Magou Town, beside the river behind Shuilu Temple, is crowded with people.
Hundreds of men and women in the town, old and young, stood on the river embankment, looking at the dozen or so people from the county government in front of them, chatting happily as if they were watching the excitement.
"Is the county government managing the river for us?"
"No, you didn't see the big sign for water conservancy construction? Haha, I forgot, you can't read at all."
"What's wrong with being illiterate? Aren't the crops in my field as good as yours? But what is the purpose of building water conservancy?"
"I don't even know this. I'm really a fool. The purpose of building water conservancy is to manage rivers and stabilize landslides so that the river water can irrigate crops without causing trouble to people's lives."
"This is a good thing. Why did the county government suddenly think of benefiting the people?"
"What do you mean, I suddenly remembered? Look at those huge rocks in the river. They were all washed down by flash floods. If they had rushed to your door, your adobe house would have been knocked down long ago."
"That's right. Let's build water conservancy projects. As long as it is beneficial to the people, we will support it."
At the front of the river, more than a dozen county government officials lined up to block the people who came to watch the excitement.
A little further ahead, next to the huge plaque for the construction of water conservancy, the county magistrate Yang Kang, dressed in bright imperial official uniforms, followed by five or six people who seemed to be prominent people in the county, pointed at the river.
"Look at the huge rocks in the river and the puddles that are half a person deep. These are all traces left by flash floods. There is a village not far away. If a flash flood breaks out and crosses the river embankment, the affected people will
There are quite a few." Yang Kang said to the crowd with an official tone.
"Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely true. If the people suffer and the houses collapse, how will we live in the future? It is imperative to manage this river." A middle-aged man wearing silk satin was the first to flatter him.
.
"This is a river with two streams merged into one. Once it encounters continuous rainy weather, the river water will rise and almost cover the river bank. It is April now, and seeing that the rainy season is coming, the county government wants to take advantage of this time to
We need to clean up and consolidate the river. These are all big households in Lantian, and they all care about the common people. This time the county government is taking the lead in building water conservancy, so I am afraid you will have to lend a helping hand." Looking back, Yang Kang laughed.
He looked at the middle-aged people following closely behind him.
"That's right. Building water conservancy projects to benefit the people is a good thing that will last forever. Those of us who have the money to contribute and the ability to contribute should fully support this wise decision of the county government." A middle-aged man smiled softly.
He agreed without smiling.
Yesterday, Yang Kang notified several wealthy families in the county government house by house. In name, he came to see the river that was in urgent need of improvement. In fact, he didn't want everyone to give money.
This kind of thing has happened more than once, and everyone knows it.
But if you want to make some money in this part of Lantian County, you still can't escape the various donations raised by the county government.
"Compared to previous projects, this project is still relatively large. I specially invite you to come and see it on the spot, just to let everyone understand the difficulty of the project. The kind of small work in the past may not work this time.
." Yang Kang chuckled.
The implication is that this time we are raising money, we can't do it like usual, with 1,200.
Thinking about Zhang Xi's incident, I paid him ten taels of silver as compensation, and I couldn't express the regret I felt in my heart.
Half of the money raised this time was left for Malianshan to hire people for construction, and the rest was put into his own pocket. It is a happy thing to think about it.
"The project is so big, I will donate three hundred taels of silver this time." A middle-aged man said.
"Shopkeeper Liu, your inns have opened all over Lantian County, and most of the jade dealers who come here stay at your inns. Three hundred taels of silver, isn't it a little short?" Another middle-aged man stepped forward and said, "I
Although we are running a tavern business, the cost is huge and the profit is very small. However, in the face of such a major project of building water conservancy to benefit future generations, we have to tighten our belts and spend 500 taels of silver to let the county government carry out the work."
"Shopkeeper Wang is rich and powerful, how can I dare to compare with you? In your tavern, if you don't have more than ten taels of silver for a meal, you won't be able to get some good food. Although I have many inns, the best one is the hotel room.
It's less than one tael of silver a day. Including the waiter's wages, the profit is extremely meager." The middle-aged man named Shopkeeper Liu smiled and retorted slowly.
Yang Kang turned around with a smile on his face: "Okay, okay, don't cry about poverty. This time, we will do what we can to raise funds, and the county government will not force distribution."
After hearing this, the two stopped bickering and looked at Malianshan, who had been silent.
As the son-in-law of the county magistrate, although your business is not very big, it can almost be said to be a one-man business.
Lantian County's economy relies on the jade business.
You are the largest jade craftsman in the entire Lantian County.
When the county government proposes the construction of water conservancy projects, whether it is public or private, you, Malianshan, should be the first to stand up.
I have never said anything about this, is it because there is no benefit to be gained from this matter, or is it because you don’t bother to do this kind of project with long-term effects?
But don’t forget that your roots in Malianshan are in Magou Town. The county government said it was to benefit the people of Magou Town, but in fact, wasn’t it afraid that flash floods would destroy the yard of his daughter’s house?
You've been silent, so that's not appropriate.
"Shopkeeper Ma, don't you support this decision of the county government?" one person said with a smile.
"Shopkeeper Liu was joking, how could I, Malianshan, not support such a major event that will last forever? Let's not mention that this is the decision of the county government. Those of us who do business and make money in the county should strongly support it. Just for Magou Town
For example, this is my hometown, how could I not contribute to the welfare of the people? This time, I donated five hundred taels of silver. In addition, I also contracted all the manpower for the construction." Looking up, Malianshan was very surprised.
Said generously.
"Shopkeeper Ma is such a generous handiwork!" Shopkeeper Liu couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Ma Lianshan, "Five hundred taels of silver sounds like a lot of money, but the labor cost of this project is not a lot.
Five hundred taels of silver can support it. Is Shopkeeper Ma ready to go bankrupt to do practical things for the people of Magou Town?"
Malianshan chuckled and raised his hand to fiddle with a strand of hair that was hanging on his forehead: "Although my small business is not as good as several shopkeepers, how can I back down when faced with such a big thing as building water conservancy projects?"
? Shopkeeper Liu is right. With the labor cost, even if we don’t bankrupt the family, I’m almost there. But what’s the use of our hard work to earn money, just to eat and drink well for ourselves? My father-in-law has a long-term vision and wants to Xi’an
The government is applying to build water conservancy projects here. How can I, my son-in-law, not set an example for me as a businessman in Lantian County? Once the money is spent, you can continue to make money. If a flash flood breaks out and floods Magou Town, hundreds of lives will be lost.
Big event. Looking at the people of Magou Town struggling in the face of disaster, I ask myself, I, Malianshan, can't do this."
There was silence.
Not only were the shopkeepers speechless, but even the villagers of Magou Town who were watching the excitement from a distance were all silent, with tears of excitement filling their eyes.
The Ma family has a high-ranking official working in the capital, who has already allowed the people of Magou Town to walk outside with their heads raised.
Nowadays, Shopkeeper Ma is sparing no effort to finance the construction of water conservancy projects, almost to the point of losing his entire family. How can one not admire such a glorious and noble act?
"Shopkeeper Ma is such a good man. The people of Magou Town will always remember your kindness."
"If Shopkeeper Ma goes bankrupt, I am willing to give half of my family's land to Shopkeeper Ma, so that he can have land to farm and have no worries about food and clothing."
"We don't have money, but we do have strength. If Shopkeeper Ma doesn't mind, I can be included in the free labor for building water conservancy projects."
"And I don't want any wages, I just work."
"And I."
"And I."
The people's emotions were suddenly aroused, and they waved their arms and shouted.
Seeing the rising emotions of the people and listening to the heartfelt words, Yang Kang had a smile on his face and felt extremely satisfied in his heart.
My son-in-law is really good. He made his final appearance and became a blockbuster.
However, if the people knew that the real purpose of this water conservancy project was the jadeite stones buried in the water, would they still be so excited and support it?
