Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Grandma Zhang wiped her tears with her sleeves, her eyes became distant, and she slowly recalled the painful past.

"Back then, my husband, Zhang Ji, was in charge of the construction of the Pingyang County city wall," said Grandma Zhang, her voice trembling. "This recipe has also been passed down through the generations of the Zhang family, and has been continually refined."

A hint of pride appeared on Grandma Zhang's face, but it was immediately replaced by pain.

"The then Pingyang County Magistrate, Liu Zhongguo, who is now the Jizhou Prefect, actually replaced the crucial glutinous rice with brown rice in order to enrich himself."

There was anger burning in Grandma Zhang's eyes, and her hands were tightly clenched on the corners of her clothes.

"Moreover, after my husband Zhang Ji found out that the materials had been replaced, he was about to expose his crimes. But that unscrupulous official, in order to cover up his crimes, brutally killed Zhang Ji and even faked it as suicide out of fear of punishment." When Grandma Zhang said this, she could no longer suppress the grief and anger in her heart and burst into tears.

Hearing this, Wu Baixi was immediately filled with righteous indignation. His chest heaved violently and his face turned red.

"This kind of crooked official is truly intolerable!" Wu Baixi roared loudly, his voice full of anger and determination, "I, Wu Baixi, swear here that I will seek justice for Grandma Zhang!" Wu Baixi flicked his sleeves, his eyes wide open, and his eyes seemed to be burning with fire.

"Even if I have to sacrifice my official hat, I will expose Liu Zhongguo's crimes to the world, clear Zhang Ji's name, and give justice to Grandma Zhang!" Wu Baixi clenched his fists tightly, and his joints turned white due to the force.

Grandma Zhang slowly shook her head, sighed deeply, and said, "Forget it, forget it, Lord Wu. I know you're a good official, and I didn't mean to embarrass you. After all these years, who can prove it?"

She raised her head, looked at Wu Baixi calmly, and continued, "You can use the recipe with confidence. I just hope it can really help with the renovation of Pingyang County. But remember, glutinous rice is the key. Don't replace it with other ingredients just because it's expensive."

"Xiuying provided the glutinous rice for the village wall repairs. She's a kind-hearted girl who works hard for everyone."

Grandma Zhang took Xiuying's hand and patted it gently.

"I just hope that the city wall can be repaired soon so that everyone can live a peaceful life."

Wu Baixi solemnly told Grandma Zhang, "Old lady, building the city wall is a matter of great importance to the safety of the people of the entire county. The personnel, expenses, and materials used in its construction are all recorded in detail."

He puffed out his chest slightly and continued, "These records are all well-preserved in the county government's archives. With a careful examination, we'll surely uncover the truth of what happened back then. Now that we've repaired this sturdy city wall, it's the perfect evidence to expose the crimes of that corrupt official."

"With these tangible results, combined with the records of that year, Liu Zhongguo's crimes will be exposed. You can rest assured." Wu Baixi clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to Grandma Zhang to express his determination.

After leaving Grandma Zhang's house, Wu Boxi and Xiuying were both worried and sighing. Wu Boxi's brows were furrowed, and Xiuying also looked worried.

Wu Baixi turned to look at Xiuying and was the first to break the silence and asked, "Xiuying, do you have a lot of glutinous rice at home?"

Xiuying nodded slightly and replied, "I stockpiled quite a bit before the famine."

In the system, glutinous rice is only four yuan per pound, and you can get as much as you want.

When Wu Baixi heard this, a hint of joy flashed across his face, but then his expression dimmed and he said to Xiuying: "Xiuying, food prices are rising now. Can you sell it to me at the previous price?" At this point, Wu Baixi looked embarrassed and a little awkward.

He sighed helplessly and continued, "After I was transferred to Pingyang County, I discovered that the county government is extremely poor. There is not much surplus grain or money in the warehouse. If the price of glutinous rice is too high, the cost of repairing the city wall will exceed the budget."

Xiuying looked at Wu Baixi quietly, her eyes full of thought. She didn't say anything for a while. Her eyes were a little complicated and her lips were tightly closed, which made Wu Baixi feel uncomfortable.

After a moment, she seemed to have made up her mind and said firmly, "Master Wu, I will pay for all the glutinous rice needed to repair the Pingyang County wall. I don't want money, I just want you, Master Wu Baixi, to report to the court and reward me."

"I'm just a woman, and usually don't have much to look forward to. But this time, I want to do my part and do something for Pingyang City. If I can receive a reward from the court, it will bring honor to my family."

Xiuying was thinking to herself at this moment that there was a balance of more than 10 million in the system mall, and the space was filled with countless gold bars and a wide variety of gold and silver jewelry given by Master Chen.

However, these riches were not the most important thing to her. What she needed most was a social status that would allow her to gain a foothold.

She knew that in this complex society, wealth alone was far from enough. Without the corresponding social status to support it, even a large amount of money could vanish in an instant, and even bring oneself endless troubles and dangers.

Wu Baixi was immersed in his own thoughts for a while, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

He looked at Xiuying and said solemnly: "Good! Sister Xiuying, the imperial treasury is in a tight spot now, and all parties are facing tight spending. It is indeed a righteous act for you to be so generous." Wu Baixi looked at Xiuying with admiration on his face.

"In this difficult time, you stepped forward and were willing to provide glutinous rice for the repair of the city wall without asking for money. Such a broad mind is admirable." Wu Baixi said as he saluted Xiuying with a fist.

Early the next morning, the sound of gongs rang out again under the ancient locust tree at the entrance of the village.

"bang bang bang"

Wu Baixi came this time with only one subordinate.

There were several large trucks of glutinous rice parked in front of them, but they obviously did not have enough manpower to take so much glutinous rice to Pingyang County.

In this situation, they could only hire villagers to help transport the glutinous rice to Pingyang County. Wu Baixi shook his head helplessly and glanced at the villagers who had gathered around him.

Wu Baixi said loudly, "Fellow villagers, we urgently need your help in transporting this glutinous rice to Pingyang County. Anyone willing to help will be handsomely rewarded!"

The village chief also stood up, cleared his throat and said, "Fellow villagers, Lord Wu has been transferred to Pingyang County and is responsible for repairing the city wall. This is a matter of great importance to the safety of our people!"

He pointed to the carts of sticky rice and continued, "It's a great honor for us to contribute to the repair of the city wall! Think about our homes, think about our future generations, we can't retreat at this moment!"

"Master Wu is wholeheartedly working for the people, so we should be grateful and contribute our best efforts!"