amaotonovel Chapter 1327 Conscription and Road Construction
Chapter 1327 Conscription and Road Construction
The following day, the Marquis of Huguo's residence received a special congratulatory gift.
The gift-givers were several women, the one in the lead being named Zhong Suyi.
The gift was not substantial, and even appeared somewhat cheap among the other porcelain and calligraphy pieces.
"insole?"
"Cured pork?"
"Dried bamboo shoots?"
"Embroidered cushions?"
"Five Grains Blessing Basket?"
"An old bamboo mat?"
“This…” Pei Yu scratched her head, looking at the gifts, and called over Mu Qing: “Mu Qing, do you know Zhong Suyi? I feel like that name sounds familiar…”
Could it be a relative of someone in your household?
"Zhong Suyi?"
Mu Qing thought for a moment, then nodded: "I recognize her. Aunt Zhong is the mother of Commander Su, the county soldier. What's wrong?"
"Ah?" Pei Yu quickly led Mu Qing to the congratulatory gift. "These were all delivered by her and her people! They wanted to leave after putting the things down, but I had to hold onto one of them and ask for the name Zhong Suyi!"
Mu Qing was slightly surprised and asked, "Where are they?"
Pei Yu pointed outside the mansion: "They've left, but not long ago!"
Mu Qing quickly lifted her skirt and ran towards the outside of the mansion.
She jogged all the way and finally caught up with Zhong Suyi and her group at the end of Yintai Street.
"Aunt Zhong!"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Suyi and the others paused slightly, but then continued walking forward as if they hadn't heard anything.
"Aunt Zhong!" Mu Qing called out breathlessly as she caught up. "Wait a minute!"
Zhong Suyi and the others started jogging.
Helpless, Mu Qing shouted, "I'm not here to return the gifts!"
Zhong Suyi and the others stopped and turned around in unison, feigning surprise: "Manager Mu Qing? What are you doing here? Didn't you go to the relief center today?"
Mu Qing: "..."
This acting is a bit over the top.
After catching her breath, she bowed and thanked everyone: "Thank you all for the congratulatory gifts. I hope you can all leave your names so that the Marquis's residence can be registered."
Before Zhong Suyi could speak, another slightly plump woman waved her hands repeatedly, laughing and saying, "No, no, no! It's just a little thing, why bother leaving your name? Just remember Sister Zhong's name..."
"Just remember... the families of the county soldiers, is that alright?" Zhong Suyi suddenly spoke, her tone full of sincerity: "Steward Mu Qing, the locust plague was raging a few days ago, and we were all very worried. Although our children are with Lord Shen and have no worries about food and clothing, when we think of the children suffering in Yanzhou, our hearts ache and we feel extremely sad! To tell you the truth, we never thought that such a fierce locust plague could actually be resolved... You don't know, when we heard the news yesterday, we were overjoyed!"
Several women nodded in agreement: "Yes, we thought we were dreaming!"
Mu Qing lowered her eyes, a faint smile appearing in them.
And aren't I the same?
From the moment they learned of the locust plague in Yanzhou, everyone in the Shen family felt their hearts hanging in the balance.
They were worried about the disaster in Yanzhou, but even more worried about the officials in Liuyang Prefecture.
Fortunately, everything has now settled down.
Not only did she solve the locust plague, but she was also granted the title of the first female marquis of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
She thought that being able to serve as a maidservant to an adult and to take the surname Shen from him must be a blessing she had accumulated through good deeds in her previous lives.
Seeing her smile, Zhong Suyi continued, "Steward Mu Qing, Lord Shen not only protects our children, but now he's protecting even more children. We mothers are truly happy from the bottom of our hearts. Those gifts are just a small token of our appreciation; they're not worth much money, please don't find them offensive..."
Mu Qing shook her head: "They're all good stuff, don't talk about whether you like them or not. But..."
Then, she changed the subject: "You have to tell the other ladies and aunts that you have already delivered gifts on their behalf. If they send more, the Marquis's mansion will not accept them."
“No problem!” Zhong Suyi readily agreed: “Then, Steward Mu Qing, we’ll head to the relief center first! The chairman said yesterday that on this joyous occasion, we’ll be giving everyone an extra meal, so let’s go to the kitchen and lend a hand!”
Mu Qing smiled and nodded. She stood there for a while, then suddenly remembered the instructions the adults had given her before leaving the capital: "Prepare generous New Year's gifts for the families of the county soldiers, including rice, flour, oil, meat, cloth, and red envelopes for the New Year. Don't leave out a single one."
Looking at the withered leaves on the ground, she seemed slightly dazed.
Before we knew it, it was time to start preparing New Year's gifts...
When will my lord return?
......
Liuyang Prefecture.
In the past two days, the Liuyang government office has been surrounded by crowds of people.
"Sir, I'm strong! I've been digging for decades, shoveling and tamping the ground—I'm an expert at it!"
"Sir, I need more sleep! Hire me! I can work ten hours a day, shoveling ten miles of land without blinking! I guarantee the government's wages will be well spent! The road will be open before the New Year!"
"Sir! My family has been imperial chefs for generations! My stir-fried dishes are delicious! If you choose me to cook for the laborers, I'll definitely keep them motivated every day!"
The officials sat behind a long table, looking at the ravenous people, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
"Line up! Line up! All of you, line up one by one!" A clerk, rubbing his forehead, shouted, "The magistrate said! These two days are just the preliminary selection. You only need to state your household registration, name, and age. You don't need to mention any special skills! Really, you don't need to!"
The people were extremely anxious: "Sir, if we don't tell, how will the officials know how well we work!"
Take this job, for example. The government is recruiting people to repair the official road. They offered a high price of eighty coins a day, and even included three meals a day. Only a fool wouldn't want such a good job!
Besides, there are only so many positions available. If these "candidates" don't volunteer, how can they secure a spot in that coveted position and snatch this coveted job?
You must recommend yourself!
Self-nomination is required!
Suddenly, the people raised their voices even higher.
The clerk had no choice but to shout, "The government will verify your information one by one! I'll say it again! Just provide your household registration, age, and name! If anyone says anything else, we won't record their name!"
The moment the threat was uttered, the noisy crowd fell silent.
The foreman pressed his advantage: "Alright, line up, one by one! If we save more time in the early stages, we can start road construction sooner, don't you agree?"
The people nodded in agreement.
Xu Yunyan silently squeezed through the crowd into the government office and headed towards Shen Zheng's study.
In the study, Shen Zheng was reciting poetry to Yu Shizhang: "A match made in heaven! May you two be of one heart and mind, and stay together year after year! Alright, I won't say any more. Guests, please enjoy your meal and drinks. This afternoon, we'll play chess..."
"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Yu Shizhang's face was full of strange expressions: "The wedding ceremony is set for the evening, so why is it in the afternoon? And what's with this 'card game' nonsense? Do you want to take the guests to play mahjong?"
Shen Zheng slapped her forehead.
Being a witness at a wedding for the first time, I was indeed a little nervous.
"I'll practice some more." She sighed. "I'll memorize the lines and try to recite them in one breath when I go on stage the day after tomorrow."
Yu Shizhang laughed and said, "Judging from your appearance, you're even more nervous than a newcomer."
"Knock knock knock—"
There was a knock on the study door.
Xu Yunyan's voice came: "Sir, the farmers whose land was requisitioned have all signed the contracts. They said they dare not trouble you to go in person, and they will go with Deputy Clerk Fang to choose new land themselves."