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

The carriage could not go any further in.

After the carriage stopped, Shen Zheng got off first, followed closely by Mo Qingwan.

This was Shen Zheng’s first time coming to Liuyang Wharf, and it was a little different from what she had imagined.

Shen Zheng could understand that the dock was crowded, messy and noisy, but the stench... was a little hard for her to accept - this was an inland dock, not a seaside, let alone a small fishing village, so why was there such a strong unpleasant smell?

She looked at Mo Qingwan, only to see that Mo Qingwan also moved his nose slightly, and then looked at her awkwardly, and explained weakly: "My lord...it turns out that there is no such unpleasant smell at the dock."

Shen Zheng understood.

Looking around, there are many workers at the dock, but not many of them are actually working.

Most of them sit in groups of two or three on the dock, looking at the people passing by. If someone who is well-dressed and slightly wealthy passes by, they will stop the person and ask if he needs help unloading the cargo.

Regardless of their attire, they were in stark contrast to the people passing by - although it was winter and the river wind was constantly whistling past them, they seemed not to feel the cold at all, wearing only one or two pieces of tattered clothes.

Patched clothes are considered top-quality. Most workers' clothes are not repaired when they are torn, leaving them with holes, tattered strips of cloth, and windblown clothes.

It’s still a bit cold, Shen Zheng thought.

She looked far away, toward the river bank.

Just as Wang Guangjin said, large and small ships were docked in disorder on the shore. Because they could not block the passage of ships in the middle of the river, the "fleet" stretched for a long distance along the river bank.

Shen Zheng wanted to see clearly where the end of the "fleet" was, but her view was blocked by a large ship.

This big ship looks like a small hill. At first glance, you can't find a ship bigger than it.

Unlike other cargo ships, this ship did not have a commercial flag and its hull was painted. Although it was not visible in the sunlight, it was still dazzling and majestic when reflected on the river.

Wang Guangjin followed her gaze and said excitedly, "Sir, that's our ship!"

He still felt a little proud of it, and asked Shen Zheng with a smile: "Isn't our ship big? It stands out among these cargo ships and can be seen at a glance!"

Shen Zheng smiled and nodded, then said, "It's not ours, it belongs to the Caoyunsi."

Wang Guangjin chuckled and took a look at the queued cargo ships: "Two more berths have been occupied than when I left. It seems that the dock is still moving cargo."

Mo Qingwan, however, couldn't be happy.

She had been at the dock for some time and knew that based on the current unloading speed, it would take at least three days to wait for the cargo ship from Tongan County.

Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from beside her.

The voice was a little rough, but the surprise was hard to hide: "Miss! It's really you. I thought I was seeing things!"

Mo Qingwan paused, turned around and looked, then was stunned: "Manager Yu..."

This man had a beard and dark skin, but he was still a little inferior to Wang Guangjin in front of him.

Surprisingly, he wore less than most of the dock laborers—a tank top that was washed gray and hung loosely on his body.

Shen Zheng couldn't help but shudder - it was still the twelfth lunar month, right? It was really true that you had to compare the goods before you could buy them.

"Hey!" The other party was recognized and was obviously more excited. He came forward with a large group of people and said, "Why are you here today? Did that guy know he was incompetent and return the dock to you?"

After saying that, countless pairs of expectant eyes fell on Mo Qingwan, almost bending her waist.

The guy they were talking about was naturally the current manager of the dock - the second master of the Mo family, Mo Jinyin.

He was not good at managing the business, let alone the dock, and was not kind to the workers on the dock. The dock had only been handed over to him for a short ten days, but it had already changed drastically.

Their wages were no longer paid on a daily basis, and they were owed a lot of money. Lunch was no longer provided, and they were even asked to spend ten cents to buy a "dockside meal."

The rice for the pier meal was old rice, and the vegetables were rotten vegetable leaves.

And each person can only get one bowl! They sell such a broken thing for ten cents.

What if they didn’t buy it? They would either go hungry or walk a long way home to eat—all the food stalls around were driven out by Mo Jinyin and his men.

Haha, it’s really ironic when you think about it.

You make money at the dock and spend it at the dock, and you don’t take a penny home.

Mo Qingwan couldn't look directly at these expectant gazes, and lowered her head with a bitter smile: "Sorry, everyone... I am no longer the eldest daughter of the Mo family, and I... have no right to take over the dock."

A trace of disappointment flashed across Manager Yu's face, but he smiled and said, "Oh, this mess will be a pain for you in the ass. You might as well live happily!"

The workers behind him opened their mouths to say something, but in the end they followed his lead and said, "That's right, the docks are full of dirty guys, it's best if you don't come!"

They also deliberately did not mention Mo Qingwan's marriage.

Mo Qingwan felt even more suffocated when he heard this.

If Manager Yu scolded her, mocked her, and begged her to stand up for them, she might feel better.

But the other party did not do that. Instead, he kept saying nice things to comfort her. How could she feel at ease about that?

She was just that kind of person. If someone treated her badly, she would fight back without any guilt. On the contrary, if someone showed her even a little kindness, she would put herself in their shoes and seek happiness for herself.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Manager Yu looked at Shen Zheng who was standing beside her.

There was a flash of surprise in his eyes, and he advised: "Miss, are you and this girl here at the dock for something? You are both young girls, and it has not been peaceful here these days. If you have something to do and you trust me, then leave it to us!"

Shen Zheng didn't say anything, and neither did Mo Qingwan. Manager Yu asked again, "Is this girl... coming to pick up the goods?"

Shen Zheng thought about it and nodded: "The cargo ship has just arrived and is still waiting in line behind."

Manager Yu looked towards the riverbank and asked her, "Which boat is it? Tell me, and when it docks, I'll call all the brothers over and unload all the cargo for you so you don't have to wait any longer. The money will be credited to Mo Er's account, and the brothers will ask him for it later!"

The eldest lady is Mo Er’s niece after all, and they are family. He can’t be so reluctant to give her such a small amount of money, right?

Shen Zheng looked at him, paused, raised her finger and said, "That big ship."

"This..." It was obviously not the first time that Manager Yu noticed the ship. He leaned closer and whispered, "I think that ship doesn't look like an ordinary merchant ship. It looks more like an official ship. Miss, are you... an imperial merchant?"

Their eldest daughter is really amazing! Even after leaving the Mo family, she can still meet such an amazing person as Huang Shang.