Seeing that Wu Daozi and his father were in a cold relationship, Ying Bao quickly said, "Uncle Wu, I came here today because I want to tell you something."
Wu Daozi turned to look at her: "What's the matter?"
"We grow golden ears in our village. I want to crown our golden ears as a specialty of Qinchuan County."
"Specialty?" Wu Daozi skimmed off the foam with the lid of his tea bowl and nodded approvingly: "That's a good idea."
He had tasted the golden ears given by Sakurabao and felt that they were very good. If they were called local specialties, they would be worthy of the name.
Yingbao continued, "So I want to buy a shop in the county town, specializing in selling local specialties."
Wu Daozi raised his eyebrows, put down his teacup and asked, "Are you planning to run the shop yourself or rent it out to someone else?"
"I want my second cousin to run the business." Ying Bao said, "He is very good at it."
Not to mention anything else, last year my second cousin made a lot of money selling gourds and water chestnuts, which was no less than the hard work of growing golden ear mushrooms.
Wu Daozi said seriously: "According to the laws of this dynasty, if one person in a household is engaged in business, the whole family will be classified as merchants in the future. Have you thought it through?" As he spoke, his eyes swept over Jiang Sanlang.
Yingbao and Dad were shocked and shook their heads quickly: "No, I haven't thought it through."
I didn't expect that buying a shop and running it would bring trouble to the whole family. If this turns my family's farmers into merchants, I would rather not do this business.
Merchants were of low status and their descendants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. She also wanted her younger brother to become a high-ranking official in the future, so how could she let his future be ruined because of a shop
Seeing the little kid's nervous face, Wu Daozi smiled and said, "But there is a solution."
Yingbao's eyes widened immediately, "What method?"
"You can buy a shop, but the operator must be someone else."
Wu Daozi slowly picked up the teacup and took a sip. Seeing the confused faces of the father and daughter, he had to say, "It means you can hire a shopkeeper to run the business of the store."
Is this possible? Ying Bao was surprised.
Wu Daozi is worthy of being Wu Daozi. His temperament and character are the same as in his previous life. He, a county magistrate, actually teaches a kid how to exploit loopholes in the law.
Yingbao smiled with curved eyebrows and clasped her hands together like her father: "Thank you, Uncle Wu, for your advice."
Wu Daozi smiled but said nothing.
Mr. Wu did not show any surprise at his son's behavior. He just sat there quietly observing the father and daughter opposite him.
Jiang Sanlang has a simple face but clear eyes.
The little girl's words and actions are not as ignorant as those of a child of a few years old. Her every move seems innocent, but it is full of the cunning and shrewdness that only adults have.
What an incredible family.
Wu Rui brought over a plate of washed peaches and placed it on the stone table in front of Wu Daozi.
Wu Daozi picked up a juicy fresh peach and handed it to the old man. He then picked a bright red peach and took a bite. It was sweet and refreshing.
"Yes, these early peaches are also grown by your family?"
"Yes, my family also grows grapes and peppers." Yingbao became excited now and told Wu Daozi about her family's affairs.
Mr. Wu, who was standing by, was very surprised. "You also grow grapes and peppers?"
"Yeah." Yingbao saw that Mr. Wu was well-mannered and scholarly, and thought that Wu Daozi was a juren, so she couldn't help but look at the old man with new eyes. "When the grapes are ripe, I'll pick some for Uncle Wu and Grandpa Wu to taste."
"Xiaoyingbao, you are so thoughtful. The county town is quite far from your home. It must be difficult to come here?" Grandpa Wu asked with a smile.
"It's very easy. My family bought a yard in the county town. My younger brother will come here to study in the second half of the year, and we will travel back and forth frequently in the future." Yingbao said.
"Your brother?" Old Mr. Wu looked at Yingbao, who looked only four or five years old. How old was her brother? He had to come to the county town to study
Yingbao smiled and said, "My brother is almost five years old. He is very smart and can already recite the entire Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames and Thousand Character Classic from memory."
"Oh?" Mr. Wu was curious when he heard that a four-year-old child could recite so many whole articles. "Then bring him here next time you go to the city so I can see him."
"OK."
Seeing that she had almost finished what she needed to say, Yingbao pulled out a bag of golden ears from the bag she was carrying and handed it to Mr. Wu. "This is the golden ears grown in my family. It can nourish the body and replenish qi. You must try it."
Mr. Wu is thin and his complexion is not very good. Maybe his golden ears can help him a little, but the elderly should not add sugar when eating this thing, otherwise it will be counterproductive.
"Grandpa Wu, it's best not to add maltose when you eat it, the effect will be better." Yingbao reminded.
Mr. Wu smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Xiaoyingbao. When you come next time, Grandpa Wu will give you something as well."
At this time, Wu Rui came running over with a bundle in his arms.
In the bundle were the children's toys he had just bought from outside and some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.
Mr. Wu handed the bundle to Yingbao and said, "This is a little toy I gave you. Take it and play with it."
"Thank you, Grandpa Wu." Yingbao happily took the bag.
Wu Shi asked: "Yingbao, are you planning to buy a shop now?"
Yingbao nodded: "Yes, but I don't know where there is a store selling it."
"All shops for sale will be registered with the pawnshop. You can go to the pawnshop with Wu Rui to look for them." Wu Shi said.
"That's great. Let's go check it out."
Yingbao and her father stood up and said goodbye to Wu Daozi and the old man.
After seeing off the father and daughter of the Jiang family, Old Wu sighed, "This little kid is really smart. Jiulang, it's time for you to get married. If you have children like this, your mother and I will be able to smile in our graves."
Wu Shi said nothing and picked up another peach and started eating.
Seeing that his son was silent, Mr. Wu knew that he did not like to hear these words, so he asked, "What do you say about the banditry in the prefecture last year?"
Wu Shi smiled and said, "The merits and demerits offset each other."
During the official assessment a few years ago, Governor Wang sent a letter telling him that although the source of the banditry was not in Qinchuan County, it had caused considerable impact on the surrounding counties and towns. The emperor was furious and ordered the prefecture to conduct a thorough investigation into whether local officials had committed dereliction of duty.
Therefore, even though he tried his best to resist the bandits, he was not only not commended, but was also reprimanded and warned by the governor of the prefecture. Fortunately, he had previously made contributions in discovering cotton and transporting cotton seeds, so he was not demoted or dismissed.
To be honest, it was Xiaoyingbao who told him about the cotton. Wu Shi indirectly accepted a favor from the little girl.
Mr. Wu was silent for a moment, then patted his son on the shoulder and said, "This is a blessing."
He glanced at the two baskets of fruit and said with a smile, "Qinchuan County is not without merit. The little kid's hometown is pretty good. As long as you give him a little support, he will definitely pass the performance assessment at the end of the year."
Wu Shi laughed at himself and said, "I don't seek to achieve anything meritorious, but I only seek to avoid making mistakes." He really couldn't adapt to this officialdom.
Even in a small county government there are all kinds of intrigues. The chief clerk and the county lieutenant each have their own thoughts and wish that the county magistrate would be dismissed as soon as possible so that they can seize power.
During the suppression of bandits, the county lieutenant secretly disobeyed the order, which led to the gradual increase in the number of bandits, and finally more than 2,000 people besieged the county town. Fortunately, I responded early and wrote to my good friend's son for help, which saved me from disaster.
Whenever he thought about that bandit attack, he was terrified.
Once the county town is breached, not only will the people of the entire county suffer, but his family will also be implicated.
Afterwards, his old father, despite his old age and frailty, traveled thousands of miles to Qinchuan County just to help his unfilial son.
Wu Shi held his forehead with his hand, feeling that his job as an official was both pathetic and shameful.
He is almost thirty years old, but he still needs his sixty-year-old father to take care of him.
Old Wu glanced at his son and suddenly said, "Your mother and your aunt will come over in a while. Your aunt will bring your cousin to Jianglin and pass by here. You must receive her well when they come."