Qin Ming walked into the house and said, "Xiao Mi Ge, you have a visitor."
"Who is it?" asked Chen Xiao Mi.
"He said he is the Village Head of the Big Stone Village," Qin Ming said.
"The Village Head? "
Chen Xiao Mi pouted and thought unhappily. 'What is he doing here? He has always been partial towards the Lus, especially that Lu Cheng Yu. Lu Cheng Yu is now a Xiucai, the Village Head surely will grant whatever is requested by Lu Cheng Yu."
…
"Village Head Zhang, long time no see, how have you been" Chen Xiao Mi greeted Zhang Cheng with a smile.
Zhang Cheng looked at Chen Xiao Mi, unsure as to what the next move should be, he just put on a smile and said, "Xiao Mi, I've been all right, not as great as you are though."!"
Chen Xiao Mi smiled and said, "I'm just all right, can't complain."
Zhang Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "Xiao Mi, I heard that this commercial house is yours."
Chen Xiao Mi tilted his head and said, "Yes, it's mine. It's worth a few hundred taels, not worth mentioning."
Zhang Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "Xiao Mi, you've really made it now!"
"I'm so flattered, Village Head Zhang."
Zhang Cheng looked at Chen Xiao Mi and sighed, "Xiao Mi, we are really happy for your accomplishments, our villagers would really appreciate it if you offered us some help!"
Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Zhang Cheng and said, "Village Head Zhang, I'm already doing my part. I've been buying food, vegetables, mountain specialties and embroidery products from the villagers. I really have no idea what else I can do. Some villager made a scene right in front of my shop just the other day."
Zhang Cheng looked at Chen Xiao Mi and said, "Xiao Mi, that's not just some villager, Grandma Lu is your husband's grandmother."
Chen Xiao Mi's lips curled on hearing that, "I beg to differ, she is some villager to me after he sold Lu Lin for 10 tales of silver. Anyways, I spent 1 tale of silver on asking several villagers to escort her back to the village for her own safety."
Zhang Cheng was rendered speechless.
Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Zhang Cheng and said, "Village Head Zhang, can you do me a favor? Just spread the word for me, I won't buy anything from the villagers who lend the ox-cart to Grandma Chen, and I will reward the villagers who turn Grandma Chen down."
Zhang Cheng's face darkened, "Xiao Mi, isn't that a bit too far?"
'You are not asking to spread the word, you are asking me to offend the Lus!'
"Xiao Mi, listen to me, Cheng Yu is a Xiucai now."
Chen Xiao Mi said with indifference, "Well, he still has a long way to go if he wants to pass the provincial exam."
Chen Xiao Mi thought to himself, 'Lu Lin and I already have savings that's pushing 5000 tales, I'm afraid we can an official title way before Lu Cheng Yu passes the provincial exam.'
Zhang Cheng said sullenly, "Xiucai is already a huge accomplishment." Zhang Cheng thought to himself, 'Chen Xiao Mi is so different now, he is actually looking down upon a Xiucai, no villager dares to do that.'
Chen Xiao Mi said with a faint smile, "It's just a title, what can you do with it? I know it won't bring you any money."
Color flared in Zhang Cheng's cheeks. Zhang Cheng felt proud that there was a Xiucai in the village now. He felt so indignant that Chen Xiao Mi didn't take it to heart at all.
Zhang Cheng left in a huff. He happened to meet Lu Lin when he was walking out.
"Village Head Zhang, you're here! To what do we owe the honor!" Lu Lin said enthusiastically.
Zhang Cheng looked at Lu Lin and said, "Lu Lin, Chen Xiao Mi asked the villagers to tackle your grandmother back. You should discipline him."
" Village Head Zhang, Xiao Mi did it for her own good though! Being a businessman, I'm not afraid of losing face, but Cousin Cheng Yu is a Xiucai now, reputation means the world to him. That's why Xiao Mi has asked the villagers to escort Grandma Lu home. To protect Cousin Cheng Yu's reputation!" Lu Lin said.
Zhang Cheng shook his head.
Zhang Cheng glanced at Lu Lin and left without saying anything back.
A Mishap
In Lu family.
Grandma Lu lay on the bed and cursed Chen Xiao Mi scolded, "That bastard has asked the villagers to tackle me! I won't just let it go."
Tang looked at Grandma Lu and said, "Mother, let's just swallow this insult, what else can we do?"
Grandma Lu's eyes turned red and she said, "I'll go to his store every day. Can that Chen Xiao Mi drive me back every day?"
Tang thought to herself, 'Chen Xiao Mi spent one tael of silver to drive the old lady back. If the old lady made trouble every day, Chen Xiao Mi wouldn't be able to stand it. Although it is troublesome to make a scene every day, it is still a way.'
The next day, Tang had a hard time borrowing an ox-cart.
Tang asked sullenly, "What do you mean by you are not going to lend your cart to us?"
"This ox needs some rest! It's too torturous for him to travel that far every day," Aunty Zhang said.
Tang looked at Aunty Zhang and said discontentedly, "We just borrowed it once. What's the big deal?"
Auntie Zhang smiled and said, "Our ox looked ill since you borrowed it last time! I'm old, I can't deal with the hassle of sending for a doctor and haggling about the treatment fee!"
Tang pestered Aunty Zhang for a while but to no avail. Seeing that Aunty Zhang was unwilling to let go, Tang had to leave sullenly.
…
"Aunty Zhang, you didn't lend Tang your ox-cart?"
Aunty Zhang smiled, "Why would I? Our ox really looks sick now, what's more, Tang didn't mention a word about paying us some money. She kept saying that Lu Cheng Yu was now a Xiucai and he was bound to have a bright future. Well, for starters, I have no idea how true that is, secondly, knowing Tang, I doubt it she will ever return the favor."
Lending the cart to Tang was a losing business. Aunty Zhang really didn't want to offend Chen Xiao Mi. And she was hoped that she could get one tael of silver as reward from Chen Xiao Mi.
Aunty Zhang heard a villager saying that Chen Xiao Mi had asked the Village Head to spread the word that he would give anyone who refused to lend their ox-cart to Tang and Grandma Lu as a reward. Aunty Zhang was determined to earn that easy money, but the Village Head didn't mention a word after he came back from town. Aunty Zhang wasn't sure how authentic the message was.
Aunty Zhang suspected that the Village Head had deliberately withheld the message from them because he didn't want to offend the Lus.
…
Grandma Lu waited for Tang impatiently at home.
Tang glanced at Grandma Lu and said, "No one is willing to lend us the ox-cart."
After Lu Cheng Yu passed the exam, Grandma Lu was privileged enough to order the villagers around. In her opinion, every villager was supposed to curry favor with them. She was shocked to hear that no one wanted to do them this small favor.
Tang said sullenly, "I've visited all the families with ox-carts, they all have turned me down. Mother, you are old now, no way can you walk to town!"
Grandma Lu said excitedly, "Why has everyone turned us down? It's not harvest season or anything, they don't need the ox-cart for any farm work, why?"
"It must be Chen Xiao Mi. He must be the one who has forbidden the villagers to lend us the carts."
"This bastard! " Grandma Lu was so indignant that she started to shiver.
What had shocked Grandma Lu more was the villagers all listened to Chen Xiao Mi despite the fact that Lu Cheng Yu was a Xiucai now.
Tang said sullenly, " Chen Xiao Mi seems to have promised them some benefits."
"What exactly did Chen Xiao Mi say?"
Tang hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that Chen Xiao Mi said that whoever doesn't lend the cart to us can get one tael of silver from him at the end of the year. It was said that Chen Xiao Mi asked the Village Head to spread the word."
Grandma Lu turned utterly discomfited on hearing that, "This is too much. The Village Head shouldn't have spread the word! That bastard Chen Xiao Mi has actually come up with such a way to deal with us!"
Tang was angry as well, and she was worried at the same time. 'If the villagers all listen to Chen Xiao Mi and refuse to lend us the ox-carts, how inconvenient it is going to be for us to go to town! What's more, this is such a slap on the face! We don't have any ally in the village!'
Grandma Lu gritted her teeth and said, "No, Chen Xiao Mi is bullying us. I have to go and ask the Village Head what exactly Chen Xiao Mi has said."
Tang grabbed Grandma Lu hand and said, "Mother! Think twice before you leap!"
Tang knew her mother-in-law very well, she was sure that her mother-in-law would only make matters worse. Tang didn't want to offend the Village Head over nothing. Grandpa Lu was able to cope with the aftermath of the disaster caused by Grandma Lu when he was healthy, but now his medical condition had greatly limited him.
Grandma Lu excitedly, "Let go of me, I demand an explanation from the Village Head. I cannot just ignore it."
Tang looked at Grandma Lu and regretted for telling her the truth. However, seeing how indignant Grandma Lu was, she didn't dare to stop her anymore in case Grandma Lu vented her anger on her.
…
In the Zhang Family.
Zhang Jin looked at Zhang Cheng and said, "Father, I told you earlier that you shouldn't meddle in the Lu family's affairs."
Zhang Cheng pulled a long face and said, "I didn't expect things to end like this."
Zhang Cheng went to the commercial house to talk to Chen Xiao Mi, but Chen Xiao Mi thumbed his nose at Lu Cheng Yu, he showed zero interest in supporting this Xiucai financially. Not only that, but Chen Xiao Mi also asked him to spread the word about the ox-cart.
Zhang Cheng came back hesitated again and again, and he kept the message to himself. However, the news was spread by some other villagers who were working in town.
A villager who had a mule cart came to ask Zhang Cheng whether the news was true or not, Zhang Cheng had to confirm that it was true. The villager kept complaining that the Village Head should have had spread the word like Chen Xiao Mi said, because he could really use that one tale of silver as some additional income.
Zhang Cheng felt so wronged, he just said even though Chen Xiao Mi had said that, no one could be sure whether he was joking or being serious.
The villager left in a huff saying that he deserved to know about the message no matter it was true or not.
However, the message somehow ended up being 'the Village Head suggested the villagers not lend their ox-carts to the Lus'.
Grandma Lu could no longer sit at home and pretend everything was okay, she marched down to Zhang Cheng's house and accused him of bullying her.
Never had Zhang Cheng imagined that things would take such a sudden turn for the worse.
Those villagers who had carts blamed him for withholding the news that Chen Xiao Mi asked him to spread, while the Lu family blamed him for not letting the villagers lend their carts to Grandma Lu. Grandma Lu had even accused Zhang Cheng od taking bribes from Chen Xiao Mi.
"No villager will lend their carts to the Lus, that's one tale of silver on the line," Zhang Jin said.
Villagers who lend their carts to others would usually charge 10 cents or so from a return trip, and now Chen Xiao Mi offered them 1 tale of silver only on one condition, of course they would come up with all kinds of excused to turn the Lus down.
Zhang Cheng's face darkened, "Chen Xiao Mi has gone too far."
Zhang Cheng cried bitterness in the heart at the same time. He meant to patch things up between Lu Lin and the Lu family, but in the end, the matter had only gone worse.
Not only did they not resolve the conflict, both sides spoke critically of him. Chen Xiao Mi felt that he was biased towards the Lu family, while the Lu family felt that he had sided with Chen Xiao Mi since Chen Xiao Mi was the rich one.
Zhang Cheng felt that he should have listened to his son right from the start. He should not have got involved into their family business. Although Zhang Cheng regretted it, he was too proud to admit his mistake in front of his son.
…
Chen Xiao Mi sat in the rocking chair leisurely. Chen Xiao Mai looked at Chen Xiao Mi and asked, "Big Brother, is this chair very comfortable?"
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "If you only knew."
Chen Xiao Mai's eyes widened, "My turn, my turn please."
"Where's your rocking chair?" asked Chen Xiao Mi.
The rocking chair Lu Lin made for Chen Xiao Mai was more special, he had carved many animals on it.
Chen Xiao Mai said sullenly, "Lin Ge sold it again."
Chen Xiao Mi made a snicker.
Rocking chairs and toys were always out of stock, Lu Lin had to come up with a way to mollify customers who had been waiting for a long time. The way was to sell the stuff he made for Xiao Mai. In this way, Mai would always get new toys and rocking chairs, but they would end up being sold by Lu Lin within just a few days.
The customers were more than willing to buy stuff belonged to Xiao Mai because Lu Lin always made special editions for Xiao Mai.
"Xiao Mi Ge, bad, bad news!" Qin Ming rushed into the yard screaming.
Chen Xiao Mi frowned and said, "What happened, why in such a fluster?"
Qin Ming said sullenly, "Someone sued us saying that our food made him sick!"
Chen Xiao Mi frowned and asked, "Our food made him sick?"
Qin Ming shook his head and said, "I don't know much about the details. However, the government has declared us guilty, they have sent officials to arrest you."
Chen Xiao Mi narrowed his eyes. They didn't sell food as a product. They would only use some packaged snacks as freebies. The last time they gave snacks as freebies was a few days ago, so it was just nonsense that someone said he just got sick from eating the food in their store.
…
The news of Chen Xiao Mi being arrested by the officials soon spread in the village.
Grandma Chen was thrilled when she heard that Chen Xiao Mi was arrested. She rushed about telling the news to other villagers, saying this was karma, karma of Chen Xiao Mi being unfilial.
Chen Jing was also very happy. After knowing that Chen Xiao Mi was the boss of Sino Commercial House, Chen Jing had been looking forward to Chen Xiao Mi being utterly discredited.
The villagers were in a state of panic. All of a sudden, the crowd started to say that it was better to be a government official! No matter how big your business was, there was nothing you could do when you were hotly purposed by the government.
Some villagers were worried that their income would be affected now that Chen Xiao Mi was arrested, while some were gloating over Chen Xiao Mi's misfortune, they were glad that Chen Xiao Mi had gone downhill.
Grandma Lu was very excited to know that Chen Xiao Mi was arrested.
"Cheng Yu! Is this your doing?" Tang asked Lu Cheng Yu.
Lu Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Not me. However, it has something to do with me."
The county magistrate's term of office was almost run out, he wanted to seize the opportunity to make a fast buck. Therefore, Lu Cheng Yu and the Secretary-General suggested this idea to the magistrate.
After Chen Xiao Mi was arrested, Lu Lin spent three hundred taels and bailed Chen Xiao Mi out. Chen Xiao Mi didn't suffer because Lu Lin acted fast.
Lu Lin shut down the commercial house for fear of any more problems.
Buying an Official Position
In the Sino Commercial House.
Chen Xiao Mi sat on the bed and said sullenly, "This is too much."
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi and said, "The people don't fight with the officials. Our County is about to resign soon. This should be his strategy to make a fast buck. However, the Secretary-General must have something to do with this."
It seemed that it wasn't just their store that had been targeted. There were several other stores that had met the same farce, including Good Luck Restaurant. Luckily, the county magistrate was afraid that things would get out of control, so he just releases everyone after their family paid a big amount of bail.
Lu Lin felt this incident should have something to do with Lu Cheng Yu.
Lu Lin suddenly felt that in this world, money wasn't enough, one needed to have power in hand to protect himself.
Yang Heng Zhi had remined him a few days ago, saying that there might be some upheaval soon, he told Lu Lin to watch out. However, it was hard for ordinary people to contend with the officers.
In the past few years, the commercial house had enjoyed a great reputation. He and Chen Xiao Mi had no backing, so they were targeted easily.
Chen Xiao Mi said sullenly, "I envy those government officials!"
Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah!"
Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin excitedly and said, "Do we have enough money to buy an official title?"
"It's not enough to buy a high-ranking official title, but it's enough to buy an inferior one. I heard that the county magistrate in Sha County can be bought for three thousand taels," Lu Lin said.
Lu Lin had been considering the matter of buying an official title, so he paid great attention to the pricing.
Chen Xiao Mi said, "Then let's buy that title in Sha County."
With the official title in Sha County, they would be on an equal footing with the county magistrate in Forest Town. In the future, it would not be so easy for the other party to create difficulties for them.
Lu Lin hesitated for a moment and said, "The county magistrate decree of Sha County is not an easy job."
"Why is that?" asked Chen Xiao Mi.
" Sha County is on the border with Liao Country. Liao Country is puffed with ambition. If Liao Country invaded us, Sha County would be the first to be affected."
"The original residents of Sha County have almost died. Most of the people who are still staying there are soldiers who have their armors removed and returned to the fields. Many of them were stained with blood on the battlefield, they are very hard to tame."
"The soldiers left in Sha County know the generals in the capital city. Once the county magistrate is not doing a good job, the soldiers have access to file complaints directly to the generals."
"Natural disasters is a regular occurrence, it's bitter cold all year round and the land is not fertile. The residents have a hard time paying taxes in any form, and they require the government's relief all the time."
"After the war, the population there is decimated or fled, in order to attract the people to settle there, the imperial court has passed a law that the residents there will be exempted from taxes and military service for 10 years. That law had made it impossible for the local officials to fill their own pocket with embezzlement. Even if the local officials wanted to collect money, they might not necessarily get it considering how poor the local residents were.
The last county magistrate lost his life during the war with the Liao Dynasty. As for the one before him, he was kidnapped once by some local residents for he took advantage of his power to bully people, then he resigned overnight and fled back to his hometown.
It seemed that the position of the county magistrate had been vacant for a long time.
Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and asked, "Are you still interested in buying this position?"
Lu Lin nodded and said, "I think this is a good opportunity. Although this official position is not easy to do, it is still an official! We can conjure a career from thin air."
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Okay then."
…
Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin exchanged a look and smiled at the same time, they spent 3,000 taels of silver and bought the county magistrate position of Sha County.
Sha County was a hot potato in the government's eyes. Many officials assigned there had either lost their lives on the battlefield or fled back to their hometown for fear of the local residents. The imperial court was more than happy to trade a position like that for 3,000 taels of silver.
The formalities were issued soon, Lu Lin could go to his appointed post anytime now.
Yang Heng Zhi came visit them this day, he sat in the yard and looked at Chen Xiao Mi, "Xiao Mi, is it official now? Are you guys really going to Sha County?"
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Yes, the higher-ups gave us three months to be ther."
Yang Heng Zhi looked at Chen Xiao Mi and said in confusion, "You have a successful business here. What made you guys change your mind, all of a sudden, you are leaving Forest Town and becoming an official?"
Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Yang Heng Zhi and said, "Our business is indeed very successful, but we are like a lamb to the slaughter when the official directs against us. It's a scary feeling."
Yang Heng Zhi nodded and said, "This is true, but this Sha County is a a place where one is apt to get into trouble."
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, master yang, but me and Lin can only afford that county at the moment. Some rich counties are priced as 10,000 taels."
Yang Heng Zhi looked at Chen Xiao Mi with a worried look and said, "It's cheap over there, but it's dangerous! It is said that Sha County is a place where no one was willing to go to. Most of the county magistrate who are assigned there are those have offended influential high-ranking officials in the capital city.
The land there was infertile, the residents were impoverished, making it impossible for the local officers to reap any profit. What was more, the invaders tended to invade them first due to their special location.
There was also a border patrol. Many villagers were related to the members of the border patrol. In war times, many villagers fought side by side with the patrol. The war was over now. They still kept that patrol to make the people feel safe, the patrol severely punished any enemy that dares to intrude and they saw their role as to protect the people from domineering officers. They had successfully scared several officials away during the past few years.
Most of the county magistrates in this time and space were well-respected. However, it was a different story in Sha County. If the county magistrate did not show justice and handled things unfairly, the patrol would enforce justice on behalf of Heaven.
Chen Xiao Mi blinked and said, "Don't worry, me and Lu Lin will do our best to bring benefits to local people. Plus we only plan to stay there for two years or so, we will be all right. Hopefully, Lin will be transferred to another post."
Yang Heng Zhi smiled, he thought to himself, 'My friend, you and Lin bought this title, it's almost impossible for you guys to get transferred.'
"Xiao Mi, please take good care of yourselves! We shall meet again some day." Yang Heng Zhi said.
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Don't worry, we will be all right."
Yang Heng Zhi smiled and said, "I have every faith in you and Lin, I know how capable you both are, don't forget your old friends in Forest Tow after you rise to a position of great importance!"
"Of course!" Chen Xiao Mi said cheerfully.
…
Lu Lin transferred the possession of all the commercial houses and properties in Forest Town, Chen Xiao Cai followed suit, he had sold his properties in Willow Town.
Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin told Chen Xiao Cai it was up to him whether he wanted to follow them or nor considering the future remained problematic.
Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi discussed it and decided to follow their brother and brother-in-law.
Granny Shen passed away last year, Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi hadn't got a care in both towns.
After selling the houses and the shops, Lu Lin bought another horse and two more mules.
The news that Lu Lin was leaving had shocked the villagers. Over the years, many villagers had relied on Lu Lin's commercial house to make money and support their families. They couldn't help feeling slightly wistful about the perks that they were going to lose.
Shen Chi decided to deal with the farmland that Granny Shen left him in the village.
"Ah Chi, you're really leaving together with your brother and brother-in-law?"
Shen Chi nodded, "Yeah! Cai and I will follow them wherever they go."
Several villagers asked curiously, " Chi, did Chen Xiao Mi really buy an official title in remote area?"
Shen Chi nodded and said, "It is true."
The villagers were shocked. "To think you can actually buy an official title!"
"It's not a prosperous place, but I trust my brother and brother-in-law, they know what they are doing," Shen Chi said.
The villagers agreed. No matter how poor the area was, they were still officials! There was actually the first official in the village.
"Chi, you're really lucky!" A group of villagers surrounded Shen Chi and started to praise him.
Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin had bought a government official and Shen Chi had become an official's family member.
The news had reached Grandma Chen's ears. Grandma Chen was shocked to the core to hear Chen Xiao Mi had become an official overnight, he was arrested just a few days ago!
When she found out that things were true, Grandma Chen immediately exploded and felt that it was too unfair. Her favorite grandson Chen Jing who had persevered in his studies in spite of hardships, was still just a peasant. But Chen Xiao Mi's partner Lu Lin who hadn't got any education has just become an official! Things were indeed unfair!
Grandma Chen let fly with a stream of abuse. Some villagers reminded her that any form of discontent was equivalent to great disrespect to His Majesty who had approved this decision.
That reminder had frightened Grandma Chen off, she shut up immediately.
…
In Lu family.
Tang looked at Lu Cheng Yu and said, "Cheng Yu! I heard that Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin had bought an official title and they are leaving Forest Town soon, they have already sold every property in town. Have you heard that? Is that true?"
Lu Cheng Yu nodded and said, "It's true."
Tang frowned and said, "How can they just buy an official title like that?"
Lu Cheng Yu said sullenly, "As long as you have money, you can buy anything. However, this Sha County that Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin are going to is very remote, basically the land of the barbarians. It is very likely that they won't be able to return home. The previous county magistrates were either killed or forced to resign. That place is tough! I don't think Lu Lin can accomplish anything there. But if they left Sha County without approval, they would lose the title and they wouldn't get any refund."
Lu Cheng Yu was actually mad jealous in his heart. Sha County was a tough place, but county magistrate was an actual official! He, on the other hand, was still preparing for the provincial exam, and truth be told, he didn't have high hopes.
Tang said indignantly, "I heard that this official title is worth 3,000 taels of silver."
Lu Cheng Yu nodded, "That's true."
Tang gasped. Even though Tang had long figured that Chen Xiao Mi had money, she never guessed that Chen Xiao Mi had so much money. 'With so much money, you can do anything you like, I don't understand why he bought an official title in such a remote area!' thought Tang.
"Do you know it's Lu Lin who is going to become an official, not Chen Xiao Mi like some villagers have said," Lu Cheng Yu said.
Tang was a little surprised. "Really?"
Lu Cheng Yu nodded and said, "Yes. Bios are not entitled to the right of becoming a government official. Even though Lu Lin is married into his family, it's Lu Lin who is going to have that official title."
Tang's face darkened and she said in disbelief, "Lu Lin, that brat, he is no official material!"
Tang's eyes widened. 'How is Lu Lin supposed to be an official, isn't he ill-starred?'
Tang felt everything Lu Lin had achieved was beyond logic and above reason.
Tang said sullenly, "Didn't you say that Chen Xiao Mi was arrested just a few days ago? Why was he released so soon?"
Lu Cheng Yu's lips curled, "The county magistrate just wants to make a fast buck and he doesn't want to offend anyone."
Lu Lin put up a bail for Chen Xiao Mi, the county magistrate released Chen Xiao Mi after he got the 300 taels of silver. The county magistrate and the Secretary-General had split the money without informing Lu Cheng Yu.
Lu Cheng Yu felt so indignant after he found out that no one took him seriously.
Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi had sold their properties to Yang Heng Zhi for 400 taels. After spending 3000 taels on the official title, they only had less than 2000 taels left.
To Set out on the Journey
Many people in Big Stone Village heard that Lu Lin was selling commercial house, but they all thought that was hearsay until Lu Lin had actually sold it.
"Lu Lin really has sold the commercial house."
"I heard that he and Chen Xiao Mi have bought an official post, and they are assuming the post soon, so they have to sell the commercial house."
"Lu Lin is really bold. That is such a big commercial house, and he just sold it like it didn't matter to him."
"He's already an official, I bet you he thinks nothing of a commercial house now."
"I thought Lu Cheng Yu was going to be the first official in our village, who would have expected Lu Lin to be the first one!"
"It's Lu Lin who is going to be the official? Isn't it Chen Xiao Mi?"
"Bios can't be government officials. They bought the title for Lu Lin."
"Oh I see~ I thought Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin weren't on good terms. I heard from the Lu family that Lu Lin is henpecked. If he wants to use money, he has to ask for permission from Chen Xiao Mi. If Chen Xiao Mi doesn't give him money, he won't be able to use a single cent. They say Chen Xiao Mi has always treated Lu Lin as an outsider."
"Just don't buy a single word what the Lu family said."
"This is really unpredictable. Lu Lin was frightened to death and he even tried to commit suicide when he heard that he was going to be married into Chen Xiao Mi's family. I didn't expect that he would become a government official today."
"…"
It was not easy to have an official in the village. Everyone was talking about this. Knowing that Chen Xiao Mi had spent three thousand tales of silver on buying the official title, a group of villagers sighed with emotion that Chen Xiao Mi was too low-key and who would have thought he had earned so much money.
"Once Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin leave, how are we going to do with our embroidery products? I wish they would still run Sino Commercial House!"
"Who knows, it's definitely not going to be as convenient as when they are here."
When the villagers thought about the consequences of Chen Xiao Mi leaving, they started to miss Chen Xiao Mi's kindness.
…
Grandma Chen was very indignant when she heard Lu Lin was becoming an official. She didn't understand why Lu Lin, an ill-starred boy, was going to pursue an official career.
Lu Cheng Yu told her that the title Lu Lin and Chen Xiao mi bought was not a good one. Sha County was close to the border and it was a war-stricken area. County magistrate in such a county was the most challenging job, the invaders might kill the county magistrate first to warn others.
Grandma Chen was mollified to some degree when she heard that. She thought that Lu Lin was destined to be a short-lived person. If Lu Lin took the position, he would be killed sooner or later.
Lu Lin and his party of fourteen people and four mule carriages headed towards Sha County with great strength and vigor.
After he decided to go to Sha County, Lu Lin dismissed some of his employees.
He kept Wan Xiao Fan and his family Xique and Lin Chun because they signed indentures with him and they all wanted to follow him.
Qin Yi and his family also followed. Qin Yi had already bought a property in town and led a comfortable life, but he resolutely sold his house and joined Lu Lin with his boys.
Lu Lin was very grateful for Qin Yi's decision. Qin Lang and Qin Ming had grown up to be adults over the years, and they learned some martial arts.
Over the years, the Qins had earned a decent amount of money from working for Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi. They could lead a comfortable life and find good jobs if they had decided to stay in Forest Town, but they sold their house and followed Lu Lin.
It was a long journey from Forest Town to Sha County, and there might be bandits and robbers on the way. With Qin Yi and his two strong boys following, Lu Lin felt much more relieved.
Zhang Rui wanted to follow Lu Li n as well, but Zhang Rui's wife had given birth to a little girl, he had two kids now, it was hard for him to leave his family.
Seeing Zhang Rui's situation, Lu Lin didn't let Zhang Rui follow him despite the fact that Zhang Rui had expressed that he would love to follow him.
Although the higher authorities had given Lu Lin three months report his arrival, Lu Lin still wanted to rush to Sha County before winter in case the journey became even more difficult, so he left earlier.
Lu Lin was worried about the Yuan Bao, it was very windy and dusty on the way.
Among the group, Yuan Bao was the youngest. Lu Lin was worried that Yuan Bao would fall ill considering they had to be exposed to cold and wet.
Luckily, Yuan Bao was a child and he was very enthusiastic about going out this time. He was chatting and laughing along the whole way, appearing very excited.
In Chinese culture, people practice thrift at home but were amply provided while traveling, Lu Lin was no exception. He was willing to spend money for the group all the way. When he met inns and restaurants, he was not stingy, he was more than happy to spend generously for a better stay, so the group did not suffer too much along the way.
On the way, Qin Ming was driving the mule cart while humming a song.
"Brother, you're very happy!" Qin Lang said.
Qin Ming nodded, "Yeah! Lin Ge is now a county magistrate. I might not be able to get a job as a yamen runner. Don't underestimate Yamen runners, they are an officials with eighth ranking, how impressive!" (T/N: Yamen, government office in feudal China)
Qin Lang smiled and said, "With your limited martial arts skills, it is not easy for you to become a Yamen runner."
"Big Brother, don't underestimate me! I'm amazing. Those Yamen runners in Forest Town are not my match at all, but… I was just being smart when they provoked me, I acted like I wasn't as good as them."
Qin Lang smiled and said, "Ming, all jokes aside, days with Lin Ge always makes people's blood boil."
In fact, the Qins all longed for challenges in life, it was in their blood.
Knowing that Lu Lin was going to sell commercial house and go to Sha County, the father and sons didn't hesitate to sell their property in town.
Qin Lang did not hesitate to go to Sha County with Lu Lin. On the one hand, the journey to Sha County was long and difficult. The father and son trio were all deeply grateful for Lu Lin's kindness and were worried that the Lu family would encounter bandits on the road. On the other hand, they felt that life would only be wonderful if they followed Lu Lin.
…
Chen Xiao Cai sat in the mule cart and flipped through a book.
Shen Chi looked at Chen Xiao Cai and asked, "Do you want to attend the imperial examination?"
Chen Xiao Cai smiled and said, "I do have such an idea. I'm inspired by our Lin Ge, he is an official now."
Chen Xiao Cai's eyes sparkled as he talked about that, an official title was awe-inspiring! They were successful businessmen, but they could lose their entire business if they had offended an official. Unfortunately, the status between a businessman and an official was too huge.
Shen Chi blinked and echoed, "I didn't expect Lin Ge to become an official."
In Shen Chi's heart, all the officials were unreachable. Lu Lin suddenly became a county magistrate, and Shen Chi was still digesting that.
Chen Xiao Cai puffed up his cheeks and said, "Lin Ge really has got some spendthrift style. He spent three thousand dollars on an official title, that was well over half of their savings over the past few years. If I could pass the exam and get an official title, I can save so much money."
When Lu Lin heard the conversation between Shen Chi and Chen Xiao Cai, he cast a sidelong glance at Chen Xiao Cai and thought, Little Cai, you really are delusional sometimes! Passing the imperial examination at the county level is already a daunting task, let alone the provincial level. Lu Cheng Yu, who has persevered in his studies in spite of hardships for over a decade, has just passed the exam at the county level. Plus, how can you call me being spendthrift.'
…
Lu Lin and his group had finally reached the destination after two months.
After entering Sha County, Lu Lin discovered that the people in Sha County were not interested in him, the new official. The way they looked at him was like they couldn't wait to take pleasure in his misfortune, the message they conveyed was more like 'you won't be here for long'.
Lu Lin shook his head in his heart, thinking, 'What have I done? No wonder the post of this county only needs three thousand taels, while other counties all need ten to twenty thousand taels. The people in this place are too arrogant, the way they look at me is just so scary.'
But on second thought, Lu Lin felt a bit relived that many of the native people here had moved away, a lot of people in the county were veterans who were field-tested.
Most of the people who came to join army were in a bad situation at home. Some of them had been serving as soldiers for a long time, and they had nowhere to go after they retired, so they chose to stay in Sha County.
"My lord, this is your residence," a young man said.
Lu Lin glanced at the young man and gave him 20 pieces of money, "Thank you, Luo Wen."
Luo Wen took the money from Lu Lin and said, "Your Lordship, you look like a good official! It is our blessing that you come to our Sha County.
Hearing Luo Wen's compliment, Lu Lin smiled.
The young man was called Luo Wen, a local child of Sha County. He was a sharp child with bright eyes. After Lu Lin and his group arrived, the residents of Sha County completely ignored Lu Lin, and there was a trace of contempt in their eyes. However, this child came up and said that he could be a guide for them.
The child's clothes were tattered. When he came up to them, he tried his best to appear liberal and dignified, but Lu Lin still had noticed his nervousness.
Although Lu Lin had spent half savings on this official title, he still gave Luo Wen some changes because he could not help having compassion for this child.
Lu Lin looked at the residence in front of him and asked, "Is this the county magistrate's residence?"
Luo Wen nodded, "Yeah! The thing is it has been a while since the previous county magistrate was here, it fell into disrepair now."
Lu Lin frowned and thought to himself, 'This residence looks so dilapidated, even though it has been a while since the previous county magistrate was here, how come it's out of repair to such a degree. The county magistrate's residence is the face of the county after all!'
"Lin Ge, this manor is actually broken like this. No wonder all the previous county magistrates didn't stay here for long," Qin Ming said carelessly.
It was no secret that most officials aspired to become officials in the hope of leading a comfortable life in the manor, only a small percentage of them aspired to plead for the people.
Luo Wen looked at Lu Lin, he rolled his eyes and said, "My lord, your manor is right behind the Yamen. I'm occupied somewhere else, sorry I won't be able to accompany you anymore."
Lu Lin glanced at the child who ran away and felt that the child was a little strange.
Looking at Luo Wen's retiring figure, Chen Xiao Cai vaguely felt that this kid seemed to have fled because he wanted to avoid accompanying them to the manor.
"Lin Ge, this place is so strange!" Chen Xiao Cai said.
Lu Lin sighed and said, "Let's go in first."
Chen Xiao Mi was stupefied as they went to the 'manor' in the back.
"Why is the roof gone? I understand that child said it was out of repair, but honestly, this house looks like it's haunted."
Lu Lin frowned and thought to himself, 'No wonder no one is willing to come to this damn place. The residence is dilapidated like this, and the people here are so intimidating. What have I done to my family and my friends?'
Compared to the residence behind the Yamen, the dilapidated Yamen seemed to be very decent.
Qin Yi said worriedly, "Even though the house is in a state of disrepair for a long time, it won't be so tumbledown. I think the villagers must have stolen the bricks and the tiles on the roof!"
Lu Lin nodded, "I totally agree with you, the bricks and tiles in the Yamen are all superior in quality, I won't be surprised at all the villagers have taken the liberty and stolen them."
Qin Yi looked at Lu Lin and said, "Lin, what should we do now?"
Lu Lin helplessly muttered, "What should we do? No wonder that kid has run away earlier. Perhaps he was worried that I might get mad seeing how ramshackle the house was."
Before Lu Lin came to his post, he spent a lot of effort to inquire about the situation here. There was a border patrol camp where the General was called Ji Cheng Kang. He was a decent person, upright and outspoken, and people respected the General more than any county magistrate.
The general seemed to have made great merits and should have returned to the capital to win promotion and get rich. However, he was too upright and he didn't care to form cliques, so he was assigned over to guard the border.
In many remote places, the magistrate of a county was like a local Emperor. They got to do as they pleased. For example, they could increase the tax by a certain amount more than the Imperial Court had required. The extra taxes would naturally end up flowing into the county magistrate's pockets, and if there was a disaster in the county, the magistrate could deduct most of the food and money for disaster relief.
However, the county magistrate in Sha County couldn't even dream about doing anything like that. The upright and outspoken general would uphold justice and punish the magistrate in his own way.
Manor Renovation and Kang Building
Luo Wen held 20 cents in hand and he felt great.
For the past two years, Luo Wen had been serving as a guide for the merchants. His work as a guide was quick and easy. Even though he often couldn't secure himself a deal for days, he still liked it. He threw himself at Lu Lin and his group as soon as they set feet on the territory of Sha County.
"Luo Wen, you saw the new County Magistrate, didn't you?" A man with a blind eye asked with a smile.
There was a terrible scar on one of his eyes. It was from one of his battles.
Luo Wen nodded, "That's true, I guided him the way to his residence. He seemed to be frightened by the way the county yamen looks."
The blind man smiled and said, "These county officials care about nothing but filling their own pockets with public funds. I really don't know why the higher-ups have to send people."
Sha County was originally poor in resources, and there were often enemies attacking them. In the past, Sha County had a county magistrate who hated being stuck in Sha County, he wanted to transfer to a wealthy place, and he fattened himself by drinking the people's life-blood in the hope of bribing his higher-ups. However, the people in Sha County were not easy to mess with. They had killed that magistrate.
Luo Wen shook his head, "I don't know! We are all happy with our general, I don't understand why the Imperial Court keeps sending new magistrate."
"Uncle Tian, you are well-informed, do you know where this new official comes from? I think he is here with his family!" Luo Wen asked.
The blind man smiled. His scarred face looked even more terrifying.
"Our new County Magistrate is not simple. I heard that he didn't get this position through passing the examination, he spent several thousand taels of silver instead," the blind man showed a meaningful smile.
Luo Wen frowned and asked, "The official title is bought?"
The blind man nodded and said, "Yes! If you have money, you can make the devil push the millstone for you. This new magistrate is a big businessman. With money in hand, he started to think about pursuing an official career. This county is probably going to be a disappointment for him though. Our county is improvised, and we have General Ji who swears to uphold justice for us. Chances are this new magistrate was anxious to get things on the cheap and bought the cheapest position available."
Luo Wen rolled his eyes and said, "I think this new county magistrate looks like a good official."
The blind man looked at Luo Wen with a faint smile and said, "You can distinguish between good officials and bad officials?"
Luo Wen grinned and said, "This county magistrate has a good temper. And he gave me 20 cents after I took them to his residence."
The blind man pursed his lips and said, "He's just a newcomer, so he is eager to establish a good name. let's wait and see whether he is really a good official afterhe has a stable foothold in our county."
…
After Lu Lin bought the official position, he sold the commercial house and residence in the town, he dismissed several employees, now he had about 1700 taels of silver in hand.
He was confident they could live comfortably for a while with that amount of money.
Lu Lin asked the Qins to look for help in repairing the house, and soon Qin Yi found a group of people.
Although the people in Sha County were very intimidating, people always had to make a living. Lu Lin offered them a high salary, so naturally, a lot of people were willing to work for him.
Qin Yi came back and secretly told Lu Lin that the labor fees in this place were cheaper than Forest Town. Originally, the villagers didn't show any interest when Qin Yi told them it was the magistrate who was hiring, but many people were willing to come after he mentioned that they would get paid on a daily basis, and the pay was generous, 25 cents per day.
It was almost late autumn. Lu Lin was eager to repair the house. Sha County was so poor that there was only a dilapidated inn in the entire county. Lu Lin was eager to move into the residence for winter.
"Uncle Qin, you're amazing! You found so many people within such a short amount of time," Lu Lin said.
Qin Yi smiled and said, "Thanks to Luo Wen. That boy looks very smart, I think he is a diamond in the rough!"
Qin Yi inquired about Luo Wen's background and found that the boy was pitiful. His father was killed in the war, and his mother was weak with sickness. The two of them always suffered hunger and cold.
Children of poor families managed household affairs early. Luo Wen, young as he was, he often ran around in the county, looking for work. Unfortunately, he couldn't find much work due to his young age.
When Qin Yi went to the countryside looking for help, he met Luo Wen. When Luo Wen heard that he wanted to find a group of people to repair the house, he volunteered to help out, but he charged a small fee.
Qin Yi had made some money over the years, he was willing to pay a small fee as long as Luo Wen could find him the right people. He was a bit frustrated that many people had turned him down as soon as mentioned he was hiring for the magistrate.
After meeting Luo Wen, it went much smoother.
Luo Wen seemed to be gifted with rare eloquence, he was just so natural when convincing people. With him being the middleman, Qin Yi soon hired a group of people.
…
Lu Lin bought a large number of bricks and the tiles to renovate the house. Although the County M magistrate's manor was out of repair, it was still very spacious with three residence areas.
Chen Xiao Mai also went to help with the renovation.
Chen Xiao Mai raised a large box that weighed dozens of kilos like a feature, startling others who offered to help him to carry it.
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mai and guessed that Chen Xiao Mai and Chen Xiao Mi had the same gift in carrying heave stuff.
Chen Xiao Mi was judged and despised by the villagers back then due to his strength. Lu Lin narrowed his eyes and sent Chen Xiao Mai away with an excuse.
Chen Xiao Mai who was looking for some compliment from Lu Lin got so disappointed, he just ran away unhappily with his cheeks puffed up.
Even though they had hired a lot of helpers, Lu Lin did not just sit around and order people around.
Chen Xiao Cai and the rest of them had all endured hardships when they were younger and they were all capable of hard work. Although the past two years had been better for them, it was not hard for them to work like a horse.
The first day went on great, they even managed to finish the work earlier than scheduled, the workers left the manor in the evening.
"Old Zhou, what do you think about this new County Magistrate?" Wang Er asked.
Old Zhou narrowed his eyes and said, "I can't tell for now."
Wang Er scratched his head and said, "I think this magistrate is not bad! He offered us such a nice lunch."
Lu Lin firmly believed that eating was the best time to connect feelings, so he was never stingy in treating his employees.
They had just come to Sha County, so he didn't have any good resources. However, he did find some meat and Chinese Yam for lunch, he put a generous amount of both in the porridge and treated the workers to a hearty lunch.
The workers didn't get to enjoy such nice food very often, they gulped down everything in the bowl.
Old Zhou Zhou Yuan He looked helplessly at Wang Er and said, "He has won your heart with just a meal?"
Wang Er scratched his head and said, "This is the first time that we are treated with such nice food, there was meat in the porridge, actual meat mince!"
"From what the county magistrate said, it seems like he plans to build kangs," Zhou Yuan He said.
Wang Er said excitedly, "I've heard of kangs before, they are amazing in winter! Our new county magistrate looks like he knows a lot and he is very good at enjoying life!"
"From the way our county magistrate talks and behaves, I do think he knows a lot."
"If this new County Magistrate really knows how to build kangs, we might as well just learn from him, it's such a coveted skill. If we learn this, winters shouldn't be so hard for us and our families."
Lu Lin was clever in making schedules and he was nice to the workers, the house was renovated within just a few days.
Lu Lin built kangs in the main hall, left and right wing-rooms, spare bedrooms.
The workers thronged into the room right after Lu Lin and Xiao Mi finished the first kang, some of them had even crawled up on the kang and felt it.
Lu Lin was well aware that the workers were all curious about the kang and they were anxious to try it. Lu Lin decided to make a fire in the kang so the workers could really feel how the kang works even though it was not very cold yet.
When Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi first built kang in the Big Stone Village, soon the villagers from other towns hired people from the Big Stone Village to build kangs for them. More and more people learned the skills and more and more villagers all over the towns had built kangs over the years, however, most people in Sha County had never heard of kang due to limited news resource. Of course, it was also possible that the people in this place were too poor, they were unable to afford building a kang, a lot of villagers didn't even own a house.
Lu Lin thought that more people in Sha County would know about lang after he was done with the renovation.
At dusk, the workers got off work after they got paid.
"Our new County Magistrate is really good! He is really paying us at the end of every shift, we never need to remind him or anything."
"What's more, he and his family all look very approachable, they don't look down upon us."
"Yeah! To be honest, when I first heard that our county magistrate bought this title, I just assumed he must be a profiteering merchant who cared about nothing but money."
"That kang he built is so amazing. I sat down on it today and it was so warm. How I wish I could build a kang for my family in winter."
"I heard it from the young master Xiao Cai that this kang is good for rheumatism. I wonder if it is true."
"It should be true. I think this young master Xiao Cai doesn't look like a liar."
"That's going to be great, we have so many veterans who are suffering rheumatism and arthritis, winter is like a trial for them."
Chen Xiao Cai didn't put on any airs. He soon became friends with the workers who came to help. Everyone had a good impression of Chen Xiao Cai.
…
At the border patrol camp.
"General, the new county magistrate has arrived."
Ji Cheng Kang asked lightly, "Is that so? What's his background?"
"A businessman. I heard that he spent 3,000 taels of silver to buy this official position."
Ji Cheng Kang shook his head and said, "All businessmen are dishonest, he must be one of those who works solely for personal gain."
"The imperial court is short of money. Otherwise, he won't be able to buy official titles. However, when he understands the situation in Sha County, he will naturally withdraw after learning of the difficulties," Liu Yun showed a snicker, he was sure that Lu Lin would regret his life choice.
Ji Cheng Kang narrowed his eyes and said, "As long as he doesn't bully the people, we can let him stay here. The Imperial Court will send new people here if we chase him away, it will be troublesome."
"You are right, general. This new county magistrate seems to be quite rich. As soon as he arrived, he found a lot of people to repair his house. The workers are all quite satisfied with their work experience there, they get paid daily," Liu Yun said.
Ji Cheng Kang nodded and said, "If he is an honest man, we can leave him be."
"Yuan He went to work for Lu Lin," Liu Yun said.
Ji Cheng Kang sighed and said, "This guy is too stubborn."
Zhou Yuan He was originally a soldier in the army, he was crippled in the war. He left the army and built a house in Sha County. He had been in a state of utter poverty since that. Ji Cheng Kang visited him a few times and tried to give him some relief, but he was refused by Zhou Yuan He. Zhou Yuan He felt that he could support himself and didn't need Ji Cheng Kang's help.
Ji Cheng Kang had a lot of salary, so it was not hard for him to support Zhou Yuan He. However, Ji Cheng Kang always shared his salary with his comrades in the same army, sometimes he struggled to make ends meet himself.
"Yuan He said that the new county magistrate can build kang," Liu Yun said.
Ji Cheng Kang frowned and said, "Kang? I've only heard of such a thing. I heard that it can help to resist the bitter cold. I wonder if it is true. A lot of the soldiers who brave the wind and dew in the army are suffering arthrophlogosis."
"Yuan He and his friends have already learned the skills. General, shall we build some kangs in our patrol camp?" Liu Yun suggested.
Ji Cheng Kang nodded and said, "That's a good idea."
Ji Yun An
Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi wandered around the county. Lu Lin found that there were many men in their prime were injured, it looked like they got the injuries in war time.
Lu Lin thought, "The local people of Sha County are so fierce-looking, but maybe that is just a self-protection mechanism. This place is so remote, the land isn't fertile, and there's been ongoing wars for many years. Under such circumstances, if an official tends to cruelly oppress and exploit the common people, the people will naturally be fierce and intimidating to protect themselves."
After the house was repaired, Lu Lin and his group all moved into the residence.
Lu Lin put on a blanket on the bed and said sullenly, "Now we need to make a fresh start, we were so established in Forest Town, we had our friends circle and customer base, but now we need to start from zero, are we ready?"
Chen Xiao Mi raised his head and said, "Yes, I actually feel good about this."
In Chen Xiao Mi's opinion, when they were in Forest Town, they had to worry about those people from the village, the people were so gossipy. But now they could live their lives without worrying about what other people would say about them.
No more grandmas or cousins who tried to seek gratuitous financial help from them.
"This is a new start for us, a completely new journey, you are an officer now! How exciting!" Chen Xiao Mi said.
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi and said, "Have you been feeling well recently?"
Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "Yes, you don't have to worry about me."
Lu Lin nodded, "Please tell me if you are feeling unwell! I think you've eaten less recently."
Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Probably because we've been on the road recently, so I don't have much appetite. It'll be better since we are settled down now."
Lu Lin sighed and said, "The resources in this place are poor. Even eggs are not easy to buy, that can be a little troublesome!" For this trip, Lu Lin made some preparations. For example, he had stored a lot of food and meat in convenience store, but he chose to not take them out and arouse suspicion.
There were not only him and Chen Xiao Mi living in the county yamen, it wasn't like he didn't trust his group who had travelled across the country from Forest Town to Sha County with them, he just didn't want to cause any unnecessary troubles.
Chen Xiao Mi frowned and said, "Don't worry, everything will be okay."
Chen Xiao Mi thought to himself, 'We've had worse days when we first got married, this is nothing to us.'
Lu Lin nodded and said, "You are right."
Ambitious men always had the lofty ideals and high aspirations of building up accomplishments. Lu Lin had never considered himself as a particularly ambitious person. However, after taking the position of the county magistrate, he wanted to give the people a better life. As the saying goes, badlands beget cunning people. Lu Lin thought if he was able to provide better life quality for the people, there would naturally be less cunning and intimidating people.
The existence of the patrolling camp was a double-edged sword, the people in this place did not have much respect for him, the county magistrate, but the people tended to behave themselves thanks to the patrolling camp as long as Lu Lin didn't oppress them.
…
Lu Lin organized the documents left in the Prefecture Yamen. Because of the continuous wars, many things in the Prefecture Yamen were destroyed, there were only limited documents left intact.
In the past few years, Lu Lin had read some scripts of folk literature in his spare time. Basically, he could understand everything in the documents now.
Chen Xiao Cai walked in and greeted Lu Lin, "Lin Ge."
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai and said, "Hey, Cai, what's up?"
Chen Xiao Cai sat down beside Lu Lin and said, "Lin Ge, do you think is it time for us to open a commercial store now?"
Lu Lin transferred the commercial house and the properties in Willow Town to Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi years ago. The two of them sold those properties for 500 tales of silver before they came to Sha County.
Over the years, Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi were the actual managers of the commercial house in Willow Town, the couple had saved a lot of money. The two of them had well over 600 taels savings in total.
Chen Xiao Cai had offered Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi his savings after they had spent 3000 tales on this official title in case their hands were tight, Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi were very touched, but they didn't take money from Cai.
Lu Lin shook his head. "Cai, it's not that easy to restart our business here, Sha County is a poor county."
There were quite a few rich people who tended to spend money like water in houses of ill repute in Forest Town. However, Sha County was too poor. Although there were quite a few bachelors here, there was not even one brothel in the entire county. If they were to open their commercial house here, for sure they would lose everything.
Chen Xiao Cai frowned and asked, "What should we do then?"
Lu Lin touched his chin as if absorbed in thought and said, "I don't think we can have the same business model here, but feel free to a few stores and renovate them. As for what kind of products we are selling in the future, we can talk about it later."
Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said, "Alright, I think the stores around our County Yamen are good. It shouldn't cost much money to buy them."
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai and thought to himself, 'Xiao Cai is really different now, he sounds so mature and resolute, he is no longer that little boy who used to chase me around for snacks. Well, it makes sense, really. Xiao Cai managed his store for years, and he must have a decent amount of savings now, of course he knows what he is talking about and he is determined to build a career here. Me and Mi have more savings, but we have Yuan Bao and employees, we have more concerns.'
…
"Your Lordship," Qin Yi walked in.
Lu Lin glanced at Qin Yi. Qin Yi had been calling him Young Master Lin for the past few years and now he started to address Lu Lin as 'Your Lordship'. Lu Lin couldn't help but feel a bit odd.
"Uncle Qin, what is it?"
"The people from the patrolling camp are here. They want to learn to build kangs from us," Qin Yi said.
Lu Lin nodded. "This is simple, do you mind going to their camp and instructing them?"
Qin Yi scratched his head and said, "I would like to, but the thing is I don't know much about it." Qin Yi had seen them building kangs for several times, but he didn't really pay much attention.
"Lin Ge, leave it to me," Chen Xiao Cai walked out.
Shen Chi followed, "I'll go too."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Okay, thanks Chi and Cai." Lu Lin thought to himself, 'Look at these two love birds, they go everywhere together, so adorable.'
"Cai, I just want to quickly remind you that there are stupid people everywhere, try your best to build a good relationship with the people in the camp and not get into conflict, we are settled down in this place potentially for a long time, let's not offend the patrolling camp."
Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said, "I know, thank you for reminding me. Don't worry, Lin Ge."
Chen Xiao Cai drove the mule cart with Shen Chi and followed the soldiers to the patrol camp.
The Imperial Court valued these border warriors and spent a lot on military expenses. However, the officials who handled this had made profit by cruel exploitation, so these soldiers did not have much left in their pockets.
When Chen Xiao Cai arrived, the soldiers had already done a lot of adobes.
Chen Xiao Cai guessed that the soldiers knew the basics of building kangs, but they needed a professional to give them some instructions.
The arrival of Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi made the patrolling camp lively.
A few soldiers were offended that the new county magistrate had sent two half-grown men, one of them was a Bio even. They couldn't help but feel that they were looked down upon. However, they all changed their minds as soon as Chen Xiao Cai opened his mouth, they were sincerely convinced that this boy knew what he was talking about.
Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi had lunch in the camp. The food was coarse, corn bread, gruel and pickles.
Chen Xiao Cai felt so sorry for these soldiers who had to train hard all day yet only had those coarse food to satisfy their hunger.
…
Liu Yun walked to the side of his camp and an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy came over. The boy had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, he was indeed a handsome boy. He had an awe-inspiring appearance despite his young age.
"Uncle Liu, are there two people coming to help us build kangs today?" Ji Yun An asked.
Liu Yun nodded, "Yeah! They are the county magistrate's family."
"Uncle Liu, I heard that the new County magistrate bought this position, I despise that, I don't think he is a good person!"
Liu Yun shrugged and said, "Yeah, I'm aware of that, but that doesn't necessary mean he is a bad person."
"He is a businessman to start with, no businessman trades without fraud, that's how they get rich. I hate these businessmen the most, they store up goods and raise their prices, they profit from disasters like floods and droughts, forcing countless victims to dissipate their fortune," said Ji Yun An gnashing teeth.
Liu Yun sighed and said, "This matter can't be lumped together, we don't know for sure how this county magistrate builds up his family fortune. Alright, enough about them."
Ji Yun An rolled his eyes and smiled, "I got it, Uncle Liu."
Liu Yun looked at Ji Yun An and said in earnest, "Heaps of people are waiting for the right opportunity to find fault with your uncle. Always remember disaster emanates from careless talk, so watch your mouth lest someone foments discord."
The Ji family was an influential and privileged family for generations. Ji Yun An was the son of Ji Cheng Kang's sister. Ji Cheng Kang's sister was married to a poor scholar.
Ji Cheng Kang's sister didn't pick on the scholar's background, she married for love, but unfortunately, as soon as that scholar passed the imperial examinations at the provincial level, he started cheating.
The Ji family was impeached just a few years ago, their status was in great peril. That scholar married a few concubines in succession After that, Ji Cheng Kang's sister fell ill and died young.
Ji Cheng Kang was very suspicious of whether his sister's death was an accident or not. However, Ji Cheng Kang's hands were tied for what happened in harem was impossible to investigate.
A few months later, Zhao Yun An, the son of Ji Cheng Kang's sister, was actually dying from illness. Ji Cheng Kang could no longer sit back and act like everything was all right. He intruded into the scholar's house and took Yun An away.
Ji Cheng Kang's brother-in-law did not dare to stop Ji Cheng Kang from taking his son away.
Ji Cheng Kang originally felt that the life in the military camp was too tough for children, so he left the boy with the scholar in the hope that the boy would get better care. However, it looked like the scholar was too merciless to care about his own son, so Ji Cheng Kang decided promptly and opportunely that he should take care of this child by himself.
After Ji Cheng Kang brought Yun An back to the Ji family, he changed his nephew's surname to Ji. The scholar was a scum who didn't raise any objection about that, probably he felt happy that one of his concubines' son now could be a legitimate son.
Not long after Ji Yun An left the Zhao family, the scholar made one of his concubines his wife.
Ji Cheng Kang was completely disappointed with his brother-in-law since that.
Ji Yun An didn't nurse a grievance since he was used to abuse from his father.
In the past few years, Ji Yun An has been growing up in the military camp, and he had mastered great martial art skills. Young as he was, he was very brave and skillful in battle.
Fortunately, although Ji Yun An was militant, he was not a troublemaker.
…
In the Prefecture Yamen.
"Your Lordship, Master Chen is pregnant," Wan Li came out and hurriedly said to Lu Lin.
Lu Lin was shocked when he heard the great news. "Are you sure?"
He nodded and said, "Positive."
Lu Lin was so surprised. It wasn't easy for Bios to get pregnant. Many Bios could only have one child in their lifetime.
Both Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi didn't count on having a second child ever since they had Yuan Bao. But now Chen Xiao Mi was pregnant again.
Lu Lin was so thrilled that they were going to have a second child soon.
"No wonder he's not having a good appetite recently." Lu Lin murmured.
Lu Lin soon frowned worriedly. This place suffered a shortage of material. Nutritious food like eggs and meat was hard to buy. However, Lu Lin was determined to find as much as nutritious food for Chen Xiao Mi.
Lu Lin glanced at Wan Li and said, "Have you heard any updates on the big stone millstones that I asked you to order from the stonemason in the neighboring village?"
Wan Li hurriedly said, "They say the stone millstones will be finished in two days."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "That's good news. Can you buy some soybean for me?"
Wan Li nodded and said, "Of course, but soybeans aren't exactly very delicious. Many farmers feed soybeans to livestock."
"I know, it doesn't matter," replied Lu Lin.
'Mi is pregnant, and he needs nutrients. It is very necessary to replenish the amount of protein. If there was no meat to eat, then I better make more bean products, something is better than nothing.'
When Lu Lin entered his room, he saw that the Yuan Bao was whispering something to Chen Xiao Mi with a big smile on his face. It was such a beautiful moment. Lu Lin's heart skipped a beat on seeing that.
Making Tofu
When Chen Xiao Cai came back from the camp, he heard the news that Chen Xiao Mi was pregnant.
"Big Brother, are you pregnant again?" Chen Xiao Cai asked excitedly.
Lu Lin nodded, "Yes, he is!"
Chen Xiao Cai had an old head on young shoulders, but when he heard the great news that his brother was pregnant again, he jumped happily like a child.
Chen Xiao Cai said excitedly, "Great, I'm about to have another nephew."
Lu Lin smiled. People in this era didn't care about sound child rearing, they believed in the more children and the more blessings. Even the poor would choose to have more children.
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai and there was a hint of ridicule in his eyes, "You and Shen Chi will have babies too."
Chen Xiao Cai scratched his head and smiled shyly.
Although Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi were engaged early and got married early, Chen Xiao Mi suggested them they should slow down. Chen Xiao Cai listened to Chen Xiao Mi and hadn't tasted the forbidden fruit.
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai and thought to himself, 'Did I just say the wrong thing? Mi once has asked them to slow down, I'm not sure whether they have done it or not.'
Chen Xiao Cai looked at Lu Lin and guessed what Lu Lin was thinking. He lowered his head in embarrassment.
Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai's expression and thought to himself, 'Don't worry, Cai, soon.'
Lu Lin and his group moved into the newly renovated house after they had ventilated all the rooms.
The renovation was done a bit hastily. Compared to the house Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi lived in when they were in Forest Town, it was a little less exquisite, but it was so spacious.
"There isn't even a chair in the Prefecture Yamen," Lu Lin shook his head and thought that in a few days, he needed to find a carpenter and order a few chairs.
Chen Xiao Mi said helplessly, "Maybe they had nice chairs, but they were stolen."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Probably." Lu Lin thought to himself, 'Everyone said that being a government official is good but being a government official in this county is pretty trying! The people here don't particularly respect me or anything, but since we've chosen this path, we better proceed without hesitation.'
…