Sister Han is good at farming

Ruan Wantie and Ruan Qingqing looked at each other.

"Daya, why did the county magistrate come to us?"

Ruan Qingqing put down the hoe in her hand and said, "Let's go and take a look!"

After explaining everything to Wang and Ruan Shiping, Ruan Wantie brushed off the dust on his body and followed the yamen runners who had come over.

On the main road, an exquisite carriage was parked in the middle of the road, surrounded by strong and powerful guards.

The black horse shook its head from time to time and snorted in boredom.

"Please! The Lord is in the carriage!"

Before Ruan Wantie and his daughter came close, a yamen runner shouted at them.

"Yes, sir!"

The curtain in the carriage was rolled up from the inside at the right time, revealing Zhou Zheng's slightly haggard face.

"You two, please get on the carriage and talk."

It was Ruan Qingqing's first time to ride in a horse carriage and she felt quite curious.

The carriage was small but fully equipped. There was a rectangular tea table in the middle of the seats. On it were a book, a plate of snacks, two plates of fruit, a teapot and some cups. There were three cold basins under the tea table, and a hint of coolness came out from them.

Ruan Qingqing couldn't help but let out a long sigh. She really missed the air conditioning in China.

"Don't be shy, just sit wherever you like!"

Zhou Zheng calmly poured tea for Ruan Wantie and Ruan Qingqing himself.

"No, no, sir, we are not thirsty. What instructions do you have for us?"

Ruan Wantie looked flattered and wanted to slide down to his knees and kowtow to Zhou Zheng a few more times.

Zhou Zheng paused in pouring tea and chuckled.

"Relax, I don't have any instructions today. I just want to chat with you and talk about family matters."

Only then did Ruan Wantie secretly lower his head and wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"What do you want to know, sir?"

Zhou Zheng took out the plan that Ruan Qingqing had compiled from under the book and tapped it with his index finger. "I heard that this plan was compiled by you and your two children?"

Ruan Wantie raised his head and took a quick look, then looked away and continued to lower his head. "It was mainly my daughter who sorted it out, so we just helped run errands."

"Oh? Your daughter? She's only about ten years old, right? She only knows these?"

Ruan Wantie was very unhappy that his daughter was suspected by the county magistrate. He didn't know where he got the courage from. He looked up at Zhou Zheng and said, "My daughter has been instructed by a master and has a good brain. It's not surprising that she knows these things."

"Yeah, that's true." Zhou Zheng nodded thoughtfully.

Then he looked at Ruan Qingqing who had been silent the whole time, "May I have the honor to see the style of a master?"

Ruan Qingqing shook her head with a guilty conscience, "The old man is gone now."

"Oh. That's a shame."

Zhou Zheng smiled and did not ask any more questions, and then asked other questions.

"The water mill and the water-crushing machine you mentioned at the end were also told to you by that expert?"

"Ah."

Zhou Zheng picked up the cup of tea in front of him, gently scraped off the foam on it with the lid, and took a sip.

"Say it! What do you want?"

Ruan Qingqing pursed her lips and said slowly, "I can draw the blueprints of the water mill and the water-crushing machine for you, sir. I have three requests. First, you should repair the water conservancy in Qingshui County as soon as possible, and ensure that the water in Qianlong River can reach all villages and towns. Second, I ask the people in your jurisdiction to start autumn sowing as soon as possible and sow more crops that can fill their stomachs. Third, I am also allowed to use the blueprints for my family."

Zhou Zheng's expression changed several times in an instant, "Did you know something?"

"We haven't had much rain since June, and even if it did, it was so light that the ground didn't get wet. The most important thing is that I've noticed that lizards have been appearing more frequently recently, and the calls of owls have been incessant at night."

Zhou Zheng frowned, "In previous years, we could occasionally see lizards when there was little rain in the summer, but their frequent appearance is indeed unusual. As for the owl you mentioned, I never paid attention to it before, but your reminder reminded me of it. The calls of owls have indeed become more frequent at night recently. Is there any explanation for this?"

"Geckos are everywhere, and the crops in the fields are destroyed for three years! Owls are calling incessantly at night, and they are telling us to let the rain come and say goodbye!"

With a "bang", the cup in Zhou Zheng's hand fell down, rolled a few times on the coffee table, and then fell onto the carriage with a "bang".

He looked at Ruan Qingqing in shock, "Isn't this the jingle you made up?"

"Sir, I dare not take this as a joke. So what we can do now is to use the water from the Qianlong River while the drought is not long in coming, and try to ensure this year's crops. Let the people have some food in their hands and minimize the impact of the drought."

Ruan Qingqing looked at him with her eyes sparkling.

Zhou Zheng wanted to take out a towel from his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but he tried three times in a row but failed.

Unlike ordinary people who were isolated from information, he had read many local county annals and history books. The damage and influence that the three-year drought brought to the local people and even the court were immeasurable. For ordinary people, hell on earth was just like this.

"What if we flee together?" After a long while, he wiped the sweat off his face and asked Ruan Qingqing.

"Alas, sir! This kind of three-year extreme drought usually affects a wide area, and it is too costly for ordinary people to flee. Moreover, we are adjacent to Qianlong River. Instead of fleeing, we should guard Qianlong River and minimize the loss of crops as much as possible to survive these three years."

Zhou Zheng listened and nodded, "That makes sense, that makes sense! But now that the autumn planting is approaching, and we urgently need to build water conservancy projects, I'm afraid we don't have enough manpower."

"Sir, do you want to be the real reborn parents of the people of this land and have a blue sky above their heads? Even if I work hard!"

Ruan Qingqing got down from her seat, knelt on the carriage, looked him straight in the eyes and asked.

Zhou Zheng stared intently at the little girl who was just across the coffee table from him and had an extremely serious expression on her face.

After a long time, he laughed out loud.

"What do you want to do? What if you don't want to do it?"

"If you don't want to get involved in this mess, I understand. After all, the lives of tens of thousands of people are on your shoulders, which is a heavy responsibility. Just pretend that I didn't ask the question just now."

Ruan Qingqing bowed her head to him and prepared to turn around and get out of the car.

"Why are you in such a hurry, little girl? I didn't say I didn't want to. I've only been in the government for three years, and while I'm still young, I still want to earn some reputation. Since I came to Qingshui County, I think I've been conscientious and fair in rewards and punishments. How could I let my previous efforts be ruined by today's retreat?"

"In that case, I, on behalf of Qingshui County, would like to thank you for your kindness."

"Okay, get up! What other tricks did the master leave for you?" Zhou Zheng glanced at Ruan Qingqing.

"Your Excellency can sell the drawings of the water mill and the water-penetrating machine to other prefectures or even dignitaries in the capital. Or you can cooperate with Yan Carpenter from Zaoziling. He provides the technology and you provide the connections to sell the water mill and the water-penetrating machine on a large scale. The money obtained can be used to store grain and recruit workers to build water conservancy projects."