Hearing the knock on the door from outside, Gao Zhengyan stopped his chopsticks and looked outside along the window.
"Uncle Gao? Uncle Gao?"
"Who is it?" Gao Zhengyan shouted.
Gao Zhengyan's youngest son walked out of another room at this moment.
Behind him were three boys, holding half-eaten buns in their hands. These were Gao Zhengyan's grandsons.
"Uncle Gao, it's me... The county magistrate asked me to bring you a message, asking you to go to the county government office to discuss matters!"
Hearing this, Gao Zhengyan walked out of the room and motioned to his youngest son to open the yard.
Then he saw a guard standing at the door.
"What's up?"
"I heard from the messenger from Fucheng that the palace is going to recruit people from various prefectures and counties to go to Yuanyang to participate in the autumn harvest... so the county magistrate went to the team leaders overnight to discuss the selection of people!"
Gao Zhengyan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand...I'll go right away!"
"Okay, Uncle Gao, I'll go and send a message to the other teams!"
"good!"
After the officer left, Gao Zhengyan turned around and walked towards the house. He didn't even wear any shoes at this moment.
Before he could enter the door, he heard an old woman's voice coming from the side: "It's almost dark, and we still don't want to stop!"
Hearing his old wife's complaint, Gao Zhengyan widened his eyes and said, "What do you know? Women, don't talk nonsense!"
Gao's wife continued to complain: "I have been digging ditches for a day, and I haven't even finished a hot meal when I come back. Now I have to send you an errand... and you are not allowed to live!"
While changing out of his muddy clothes, Gao Zhengyan said: "The ditches are not dug to guard against those monsters, nor are they to irrigate the fields. What a long hair, short knowledge!"
Gao's wife put down the clothes in her hands and said in a cold tone: "I have long hair but short knowledge, but why not because of your old bones?"
"You are over 50 years old and you are still working hard. If you really want to have trouble... what will happen to this family?"
This sentence made Gao Zhengyan speechless.
Fortunately, the two daughters-in-law of the Gao family came out of the house, and one of them tried to persuade him: "Mom, it's not easy for Dad either, so please stop saying a few words!"
Gao's wife didn't say anything. She didn't want to complain about anything, she just wanted to remind her husband to take care of his health.
Gao Zhengyan also wanted to understand this, and he didn't say anything more at the moment. After all, his wife also had good intentions.
Every family has its own sutras that are difficult to recite. If there are difficulties in his family, they are the same as in other families.
Compared with the precarious life before, it is actually much better now, so Gao Zhengyan is willing to risk his life to protect this stability.
He is a small official in charge of the team, and so many people are watching him, so he has to do more and take the lead.
After putting on his clothes and shoes, Gao Zhengyan walked outside the hospital.
"You can rest after eating, you don't have to wait for me!"
After saying this, Gao Zhengyan didn't waste any time and rushed out towards the county government office.
…………
Early the next morning, after breakfast, the people gathered under a big tree, all holding tools in their hands.
"Yesterday, we dug fifty feet, and we will be able to close it all in one more day of work. It's another five hundred acres of good land!"
"We will start planting food in spring tomorrow, and as long as autumn is over... we won't have to worry about food!"
"Think about half a year ago...I was still hiding in the village, risking my life every day to find food. Now it's like a dream!"
"Who says it's not the case, so we have to work hard and don't cause trouble to the prince!"
This last sentence aroused widespread resonance, and everyone will remember Zhao Yanxun's kindness.
"By the way, it's time for Uncle Gao to come too..."
Just as someone said this, a voice was heard not far away: "This is not coming!"
Everyone turned around and saw Gao Zhengyan arriving, with a hoe on his shoulders as always.
"Uncle Gao, I heard last night that the county government asked someone to discuss something. What big thing happened?"
Gao Zhengyan was just thinking about how to speak, but he didn't expect someone to bring it up.
Gao Zhengyan put down his hoe and said, "You are well-informed. There is indeed something big going on!"
As soon as they heard something big happened, everyone gathered around, wanting to know what happened.
"Uncle Gao, what's the big deal?"
"Yes, Uncle Gao, tell us!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was almost in place, Gao Zhengyan said: "The palace sent an order asking all prefectures and counties to send people to Yuanyang to harvest grain in autumn. Our Huiping County will send 600 people, and our team will send 40!"
This was really big news, and everyone immediately started talking after hearing it.
There are nearly a hundred people in their team, and nearly half of them will go this time.
"When I go to Yuanyang this time, a lot of the grain harvested has to be transported back to our county, so it is equivalent to harvesting grain for ourselves..."
"The county magistrate said that those who are willing to go to the autumn harvest this time will be rewarded with an additional fifty kilograms of grain!"
Although life is better now, it is still barely enough for food and clothing. Fifty pounds of extra food is still very attractive.
Scanning the crowd, Gao Zhengyan said loudly: "If you want to sign up, stand at the bottom of the wall now!"
Everyone looked at each other, obviously having doubts about this. After all, it was so far inside, and everyone would feel troubled.
"Everyone, we have been greatly favored by the prince. Now is the time to repay the prince's kindness. Do you want to be a coward?" Gao Zhengyan said with dissatisfaction in his tone.
If he hadn't been older, he would definitely have been the first to sign up.
"Uncle Gao, what you said is right...how can we forget your great kindness!"
"That's right, we are willing to work for the prince, but we are afraid that our family will not be able to take care of us when we travel far out of the city..."
"Uncle Gao, there are many monsters outside the city. If you go there, you may die on the road!"
Hearing everyone's doubts, Gao Zhengyan immediately explained: "Don't worry, you will never run out of food when you leave home, and on the way to Yuanyang, there will be troops from the royal palace to send each other off!"
"The royal army, killing monsters is almost like killing chickens. Don't you still believe them?"
Everyone must think more about matters related to life and death, so they are still hesitant at this moment.
Just when Gao Zhengyan was thinking about how he should persuade him, he heard someone shouting: "Be loyal to the prince, I will go!"
"I'll go too..."
"I'll go too..."
All of a sudden, everyone signed up one after another, and the number soon exceeded forty.
Whether it was to eat and drink for themselves, or to show gratitude and loyalty to Zhao Yanxun, they had to go to Yuanyang to harvest in autumn.
Since safety can be guaranteed, they will have no doubts.
Gao Zhengyan selected forty people among them and ordered them to go to the county government office. Therefore, those who went north to Yuanyang had to go there first to meet up.
After these selected people left, Gao Zhengyan led the people out of the city. They also had work tasks today.
Digging ditches to block zombies and using them as a basis to open up wasteland was a strategy that the palace had long ago decided on.
According to this method, each prefecture and county can be self-sufficient in food, and this also solves the biggest problem.
As the sun rises, a large number of young people have gathered outside the county government office.
When everyone arrived, the magistrate walked out of the government office.
"Quiet, be quiet..."
After the scene became quiet, the magistrate spoke: "Everyone, we will go to Yuanyang in two days. It will take at least half a month to leave home. You should go back and prepare today..."
There was no nonsense, the magistrate introduced everything that needed to be prepared and things that needed to be paid attention to.
"Everyone, if you are not afraid of hardship and tiredness, work harder, and don't let the people in Yuanyang say that we are freeloaders..."