of this, she followed Aunt Wang's words and praised sincerely: "Lord Qin loves the people like his own children and is as meticulous as a hair. He is a rare good official. It is a blessing for us ordinary people to have a good official like him."
"Is that so?" Wang Cuihua, hearing her praise of County Magistrate Qin, instantly felt that her wish was at least 80% certain to succeed. It seemed the girl had a favorable impression of the County Magistrate. All she had to do now was test his opinion a bit before she could put the matter on the agenda.
As she imagined the subsequent scenes in her mind, the smile in Wang Cuihua's eyes became more and more intense.
Seeing that all the matters she had been dealing with had been taken care of, Luo Shuiyao glanced up at the sky and immediately suggested, "Let's get going now. There will probably be more people coming to repair the canal and dig the road today. We should make the rice porridge before noon so that everyone can have something warm to drink and gather enough energy to continue working."
"Okay, let's go now."
As soon as she said this, everyone nodded in response.
The donkey cart was driven by someone assigned by the county magistrate, so Luo Shuiyao didn't have to worry about it. She ordered the guards to pull the carriage from the backyard over, and then she and Chun Xing got in.
It wasn't that she disliked the donkey cart; it was simply too cramped. With Wang Cuihua, Aunt Zhang, and the others already crammed in, the cart was packed to the brim. Adding more people to the cart wouldn't be enough for the donkey. She suggested they get off and ride in the carriage, but Wang Cuihua simply waved her hands, her face stubborn, "No, no! We farmers work in the dust all day and are filthy. Don't dirty your cart!"
Seeing their firm attitude, Luo Shuiyao couldn't persuade them anymore and had to give up the idea.
Today's journey was significantly longer than yesterday's. Even with all the haste and haste, it was already nearing the hour of Si by the time they reached their destination. Seeing it was getting late, everyone said nothing and helped unload the rice. The guards and the yamen chief were quite conscientious. Seeing there was no more work for them, they said something to Luo Shuiyao and then joined the others ahead in digging the canal.
It was already late when Luo Shuiyao arrived yesterday, so she didn't get a good look. Today, taking a closer look, she saw that most of the people digging the canal were strong laborers from various families. There were a few young boys here and there, but they were just running errands and doing odd jobs. The work was divided into orderly sections, and although there were occasional chats and laughter, their hands were not slowing down at all, and they worked very hard, clearly doing it with a willingness to do it.
Feeling once again that County Magistrate Qin was indeed young and promising, Luo Shuiyao lowered her head and joined the others in building the firewood, fetching water, and cooking the porridge. With Wang Cuihua and the others helping out today, things were noticeably easier than yesterday. And Wang Cuihua and Chunxing were the ones vying for everything she wanted to do. In Wang Cuihua's words, "We rough hands have to do the rough work. You, young lady, just give orders from the sidelines." But Luo Shuiyao felt embarrassed to just give orders without doing anything, so in the end, she only managed to add rice to the pot and stir it.
Today's firewood was dry and bright, and the flames burned brightly. Soon, the aroma of rice filled the air. The intense heat simmered the rice until it swelled, and there was no need for constant stirring. Luo Shuiyao simply set the iron spoon aside.
Wang Cuihua was sharp-eyed. Seeing this, her eyes rolled and an idea suddenly occurred to her: "Miss, the rice porridge is almost done. It's time to call them over for dinner. Why don't you tell the county magistrate to invite them to dinner?"
After saying this, Wang Cuihua felt that her intentions seemed too obvious, so she added, "They wouldn't come without the county magistrate's order. That's why I asked you to go and tell the county magistrate to come and greet them. Don't think I'm a bother to you, young lady."
Luo Shuiyao didn't think much of it, just thinking that Wang Cuihua had told her to do something, and she felt it was inappropriate, so she explained it this way. Then she shook her head and said softly, "Then please, Auntie, please take out some firewood so that the rice porridge doesn't get burnt. I'll go right away."
As she spoke, she brushed the dust off the corners of her clothes, straightened her clothes, and walked towards the canal construction site ahead.
Because the pot was large, it took quite a while to cook the rice porridge. By then, the people working on the canal had already moved on. Along the way, busy people saw her approaching and stopped what they were doing, smiling and greeting her.
Although she was surprised by everyone's enthusiasm, she smiled back at everyone.
She didn't know that after she left, several people looked at her from behind and whispered. One person said, "Is this the girl?"
Another person nodded and replied, "Yes, that's her. If it weren't for her, there would have been many casualties in Baihua County this time. I also heard that thanks to timely medical treatment, Old Man Wang's wife is out of danger."
As he spoke, the man shook his head and said, "Look at this girl. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also so kind-hearted. I wonder if she's promised to anyone?"
The person being questioned rolled his eyes and kicked him: "How dare you! Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself? How dare you have such a mindset towards this girl?"
The man didn't get angry. He said with a playful smile, "How can you say you're planning something? They say 'a beautiful lady is a good match for a gentleman', isn't it okay for me to just think about it?"
"No! You'd better put away your dirty thoughts as soon as possible."
Luo Shuiyao had no idea that her rescue story yesterday had been exaggerated by everyone and had been made into a story that she had single-handedly saved all the disaster-stricken people.
With such exaggerated and exaggerated propaganda, it was no wonder that she was always being secretly stared at as she walked along. Although Luo Shuiyao felt puzzled, she couldn't argue with them, so she could only pretend not to see it and continued walking forward.
But this step is inevitably a little faster.
After hearing that County Magistrate Qin was ahead, Luo Shuiyao followed the crowd's instructions. After walking for a long time, she finally passed the crowd and saw County Magistrate Qin in the distance, wearing the same shorts he wore yesterday, sweating profusely as he dug a canal with a shovel.
Looking closely, he was dressed like the other villagers nearby, but his tall stature and fair complexion made him stand out from the crowd.
Yesterday, unexpected events continued to unfold, with numerous local affairs afoot. Qin Chuan was busy handling matters until dawn, barely sleeping all night. At first light, he led a group of yamen runners to dig a canal. Later, villagers who had heard the news arrived one after another and joined the digging team, working alongside him.
He was thinking, "We need to eliminate these hidden dangers as soon as possible." He didn't know what was going on this year, but floods have been so frequent across the country. If it happened again, Baihua County wouldn't be able to withstand such a devastating blow. Just as he was trying to get more work done, he heard someone calling from behind. He turned around and saw Luo Shuiyao walking towards him, holding up her skirt with one hand.
He was slightly startled, then put the shovel aside, straightened his back and walked over to meet her. When Luo Shuiyao approached, he realized that he had rolled up half of his sleeves due to the heat from working, which seemed quite rude. As he lowered his sleeves, he asked, "Miss Luo, are you looking for me?"
As Luo Shuiyao approached, she noticed the veins bulging on his wrists beneath his seemingly thin frame. It was clear he wasn't the frail, weak figure of an ordinary scholar, but rather possessed considerable strength. Realizing she shouldn't be staring, she averted her gaze and said, "Yes, the rice porridge is ready. Why don't you invite everyone over in batches to rest and eat before continuing?"
"Okay, Miss Luo, wait for me. I'll make some arrangements."
County Magistrate Qin responded and then walked towards the yamen runners who were working hard in front of him. He whispered a few words beside the runners, who nodded in agreement, put down their shovels, and began to organize the group.
Seeing that everything was arranged properly, Qin Chuan returned to Luo Shuiyao and said, "There are so many people here today, I'm afraid you guys can't handle it. I'll go with you and lend a hand."
Luo Shuiyao looked at the dark mass of heads and did not refuse. Then, the two of them walked forward together.
Qin Chuan stood beside her, keeping a distance from her, and led her to walk along the edge of the crowd to prevent anyone from bumping into her.
Because the channel was newly dug, and the soil was softened by rain, the road surface was bumpy, and Luo Shuiyao almost fell when she came here.