Chapter 180 - 176: New Home_1

Translator: 549690339

First, we must register at Lizheng’s office before going to the county town.

Luckily, Jiang Sanlang is now the village leader and can easily fill out the household registration guide for his family, which then Lizheng can confirm and stamp.

As the farming season has ended and the village’s major canal project is almost complete, Jiang Sanlang decided to take his wife and children to the county town for a stroll and to have a look at their new house.

So, Chunniang asked her sisters-in-law to help look after the chickens, dogs, and ducklings at home before they set off in the carriage.

Yingbao also picked two baskets of apricots and peaches for Wu Daozi and planned to discuss Qinchuan County’s specialty products with him.

The carriage moved faster than a mule cart, so they set off before dawn and took two breaks on the way, feeding the horses some forage and water. By mid-afternoon, they entered the county town.

Jiang Sanlang drove the carriage straight to their new house. He hopped down, carried his children, and helped his wife get off the carriage.

Yingbao looked up at the courtyard in front of her.

The modest entrance was laid with a few bluestone slabs, and there were tie posts for horses on each side. Despite wear and tear, the large wooden door still showed its once glossy black paint.

Jiang Sanlang tethered the horse, took out the keys and unlocked the door, ushering his wife and children inside. “This is our new home.”

Chunniang lifted her skirt as she stepped over the threshold.

Inside, there was no hidden wall obstructing the view of a large courtyard in the center of which stood an empty pond that used to hold lotus flowers.

Now, the pond was empty – with dried mud and weeds instead of water and flowers.

Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu ran around the courtyard with their sister, exploring cheerfully.

There were three rooms in the main building, with wooden pillars and eaves in front. To the east, there were two side rooms and a garden to the west.

The rooms were mostly empty, save for a few dilapidated tables and chairs.

The kitchen stove in the east didn’t even have a cooking pot. An empty cupboard against the wall was full of rat-nibbled holes and droppings. Apart from a few broken pots and jars, there was only dust covering everything, except for a large water vat.

It seemed that a thorough cleaning and shopping for household items were needed before they could move in.

After a quick tour, Yingbao sighed, realising there was no well.

She wondered if there were any public wells nearby or even a stream.

In the main streets and alleys of the county town, there were usually one or two public wells for residents to fetch water.

But in remote areas, people had to fetch water either from a distant river or dig shallow wells in the ground.

Water from shallow wells was not as clean as that from deep ones and could dry up during droughts.

“Dad, is there a river near our house?” Yingbao asked.

Jiang Sanlang replied, “Yes, there is a river nearby. I’ve looked, and the water is pretty clear.”

The river water here was not as clear as that of Chuanhe, but it was good enough for washing clothes and vegetables. The only problem was that it was inconvenient to fetch drinking water from the public well.

“Why don’t we dig a well at our house? It will make fetching water easier in the future.” Yingbao suggested.

Jiang Sanlang nodded, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Digging a deep well would cost nearly a hundred taels of silver. He didn’t have the money at the moment and would have to wait until he sold this batch of golden earrings to hire someone to check it out.

After checking out their new home, Jiang Sanlang took Yingbao to the County Government to meet County Magistrate Wu Shi, while Chunniang took Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu to start cleaning the house.

The government office was just as it had been, not one bit different, even the guards at the gate were the same two people.

“Oh, you’ve come to see our boss with apricots again!” He still recognized the young girl in front of him and joked with a smile.

Yingbao looked up and grinned, “Yes, could you please pass on the message for me?” She took two baskets from the carriage, filled with ripe apricots and peaches. “These are home-grown, specially brought for you two to taste.”

The two officials lit up with smiles and eagerly received the gift. “Oh, this is too considerate of you, thank you, little Yingbao. I’ll pass on your message right away.”

A jovial government official ran off to the courtyard inside the government office.

Another official, chuckling, started chatting with Yingbao, “The peaches in your house are so early, it’s just a few months now and they’re already ripe.”

Yingbao nodded, “Yes, the fruit trees in our house ripen early. After a few more days, the pears and grapes will also be ready. If I come to the county town again, I will bring some for uncle to taste.”

The official laughed heartily, unable to close his mouth, “Thank you, Little Yingbao. If there’s anything uncle could help with in the future, just let me know. Needless to say, there’s no one in this county town who doesn’t know me, Jin Wu.”

Yingbao respectfully saluted Jin Wu, “With uncle Jin’s word, I am not afraid of being bullied by bad people.”

Jin Wu laughed, “That’s right, if you encounter those who dare not open their eyes in the county town, just come and tell me. Your Uncle Jin might not have any special skills, but dealing with a few street hooligans is a piece of cake.”

Yingbao was waiting for these words, and quickly thanked him.

Then he introduced his father, “Dad, this is Uncle Jin Wu. Uncle Jin, this is my father, Jiang Sanlang. He is the village chief of our village.”

Jiang Sanlang and Jin Wu greeted each other with fists, and then started chatting.

At this time, the official Cheng San led Wu Rui out from the inner courtyard.

Seeing this, Yingbao ran over immediately, “Uncle Wu! I came to see Uncle Wu, is it convenient?”

Wu Rui laughed, “I came to take you inside.”

Jiang Sanlang hurried over to greet.

Then, Wu Rui and Jiang Sanlang each carried a basket of peaches and apricots to the inner courtyard.

Yingbao followed the two, bouncing and hopping around.

Wu Rui led the two into the backyard, where two men in blue robes were sitting under the wisteria arbor in the courtyard.

One was a white-haired and long-bearded old man of about sixty, and the other was the County Magistrate, Wu Shi.

“Uncle Wu!” Yingbao ran over joyfully and respectfully bowed to Wu Shi, “Uncle Wu, are you well?”

Wu Shi laughed, “I’m very well. Thank you, Little Yingbao for your thoughts.”

He turned and introduced the old man beside him, “This is my father. He also wanted to meet the young doctor who cured me today.”

Yingbao quickly bowed to the white-haired elder, “Hello, Grandfather Wu.”

Old Master Wu chuckled and stroked his white beard, “Good, good, this child is indeed intelligent.”

He turned to Jiang Sanlang, who was standing outside, “This must be Chief Jiang, come and sit.”

Jiang Sanlang then walked under the wisteria arbor, bowed respectfully to Mingfu and Mingfu’s father, and sat down cautiously in a side position.

Wu Rui poured tea for Jiang Sanlang and Yingbao and then withdrew.

Wu Daozi asked, “Chief Jiang, has the cotton in your village been planted?”

Jiang Sanlang quickly stood up and replied, “In response, Mingfu, it has been sown.”

“Sit and talk.” Wu Shi sipped his tea, “Did your place suffer any damage from the last bandit invasion?”

Jiang Sanlang sat back down and replied with a straight spine, “Of course, it suffered some. Nearly half of the houses in our village were destroyed and several people were injured. Fortunately, no one was killed.”

Wu Daozi nodded: “I’ve also heard from people below, you’ve even moved your village because of this, to live on the hillside.”

“Yes.” Jiang Sanlang said, “There aren’t many good houses left in the village. It’s not cost-effective to rebuild at the original site, and the fields on the South Slope don’t yield crops, so we”

Wu Shi interrupted, “I understand.”

After a moment, he asked, “Will there be difficulties with your summer taxation this year?”

“In response to Mingfu, there definitely will be difficulties, but what can we do.” Jiang Sanlang wore a grim expression, “No matter how poverty-stricken and difficult, we still have to live.”

Wu Shi’s hand holding the tea paused mid-air.

When the villagers complained to him, he was left speechless.