The playboy county magistrate

"Our Fuyu County has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the environment is quite nice. Look, we have mountains, rivers, and plains."

Li Xuanzhi thought to himself: If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I almost would have believed your nonsense. That old geezer is really wicked; he can turn black into white.

If this place is truly so blessed with outstanding people and resources, are all the people in the county fools? Living like beggars while holding mountains of gold and silver?

The old magistrate knew it was wrong of him to deceive people like this, and since Li Xuanzhi was now a sure thing to become the next magistrate, it was better to tell the truth.

Anyway, he can see the truth for himself; there's no way to hide it.

The old magistrate cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed, took off his official hat, and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Although there is lake water, for some reason, it tastes salty and bitter, not only is the taste strange, but the color is also unpleasant. Apart from the old oxen plowing the fields, the people will not drink it unless they are extremely thirsty."

"The land... is just like that. Crops not only grow small, but they also don't like to produce ears. Even in autumn, half of the grain is shriveled. Therefore, more than half of the land in the county is wasteland and sandy land, and no one bothers to reclaim and cultivate it."

All the seeds planted throughout the year, along with the careful tending, might end up being a complete waste of time and effort. Nobody's stupid; who would willingly do such a pointless and arduous task?

"Although there are trees on the mountain, the soil there is quite strange; whatever you plant dies."

"The county had a total population of about 3,200. Over the years, some have died, and others have fled. The current population is approximately..."

The old magistrate frantically winked at Cao, the county magistrate's assistant, who immediately gave the number.

"Now there are 1,732 people left, including 880 elderly people over 50 years old and 193 young children... No, this morning there was another little girl, so there are 194 young children, making a total of 1,733 people in the county. Of the remaining people, 409 are women, and the rest are able-bodied men."

Li Xuanzhi was quick at mental calculations; after arriving at the final number of able-bodied men, his lips twitched violently.

It really is an auspicious number.

250.

Who do you scold?

After finishing his report, Magistrate Cao bowed to Li Xuanzhi once again.

"Our Fuyu County has a small population, so I also serve as the registrar. County Commandant Feng also serves as the head constable, with two constables and two city gate officers under his command."

Li Xuanzhi thought of the classic TV series "Young Justice Bao" that he had watched before, and the imposing atmosphere of so many people shouting "Majestic!" when the court opened.

Looking at the current makeshift troupes, they are simply too pathetic.

The old magistrate cleared his throat. "Young people all have dreams and drive. Most of them have gone out to make their way in the world, leaving only a small number to take care of their families. Our county has a small population, so we don't need as many constables. It saves money and effort, which is great."

Li Xuanzhi thought to himself: The rats are starving and have fled with their families overnight, so there's no point in trying to make a living here.

It's just that the mountains aren't green, the water isn't blue, the land isn't fertile, there aren't many people, there's not enough money, and the local customs are fierce.

No one knows how this magistrate governed the county; for thirty years, it remained stably poor, with no improvement whatsoever despite the population loss.

After saying all this, the old magistrate personally led Li Xuanzhi towards the backyard.

In other county towns, the back residence of the county government office is a place for the staff to rest temporarily.

But once they arrived in Fuyu County, the backyard of the government office became the homes of the officials.

The main courtyard has three rooms, which are the residences of Li Xuanzhi and his companions Wang Bo and Tang Zheng, respectively, and the other room is where the old county magistrate lives alone.

It's called the main courtyard, but it's really just three dilapidated tile-roofed houses. If you go inside and look up, you can still see the sunlight.

If this house isn't repaired, it will start to drizzle inside when it rains heavily outside. And if a strong wind comes along, it could blow the house away completely, which would be terrible.

The Cao family and the Feng family lived in two side courtyards, one to the left and one to the right of Li Xuanzhi's main residence. Each family had five or six people, and they lived in a very cramped place.

The smaller, more remote corner house was the home of the two constables and the two city gatekeepers.

"My lord, it's not that we have to live together, but the salary the court gives us is enough to live on. We can't squeeze out a single extra penny."

Li Xuanzhi scratched his head, somewhat bewildered by the situation.

Recalling the original owner's memories, it was clear that the entire large courtyard in the capital belonged to the original owner.

He really didn't get to enjoy any of the good fortune, but all the suffering was borne by Li Xuanzhi alone. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

Seeing Li Xuanzhi's face grow increasingly gloomy, the old magistrate also felt somewhat embarrassed, and the others didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

Li Xuanzhi suddenly felt that there was no need to be overconfident in some things; being able to bend and stretch was the standard for a real man. If all else failed, he could write a letter to apologize, cling to his father's powerful backer, flatter him, and find a way to return to the capital to continue being a playboy.

But then he thought, the original owner had already boasted so much, if he really went back and was laughed at, he would completely lose face and be ridiculed by everyone in the capital, and that would only make him, Li Xuanzhi, feel angry.

Giving in is one thing, but to be blamed for something you didn't do yourself, to be talked about behind your back and ridiculed for the rest of your life, is something Li Xuanzhi can't tolerate.

Damn it, isn't it just about rolling up our sleeves, sticking our necks out, and going all out? Let's give it our all!

Glug glug...

I don't know whose stomach started the song, but soon several other stomachs joined in and sang along.

The old magistrate blushed slightly. "Come on, let's all have a welcome feast for Lord Li. But we'll be serving simple food, so we apologize for the inconvenience."

Li Xuanzhi thought to himself: Given the current situation, it's good enough to have something to eat.

To my surprise, the food was even more meager than I had expected.

Look at that table legs, they have to be propped up with wooden blocks to keep them balanced. On the table is a plate of cold wild vegetables, a bowl of wild vegetable soup with no visible oil, and a bowl of wild vegetable and mixed grain steamed buns.

Li Xuanzhi had never suffered such hardship in either of his two lifetimes.

"What are you all standing there for? Let's eat together!"

Li Xuanzhi steadied himself, pulled the old magistrate to sit down first, and didn't forget to greet everyone.

Seeing them all stammering and waving their hands while desperately swallowing, Li Xuanzhi was speechless.

The fact that they're still so hungry despite eating such poor food shows that they usually have to tighten their belts and endure hunger more often than not.

People with official positions are like this, so it's easy to imagine what kind of lives the ordinary people in the city lead.

Li Xuanzhi didn't forget to give Wang Bo and Tang Zheng a wink. Wang Bo and Tang Zheng immediately smiled and pulled the other two constables, along with County Magistrate Cao and County Lieutenant Feng, to sit around the table.

The old magistrate was also surprised that this Lord Li was so approachable. He was actually willing to dine at the same table with ordinary people like them.

"Oh, by the way, pack some up and send them over to the city gate, so those two brothers don't go hungry. Thank you all for your hospitality, and thank you all for working so hard in the kitchen. There's no need for service here, please go and eat on your own."

Li Xuanzhi did not forget the two guards at the city gate, nor did he forget the women in each household who cooked for them, which moved everyone deeply.

The initial anxiety gradually subsided as the group toasted and drank together, and their relationships became increasingly harmonious.

The old magistrate had spent decades with this group of people, so their bond was naturally deep. Seeing that Li Xuanzhi was a kind and generous man, his gaze towards Li Xuanzhi became increasingly satisfied and gentle.

"It's terrible! The people have heard that the new magistrate has arrived, and now they've all brought their families and gathered outside the county government office!"