Chapter 380
Wasn't it said that the people on Hezhou were extremely unruly, and that several officials sent there before had been beaten crippled?
Fang Zichen had stressed it severely in his letter—when they came, they must not reveal their identities, nor say they had anything to do with him, or they'd likely end up with sacks over their heads and get thrashed.
Lin Xiaoxia had asked around before coming too. He knew the common people here bore a grudge against officials. After entering Hezhou, when the locals heard their accents weren't native and saw them travel-worn, they asked where they'd come from and what they were doing in Hezhou.
Aware of how serious things could get, Lin Xiaoxia hadn't dared tell the truth.
Even their earlier conversations had been whispered.
After giving it some thought, Lin Xiaoxia finished his bowl of noodles, got up, and walked over to make small talk.
He was tall, built like a brute, with bulging muscles and a rough, rugged look that made people a bit wary. But the soldiers were just outside—one shout and they'd come running—so no one was scared. Whatever Lin Xiaoxia asked, they answered straight.
"You're from out of town! Ah, why didn't you say so earlier."
"The Prefect isn't in Hezhou city—he's staying in Pingxiang Village, Anping County!"
"Why's he staying in a village? The Prefect's setting up a factory over there. Once that chemical fertilizer factory's finished, he should be back in Hezhou."
"Your parents don't look too well—are they alright? If there's any trouble, you can tell those soldiers outside. They're all new recruits picked this year, specially here to serve us common folk. They'll help you."
"Oh, just tired from the road? That's normal. The dirt roads are rough as can be. It's not just the old folks—even a strong young man like me, who can go seven rounds a night, gets worn out after a trip like that. But go a few more li and it gets better—they've built a cement road up ahead. That'll be much smoother."
Lin Xiaoxia and the Liu family listened, utterly baffled.
"What's a cement road?"
"You folks from out of town wouldn't know about this. This road was built by the Prefect for us common folks—it's wonderful. I've asked around—nowhere else has one. Hezhou's the only place."
Listen to that tone—proud and reverent. Not at all what they'd imagined!
Weren't they supposed to fly into a rage at the mere mention of the prefect, grab whatever was at hand, and start swinging? So why this attitude instead?
With soldiers from the Qin family outside, Lin Xiaoxia wasn't sure if Fang Zichen really was in Pingxiang Village. What if he'd already returned to Hezhou? They'd have made the trip for nothing. So he stepped outside and asked.
The Qin soldier said the Prefect was indeed still in Pingxiang Village, but would likely be back in Hezhou in a few days.
Lin Xiaoxia hurried over.
Earlier, they'd kept the carriage curtains tightly shut for fear of catching cold. But now, remembering what that man had said about the cement road, both families lifted the curtains and kept staring out.
It hadn't rained in days. The official road was dry, and the wheels kicked up clouds of dust as they rolled along. After about a li, noise suddenly erupted ahead.
When the soldiers saw a carriage approaching, they raised a hand to signal it to stop.
Lin Xiaoxia wasn't intimidated, but Liu Xiaowen was a bit scared.
On the way to Hezhou, whenever they entered a city or passed a checkpoint for inspection, the soldiers had all been arrogant and overbearing in tone and manner.
These soldiers were the remaining city guards originally stationed in Hezhou. Fang Zichen had personally made it clear to them: their monthly pay came from what the common people handed over, and anyone who bullied or oppressed the common people for no reason would be dismissed.
Money wasn't easy to come by these days—who wouldn't listen?
Besides, once they stopped throwing their weight around, the common people treated them with more respect than before. Genuine, heartfelt calls of "Officer"—who wouldn't feel good hearing that? Wasn't that better than before? In the old days, people would tremble before them, stammering with fear—but the moment they turned their backs, they'd spit.
"We're paving the road here," one soldier said. Any local would know that a freshly laid cement road couldn't be walked on. People usually took the small detour path beside it. "You're from out of town?"
Very patient, tone friendly too—nothing like the soldiers they'd met before. Lin Xiaoxia replied, "Yes."
"I see," said the soldier, pointing to the newly dug detour path. "Go around this way. You can't walk on the road covered with straw."
"Thank you for the reminder, Officer—we understand."
Workers were laying cement, toiling away with fervor. The New Year was just around the corner. They'd been building the official road with the Prefect for nearly two months now and had earned a good sum. This year, they could have a proper New Year's celebration. Everyone was happy as they worked—cement splattering their pant legs, dust filling the air. In the dead of winter, they were sweating buckets, yet they seemed to have inexhaustible energy, faces beaming with smiles, with no need for soldiers to push them along.
Why on earth were they so happy doing this kind of work?
Not just the Liu family from the village, but even Lin Xiaoxia, who'd traveled far and wide, was dumbfounded.
He'd worked as a goods escort before, on the road year-round. Every time the official roads were repaired, the conscripted laborers all wore grim, exhausted faces, listless and dead-eyed. None of them were like these men, who looked as though they were digging up their enemies' ancestral graves—excited and thrilled, which was just plain odd. They probably wouldn't even be this enthusiastic working their own fields. It was like they'd come down with some kind of fever.
Ahead, a straight, clean cement road came into view. No straw covering it—it was ready to use. Lin Xiaoxia steered the carriage onto it. The moment the wheels started moving, the difference was obvious.
Not a single bump. Smooth and steady.
The Liu family even stopped their carriage and stepped onto the road to stamp on it.
"So this is a cement road? How do you make it? Amazing. Just amazing."
Uncle Liu laughed, thinking Fang Zichen was truly something special. He was sharp and full of ideas — only he could come up with something like this. Any of them would never have thought of it, much less known how to make it.
Aunt Liu went back to the Liu family carriage. After staring at the cement road for a long while, she finally turned away. She took her wrinkled, rough old hand and patted the back of Liuliu's hand, saying earnestly, "When we get to Uncle Fang's place, you must study hard under him. Listen to your Uncle Fang and Uncle Zhao, alright?"
Liuliu nodded. "I know."
Liuliu had done very well at the academy before. Since he'd been introduced by Old Master Qin, and later when people learned he had ties to Fang Zichen, the masters had given him plenty of care. He was diligent too — he studied hard and had real learning.
Before deciding to come to Hezhou, the Liu family had been unsure. Hezhou was barren—they'd heard there wasn't even a proper academy around. If they came, the boy might not even get to study.
But if they didn't come, they'd have to go back to the village.
After doing business in Yuanzhou for a few years, they'd come to understand how the world worked. If they didn't have someone backing their shop, they'd have been picked clean to the bone long ago. If business was good, others would get jealous and cause trouble. If it wasn't, they'd lose money hand over fist.
Lin Xiaoxia had told them that Fang Zichen had arranged everything. But if they took that arrangement, Fang Zichen would owe the Prefect a favor—and favors were the hardest to repay, especially in official circles. Even if they didn't know much about politics, they could guess as much. Sometimes even village favors were hard to settle! They couldn't let Fang Zichen go to such lengths for them.
And the shop was expensive too. If it were just a few dozen taels, for the sake of their grandson's future, they might have accepted. But several hundred taels—that was too much. And then there was the matter of the roast duck—they would be far apart, with no way to ever see each other again. How could they ever repay him? How could they just keep taking favors like that? One shouldn't keep accepting and accepting, even for the family's sake. It was better to be poor—at least then they'd owe nobody anything. So the Liu family had refused, no matter what.
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