Ouyang Rong discovered that the water in Longcheng was indeed deep.
After going down the mountain, the official road to Longcheng County is blocked by temporary "lakes" from time to time.
The fields outside Longcheng County are like a piece of white paper filled with circles drawn by a child, cut into patches.
Fortunately, the incense in Donglin Temple is very prosperous, and many fishermen go out on boats to pick up pilgrims. Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, Yan Wuxie and others hurried on in this way, and sent Xie Xun to Penglangdu on Butterfly Creek, and successfully sent him to Jiangzhou. Xie Xunhui will transfer there and return to Bailudong Academy.
Speaking of which, Butterfly Creek is not a stream, but a broad river. This river is winding and shaped like a butterfly's wings, so it is called Butterfly Creek by the people of Longcheng, and the banks of the stream are full of colorful butterfly flowers.
It is located between Yunmengze in the south and the Yangtze River in the north, and is also the most important connecting waterway between these two river systems.
Therefore, Penglang Ferry connects the north and the south. To the north, you can go to Jiangnan Road, the most prosperous hinterland of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and to the south, you can go to Lingnan Road, where merchant trade is very lively.
Longcheng County is located on the east and west banks of Butterfly Creek and prospers around it. Most of the buildings, including the county government, are crowded on the east bank, while the west bank is relatively loose and houses some wealthy people in Longcheng. House and property.
At present, even though the floods in Dragon City have not affected the liveliness of the docks and the efforts to transport people, only the refugees living on the streets with their families outside the city can vaguely describe the tragedy of this flood.
Ouyang Rong, Yan Wuxie and Xie Lingjiang stood at the bustling dock on the east coast, watching Xie Xun's ship drift away.
Mrs. Zhen only sent Xie Xun down the mountain, then went back to pack her things to move to the county government office, but did not follow.
The wind at the ferry was a bit strong, and the morning sun was warm on my body.
"Junior sister, please take good care of me in the future."
"Brother Lianghan, let's treat each other as equals, so let's call each other out."
"also."
Ouyang Rong didn't care about Xie Lingjiang's politeness. He turned his head and squinted at the other side of Butterfly Creek.
"Is there a market nearby? I'll go buy some things."
Xie Lingjiang asked, Yan Wuxie pointed her in the direction, and then only the young county magistrate and the blue-robed headman were left.
"Mingtang, where are we going now? Are we going back to the county government office? I have already informed Prime Minister Diao and others according to your instructions. They should be waiting for us at the county government office now."
"Don't worry yet." Ouyang Rong shook his head and suddenly pointed to the other side and said, "Whose family is the high castle compound built on the mountain on the other side? And what are the smoking workshops surrounding the mountain for?"
Yan Wuxie didn't even look at it. He already knew what the county magistrate was referring to and answered directly:
"That is the Liu family's courtyard. The workshop at the foot of the mountain is the Guyue Sword Shop, which is famous in Jiangnan Province. It is also the Liu family's property."
"Guyue Sword Shop? Liu Family?"
Yan Wuxie patiently explained:
"Our Dragon City was the land of Wu and Yue in ancient times. In the pre-Qin period, it was a world-famous sword-making place. It seems that there was a sword-making master named someone who dug a mountain beside Butterfly Creek to make furnaces for the emperor and the princes. Sword-making... So some sword-making skills have been passed down locally, and there are many swordsmiths. However, after the founding of this dynasty, this industry in Longcheng has gradually declined, and there are only a few sword shops left, and Gu Yue is one of them. A time-honored brand.
"And the Liu family is the largest powerful family in the local area. Their ancestors made their fortune in Longcheng as a water operator. However, they were just powerful landlords before. However, the young head of the Liu family of this generation is very courageous and spent a lot of money to take over the business in the early years. The declining Guyue Sword Shop merged with several other sword shops, and its business has become more and more prosperous since then.
"We Gan people love swords. The swords produced by the Guyue Sword Shop have long been popular among the upper class circles of the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that they have become treasures on the desks of the royal family and the powerful people in Guanzhong. It has become a recognized famous sword-making shop. Even The swords made by the most exquisite craftsmen in the sword shop are so hard to come by that even the governor of Jiangzhou has to queue up when he comes."
"Then the Liu family is suddenly rich?"
"Not only did they get rich suddenly, a few years ago, the Liu family also used Luoyang nobles to offer swords to Empress Wei. They were so happy that they were rewarded with the honorary title of Sword Master. They were ordered to make swords. Now they are even exempted from local taxes. Most of it.
"The Liu family is now the number one wealthy family in Longcheng. The other squire and wealthy families all follow them. The west bank of Butterfly is their sword furnace. A small part of the fertile land and industry in Longcheng belongs to their family, and a small part of the people in the city are under their control. We make a living in this trade, and many foreign ships stop here to buy swords.”
"Well, do you control the city's pillar industry..."
"Does Mingtang know what the people in Longcheng call the Liu family?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and smiled, "It can't be Liu Bancheng, right?"
"Hey, this is quite appropriate, but it's the same. People privately call the Liu family the Dragon King family. They say that the Liu family on the west bank is the Dragon King temple that can't be washed away by floods. Over the years, no matter how big the floods are in Dragon City, they have not been affected at all. It doesn’t affect them, but it gets richer and richer, isn’t it just like the Dragon King?”
"Then let me guess, well, are the Liu family members still good people who are willing to do good to others?"
Yan Wuxie was a little surprised, "How does Mingtang know? Is it possible that he has heard of it before?"
He added: "The young master in charge of the Liu family is the eldest young master Liu Ziwen. He is usually very philanthropic. During this flood, at the invitation of the Prime Minister Diao County, he also took the lead in building a porridge shed. He indeed has a good reputation in the county."
Ouyang Rong looked at the rows of sword furnaces on the other side, narrowed his eyes and said to himself, "Is this such a local snake?"
Yan Wuxie suddenly remembered something and said, "The Ashan family are the official slaves in Guyue Sword Shop, so they take the master's surname of Liu."
Ouyang Rong nodded, finally knowing why A Qing had the word "Vietnam" carved on his forehead. And there are countless official slaves and craftsmen like this in the sword shop opposite.
The young county magistrate stood quietly for a while, looking around at the old and dilapidated wharf while enjoying the wind blowing from the river.
I just walked from Donglin Temple to Penglangdu, and the sight of hungry people along the way lingered in my mind.
He was not a cold-blooded derelict in his duties. He turned a blind eye to the refugees sleeping on the street behind him and strolled leisurely to enjoy the breeze.
He wants to figure out a problem. Before this problem is clarified, no matter how hard you concentrate on disaster relief, you will get twice the result with half the effort, because you will never be able to grasp the main contradiction.
Sometimes, man-made disasters are more terrible than natural disasters...
At a certain moment, Ouyang Rong finally turned around.
"Let's go, go to the West City to find the junior sister, and let's go back to the county office."
…
In a busy city about half a mile away.
Food falls from the sky.
It really fell from the sky.
Roast chicken.
Grilled fish.
Bird's nest.
shark fin.
Steamed pork.
Wait, wait, these precious and delicious foods in the county are falling from the sky.
It fell on the old stone slabs of the main street in the downtown area.
It's a pity that there is no bowl to catch it below, and the fallen food is stained with dust, but it still looks and smells delicious.
Hot and still oily.
The first person to discover this 'pie in the sky' miracle was a lame little beggar. A piece of braised pork was hit on his head. He grabbed it in his hand angrily. First he was confused, then he rubbed his eyes, and then he wolfed it down. I almost bit off my fingers together.
Then, the lame little beggar rushed forward, let the food fall on him, and raised his hands to the sky to receive it.
If I guessed correctly, I wanted to use someone to serve as an "empty vegetable plate", but soon, the smell of meat also attracted other "empty vegetable plates".
The hungry people who were staggering around in the street swarmed forward.
Either lie down, stand, or jump.
Some cry, some laugh, some cry and laugh at the same time.
And dozens of meters above their heads, there was an unfolded window.
A big hand grabbed the delicacies and threw them out the window, one plate after another.
It turned out to be no miracle from heaven.
But someone feeds it.
"Oh, I can't just let my eldest brother do good deeds alone. I also have to do good deeds. Our family is full of good people. They say that good people are rewarded. I quite agree. What about you, don't you disagree cruelly?
"So, please serve the food quickly. If you delay my good deeds, I will fly you out with the cook. You know me, and everyone who flies out praises me for being true to my word."
