Desire
"Yes, but the sun hasn't been shining enough lately." I estimate it will still take another month before the wheat fields turn yellow. After all, it has been raining for so long.
Magistrate Fu nodded, praising repeatedly, "Well done, well done." "If everyone were as calculating as you, early preparations in the fields might not lead to a bountiful harvest, but it wouldn't be as difficult as it is now."
The crowd remained silent.
Old Zhou grinned, "You're flattering me, but in fact, there are many diligent people in the village." "I just happen to have the advantage of more sons."
With six sons, four daughters-in-law, one daughter, and himself, each tending to a plot of land, watering it for just a while wasn't difficult. Catching the insects in the fields was challenging.
Catching insects was truly challenging.
Catching insects and cleaning up snails in the rice fields was challenging enough, but catching bugs in the wheat fields was even more difficult.
Having a large family was convenient for them. Every day after school, they would run to the fields to weed or catch bugs. That's why the condition of their crops was better than others'.
It wasn't about superior farming techniques or diligence; rather, it was the convenience of having many people. ###
Magistrate Fu wasn't sure if he had absorbed everything, but he nodded anyway.
He patrolled the fields surrounding the village and then went to see Master Bai's land.
After a careful comparison, it was evident that Master Bai's land suffered more than the villagers' land because he had more fertile farmland.
Previously, the fields near the river were the most fertile due to convenient irrigation.
Since rice couldn't withstand drought, Master Bai took extra care near the water source. Over the years, the fields have been better cultivated. However, this flood, while not turning all fertile fields into barren ones, has thwarted the efforts of the past two years.
Magistrate Fu consoled Master Bai and, realizing that it was getting late, took his leave.
Man Bao followed to see him off at the crossroads, waving goodbye, and said, "Please remember to give my letter to Second Miss Fu."
Magistrate Fu almost forgot, if it weren't for Man Bao's reminder.
But can he show it?
Magistrate Fu, riding on his horse, turned back and waved to her, saying, "I won't forget."
Though curious about what was written in Man Bao's letter that required so much discussion with his second daughter.
But with matters to discuss with his steward, he handed the letter to a servant to deliver to the backyard while he went to the study to talk with his steward.
"How do you find the proposal of those two children?" "Asked the steward as he entered the study, getting straight to the point."
Magistrate Fu rubbed his beard, smiling, "There's no better solution than this." "Because we already have a prepared individual in Jiannan Dao."
The steward knew where Magistrate Fu was heading with this.
He couldn't help but smile too, whispering, "Indeed, Sir Wei detests evil and is fair and upright." If he hears that the disaster is severe in the Baixi area, he will definitely come to investigate.
"Indeed," Magistrate Fu looked at him. "But how can we ensure that Sir Wei is informed about this?"
There were many ways to handle this situation. Firstly, it had to be done discreetly so that no one would know it was him who did it. Otherwise, not only would the disaster relief work be criticized by colleagues from other counties, but the Governor of Mianzhou might also be displeased.
The two men murmured in the study for a long time, even having their supper there. It wasn't until late at night that the steward left Magistrate Fu's house.
He didn't live far, just near the county yamen; a turn to the right after the corner gate.
Magistrate Fu, feeling excited and unable to sleep, went for a moonlit stroll with his hands clasped behind his back.
He lived in the official residence allocated by the government, just behind the county office. The house wasn't very large, but it was sufficient for his family.
After walking in the garden for a while following his departure from the study, he reached the small courtyard where the children resided.
It was almost midnight, and a lamp was still lit. Squinting, he realized it was his second daughter's room.
He paused for a moment before heading towards it.
Fu Wenyun was inside, engrossed in a book, but her mind was elsewhere. Upon hearing the knock on the door, she snapped back to reality, realizing it was late.
Her maid, Qiu Yue, was already dozing off to the side, but she quickly woke up, wiped her face, and hurried to the door. Upon seeing Magistrate Fu, her eyes widened.
Magistrate Fu didn't enter but stood outside the door, asking, "Miss, are you still awake?"
Qiu Yue trembled slightly and whispered, "Miss, she is still reading a book."
Fu Wenyun also heard her father's voice and quickly put down the book to approach him.
Seeing his daughter still in her outer garment, obviously not yet prepared for bed, Magistrate Fu entered the room with his hands behind his back and asked gently, "Why haven't you gone to bed yet?" "What book are you reading?"
Before Fu Wenyun could answer, he walked to the desk and picked up the book lying on it, pausing as he saw the cover. "The Great Learning?"
He turned to his daughter and asked, "Why are you reading such a book?"
Fu Wenyun clutched her clothes, mustering the courage to say, "Man Bao is reading this book, so I wanted to read it too."
Magistrate Fu knew this because he had just checked their homework earlier that day, but... "Didn't your mother say you were learning the qin?" Do you have enough time?
He knew that his daughter spent almost half of the day practicing the qin, and she also had to learn needlework. Was there enough time?
Fu Wenyun looked up at her father with excitement and said, "Father, I want to continue my studies." I enjoy playing the qin, but I don't think I need to dedicate that much time to it. Could you please talk to our mother and allow me to allocate an hour each day for studying? Is that okay?
Magistrate Fu looked at his daughter for a while, then sat on the chair behind the desk, taking his time to ask, "Why do you want to study?" Girls only need to read and count. Studying is so hard. "Look at your brother. Making him read every day is like forcing him to do something."
"Maybe my brother doesn't like reading, but I do," Fu Wenyun said. "I find reading, especially books I've never read before, very enjoyable." I can learn a lot from books. Father, Man Bao is younger than I am. More than a year ago, whenever I spoke to her, she was always the one asking me questions and listening eagerly. But since the middle of last year, during the Zhongyuan Festival, she has been able to discuss our studies with me, sharing insights I've never heard before. And starting this spring, in our correspondence, she teaches me more than I teach her. She has read many books that I haven't, and sometimes I struggle to keep up with her in conversations.
Fu Wenyun looked at her father earnestly and said, "Father, I don't want to be unable to understand when I talk to my friends in the future, just like how I couldn't understand when you and mother talked before." "I want to make many friends in the future, where I get to choose my friends, not the other way around."