jdhmnovel Chapter 183 Damn it, these unruly commoners...
Chapter 183 Damn it, these unruly commoners...
Magistrate Yang originally thought he would be spending the New Year alone.
After all, he doesn't have any relatives. Before he grows powerful enough, or before he turns against Old Zhu and fights to the death, he probably won't have any members of his nine clans appearing.
If you want to experience the warmth of the Lunar New Year and the reunion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, you'll have to wait until Jin'er and Yu'er get married.
So, what are Jin'er and Yu'er doing in the capital right now?
Is he helping Empress Ma make dumplings?
Those two Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San are probably going to cause trouble again, and they might get a beating from Lao Deng.
By the way, how old is the fourth child now?
He seems to be a little over a year younger than Zhu Laosan, so he should be even more mischievous and deserving of a beating.
By the way, what kind of dumplings do Lao Deng and his mother-in-law like to eat?
Otherwise, we should try to persuade Lao Chang to go and fight Hu Yuan, and steal more cattle. Otherwise, when will I ever be able to eat beef and scallion dumplings and Huainan beef soup?
No, the vermicelli in Huainan beef soup seems to be sweet potato vermicelli. Shouldn't we first persuade Lao Deng to build some ships, then send people to sail through the Bering Strait and Alaska, all the way south along the Canada Strait to search for the descendants of the Shang Dynasty, and then bring back all the crops such as corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes?
Corn and pork filling wontons seem pretty good too.
With these messy thoughts in mind, Magistrate Yang got up and added incense to the altar where his parents' memorial tablets were placed. Then he returned to the table where the food was laid out and started making tea.
Just bear with it a little longer, just bear with it a little longer. Once Old Deng marries Jin'er and Yu'er into the family, I won't be a single dog anymore, and I won't have to spend the New Year alone anymore.
Tsk tsk, this little dragon ball is really fragrant, but it's not easy to get your hands on. When Lao Chang comes home and finds that half of it is missing, I wonder what kind of beating the Chang brothers will get.
But it doesn't matter, since it's not me who gets beaten up. And the Chang brothers are always incredibly resilient characters in online novels, so getting beaten up is nothing new to them.
Just as Magistrate Yang was trying to relieve his loneliness and emptiness by indulging in random thoughts, a burst of laughter suddenly came from outside the county government gate.
Zhang Liuqi, the head of Jia Yilu, Wang Mancang, the head of Jia Erlu, and the heads of Jia Sanlu, Jia Silu, and Liu Miao Village, Xihe Village, Sizhuang Village, Daxia Village, Gengzhuang, Shawo, Wang Bian, and Heshan, the heads of the eight communities and sixteen villages, chatted and laughed as they entered the backyard of the county government office and went straight to the main hall.
Upon entering the house, Zhang Liuqi led the way to the offering table, lit the incense he had been carrying all the way by candlelight, inserted the incense into the incense burner, and then performed four bows. He then walked to Magistrate Yang, prostrated himself, and said, "This humble one, Zhang Liuqi, wishes Your Excellency good health, longevity, and continuous advancement in rank."
Yang Shaofeng reached out and helped Zhang Liuqi up, asking, "What happened here...?"
Zhang Liuqi chuckled and said, "We've come to wish the master a Happy New Year."
After Zhang Liuqi finished speaking, Wang Mancang, the head of Jia Erlu, followed suit. He also lit incense, bowed four times to the memorial tablets of Magistrate Yang's parents, and then knelt down in front of Yang Shaofeng, saying, "This humble one, Wang Mancang, wishes Magistrate Yang good health, longevity, and continuous advancement in rank."
Following that, the other village chiefs and community leaders also took turns burning incense and bowing four times before coming to pay their respects to Magistrate Yang.
Yang Shaofeng felt a warmth in his heart and instructed the group of village chiefs and community leaders, "Wait here."
After saying that, Yang Shaofeng hurriedly went back to his bedroom, rummaged through a bag of copper coins, and then stuffed a handful into the hands of each of the village chiefs and commune leaders: "Take them, take them."
However, none of the village chiefs and commune leaders, including Zhang Liuqi, accepted the coins. Liu Sanshier, in particular, said mysteriously, "Sir, we can't take these copper coins, or we won't have enough later."
Just as Yang Shaofeng was filled with doubt, Zhang Liuqi came out of the house, walked to the gate of the courtyard, and called out, "Come, everyone come and wish the master a Happy New Year!"
Immediately afterwards, the able-bodied men of the eight communities and sixteen villages of Ningyang County gathered according to their communities and villages, and then lined up according to seniority and age. Starting from the farthest village, Heshan, they walked into the house and knelt down in front of Magistrate Yang, saying, "We wish you, Magistrate, good health, longevity, and continuous advancement in your career!"
After the able-bodied men finished their prayers and stood up, several children following behind them also came to Magistrate Yang and, imitating the adults, prostrated themselves and said, "We wish you, Magistrate, good health, longevity, and continued advancement in your career!"
Yang Shaofeng then understood why Liu Sanshier said, "Otherwise, we won't have enough later." It didn't matter to the village leaders and elders like Liu Sanshier, and it didn't really matter to the young men either, but these little brats were wishing him a Happy New Year, so how could he not give them a few copper coins?
Yang Shaofeng pointed at Liu Sanshier and the others and cursed, "Damn it, you troublemakers!" Then he grabbed a handful of copper coins and stuffed them into the children's hands. "Take them, all of you take them. You have to take what the master gives you. You can't say no, or the master will be unhappy."
Yang Shaofeng forced some copper coins into the children's hands, then said "wait" before running to the kitchen and rummaging through some fried food and scorpion claws. He filled a large basin with the food, brought it back, and said to the children, "Eat some, eat. If you're not full, I have more here."
Yang Er, the head of Heshan Village, smiled as he watched the mischievous children each grab a little food. Then he bowed to Magistrate Yang and said, "Your Excellency, the other villagers are still waiting, and their families are waiting too. We will take our leave now."
Yang Shaofeng was about to nod in agreement, but then frowned and asked, "It's dozens of miles from Heshan to the county town. How will you get back later?"
Yang Er laughed and replied, "Don't worry, sir. We brought torches, and these children also carried small lanterns. Plus, the moon is bright tonight, so we can see the way clearly."
After Yang Er led the able-bodied men and children of Heshan Village out of the house, the head of Wangbian Village also led the able-bodied men and children of Wangbian to come over and begin to pay New Year's greetings to Magistrate Yang.
By the time the able-bodied men and children of Jia Yilu, the village closest to the county government, had finished their New Year's greetings, Yang Shaofeng estimated that it was already past ten o'clock.
Damn it, these unruly people...
Knowing full well that I am easily swayed, these scoundrels still managed to pull this stunt on me.
Is this an attempt to make me continue to serve them like a slave in the second year of the Hongwu reign?
No way! I am a dignified sixth-rank county magistrate. Apart from the magistrate of Fuliang County, who is a fifth-rank official, there is no other county magistrate with a higher rank than me. How could I possibly serve as a slave to these unruly people?
When spring comes, I will treat them like cattle and horses!