12dz Chapter 1492 Good heavens, if I could have made it, I would have done it long ago.
Chapter 1492 Good heavens, if I could have made it, I would have done it long ago.
As the autumn harvest approaches, the labor service comes to an end.
County Magistrate Wang presented the work report.
Sun Shan led a group of yamen runners to inspect the goods.
Seeing this, Uncle Sun rushed out anxiously: "Shanzi, Uncle is going too."
There was no other reason than that being locked up in the government office was just too boring.
Last time, Sun Shan promised to take him hiking, but what happened? He broke his promise with the excuse of being "busy with official business," which infuriated Uncle Sun.
However, Su Shi and Yun Jie'er secretly went to the City God Temple to play, which made Uncle Sun even more upset.
Sun Shan raised an eyebrow, about to refuse, but then he thought that his Uncle Sun San was an old farmer and it would be good for him to come along for the inspection, so he agreed.
Uncle Sun was all smiles as he led the officials to the front, a cunning and treacherous petty official who was a menace to the village.
As Magistrate Wang watched Sun Shan's departing figure, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
I had said before that I would personally inspect it, but at first I didn't take it seriously. After thinking about it, I realized I had to take it seriously in the end.
Sun Shan was a very meticulous person. He said that if he said he would inspect the work, he would really do it. So he gave orders to the team leaders and officers not to slack off and to work carefully. Whoever was in charge of a project would be held accountable if there was a problem.
The team leader was in agony.
It's hot outside, and you have to keep an eye on things the whole time. Even if you don't have to dig, it's still exhausting.
Helpless against orders from above, I had no choice but to bury myself in hard work.
The officials gave Magistrate Wang a severe scolding and cursed him, saying he was impotent and that his concubines and mistresses in the backyard would never be able to enjoy their company.
Everyone in Yuanlu County knew that Magistrate Wang liked to take concubines. His harem was filled with beautiful women, which was a real thorn in Madam Wang's side.
The couple often argued and fought about this.
The officials then thought of Magistrate Sun's backyard, comparing it to Magistrate Wang's backyard—the difference was like night and day.
The backyard of Magistrate Sun was eerily quiet, lonely, and bored.
I wonder if Lord Sun is impotent, which is why he only has one wife. Or perhaps his wife is too powerful, and Lord Sun, who lives off her, doesn't dare to act recklessly.
Despite the leader's complaints, the work still had to be done.
After enduring so much, the service period finally came to an end, and Magistrate Sun came to inspect the troops.
Sun Shan walked through the countryside and, according to the plan, conducted random sampling and testing.
It's impossible for each village to be inspected by a single village head.
Uncle Sun looked at the irrigation canal, which had been repaired neatly and cleanly.
He praised, "Shanzi, the people of Yuanlu County are quite good at their work. This irrigation canal is deep and wide enough, and it's been built neatly. It should last for three to five years."
Sun Shan took a look and saw that the laborers hadn't been slacking off or just doing a perfunctory job; the repairs were indeed quite good.
It's a pity that it's only repaired in its original state; it can't stay intact for eight or ten years.
Unfortunately, there is no cement here, so we cannot build a cement irrigation canal.
We do have sand and gravel, but they are expensive, and we have to transport them from other places. We don't even have the financial resources to build a stone canal.
Sun Shan examined it carefully and concluded that such a simple irrigation canal was good enough to be repaired every two years and overhauled every five years; the worst thing was that it needed to be repaired every year.
Watching the water flow by, even the simplest repairs are better than none at all.
After inspecting the irrigation ditch, Sun Shan immediately noticed that the crops in the field were bent over by the weight of the rice stalks, and they would be ready for harvest in another ten days or so.
Looking at the endless rice paddies, Sun Shan's mood improved.
Sun Shan approached an old farmer who was irrigating the house and greeted him: "Greetings, sir."
The elderly man with white hair looked up and recognized Sun Shan at a glance.
He quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Lord Sun, this humble subject pays his respects."
Don't ask the old man why he could recognize Sun Shan at a glance; it's simply because Lord Sun is so special that once you've seen him, it's hard not to recognize him.
The old man lived not far from the county town and occasionally went there to sell vegetables. Recently, he was just a bystander in the "heir selection case."
Lord Sun was the thinnest, shortest, and youngest official he had ever seen, yet he looked much older than his age. He was so unique that he stood out among a group of yamen runners.
Sun Shan smiled and asked, "Old man, the millet has turned golden yellow and is almost ripe. It will be ready for harvest in about ten days. It would be best to harvest it as soon as possible while the weather is good."
The old man nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Sir, I understand. I came to irrigate the fields early this morning, and once the water dries up, we can harvest. Hehe, sir, Master Zhang said the weather will be good soon, and we'll have another bumper harvest this season."
Sun Shan's mouth twitched.
The Taoist priest Zhang was there to tell De Ge'er, who was traveling as a merchant, that everything would go smoothly.
I don't know how the rumor started, but it got around to the idea that there would be no rain during the autumn harvest in Yuanlu County, making it another harvest season with favorable weather.
When Sun Shan first heard Granny Wang gossiping, he thought it was just a small-scale spread, but he didn't expect it to have already spread throughout the countryside.
The old man's village is not far from Yuanlu County, but it's not close either. There's also a legend about Master Zhang here.
Sun Shan smiled slightly and nodded gently: "Old man, did you use bird droppings fertilizer in the first half of the year?"
The old man nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, sir, all of my land has been used."
He paused, then added, "We used the late-season rice too. How could we not use something so good?"
Sun Shan looked at the old man with admiration, surprised that he was such a wise old man. He then asked, "Is there anyone else in the village who doesn't have any household items?"
The old man shook his head: "Sir, it would be foolish not to use it. If it's clearly a good thing and you don't use it, haha, you'll be laughed at."
Then he added, "Sir, this bird droppings fertilizer is a good thing. It can fertilize the land and make the grain grow better. Sir, you are very clever to have come up with this fertilizer."
Sun Shan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "What I did was insignificant. I just hope that more grain can grow in the fields."
The old man pressed on, "Sir, you're so clever, could you make some pesticide? The crops in the field are constantly being bitten by insects. We could have harvested five more bushels of rice, but because of the pests, the yield has decreased, and we can only harvest three bushels."
"Sir, you're well-read and a gentleman; your mind surely works faster than an outsider's. Sir, think of a way! Get some pesticide; one spray and the bugs will die, and our crops won't be eaten by them..."
The old man's cloudy eyes shone brightly as he looked at Sun Shan with hopeful anticipation.
Sun Shan: ......
Good heavens! If I could do it, I would have done it long ago. Why would I need to keep urging you to do it?
Sun Shan dared not tell the truth, as it would make him lose face, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep smiling.
He replied gently, "Sir, the medicine is a bit difficult to make. The government has been working on it for a while, and it won't be ready in a short time. Please be patient."
Upon hearing this, the old man revealed his only two teeth.
He chuckled and said, "This humble servant knew it. You must know how to make the medicine, sir. Sir, please hurry up and get it ready so we can use it sooner. I'm waiting for your medicine, sir."
Without saying a word, Sun Shan casually inspected the irrigation canal and hurriedly ran away, hoping not to run into the old man again.