Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

On the day when everyone gathered at the Tongan County Government Office, people from each village took action.

Every village head’s house was packed with people, all of whom came to participate in the selection of apprentice craftsmen.

If I could just learn carpentry from a master, it wouldn't be so lively.

But the county magistrate said that day that after this first task was completed, there would be more work waiting for them!

What comes next is not just an ordinary job.

Once the county magistrate builds the cloth workshop she mentioned, then carpenters like them will have a stable job, as they will work specifically for the county workshops!

They have all experienced how good the working treatment in the county is, and those small workshops outside cannot compare to it.

Therefore, today, people in each village who claim to have some ability are trying their best to squeeze into the headman's house, hoping that they can be selected and bring honor to the whole family!

The situation today is so intense, it is impossible to say that no one has ulterior motives.

The idea that giving gifts can get things done is deeply rooted in many people's minds. Although the county magistrate said today that village heads should not use their power for personal gain, there are still people who want to try to take advantage of the loophole.

If you can’t give gifts to the village head, then why not try giving gifts to the village head’s family?

Those who hold this idea do not actually want the village head to directly select them.

But after they had this idea, they kept thinking in their hearts, if other people also thought of giving gifts to the headman's family, and these gifts were given out, wouldn't they be lagging behind others again?

The more they thought about it, the more they felt that if they stuck their heads out they would get hurt, and if they hid their heads they would also get hurt, so they might as well stick their heads out and give it a try!

So this afternoon, when Lotus went out to deliver embroidery, she met someone.

"Oh! Isn't this the lotus from Wu Lizheng's family? It's becoming more and more beautiful!"

A woman who was standing under the shade of a tree wiping her sweat came over quickly when she saw the lotus. She looked warm and smiling.

He Hua looked at the hand she stretched out, took a step back, and called out, "Aunt Mao."

Aunt Mao saw that Hehua avoided her, but she was not angry. She just said, "Alas, the girl has grown up and has become estranged from her aunt."

Hearing this, Hehua frowned slightly. She had never been familiar with Aunt Mao, so how could she feel unfamiliar? She was not used to someone suddenly getting close to her.

When she saw the smile on Aunt Mao's face, she had some guesses in her mind that this person might not be coming for her.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Aunt Mao began to recall the past with her.

"Hehua, do you remember when you were a kid, you loved playing with Mao Zhi and his friends? One time, you fell down a slope, and it was Mao Zhi and his friends who carried you up on their backs!"

It would have been fine if she didn't say this, but as soon as she said this, Hehua felt a little uncomfortable.

I really don't know how Mao Zhi boasted like that. It was obvious that day that Mao Zhi and his friends were like hungry ghosts and they really wanted to eat her snacks.

She was greedy at that time and didn't want to give them the snacks. She took the snacks and ran home. Unexpectedly, Mao Zhi and his men chased her. She was frightened and fell down the slope accidentally.

Now this past event has become like this in Mao Zhi's mouth.

But when Hehua thought about it carefully, she felt that there was nothing wrong with Mao Zhi's description. It was just that he cut off the beginning and the end and avoided the important issues.

She took another step back, her tone neither happy nor angry: "These are all childhood memories. I am not young anymore, so please don't say these things anymore, auntie."

When Aunt Mao heard this, she realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly reached out to slap herself on the mouth.

Now Hehua is a grown-up girl. She said that it was not good for her son to carry her on his back.

She laughed dryly and said, "Auntie is a bad talker, don't take it to heart."

Lotus gave her a fake smile back: "Aunt, is there anything else? It's getting late. I need to go to town."

When Aunt Mao saw that she was about to leave, she quickly reached out to stop her, then took out a cloth bag from the basket and handed it to Hehua.

"This is the needlework that my uncle Mao Zhi gave me during the Chinese New Year. I bought it at a shop in Quanyang County. It's very good! I'm clumsy and can't do this kind of delicate work, but I know you like embroidery, so you can use this needlework box to your advantage!"

Lotus knew that there were needles and thread in the cloth bag, but there was more than just needles and thread.

But she was really in a hurry today, and didn't want to play along with her any more.

She asked directly, "Auntie, you are here for the carpenter apprenticeship, right? Mao Zhi wants to go?"

Seeing that she was so straightforward, Aunt Mao paused with her hand that was handing over the cloth bag and stopped in mid-air.

After a moment, she smiled and said, "My child, I have always thought that you are smart and will achieve great things when you grow up!"

Lotus sneered, and her tone was not as polite as before.

"Even if Auntie was not at the county office this morning, she should have known what Lord Shen had said."

Aunt Mao's smile froze, and she cursed Wu Hehua in her heart for being as stubborn as her father. What did the county magistrate tell her? Didn't he say that she was not allowed to abuse her power for personal gain? But what if she didn't do something for her son and someone else took his position?

"That's natural, but..."

"Since Auntie knows, doesn't it mean that she doesn't understand the meaning of 'using public power for personal gain'?"

He Hua interrupted Aunt Mao's next words directly, and her voice was louder than before.

Lord Shen had made it clear this morning that what was needed in this selection process was fairness. But there were always people who didn't focus on the right path and resorted to these tactics!

In her opinion, what Lord Shen said was absolutely right, but there were people who turned a deaf ear to what Lord Shen emphasized again and again!

At this time, the smile on Aunt Mao's face was completely gone. She was already in her forties, and it was naturally a bit embarrassing to be criticized by her junior, Wu Hehua.

Lotus knew what she was thinking from her expression, but she didn't want to say anything more to this person.

"Aunt Mao, take the things back. I will pretend that I have never seen you today. My family of three will not accept any gifts during this selection. It's still what Lord Shen said: fair competition."

After saying this, Lotus walked away without looking back. Because she was a little angry, her steps were much faster than usual.

Aunt Mao looked at the cloth bag in her hand that had not been given away and sighed, "This family is all stupid."

But since this matter was not accomplished, she was actually relieved.

If she didn't send it out, then it's highly likely that others won't be able to send it out either. So, as the county magistrate said, everyone should compete fairly based on their abilities!

After walking a mile, Lotus stopped and stamped her feet angrily.

She was so angry!

How could anyone turn a deaf ear to Lord Shen's words!

Originally, when her father came back today and told her about the textile machine, she jumped up with joy. Lord Shen had done another big thing!

Then she remembered that the adults had told her that they would need her help after the autumn harvest. Based on this, she guessed that what the adults were talking about might be related to the textile machine.

So she was in a very good mood today, but also a little worried.

She only knew how to embroider, and when the adults really came to her, she was not sure whether she could help.

But no matter what, she was happy for Lord Shen today. Who knew that she would meet Aunt Mao on the road!

She was so angry!