Liu Mao put on some thick clothes and listened carefully after going out. There was really someone outside the door.
He wondered in his heart that at this time, people in the village preferred to stay at home, so who would come out and wander around.
Although he was puzzled, he quickly walked to the door and opened it.
The wooden door opened, and what caught his eye was a strange woman. Liu Mao looked around and saw that she was alone, and couldn't help but think more.
The woman was wearing a black cloak that covered her whole body tightly. Only her head was exposed. She wore a white fur-brimmed hat with a few strands of golden hair exposed. She looked very wealthy. Not like a villager at all.
Liu Mao thought a lot in his mind, but with a simple smile on his face he asked: "Where did the girl come from?"
A stranger knocking on the door is always a bit unsettling. There was a recent reminder in the newspaper to be careful and beware of being deceived. This is one example.
Lin Yan smiled and said briskly: "I came from Sun City, passed by the village, and came to ask for a drink of water."
She said, raising the kettle in her hand, but it was empty.
Liu Mao didn't dare let anyone in, so he asked cautiously: "Did you come alone, girl?"
"No, I followed the convoy. There were too many people in the convoy and it was inconvenient to enter the village to disturb them, so I came here alone. Look over there, the convoy is still moving, and you can see a few cars behind it."
Liu Mao looked in the direction she pointed, and there was indeed a convoy passing by.
Lin Yan smiled and said: "Brother, are you afraid that I am a liar? It's good that you have this awareness. It shows that the alliance's publicity is very good. My name is Lin Yan. This is my ID card. Take a look."
Liu Mao took it and looked at it. He couldn't recognize the words, but the ID card looked real. He also had it, and it looked exactly the same.
He smiled naively and said, "Girl, come in."
As soon as he entered the main room, the heat hit his face. Lin Yan raised his head and met four pairs of shining eyes.
A woman, two girls, and a little boy.
Liu Mao had already said: "This is Lin Yan. He came from Sun City. He passed by the village and came to ask for hot water. Girl, give me the kettle and I will fill it for you."
Lin Yan handed over the kettle, thanked him, and quickly scanned the room with his eyes.
The walls are not painted, they are original red bricks, and the floor is paved with blue bricks.
It is a simple and rustic farmhouse, with only a table and a few stools as furniture. They are all made of wood and have the simplest appearance. There is a stove in the middle of the house with firewood piled beside it. It does not look like a wealthy home.
She smiled and said, "I'm Lin Yan. I was passing by the village and came to borrow some hot water. My eldest sister is making clothes. She's really skillful with her hands."
The woman smiled, with more lines on her face, "It's not easy to go out in this cold weather. We still have a cup of hot water at home. Fu Ting, hurry up and bring a stool for the guests to sit on."
After a while, Lin Yan had a clear understanding of the family's situation.
A family of five who had just separated less than a year ago built a three-room home with a courtyard through their own hard work.
The woman is also from Liucun. She and Liumao have known each other since childhood and worked hard to live a small life together.
Liu Mao and the woman were both people who enjoyed the benefits of the alliance halfway, and they kept saying that they had caught up with the good times.
Great praise for the alliance, allowing them to have a house to live in and food to eat.
The eldest daughter Liu Fuyan is twelve years old. After one year of schooling, she went home to help with the work. During the cold season, she learned to make clothes from her mother-in-law.
The second daughter, Liu Futing, is nine years old and is in school, but she would rather do business in a big place because she thinks she can make a lot of money.
The youngest son is Liu Fubao. He is chubby and has narrow eyes. He is the smartest in the family and likes to read.
Lin Yan glanced at the little book in Fu Bao's hand and asked with a smile: "What book are you reading? Can you tell me about it so that I can hear a story?"
Fu Bao said happily: "This is not a storybook, it is the development history of the Sun Alliance. It was originally called the Sun Tribe..."
Lin Yan listened patiently to Fu Bao's words. What he said was organized and logical. He didn't look like a kid still in kindergarten at all.
"Fu Bao likes to see this?"
"I like it. We are all from the Sun League, and I want to know more about Sun City. I will definitely go to Sun City to take a look in the future."
"Oh, what do you want to see, Fu Bao?"
"The teacher said that the babies in Sun City are very smart and can go to many schools. Fu Bao also wants to go."
"Fu Bao will definitely be able to go. Where did your teacher come from?"
Fu Ting said honestly: "There is only one Teacher Zhang in the village, who is in charge of all students. Teacher Zhang knows a lot and often tells us about the outside world."
"Where is Teacher Zhang from?" Lin Yan asked in a different way. The Alliance has always attached great importance to education and invests huge amounts of money every year.
The woman smiled and said, "Teacher Zhang is from Baicao Town. She is very smart and knows a lot. She went to school in Sun City and came to our village to set up a school two years ago."
In fact, Liu Village has only been affiliated with the alliance for three years. It is already considered that the village can be built and the school has been implemented so quickly. Perhaps also because of the geographical location, Xitian Road has a lot of people coming and going, and it develops very quickly.
After Lin Yan inquired calmly, she wrote a letter with Fubao's pen and paper, stamped it with her unique seal, and said to Liu Mao and the woman: "Take my letter and Fubao to Sun City to find Xuanhui. There may be surprises.”
She tested Fu Bao several times. The little guy was very responsive and intelligent, so he should be a good prospect.
Liucun is still lagging behind, and Fubao is just right in age. If he continues to delay, he may be buried.
Lin Yan knocked on the doors of two more houses and got a general idea of the situation in Liucun. The village chief shouldered his duties and the villagers were not oppressed.
Time was limited, so Lin Yan sped up to catch up with the convoy.
The team leader was Ma Fang, and he was relieved to see Lin Yan back.
He offered to accompany him, but Lin Yan refused. She was unwilling to be followed.
Ma Fang was born and raised in Sun City. He was nearly forty years old. He transferred from the military department to work in the transportation department. This was the first time he had such close contact with Lin Yan.
From the moment he learned about it, he was only nervous after the excitement. He made a lot of arrangements just to ensure safety.
Everything went smoothly for the first few days, until Lin Yan proposed to act alone, Ma Fang couldn't rest assured.
In the entire convoy, no more than five people knew Lin Yan's identity, and they were all watching in secret.
"Why are you nervous? You should be reassured by my strength." Seeing his nervousness, Lin Yan said with a smile.
"That's different. No matter how powerful you are, it's our duty to protect you."
Ma Fang followed her into a carriage in the middle of the motorcade, "Seeing you come back safely makes my heart rest in my stomach. From now on, if you want to go out, you must let me follow you."
She is powerful, and there are very few people who can hurt her, but Ma Fang cannot let her go just because of this. It is the responsibility of this team to protect her.
Lin Yan waved his hands and said, "Don't make a fuss. If you are really in danger, you don't know who will protect whom. It's a small village. I'll go there alone with a small target, so I won't attract anyone's attention. If there are too many people, I'll be exposed easily. I'm on this trip." I just want to make secret visits to the villages and towns along the way, so it’s not appropriate to take you there with me.”
Ma Fang didn't care about this. "There are many villages and towns along the road. You just need to tell me what you want to do and I will go there."
Lin Yan stopped pouring water, looked up at him and asked, "Are you familiar with this road?"
"I'm familiar with it. I've run this road several times and I basically know the conditions along the way."
Lin Yan became interested, "Then tell me in detail what villages and towns are along the way."
Xitian Road was opened two years ago and is an extremely important transportation hub. Four important towns have been set up along the way to garrison troops.
Baicao Town is close to the east and is formed by the surrounding indigenous people and people from around Sun City who heard about it. Liucun is a small village under its jurisdiction.
To the west are Wuhe Town, Taohua Town and Lin'an Town.
The number of troops stationed in each town alliance varies. In addition to protecting the local people, these troops also have to take care of tasks such as conveying messages and supplying defense along the way.
Lin'an Town is a border defense area bordering Tianduan Mountain. When it was originally designed, An City had not yet been conquered, so it was built as a military garrison.
Ma Fang talked eloquently, and Lin Yan nodded with satisfaction, "You really understand. When we get to the next village, how about you and me go to the next village to find out?"
Since you are worried, there is no harm in letting him follow. Everyone has their own responsibilities, and she doesn't like to be embarrassed by others.
Ma Fang smiled and said: "Don't worry, with me following you, I will definitely let you know the situation of each village and town clearly."
According to his understanding, the leaders of this term of the Arbitration Court are all pragmatic people who pay special attention to people's livelihood, which is a blessing for the people.
Witnessing the development of the Sun Alliance with his own eyes, Ma Fang cherishes the hard-won life today, and admires Lin Yan for driving it all. It is a huge honor to be by her side.
Lin Yan kept her word, and she did not act alone the rest of the way, letting Ma Fang stay with her. He was indeed a talented person, eloquent and discerning, which saved her a lot of words.
When they reached Lin'an Town, still fifty miles away from Ancheng, the convoy stopped and planned to rest for five days.
Lin'an Town is an important military area with strict inspections. It is also the largest village and town along the way.
After receiving the news, the mayor Wan Biao rushed over to greet him.
He knew Ma Fang and was sure that Lin Yan was really here in person, so he hurriedly arranged the best reception.
Ma Fang did not object to the reception and reminded: "Chairman keeps a low profile all the time, please keep it confidential."
Wan Biao nodded, "I understand, I understand. Don't worry. Lin'an Town is an important military town. They are all soldiers. They know the rules and will not pry around."
He glanced at the person not far away and lowered his voice: "I want to express my admiration to the chairman in person. Can you make an introduction?"
Ma Fang didn't dare to make the decision privately, so he could only say: "I'll try to mention it, but I can't guarantee whether I can see it."
After the two handed over, Ma Fang came to Lin Yan, who was looking around.
Before coming, she looked up the information about Lin'an Town and found out that it was a town and that after several years of construction, it had begun to take shape.
This is a checkpoint, the only way to enter Xitian Road from the west.
"Chairman, the arrangements have been made. You can go to the inn to rest. The person standing in front is the mayor Wan Biao. He admires you very much and wants to meet you."
Not too far away, Lin Yan had already heard the conversation between the two. She looked around and saw people coming and going. She said, "Let's meet at the inn."
When stopping at various stations along the way, Ma Fang made good arrangements. She only secretly observed the leaders of each village and town, but did not meet any of them.
Today is different from the past. Her identity is destined. When these people see her, they will be respectful and fawning. Lin Yan doesn't want to deal with this.
But Lin'an Town is different. It has an important position and bears important responsibilities. She needs to know more clearly.
The inn was a large courtyard with three two-story buildings. When they arrived, the courtyard was quite busy.
The inns set up along the way are official, with guaranteed safety and reasonable tolls. Pedestrians are more willing to choose to stay here.
Lin Yan was satisfied with this. The management of the station was very good.
Although the facilities are simple, they are clean, the rooms are well-kept, and the service is good. There is no misbehavior based on official status.
In fact, Wan Biao wanted to arrange for Lin Yan to live in the military compound in the town, where his safety would be more guaranteed, but he was rejected.
At this moment, he was standing outside the door, only a few steps away from meeting Lin Yan. His heartbeat was racing and he couldn't contain his excitement.
When he saw Lin Yan in person, he was a tall and strong man, but he was as at a loss as a child, not knowing what to say.
Lin Yan smiled and said: "Sit down quickly, Wan Biao, right? I heard from Ma Fang that you are a warrior and a celebrity in the military."
"Here, drink some water." Lin Yan handed the water cup to Wan Biao and said with a smile, "We are going to stay in Lin'an Town for a few days. Please forgive me for intruding."
"Don't bother me, I'm glad you can come here."
Wan Biao was at a loss and couldn't calm down for a while.
Lin Yan seemed unable to see his nervousness, "This is my first time in Anzhen, and I'm not familiar with it. Please tell me about the situation in the town."
"What do you want to know?"
This is really a fool, how did he stand out and become the mayor of Lin'an? Lin Yan complained in his heart, with a smile on his face, "How many people are there in the town and how many troops are there in the garrison?"
When it came to business, Wan Biao calmed down immediately and said: "According to statistics at the beginning of the year, Lin'an Town has a registered population of 5,300 people and a garrison of 2,800 people."
“Where did the registered population move from?”
"More than 4,000 people moved to Ancheng, and the rest are the surrounding indigenous people. In the past two years, people have also moved from Pingcheng, and the number is not large."
"How do you solve the problem of growing food yourself?"
"The alliance will allocate food, and we have also reclaimed some wasteland to grow our own crops."
Lin Yan smiled and said, "Yes, I can see that you are very attentive."
Wan Biao walked out of the station annoyed, his performance just now was very poor. He is not usually like this, but when he saw the Chairman, he was confused and couldn't speak clearly.
Such a rare opportunity, but he screwed it up.
Lin Yan stood in front of the window, looking at the passers-by below and thinking deeply.
The situation in Lin'an Town is very different from what is recorded in the data. Wan Biao did his duty, but he seemed too nervous.
If you want to know more deeply, you have to see it yourself. Just listening to what others say is never true.
After resting for the night, Lin Yan disguised himself and walked out of the inn alone.
The post station is located on the central street of Lin'an Town. It is the most impressive place in this small place.
There were a few scattered shops on both sides of the street, and Lin Yan walked into a small restaurant.
It was during breakfast time, and the restaurant was very busy, so she found a seat to sit down.
There is a wooden board hanging on the wall with the menu written in black and gray.
Lin Yan ordered two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge, and while eating, he listened to others chatting.
(End of chapter)
