Parents are busy farming

"Your tenant farmers dug their own ditches?" Chief Liu asked in disbelief.

Ye Zifen nodded and explained: "There is a piece of land in my village, about one hundred acres, which is very dry. I wanted to dig a ditch to improve the situation there. It was dug out more than a month ago. Half of it."

"Hey, you guys are fast enough. Take us there this afternoon to see how much this half is. If the county digs ditches fast enough, maybe we won't be affected this year." Magistrate Su said .

Ye Zifen said: "Okay, let's go have a meal at noon, and then go take a look together. By the way, we can think about it and see if there are any other ways."

Zi Zifen originally wanted to invite the two of them to have a meal at Fook Lai, but they refused, so Zi Zifen had to take them to the Mutton Soup Restaurant.

The Sheep Soup Restaurant will open on the 13th day of the lunar year, but it will give everyone another day off on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Also opening at the same time is the food delivery side.

Each person had a bowl of mutton soup, and the other two added a steamed bun.

After eating, Ye Zifen personally took the two of them to see the ponds and ditches that had been dug.

"Hey! The ditch you dug is wide enough. I think that once the water comes in, it should be able to solve the surrounding water problems. The pond is dug to a good level. The location is well chosen. I have seen the water in our county. Geographically, your place is indeed in a water shortage situation with a radius of hundreds of miles."

Ye Zifen suddenly patted his head and said: "When we were choosing the excavation location last year, I asked our two stewards in Zhuangzi to draw a drawing based on their own impressions. I forgot that there is a place inside our county government office. There are ready-made ones, oops!”

Magistrate Su ignored her worries and asked directly: "How many tenants did you use to dig this ditch? How long did it take them to dig it out?"

Ye Zifen immediately replied: "I don't know the specific number of people, but I have a steward there named Xiang Zhibo. He knows the specific number of people. So you go back to the county office first, and I will call him to the county office. You Just ask him directly.”

Magistrate Su was a little worried and asked, "Can you go alone? Do you want me to accompany you?"

After all, County Magistrate Su is Zi Zifen’s godbrother. If something happens to Zi Zifen on the road, he will die. He couldn't absolve himself of the blame, and he couldn't even explain it to his old mother.

Ye Zifen refused very simply.

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've run back and forth by myself. I still have some strength left in me, so I should be able to handle it. Just go back and wait. It's freezing cold, so we don't want so many people to suffer along with us."

One of these two people is Ye Zifen's godbrother, and the other is her good friend's father-in-law. He has helped her in the past, so she still understands this.

They no longer persisted and asked Ye Zifen to find Xiang Zhibo alone.

The two returned to the county to check the location of existing lakes and rivers, and considered how to connect various rivers and canals.

The shorter the river channel is dug, the less manpower and material resources are used.

After the two people argued for a while, they came to the conclusion that Ye Zifen had also brought Xiang Zhibo to the county government office.

On the way, Ye Zifen had already told Xiang Zhibo the specific situation.

When Xiang Zhibo heard that there might be a drought this year, he was very worried.

After all, Zhuangzi where they were located mainly produced grain, but now that Ye Zifen said that he had found a suitable solution, he breathed a sigh of relief.

When Xiang Zhibo told County Magistrate Su and Director Liu the specific number of tenant farmers, the time they spent, and how much food they spent, they both froze where they were.

"Zifen, no wonder you people in Zhuangzi are digging ditches so fast. This is just using food and money to stimulate their primitive instincts!" Liu Zhubo sighed.

Ye Zifen replied, "If you want to be efficient and keep people fed, this is the most basic principle."

Magistrate Su was a little embarrassed and said, "But when the county organizes people to dig and purchase, it won't be so efficient. The county doesn't have so much money or food to do this."

Ye Zifen thought for a while and said: "There are many businessmen who come to us to collect grain every year. We can contact them in advance this year and hope that they can help. If there is a drought, their business will also be affected, although the price of grain can increase. , but if they can’t receive food, they won’t make much money. Also, can you apply for some from the Ministry of Household Affairs?”

Magistrate Su immediately shook his head and denied his subsequent statement.

"The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development will never allocate funds to us because of a situation that has not occurred. Even if drought relief occurs, the court hopes that we can solve the problem by ourselves and will not provide us with money."

Ye Zifen naturally understood the truth, but when it was time to say it, he still said: "Always let the superiors know what we have done. If there is a drought in the future, at least we will not blame you."

Magistrate Xiao Su nodded.

"As for those businessmen asking for help, you still need to find a person who takes the lead."

Speaking of this, Magistrate Su looked at Ye Zifen.

He didn't know how much Ye Zifen had earned this year, but thinking about it, under the protection of people like them, it was important for her not to lose money.

Little did he know that Ye Zifen had actually sold the food to the seaside, and she had solved the problem of people's food shortage in another place.

Ye Zifen understood its meaning, but she did not push it away.

Instead, he said: "After I return, I will ask Pang Chao to contact the merchants he knows who collect grain as soon as possible, but I also have to find some benefits for them. After the grain comes out in the past few years, I must first contact the merchants who give money. To collect grain, the county government must act as a strong backing behind them.”

Magistrate Su nodded, "I can reply to you now. I agree to this matter."

Now the two problems have basically been solved, and the only remaining problem is the recruitment of labor.

"I think this can be done during the slack season, which not only gives farmers a way to make money, but also enables us to achieve our goals as quickly as possible, killing two birds with one stone." Ye Zifen suggested.

Director Liu also nodded and said: "I also agree with Xiao Wu. Since ancient times, there have been clear regulations on corvee recruitment. We cannot force people to do corvee. Only by learning her method can we avoid being criticized by the superiors."

Magistrate Su nodded, "Let's do it this way. It's up to you, Zifen, to get it done as soon as possible after you go back."

"Okay, I'll discuss this matter with Pang Chao immediately."

"The young couple seems to have returned to your village. They sent a message to my family this morning." Chief Liu suddenly said.

"Really? They hadn't arrived when I came, and I didn't meet them on the road. It seems I have to go home to find him!"

Ye Zifen left the county government office with Xiang Zhibo, and then Ye Zifen returned home.