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

He gritted his teeth and made up his mind that if he did something wrong, he should be punished!

"I would like to volunteer to join the canal digging team!"

The people around were shocked! Gao Shugen was crazy! Not only was the food so delicious every day, but he also got 40 coins!

Shen Zheng was also quite surprised. She didn't expect this man to be so bold and responsible.

Li Hongmao bowed to Shen Zheng and said, "Sir, can you listen to what I have to say?"

Shen Zheng nodded: "You go ahead."

Li Hongmao looked at Gao Shugen kneeling on the ground. He didn't want to have an argument with the county residents just after arriving in Tongan County. If Gao Shugen really left the team today, other people's impression of them would also become worse.

From now on, when county residents talk about them, they will inevitably add words like "the county magistrate is protecting them" and "they can't be offended". This is really not conducive to their integration into Tongan County.

"Sir, although what this brother said before was a bit excessive, we actually haven't excluded us in other ways. Judging from his age, he should be the backbone of the family. I hope you will be lenient with his punishment."

Shen Zheng looked at Li Hongmao, who was begging for mercy sincerely, and secretly praised him in her heart.

A smart man indeed.

Gao Shugen, who was kneeling on the side, also looked up at Li Hongmao in surprise. He treated them like this, and they still pleaded for him. Gao Shugen felt even more regretful and secretly cursed himself for being a villain.

Shen Zheng thought about it and decided that punishment was definitely necessary, but it depended on how it was done.

"Since Mr. Li has pleaded for you, you don't have to be expelled from the team. Mr. Li is right. You have a wife and children to support at home, but you still have to be punished."

Gao Shugen looked at Shen Zheng in disbelief. He thought that since the county magistrate was so angry just now, he would not be able to stay no matter what.

"Please punish me, sir!"

"Then I will fine you seven days' wages, and you can hand it over directly to Mr. Li and the others. And during the canal digging period, you will go to the public kitchen to serve everyone's meals at noon and dinner every day, and you can eat after they have finished eating. Do you have any objections?"

After hearing what Shen Zheng said, Gao Shugen immediately bowed to her and thanked her: "I have no objection, thank you for the punishment!"

He was so happy that he could keep his job, which was better than anything else! He was foolish and wanted others to eat last, so the adults punished him to eat last, which was reasonable.

Shen Zheng thought that she still had to keep a tight grip on everyone. The first time this situation happened, she had to nip it in the bud, otherwise she would have trouble in the future.

She looked at everyone and said sternly, "Since this is your first offense, I will give you a verbal warning. If you do it again, you will be expelled from the team and will not be allowed to participate in the county's recruitment again!"

Everyone shuddered: "Yes! Sir!"

After today, how dare they bully others by relying on their status as indigenous people, unless they don't live in Tongan County anymore? And the county magistrate is right, if they want to live a good life, they have to work together!

"Let's line up for our meal." Shen Zheng left after saying this, and the people in the line began to give way to each other.

Gao Shugen got up and followed Shen Zheng silently. When he arrived at the shed, he took the rice spoon from the kitchen boy.

"Brother, let me do it."

The guy turned around and looked at Shen Zheng in confusion. Shen Zheng chuckled: "Let him fight, you go to the other teams and help."

The waiter kept looking back as he walked, finally worried about Gao Shugen. He turned around and looked at the rice spoon in Gao Shugen's hand, frowning:

"Hey, you can't hit more if you're close to someone and hit less if you don't know them. Everyone has a set amount, three spoonfuls of rice and one spoonful of vegetables!"

Gao Shugen smiled happily: "Don't worry, little brother, I won't dare to do such a thing again."

Gao Shugen was indeed fair to others, and the amount of each spoonful was precise.

But when he served soup to Li Hongmao and the others, he secretly served them the top layer of soup with oil foam.

He winked at Li Hongmao, and when Li Hongmao saw the soup in the bowl, he coughed lightly and said, "Thank you."

Shen Zheng actually saw Gao Shugen's little trick from behind, but did not stop him. It was good that he truly knew he was wrong.

Soon the workers finished their meal and drank the soup cleanly.

"As soon as I drank this soup, I felt like I had oil in my stomach!"

"That's right! I feel like I have endless energy now. Let's get to work!"

After eating, everyone was full of energy and picked up their tools to get to work.

When Shen Zheng was about to have dinner with Uncle Lai and the others, Wu Lizheng appeared out of nowhere. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:

"My Lord, the captains have come to ask me something. I don't know whether I should agree to it, so I came to ask you."

Shen Zheng put down the bowl and chopsticks she had picked up: "What's the matter?"

Wu Lizheng hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "They thought, if the daily meals are fixed for each person, can they..."

At this point, he was a little bit at a loss for words. He was afraid that if he told the county magistrate, he would be angry and reduce the ration of each meal from three spoons to two spoons. What should he do?

But he had already said half of it, and it was no use not saying it now. Wu Lizheng closed his eyes and poured out all the words:

"They just thought, can they take the leftover food home and feed it to their family members?"

"In fact, it's not that everyone can't finish the food. The amount set by the adults is just enough for an adult man to be 80% full. But some villagers really have no food left at home. The food in the grain shop is getting more and more expensive. If this continues, I'm afraid they won't be able to afford it."

Wu Lizheng told the whole truth. He knew that even if he didn't say it, the county magistrate would know it.

Shen Zheng frowned when she heard his words.

To be honest, she did not quite agree with this approach. If the food was left behind, the workers would not be full and the progress of canal digging could not be guaranteed.

"Wu Lizheng, I understand what you and the captains mean, but please tell me, if they all save on food and go hungry every day, will we still dig this ditch?"

Wu Lizheng lowered his head. What the county magistrate said was indeed reasonable. If he took the food home with him, he could not guarantee that it would not affect the progress.

Shen Zheng was actually not feeling good either. Last year's harvest was not good, and this year's harvest would have to wait until July or August. During the three months in between, it was indeed not easy for everyone.

She sighed, "Laborers are paid every day, and can also buy some rice and flour at the grain store. They are much better off than other people. You can leave first, and I will think about it."

After this incident, Shen Zheng couldn't eat anymore. Uncle Lai, who was standing by her side, saw her sad face and comforted her:

"Your Excellency is right to disagree. You have been good enough to them. Your Excellency should not take this matter to heart."

What Shen Zheng was actually thinking about was not the workers' desire to take the meals home. What she was thinking about was that food prices were rising day by day, and if the prices were not controlled, it might become a serious problem.

She looked at the rice in the bowl and asked, "Uncle Lai, how much is the price of grain now? How much has it increased compared to the past?"

Uncle Lai sighed when he said this: "Rice is 15 wen a pound, corn is 12 wen a pound, and flour is 10 wen a pound. Old rice was cheaper than last year's new rice, but it still costs 10 wen a pound, which is 4 or 5 wen more expensive than before."