Encounter
Therefore, as long as someone guards the mountain road, it is basically impossible for outsiders to enter the village without being noticed.
The locals are an exception, as there are always some small paths that lead into the mountain, although they may be difficult to traverse.
So, Wei Zhi did not hide in Qili Village. After pruning the flower branches at the Bai family's residence and having tea with Mrs. Liu, he walked out accompanied by a bodyguard and strolled curiously through the fields.
Wei Zhi, in his prime years, currently serves as the Secretariat, carrying out the duties of the Prime Minister. Of course, his official rank is not very high compared to the ministers of the six.
Before serving as the Secretary, he had been demoted to a local area to work in a county, so he naturally had some knowledge of affairs. Moreover, he cultivates fruits in his own yard.
It seemed as if all the rain of the entire summer had fallen in one month. There were mostly sunny days with light rain in the evenings, which was brief and did not moisten the ground for long.
At that moment, there was very little water in the paddy fields, just a shallow layer, and the dry land was even more parched.
Perhaps due to the recent excellent weather, the growth of the rice plants in the fields had accelerated, with the rice ears bowing slightly in the waterlogged fields.
Wei Zhi pinched one of the ears and discovered that approximately half of it was empty, while the other half was gradually filling up. At that time, there was more grass in the paddy fields than rice. Apart from clearing the grass next to the rice, other aquatic plants were allowed to grow freely.
Wei Zhi sighed at the sight of the paddy fields in this condition. It was not that the county of Luojiang had specially arranged for people to come and sing for him.
"We'll walk along the river."
The bodyguard replied, "Yes."
Both sides of the riverbank had paths, and there were small ditches leading to the fields. The ditches were not large, but they were deep enough, and there were many of them.
Walking along, he saw three ditches, and Wei Zhi couldn't help but nod and say, "Although this village is remote and poor, the water here is still quite good." "If there were no natural disasters or man-made calamities, the people inside could live and work in peace and contentment."
They shouldn't have to worry about food and clothing; it's just that they have little money.
The bodyguard said nothing. As long as he protected the master, he didn't mind such things.
Wei Zhi casually plucked a wild vegetable and continued walking along the riverbank. After walking for a while, he heard the sound of someone reading coming from the other side of the riverbank, and he couldn't help but stop and look across.
From here, he could see Mr. Zhuang standing in the classroom.
Mr. Zhuang was leading the students in reading the "Book of Songs," which was, of course, part of their curriculum. The students near the village were busy writing.
After previewing the material, Bai Shanbao felt confident and leisurely copied the text.
Man Bao, on the other hand, frowned as she struggled to silently recite the completed sentences before writing them down.
She was a bit nervous because she had been immersed in the "Complete Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" these days and hadn't prepared any of her homework or even reviewed the knowledge she had learned before.
What if the teacher called on her to answer questions...
Man Bao wrote even more earnestly, planning to ask Bai Shanbao for the new text after she had finished writing it.
Listening from the opposite side of the river, Wei Zhi nodded slightly and said, "Having a school here makes life in this village even better." "No wonder Mrs. Liu brought her grandson here to live."
"Would you like to come over and take a look, sir?"
Wei Zhi shook his head, "It's not urgent." The teacher is in class, and we shouldn't disturb them. Let's come back later.
He continued walking along the river, and after a while, the river made a slight turn and reached a small bay.
Zhou Xi and her three siblings were weeding and watering the vegetable field.
The plants in the field were growing well, and all the seeds they had planted had sprouted. They needed to transplant some of the seedlings to help them grow faster, but they couldn't do it at the moment due to the scorching sun. They were simply loosening the soil, watering the seedlings, and weeding the emerging grass.
Zhou Xi estimated that in about ten days, some of them could be taken to the county town to be sold.
Zhou Shi straightened her back and took off her straw hat to fan herself. Seeing He Shi also straighten up, she said, "Sister-in-law, you go back first."
Feng Shi also said, "Yes, the field needs us." "You're pregnant and shouldn't be out in the sun for too long."
He Shi hesitated, and Fang Shi laughed, "Sister-in-law, go back first." Otherwise, Fourth Uncle will come to pick you up later.
Zhou Xi and Feng Shi couldn't help but laugh, while He Shi blushed and said, "I think you want Fourth Uncle to come and pick you up." "He's not that wooden."
As she spoke, she looked up and saw Wei Zhi, and was slightly surprised.
She gestured for her eldest aunt and her sisters-in-law to look over, and they all turned their heads to see the curious gaze of Wei Zhi, which made them feel somewhat awkward.
Wei Zhi noticed their guarded demeanor, and he had already learned from the bodyguard that not long ago, the villagers had clashed with those three individuals. Wei Zhi noticed their guarded demeanor, and he had already learned from the bodyguard that not long ago, the villagers had clashed with those three individuals. Therefore, it was understandable for them to be cautious of strangers at this moment. ###
He smiled and said to himself, "I am a friend of the Bai family, residing here." I went out for a walk because I was bored. "I hope we haven't disturbed your work?"
Zhou Xi tightened her grip on the hoe and asked, "Are you a guest of the Bai family?"
"Indeed," Wei Zhi paused and then laughed. "If you don't believe me, feel free to ask the Bai family." "I had dinner with the two young masters of the Bai family last night."
"Oh, so the dinner last night was arranged for you by the Bai family." His words made Zhou Xi and the others relax, and they smiled, "Sir, why did you come here?" "The sun is scorching, and there are numerous people by the river..."
However, Wei Zhi was a little puzzled and asked, "How did you know that the Bai family arranged a dinner reception last night?"
Zhou Xi laughed and said, "My youngest sister came home and told me."
In fact, Man Bao was curious about what the dinner reception was like, so she asked Lao Zhou Tou if he had ever attended one.He had said that he had and gave her an example. Every time her second brother came home late from the county town, the meal he ate at home was referred to as a dinner reception.
The Zhou family members were aware that the Bai family had hosted a guest the previous night and had organized a dinner reception to entertain the guest.
Wei Zhi had a good memory. After a moment of thought, he asked with a smile, "Is your younger sister named Man Bao?"
"Yes, yes, that's her." "Has the sir met her?"
Not in person, but I've heard of her. The Bai Old Lady mentioned that she was a very intelligent child, as clever as Bai Shanbao.
I heard that they are of similar ages and also sit at the same desk.
I always thought Man Bao was a boy. Could it be that she's actually a girl?
Wei Zhi asked, "Is 'Man Bao' her nickname?"