Su Yaoguang turned her head, looking at Zhou Wangshu’s handsome face full of displeasure.
"Those two brothers are quite pitiful."
"There’s an old beggar around the corner, both legs broken, didn’t see you taking him back, is it because he’s not pitiful enough?" Zhou Wangshu raised his eyebrow, "Oh, he doesn’t look good."
Su Yaoguang: "...Who taught you this sarcastic habit?"
"That’s right, my temper is both bad and stubborn, unlike those well-mannered people who politely say ’at your service’."
Su Yaoguang: "..."
Seeing her not respond, Zhou Wangshu became even angrier with her look of a headache.
When she talked to that ’Young Master Zizhan’ just now, she was so gentle! He had never seen her talk to him in such a tone.
What’s this, because he’s her ’brother’, does that mean he doesn’t deserve to be spoken to in that way?
And that Zhen Yuanfang, the way she looked at him, it’s like she wanted to cling to him.
At best, the guy just looks like a human, his features are all there, but not as good-looking as him, right?
The way she looked at him, what does it mean?
Su Yaoguang felt that Zhou Wangshu’s temper was a bit high today.
"Wait a minute! How do you know I gave Young Master Zizhan one hundred taels of silver?" Su Yaoguang realized, pinching his ear, "Alright, you, you were eavesdropping on our conversation."
Zhou Wangshu felt that his moment of guilt earlier was just a joke.
"Alright, stop fussing, what do you want to eat, sister will make it for you." Su Yaoguang said, hugging Zhou Wangshu’s arm.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Su?" a government official came over.
Su Yaoguang let go of Zhou Wangshu, looked at the official in front of her, and nodded, "I am Su Yaoguang from Taoyao Square."
"Lord County Magistrate requests your presence," the official said.
"Alright, I’ll go with you," Su Yaoguang said, then told Zhou Wangshu, "You’ve been running with me for so long, must be tired, go back and wait for me, I’ll be back soon."
It was Su Yaoguang’s first time meeting the County Magistrate. Before meeting him, she thought he must be a very imposing old man, but upon seeing him, she found he was surprisingly a gentle middle-aged scholar.
She was about to kneel and pay her respects, but he stopped her.
"Sit down, let’s talk."
"Thank you, sir."
"The reason for inviting you here this time is still about the epidemic. This great disaster, your Taoyao Square was the first to propose solutions, whether it’s prescriptions or relief grain, your Taoyao Square has contributed significantly. Once this matter is over, I will definitely report to the upper officials, highlighting your Taoyao Square’s charitable deeds."
"Does the lord need our Taoyao Square to do anything else?"
"The number of refugees is increasing, and the city can no longer accommodate them. If this continues to spread, even if the city endures natural disasters and epidemics, there might still be civil unrest. We need to settle these refugees."
"Since the city can’t accommodate them, and ignoring them will lead to unrest, we should register the number of refugees, record their origin, and assign them to various villages. As far as I know, many villages have unoccupied houses, usually taken over by the villagers. We can take this opportunity to reclaim those houses to settle the refugees."
"When registering the refugees, ask them whether they intend to stay long or short term. If long term, note if they have any skills to help arrange jobs for them later. As for those staying short term, ask how long they plan to stay. Whether long term or short term, they can’t stay for free. Refugees come with something, right? Those with money pay, and those without have to contribute labor."
"This rain has damaged many places, even the river embankments need repair. Furthermore, clearing waterways, repairing roofs, reinforcing walls, all these require manpower."
"Our city, under the lord’s governance, still allows people to have food. But as long as the epidemic is unresolved, grain can’t be transported in, and relying solely on the city’s reserves will eventually lead to depletion. Instead of letting crops be ruined by water, they should be harvested early. Vegetables, grains, fruits, even fish and shrimp from the river, and wild vegetables and animals from the mountains, anything edible should be used for emergencies."
"What you said about vegetables, fruits, fish, and shrimp, as well as wild animals, those are feasible. But asking the people to harvest crops early is essentially asking for their lives," County Magistrate Chen, as the father of the people, deeply understands what the people value.
"What if the lord promises to exempt them from this year’s taxes?" Su Yaoguang asked. "They’re afraid of failing to pay taxes, and failing to pay taxes also leads to death, so naturally they won’t touch the crops. But without the taxes, they won’t just watch their families starve to death. My lord, what Taoyao Square is doing is just what a conscientious merchant should do, not worth reporting to the court. The people here need you to use your jade brush to write a petition, to strive for a livelihood for them."
"Miss Su, your ideas have greatly inspired me. Thank you today," County Magistrate Chen said. "You’re still a young girl; I won’t keep you for a meal, but once things settle, I’ll have my wife properly entertain you."
"You’re too kind, sir. It’s your dedication to the country and the people that’s truly commendable. If I can help alleviate your concerns, it’s my honor."
The official who came earlier escorted Su Yaoguang out, directly sending her to the academy. Upon arrival, they encountered Jiang Yihuan, who was pacing at the academy entrance.
"What did you do, to trouble the official to bring you back?" Jiang Yihuan said gleefully.
Su Yaoguang rolled her eyes, "Sorry to disappoint, the County Magistrate called me over to praise our Taoyao Square’s charitable deeds, no intention of giving me a hard time."
Jiang Yihuan pursed her lips, her smile insincere, "Is that so? Congratulations."
An unusual light flashed in her eyes.
Where on earth did Taoyao Square get their grain?
She cried to so many men, barely maintaining Fenghua Pavilion’s standards. Lately, with Taoyao Square distributing porridge and medicine, money flowed like water, she even suspected they had a Treasure Basin.
"But, instead of laughing at me, why not take good care of your Student Xiao? After all, the moment you’re not around, others might seize the opportunity."
"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Yihuan grew wary. "You have Zhou Wangshu, and you’re also interested in Brother Xiao?"
"Ugh, as if he’s worthy." Su Yaoguang snapped, "You’re so dull, talking to you is a waste of time. Can’t be bothered with you."
Jiang Yihuan was sure to be simmering with curiosity about what she meant. When she goes inside and finds out, there’s bound to be a good show.
After all, from what she’s observed, that Sister in law Wen isn’t a pushover either, afraid Xiao Yanci might be dealing with a wolf in sheep’s clothing this time.
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