Union

Chapter 71 Barren Mountains and Wild Waters, Inhospitable Land

Now that the person has been found, when does Second Master plan to deal with him?

We can't keep such a big rat around for the New Year, can we?
Second Master couldn't help but chuckle and repeated two words, "Rat?"

Yunying smiled lightly, "Although it's not elegant, there's no need to give someone like that a nice name."

"You're right." After paying the bill, Second Master didn't even take the handful of copper coins the uncle gave him back; he casually tossed them into the money box as a tip.

That handful of copper coins was quite a lot, enough to buy several bowls of wontons. The uncle could tell from their clothes that they were wealthy people who didn't care about money, so he didn't refuse. Even the aunt who made the wontons saw this and her face lit up with joy. She said with a smile, "Come again next time."

Yunying and Second Master came out from under the shed. Second Master said, "I plan to deal with this person after the New Year."

He pulled Yunying aside, making her avoid the children running past, and then said, "I just did a good deed in the county, and I want to further instill the concept of respecting the elderly in people's hearts. I don't want to use drastic measures to deal with this big rat, lest the topic be diverted."

After hearing the Second Master's explanation, Yunying's face showed a hint of understanding.

Upon careful consideration, she realized that the Second Master's assessment was quite correct.

Second Master spent so much manpower, energy, and money to organize that centenarian banquet. If it fails to resonate with the public and spread the word to maximize its benefits, and instead other "interesting stories" steal the spotlight, it would truly be a pity.

Yunying said, "Your consideration is correct. Right now, it's best to further promote the Hundred Elders Banquet. As for the registrar, we can deal with him after the New Year."

Second Master grunted in agreement and pulled Yunying's sleeve, leading her to the side.

As the sun rises higher, the streets are now even more crowded. In addition to peddlers carrying their wares on shoulder poles, there are many more people driving oxcarts or mule carts, or even walking, to buy New Year's supplies.

Most of these people came in groups of three or five. As they walked, they chatted about what New Year's supplies they wanted to buy, and also talked about the banquet for the elderly held by the county magistrate, who in their own town had been invited to the banquet, and how glorious their families were, etc.

Hearing this, Yunying couldn't help but move closer to the group of women. Then she heard them say, "From now on, we'd better treat the elders better. Not only will it earn us a good reputation, but I heard the county magistrate even gives us gifts..."

As the crowd surged behind, Yunying was pushed aside a bit. The aunties, busy buying brown rice, also walked away, so Yunying stopped listening.

But based on all the comments she'd heard about the Hundred Elders Banquet along the way, Yunying couldn't help but give the Second Master a thumbs up, "See, it's already working so fast."

The second master remained silent, but the smile in his eyes deepened.

The two continued walking along the street, but the street was still a dirt road. Because it had rained a few days ago and there were many people walking on it these past two days, the ditches and gullies were all muddy.

You really have to be very careful when you put your feet down, otherwise a perfectly good pair of shoes will be unwearable after just one outing.

Yunying asked the Second Master, "When will the roads in this county be repaired?" This is the county seat, the face of Yungui County, and the roads are in such a terrible state, it's just too disgusting.

Second Master said, "This matter will have to wait until next year."

The second master counted the silver in his hand again and was a little troubled. "I've been spending a lot lately, and I may not have enough silver next year."

"Then deal with that man as soon as possible and recover all the money he embezzled. Over the years, that must have added up to a considerable sum of money; it should be enough to repair a road."

"If we really recover the silver, repairing the road is the least urgent matter. Spring planting will begin soon, and the people may not have enough seeds. They might have to borrow seeds from the county government. Besides, we don't even have simple farming tools here, and relying solely on manpower for cultivation is too slow. I'm thinking of acquiring some oxen and farming tools next year. Then, during the off-season, we can encourage the people to reclaim wasteland..."

The two chatted as they strolled back and forth on the street.

Yunying bought two peach wood combs, a magnolia wood hairpin, two handkerchiefs, a sachet, and also many peach wood charms and Spring Festival couplets.

She also bought some snacks on the street, intending to share them with her maids and servants when she returned to the mansion.

As Yunying was preparing to return home, she saw an old man selling tea again.

Yunying had already walked past him when she suddenly stopped.

The second master asked her, "Did you forget to buy something, or would you like to look around some more?"

Yunying said, "Neither."

She said, "I want to buy some tea. The tea that the old man picked out smells very fragrant."

Second Master couldn't help but chuckle, "You think it smells fragrant without even brewing it? You must be trying to fool me."

Yunying blushed, but still stubbornly said, "Let's buy some. I still have some money in my purse, enough to last me."

"Buy it if you want, my wallet is emptier than my face, I can't pay for it anyway."

"I don't need you to pay for me. I have my own money, I'll pay for it myself."

Actually, it wasn't that Yunying smelled the fragrance of tea leaves; she just saw that the old man was really poor.

The old man was thin and short, and his clothes were tattered.

Despite the freezing weather, Yunying was wearing a padded jacket and her second master's cloak, while the old man was only wearing a single layer of clothing, without even sleeves. His trousers barely reached his knees.

The clothes were patched upon patched, with different colors, and they were originally made from pieces of cloth of different sizes pieced together.

If the men of the household are dressed like this, Yunying couldn't help but wonder, what about the women, children, and everyone else in the family? Do they not even have clothes? Do they only have to wear the old man's clothes when he comes home to cook or use the toilet?

The imagery was so vivid that Yunying almost suffocated.

It's so poor, the people here are just so incredibly poor.

How can we make them rich, so that they have food to eat and clothes to wear?

In the end, Yunying bought a packet of tea.

It's called tea, but it's really just tea dust.

Poor families wouldn't know how to process tea leaves, and besides, they didn't have enough land to grow tea. The tea trees they found were just wild seedlings in the deep mountains.

The mountains have insufficient sunlight, and the tea leaves are small and fragmented. Even if only the larger leaves are picked for tea making, the leaves still look much smaller than ordinary tea leaves.

Yunying bought a packet of tea but gave one tael of silver.

The old man's face, which was blue and purple from the cold, showed a look of surprise and delight. He naturally tried to refuse, but Yunying shoved it into his hand and then pulled the Second Master outside.

She had only taken three or five steps when Yunying felt the Second Master suddenly wrap his arms around her waist. With a spin, she ended up on the other side of the Second Master.

Before Yunying could even process what had happened, she heard the Second Master scold, "Take the things out of your arms."

Yunying was startled and immediately looked up. Then she saw Second Master grabbing the arm of a short, thin, half-grown child.

"What's wrong?" Yunying asked the Second Master hurriedly.

Your purse has been stolen.

Purse?

Yunying looked down and, sure enough, saw that the purse she had just put on that morning was gone.

Was it stolen by the boy in front of me?

The boy had an unruly appearance, his face was so dirty that his true features were unrecognizable, only a pair of small but fierce eyes were visible.

He wasn't afraid when he was caught; instead, he struggled and resisted, and suddenly pulled something out of his waist and stabbed at her.

Yunying was worried it was a dagger, so she quickly pushed the Second Master aside, only to see him easily kick the weapon out of the boy's hand.

That was actually a bamboo thorn, something made by sharpening bamboo into a point and using it as a dagger.

This is usually used by experienced hunters who dig traps for hunting, and these kinds of things are stuck in the trap pits.

Don't underestimate this thing; if it really gets stuck in a person's body, it can poke a hole.

Finally, the thieving boy was taken away by Mo Xue, who appeared out of nowhere.

Yunying was both frightened and regretful. "It must be because I showed off my wealth when I bought the tea. People thought I was a rich fool."

The second master said, "It's a pity he stole it all for nothing. You've spent all the silver in your purse, and you only have three or five copper coins left."

Upon hearing the Second Master's words, Yun Ying's face showed an embarrassed expression.

She hadn't expected to go shopping with the Second Master today. If she had known earlier, she would have given him at least two taels of silver.

But she didn't know that there were less than three taels of silver in her purse.

That's actually quite a lot, more than half a month's salary for her.

But she and her second master bought a lot of miscellaneous things today, and they even acted generously, giving away quite a bit for free. As a result, there wasn't much left in their purses.

Yunying squeezed the purse she had hung back on her waist; there were exactly five copper coins left inside.

She laughed and said, "Two coins can buy one meat bun, and five coins can buy three. Three meat buns can last me a whole day. If I buy steamed buns instead, five steamed buns can last me three days. Five coins is quite a lot."

“You’re right. If it were multigrain steamed buns, you could eat them for much longer, ten days or half a month wouldn’t be a problem.”

Yunying didn't know if the Second Master was mocking her or joking, but the thought of herself pitifully eating a coarse grain bun made her unable to laugh.

Even coarse grain steamed buns are a highly sought-after delicacy by the people of Yungui County.

They were so poor that they couldn't eat a dry meal all year round, and many of them could only eat wild vegetables or grass roots every day...

Yunying sighed, "This place is just too poor."

The second master also sighed with emotion, "This is a barren and desolate place. It will truly take decades, even centuries, to govern it properly."

Second Master: "Take it slow. There's nothing you can't do if you're determined. Things will get better here. Trust me."

Yunying looked at the Second Master, her eyes filled with solemnity and trust: "I believe in you, Second Master. Don't let me down, and don't let down the hundreds and thousands of people here. It's not enough to just feed and clothe them. You also need to teach them manners and education, and make sure that all the young children have access to education and books to read."

The Second Master chuckled softly, looking at the rising sun in the east, "If I could really do what you said, I'm afraid I'd become a saint."

"It doesn't matter whether you become a saint or not. As long as you can become a good and honest official who is wholeheartedly for the people, people will still remember your merits a hundred or a thousand years later. They will write you in the county annals, in biographies of famous people, and in the annals of history. You can be remembered for all time and your name will be remembered for eternity."

The Second Master laughed heartily, looking at Yun Ying's hopeful eyes, "I think you want to be remembered for eternity even more than I do."

Yunying quickly waved her hand, "No, I know my own capabilities perfectly well. I can only manage to tinker around in this small area of ​​the backyard. I'm afraid I can't do anything more than that."

"Don't laugh at me, but I was always thinking about earning money so I could save up enough to buy my freedom."

Second Master hummed in agreement. "So, have you figured out a way to make money now?"

Yunying naturally concealed the fact that she wanted to pawn the jewelry given to her by the Second Master to get money to redeem herself.

She had a way to redeem herself, but she really had no idea how to make money from it.

She said with frustration, "If I had known that, I wouldn't be who I am now."

Two updates today, and the next update will be at the same time as before.

(End of this chapter)