Xie Lingjiang hadn't seen Ouyang Rong for several days.
After she settled down in Su's house, she went to the county government office several times to look for Ouyang Rong in the past few days, but she didn't see anyone, nor did he see him looking for her.
The last time they met was three days ago, when Mrs. Zhen sent someone to invite her to have lunch at Meiluyuan. Halfway through the meal, Xie Lingjiang was still dealing with Mrs. Zhen’s conversation when she saw the young county magistrate hurriedly put down his bowl and left the table. He thought he was going
I felt anxious, but no one came back in the second half of the trip.
On a sunny afternoon, after Xie Lingjiang had a meal with Shibo's family in the Su Mansion, she practiced long-range shooting in the back garden for a while. She guessed that the county government's lunch break was almost over, so she declined the invitation of Aunt Su's family for afternoon tea.
, rushed to the county government office one step ahead of schedule.
But after Xie Lingjiang waited for a long time, everyone in the yamen was on duty, and Ouyang Rong was nowhere to be seen. He asked the yamen servant, but he didn't know.
Where are people?
She rushed to Meiluyuan and found Zhen.
"Auntie, do you know where Brother Lianghan has gone?"
"Tan Lang isn't in the office?"
On the outskirts of the city between Longcheng County and Dagushan Mountain, where Donglin Temple is located, is a vast expanse of fields after the water receded. The golden sunshine was like a spoonful of hot oil pouring on the crispy yellow pancakes.
One of the several officials who were tired and resting in the fields could not help but interrupt:
“Among them, there are 4,373 orphans, old people, sick, infirm people, etc. who are unable to support themselves.
Xie Lingjiang found Ouyang Rong only in the evening.
Mrs. Zhen smiled, but she also knew that the noble lady Xie's serious temperament should not be teased too much. Mrs. Luoqun thought for a moment and then said:
"In the past few days, I have seen Tan Lang rushing around, walking with wind, coming home late every day, and he didn't know what he was doing when he came back. His body was dirty, and once he was covered in yellow mud... Yesterday morning, Yan
Liulang came to pick him up, and I heard that they seemed to be talking about a camp on the outskirts of the city, so Huanwan can go to the outskirts of the city to look for it."
Xie Lingjiang laughed, said goodbye to the young official in green clothes, and continued to look for him in the south...
"To prevent being trampled, men and women receive food separately from each other, and receive two days of rations at a time... They are not allowed to leave the disaster relief camp without any reason, otherwise they will not be given food...
Ouyang Rong reported the numbers that he had calculated countless times in his mind in one breath, then took a long breath, turned to his junior sister who stared at him and said seriously:
"Walking toward the southernmost part of Frost's Fall Camp, the disaster relief camp at the foot is called Guyu, and the one next to it is called Lixia Camp. These are the names given by the county magistrate. He said that he would build 24 disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city, and the names should match each solar term.
One, the county magistrate is educated..."
Xie Lingjiang felt that this was not like the sad spring day now, but like the hard-working golden autumn she had seen when her father took her to the family manor in autumn when she was a child.
"About 1,100 people are missing. Among them, those who fled to other counties are unknown; those who are dead are unknown."
"It's okay. When he comes back tonight, Auntie will teach him a lesson for you."
"..." Xie Lingjiang said with a straight face: "No. I am his staff. Why don't you call me if you have something?"
Hearing this, Ouyang Rong suddenly felt a little emotional: "I thought the pickled radish from Donglin Temple was delicious enough, but I didn't expect that the pickled radish brought by the aunts and aunts was even more delicious. I couldn't help but eat more these days, which made me...
Brother Jiang, it seems that the masters are among the people."
"Thank you, aunt."
And some of the young and middle-aged refugees she occasionally met were either carrying bricks and tiles, carrying ladles to fetch water, hurried past her, or were busy on the ruins of some damaged houses on the roadside.
But as Xie Lingjiang walked along today, not only did all the refugees on the street disappear, but there were not many left, and most of them were women, children, old and weak, and some children running around. Although they still looked disheveled, they could
There is almost no trace of the dazed and gray look on his face that he had seen a few days ago when he was stumbling around hungry on the ground.
The latter didn't seem too surprised to see her. He wiped his hands on his clothes that were already stained with dirty gray mud, smiled, and took the clean water bag she silently handed over.
"What?" she wondered.
"The girl asked the county magistrate. I met him and Captain Yan eating on the ridge at noon. They seemed to be going to the newly built Shuangjiang Camp in the afternoon. The construction of Shuangjiang Camp just started yesterday. The county magistrate chose the toilets in each relief camp.
The site is very strict, and open toilets are not allowed. Each battalion has to personally supervise the construction."
Xie Lingjiang ignored the dirt and sat down next to Ouyang Rong.
"This stall has basically been revitalized. We will move forward according to the rules and regulations established these days, so that women, children, old and young can fill their bellies. The young and middle-aged people should not be idle, work for relief, work hard, harvest surplus food, and rebuild their homes when the disaster is over.
…
"Twelve thousand, nine hundred and eighty-one people." The young county magistrate suddenly said without answering.
Xie Lingjiang entered the disaster relief camp that was being built in full swing. She saw women and children delivering water and picking up fruits, men driving piles and erecting tents, and cooks boiling water. She looked around all the way, and met some officials in Tsing Yi who were commanding and protecting them.
, and didn’t forget to ask about Ouyang Rong.
"Frostfall Camp?" Xie Lingjiang was curious.
So the two senior brothers and sisters missed each other perfectly.
In addition, perhaps because there are fewer young adults among them, public security has improved a lot along the way.
When she first arrived at Shuangsheng Camp, the southernmost camp where construction had just begun, the "Magistrate of Carrot County" that the refugees talked about was not here.
"So you miss him?"
Xie Lingjiang fell silent, turned to look at him and continued counting:
"The grain stored in the charity warehouse, as of yesterday, was 9,817 dan...
"What have you been busy with these days? Are they all organized by you? Is this what you call...relief for work?" asked the noble lady of the Xie family.
And the large groups of refugees who were busy working together or dispersed in small groups, and the newly erected greenhouses and huts, were like the hot oil on the newly fried pancakes.
The noble girl's eyes were beating with activity, and a kind of vitality that was completely different from the "spring mountains with spreading grass and trees" was bursting out bravely on the land in front of her.
She said directly to Ouyang Rong: "Then dinner will be served tonight, and I have to try it too."
Originally, Xie Lingjiang was a little bit resentful, asking her to look for this guy running around all afternoon, but when she saw him looking up like a thirsty man and pouring water directly into his stomach, he changed his words again,
Asked softly:
"Why do they call you 'Carrot County Magistrate'?"
Xie Lingjiang looked surprised, but when she arrived at the outskirts of the city.
On the field ridges illuminated by the setting sun, only the two senior brothers and sisters from Bailudong Academy and their two long slanting shadows were left.
"No, I haven't seen anyone else for several days."
"As of today, a total of 2,700 young and strong people have been recruited in exchange of work for relief, and 3,600 workers have been employed, and they are paid with chestnuts.
Without saying a word, Xie Lingjiang turned around and left Luming Street. After asking for directions, she rushed towards the outskirts of the city. However, the scene along the way surprised her:
With her sword across her knees, her starry eyes stared straight at the red sun hiding behind Dagushan. From this angle, the ancient temple belonging to the Southern Lotus Sect on the mountain was dark, with only some outlines outlined by the golden light.
So we made another long circuit in the afternoon, and it was almost sunset when Xie Lingjiang found a guy taking a rest on a field ridge that was filled with yellow mud not long after the water receded.
"you……"
I heard from the clerk who stayed at the camp that not long before she arrived, news came that a strong laborer in the Qingming Camp in the north had suffered a bone injury, so the county magistrate hurried to find the doctor.
Xie Ling Jiang Fujian stood on a small hill where the Earth Temple stood, looking into the distance.
This vitality that changes the seasons in the mountains, rivers and fields made her silently jump down the hills and approach them spontaneously.
"In May of the first year of the Holy Calendar of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Yunmengze flood and Longcheng flooded. As of noon today, the number of victims has reached 12,981, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the county's population.
Xie Lingjiang was a little dumbfounded. Why did it feel like you were treating this pickled radish as a reward?
She finally knew where most of the refugees had gone.
Ouyang Rong nodded helplessly. Seeing the sun setting in the west, he had been busy all day and carefully told the officials behind him about the disaster relief camp. They all followed the order and left.
"It is estimated that 24 relief camps will be built, and 18 have been roughly built. Thirty-three food points and porridge shacks have been established. It is stipulated that each person will receive one liter of relief food per day, and children will receive half a liter.
"There are also eight hundred young men who are building collapsed houses for ninety wealthy households inside and outside the city who still have some money. It will cost nine hundred and thirty workers, and the wealthy households will pay for it themselves..."
"Mingtang has been taking us to drink porridge with the victims at every meal in the suburbs these days. Mr. Yan couldn't stand it anymore, so he went to find some pickled radishes. Mingtang ate them with every meal. The county magistrate is the honorific name of the people, and he can be found both inside and outside the city.
It’s all spread.”
She still remembered that some time ago, when she and Ouyang Rong went down the mountain to take her father to the ferry, no matter in the busy streets of Longcheng County or on the official roads outside the city, there were a large number of refugees dragging their families with them everywhere.
"Now we just have to wait for more disaster relief food from the court and Jiangzhou to start rebuilding new flood control buildings."
In the last ray of the setting sun, Xie Lingjiang saw the young county magistrate getting up excitedly, pointing at the hardworking people in the fields, and asked in confusion:
"So, why do you have to beg those local tyrants and squires, good-hearted gentlemen to reward you with gruel? Are you being treated like animals and being raised in captivity? What these people need is not just a small amount of food to be exploited from them and then given back to them, but hard-working and capable people.
What they need is a field that can be cultivated, a small home that can be erected with their own hands, and a job that can use their own hard work and sweat, without anyone's charity."
Then, Xie Lingjiang, who was getting hotter and hotter due to the cold wind and even hugged his sword tightly, saw the senior brother who had turned into a dark figure along with the mountains and the ancient temple, calmed down and said: