The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Good or Bad?

"Oh, you have no idea! The county magistrate showered me with praise!"

The village chief had come specifically to thank Ji Huan.

He knew full well that if it weren’t for Ji Huan, he wouldn’t have had such a moment in the spotlight.

In front of so many people, the county magistrate had singled him out for commendation.

He praised him for being calm in a crisis and loving the people as his own children. He even lauded his brilliant strategy for disaster relief, calling him both brave and resourceful.

Seeing him looking more blissful than if he’d just downed a flask of aged wine, Ji Huan suppressed a laugh. "If the County Magistrate praised you, it’s because you deserved it."

And he truly did.

After testing it himself and seeing how remarkably effective the Merit List was, the village chief immediately passed the idea along to his "colleagues."

Just like that, one told ten, and ten told a hundred, and the village chiefs from other villages all began to follow suit.

The grain collected through the Merit Lists helped many disaster victims survive and pull through the crisis.

Otherwise, if they had waited until the county magistrate borrowed grain to start the relief efforts, the number of casualties would have been horrifying.

Therefore, no one felt it was unfair that the county magistrate praised him and him alone; in fact, they all expressed their gratitude to him.

Village Chief Meng had lived for over half a century, and this was the highlight of his life!

"It’s all thanks to you, Wuan! When the county magistrate was praising me, I mentioned you. I told him it was your idea, and he told me I absolutely had to reward you handsomely when I got back."

At this, the village chief looked a little embarrassed.

The truth was, he hadn’t intentionally brought Ji Huan up. He’d just gotten carried away by the praise and, in a moment of giddy pride, let it slip.

What was even more embarrassing was that the county magistrate hadn’t given him anything to bestow as a reward. So what was he supposed to use?

He’d already taken two sacks of grain from his own home when the grain drive started, and his wife still wouldn’t let him sleep on the warm brick bed.

All he could offer was verbal praise.

’Sigh, isn’t that all the county magistrate gave me, too?’

Not that he was dissatisfied. He just felt that for a dignified county magistrate, the man was even poorer than him. He’d heard that all available silver taels had been used to support the war effort.

"The county magistrate also instructed that we must keep our promises to the people. Since we called it a Merit List, we must make good on it. Once the snow melts and the skies clear, we are to have the names carved in stone to show our commendation!"

Ji Huan nodded. "We can’t go back on our word to the people. Otherwise, if something like this happens again, it won’t be so easy to rally their enthusiasm."

Seeing she didn’t seem to care whether she received a reward or not, the village chief let out a sigh of relief. Then he added, "Guess who else I saw at the government office?"

Ji Huan had thought he would leave after finishing his official business. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly adopt such a gossipy expression and tone. ’He wants to gossip with me?’ It was a bit hard to take.

"Well... I really can’t guess."

"Can’t guess, can you?" The village chief’s face was a mask of mystery. "It was my great-nephew, Song Jing!"

Ji Huan’s heart skipped a beat. She then smiled and asked casually, "Why would he be at the county government?"

’Did he and his little friends get into some kind of trouble?’

If a student group like theirs wasn’t officially recognized, it could easily be branded as a seditious faction.

"The county magistrate specifically summoned him!" The village chief’s pride was written all over his face.

"My nephew is even more capable than I am! Wasn’t he running around with his classmates a while back, doing some kind of promotion? It was very effective! Not only did it lighten the burden for many village chiefs, but during the snowstorm that followed, they also helped rescue people and distribute aid. The county magistrate summoned them this time, first, to commend them for their service in pacifying the people’s hearts and aiding those in peril, and second, to express his hope that they would continue their work."

Ji Huan breathed a sigh of relief. ’So it was good news.’

"But the first month of the year is almost over. The academy should be starting soon, right? They still have to take the prefectural exam this year. Where will they find the time?"

The village chief grew worried at this.

"With one disaster after another, who knows when the academy will even open. This year’s prefectural exam might not be held on schedule either... Sigh, I’m just afraid it’ll be canceled. The exam is held twice every three years. Jing’er might be delayed another year or two."

Ji Huan thought that was very likely too.

Unless the war ended soon and normal order was restored to the Northern Pass.

"Uncle Village Chief, did you happen to hear any other news at the county government? Like how the war is going?"

The heavy snow had cut off transportation and the flow of information. It had been nearly a month, and the people in the mountain hollow hadn’t heard any reliable news, good or bad.

The village chief shook his head.

"However, I noticed the county magistrate’s complexion was much better than the last time I saw him. He seemed much more relaxed, so I think it must be good news."

"Could it be just because he managed to borrow grain, and that’s why...?"

"I don’t think it’s just that. When the fighting first broke out, he was uncertain himself and wouldn’t reveal anything to us, just kept demanding that we maintain stability. This time when we went, he laughed a full five times—hearty, booming laughs."

The village chief held up one hand, a look of disbelief on his face.

You have to understand, Pan Jiadao had always been known as the Iron Judge. He was famous for being strict and uncompromising; you’d be lucky to see him laugh even once a year.

Given the current situation in the Northern Pass, what could possibly be worthy of him laughing so heartily, let alone five times?

"And when we were leaving, we ran right into that County Magistrate Jiang. He’s a man who usually walks around with his chin in the air, but this time his face was so full of joy he was practically grinning like a Maitreya Buddha. He was ordering the government officials to buy this and that... I thought he was taking a concubine. I quietly asked one of the officials, and guess what? Turns out someone is coming from the Capital City, and I hear it’s a high-ranking eunuch!"

"Someone from the Capital City? Why would they come at a time like this...?"

"I’m guessing we won a battle, and the Emperor is sending someone to bestow rewards! What else could it be?"

Ji Huan wasn’t nearly as optimistic as he was.

But who could say for sure what went on between such important figures? So she didn’t dwell on it and soon forgot about it.

In the following days, Ji Huan, like the other villagers, kept her doors shut all day and rarely went out.

She wasn’t worried about having nothing to do. She had taken on a lot of work from Boss Fang before the new year, so she spent most of her time at home copying books and teaching Dabao to write.

It was worth mentioning that her family had gained a new member: Dahuang.

She remembered the first time she saw Dahuang, this place was still a dilapidated shack.

She had once thought the dog had been left behind by the old hunter, but after asking around, she learned that wasn’t the case.

It seemed to be a stray dog abandoned in the mountains. After the old hunter passed away, it saw the shack was empty and claimed it as its own kingdom.

Unexpectedly, Ji Huan had later taken over its territory. No wonder it always seemed a bit defiant whenever it saw her.

Ji Huan seriously suspected this dog had gained sentience.

She wouldn’t even mention the time it scared her in the middle of the night. After the new house was built, it could no longer slip in so easily. But the creature wasn’t discouraged; it turned around and started cozying up to Dabao.

At first, it would just occasionally sneak to the back door to meet Dabao and coax some food out of his hands.

Later, as the snow continued to fall, it probably couldn’t bear the freezing hunger in the mountains any longer and started scheming again.

One night at bedtime, Dabao came in, dawdling, his head hung low, not saying a word.

Ji Huan glanced behind him and saw Dahuang poking its head in and out of the doorway.

Soaking wet, Dahuang met Ji Huan’s gaze. Its two doggy eyes darted about for a moment before its head drooped down, in the exact same posture as Dabao.

This was the first time it had ever shown weakness to Ji Huan.

This was the same guy who was usually cocky as all get-out, the one who would turn tail and run the second it finished eating.

’Seems it’s a good dog that knows when to bend and when to stand tall.’

With one person and one dog playing pitiful for her, what could Ji Huan do?

She could only go to the kitchen, make a nest out of dry straw, and let the unexpected guest stay the night.

And with that one stay, it went straight from being a temporary visitor to a permanent resident, from a freelancer to a full-time employee.

Where Ji Huan once had only Dabao as an audience for her stories, she now had Dahuang as well. Ximei and the others often came over to join in the fun, so life wasn’t boring.

One day, Ji Huan was telling Dabao an adapted version of the Oath of the Peach Garden.

Widow Xie rushed over, and the first words out of her mouth were, "Something’s happened to the Ji Family!"

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