With his stomach half full, Wenbo talked about the time he had to find a servant.
"They are trustworthy and have decent physical strength. I can find a dozen of them by asking, but it's far from enough."
Uncle Wen sighed, "There are only so many young people in the county. If we go to the countryside to look for them, we should be able to find some. But many families also need help, so I'm afraid they won't be willing."
"There are some wealthy merchants in the city who have thugs and servants, but they are not easy to mess with. They can still live a prosperous life in such a chaotic Yun'an County, which shows that there is a lot of power behind them."
Lin Yuxi asked, "Who are the big families in the city and what kind of business are they doing?"
Uncle Wen put down his chopsticks and elaborated, "The strongest one is the Li family. They are mainly engaged in the medicinal materials business. They need medicinal materials for the front line. The Li family should have connections with the government. The medicinal materials are not worried about the market. There are also some other businesses in Yun'an County.
The rice grain is also controlled by the Li family."
"The Wang family is engaged in cloth business and also supplies the front line. The main source of income is the court. However, there is also the Yu family competing with them. These two families cannot compare with the Li family."
"In addition, there is the Zhao family and the Lin family. These two families run inns, restaurants, teahouses and other businesses. They have business not only in Yun'an County, but also in many other places. The others are not really worth mentioning."
Lin Yuxi remembered these families in his mind. They controlled the economic lifeline of Yun'an County. The county government existed in name only, and it was these big families who had the final say on what happened to Yun'an County.
Chen Zhongqian has been here for several days. People come in and out of this house every day. I don't believe that those families don't know that the new magistrate has arrived.
Generally speaking, someone will be sent to deliver a gift or something, or they will come to visit in person.
None of these things means that they don't pay attention to the county magistrate at all. It doesn't matter whether they have the county magistrate or not.
But if people don't pay attention to you, you can't ignore it completely. If Yun'an County wants to get better, these families must work hard.
What matters now is how to make them willing to contribute. They rely on the support behind them and don't care about the lives of the people at the bottom. They just come to the door and ask them to contribute money and efforts. They will probably be beaten with sticks.
Chen Zhongqian didn't speak, but he was thinking about the same thing as Lin Hexi, which was to make those big companies notice them and feel that they needed them.
Chen Zhongqian asked, "I wonder how many academies there are in the county? Xiaoyu still needs to go to school."
Wenbo said, "You can invite your husband to teach at home. If the young master wants to go to an academy, Yun'an Academy is a good place to go."
"Yun'an Academy used to be a county school. Before the war, it was said to be full of students and plums. Later, it gradually declined. There was a squire who only passed the imperial examination after studying there. He spent his own money to renovate it and changed its name to Yun'an.
Academy.”
"Several big families in the county also send their children to study there, and they are willing to fund it, so Yun'an Academy is doing well now."
Chen Zhongqian nodded, "Are there any rules for admission?"
Uncle Wen stroked his beard and said, "As long as the dean agrees, it's fine. The dean and I have known each other for many years, and the young master is very smart, so I guess there will be no problem."
When they returned to the house after dinner, Chen Zhongqian and Lin Hexi were both worried about big things.
Lin Joy said, "According to what Uncle Wen said, the Li family is the only one in Yun'an County, and the other families are equally powerful. Those families may not be convinced, but things are calm now, and they don't want to muddy the water."
Chen Zhongqian looked at her, "Now that we are here, we have to muddy the water. As long as they have the intention to change this situation, we will have a chance."
Lin Hexi smiled and nodded, "That's right. None of those families came to the door. They don't take you as the magistrate at all. We have to let them know that this magistrate is not an ordinary person."
The Li family runs a medicine business, which is a coincidence. They are professionally matched with Lin Yuxi.
But now Lin Yuxi doesn't plan to use his strength on the Li family. The Li family's position is stable and the backers behind it must be very powerful.
If a little-known county magistrate comes to your door, even if he brings out thousand-year-old ginseng, he will just use his power to buy your ginseng. He will not have any other ideas at all.
But if the Li family's status is threatened and one of the other companies suddenly shows up, and if the Li family finds an opportunity to cooperate, then they will take the initiative to ask for cooperation.
The county government office cannot remain empty all the time. Even if there are not enough staff, it must be put into operation first.
Uncle Wen found more than a dozen people, and it took all his efforts. The youngest one was in his early thirties, not young and strong, but it was good to have such people.
Chen Zhongqian applied for money, but it was like nothing happened, without any news.
He discussed it with Lin Yuxi and decided that the money for the policemen should not be reduced, so they would have to pay it themselves for the time being.
This situation will not last forever, they will always find a way to change it.
Wenbo had already made an agreement with the academy that Xiaoyu could go to school, so Lin Yuxi took him to the academy to report.
Because of the investment from those big families, Yun'an Academy was built quite well. The buildings are neat and tidy, and the windows are bright and clean. As soon as you enter the academy, you can hear the sound of reading loudly.
The president of the academy, whose surname is Li, is a distant relative of the Li family. He was admitted as a scholar many years ago and has been a teacher at Yun'an Academy these years.
When I learned that the new county magistrate was Tanhualang, I admired him very much. I wanted to pay him a visit but felt it was inappropriate.
When he saw Xiaoyu's outstanding appearance, he wondered if he could pass the test in terms of knowledge. When he was tested, he was not merciful at all.
As a result, Xiaoyu could answer all the questions he asked, and he answered them very well. I asked him to write and see, and Xiaoyu did not disappoint.
Dean Li was extremely satisfied. He thought Uncle Wen was exaggerating, but he turned out to be very smart.
"You have learned so much at your age, and you are better than the students of the same age in the academy. However, I will still put you in a class of the same age. You are new here, so you must not show off your knowledge."
Xiaoyu was very smart and immediately understood what the gentleman meant.
This academy is attended by young men from wealthy families in the county. If he is put into a higher class, those classmates will definitely bully him.
Even if he enters a class with his peers, if he acts too smart, he will be resented by others, and he will eventually be bullied.
After practicing with his mother for so long, he is not afraid of fights, but he will also listen to his husband's advice.
We haven't established a firm footing yet, and my parents are very busy with county government affairs, so we can't cause trouble.
"Thank you, Dean, for your advice. I've written it all down."
Dean Li was even more satisfied. He was lucky to have such a student.
While we were talking in the living room, the little book boy ran in in a panic and said, "Dean, the young master of the Zhao family is not in good condition. His servants are not here."