"Daddy, daddy."
The little girl ran in unsteadily with wild flowers in her hands.
"Daddy, Huahua..."
Pulling her father's legs, Shu Ning quickly climbed up and sat on her father's lap. She tried her best to reach out and insert her hand into Gu Chen's hair.
"Girl, what are you doing?"
The little girl was less than three years old and couldn't pronounce words clearly. She babbling for a long time and said baby talk that no one else could understand, but Gu Chen could understand it.
"Oh~ The last flower of this year is for daddy, right?"
Men in ancient times had the habit of wearing hairpins, and this was also practiced in the Ming Dynasty.
Although Gu Chen didn't like hairpins, this was the child's feelings for him.
"Thank you, girl, she is really daddy's little cotton-padded jacket."
A few days ago, Chen Baochuan, who was far away in Xinfan County, sent a lot of specialties from Shu. His wife said that the family of three could not finish them all.
Let Liao Hou and Zheng Shiyuan pick some first. I happened to be away from home at that time.
This girl gave up and insisted on waiting for her father to come back to pick it out together.
She is a good girl who protects her shortcomings!
The envoys from the East Palace were very polite to Gu Chen, and Gu Chen was also very polite to them.
I'm not stingy with the rewards I deserve, but they refuse to take them.
Said that His Highness the Crown Prince had warned them not to take Mr. Gu's money.
It would be better for Mr. Gu to keep these coins and help the people of Zhuanglang.
Gu Chen was very moved after hearing this. In fact, working for Zhu Biao was quite good and very happy, but working for Lao Zhu was not so good.
I don’t know how long I can stay in Zhuang Langou.
No matter what, I can survive as long as I can. I believe everything is the best arrangement.
Wenhua Hall.
"If you don't go to Zhong County, you will never return home?"
Zhu Biao looked at Gu Chen's letter, feeling touched and helpless at the same time.
"I can't even pay the 10,000 stone tax, but I still have to pay 60,000. This is such a difficult thing. This kid is too stubborn."
Fortunately, Dad didn't see this letter, otherwise Dad would definitely take it seriously.
With this in mind, Zhu Biao burned the letter without hesitation.
If you are young and frivolous, there is no need for dad to read it.
It's just that Gu Chen's place is really difficult, so it seems that I have to help him.
How can I help?
In the twelfth year of Hongwu, March 13th, it was the time for spring plowing, and everyone was busy in the fields with great enthusiasm.
However, Gu Chen received news that His Royal Highness the Prince had moved more than 3,000 refugees from Songzhou Prefecture to Zhuanglang County for Gu Chen to resettle.
"His Highness said that he knows that Mr. Gu cares deeply about the people."
"It's just that if this population can't rise, even if Mr. Gu survives until he is old, it will be difficult for him to pass the exam in lower county, let alone middle county."
Gu Chen: "..."
This is the truth, but I can say that I really don’t want to hang out in Zhongxian County.
The visitor continued: "Last year there was a severe drought and famine in Songzhou Prefecture. His Highness gave them a word and handed them over to Mr. Gu for resettlement."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also said that future victims of the disaster will be sent to Zhuanglang first. I also ask Sir Gu to be prepared and free up some land."
Mr. Gu is really lucky. His Royal Highness will protect him in his official career. I don't know what will happen in the future. I have to be more polite.
What if it comes in handy later?
This person has experienced ups and downs throughout his life, but he can't say for sure about his future.
Gu Chen: "...Thank you sir for this trip."
He felt like crying but didn't have any tears. Didn't Lao Zhu move everyone to Fengyang, his hometown?
What's going on now? Why move it to yourself?
He doesn't need it, he really doesn't need it.
Gu Chen wrote a letter to the Crown Prince, asking His Majesty the Crown Prince not to think too much about him. Your Majesty's Longxing Land is the most important thing.
Su Wanying, who was grinding ink for him on the side, saw him and moved her lips.
She whispered: "Husband, do you not want to go back to Beijing?"
Others may not know it, but she herself follows Gu Chen every day, and gradually understands a little bit about her husband's thoughts.
Although he did not talk to her about his official career, she also found that her husband was unwilling to rise.
"Do you want to go back?"
Gu Chen turned to look at his wife. Because Zhuang Lang's conditions were so bad, his wife's face was not as tender as before.
"I listen to my husband. I will be wherever your husband wants me to be."
Su Wanying didn't care anyway. She and her husband had no problem raising their children.
It doesn’t matter whether you stay here or go back.
However, His Highness the Crown Prince obviously wants her husband to return to Beijing.
Gu Chen didn't say anything, he just looked at the little girl playing with Pearl in the courtyard and sighed that Biao'er still thought of him too well.
He thought that he was a good official who was not afraid of power, but he never considered that he mistakenly got involved with Hu Weiyong's brother because he didn't know.
Biao'er thought that he couldn't leave the people behind, but he didn't know that he just wanted to be lazy.
This person likes to have his own ideas. He doesn't know what others want, but he also has good intentions.
In the next two years, people, money, and things, as long as Biao'er can make the decision on his own, will be released to Zhuanglang County. Gu Chen can't let it go too far, otherwise he will be derelict in his duties.
He honestly led everyone to build terraced fields, which changed Zhuanglang County’s appearance a lot.
While Chen Baochuan was still in Shu, he found scholars who were willing to teach in Zhuanglang to teach and educate people. In this way, schools were also established.
The mulberry saplings planted by Su Wanying can also be used to raise silkworms. After Chen Baochuan learned about it in the letter, he had a lot of silkworm seeds sent to him.
"He is indeed a good brother. We haven't seen each other for many years, but he is still thinking about us all the time."
"The craftsmanship of Sichuan brocade and fabrics in Sichuan is top-notch, and can be compared with those in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Naturally, this silkworm breed is not bad either."
Gu Chen himself didn't expect that the friendship between ancient people who had not seen each other for a long time could be maintained so well?
In modern times, although phone calls and video chats are so convenient, it is not necessarily possible to maintain relationships so well. There are many people who quit, are transferred, or become strangers after graduation.
Su Wanying smiled and said: "Sister Lin gave birth to a big fat boy for Mr. Chen, who is only half a year younger than our girl. According to my sister's tone, she wants to get married."
This is also a common thing, but she doesn't reject it very much.
Gu Chen: "...Don't let him even think about putting on a special mother's fart or marrying a special mother's fart. I won't do it. My girl is still young."
This is the disadvantage of raising a daughter, the thought of her daughter being targeted by someone else.
He just wanted to hit someone.
"Brother Gu, Brother Gu, it's not good."
At this time, Liao Yongzhong suddenly rushed in from outside in panic. It was rare for him to run like this as a martial arts practitioner. Panting.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Chen looked at him with astonishment and confusion. One of his concubines died of illness in the past three months, and he had never seen him so panicked before.
"Gan... Smallpox has appeared in Ganquan Village. Several children have been infected. The local doctors in our county are helpless. What should we do, Brother Gu?"
"How about I beat the horse now and go to Fucheng to ask a doctor to come back."
Although they were not his babies, Ganquan Village was the first village chief that he and Brother Gu helped, and they also watched the number of baby babies increase.
Smallpox is very scary. What if all those milk babies die?
How much land can more than a dozen milk babies grow when they grow up?
How much food can they still pay to the court? If they die, won't the salary of a noble like myself be less guaranteed?
Is this what Gu Chen taught him?
"What? Smallpox?"
Su Wanying was startled at first, and hurriedly went out and took the child back to her own room, planning not to let the child go out for a while.
Gu Chen was in a relatively stable mood. He quickly stood up and pulled Liao Yongzhong out.
"Are the children with symptoms separated from the healthy children? Are all the things they have touched separated from people?"
Liao Yongzhong nodded quickly: "Yes, Zheng Shiyuan and Zheng Shili are handling it. Wen County Prime Minister asked me to come back and let Brother Gu know first."
Gu Chen nodded. Lao Zheng still had these basic common sense.
"Let's go to the cattle farm."
Fortunately, in addition to raising chickens and pigs in recent years, he also encouraged everyone to raise cattle.
He was also greedy for beef, so he also raised about ten cows.
Not to mention that you couldn’t eat beef in ancient times, Chen Yaojin told you that his cattle died in 10,000 ways.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty prohibited the private slaughter of cattle, but it did not prohibit the eating of beef. The cattle he raised were not cattle, so it was not illegal.
