Chapter 233: Thoughts

The voice trembling slightly belonged to Old Man Lu.

When he spoke, several people responded, “Yes, we’ve encountered good officials and a good government.”

Those years were truly harsh, with layers of exploitation; they had only seen wicked officials who would even seize the life-saving food, never had they seen officials and their families taking out their own possessions to aid the common people.

Those who had experienced hardship, like Mrs. Che and Mrs. Lu, even wiped their eyes. Mrs. Che smiled, “The good days have come; from now on, everything will be good.”

The official, who was also an ordinary person, understood the sentiments of the crowd. When the discussions quieted down a bit, he said with a smile, “Alright, that’s all for today. You should choose your village chief and, once chosen, go there early. The earlier you go, the better your chance of being selected first.”

The livestock, having traveled a long distance, weren’t all in perfect condition, so it was better to select the best ones and sell them earlier. It was definitely better to take care of them here rather than in the shabby sheds outside their office warehouse.

Of course, he wouldn’t say this outright. The official looked at the crowd and asked, “Is there anything else you don’t understand?”

Naturally, there were questions. Aside from the price of the ox, people were also curious about the price of poultry and grain, asking one after another.

The official had evidently done his homework before arriving. For every question, there was an answer. Poultry prices were not that low, at least they were relatively on par with the current rice and meat prices. It was clear that the governor’s wife had taken into account the farmers’ spring plowing, so the oxen were indeed well taken care of.

After the official left, the gathered people remained, discussing the price of the ox.

Or rather, they were discussing the governor and the governor’s wife.

Having spoken with the governor up close, and being a fellow townsman of sorts, Sang Luo was naturally asked about his thoughts.

Sang Luo said, “Being a fellow townsman is a bit of an exaggeration. But looking at our governor and his wife, they truly care about the people. It’s a blessing for us in She Prefecture.”

“You might think the price of the ox was taken care of by the governor’s wife, but in my view, the poultry and seeds were all looked after by the governor and his wife.”

The crowd didn’t fully understand but felt that the governor and his wife were good people, nodding in agreement and expressing their praise.

Sang Luo smiled, and Shopkeeper Xu helped explain, saying, “Sang Luo is right. Our governor is from the Zeng family of Taiyuan, and the governor’s wife is from the Fan family of Chenliu. Taiyuan is a thousand miles away from us, and Chenliu is also not nearby. Whether the items were transported from Taiyuan or Chenliu, not to mention their intrinsic value, the transportation costs alone are considerable.”

The cost was indeed comparable to doing a good deed.

Old Man Chen and Old Man Lu only then realized.

Indeed, when they were conscripted to repair the levees and transport grain back then, they carried enough provisions, and with Shopkeeper Xu’s mention of a thousand miles, they finally understood Sang Luo’s statement clearly.

A wave of emotion followed.

…

Regarding the appointment of the village chief, the consensus was to wait for Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, and Shi Dalang to return before making a decision. So, the discussion turned to buying the ox.

Only one ox could be bought per village, so this wasn’t just the Xu family’s affair but required input from each household.

An ox cost fifteen taels. In the village, there were nine or possibly ten households, including Lu Dalang, who hadn’t returned yet. If the cost was divided equally, each household would contribute slightly more than one tael.

Previously, families like the Shi and Lu families might not have been able to afford it, but since they had just started working with the government and each earned seven and a half taels, and with Chen Dashan’s return, each person would earn another five taels, the money was indeed manageable.

The purchase of the ox was decided.

Chen family, Shi family, and Zhou family, not to mention Uncle Xu and Wei Qinghe, with Uncle Xu’s share covered by Shopkeeper Xu, and Wei Qinghe, whose family’s belongings were returned in full by the Wang family, also had some funds, so they would buy it too.

The Shen brothers were also in, having grain and poultry but lacking money. Sang Luo patted his head and told Shopkeeper Xu, “We’ll also buy for our family and Xiao Jin’s family.”

The price was one tael and five cents of silver. Shen Jin, who knew how to count, looked at Sang Luo reflexively. Sang Luo said, “I’ll advance the money for you, and you can pay me back later.”

As for the Lu family, Old Man Lu pondered and said, “We’ll contribute two shares, paying one for the elder branch.”

Though the person hadn’t been brought out yet, and their safety was uncertain, the household registration and land distribution had already been coordinated with the magistrate and would fall to Daxing Village. The old couple hoped for their children and grandchildren’s safety. second son, third son, and Dashan had helped with the defenses, and the ropes had been learned from Shen Lie. Old Man Lu didn’t dare to hope for more and only wished for their safe return.

Therefore, he decided to advance the money for the elder branch as a good omen.

Shopkeeper Xu said, “So, with ten households, each contributing one tael and five cents of silver, once the village chief is selected later, bring the silver to the office.”

…

Sang Luo returned home first, watered the soaked tree bark, and continued copying books with the bamboo slips.

Shen Lie and Shen Anxi had just returned home. Afraid of having the smell of blood, they washed their hands outside for a while before entering. They didn’t dare get too close to Sang Luo. Shen Lie took out the money bag from his chest and gave it to Sang Luo, saying, “We sold five taels and seven cents of silver. Keep it.”

He asked Sang Luo, “Did the official come by?”

Sang Luo looked at him and replied, “You know about it too?”

Shen Lie nodded, “I went to the yamen earlier and saw the notice at the gate.”

Sang Luo said, “Then you don’t need to give me the money now. You should keep it. The poultry and livestock brought by the governor’s wife will be sold to the people at a low price. In our village, with nine households plus Lu’s elder branch, we need to buy one ox together. Our share is one tael and five cents of silver. I’ve promised to advance the money for Xiao Jin’s share as well, so that makes it three taels.”

“I was thinking of buying a goose too. Bring some extra money this afternoon. If you can buy chickens and ducks as well, see if you can trade them for a goose.”

Raising geese in the mountains, along with chickens and rabbits, is quite useful. Geese can drive away weasels and other pests, making them very valuable.

Hearing this, Shen Lie nodded and took back the money pouch. He saw Sang Luo copying a book and hesitated for a moment before asking, “The book given by the former governor—do you think it can be copied and shared?”

Sang Luo paused in her writing and turned to look at him. “Are you thinking of copying it for Wei Qinghe, Wen Zheng, and the Xu family?”

Shen Lie nodded, “The books we’ve read in recent years were also copied by Yun Zheng. As for Qinghe, I won’t mention it, but Yun Zheng’s talent is truly exceptional. With this half-volume of annotations, I believe his future path could be even better. But I heard you say that the Zeng family’s book is extraordinary. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to let them copy it.”

It wasn’t his own possession, and the book was important to the Zeng family, so Shen Lie was unsure.

Sang Luo had thought about this issue. Coming from modern times, she valued the dissemination of knowledge over monopolization. Over the past days, she and Shen Ning had each been copying a book—partly because scrolls are easily damaged, and she wanted to provide Shen Lie and Shen An with a bamboo slip manuscript; partly because the process of copying was a thorough reading in itself.

Although she hadn’t explicitly planned to share it, she intended to continue teaching the village children once she had read through the book herself.

The idea of directly copying and sending it out was something she hadn’t dared to consider, perhaps due to a subconscious avoidance, understanding how significant the book was to the Zeng family.

She thought more about letting Shen Lie discuss some insights and knowledge from the book with Wang Yunzheng and others, thereby transmitting the information.

Now that Shen Lie had brought it up, she thought about it and found it somewhat amusing. The village children might be better suited for gradual instruction, and not every child was fit for such advanced material. Tailoring the teaching to individual needs was most suitable. Wang Yunzheng and others, however, didn’t need such indirect methods, as the results would be the same.

With this realization, she felt relieved.

“Go ahead and give them the copies I’ve already made, and clarify the origin of the book. As for the former governor, I had some concerns before, but now it seems we may have underestimated him. Since he gave out the book and didn’t specify that it shouldn’t be shared, he probably doesn’t mind. Perhaps in the future, I might be able to return a favor to him.”

Shen Lie looked at Sang Luo and asked, “You mean…”

The specific document Shen Lie referred to wasn’t mentioned, but he had seen the two bamboo slips that Sang Luo kept. One contained records of different paper-making methods and the resulting paper samples, and the other was about various improvements to these methods.

Although she didn’t have a secure space for further experimentation, she had continued to consider various ideas and calculations. Shen Lie had even witnessed Sang Luo pressing the paper to make it smoother, similar to pressing tofu.

He showed signs of nervousness, not because he was reluctant to part with the paper-making formula, but because it was a sensitive matter.

Sang Luo understood his concern and shook her head, “Not necessarily, and not right now. Let’s see. I have a sense of it.”

Before today, she hadn’t entertained such an idea, but now… she would need more time to see.

Sang Luo was very clear that people must live by the rules of their social status, especially in an era where lives were as insignificant as grass before power.

Overstepping boundaries could sometimes lead only to disaster.

Before Shen Lie and Shen An had sufficient status, she could be a farmer or a small businesswoman, but she mustn’t reveal too much of her talent, as she lacked the foundation to withstand strong winds.