If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

As the ship slowly entered the dock, Zhou Wu stood on the deck and saw that Uncle Niu and the others were already waiting at the dock.

"grown ups."

"Scholar."

"Big brother."

Everyone has a unique way of addressing Zhou Wu, but these names make Zhou Wu feel very close to them.

"It's been a long time since we last met. How are you all?"

"Haha, we eat and drink well every day, we're definitely living better than you in the capital."

Uncle Niu is now in a great mood, as if he has been rejuvenated. His complexion is rosy and his voice is full of energy.

"Brother, sister-in-law, let's hurry up. The food and drinks are ready. Let's eat and chat."

"Yes, yes, Niu Er is right. Look how senile I am."

Several people helped Zhou Wu and his family board the carriage.

Looking out through the carriage window, Niujia Town Wharf was even more bustling. In addition to the ships marked with the Niujia Town logo, there were many other merchants' ships docked. In the past, the dockworkers could only wait for the Niujia Town fleet to return before they had any work to do. Now, there were hardly any idle laborers to be seen. They were all helping other fleets load or unload cargo.

The city wall built by Niujia Town at its own expense has finally been completed. Now, it is impossible to tell that Niujia Town, which is in no way inferior to the county seat, was once just a dilapidated little village where people couldn't even get a full meal.

The table was full of Zhou Wu's favorite foods, mostly seafood.

"I haven't had seafood from my hometown in a long time, I have to give it a try today."

Zhou Wu made no attempt to hide his liking for her.

"Hehe, eat more if you like it."

Seeing Zhou Wu happy, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Mr. Niu, how are our seafood sales going?"

Zhou Wu picked up a conch shell with his hand and started to cook it. He loved blanched conch shells, which were dipped in water. Niu Ye had specially ordered half-pound conch shells to be prepared, because only then would the meat taste good.

"Hey, winter is definitely the best season. The seafood can be stored for longer and transported over farther distances, so sales are naturally better. But it's not so good in other seasons, especially in summer. The seafood will go bad before it even gets two miles away."

Zhou Wu then realized that seafood is indeed most vulnerable to transportation problems; if the weather gets too hot, it simply cannot be transported out.

Back when he was in Niujia Town, he was too busy to pay attention to these matters, but now they are seriously affecting the development of Niujia Town, so Zhou Wu has taken this matter to heart.

"It's a small matter. When transporting it, just make sure to keep it warm and pack plenty of ice."

Zhou Wu raised his glass in a toasting gesture, and everyone else naturally followed suit.

"Uh~~~".

If anyone else had said this, Old Man Niu would probably have hit them on the head with his cane. Except when the lake freezes in winter and everyone tries to store some ice, if stored properly, the ice will only last until early summer at most, and then there will be no ice available.

Zhou Wu was speaking so casually now, but seeing everyone's hesitant expressions, Zhou Wu naturally guessed what was going on.

"I have a method for making ice, which guarantees that Niujia Town will have ice available all year round."

"Is this true?"

Whenever it comes to anything related to the development of Niujia Town, Uncle Niu is always the first to speak up.

Ice is definitely a key issue that greatly restricts the development of fisheries in Niujia Town. Now that Zhou Wu actually said he could solve the ice problem and provide unlimited drinking all year round, I immediately perked up and couldn't wait for Zhou Wu to make it.

"I still need to prepare some things for my performance tomorrow."

Everyone thought Zhou Wu was joking, but now that he's said this, could it be true?

However, no one pressed for details, since everyone present was on the same side and knew each other well. Since Zhou Wu had already said so, everyone could just wait for the answer to be revealed tomorrow.

Afterwards, everyone reported to Zhou Wu on the situation in Niujia Town over the past few days.

To summarize briefly, Niujia Town is developing in a positive direction. The city walls have been repaired, and it has gradually become a Southeast Asian trade center centered around Niujia Town. Whether it is a caravan from the Great Dragon Empire going to Southeast Asia or a Southeast Asian company entering the Great Dragon Empire for trade, they will basically stop in Niujia Town. Therefore, no one in Niujia Town is idle now, and the economy is developing rapidly.

The next day, Zhou Wu took a special stroll around the town. In just a few months, Niujia Town had changed so much that it was no different from what he had seen when he visited Qingyang County years ago.

After staying in Niujia Town for a few days, Zhou Wu set off, as his main task this time was to visit his father-in-law.

"Bai Wei, how many people are in your family?"

"When I left home, my grandmother, parents and two younger brothers and two younger sisters were still alive."

There are quite a few people in the family, and Bai Wei is the eldest child. No wonder she ran away from home alone during the famine and went to Zhou Wu's house. She was really forced into it.

Zhou Wu didn't need to ask to guess the rest. His father-in-law's village must be in poor condition, so Zhou Wu brought a lot of food and drink this time. He wanted to make a high-profile visit to his relatives, give Bai Wei enough face, and let the surrounding villages know that the Li family had an official son-in-law. He could keep a low profile, but his wife couldn't. He had to give her enough face. That was Zhou Wu's idea.

Li Baiwei's home is in a village in Pennsylvania.

The magistrate of Binzhou had long heard of Zhou Wu's great reputation. When he learned that Zhou Wu was coming to Binzhou, he had been thinking about how to receive him for several days in advance. Fortunately, Zhou Wu sent a letter in advance saying that he was just passing through and that the magistrate did not need to make any arrangements. This relieved the magistrate.

Although no formal hospitality was required, a welcome was still necessary. Zhou Wu had just resigned from his positions as the Crown Prince's tutor and the Junior Supervisor of the Tax Bureau, but he was still a favorite of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Moreover, Zhou Wu currently held the titles of Commander of the Qingyang Army and Baron of Qingyang, which were far superior to those of a mere county magistrate.

"I, Zhang Sansi, the magistrate of Binzhou, along with a group of officials from Binzhou, come to pay our respects to Lord Zhou."

"Greetings, Lord Zhou."

Once upon a time, Zhou Wu stood in the crowd just like them, welcoming the arrival of his superior. Now, the same scene unfolds, only Zhou Wu's role has been reversed. All of this gives Zhou Wu a false sense of satisfaction. No wonder everyone wants to be superior to others.

"No need for formalities. I am returning to my hometown to visit relatives, and I am sorry to have troubled you."

"It is an honor for our county for an adult to return to his hometown to visit relatives."

Zhang Sansi felt a sense of unease. This Zhou Wu didn't seem to be from Binzhou, so why was he visiting relatives? If he wasn't his relative, could it be...?

Zhang Sansi looked up slightly and saw Li Baiwei next to Zhou Wu. He immediately thought, "Could it be that she is visiting her father-in-law?"