The snow had lted.
The air was moist.
Taking a deep breath, the lungs felt so comfortable.
It was New Year's Eve today.
Many guests had co to Jiang Mianmian's ho.
Her family had received many gifts.
There were frozen fish, frozen pears, and polished tree branches suitable for children to play with, even adorned with red ropes.
They were gifts from the villagers.
The well-known old hunter in the village shyly brought out two frozen fish and said, "I don't know what happened this year, all the animals in the mountains seed to have disappeared, I couldn't find them anywhere, so I could only go to the water and catch a couple of fish."
Qin Luoxia warmly received them, smiling, "Indeed, the weather has been so cold that those animals must have all gone into hiding. Elder Brother Liu is amazing to still be able to find fish."
After taking the frozen fish, Qin Luoxia also gave a gift in return, a bag of sweet fruit candies made by adding sugar to dough, rolling them into small balls, and baking them, which could keep for a long ti.
Compared to the frozen fish, these sweet fruit candies were a more presentable gift, after all, they required the use of sugar and flour.
All the villagers who ca to deliver gifts received a return gift.
On their way back, they couldn't help but praise, "Sister-in-law Qin is a truly kind-hearted person."
Those who ca to deliver gifts would see Jiang Yu helping to prepare food, and they would also praise Yu for being diligent and skilled in cooking.
Jiang Changtian and Jiang Feng were doing woodwork.
Hei Ta was lending a hand.
Since Jiang Mianmian could walk now, seeing her plucking the hair from the little white horse every day, she must really want to ride a horse.
Jiang Changtian was planning to make a small wooden horse for his daughter.
Jiang Changtian was not skilled at woodwork, and the design of this wooden horse was actually helped by the Forr County Magistrate.
Speaking of which, the Forr County Magistrate was indeed a top student who had passed the imperial examinations.
Jiang Changtian ntioned his request, wanting a wooden horse that his daughter could sit on, rock back and forth, and not fall off.
Surprisingly, the Forr County Magistrate designed it.
He spent three days and nights drawing, without any sleep, to co up with the design, even losing a few strands of hair.
His main concern was that he was still living in a house behind the county office, and he would have to move out, but Jiang refused to let him.
However, during this period, watching what Jiang had been doing, just thinking about it made him lose a strand of hair, just thinking about it made him lose another strand of hair, and he had lost more hair recently than in half his lifeti.
On the first day Jiang reported for duty at the county office, he hung a calligraphy banner that read:
"I reflect on my conduct three tis a day.
Was I too courteous?
Did I give him face?
Should I have taken action?"
Whenever the Forr County Magistrate saw this banner, he could not help but have a muscle spasm.
He would reflect every day, wondering if he had done anything wrong, if there was anything he could improve upon, if there were any areas that needed to be supplented or could be done better.
Second Jiang's next move left the Forr County Magistrate even more astonished.
Master Gong, the rebel leader, had demanded two-thirds of everyone's family wealth, and Jiang Changtian gradually had these valuable items escorted to the rebel headquarters.
He kept ticulous records, detailing which household each item belonged to and its value, making it clear at a glance.
Then, he shockingly demanded the sa two-thirds share.
The guards left behind by Mr. Gong had inside informants, and they felt that this Mr. Jiang was a greedy man.
He showed no courtesy to the wealthy families at all.
Moreover, he ca up with pretexts and charges against them in order to demand money, forcing the wealthy families to accuse each other of wrongdoings, and allowing the commoners to voice their grievances and settle their resentnts.
The wealthy families in Ming County were now crying out in misery, calling out to the heavens and earth to no avail.
Unexpectedly, the commoners were all applauding and cheering for Jiang Changtian, even calling him "Jiang Qingtian" (Jiang the Upright).
He was truly skilled at collecting wealth, yet he did not cause any unrest, both accumulating wealth and gaining the people's hearts.
He was also completely devoted to his lord, and among all the items and accounts submitted from various places, those from Ming County were the most organized and clear.
Although Zi Lu had never t Jiang Changtian, upon seeing the items and ledgers sent, he was left with a deep impression.
In fact, Jiang Changtian had not done anything particularly special; he had simply applied the thod he previously used for recording dicinal herbs to the accounts submitted to the rebel leader.
It was New Year's Eve today.
He had returned ho early.
Along the way, the commoners had sent him off with many gifts.
There were also many gifts piled up at ho.
Seeing that Jiang had personally taken up woodwork, the villagers felt that he was one of them, even though he had taken up an official position at the county.
It was said that Jiang's background had also been investigated, and although he was not the biological son of Old Lady Jiang, he was a nephew of the Jiang Family. The late Jiang patriarch had taken pity on the orphaned child of their clan and brought him ho, but inadvertently incurred Old Lady Jiang's dislike, so she had always mistreated him.
This information was revealed by the Forr County Magistrate, so it should be accurate, as a high-ranking official like him would not spread false rumors.
How pitiful that Jiang was also a child from a good family, yet suffered such hardship. The tactics employed by the wealthy families to tornt people without spilling blood were nurous.
Whether it was the commoners in the county or the villagers who ca to deliver gifts, they all felt that this Jiang was so unfortunate.
Such a good person, with a pleasant appearance and kind nature, who stood up for the commoners as soon as he took office, not hesitating to offend the wealthy families, had suffered so much since childhood.
In the county, the one with the worst reputation now, ranked number one, was Old Lady Jiang.
She was on par with the infamous Madam of Lichun Yard, who forced virtuous won into prostitution, and the wanton woman who was a rchant's concubine and abandoned her son in a firewood shed.
Old Lady Jiang probably did not know yet, as they had recently shut themselves in, not allowing anyone to go out except for necessary food and drink.
...
Jiang Mianmian sat expectantly on a small stool, watching her father, elder brother, and Uncle Hei Ta work together to make a wooden horse for her.
She had only ntioned a wooden horse in passing, but unexpectedly, her father had rembered and even designed it for her, how amazing!
Jiang Mianmian sat on the small stool, with Young Lord Zi sitting beside her.
Young Lord Zi was lost in thought.
He was thinking that his father would probably co to pick him up soon after receiving his gift.
He had started to want to go ho.
Initially, he had wanted to stay because he didn't want to listen to his tutor's nagging, and he had also found Jiang Xiaogui's family quite interesting.
He had wanted Jiang Xiaogui's mother to beco his bodyguard, but it didn't work out.
After observing for two days, he realized it would never succeed, so he gave up.
But it seed that Jiang Xiaogui had not given up.
Jiang Xiaogui seed to really like him, clinging to him wherever he went.
He sat there a little worried, unsure if Jiang Xiaogui would cry when his father ca to pick him up.
She clung to herself too much, grabbing onto her wherever they went.
At every al, she would share the delicious leafy greens with him.
She was more clingy to him than the pet tortoise he raised.
Jiang Mianmian didn't know what the little brat was thinking, she clung to him because her mother said he was so pitiful, without a mother, and his father didn't care about him either, so she should play with him more.
She was just a little cub, what could she do? Anyway, it was just sothing convenient, whatever she did, dragging him along to do the sa.
Jiang Mianmian pulled Young Lord Zi along to wait for her father to make a wooden horse for her.
Seeing Young Lord Zi daydreaming again, she spoke in a childish voice: "When it's done, I'll let you ride it for a bit."
Young Lord Zi imagined himself, a grown man, sitting on a rocking horse, and felt a chill, shaking his head to refuse: "No thanks."
Jiang Mianmian didn't mind, those rocking cars at the supermarket entrance, no six-year-old could refuse, hmph.
...
An hour later, Young Lord Zi sat expressionless on the rocking horse with Little Tortoise Jiang, the wooden horse swaying back and forth.
His body swayed along with it.
He thought to himself that he had ridden real horses before, this wooden horse was so silly.
But Little Tortoise Jiang's little green onion sprout on her head tickled his face.
He hugged Little Tortoise Jiang, listening to her laughing ha ha ha ha.
Watching the lanterns at the entrance swaying back and forth.
It was the New Year.
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