Li Yanqing and his group arrived in Tangyin County, Xiangzhou at noon the next day. The magistrate Zhou Chun specially brought a dozen yamen runners and several ox carts to welcome him. Li Yanqing sent Zhang Bao to inform him in advance.

The hot soup and food were prepared in the inn. Several large braziers burned the charcoal red, making the room warm as spring. The officials who had been traveling for three consecutive days in the cold were already exhausted. No one wanted to leave after entering the inn.

"Everyone!"

Li Yanqing smiled at the officials who were having dinner and said, "Magistrate Zhou said he would welcome us in Tangyin County, otherwise everyone would work harder and go to Tangyin County to rest."

Wang Zao waved his hand and smiled, "I have to take a hot bath after dinner, and then get into the warm bed and have a good sleep. We appreciated Zhou Zhixian's beauty and really don't want to move."

It was rare that Wang Zao's words were accepted by everyone, and everyone expressed their opinions that it was very comfortable here and they didn't want to leave anymore.

Seeing that everyone was really tired, Li Yanqing smiled and said, "Since that's the case, let's have a good rest today! We will set out to head north early tomorrow morning."

Li Yanqing's decision was applauded and supported by everyone. Li Yanqing shook his head, walked out of the canteen, and said to Zhou Chun who was waiting in the yard: "Everyone is tired and doesn't want to leave the post station, so Tangyin County will not go. We will go north tomorrow morning."

"Then do you want Yanqing to go back to your hometown to take a look?"

Li Yanqing nodded, "I want to go back to pay tribute to my mother's tomb."

"Then let's go together! We're just the way."

Li Yanqing hurriedly ate something, then took Zhang Ying and Zhang Bao away from the post station, rode a horse with Zhou Chun to Tangyin County. When he was about to arrive in Liwen Village, Zhou Chun slowed down his horse and said to Li Yanqing: "There is one thing that is not easy to talk about, but I still need to remind you that the output of autumn and summer grains in Tangyin County has dropped by 30% this year. Although it has something to do with the drought between spring and summer, the real reason for the decline in grain production is your father."

Li Yanqing was stunned, "What does this have to do with my father?"

Zhou Chun pointed to the snow-covered fields in the north and said, "Under the thick snow were the endless wheat fields and millet fields, but now they are not. They have all become flower fields. 60% of the fertile fields in Xiaohe Township have become flower fields."

Zhou Chun sighed and said, "I know your father wanted to give the villagers more income, but more and more farmland abandoned wheat and planted flowers. Tangyin County was originally a large grain-producing county, but today's grain output is lower than Linzhang County. This year, I can use the excuse of drought to explain upwards. So what about next year? The food declines for several consecutive years, and the court will hold people accountable. I have the Gao family as the backstage. At worst, I am transferred. I am afraid Baoyanzhai will be charged with destroying farmers, and the consequences are extremely serious."

Of course, Li Yanqing knew that Zhou Chun was not an alarmist statement. Agriculture was the foundation of all dynasties. No matter how prosperous the handicraft industry was, it could not threaten agriculture. My father was indeed not considerate, so it would be fine to plant flowers in the south, but he had to plant flowers in a traditional grain-producing county like Tangyin County, which would indeed cause very serious consequences.

He made a quick decision: "After I went back, I told my father that he would greatly reduce the flower fields in Tangyin County, and that all the losses would be borne by Baoyanzhai. I will not make you embarrassed again next year!"

Zhou Chun clasped his fists and smiled: "That's thank you. Tell me if you need anything. I'll say goodbye first!"

"This time I have troubled Brother Zhou, thank you!"

Zhou Chun took the yamen runner away. Li Yanqing kept watching him walk away, then turned his head and entered Li Wen Village.

Although the New Year is approaching, Liwen Village seems very deserted. No wonder, most of the population in the village has gone to the capital or the south, and only some elderly people and women and children are left in Liwen Village.

"Censor, is this your hometown?" Zhang Ying asked with a smile.

"yes!"

Li Yanqing pointed to a trail with a horse whip and said, "I followed this trail to study in Lushan Town before dawn. The trees were not that big at that time, and now they have grown into towering trees."

Li Yanqing went home along the path, but he didn't meet anyone on the way. After a moment, he came to the old house. The old house was still in its original appearance, with the door half open. You could vaguely see Uncle Zhong combing the donkey in the yard. This donkey was still the prize of the boy's club back then. More than ten years have passed, and the little donkey has also turned into an old donkey.

"Uncle Zhong wants to go out?"

Li Yanqing smiled and led his horse into the yard. Uncle Zhong was startled, "It's a little official who is back. I'm a little back now, and I didn't hear it just now!"

Uncle Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to take the horse, turned around and shouted to his wife in the room, "Old woman, the little official is back, hurry up and burn hot water!"

"Uncle Zhong is in good health?"

"Apart from bad ears and a little loose teeth, it's all good. Has the master come back together?"

"He didn't come back, and I just passed by Tangyin, paid tribute to my mother and left. I really didn't have time, so I didn't have to prepare dinner."

"I understand, will the little official pay tribute now?"

"If it's convenient, I'll pay tribute to you now."

Li Yanqing asked Zhang Ying and Zhang Bao to go to the guest hall to rest. He followed Uncle Zhong to the mother's tomb behind the house. The mother's cemetery was very clean and there were no weeds on the grave. Li Yanqing placed the incense burner and sacrifices in front of the tombstone, inserted three more incense sticks, and murmured: "Mother, I'm here to see you. I hope that when I come again next time, I can bring your daughter-in-law, I wish my mother rest in peace!"

After whispering, he knelt down and kowtowed three respectfully, burned the paper money in front of the tombstone. Then he got up and picked up a broom to sweep the cemetery. This is the custom of Tangyin County. After worshiping his parents, he must do something, either pulling off the weeds from the tomb or sweeping the cemetery.

"Uncle Zhong, is the patriarch still in the village?"

"It's really a coincidence that the patriarch and a group of tribesmen set off for the capital the day before yesterday. There were some elderly people in the village. Only Li Erkang's father was there, the guy who peeped at Aunt Gu San's toilet and fell into the cesspool. Now his memory is declining so much that he doesn't even recognize his son."

Li Yanqing nodded, then took out ten taels of silver and handed it to Uncle Zhong, "This little silver is for you and your wife to celebrate the New Year."

Uncle Zhong waved his hand in a hurry, "I don't want it, the master gives me money every month."

Li Yanqing forced the money to him and smiled and said, "This is my little intention. If you go back and buy me a pig leg for you to send to Li Erkang's father, I won't go see him."

"Thank you, the little official!"

At this moment, Uncle Zhong suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Gui'er came here two days ago."

"Wang Gui is back?" Li Yanqing was overjoyed.

"I came back a few days ago. I took his new wife and passed by our village. I also came to pay special respects to my wife."

Li Yanqing secretly called for luck, but he almost forgot that the New Year was about to come, so of course Wang Gui should go home, and he was actually going to Anyang to find him.

......

Li Yanqing immediately came to Tangwang Village. It was exactly the opposite of the desertedness of Liwen Village. Tangwang Village is extremely lively as the New Year approaches. You can hear the screams of slaughtering pigs everywhere. Every family is pounding rice cakes, and groups of children are setting firecrackers at the entrance of the village, full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Soon, the three of them rode to the gate of Wang Gui's mansion. They happened to see Wang Gui with a few young young men installing lanterns on the gate. Someone saw Li Yanqing and hurriedly said to Wang Gui: "See who is here!"

Wang Gui turned around and saw Li Yanqing, 'Ah!' screamed, jumped directly from the five-foot-high bench, and rushed to meet him, "Old Li, why are you back?"

Li Yanqing turned over and dismounted, hugged him tightly, and said with a smile: "I am Gonggan passing by Tangyin County and will leave tomorrow morning."

"Nonsense! Nothing happens when you travel during the New Year."

"It's not that our Emperor Song Dynasty is so angry that he doesn't care about the New Year, and one order will make us exhausted to death."

"Ha! You slander the emperor, be careful I will sue you."

The two laughed together, and Wang Gui asked the housekeeper to take care of Li Yanqing's subordinates, so he pulled Li Yanqing to the yard where he lived, "I still live in the original yard, but now I live alone."

"Is A Tang back?"

"He hasn't come back. He is now in great honor. A few days ago, County Magistrate Zhou came to the Tang family to celebrate the merits. He made contributions to killing the enemy and has been promoted to the seventh-rank Zhiguo Captain. His grandmother is half a level higher than me. I have participated in the Battle of Xixia, which is really unhappy."

"Where is the fifth brother?"

"You said, my mother! I saw him picking up feces in the morning, so I asked someone to come to him."

Wang Gui asked a servant to inform Yue Fei. He took Li Yanqing into his yard and smiled and said, "A Yuan, see who is coming."

A pretty young woman walked out of the room, which was Wang Gui's beautiful wife Tang Yuaner. Li Yanqing smiled and clasped her fists and said, "I have met my brother and sister!"

Wang Gui knocked him behind, "What kind of brother and sister-in-law should be called A-Sister-in-law, I'm one year older than you."

"Haha! Yanqing has met his sister-in-law."

Tang Yuaner smiled and gave a blessing, "Uncle is here, please sit in the house!"

"We went to the study and sat down. A Yuan, prepared some wine dishes for us, and then boiled two pots of wine."

"knew!"

Wang Gui pulled Li Yanqing into the study and sat down, poured him a cup of hot water, "First moisten your mouth, let's drink a cup afterward."

Li Yanqing took a sip of hot water and asked, "When did you come back?"

"I just came back three days ago. Why? You won't have something to do with me, right?"
Chapter completed!