Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 305 Why don't I go for you?
"Come here! Let me introduce you." Ding Aixue pointed at the person next to him and said, "This is Zhong Ming, the best veterinarian in our county. He can treat not only cows, but also pigs, horses, cats, dogs, and even poultry. He can treat them all. He is very capable. Your people should learn from him!

Zhong Ming, this is the magistrate of Beishan County. "

Zhong Ming hurriedly greeted Meng Changqing, and Meng Changqing hurriedly said, "Master Zhong, you're welcome. Thank you for your hard work in coming all the way here."

"It is my honor to be valued by Lord Ding. It is not hard at all."

Meng Changqing said to Ding Aixue: "Thank you, Master, for lending me such a capable general. Changqing will never let you down."

"Okay, okay, it's getting late. I have to rush back to Luojiang County. You should go back too."

Meng Changqing watched Ding Aixue and his group walk away, then led Zhong Ming and the nine cows to Beishan County.

After Ding Aixue's introduction, Meng Changqing had a preliminary understanding of Zhong Ming's abilities. Meng Changqing naturally wanted to get to know such a capable person better, so he rode his horse and walked in a row with him.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, the horse under him jumped to the side.

How could Meng Changqing not understand what it was thinking? It was unhappy following behind the cow, so he simply dismounted and let the cow lead the way, while he got on Zhong Ming's ox cart.

"Sir." Zhong Ming felt very uncomfortable and moved to the side.

Meng Changqing could see the other party's embarrassment, "Is Master Zhong originally from Luojiang?"

"Just call me by my name, sir." Zhong Ming replied, "My ancestors were originally from Tuozhou. During the war, they fled to Luojiang County."

"I see. So you have been living in Luojiang County ever since then?"

"Yes."

"Luojiang County is a good place. Not only does it have rice that is unique in Liangzhou, but the climate is also the best among all the counties in Liangzhou. Your ancestors had a good eye." Meng Changqing praised him and then asked, "Hearing Lord Ding praise Master's ability so much, I believe you must have real skills. I wonder if your skills come from family inheritance or you learned them outside?"

Zhong Ming answered honestly, "My ancestors used to treat people, but unfortunately their medical skills were not very high, so not many people came to seek medical treatment. After escaping to Luojiang, they started to treat livestock in order to survive."

"This is the process," Meng Changqing said. "It sounds strange to me. I guess there must be a lot of difficulties. Anyway, it will take some time to get there. Why don't you tell me more about it?"

Zhong Ming had never heard of Meng Changqing before. Based on his current understanding of the man in front of him, he felt that this young magistrate did not have any official airs and was no different from those teenagers who loved to listen to stories near his home.

But after all, the other party was the county magistrate, and if he wanted to listen, I had to continue speaking.

"My ancestors thought simply that all animals are living things and should be essentially the same. But when they really started to treat animals, they realized that each animal had its own difficulties. Animals cannot speak, so they cannot tell the doctor where or what kind of discomfort they have. It all depends on the doctor's experience.

Therefore, when my ancestors first entered this industry, they were often scolded and occasionally beaten. Later, after learning many lessons, they looked everywhere for the experience of their predecessors and shamelessly learned from them.

It has been accumulated over several generations, and now it is somewhat easy for me to master it.”

After hearing these words, Meng Changqing knew that this person was humble and not the kind of person who would make a fuss.

With this judgment, Meng Changqing had more topics to talk to him about next. Some asked about his daily life, while others asked about his professional subject. From the gate of Yangmen County to the government office of Beishan County, they never stopped talking.

Of course, it was mainly Zhong Ming who spoke, while Meng Changqing asked questions and listened.

Zhong Ming's voice was hoarse, but he was happy about it.

He had never thought that he would be able to have such a conversation with a county magistrate, albeit a rather young one.

When he arrived at the county government office, the official personally arranged accommodation for him, and Zhong Ming was flattered.

Of course, Zhong Ming didn't know that Meng Changqing not only personally arranged a place for him to live, but also personally arranged a place for Niu to live. Not only that, he also wrote a recruitment notice at a very fast speed and posted it on the notice wall outside the county government office.

It was almost dark by then, but the news spread quickly.

Within a cup of tea after the notice was posted, people gathered on the open space outside the yamen, and more and more people came here.

It had not been long since the government started recruiting yamen runners, and many people who were at the back of the line did not even get a turn to be questioned and thus lost the opportunity.

This time, when he heard that the government was recruiting again, he immediately put down his work and ran over.

Among them, Luo Sanmu ran the fastest and was closest to the front.

Before he had time to inquire about the contents of the notice, he said to the bailiff standing by the wall: "Choose me! Choose me!"

The bailiff looked at him strangely and said, "Oh, then wait over there. Someone will come to question you later."

When Luo Sanmu arrived at the place and stood still, he learned from others that the government office was not recruiting yamen runners this time, but veterinary apprentices.

This gap was hard for Luo Sanmu to accept for a while.

Someone in the crowd asked the yamen runner, "Why does the yamen want to recruit veterinary apprentices? What are the conditions?"

"Of course we recruit when there is a need. There are no conditions. As long as you are willing to learn, there are ready-made masters in the government office to teach you."

Someone else asked, "How much money can you make as an apprentice in a month?"

Luo Sanmu quickly pricked up his ears and estimated that even if there was not eight hundred coins, there should be at least four hundred coins. Taking care of livestock was not an easy job.

He convinced himself that even if he was not as powerful as the yamen runners, it was good enough to be able to make money.

But the yamen runner replied: "As an apprentice, do you still expect the yamen to give you money? It's good enough that they don't ask you for money. Where can you learn a craft without giving gifts to the master?" The yamen runner sneered, "Do you still expect the yamen to give you money?"

Luo Sanmu's heart fell two steps and finally fell to the ground.

After asking clearly what was written on the notice, the crowd that was rushing over stopped where they were. Luo Sanmu stood there for a long time before only three people lined up behind him. It was completely different from the situation when the yamen runners were selected.

Luo Sanmu looked around, thinking that maybe he could just leave when no one was paying attention. It sounds nice to be called a veterinary apprentice, but in reality he was just there to take care of the livestock raised by the government.

Not only do I have no money, but I also delay my own work.

He had just taken a step forward when he saw the magistrate, Lord Meng, walking towards him.

"Luo Sanmu!" Meng Changqing called out his name and said to him, "You also want to learn veterinary medicine? With your intelligence, you will definitely be able to learn it well if you study hard. I will exempt you from the test and you can go directly to the cowshed to find a master starting tomorrow." Meng Changqing also nodded at him and said, "Study hard! This skill will be of great use in the future."

Luo Sanmu stood there in the yard dumbfounded, and said in a daze, "Thank you, sir."

After Meng Changqing left, the people behind him asked him enviously, "Hey, where are you from? How did the magistrate know your name?"

Luo Sanmu was in no mood to answer. He was regretting in his heart that he would not have spoken so quickly if he had known earlier.

When he got home, he told his wife about this matter. "I thought they were recruiting runners again, so they ran so fast. I didn't expect it was just an apprenticeship. Not only is there no salary, but I have to take care of livestock. I really don't want to do this job.

But Lord Meng has spoken, and if I don’t go, he might be unhappy.”

Jiang Chan's expression changed several times as she listened. "You don't want to learn in your heart, and you won't be able to learn well even if you go. Why don't I go for you? Can a woman go?"