Union

Chapter 90 Travel
The carriage traveled for an hour before stopping.

When Yunying and Sui'er got off the carriage, they felt sore backs and numb legs, and were dizzy from the jolting.

But neither of them had time to pay attention to these trivial details; their attention was completely drawn to the busy people along the way.

It's late March, time to transplant rice seedlings. The fields are packed with people, young and old, as well as strong young adults. Everyone is bent over, their hands busy at work.

Looking out, patches of new green appeared on the rice paddies, and looking at the dark, simple faces of the people, one could see their hopes for the future.

There were also some officials in their uniforms walking around the fields, some carrying measuring instruments and others carrying ropes.

Yunying had specifically researched this before, and found that among the existing surveying tools, the muyi was the most popular tool used by the government. The muyi consisted of a wooden frame and a measuring instrument. By moving the measuring instrument, the angle and length of the land could be measured, and thus the area could be calculated.

This measuring tool is quite precise and has a small error margin when used, but it requires a high level of skill from the measuring personnel, who need to have certain experience and expertise.

On the other hand, there is another measuring tool, namely the rope loop.

Rope loop measurement is not very accurate, but because most plots of land in the south are irregular, the use of the acre meter is very limited in the south. Therefore, when measuring fields in the south, it is often necessary to use both.

When Yunying thought of the information she had read in the book, and then looked at the constables on the scene who were either carrying ropes or measuring instruments, she was not too surprised.

While she was still lost in thought, Sui Yu had already handed her a pen and paper.

Yunying thought she was being asked to record data, but she clearly saw that there were people specifically recording data next to the surveyors.

So here's the question: what exactly did they want her to do with those pens and papers that were handed to her?
Yunying asked Suiyu, who scratched his head and said, "Just take it. It'll come in handy."

Sui Yu then pointed to the Second Master, who was talking to someone else, and said, "Go to the Second Master and write down anything useful he says."

Yunying paused for a moment, then Suiyu grew impatient, "Hurry up and go, quick!"

Yunying walked over and saw that the Second Master was talking to an old farmer. The old farmer didn't know his identity, but seeing that he was dressed in rich clothes and that the county yamen runners treated him with great respect, he guessed that this man was probably an official from the county yamen.

When asked how many acres of land his family owned, whether he had enough manpower for farming recently, how the rainfall was in previous years, whether he planned to reclaim wasteland, and whether there were any well-known families in the surrounding villages, whether he employed tenants, how much rent he paid, and roughly how much land those families owned...

The old man told the truth without daring to hide anything.

The old man had lost all his teeth, and he spoke the local dialect of Yungui County, which made it very difficult for Yunying to understand him.

On the other hand, Second Master acted like a true native of Yungui County, conversing with the old man without any hindrance. His gentle tone quickly put the old man at ease, and in the end, the old man laughed so hard that his teeth were showing.

So... what exactly did they ask her to come and record?

Yunying stood a few steps behind the Second Master, occasionally scribbling a few strokes on the snow-white paper with her charcoal pencil.

She recorded data that could barely be considered useful, such as the answers to the questions that the Second Master had just asked.

However, these things are fragmented and cannot be used as a reference if you only ask one person.

Could it be that Second Master plans to use these questions to get answers from different people, and then use this "survey questionnaire" to see what the people think about land reclamation? What about asking the other questions? What's the point?

There must be some significance to it, such as understanding the people's sentiments.

But this shouldn't be considered a record.

Yunying had some doubts, but she dared not say them.

She could only hold her breath and listen carefully to what was happening on the other side.

After the second master and the old farmer finished talking, he turned around and walked back, with Yunying standing in the middle of the road.

The country roads are extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one oxcart to pass at most; the rest of the roads are planted with crops by the villagers.

Yunying was only lost in thought for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, the Second Master was already standing in front of her.

She stared blankly at the Second Master before her, watching his chest rise and fall slightly, his throat bobbing up and down as if he were struggling to breathe. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly moved aside.

The second master walked past her and headed away into the distance. Yunying patted her burning cheeks and quickly followed a couple of steps.

That morning, they visited three villages, and in each village, they could see constables carrying ropes and measuring instruments.

Of course, the majority of them are ordinary people working in the fields under the scorching sun.

When they saw Second Master, they would always show awe, while the young girls would always look at her clothes with envy.

The sun rose higher and higher, and Yunying's cheeks flushed crimson.

As she was thinking that if she were to accompany the Second Master again, it would be best to bring a veiled hat, Sui Yu came over and handed her a water bag filled with water.

Before Yunying could refuse, Suiyu said, "Send it to Second Master."

He stuffed the water bag into Yunying's hand, then turned and walked away. He went to find Leiting, gave him another water bag, and then the two of them went to find the constables who were measuring the fields.

Sui'er followed Yunying's side. When she saw Yunying looking at her, Sui'er quickly hid behind her, saying as she did so, "Miss, I'm afraid of the Second Master."

She looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy. If the situation allowed, Sui'er could immediately perform a scene of desertion for Yunying.

Yunying didn't want to force the little maid, so she steeled herself and stepped forward.

After the Second Master finished speaking with an elderly man, Yunying coughed lightly, her throat slightly hoarse, and said softly, "Please drink some water to calm down." The Second Master turned around and looked at her. Yunying could feel his gaze on her, but she didn't have the courage to look up at him.

She simply looked at the hem of his moon-white robe, smelled the faint scent of paper and ink and the subtle fragrance of sandalwood on his body, and her heart began to flutter uncontrollably. She turned her head away, unable to resist the urge.

Second Master hesitated to take the water pouch, so Yunying shoved it into his hand.

The weather was unbearably hot. Although there was a gentle breeze occasionally blowing, the sun was so strong that Yunying felt she would turn into a fire person if it continued like this.

She walked to the willow tree by the roadside, trying to avoid the scorching sun. Seeing this, Sui'er followed her and said, "Miss, you must be very hot. Look at your face, it's so red from the sun."

Yunying said softly, "It's alright, it should be cooler in a little while."

"Will it?"

"Will do."

Soon it was lunchtime, but the group did not return to the county town, nor did they dine at the home of the village chief who had warmly invited them.

Lei Ting and Sui Yu had prepared dry rations in advance, which were some pancakes, buns, and steamed bread that they had made early in the morning.

They even caught two pheasants along the way, intending to roast them and eat them. So, some people went to gather firewood, some prepared the pheasants, and some went to water the horses. Soon, only Yunying and Second Master remained in the small grove of trees.

Yunying didn't know if Lei Ting and the others did it on purpose or if it was just a coincidence. In any case, she felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to follow them to help them. However, Sui Yu, who had walked away, called out to her, "Yunying, you help Second Master wash up and let him have some dry food to tide him over."

Yunying: "..."

Yunying picked up the water bag and went to Second Master's side again. Second Master sat down on a rock to rest.

Yunying walked over to him and asked, "Would you like some more water? Or would you like to wash your hands and face first?"

Whether it was from being exposed to the sun or something else, Second Master's voice became terribly hoarse.

He said, "I'm not drinking anymore. Give me some water so I can wash my face."

"Oh."

Yunying opened the water pouch and gently poured out a soft stream of water.

Second Master rubbed his hands under the running water a couple of times, then scooped up water and washed his face a few times.

It was at this moment that Yunying dared to look at the Second Master without restraint.

Whether it was Yunying's imagination or not, she felt that the Second Master had lost a lot of weight. His cheeks seemed to be sunken, and the veins on his neck and the back of his hands were more prominent.

But he was still handsome, and when she got close to him, her heart still couldn't stop pounding.

After washing his hands and face, the second master suddenly straightened up.

Caught off guard, their eyes met directly.

Glistening water droplets streamed down the Second Master's cheeks, his face as white as jade, his features sharply defined. Yet, under the sunlight, his expression was so gentle, and her small shadow was reflected in his dark pupils.

Yunying murmured twice before awkwardly averting her gaze.

She hurriedly tightened the water bag cap, then looked around absentmindedly.

I saw an unknown bird perched on a nearby tree, chirping incessantly; I saw an insect hopping across the grass at my feet; and not far away, colorful wildflowers bloomed, with butterflies fluttering among them.

This scene is worthy of being painted.

The second master suddenly spoke, "Yun Ying."

Yunying's heart skipped a beat. In slow motion, she looked at him again, "Second Master, what's wrong?"

The second master looked at her and said, word by word, "Let me use this handkerchief."

Yunying saw Second Master wiping away the water droplets that had rolled into his eyes, and belatedly realized that Second Master had not wiped his face yet.

She hurriedly searched for her handkerchief, but it wasn't in her purse or at her waist. Finally, she remembered that the handkerchief was in her other hand.

She blushed again in embarrassment and handed over the handkerchief in her hand.

After taking it, the second master silently wiped his hands and face.

Yunying was so embarrassed that she felt the silence was deafening.

She can't stand the quiet atmosphere; she starts overthinking.

She picked up the empty water pouch again and hurriedly said to the second master, "The water pouch is empty, I'll go get some water."

The second master grabbed her wrist and, as she turned around, casually said, "It's too sunny outside, you can rest here. Give me the water pouch."

Second Master walked away with the water bag, leaving Yunying alone in the grove.

She watched the receding figure silently, her eyes gradually dimming.

(End of this chapter)