Union

Chapter 117 Road Construction
After finishing her story about Qiu Ning, Yun Ying bowed to the Second Master and turned to leave.

Seeing this, the second master couldn't help but grit his teeth, "You really are something else, using people when you need them and discarding them when you don't."

Upon hearing this, Yunying immediately stopped in her tracks, blushing slightly.

"I was just in a hurry to go back to the backyard to tell Qiu Ning the news."

"Let her wait, it's not a big deal."

“It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to Qiu Ning, it’s a matter of life and death. She cares about it a lot and is still waiting for me in my yard.”

"Then send your maid to deliver a message to her. You stay here for now."

Yunying fidgeted with her handkerchief, then glanced at the Second Master. "What would I do if I stayed? Does the Second Master have any other instructions?"

“I haven’t given any instructions. But the road to the county government office has already started construction. Don’t you want to go out and take a look? And that terraced field you built first is already covered with lush seedlings. Don’t you want to go and see it?”

Upon hearing what the Second Master said, Yunying's heart fluttered.

She nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes."

"Then have your maid send a message to the backyard that you will come out with me."

Yunying readily agreed, then told Sui'er the news she had received from the Second Master, and then asked Sui'er to run to the backyard to deliver the message to Qiu Ning.

After seeing Sui'er off, Yunying walked out the door with the Second Master.

Second Master asked Yunying if her bruises from the fall had healed, and Yunying replied, "They're almost completely healed, except for some bruises, but they don't hurt. I think the bruises will disappear in the next day or two. I must thank Second Master for the ointment he gave me; it's quite effective, otherwise I wouldn't have recovered so quickly."

"If you find it useful, keep using it. If you run out, I'll have someone send some more from the capital."

"No need for that. The ointment left by Doctor Yao is quite useful, but perhaps the ingredients used weren't as good, so it's not as effective as the ointment Second Master gave me. But it's still usable. If you bump or scrape yourself, the ointment left by Doctor Yao is quite good."

The two chatted idly until they reached the door.

There was only one carriage at the entrance, but the horse that the Second Master usually rode was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Yunying couldn't help but glance at the Second Master in surprise. The Second Master didn't explain anything, but instead grabbed her slender waist and, with a little effort, placed her on the carriage shaft. He then got into the carriage himself.

The carriage started moving, rolling over the bluestone slabs and heading into the street.

Yunying still felt the force on her waist was painful, and the burning heat seemed to penetrate through the thin layer of clothing and iron into her heart.

She drew back the curtains and looked outside, hoping the faint breeze would cool her face, but it seemed to have no effect.

The carriage quickly reached the main street and then the city gate. The road construction began in this area, and the closer it got to the city gate, the greater the commotion there became.

The shouts, roars, and jokes created a noisy commotion, as if a vast army had gathered.

Second Uncle said, "Don't get out of the car. There's sand, gravel, timber, stone slabs, and mud bricks ahead, and it's really dusty. You haven't fully recovered yet, and getting in and out of the car will be too much of a hassle. Just look out the window."

Yunying quickly replied, "Okay."

He told Yunying not to get off, but the Second Master himself got off the carriage and went forward.

Looking at the Second Master's tall and straight back, Yunying couldn't help but touch her cheek.

It's still a little hot, but it shouldn't be red anymore, so she probably didn't lose her composure too much.

Screams and the sounds of people greeting the Second Master came from not far away.

Yunying quickly turned her attention back to the city gate, which had been wandering off.

Just as Second Master had predicted, the roads were now a complete mess. The roads had been dug up, and building materials were piled up everywhere. Countless laborers were working there, people and things packed together, there was practically no room to step.

Furthermore, the Second Master was dressed simply today, wearing only a light blue robe and a jade crown commonly used at home.

However, he was outstanding in appearance and had a noble and dignified demeanor. At first glance, he gave people a sense of awe, elegance and aloofness.

There is only one county magistrate in the entire Yungui County who possesses such an appearance and demeanor.

Therefore, before the Second Master even got close, all the people knelt down with a thud.

Yunying couldn't hear what the second master said because the distance was too far.

But the people who were repairing the road then stood up, and their eyes were full of admiration and excitement as they looked at the Second Master. It was clear that the Second Master had given them a reward.

Yunying shifted her gaze from the Second Master to another direction. She saw a very large pot steaming. Flames roared under the stove, and a delicate aroma of mung beans wafted through the air.

Is this some kind of mung bean soup to cool you down in the summer?

Yunying spotted a familiar child in the crowd.

Isn't this the same child who testified in the county government office that day, accusing Ruzhu of instructing him to buy tung oil?
Among a group of emaciated, shirtless men dressed in short tunics, a seven- or eight-year-old child suddenly appears, a rather comical sight. And the fact that the child is also doing hard labor makes it even more conspicuous that one can't help but take a second look.

Second Master must have noticed the little boy, so he beckoned him over.

The child was quite bold. He wiped the sweat from his face, smeared the sweat from his hands on his clothes, and then ran off to the Second Master.

Yunying didn't hear clearly what the second master said to him, but the child quickly kowtowed and bowed to the second master, then got up and ran to Suiyu.

Sui Yu patted him on the shoulder twice, and the child laughed heartily.

Yunying then looked at the onlookers.

The news that a "copper mine" had been discovered in Wutoushan, which is under the jurisdiction of Yungui County, has spread far and wide.

In order to mine and transport copper ore, the county decided to repair the road from the county seat to Wutoushan. This was also something that the government posted to inform the people.

To be honest, more than ten years ago, the county town also had only stone-paved roads. But because the villagers were ignorant, apathetic, and heartless, after the Shang family fell from power, either out of a desire to distance themselves from the Shang family, or because they felt that the once high and mighty nobles had fallen to the dust, they could finally trample on their dignity and humiliate them at will. A group of people went crazy and dug up all the stone paving stones in the street, smashed them, and threw them into the river.

They were very happy when they did this. But years later, they have to walk on muddy dirt roads every day, and on rainy or snowy days, they have to be careful of potholes everywhere. The contrast is heartbreaking to think about.

But it was too late, no matter how heartbreaking it was; the stone slab had long since sunk to the bottom of the river, and there was no way to retrieve it.

Now that the county is repairing roads again, people are rushing out of their homes.

Some were so excited that when the road reached their doorstep, the whole family pitched in to help the able-bodied men build it. They only hoped that the road would be well-maintained and, ideally, that it would never deteriorate for generations to come.

As a result, the streets were indeed very lively. But amidst the liveliness, some petty thefts also occurred... Yunying saw an elderly woman secretly stuffing several handfuls of sand and gravel into her pockets... However, before the old woman had gone far, she was reported by the nearby residents. As a result, the sand and gravel remained, and the old woman, covered in dirt, was severely scolded by her neighbors.

Yunying watched the spectacle intently, so much so that she didn't even notice when Second Master returned.

The second master called out "Yun Ying," and Yun Ying turned around, looking at him in surprise, and said, "You're back so soon? Have you finished explaining everything?"

"I've already explained everything. Do you want to stay here and look around, or shall we go to the rice terraces?"

"Let's go to the terraced fields. Everyone's working hard, and I feel a little guilty just watching without doing anything. I'd better stay away and do something more productive."

A smile touched the Second Master's eyes. "Very well."

The carriage turned around and left the city through another gate.

On the way, Yunying asked Second Master what he had said to the boy who had previously testified against Ruzhu.

Second Master wasn't surprised that Yunying had seen that scene; he hadn't been hiding it from anyone anyway.

Second Master said, "That kid is clever. I'll have him work as an assistant to Suiyu first, and if possible, I'll have him work for me later."

"Stand by your side?"

The second master nodded. "That child's name is Su Mingliang. He's an orphan. He has a photographic memory and is quite intelligent."

After dealing with Mu Jin and Ru Zhu that day, Second Master instructed Mo Xue to investigate Su Mingliang's background.

It was easy to find out, since the boy's parents and elders were all dead. He lived in a dilapidated temple and made a living by running errands for people, earning a piece of dry food and half a steamed bun.

It's fair to say there's no place in the entire Yungui County that he doesn't know. And the fact that this kid was able to raise him to adulthood shows that he certainly has some ability.

"It's hard to say whether Ruzhu's request for his help that time was a coincidence or Su Mingliang's intention. But the kid is smart, just too smart. Let him practice with Suiyu first. If he proves useful, he can serve me then."

The second master paused for a moment, then said, "If we find a good teacher, sending him to study wouldn't be a bad idea. This boy has been eavesdropping outside the private school and has learned quite a bit. He's intelligent and has a photographic memory; he's memorized all those classic texts and articles, and he's doing better than those students who actually attend the private school. If we just let him be a servant, it would be a waste of his potential."

Yunying disagreed with this statement.

"Second Master, you are mistaken. How is being your servant hindering him? Aren't Sui Yun and Lei Ting also your servants? Yet they still hold important positions in the county government. When you are promoted, you will surely arrange new positions for them. They only need to follow your orders to have a bright future, and they can make their own plans in the province. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that."

The Second Master was outstanding in his own right, and he also had the Rongguo Duke's Mansion as his backing, as well as his mentor, Grand Secretary Tong, and countless fellow disciples.

If they relied on the Second Master, he would naturally be generous with his connections and resources for those around him. Otherwise, they would have to work hard and strive to get ahead.

That path is a shortcut, that path makes success easier—no need for Yunying to say it, anyone with eyes can see that.

Upon hearing Yunying's words, a glint flashed in the Second Master's eyes. "What you said makes sense."

“That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? But sending Su Mingliang to school is also a way out. If this kid can make a name for himself in the exams, you, Second Master, will be his mentor, and he will definitely follow your lead.”

The second master chuckled, "You think highly of him."

"Didn't you say he's intelligent, quick-witted, and has a photographic memory? With such talent, he might actually become the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"If he can really become the top scholar, that would be even better. After all, he is a native of Yungui County. If he achieves fame and success, he can break the world's usual perception of Lingnan."

The two started talking about road repairs again, and Yunying remembered the big pot billowing white smoke, "Is it filled with mung bean soup?"

"Yes. It's too hot, and road repair is hard labor. All the able-bodied men are drenched in sweat. Mung bean soup is both refreshing and thirst-quenching, and it doesn't cost much, so we boil several large pots of it every day."

"Are those able-bodied men all drawn from nearby villages? Are they working for free, or are they being paid?"

"They are people from nearby villages, but they were not recruited by the government; they volunteered to work. And of course, they are not working for free."

Because it was hard labor, the government provided three meals a day. It wasn't anything fancy, just coarse grain buns, ten buns per person per day. In addition, they received two taels of silver per month.

This treatment is ridiculously good.

As soon as the notice was posted, people lined up to sign up. By the next day, there were even more people; almost every able-bodied man from the surrounding area had come.

Because it's not the busy farming season, there's not much work to do in the fields, limited to weeding and irrigation, which most women can do. In addition, they want to start mining as soon as possible, so they've accepted almost everyone who signed up. Thus, the road will be repaired in sections, and it should take at most a month to complete the road from the county town to Wutou Mountain.

"It's just that because we needed people urgently, these people were of mixed quality. Not only were the sand and gravel often stolen, but even the prepared wooden beams were sometimes stolen."

"What should I do?"

"Let everyone supervise each other, and whoever discovers someone else stealing can receive an extra tael of silver."

Yunying nodded, "That's good, then we can really crack down on this unhealthy trend. However, after we're done with this busy period, Second Master should still focus on moral education, since the people of Yungui County are somewhat cunning."

The second master glanced at her. "Just cunning? Shouldn't it be described as deceitful, lazy, vicious, and treacherous..."

Yunying chuckled, "It's not that vicious... In the end, it's all because of poverty. If life were better, who would steal or rob? You could probably drop a piece of cake at her door and she wouldn't even bother to pick it up."

"If that day ever comes, that would be wonderful."

As we walked through a dense forest, a gentle breeze blew by. The cool breeze rustled the leaves.

In the distance, green mountains stretch far and wide, clear waters murmur, wildflowers bloom in profusion, and bees and butterflies flutter about—truly a beautiful scene in the height of summer.

Unfortunately, the people walking through the area were all dressed in rags, with dry, sallow faces, and emaciated, resembling several skeletons.

Yunying sighed, "We have no food to eat, no clothes to wear... Food is manageable, Second Master has ordered people to clear wasteland, and I've also built terraced fields, so I think one day the people will be able to eat dry food. But as for cloth, can we organize weavers to weave cloth ourselves?"

Second Master shrugged. "You take care of this."

Yunying wanted to ask, why me?
But then she thought, Second Master already has a lot of work to do. He's busy with official duties at the county government, he's constantly monitoring the pearl farming business, the road construction project has just begun, and the biggest project, the gold mine, requires Second Master to keep a close eye on it.

Second Master was truly too busy to spare any time, while she, on the other hand, still had the energy to spare.

Moreover, the matter of weaving inevitably involves dealing with the weavers, who are all women. It's better for her to communicate than for the Second Master to do it himself.

In that case, why doesn't she take on this responsibility?
Yunying thought about it more and more and felt that this was feasible.

She had originally planned to deal in tea bricks and tea cakes, but plans change quickly. Now that she can't do business with tea bricks, tea cakes, or tea leaves, she might as well start dealing in fabrics instead.

(End of this chapter)