Yingbao didn’t respond.
Half a year ago, it’s likely that the County Magistrate had just taken office and hadn’t yet turned his attention to this issue.
She walked slowly with Youyou and her younger brother towards the market on the outskirts of the village. Indeed, several soapberry trees were missing from this stretch of tree wall.
However, after having been cut in half, the remaining section of the soapberry trees sprouted new shoots, and perhaps they could be saved.
When no one else was around, she would water the trees with water from the Pupil Spring to help them grow branches more quickly.
The circle of soapberry trees around the village wasn’t totally closed off. There were paths left open in several places.
Paths to Xichen Village and the fields each had two routes, and there was another that led outside the village, near the market. This route was wide enough for two carts to pass side by side with room to spare.
Yingbao furrowed her brows, thinking about how she could quickly create several large gates to block off these passages?
So many refugees had suddenly arrived, and likely more were continuously coming. It was impossible to guarantee that so of these people weren’t dangerous criminals.
In desperate tis, for survival’s sake, murders are all too common.
Once refugees kill a person, they may go on to kill two, or three. Human life ans no more to them than the life of a pig or a dog.
If any of these people infiltrate the village one day and massacre the unsuspecting villagers, then her father would bear the brunt of the County Governnt’s bla.
No, she would have to warn her father and all the villagers. They needed to be vigilant, block all the routes around the village at night, and take turns standing guard.
After a long stroll around, the siblings returned to the village and saw Zhou Wuchang and his disciples strolling around after having finished their als.
“Master, let show you our family’s orchard.” Yingbao approached with a cheerful smile, patting the deer following her and introduced, “This is my deer, nad Youyou, and the young ones behind it are its children.”
Zhou Wuchang looked at the deer, then at the herd, and nodded, “Deer are auspicious animals. Your village living harmoniously with a herd of deer reveals that you are all kind-hearted people.”
Zhang Min seized the opportunity and asked, “Little sister, could you give or sell one?”
Yingbao nodded, “Sure, you can choose one, and I will bring it to you. But, I must specify, you can’t kill it for at.”
In the village, so also bought deer, usually to keep as pets for their children. If anyone were to kill a pet deer, they would be shunned by everyone.
“I don’t eat at.” Zhang Min chuckled, “We follow the Eight Precepts; we don’t eat at. Don’t you know that, little sister?”
Zhou Hao rely glanced at his brother but didn’t say a word to contradict him.
Yingbao had long grown accustod to the loose talk of her second senior brother, and she didn’t mind him. She used a bean sprout to tempt a young deer close.
This young deer was much larger than Youyou had been. It wasn’t afraid and rubbed its head affectionately against Yingbao, then against Zhang Min.
Zhang Min was overjoyed. He petted the head and back of the little deer, unable to let go. “I’ve decided, I’ll call it Eryou (Second-You)!”
Jiang Wu blinked and asked, “Aiyou? Brother, the na you gave is really bad.”
Zhang Min laughed, “Eryou ans the second Youyou, not the ‘Aiyou’ that you are thinking of.”
Jiang Wu’s face twitched. He looked sympathetically at the little deer and muttered, “It seems your owner is unreliable. Good luck.”
“Little boy, what did you say?” Zhang Min asked while petting the deer, looking at the boy with a skewed smirk.
“Nothing.” Jiang Wu darted away.
Seeing their little owner ran away, the herd quickly followed, including the newly nad Eryou.
Yingbao led her master and senior brother to her family’s orchard, picking a batch of lychees from the trees and sharing them. While eating the lychees, she led them around the village.
Nowadays, every household in the village has fruit trees and grapevines in their courtyards and by their front doors, and vegetable gardens full of various produce.
These vegetable seeds were all brought back from various places by Yingbao.
On the bamboo fence of the vegetable garden, large gourds hung in clusters, each as big as a washbasin.
Of course, there were also small ones, not much bigger than a palm. These were picked up by the villagers, dried, coated with red lead, and hung on their waists for protection against evil.
Zhou Wuchang idled around the village, ignoring the burning sun, and covered the entire village before declaring to Yingbao, “Your village is excellent, affluent and composed.”
Yingbao nodded. “Our village is the best village, and my father says he will enlarge it and dig a few more canals.”
Zhou Wuchang shook his head. “In fact, the village at the foot of the mountain is also no less appealing. If the river channels were cleared up, a couple of drainage canals were dug, even if a huge volu of water flows downstream it will be diverted. The village would no longer be susceptible to devastating floods.”
Yingbao opened her mouth wide in astonishnt, “How long would it take to clear up all the river channels? Digging a drainage canal is a massive project, would it not take years to complete?”
Of course, if all the labourers in the county ca, it might be possible to complete it in two or three months.
Zhou Wuchang sighed. “Indeed, but your village can choose to hire labourers.”
Yingbao: …….
Did her master just speak human language?
Her village should hire labourers to dig canals? It might result in ti and resource wastage, sheer effort without return, no?
Ah, it would be nice if Wu Daozi was still the County Magistrate. She could go and suggest to him, ask him for a command to clear this part of the river and dig a couple of canals.
But then again, every year the labourers have no end of work. Even if she went to talk, it probably wouldn’t help.
Zhou Wuchang and his disciples finally finished touring the area and returned to the Jiang Family’s estate for rest in the room arranged by Jiang Sanlang.
Zhou Hao looked around to ensure no one was around, then whispered to his master, “Master, if we bury the object here, it might be more convincing.”
Zhou Wuchang was laying on the bed pretending to nap, he nonchalantly said, “We can discuss this later.”
He had to ensure absolute safety and could not let his young disciples bear the brunt.
This location was actually the most suitable for that task with the most auspicious signs, but in case the plan failed, not only would he die, all the people here might also be dood.
Forget it, better find an uncultivated field. At worst, he would create a few more extraordinary phenonons.
In the next few days, Zhou Wuchang didn’t let the two young disciples accompany him, he only took his oldest disciple for a walk around the village and spent a long ti in a wild bamboo grove.
anwhile, Yingbao and her second senior brother were sparring on the training ground at the schoolhouse.
Zhang Min, who didn’t study martial arts, kept getting thrown over by his younger junior sister who was much shorter than him.
Unwilling to continue failing, he turned and pleaded with Zhang ng to take him as a student, “Master Zhang, our families were considered as one five hundred years ago, you cannot let die.”
Zhang ng didn’t dare to casually take Zhou Wuchang’s disciple so he had to find an excuse to refuse, “No, you’ve surpassed the age suitable for martial arts practice.”
“What? You’re saying I’m old?” Zhang Min had a look of disbelief. “I’m only fourteen this year and you’re saying I’m old? Master, how old are you this year?”
Zhang ng:
The other children on the martial arts grounds covered their mouths and laughed.
In the end, Zhang Min was kindly shown the door by his master, Zhang ng.
He had no choice but to sulk outside the fences of the training ground, secretly watching the other students practice.
Yingbao ca up behind him and patted his shoulder. “Second senior brother, my mother made sesa seeds, they sll so delicious. Let’s go ho and have so sweet sesa paste.”
Upon hearing the words ‘food’, Zhang Min perked up. He imdiately followed his junior sister for the rumoured delicious sesa paste.
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