No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 215 The old man has nothing, only a gift of "craftsmanship"

The second phase of Zhayiqu was completed.

When Diaoxian Cheng rushed into the lobby to announce the news, Ouyang Rong was writing an important letter.

"Complete today?" Ouyang Rong stopped writing in a daze, rubbed his eyebrows and raised his head, slightly surprised.

He subconsciously glanced out of the window, it was another sunny morning.

Since the rainy season has passed and the summer solstice has entered, Longcheng County has been sunny every day.

Not long ago, the water level of Yunmeng Lake collapsed, and it seemed that it had never happened before.

Ouyang Rong's eyes were also a little dazed, he put down his pen and said:

"These days, starting and stopping, it's really hard, everyone, let's go and have a look."

Ouyang Rong didn't leave immediately, he lowered his head and silently put away the letter paper that was almost written on the table, and then got up and left his seat after packing.

Diao Xiancheng didn't care about these small details. The Ming government really liked to stay in the lobby of the county government to write letters recently, and asked Liu Ashan to send them frequently. Maybe it was to repair books to contact friends of the same year.

Diao Xiancheng understood quite well.

If he is also like Ouyang Rong who has made great achievements in water control and is well-known, he will also contact and travel around to try to get promoted to a better official position. It would be best if he can be directly transferred back to the capital to be a noble official in the Qing Dynasty, and experience what is called the empire. The prosperity of Luodu in the heart.

Ouyang Rong smiled gently and was in a good mood. He left the county office together with Diao Xiancheng...

In the evening, surrounded by a group of scribes, the two happily returned to Luming Street.

"Mingfu, this opening of the canal is really magnificent! This old man has only seen such a magnificent scene in his life."

On the way, in the carriage, Diao Xiancheng had a smile on his face, relishing the aftertaste.

It seems that the scene of "it's a matter of course" in Tongqu in the afternoon still shocked him a little.

Ouyang Rong nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

Diaoxian Cheng said again: "This is a matter of merit in the present age and benefit in the future. How about we write a letter and report it to the Jiangzhou government and the imperial court?"

Ouyang Rong turned his head and asked curiously: "Didn't you report it before?"

"Master Mingfu, you don't understand. You have contributed to the governance of the region, so you can't keep silent. Even if you have already said it, you should write it a few times and focus on describing how important the matter is. The people above Only then can you remember your credit, otherwise the nobleman forgets too much, and forgets when he turns around, wouldn't it be in vain?

Diao County Prime Minister stroked his beard, and moved his head together:

"We can write another letter to the governor Wang, and ask him to give us more credit. After all, this is under his rule, and it is also a credit to him. Of course, the Lord of the Ming Dynasty has the most credit, and so does the next official." Second assistant..."

Ouyang Rong turned his head to look at the old county magistrate who was eloquently imparting experience, the latter had a radiant look on his face.

Ouyang Rong was surprisingly not bothered and angry today, he nodded and waved his hand casually:

"Okay, leave this matter to Mr. Diao, just don't brag about it."

After a pause, he turned his head and said:
"By the way, what I said yesterday may be a bit offensive, Mr. Diao, don't pay too much attention to it. It is quite safe to come to Mr. Diao to do things. It is indeed a bit of a shame to stay in this small county.

"However, these days, I am very happy to be able to manage the county government together with Mr. Diao."

The young county magistrate smiled sincerely, opened the curtain with his fingers, glanced at the dusk street outside, and said in his mouth.

Diaoxian Cheng was taken aback for a moment, "What did you say? Oh, my lord is referring to what I said at the pier yesterday, the officials even forgot..."

The old county magistrate laughed and waved his hands.

Don't take anything to heart.

Ouyang Rong laughed, and suddenly put down the curtain, without turning his head, he said:
"By the way, Mr. Diao, I forgot to say that the official may take a leave of absence tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to return to his hometown to worship the ancestors. This matter will also be reported to Jiangzhou... At that time, the affairs of the county will be handed over to Mr. Diao for the time being. Proxy."

"Mingfu wants to go back to the hometown to worship the ancestors?"

Diao Xiancheng asked curiously, and immediately reacted, and said in a daze:
"No wonder the next day I saw Liu Ashan handling the matter of renting an official ship, so it was for this matter.

"It's all right, it's a matter of human relations to worship ancestors on the Ghost Festival, and the Jiangzhou government above won't refute falsehoods. Just pack up your things and go back to your hometown with peace of mind. The affairs of the county government are on the shoulders of the lower officials! Ming government's decree arrangement , everything remains the same."

Diao Xiancheng's thin chest, with only ribs left, slapped loudly.

Ouyang Rong nodded slightly.

"correct."

The laughing Diao Xiancheng seemed to have remembered something, and asked:

"Didn't Liu Zian propose to hold a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the canal on the [-]th day of this month, and invite some powerful merchants to come and make Zhaiyi Canal famous in Jiangzhou's water transport boundary, so that the new canal can be lively sooner. How does the Ming government feel about the business?"

"Is it Liu Zian's proposal..."

In front of Ouyang Rong's eyes flashed the figure of Liu Zian, who was accompanied by Zheyiqu not long ago, step by step respectfully, he hesitated slightly, and nodded slightly:
"This time, Liu Zian and the Liu family really contributed a lot to build the Broken Wing Canal sooner... Well, let's do as he wants, but Liu Zian will pay for all the expenses, and the county government just came forward to make a formality .

"Anyway, their Liu family also has some shares in Xinqu Xindukou. It will be good for him if Xindukou becomes lively sooner."

Before Ouyang Rong decides to leave, he will carry forward another wave of thrift and thrift to squeeze out the big family of the Liu family.

Thinking of this, he smiled embarrassedly.

I don't know if he was overwhelmed by the dismemberment of Liu's family. So far, Liu Zian is indeed much more honest than Liu Ziwen. Ouyang Rong's face is quite satisfied. This is a law-abiding citizen. Other local tyrants and evil gentry should learn more , Even if it is played by Ninja, I will be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to me honestly.

Although the things Liu Zian did spread to the ears of the deceased Liu Ziwen, the latter's coffin would definitely not be able to hold him down.

"The officer understands."

Diao Xiancheng nodded, and asked for instructions seriously:
"By the way, Liu Zian would like to invite you from the Ming Palace to come over on the [-]th day and give a speech on the stage, so that everyone can admire the kindness of the city's parents and officials."

"Three...four...five...do you have to wait five days?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong shook his head and said:

"The Prime Minister of Diaoxian County will speak on the stage for this official. This official will return to his hometown tomorrow and the next day, and it won't be until fifteen."

In vain, he got a chance to show his face, Diao Xiancheng immediately beamed with joy, and readily agreed.

After a while, the carriage arrived at the county government office, and the two got out of the carriage one after another and went back to the government office.

Ouyang Rong walked into the courtroom, sent everyone away, took out the unfinished letter for the younger junior sister, and wrote it at the desk before the sun fully set.

Maybe it's Zhayiqu's great success, and he's in a good mood.

Or maybe it's because I have been writing intermittently in the past two days, and my melancholy mood has been interrupted many times, but it has faded a lot.

Ouyang Rong silently filled out the signature, stamped the seal, and put the letter into the envelope.

He glanced at the sky, put the envelope in his arms, got up and went home.

Back in Meilu Garden, Ouyang Rong first returned to the study, took out a bronze animal face from the box, put it in his sleeve, and then left the yard straight away, walking towards a certain yard in Meilu Garden.

When he knocked on the door and walked into the compound where Liu Ashan's family lived.

Mother Liu, Liu Ashan, and Ah Qing, whom I haven't seen for a long time, are having dinner around the table.

When the family saw Ouyang Rong, they hurriedly got up and greeted him.

Ouyang Rong waved his hands to push them back to the stools. While laughing, he went to the back kitchen to get a pair of bowls and chopsticks and returned. He rolled up his sleeves and sat down to eat with Ah Qing's family.

Liu Ashan was a little embarrassed, so he got up and went to light a few more oil lamps.

The east room is brighter.

Mother Liu silently went to the back kitchen to fetch some jars of pickled radish and pickled mustard, and put them on the table not far from Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly pulled them back. At the dinner table, he asked Mother Liu about her physical condition and recent life with a concerned face.

Ah Qing next to her, when eating, turned her head frequently to look at Ouyang Rong's gentle face when she was talking to her mother.

The little girl's big eyes were as clear as a spring, brighter than the candles next to her.

There is light secretly hidden inside.

Ah Qing even forgot to pick up the food, and just went to pick up the rice in a foolish way.

It was her elder brother's pair of chopsticks who reached out to him and took a bite of food for her, and the little girl realized it.

Seeing her elder brother Liu Ashan's calm and probing eyes, Ah Qing put her face in the bowl, and started chopping the white rice more frequently.

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong also followed Ah Shan, took a few mouthfuls of food for Ah Qing, turned his head and continued to chat with Liumu and Ah Shan with a smile.

The little girl's ears seemed to be red, but it was not too obvious under the orange candlelight.

In any case, she should be very happy about Ouyang Rong's sudden visit for dinner.

After dinner, Ah Qing took the initiative to jump off the stool to serve hot rice for Ouyang Rong who had an empty bowl.

Of course, there was also the empty bowl of brother Liu Ashan, which she did not forget to take.

"Ah Qing is so cute."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the back of Ah Qing's small body going to the kitchen, turned his head and smiled at Mother Liu and Ah Shan and asked:

"By the way, Ah Qing should be the same age as Wei Lai, and the folks here should not be too young. Madam, Ah Shan, when are you going to find a good match for her? Would you like me to help you out? ?”

After a pause, Ouyang Rong asked in a daze:

"By the way, someone should come to propose marriage, right?"

Liu Ashan has been by Ouyang Rong's side all the time, even though he does not have the title of master and servant, he is already a well-known figure in the county government.

These days, he helped Ouyang Rong with his work, and he also made a lot of contacts by the way. In addition, he is a native of Longcheng County. Naturally, many local officials and wealthy families took the initiative to make friends with them. Some people wanted to get married. Nature is also a matter of course.

After all, Liu Ashan's family has a young girl named Shui Ling who is waiting to be married. Even if the word "Yue" is tattooed on her forehead, it is not too much of a hindrance, and it is not disfigured. In Ouyang Rong's words, it should be in the wedding market of a small county in the south of the Yangtze River. of hot items.

Sure enough, Liu Ashan and Mother Liu looked at each other, the latter nodded slightly, but then sighed, squeezed out a smile and said:

"To tell you the truth, the lord, some honest and well-to-do family came to hint to propose marriage, but they failed."

"Why is this? They still pick and choose Ah Qing? Ah Qing is a good girl, and it is a blessing to be able to marry back. She is the son of a prosperous husband." Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.

"My sister doesn't like it." Liu Ashan suddenly said in a muffled voice.

Ouyang Rong was stunned: "Ah Qing is picking? Well, that's right, just forget it if you don't like it..." His face was hesitant to speak, and the instant change before and after seemed a little bit double standard.

"It's not that I don't like it, they are honest and good men." Liu Ashan hesitated for a while, looked at Ouyang Rong and said, "But Amei said that she doesn't want to marry yet."

Ouyang Rong laughed and shook his head, without thinking too much, he said directly:
"That's the little girl who loves the family. You, the elder brother, have to take the lead. You should marry her a sister-in-law as soon as possible. When you see your young couple happy and happy, she will know that she is in a hurry and understand that she is an outsider in the family." ' has."

His tone was half-joking.

The dull man in front of him didn't smile, probably because he was used to being bored, he watched the expression on Ouyang Rong's face for a while.

Liu Ashan hesitated in his eyes.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and asked: "Then how is your situation, Ah Shan? I heard last time that your mother recruited a girl from a good family for you. How is it going?"

Liu Ashan came back to his senses, and when he heard Ouyang Rong mention it, a very rare smile appeared on his thin face:
"Thank you for your concern, Master. I...I like her, and she likes me!"

In the middle of speaking, he quickly picked up the jug, raised his head and took three mouthfuls of rice wine, almost turning his face red.

Ouyang Rong blinked: "Aren't you talking to me?"

Liu Ashan was stunned for a while, "Master likes to hear this?"

Ouyang Rong calmly said, "Is it possible that I am different from ordinary people?"

Liu Ashan blurted out curiously: "I thought the master didn't like sexual affairs between men and women, and only concentrated on his official duties, like Xie Shiye..."

At this time, Ah Qing's figure appeared outside the door, and the man stopped talking.

I saw the little girl trotting back with two big bowls of hot rice in her hands, and she deftly and lightly handed them to Ouyang Rong and A Shan.

"Hoo hoo... what are master and elder brother talking about?" Ah Qing sat back on the wooden stool and asked in a low voice while blowing on her red fingertips.

"Nothing." Liu Ashan shook his head.

Ouyang Rong teased: "We're talking about marriage."

Ah Qing's movements suddenly stopped, her small body tensed.

Fortunately, Ouyang Rong's words did not stop, and the voice came again:

"Your brother is a little embarrassed to mention this."

"oh oh."

Ah Qing nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, she patted the smooth forehead with the tattoo of the word "Yue", and looked away.

In the depths of the clear eyes, I don't know whether it is relieved or lost.

After half a stick of incense, dinner is over.

"Ah Shan, come out."

Ouyang Rong stood in the yard, called out, and waited quietly.

Liu's mother tacitly went to the back kitchen to wash the dishes, and Liu Ashan, who was cleaning the table with his sister, put down his work, walked out, gathered with Ouyang Rong, who seemed to have something to say, and walked silently to the gazebo under the shade not far away.

But at this moment, Ah Qing ran out the door with a small green cloth bundle in both hands, and after catching up with the two, she timidly said:

"My lord, I have something to do with my servant."

"What's the matter?" Ouyang Rong immediately stopped and asked, "Someone bullied you?"

"no."

Ah Qing also showed doubts on his face, and presented the green cloth package in his arms:
"Someone from the sword shop came to me during the day, it was Sister Cheng, who used to run a breakfast stall and took care of my family, and gave it to my family.

"She said that the old craftsman who likes to drink rice wine and has a bad temper entrusted her to send it to my slave family."

Ouyang Rong frowned slightly: "It's pretty good, what's the point of giving a gift?"

Ah Qing recalled it for a while, and repeated: "It seems that the old man said that this is a reward for my slave's drinking wine for him, and I want my slave to put it away."

"What gift? Return it if it is too valuable"

Ah Qing lowered her head to open the bag, reached in with her small hand, took out something, and handed it to Ouyang Rong with both hands.

She raised her face and said:

"The old man said, this gift is famous, it's called 'craftsmanship', what are you talking about... I don't have anything, but I only give a craftsman's work...and let the servants not forget this name.

"Well, by the way, the old man also said that in the future, strange women may come to the slave family to ask for this item. At that time, the slave family can decide for themselves whether to hand over this gift called "craftsmanship" in exchange for other conditions benefit."

Ouyang Rong was stunned when he heard this.

Taking a closer look, there was a paper-folded blue butterfly lying quietly on the small hand of the delicate girl Bai Shengsheng in front of him.

Very familiar.

Ouyang Rong frowned slightly and said:

"The old man was going to return it when we raided the sword shop last time, but I refused it for you, why did you send it again, with a weird name...

"Craftsmanship?"

Ouyang Rong showed some curiosity on his face, and muttered:
"Craftsmanship... In addition to the title of ordinary craftsmen, in the Ci Hai, this word seems to refer to ordinary craftsmen, full of craftsmanship and lack of spirituality...

"Is this old man playing a fool's joke with Ah Qing? Childlike innocence?"

(End of this chapter)