The county magistrate summons him

  "The county magistrate summoned me to the county government office?"

  Su Hao's two hands were covered with clay and wood ash, and fine sweat beads on his forehead. He turned around to look at Zheng Chun and Li Xing standing behind him, asking calmly.

  These two days, Su Hao spent his time taking Zheng Chun to survey several new wells and the rest of the time helping other villagers in the village modify their stoves. Yang Gen thought that she couldn't delay Su Hao's studies, but the neighbors came to her one after another, and she really couldn't refuse, so she could only deceive herself again and again, saying: This is the last family, next time I will definitely not agree.

  After several neighbors who often walked around Su Hua's house had renovated their stoves, the neighborhood director Su Zhong personally brought a cured meat and came to visit. He first chatted with Su Hua about international and domestic situations, discussed the sayings of ancient sages, and then got to the point, it turned out that he also came to ask Su Hua for help in renovating his stove.

  With the family background of Su Zhong's family, it wouldn't matter how much firewood was used in a year or so. However, the fuel-efficient stove renovated by Su Hang has been gradually deified in the village. Some people didn't go to ask Su Hang for help, but instead looked at their neighbors' renovated stoves and learned to renovate their own stoves. As a result, they had the form but not the spirit. Although the renovated stoves were slightly better than traditional ones, they were still far inferior compared to those personally renovated by Su Hang.

  As a result, people spread the word that Su Hao's stoves were so good because they had been touched by him and had absorbed the blessings of Wenchang Star. This blessing not only allowed families to save firewood when cooking but also drove away evil spirits and misfortune. If there were children in the family who were slow-witted, they would be blessed with a bright future, becoming successful scholars or high-ranking officials...

  As the wells pointed out by Su Hao successively produced water, the villagers who had previously looked down on Su Hao were completely convinced. Old Chen Guanyu, who had made a bet with Su Hao that if he could get water, he would drink it all, now naturally couldn't fulfill this bet. However, he also had a way to make up for his mistake, which was to use his silver tongue to package Su Hao into an even more mysterious and powerful master.

  Su Zhong was originally the person who looked down on Su Hao the most in the village, because his father Su Tingzhao was the previous top scholar in the village. After Su Hao became a top scholar, he stole Su Tingzhao's thunder, which made Su Zhong very resentful. However, now he can no longer look down on Su Hao, and in order to make amends with Su Hao as soon as possible, he joined the ranks of villagers asking Su Hao to reform the furnace.

  When Zheng Chun and Li Xing found Su Huan, Su Huan was renovating the stove at Su Zhong's house. Old scholar Su Tingzhu stood aside with a cane, chattering away with Su Huan about his glorious history of becoming a scholar in the past, saying that if it weren't for the emperor's passing, he would have already taken the imperial examination to become a jinshi.

  Su Hao naturally wouldn't compete with a 70-year-old old man for face, so he smiled and told Su Tingzhu that he had always admired the Xiaocai Public from a young age and took him as his model, vowing to become a good youth like Xiaocai Public - uh, okay, it's becoming a good youth like Xiaocai Public when he was young. It was under the influence of Xiaocai Public's deeds that he was able to pass the Xiaocai exam. When Su Tingzhu heard this, he was overjoyed and his old man's spots turned red, promising that in the future if Su Hao wanted to borrow any books, just come find him, no questions asked.

  Just then, Zheng Chun brought Li Xing in. As soon as they entered the door, Zheng Chun said with a smile: "Xiucai Lang, congratulations."

  "Where does happiness come from?" Su Hao asked faintly.

  "Magistrate heard about your extraordinary talent and ordered to summon you." Zheng Chun said.

  "Summon me?" Su Hao stopped what he was doing and asked, "What did he say?"

  "What did he say?" Zheng Chun was stunned by Su Hua's words. Hadn't something gone wrong? The county magistrate had summoned him, and yet he still asked what he had said.

  "Yes, what does he want to see me for?" Su Hao said.

  Zheng Chundao said, "Isn't this obvious? The wells you've drilled have yielded water one after another. I sent Li Xing to report your achievements to the county magistrate, and now the county magistrate wants to reward you."

  "Good nephew, the county magistrate has summoned you, this is a very honorable thing, hurry up and pack your bags, rush to the county town quickly, don't let the county magistrate wait for too long." Su Zhong urged on the side. Although he was the head of the village, he had never been summoned by the county magistrate before, hearing that the county magistrate specifically wanted to see Su Huan, Su Zhong's heart was filled with envy and jealousy.

  "Wait a minute, Uncle Zhong. This stove is almost done, I have to finish the job before I go," Su Hao said.

  "Ugh……" Zheng Chun was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to get angry with Su Huan. There was no way around it, Li Xing had already told him when he came back that the county magistrate wanted to "invite" Su Huan to the county government office, and specifically instructed not to disturb the scholar. This scholar was really arrogant, the county magistrate summoned him, but he actually dared to say that he would finish his work first before going.

  Su Hao wasn't in a hurry, and Zheng Chun and Li Xing couldn't do anything about it, so they just stood aside and waited. Su Hao finished the key parts himself, then handed over the remaining work to a farmer who was helping out, washed his hands in the water basin, bid farewell to Su Zhong, and headed home. Since he was going to the county town, he should at least go back and change his clothes first.

  Su Hao's pretentious behavior was not out of any bookish intention, but rather to use this method to probe Zheng Chun's reaction and understand the county magistrate's attitude towards this matter. If Zheng Chun is unwilling to wait and speaks ill of him, it means that the county magistrate does not particularly value this matter, but only summoned himself to go through the motions and show leadership care. On the other hand, if Zheng Chun waits obediently, it means that he already has a very high status in the county magistrate's mind, to the point where even a minor official like Zheng Chun dares not speak out against him.

  Su Hao calculated in his heart that from Zhēnguì Township to the county town, it was at least ten or more miles away. An ordinary person would take at least one or two hours to walk. Li Xing had rushed back from the county town early in the morning to pass on the magistrate's instructions. With this coming and going, the time spent wouldn't be short. How could the magistrate know whether Su Hao was slow or not?

  The result of the probe confirmed Su Hao's latter estimate. He had a plan in mind and began to think about how to use the county magistrate's psychology to his advantage after meeting him.

  Zheng Chun and Li Xing followed behind Su Huan, scolding him countless times in their hearts for his arrogance, but on their faces they could only put on a humble expression. When they arrived at the entrance of Su Huan's house, the two stopped in their tracks, and Zheng Chun smiled as he said: "Su Huan, you go change your clothes, we'll wait outside for you. However, Magistrate is eager to see you, so please hurry up."

  "No problem, I'll be fine in a bit. You two officials have worked hard, so please trouble yourselves to wait for me outside for a while." Su Hao didn't stand on ceremony and nodded at Zheng Chun and the other person before entering the house.

  "This scholar is too rude, he actually made us wait for him outside." Li Xing angrily said to Zheng Chun.

  Zheng Chun glared at Li Xing with a bad temper, saying: "What do you know? This scholar's ability to divine the well location is unpredictable and mysterious. Now that it's a severe drought season, the county magistrate will definitely reuse him. By then, we might not even be able to flatter him if we want to. What's the point of waiting for him outside now?"

  "Alas, it's still better to be a scholar. We've been in the county government for so many years, but we're not as good as this young scholar who has never even seen the county magistrate." Li Xing whispered.

  Zheng Chundao said, "Do you think this scholar is an ordinary scholar? In the county town, there are so many scholars, and you've seen them too. Which one isn't foolish from reading books? This scholar can not only inspect well locations but also fight and endure hardships."

  Su Hao was not interested in dealing with Zheng Chun and Li Xing's complaints, he entered the house and saw his mother Yang Genie and sister Lu Xiuer both staying at home, chatting idly, and asked curiously: "Why didn't you go to the fields today?"

  "With you as a capable and hardworking person, I and mom can just relax and enjoy our lives."

  "Haha, someone is helping our family fetch water, right?" Su Hao understood what Lu Xiuer was pointing at and said with a smile.

  "The villagers all say that the well you dug saved everyone's life, so they're all helping our family carry water. If I hadn't stopped them, all the seedlings in our field would have been drowned to death." Yang Genjie said with emotion.

  "This is also what they should do." Su Hao said, he had an idea and said to the two: "Since you have nothing to do, then follow me into the city."

  Yang Genjian was taken aback and asked: "Are you going into the city?"

  "Yes, the county magistrate is looking for me." Su Hao said lightly.

  "Magistrate!" Yang Genjian was originally sitting, hearing the word "magistrate", suddenly stood up, she anxiously asked: "Son, what does the magistrate want you for? What have you done wrong?"

  Su Hao walked forward, pressed his mother's shoulder, and let her sit down. Smiling, he said: "Mom, don't be so startled. The county magistrate looking for me is definitely a good thing. How could it be about committing a crime? It must be that the county magistrate has heard that I'm good at divining well locations and wants to summon me to reward me."

  "Is the county magistrate going to reward you?" Yang Genjian's expression changed from worry to joy, and a smile broke out on his face: "I said my son is promising, isn't it? The county magistrate even knows my son's name. Son, when did the county magistrate ask you to go?"

  "Go now." Su Hao said, "Two bailiffs are waiting for me outside the door."

  "Ah! How can you let the bailiffs wait outside for you? Hurry up and invite them in." Yang Genjian hastily went out to invite them in.

  Su Hao stopped Yang Genie and said, "Don't worry about them. Mom, you and Xiuer haven't been to the city for several years either, right? Why don't we all go into the city together?"

  "I'm not going," said Yang Genjuan, "I'm a country woman, what would I do in the city?"

  "Let's go into town and take a look around, eat some good food." Su Hao said.

  "Isn't that going to cost money?" Yang Genjian said, "Son, since the county magistrate has called for you, hurry up and go. I'll get your clothes and travel expenses ready."

  "What about you, Xiuer?" Su Hao saw that Yang Genie was unmoved and didn't bother to persuade her anymore. He shifted his gaze to Lu Xiuer and asked.

  "What's wrong with me?" Lu Xiuer's face turned red, and she asked knowingly. In fact, when Su Hang first suggested that the whole family go into the city together, she had been somewhat moved, but was afraid of being scolded by Yang Genie, so she didn't dare to respond. Now that Su Hang has asked her directly, she can only pretend to be stupid.

  "Of course, I'm talking about going into the city with me." Su Hao said.

  "I..." Lu Xiuer lowered her head and secretly glanced at Yang Genjuan with the corner of her eye.

  Yang Genjian said to Su Hang: "The county magistrate asked you to go, and didn't ask us to go, so it's fine for you to go by yourself. Eating in the county town is expensive anyway."

  "Mom, why not let Xiuer go with me?" Su Hao saw through Lu Xiuer's thoughts and begged on her behalf, "You see, I don't quite understand human relationships either. If I say something wrong in front of the county magistrate, it wouldn't be suitable. Letting Xiuer follow me would also help remind me what to do."

  "Like this?" Yang Genjian was somewhat shaken. "Xiu'er herself hasn't seen much of the world, what could she remind you of?"

  "Onlookers see clearly." Su Hao said, "Alright, it's settled then. Xiuer, go pack your bags and change into something prettier, I'll take you to the city for some fun."

  "Great!" Lu Xiuer saw Yang Genjuan finally nodded, and was so happy that she jumped up and flew into her room to change clothes like a little bird.