Bribery

The responsible parties for this matter are the county magistrate and the local village head. At the time, they inquired and were told that the dam was extremely sturdy. It was not a dangerous dam, and generally, a newly constructed dam could last for at least ten years without any problems. Even if it was slightly deficient, could it still last for seven or eight years, right?

But it collapsed in less than five years, even after the flood season. If it hadn't passed…

Just thinking about the consequences made Magistrate Fu shiver uncontrollably.

The court wouldn't care who built the dam. As long as something happened during his term, it would be his responsibility.

So, he had to repair the dam, and it had to be done well!

But where would the money come from?

Mr. Zhuang had a rare meal and drinks with Mr. Bai, and they discussed the matter of the dam. "The village head has already approached me today, saying that the county office may issue a labor order."

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "It's late autumn now." It is best to expedite the construction of the dam before the weather turns cold. Otherwise, the laborers might not be able to withstand the cold once it sets in.

After all, building a dam is different from constructing roads and digging waterways. People might have to stand in the water, and if the weather is too cold, they wouldn't be able to go down. If they force themselves to go down, they could fall ill, and it could even cost a life.

Mr. Zhuang was worried about the money. "I wonder where the county magistrate plans to allocate the funds."

Mr. Bai remained silent. Who knew?

The current county magistrate was not as honest as the previous one, but the previous one...

Mr. Bai furrowed his brow. How could the dam in Dingjiang Village collapse in just five years?

At that moment, Zhou Dalang was discussing with his family the construction of the dam in Dingjiang Village. Initially, a lot of stones and wood were delivered, along with a type of clay that was said to be waterproof. After the dam was constructed, it was coated with clay to waterproof it. But later, some people said that the clay was useless. They had never heard of clay being able to waterproof, so they removed the clay.

Manbao listened with great interest, moving closer to her father and sitting next to him, eagerly attentive. When her older brother finished, she quickly asked, "Brother, what's the difference between building a dam and constructing waterways?"

"Of course, there's a difference." No matter how much water is blocked in the river, it remains unstoppable. So, the laborers who build the dam have to stand in the water. Each person stands for a couple of hours, but they can't stand for too long. Otherwise, the skin on their legs will turn red, as if they were bitten by insects.

Zhou Dalang looked at Zhou Silang and continued, "So, when you go into labor, you must not offend the overseer." If he plays tricks and makes you stand in the water all day without a break, by the time you finish your labor, your legs will be useless.

Zhou Silang looked down at his legs and shivered.

He didn't want to go, and he looked at his father, "Father, I'm not yet of age." "I won't be eighteen for another month."

Old Zhou patted his tobacco pouch. He finally had some tobacco. After taking a silent puff, he said, "You're not young anymore. I'll go find the village head in a couple of days and report your coming of age." It's time to allocate land.

Although it wasn't appropriate, Zhou Dalang couldn't help but feel happy. He didn't want to go to work, especially if it involved building a dam.

He patted Zhou Silang's shoulder, feeling a heavy weight lifted off his heart.

Xiao Qian Shi was also very happy. During dinner, she even asked her mother-in-law for two eggs to cook for Zhou Silang.

Zhou Silang, who received special treatment for the first time:…

Manbao couldn't empathize with her fourth brother, so she didn't feel any influence. Instead, she happily finished her meal, counted, and divided the money in the sunlight before it set, and then wrote a letter to Miss Fu'er. She informed Miss Fu'er that her fourth brother might have to work and showed interest in the materials used for building the dam. She also asked if there really was waterproof clay in the world.

Is there really waterproof clay in the world?

Of course, there is.

In addition to stones, wood, and clay, waterproof clay was the primary material obtained by the county office. So, he and the registrar calculated the money and decided to impose a river tax.

Of course, the tax couldn't be levied just because he wanted it. Magistrate Fu had to apply for it. Before applying, he first requested the funds for building the dam.

As expected, it was rejected. Then he submitted the document for the river tax, and this time it was quickly approved, although the amount was halved.

But this was within Magistrate Fu's expectations. He didn't dwell on it. It had been six days since the breach in the dam, and if they didn't start repairing the dam soon, the weather would turn cold.

When the village head and his men went door-to-door to collect the river tax, they also issued the labor order. Zhou Silang reluctantly packed his bags.

Although the family had decided to send him to work, he still insisted on going to the county town to sell ginger every day. At least he could have a meat bun for lunch every day, right?

But to keep him healthy and strong, the family improved his diet. Now, the best food in the house was for Manbao and him.

No, he ate better than Manbao.

Because Manbao ate less, and he ate more.

Two eggs every morning, a meat bun for lunch, and meat or eggs for dinner when he returned. It was a pity that the time was too short, and he hadn't been able to gain weight before going into labor.

Although it was referred to as a donation, it wasn't entirely voluntary. Except for a few impoverished households identified by the county magistrate, all other households were required to pay a specific donation amount.

This time, only money was collected, not grain.

If grain were collected, the county magistrate would have to go through the trouble of converting it into money to purchase materials. Fortunately, the decrease in donations was not too significant, and most households could afford it.

Wealthy individuals like Mr. Bai would donate more.

Mr. Bai donated ten taels of silver at once, which made the village head smile. His expression improved significantly when he went to collect money in the village.

Manbao happened to be resting at home and curiously watched the village head from the doorway.

Old Zhou handed over the money and called Zhou Silang over to introduce him to the village head. "Village head, this is my fourth son." He will be coming of age next month.

The village head squinted at Zhou Silang, noticing that despite his thin frame, he appeared to be in good spirits and physically robust. He nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Is he going to labor this time?"

"Yes, it's his turn." "When he returns from the dam, the family will prepare a home for him to settle down and support himself."

Starting a family naturally required land. The village head laughed and patted Zhou Silang's shoulder. His mood was good today, so he relaxed and said, "There are only two children coming of age in the village this year." It will be easy to divide the land. We'll split it into two roughly equal parts and let them draw lots.

Old Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and handed the twenty wen he had been holding onto to the village head. He then patted Zhou Silang's back. "Are you not going to thank the village head?"

Zhou Silang quickly bowed and thanked him.

The village head took the money and said with a smile, "This is my duty. No need to thank me."

In addition to the money, Old Zhou also prepared a bag of ginger for the village head. He said, "It's from our home garden." It's not worth much. Take it back and make tea.

Manbao's eyes were full of curiosity.