Yun Laotou and Da Man ran over and helped Qin Cishi up.
They were just humble villagers and could not accept such a bow.
Prefect Chen stood by, his eyes fixed on Xiao Xi Tian.
This was a blessed child, a rarity of a century.
Why hadn't he had a son himself? Then he could marry Sweet Baby home...
He glanced at Yun Jinshan again, suddenly remembering what Madam Huang had told him.
Although Yun Jinshan had not yet studied, he was clever and looked exactly like his father, Er Man.
If he were to take him as a live-in son-in-law, it would also be a good choice.
The Yun family was unaware of Prefect Chen's little schemes; their entire attention was on Qin Cishi...
"Your Excellency, absolutely not!" Yun Laotou cupped his hands towards Qin Cishi.
"My daughter did what she should, but she cannot accept Your Excellency's kneeling."
Qin Cishi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and smiled at Xiao Xi Tian, "Sweet Baby, you saved this official's life. What gift do you want?"
The Yun family would not accept gold or silver treasures.
This time, his wife had asked him to bring a cartload of snacks and cloth as gifts, which the Yun family had accepted.
But beyond that, he didn't know what else to give...
Xiao Xi Tian blinked her big eyes, "Why didn't Sister Yi Yi and Sister Xiao Lan come?"
She hadn't seen them in a while and missed them dearly.
Qin Cishi was overjoyed upon hearing this.
So Sweet Baby missed his two daughters.
Very well, he would write a letter now and send someone to Suo'an City.
With such a major event, his wife should bring the children to thank Sweet Baby in person...
"Don't worry, Sweet Baby, this official will write a letter to have them come over," Qin Cishi said with a smile.
Xiao Xi Tian's big eyes sparkled, "Really! Uncle Cishi is so kind!~"
Qin Cishi rubbed her head, his gaze also falling on Yun Jinshan.
This young man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was polite and proper in his dealings with people.
He wondered if Yi Yi was more suitable for him, or if Xiao Lan was a better match.
He had a premonition that this boy would surely achieve great things in the future.
However, he was too young and needed to study more and gain more experience.
If he were to bring him up under his tutelage for a few years, he would be a perfectly qualified son-in-law.
Yun Jinshan: "..."
He had just secretly eaten a large bone, and there was still grease on the corner of his mouth.
How could he feel discovered the moment he swallowed the meat?
Prefect Chen, being an old hand, noticed the unusual look in Qin Cishi's eyes as he glanced at Yun Jinshan.
He instantly felt a sense of crisis.
Could it be that Lord Qin wanted to snatch his son-in-law?
He had to bring Xiao Ran over tomorrow, preferably to finalize an engagement, so that things would be more secure...
Alas, why wasn't Xiao Ran a boy?
He grumbled to himself again.
It didn't matter, as long as he could forge a relationship with the Yun family, he would be blessed with good fortune from then on.
In the evening, the fiery clouds in the west illuminated the sky.
The large courtyard of the old Yun family was once again filled with dining tables.
The village chief brought two jars of wine himself and sat at a table with Qin Cishi and Prefect Chen.
Du Lao San brought tofu.
Fu Da Qiang brought dried monkey head mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms.
These two dried goods could be stir-fried with pork, stir-fried with celery, or directly stewed.
They were delicious and flavorful, and if sold in the county town, the price would not be cheap...
These dried mountain goods had always been expensive.
Especially wild chanterelle mushrooms, stewed with small farm chickens or geese, the taste was simply superb.
Since both officials were injured and couldn't drink, Da Man and Er Man drank more.
"Your Excellency, shall we go next door and invite that young master?" Prefect Chen asked cautiously.
Qin Cishi ate some sauerkraut and shook his head, "Why would Young Master Xiao come to such an occasion?"
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Xiao Jin Heng slowly walked in with Kong Xing Zhuo and Granny Jin...
The sauerkraut stewed with pork was too delicious, and Xiao Jin Heng's teeth were grinding with desire.
"Young Master Xiao is here, Huai Hua, quickly bring a stool!~" Yun Laotou said hospitably.
The Yun family had eaten Young Master Xiao's pastries and fruits quite often.
When the food was served earlier, Madam Gu had even sent Jin Shan to call him, but Young Master Xiao had not shown up.
Now, a certain gluttonous young master had come uninvited, his deep eyes fixed on the pork ribs in the basin.
"Cough, cough, this young master was just passing by and decided to take a look."
Xiao Jin Heng coughed lightly, swallowed, "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, this princess will reluctantly have a few bites!~"
After saying that, he lifted the hem of his robe and sat down next to Xiao Xi Tian.
Xiao Xi Tian: "..."
Granny Jin and Kong Xing Zhuo, who looked speechless: "..."
A proud exterior but a soft heart.
Little master, when will you stop being tsundere and become cute!~
Pig trotters are not easy to cook. After scalding off the hair, they need to be stewed over high heat for more than half an hour.
After the sauerkraut and pork cooled, Zhao Gui Hua had Xi'er scoop out the pig trotters.
Break them into two plates, mash some garlic sauce, and serve them up. This was also a very good dish to accompany wine.
The village chief was a bit drunk. He stared intently at Qin Cishi and asked, "Da... Your Excellency, the crops in our village, *hic*, are almost dried to death. When will that, that waterwheel be finished?"
If he were sober, he wouldn't dare to speak to Qin Cishi like this.
But the village's farmland withered day by day, and he was anxious!~
Qin Cishi put down his chopsticks and glanced at Xiao Jin Heng.
He was waiting for the young prince to sponsor the money.
For some reason, the heavens had not rained a single drop since the beginning of summer.
The villagers had dug several wells in the fields, but only black mud came out, and not a single bucket of water could be drawn.
The heavens wanted to cut off people's livelihoods!
Qin Cishi said, "Village Chief Jiang, please rest assured. This matter will be supervised and handled by this official and Prefect Chen, and we will definitely give the villagers a reply as soon as possible."
Prefect Chen also smiled and said, "Tomorrow, dozens of yamen runners and craftsmen will enter the village to assist the villagers in building the waterwheel frame. We also hope that everyone will cooperate and contribute more."
At such a critical juncture, no one dared to slack off or play tricks.
Carrying water to irrigate the fields had almost broken the villagers' backs...
Now that the yamen had sent people to build the waterwheel, they would definitely cooperate with all their might.
The village chief drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and wiped his mouth, "With Your Excellency's words, this humble subject is relieved."
Although Xiao Jin Heng was burying his head in eating, he was very satisfied with the performance of Qin Cishi and Prefect Chen.
After dinner, he called the two officials to the next room.
"Take good care of this money, use it sparingly, and record every expenditure clearly. Report to this young master every three days!~"
After Xiao Jin Heng finished speaking, he had Kong Xing Zhuo hand a stack of banknotes to Qin Cishi.
This was the money he had earned from selling some agarwood.
Although Xiao Jin Heng had a lot of savings and stored silver himself.
But he could not spend a large amount, otherwise, it would arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives.
Qin Cishi and Prefect Chen both knelt on the ground, "Your subordinates will not fail in their mission..."