Fan Zehao, standing to one side, didn't mince words. "You also need to prepare the houses, food, and vegetables. Find a few cooks in Qingshan Village to prepare meals for the trainees. We are only responsible for teaching methods to improve the land; we are not responsible for anything else!"
The county magistrate's head began to spin.
The Lu'an Prefecture governed three prefectures, each prefecture governed seven or eight counties, each county governed at least ten towns, and each town governed at least eight villages, often more than ten.
Two people from each place, calculating this way... over a hundred people!
Housing and food represented a considerable expense. If he were solely responsible, it would be unbearable.
"Lord Fan, housing for these hundred or so people is manageable, but the food is truly beyond the capabilities of my small jurisdiction. You see..." He hesitated to voice the unspoken request for assistance.
He didn't dare to say the rest, but his meaning was clear.
Even if each person ate just one jin of rice a day, over the long term, no place could afford it.
"Each place can be responsible for its own personnel, separating them like this. Then each place can manage, and these trainees who come to learn are not just learning; they will also be working in the fields, so they will receive a monthly stipend!"
Fan Zehao's suggestion was like a basin of cold water thrown on their smoldering fire, extinguishing much of the anxiety in his heart.
He stood up, bowed, and expressed his gratitude for the advice: "Thank you for your reminder, Lord Fan. Your subordinate will return immediately to submit a memorial and prepare the accommodations!"
Having received such excellent advice, Tang Songbai didn't linger. With Fan Zehao's approval, he immediately rode back to the county town and sent another letter to the prefect.
However, the county magistrate cleverly framed Fan Zehao's suggestion as his own request. This way, his own burden was significantly lightened, and the prefect would not personally investigate the feasibility of the matter.
As the preparations were underway with great enthusiasm, a few days later, Qingshan Village welcomed over a hundred and one people in a grand procession. They arrived with large bundles, and if they hadn't come without their families, they might have been mistaken for refugees.
Their clothes, trousers, and shoes, as well as their bundles, bore patches, one after another. Fortunately, their clothes were all washed clean.
Qiao Chuan arranged accommodations for these people. The village had over ten empty houses. Excluding the three houses occupied by Fan Zehao and his group, the remaining twelve households each took in about ten people, which was just enough.
The cooks were hired from the women of Qingshan Village. The trainees, numbering over a hundred, ate communal meals. Three nimble women were hired, and they managed to cope.
It wasn't that they didn't want to hire more people; the key issue was that the higher authorities were unwilling to allocate more funds.
In the mornings, Zhao Jiaqi lectured these farming villagers on how to improve saline-alkali land, and in the afternoons, she had them practice in the fields.
During her free time, she hired village women to go up the mountain to pick medicinal herbs.
The leaves of Apocynum venetum, the roots of Scrophularia ningpoensis, and the fruits of Halimodendron halodendron. Everyone was very curious about what Madam Fan wanted these for, but no one asked, because as long as each person went up the mountain to pick these items, they would receive copper coins.
On the other side, Feng Xiao took the picked herbs to sell. Because these were commonly used herbs and not particularly valuable, they still brought in a considerable amount of silver.
Zhao Jiaqi deliberately sent along some of the village gossips. As a result, without any need for her personal promotion, all the women, and even the men who weren't working, flocked to the mountain to pick wild vegetables.
Some who were eager to learn also sought advice from Zhao Jiaqi. She generously shared her knowledge of foraging on the mountain with the villagers.
She even taught them hands-on how to identify medicinal herbs.
Zhao Jiaqi watched the busy villagers heading up the mountain, a smile curving her lips. "Who was it that said this place produced ruffians?"
Pinting couldn't recall who had said it. She shrugged, "They say poor mountains and treacherous waters breed difficult people, but if these difficult people have the motivation to earn money, they will improve, right, sister-in-law!"
"You're right!"
Whether this was truly the case, Zhao Jiaqi hadn't delved into. She only observed that everyone now had a common goal to strive for. Who would have the time to idle and gossip?
In mid-September, several carriages, bearing the mark of Prince Xian, arrived in Qingshan Village in a hurry. This indicated that Prince Xian had arrived.
Accompanying Prince Xian were Prince Xiaoyao and Yu Meng.
"Dad, Dad, Chunmengmeng is back, where are you?" Yu Meng shouted as soon as she entered the courtyard.
Zhao Jiaqi, sitting on a small stool in the courtyard, watched the boisterous girl rush in. The first person she called out to was Fan Zehao, glancing at Zhao Jiaqi only briefly.
Hmph, her fiery temper flared up. She grabbed Yu Meng's collar and thrust her face close, looking her in the eye. "You only have eyes for your dad and not your mother, is that it!"
Yu Meng pouted and pulled her collar free from Zhao Jiaqi's hand, protesting, "Mom, aren't you standing right in front of me? My eyes are all on you."
Zhao Jiaqi poked her forehead. "You ungrateful little thing, where have you been playing for the past few months? Do you know how worried your mother was!"
"Hehe, I went to many places with Uncle and Uncle Xu. I even went to Jin country. Tsk, tsk, they have beautiful women there, but unfortunately, none are as pretty as you, hehe."
Yu Meng wrapped her arms around Zhao Jiaqi's waist, giggling as she recounted her experiences, and also praising her mother's beauty.
However, no matter how stern her mother seemed, she was still the most beautiful in Yu Meng's eyes.
Her daughter's sweet talk, she wondered who she had learned it from.
Fan Zehao returned from outside and happened to run into Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu. They exchanged a glance for a second, and the next moment, he rushed back towards the courtyard.
"Chunmeng, Dad's back, Dad's back!"
"Dad, Dad, your little sweetheart is back!"
The scene changed dramatically. Yu Meng, who had been clinging to Zhao Jiaqi and acting spoiled, heard her father's call and bolted out the door, leaving her mother, Zhao Jiaqi, standing there.
Father and daughter met, hugging and kissing, getting so affectionate that Zhao Jiaqi felt a pang of jealousy.
They say a daughter is a father's little lover from a past life, and it's absolutely true.
Huangfu Xu and Huangfu Xian entered the courtyard and saw this scene. They felt a pang of heartache. This ungrateful child, before seeing Fan Zehao, was constantly calling them uncle and cousin-in-law with such enthusiasm. Now that she had her father, she no longer had eyes for them.
"Sister-in-law, when did you arrive? Why didn't you let your brother-in-law know!"
As soon as they met, Huangfu Xian began to complain to the couple, only to be met with a dagger-like glare from Zhao Jiaqi.
"You have the nerve to say that! How have you governed this fief? The entire Lu'an Prefecture is on the verge of collapse, and you still dare to travel around, showing no sense of responsibility!"
Huangfu Xu's mouth curved upwards, in a very good mood. He naturally picked up the second half of the sentence: "Well said, you deserve it!"
"Huangfu Xu, are you asking for a beating!" Huangfu Xian pointed at his nose and cursed, looking ready to fight.
They were a bickering couple.
They disliked each other but were willing to be together, drawn to each other, inseparable, and entertained themselves with mutual taunts.