Thanks to the shortcut in the canyon, Su Ping left Beidi early and had reached the boundary of Anping County. Not far away was Xiaohe Village, the Novice Village he had crossed over.
Su Ping has not yet decided whether to leave Daqing or not.
But even if you stay in Daqing, it's still early for the test, so it's not too late to go back to Xiaohe Village and think about it slowly.
Of course, the most important thing is that more than a month has passed since the provincial examination.
The people in Duke Guo's Mansion didn't find him at first, but now that Duke Ding has passed away, they probably gave up long ago.
Theoretically speaking, as long as you don't hang out in front of others, it should be safe enough.
This time, Su Ping rode his horse, just like the last time he left Xiaohe Village, he took a long circuit on the official road before returning to Xiaohe Village.
At this time, the autumn harvest time has long passed, and there are only scattered weeds still standing stubbornly in the farmland on both sides of the road.
The hard-working villagers in the past have disappeared.
But the strange thing is that the road surface is more than twice as wide as before.
And from a distance, the archway originally made of several pieces of wood at the entrance of the village was replaced by a stone archway, which looked much more grand than before.
"Is Xiaohe Village getting rich?"
Su Ping was a little stunned.
How long had he left before Xiaohe Village became prosperous?
Is it because I have suppressed the Feng Shui of Xiaohe Village or something?
With doubts, Su Ping slowly drove his horse closer.
It was only then that he noticed that the four or five low houses at the entrance of the village had been replaced with new tiles, and a circle of bluestone was paved at the door.
Especially in Muramasa Xushan's home, the brand-new doors and windows look particularly dazzling against the mottled walls.
Three or four villagers were standing next to the archway chatting, and one of them was the first to spot Su Ping.
"Xiao Xianggong Su?"
Liu Erzhu was stunned for a moment, then shouted out in surprise, "Xiao Xianggong Su is back, Xianggong Su is back!"
This voice sounded so powerful that several people looked over, and some little babies poked their heads out of their respective houses.
Several people gathered around him enthusiastically.
"Xiao Xianggong Su, are you back from Yangjing?"
"I heard that you went to Yangjing to work for the Duke's government. Is it true?"
"Look at this big horse. How many taels of silver does it cost?"
"Xiao Xianggong Su is Xianggong Su. I know that sooner or later you will become famous."
"..."
The villagers praised Su Ping for being so good.
When the little kids saw that it was brother Su Ping whom they hadn't seen for a long time, they all ran out and jumped around Su Ping and Da Ma, with strangely tight eyes.
Su Ping touched his nose awkwardly.
I did go to the Duke's Mansion, but when it comes to popularity... the other way around is almost the same.
"Well, here are some candies, Tiewa, take them and share them with everyone."
Su Ping took out a small cloth bag from his arms and threw it to one of the little dolls.
The annoying naughty child ran away happily and went to the village to share the candy.
"This stupid boy doesn't even say a word of thanks."
Liu Erzhu glared at his son angrily.
"Hi, kid."
Su Ping laughed and asked: "Brother Erzhu, where is Muramasa?"
"Muramasa took people to the county town to exchange the millet early in the morning. It's almost time to go back."
Liu Erzhu replied, and then he hammered his leg a little unsatisfactorily: "I fell down when I was digging the day before yesterday, and my ankle is still not good, so I didn't follow."
"Replace the tiles...Brother Erzhu, the harvest this year is so good that I am willing to replace the tiles."
Su Ping asked calmly.
"Hey, if the harvest is still the same, it's better not to replace the tiles with this."
"Then what are you..."
Su Ping raised his head and looked at the archway, and then at the several low houses that had been replaced by Xinwa at the entrance of the village.
"Oh, that's what you're asking."
A person next to him smiled and said, "Little Mr. Su, I don't know that not long after you were picked up by a nobleman last time, the county magistrate came to our village in person."
"yes."
Another person added, "This road and this archway were built by the county magistrate."
"Moreover, the county magistrate saw that every household in our village had some leaks, so he had many tiles brought from the county. My husband's house also had new ones replaced."
"Not only that, the county magistrate is considerate of everyone and has exempted Xiaohe Village from paying taxes this year."
"..."
Several people talked and praised the county magistrate to the sky.
Su Ping listened for a while and probably figured out what was going on.
It was nothing more than Shen Yushu's battle last time that alarmed the county magistrate.
As for the benefits provided to Xiaohe Village, they are all implemented in real terms, and there is a high probability that they will not reach the ears of the Duke's government. It does not look like they are meant to curry favor.
Probably, he is really considerate.
Su Ping secretly remembered it in his heart.
After chatting for a while, Su Ping led the horse and walked towards his home.
Sure enough, the roof tiles looked brand new.
"Fortunately, the Duke's Mansion will no longer keep an eye on me. Otherwise, for such an influential being whose every move is so influential, I would have no choice but to go to the Great Rebellion."
Su Ping thought this in his heart.
"Brother Su?"
A voice sounded from the door next door. It turned out to be the neighbor's sister-in-law Zhang Cuihua.
"Hello, sister-in-law."
Su Ping smiled and said hello.
"Oh, my mouth feels a lot sweeter after going out."
Zhang Cuihua swayed out of the house, her exaggerated hip curves particularly eye-catching.
Su Ping looked away: "Where there..."
"How's it going? How are you doing at the Duke's Mansion?"
Zhang Cuihua stared at Su Ping with a smile, "Many people in the village say you will not come back, but my sister-in-law thinks that even if you become rich, you will never forget the villagers."
"...where there."
Su Ping's face showed a trace of unnaturalness.
Zhang Cuihua is such a talented person that even the people in Xiaohe Village can't beat her. They noticed something strange about Su Ping right away.
"Su Ping, you are the only man in the Su family now. When you go out, you have to endure what you should."
Zhang Cuihua showed a rare serious look, "After all, this is the Duke's Mansion, and the most powerful group in Daqing is a small group. It is your blessing to take a fancy to you, and others would not dare to even think about it."
"It's normal to feel a little angry. How can a man not be angry?"
"Like you, Brother Danniu, you are bullied outside. Sometimes when you go home, I can't help but scold your sister-in-law. It's inevitable in life."
"Everyone in the village is very good. There is no need for you to worry about it. After you go back this time, do good things for others. Everyone is counting on you to earn face for Xiaohe Village."
The words were spoken sincerely, but Su Ping's heart was full of mixed emotions.
For him, except for Mr. Ge and his son, no one else in Xiaohe Village has any feelings at all.
But for the villagers of Xiaohe Village, they had watched Su Ping grow up. They put aside some normal emotions related to interests, and still regarded Su Ping as one of their own in their simple hearts.
Even the meanest Zhang Cuihua can say such a thing.
This made Su Ping not sure how to face it.
"Well...sister-in-law, let's not talk about it for now. I'm going to visit Ge Weng."
Su Ping was a little flustered, tied the horse to the tree in front of the door, turned around and left.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Cuihua looked surprised: "Visit Ge Weng? Didn't you ask someone to take Ge Weng and Xiaopingan to Yangjing?"