Chapter 49: Fulin County Has Found a Rare Good Official

Han Dongsheng was still unwilling to let Hu Zhaodi suffer a loss, so he weighed the meat and handed over the silver.

Hu Zhaodi playfully complained as she accepted the silver, “I told you not to weigh it, yet you insisted.”

“Sister, it’s not easy for you to hunt in the mountains, risking your life to earn this silver. If I were to be so petty about such a small amount, I wouldn’t deserve to be your brother. Alright, leave the ox cart here; I’ll take you to see my uncle right now,” he replied.

Hu Zhaodi and Mr. Ji followed Han Dongsheng toward the county yamen.

The yamen wasn’t far from Fumanlou; it was only a short walk, about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

As they walked, Hu Zhaodi chatted with Han Dongsheng. “Brother Han, I want to buy a horse cart. It would be much faster to come to the county town from Dawai Village; the ox cart is just too slow. Can you help me find one?”

Han Dongsheng readily agreed. “Of course! I have friends who sell horse carts and horses; I might be able to get you a good price.”

“That would be wonderful! It really is a blessing to have a brother like you!” she exclaimed.

“Me? I only have a bit of influence here in Fulin County. Once we’re outside the county, no one recognizes me, Han Dongsheng,” he joked.

“You shouldn’t say that! Connections are built over time. With so many guests coming and going at Fumanlou every day, you must recognize a few of them,” she replied.

“I can recognize them, but they’re all just acquaintances; they’re not very useful,” he said.

“……”

The three of them chatted as they arrived at the county yamen. Han Dongsheng led Hu Zhaodi and Mr. Ji in through the back door.

Once inside the yamen’s courtyard, the servants, seeing Han Dongsheng, greeted him politely and quickly went to report to the county magistrate and his wife.

Before long, the county magistrate and his wife came out to meet them.

Hu Zhaodi and Mr. Ji stepped forward to pay their respects.

“There’s no need for formalities. This is the back courtyard; you can skip the pleasantries,” the county magistrate said hastily.

Hu Zhaodi took a step forward and presented the mountain chickens and wild rabbits. “Sir, these are what I caught in the mountains. If you don’t mind, please accept them and have a taste.”

“Absolutely not! You’ve worked hard to hunt in the mountains, and with the grain shortage these days, you should take these back to improve your living situation,” he replied.

Mr. Ji interjected, “Sir, please accept them! This is just a small token of gratitude from Zhaodi; it’s not right to take it back after coming all this way.”

“Alright then!” The county magistrate turned to his wife and whispered, “Dear, go get some silver for this child; she’s had a tough time.”

Hu Zhaodi quickly spoke up, “Sir, you can’t do that! You’re Brother Han elder, which makes you my elder too. It’s only right for juniors to show respect to their elders. If you insist on giving me silver, then I will leave right now.”

“Alright, alright, no silver. Come, let’s go inside and talk,” he said.

The three of them followed the county magistrate and his wife into the room, where she immediately instructed the servants to serve tea and snacks.

After they were seated, the county magistrate asked, “Child, you’ve come a long way to see me; what is it that you need?”

Hu Zhaodi, maintaining a respectful demeanor, smiled and said, “Sir, you truly have keen insight. I have come today with a request.”

“What is it? Please feel free to say,” he encouraged.

Hu Zhaodi continued, “Sir, I want to set aside a piece of land in Dawai Village to build a private school so that the children from our village and the surrounding areas can learn an education.

As you know, there are no private schools in our village or nearby; children who want to study have to travel all the way to the county town.

Not only is the journey long, but it also poses unknown dangers along the way.”

The county magistrate nodded, and Hu Zhaodi could see a glimmer of appreciation and admiration in his eyes.

“You’ve certainly thought this through, but you’re still just a young girl. Building a private school will require a significant amount of money. You’ve just bought a piece of land, and now you want to set aside more for the school. Do you have enough funds?”

“Sir, you can rest assured. I will find a way to come up with the funds. In our entire village, there are very few people who can read; life is hard for us! If more children can learn to read, they will have more opportunities in the future, right?”

The county magistrate nodded. “That makes sense. The key lies in finding the right teacher for the private school. Do you have anyone suitable in mind?”

Hu Zhaodi replied eagerly, “Yes, we have an old scholar in our village, and I’ve already talked to him.”

The county magistrate smiled. “That’s great! Child, establishing a private school is a wonderful thing for the country and the people. Since you’ve come to me, I won’t let you down. You can choose any piece of land to build on, and you won’t have to pay for it. If in the future, the private school needs to relocate or closes down, the government will reclaim that land. Do you have any objections?”

Hu Zhaodi’s face lit up with joy. “Of course, I have no objections. Thank you, sir!”

The county magistrate stood up. “You all rest for a moment and have some tea. I will draft the documents now, write it out in black and white, and then we can sign and seal it.”

“Alright, thank you, sir,” Hu Zhaodi replied.

“Thank you, sir!” Mr. Ji also rose to express his gratitude, his face beaming with happiness.

“Sit down, sit down! I’ll be back soon,” the county magistrate said before leaving the room and heading to his study.

As Hu Zhaodi watched the county magistrate’s departing figure, she silently rejoiced: Fulin County has found a rare good official!

The county magistrate treated Hu Zhaodi with such care for several reasons. First, he was truly a good official who cared for the people. Second, he could see that Hu Zhaodi was genuinely capable of managing this endeavor well. Lastly, he took into consideration the relationship with his wife’s nephew.

Han Dongsheng had a close relationship with the county magistrate’s family, and Hu Zhaodi was Han Dongsheng’s sworn sister. His nephew had also mentioned that the business at Fumanlou was thriving, thanks to this girl’s efforts.

Before long, the county magistrate returned with two copies of the agreement.

He worried that Hu Zhaodi might not know how to read, so he read the contents of the agreement aloud.

After listening, Hu Zhaodi reached for the document to sign, only to find that the county magistrate had already signed her name.

“Child, just press your seal here, and this document will take effect. We will each keep a copy,” the county magistrate said with a smile.

“Thank you, sir! You truly are a good official. I wish you good fortune and a long career,” Hu Zhaodi said gratefully.

The county magistrate laughed heartily, “Hahaha… I appreciate your kind words. If that’s the case, I’ll be able to do more for the people!”

“Indeed! May good people have peace and good fortune throughout their lives,” she replied.

The county magistrate brought out the ink pad and let Hu Zhaodi press her seal.

As she looked at the bright red government seal and her own impression on the document, Hu Zhaodi’s heart was filled with joy.

After collecting the agreement and bidding farewell to the county magistrate, Han Dongsheng took Hu Zhaodi and Mr. Ji to buy horses and a cart.

The seller of the horses and carts was named Wu Yinghai, and he and Han Dongsheng shared a deep bond.

As soon as they met, the two exchanged a friendly punch and shook hands tightly, both grinning with excitement.

Han Dongsheng introduced, “Brother Wu, this girl is Hu Zhaodi, my sworn sister. I brought her here to pick out a horse and a cart.”

“Zhaodi, this is my best friend Wu Yinghai. You can just call him Brother Wu,” he added.

Hu Zhaodi hurriedly greeted him politely, “Brother Wu, I’m sorry to trouble you.”