jdhmnovel Chapter 570 Benefiting Future Generations
Chapter 570 Benefiting Future Generations
Chapter 570 Benefiting Future Generations
Like all outsiders, Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang were both curious and amazed by everything in Hanshan along the way.
Take the road we're walking on right now, for example. It's paved entirely with neat, large brick-sized stones. How much money must that have cost!
As night fell, Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang discussed that although they were almost at Hanshan City, the city gates would probably be closed by the time they arrived. So the two decided to find a village to stay in for the night.
It was the first time the two had been to Hanshan. They were unfamiliar with the place and didn't know where the nearby villages were. Just then, an old man driving an oxcart came from the opposite direction, and the two quickly urged their horses to go up to him.
Hou Fangyu cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "Uncle, could you tell me how to get to the nearby villages? It's getting late, and we'd like to stay the night."
The old man sized up Hou Fangyu and his companion, then asked with a smile, "Is this your first time visiting Hanshan, gentlemen?"
"This is truly our first time visiting Hanshan," Hou Fangyu nodded.
The old man smiled and said, "The village isn't far, it's only three miles ahead, but I don't want you to stay here."
Hou Fangyu quickly took out a few coins and said with a smile, "Don't worry, sir, we are not people who eat and stay for free."
The old man quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant! It’s only about 20 li from here to the city. You can get there in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn on horseback. There’s no need to stay overnight in our village. Although our village is better off now, there are only some elderly people left. We don’t usually cook. We eat our fill in the city and then walk home. As the elders say, ‘Walk a hundred steps after a meal, and you’ll live to ninety-nine.’ It helps with digestion and also keeps you healthy.”
The old man's words contained a lot of information.
Hou Fangyu thought about it and felt that the old man was talking nonsense. Logically speaking, the simple and honest villagers should not be like this. Could it be that they were forced to not tell the truth by Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog?
Hou Fangyu asked, "Why are there no young people in the village? Where have they gone?"
The old man said with a wry smile, "All the young people have gone to the city. It's easy to make money in the city, and life is comfortable. Now, what young people would stay in the village?"
"Huh?" Mao Xiang asked in surprise, "All the young people have gone out, leaving the land to the elderly to cultivate?"
The old man smiled and said, "During the busy farming season, everyone comes back to help, and the adults also send people from labor camps and orphanages to help. It's much easier than before."
"Oh?" Mao Xiang said with a smile, "Li Decheng, Lord Li, is truly an honest official who loves the people like his own children!"
The old man shook his head vigorously, saying, "Li Decheng is nothing! He only causes trouble for the officials. In Hanshan, when people talk about officials, they are referring to Wang Wenzhou and Wang Qingtian."
"Pfft..." Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang were completely dumbfounded. This old man actually called Wang Wenzhou "Wang Qingtian"? Are you kidding me!
Mao Xiang said softly, "Brother Hou, is this person sent by that mad dog Wang Wenzhou? We filled out the forms, so Wang Wenzhou probably already knows that you and I have come to Hanshan."
Hou Fangyu nodded and said, "Don't worry, many people in the Fushe know we've come to Hanshan. If something happens to us, it will definitely be because of Wang Wenzhou. Even if we die, everyone will see Wang Wenzhou's true colors."
Mao Xiang nodded solemnly. He understood Hou Fangyu's meaning. Wang Wenzhou had sent this old man to speak well of him, obviously to deceive them. But if they saw through Wang Wenzhou's deception, their lives would be in danger. However, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and for justice, Mao Xiang also decided to die a heroic death, just like his good brother Hou Fangyu.
The old man glanced at the sky and said, "You should continue on your way. It's not that I don't want you to stay the night, but it's just too much of a burden for you. I have to get back to work."
"Hmm?" Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement. They wanted to see what kind of work this old man did, since it was so late.
Hou Fangyu smiled and said, "Uncle, it's fate that we met. We're really sorry to have taken up your time. What can we do for you? We'll help you out."
"Haha!" the old man said with a laugh, "I can tell from your appearance that you two young men are well-educated and know proper etiquette. Well, since I have to go back to the city after I finish my work today, if you help me, I'll treat you to a meal when we get to the city."
"Thank you, sir." Hou Fangyu really wanted to see what the old man was up to. It was getting dark, and every city would have a curfew, so the city gates definitely wouldn't be open. Yet the old man kept inviting them into the city for dinner. Was he trying to fool him like a three-year-old?
The old man led the two men for a while, then stopped the oxcart and said, "This is the place. I'm in charge of the streetlights for the next mile from here."
Streetlights? Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang were completely baffled.
The old man pulled back the cloth on the oxcart, and Hou Fangyu could then see that there was a large water bucket in the cart.
The old man picked up a wooden pole, lifted it up, and used the hook on the pole to remove the streetlight from the pole.
Hou Fangyu finally understood; it turned out that the light was a street lamp.
Hou Fangyu asked in confusion, "These so-called streetlights, are they on every road?"
The old man opened the water pipe on the wooden bucket, filled it with lamp oil, then lit the street lamp, hung it up, and said with a smile, "Yes, there are street lamps on all the roads in Hanshan. Even in the villages, there are a few street lamps at the entrance."
Hou Fangyu was dumbfounded. "Old man, are you bragging?" Hou Fangyu was from an official family and wasn't unfamiliar with oil lamps. The key was that in the Ming Dynasty, nighttime lighting was a luxury. Ordinary families would usually wash up and go to sleep as soon as it got dark. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the story of "carving a hole in the wall to steal light."
"Pat pat!" Mao Xiang patted Hou Fangyu on the shoulder and pointed ahead.
Hou Fangyu looked up and could vaguely see people hanging streetlights not far away. When Hou Fangyu looked back, he saw that there were also people hanging streetlights behind him.
Hou Fangyu asked in surprise, "How much silver would that cost?"
The old man shook his head and said, "To be honest, I don't know how much it will cost. In fact, some people objected at first, saying it was too extravagant. But the officials said that as long as it makes life convenient for the people, it's worth it no matter how much money it costs."
"Pfft..." Hou Fangyu was completely dumbfounded. Could Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, really say something like that? Okay, Wang Wenzhou is a liar, so it's not unreasonable for him to say anything, but could he really do it?
The old man rambled on, saying, "However, I heard that it cost a lot of money to repair the road."
"Clap clap!" The old man stamped his foot and said with a smile, "You can see it too, right? The roads in Hanshan are paved with the finest stone. I heard that it costs a thousand taels of silver per mile."
"Huh?" Hou Fangyu was dumbfounded. What kind of road is this? Is this a road paved with stones? This is a road paved with gold! Wang Wenzhou really had ulterior motives. He was too cunning. He not only won the hearts of the people by building the road, but also made a lot of money from it.
The old man laughed and said, "At first, I didn't believe it either, that a mile could cost so much money. Later, when the road was built to the entrance of our village, I saw the stones used for the road construction, and I realized that a thousand taels wasn't much."
The old man stretched out his arms and gestured, "These stones on the ground look like stones, but they are actually stone strips more than a meter long. When building a road, we first dig a pit more than a meter deep, and then plant the stone strips in it."
"Huh?" Hou Fangyu swallowed hard. Was Wang Wenzhou out of his mind? Was this road construction? This was practically throwing money away!
The old man continued, "Later I heard them say that many people were worried about the money and asked the magistrate why the road was repaired in this way. The magistrate said that repairing a road is not easy, and since we are going to repair it, we should repair it well. We are not afraid of the money and we want to benefit our descendants. Even if people walk on such long stone slabs and carts wear them down, our descendants will not need any repairs a hundred years from now and they can still use them without any need for repairs."
Hou Fangyu immediately felt a deep respect for Wang Wenzhou.