Chapter 174: Seeking the County Magistrate

Ye Xin Ran smiled and looked at the crowd, saying, “I’m not charging any money. This is just to show my gratitude to all of you.”

“Oh? You’re not charging any money?”

“How can that be! When we helped the Xiao family build their house, we were paid for our work, so it wasn’t really a favor!”

“Exactly, if we’re to express thanks, it should be us thanking you, Madam Ye!”

Seeing that everyone understood the situation, the village head felt quite pleased.

“That’s a contribution from the Xiao family to our village!”

He continued, “As I’ve said before, the village’s ancestral hall will always reserve a spot for you two!”

“Good people, truly good people!”

“Yes! We’ve all benefited from Madam Ye’s kindness!”

The village head, looking at the cheerful villagers, was filled with pride and said, “Look at their grace, with Madam Ye here, our villagers are truly fortunate!”

“How does this threshing machine work, though?”

“Uncle Li Zheng, this is such a precious thing. What if it gets damaged?”

The crowd gathered around the threshing machine, chattering away, each wanting to touch this new and intriguing object.

The village head looked at everyone and said, “The weather is getting colder, and most of you have finished your work at home. Tomorrow, each family should send someone to learn how to use this threshing machine.”

He paused, then asked Ye Xin Ran for her opinion, “Madam Ye, would you kindly teach us how to use this machine tomorrow?”

Ye Xin Ran nodded, “Sure.”

“Great!” the village head said. “The machine will be placed in my yard. If anyone wants to use it, just bring your rice to my place. By next year, we’ll move the machine to the fields, and everyone can take turns using it, making it much more convenient.”

“Everyone, listen to Uncle Li Zheng!”

No one objected to the village head’s plan.

“Madam Ye, thank you for your hard work!”

“Yes, Madam Ye, don’t hesitate to ask us for help with any work at your place, we’ll be happy to assist!”

“Exactly! We wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t help out!”

“It’s just a small favor, no need to worry about it,” Ye Xin Ran said.

Once the crowd had dispersed, the village head looked at Ye Xin Ran and, after a moment of hesitation, asked:

“Xin Ran, I’ve lived so many years and this is the first time I’ve seen such a threshing machine. You know, this thing is so useful, do you think I could mention it to the county magistrate? Perhaps he could take a look and maybe promote it in the county town.

We all farm here, and every year, we have to wake up early and work late into the night at this time. If we had something like this, it could save a lot of effort!”

Ye Xin Ran smiled and said, “Uncle Li Zheng, I thought of that too. The purpose of making this thing is to help people. There’s no need for us to hide it. You can go talk to the county magistrate when you have time.”

After the last incident, Ye Xin Ran’s impression of Qiao Zheng Shan had worsened, but he was still the county magistrate, the governing official of Yun Tong County. As villagers living here, it would be difficult to avoid dealing with him when matters arise.

However, Ye Xin Ran didn’t plan to get involved herself. She was fine with leaving it to the village head to handle.

“Alright, with your permission, I’m clear on what to do!” The village head was already making up his mind.

The next day, Ye Xin Ran went to the village head’s house to demonstrate how the threshing machine worked and explained all the precautions.

Everyone learned quickly because it was so simple to use. As they practiced, they got the hang of it in no time.

By the afternoon, villagers started bringing their rice to the village head’s house to use the machine. What was originally meant to be a task to finish before winter was done in just one afternoon with the machine.

The threshing machine also separated the rice grains from the empty husks, saving them even more trouble.

The villagers increasingly appreciated how useful the machine was.

When they heard that it was Ye Xin Ran’s brother who had arranged for it to be made, they were so impressed that when Lu Chang Qing returned home, they all greeted him with unusual enthusiasm.

“Young Master Lu, you’re home from school!”

“Young Master Lu, you’re back early today!”

Lu Chang Qing was both surprised and flattered.

He responded awkwardly to their warm greetings.

When he got home, he immediately reported to Ye Xin Ran: “Sister, what’s going on with the villagers today? Why is everyone talking to me? Did you say something to them?”

“It’s not that at all!”

At that moment, Ye Xin Ran was setting the table and urging him to wash his hands. She said, “The villagers are simple and straightforward. Whoever treats them well, they’ll treat in kind. They’re thanking you for making that threshing machine for them!”

“But sister, wasn’t it your idea?”

Lu Chang Qing didn’t want to take credit.

Ye Xin Ran responded seriously, “The blue print was drawn by you, and the machine was made by someone you found. How can I take the credit? I only gave you the idea.”

Lu Chang Qing wanted to argue, but Ye Xin Ran continued, “Besides, I don’t want any fame. If anything comes up in the future regarding this, you’ll be the one to handle it.”

Lu Chang Qing knew his sister didn’t like to be in the spotlight, so he agreed.

“This thing is simple, and the villagers can exchange ideas among themselves. There probably won’t be anything that requires us to step in.”

He thought simply.

However, the village head was thinking ahead.

The next day, the village head went to the county office to report the threshing machine matter to County Magistrate Qiao.

Magistrate Qiao wasn’t good at making judgments, but he cared about the well-being of the people, especially when it concerned his future achievements.

After hearing the village head’s report, he became interested immediately.

“What does the threshing machine look like? Did you bring it today?”

The village head shook his head. “It’s too heavy, I couldn’t bring it.”

Magistrate Qiao sighed, “You didn’t bring it, and now you can’t even explain what it looks like? Why did you come to talk to me about it?”

Seeing the village head’s innocent expression, he reluctantly said, “Fine, tomorrow I’ll send someone to your village to get it.”

The village head quickly refused. “That won’t do!”

“Why not?” Magistrate Qiao was confused.

“Right now, the villagers are using that threshing machine! If we move it to the county office, won’t the work in the village come to a halt?”

Magistrate Qiao slammed his hand on the desk angrily. “You old fox! You won’t agree to anything unless I go to your village in person, right?!”

The village head lowered his head and muttered softly, “I didn’t want to trouble you with such a trip. If you’re not in a hurry, you could wait until later to see it.”

Magistrate Qiao knew Zhang Ya Suo’s personality.

He had more than ten villages under his jurisdiction, and more than half of the village heads were old acquaintances. Everyone respected him, but this Zhang Ya Suo not only dared to owe him money, he even had the nerve to ask him to visit the village.

Although Magistrate Qiao appeared calm on the surface, deep down he thought, “He must have something up his sleeve!”

But there was nothing he could do, he was interested in the threshing machine!