Li Qingzhi spent the entire day discussing the construction of the wharf with County Magistrate Gou.
However, in the afternoon, he said goodbye early and left the county government office.
He wanted to find Jin Xiaoye and the two children.
Before leaving, Li Qingzhi told Magistrate Gou that he would be studying at home and was afraid that he would not be able to come to the county government for a while.
County Magistrate Gou agreed without a second thought. Li Qingzhi offered such a good idea, but he didn't want any benefit at all. He was truly a man of high character.
When he thought that when he first read the story written by Li Qingzhi, he actually thought that Li Qingzhi did that just to curry favor with the powerful, County Magistrate Gou felt a little guilty.
Because of this, after Li Qingzhi left, County Magistrate Gou immediately wrote a letter and had it delivered to his home.
He asked his family to help him find two suitable legal advisors, and also asked them to pack up some of the books he had read when he was preparing for the imperial examination and send them to Chongcheng County.
He brought some books with him when he came out to work as an official, but not many. Some of the more valuable books were left at home. Now he planned to find someone to bring those books to Li Qingzhi to read.
Li Qingzhi was very talented, but because of his poor family background, he had not been able to read many books. It was such a pity.
When County Magistrate Gou was thinking about Li Qingzhi, Li Qingzhi came to Sister Wang's house.
This time when he entered, the first person he saw was not Jin Xiaoye, but Li Damao and Li Ermao, who were wearing bright red cotton-padded jackets.
These two kids are so conspicuous!
Summer has passed and there are fewer mosquitoes. The two children no longer scratch their faces due to mosquito bites.
There are no wounds on their faces. Li Damao and Li Ermao, who have become whiter and fatter, are wearing red cotton-padded jackets. They are so adorable!
"Da Mao and Er Mao, you two are so cute!" Li Qingzhi hugged the two children and kissed their little faces.
Li Damao and Li Ermao puffed out their chests proudly.
Seeing this, Jin Xiaoye said, "Da Mao and Er Mao, now that your father has seen your new clothes, take them off quickly."
Li Damao and Li Ermao grabbed their cotton-padded jackets, somewhat reluctant to leave.
Li Qingzhi asked: "Why do you want to take them off? Let them wear them."
Jin Xiaoye said: "This cotton jacket was made to be worn on New Year's Day, how can I wear it now?"
There is a custom in Chongcheng County that people have to wear new clothes and new shoes on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Of course, if the family is poor and there is really no new clothes, there is nothing we can do.
Jin Xiaoye remembered that when she was a child, most people didn’t have new clothes on New Year’s Day, but Jin Moli did.
She was so envious when she saw Jin Moli wearing new clothes and new shoes on New Year's Day.
"Why don't you make two more sets and give them clothes to wear on New Year's Day?" Li Qingzhi suggested. After he earned money from writing books, Jin Xiaoye made new clothes for his family one after another.
But she was worried that it would be too eye-catching, so she used very ordinary fabrics and only made one or two sets for each person.
Li Damao and Li Ermao's previous clothes were torn and small and could no longer be worn. Now they wear their two new sets of clothes alternately every day, and the cotton-padded jackets underneath are still their old ones.
Jin Xiaoye said, "Even if you have money, you can't spend it like this. They already have two new sets of clothes."
After that, Jin Xiaoye found a new cotton-padded jacket and gave it to Li Qingzhi: "Ah Qing, the cotton-padded jacket I made for you before was a bit thin. This one is thicker. Try it on to see if it's the right size. By the way, I've also asked someone to make you new clothes and shoes for New Year's Day, but they're not ready yet."