12dz Chapter 207 Shanghe Township
Chapter 207 Shanghe Township
Xie Tingwen and Chen Ping didn't care about the food at all and ate it with great satisfaction, which made the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were hiding in the kitchen feel a lot more at ease.
As the saying goes, when we eat and drink together, we have something to ask for.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Xie Tingwen and Chen Ping nodded in satisfaction, each picked up the teacup and took a sip to moisten their throats.
Lin You also quickly put down his chopsticks and gently waved behind him. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked out quickly and cleaned up the dishes.
After everything was done, Xie Tingwen looked at Lin You and said, "Lin Lizheng! Is there anything else you want to report?"
Lin You hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I have a favor to ask. The school in Xiahe Township has been in disrepair for a long time, and it is quite inconvenient for the children to study. I beg you to allocate funds for repairs."
Xie Tingwen frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he looked puzzled and said, "Doesn't the county school have a private school that is free? Why does Xiahe Township need to build a school?"
Seeing this, Sun Cheng on the side also hurriedly said: "Your Excellency, you don't know that Xiahe Township and Shanghe Township are not adjacent to the official road. It is quite inconvenient for this child to enter the private school."
"Oh!~"
Xie Tingwen looked at Lin You in surprise and asked, "How many children of school age are there in Xiahe Township now?"
Lin You was delighted when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Reporting to the adults! There are 32 children of school age in Xiahe Township, and there are 27 fewer in Shanghe Township."
With more than fifty students, the private school can accommodate them according to its scale. However, if another school is built in Xiahe Township, other villages will naturally complain.
Xie Tingwen did not reject Lin You's request. He raised his hand slightly and said, "Master Sun! Send someone to investigate the situation in Xiahe Township and Shanghe Township and see if the people are traveling properly."
"I obey your command." Sun Cheng leaned forward and responded hurriedly.
Ever since Xie Tingwen used his thunderous means to kill many people, the entire criminal court has become useless. Not only is there no murder case in the county court, even petty thefts are dragged away by Cao Zhen to make ice.
All the clerks in the Criminal Court were transferred to the Household Court to assist, and even the prison was guarded by an old man in his fifties who cleaned the cobwebs every day and had nothing to do.
As the head of the Criminal Court, he has now become Xie Tingwen's advisor, cooperating with Xie Tingwen in handling the internal affairs of the court.
After hearing about Xie Tingwen's arrangement, Lin You thanked him repeatedly with tears in his eyes.
After the banquet, Xie Tingwen and the others rested for the night in Lin's house. The next morning, everyone got up early and followed Sun Cheng's instructions to continue their inspection of Shanghe Township.
Standing in the fields of Shanghe Township, Xie Tingwen got a general idea by referring to the "Fish Scale Atlas".
Compared with Xiahe Township, Shanghe Township's location is even more miserable. Although it occupies the upper reaches of the water source, it has no way to intercept the river water.
"Sir! The Red River runs through Shanghe Township, Qili Township, and Xiahe Township. The best farmland is in Qili Township, followed by Xiahe Township. Although Shanghe Township has abundant water resources, the terrain is steep and there is no way for water to flow back, so it is relatively barren." Sun Cheng bowed his head and said.
Xie Tingwen looked at the endlessly flowing river and lamented helplessly, "What a pity! Such a good source of water cannot be used."
"There are towering rocks on both sides, and the fields are on high ground. If we want to bring water up, I'm afraid we can only use a water truck." Chen Ping said softly.
Just as several people were sighing, an old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked up quickly, leaned over and said, "I am Wu Yang, the head of Shanghe Township, and I am honored to meet you, Mr. Xie."
"Wu Lizheng, please get up quickly."
As Xie Tingwen spoke, he took a half step forward and said through the air, "Wu Lizheng! Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard. This is what I should do." Wu Yang bowed.
Sun Cheng hurriedly took a half step back and made room for himself.
Wu Yang understood and nodded slightly as a thank you. He took a step forward and said, "Thank you for coming here today. It brings honor to Shanghe Township. I..."
"Okay, no need to be polite."
Xie Tingwen raised his hand to interrupt Wu Yang and pointed to the red river in the mountain stream: "Wu Lizheng! The farmland in our Shanghe Township is built on the mountain, why don't you reclaim the land at the foot of the mountain?"
Following the direction pointed by Xie Tingwen, Wu Yang squinted his eyes and looked around. He immediately understood and said, "Sir! That is the flood discharge outlet I prepared for Xiahe Township and Qili Township."
"Yeah!~"
Xie Zhenghong looked puzzled and asked, "Wu Lizheng! What do you mean?"
"My Lord, Rong Bing!"
Wu Yang stroked his hand, pointed to the direction of the Red River in the mountain stream and said, "Every time the rainy season comes, the water level of the Red River rises sharply. If I don't divert the river water to that location and gather it in the valley to slow down the flow, Xiahe Township and Qili Township will definitely suffer."
"Wu Lizheng is a very kind person!" Sun Cheng stroked his hand respectfully.
"Master Sun, thank you for your compliment."
Wu Yang bowed his head in shame and replied, "Shanghe Township has a population of only 520 people and more than 140 households. The land on the mountain is enough. As for the low-lying land at the foot of the mountain, although it is fertile, the mountain torrents have caused only one tenth of the food to survive, and no one has risked planting there since then."
Listening to Wu Yang's introduction, Sun Cheng looked at the gap in the distance and the gravel prepared on the mountain, and he knew that these were used to block the river.
He was also grateful for Wu Yang's righteousness, and stroked his hand and said: "On behalf of the people of Qili Township and Xiahe Township, I thank Wu Lizheng for his righteousness."
"Your Excellency does not need to do that."
Wu Yang waved his hands repeatedly, feeling a little embarrassed, and said, "These are nothing. After all, in terms of taxation, Qili Township and Xiahe Township paid half of the tax, and everyone just took what they needed."
Everyone suddenly realized what was going on when they heard this, but what Wu Yang did also made everyone admire him. Although such a careless move resulted in an exchange, Shanghe Township ultimately gave up more.
Xie Tingwen looked at the waterway at the foot of the mountain again: "Wu Lizheng! Do you rely on this to get water during the busy farming season?"
"There is a lot of land on the mountain, and this waterwheel can only be used in low-lying areas. Most people rely on carrying water up the mountain." Wu Yang sighed.
After decades of this, the people of Shanghe Township have gotten used to it. If it weren't for the government's strict control over household registration, many people would have already migrated.
Although it is close to the Red River, mountain rivers are difficult to control. You may see the sun shining brightly one moment and a flood the next.
Xie Tingwen didn't have any better idea for a while, so they went down the mountain. Just as they stepped into the mountain path at the end, Xie Tingwen suddenly felt something.
"Wu Lizheng! What's on the other side of this mountain?"
Wu Yang looked back after hearing this and said with a smile, "Sir! Go around from the front, there is a small path that winds up the mountain. It will take five days to reach the Yuanzhou official road."
"How are the roads?"
Wu Yang shook his head and said, "The mountain road is rugged and only mules can walk on it."
After hearing Wu Yang's words, Xie Tingwen suddenly thought of Xie Shuting for some reason. She shook her head secretly and followed everyone to Wu Yang's home.
"Ahhh!" Xie Shuting rubbed her sore nose and sneezed twice in a row.
Lian Xi, who was standing by, walked forward with concern and touched Xie Shuting's forehead. Seeing that his young lady showed no signs of fever, he felt relieved.
But he turned around and asked the kitchen to prepare ginger tea in case Xie Shuting caught a cold at night.