Met with county leaders

  (Vote for recommendation, the more the better, strive to put this book on the new book chart)

  "Hey, Old Zheng, you're back?"

  While Su Hao and Lu Xiuer were whispering to each other, Zheng Chun led Li Xing down from the cattle cart and rushed straight to the county government gate. The gatekeeper at the entrance saw Zheng Chun and gave a big wave of greeting.

  Zheng Chun asked: "Old Yao, is Magistrate Know in the hall?"

  "Yes, I'm discussing something with Master Fang." The old yamen runner named Lao Yao replied. He took a glance at the ox cart that had brought Zheng Chun and the others, and asked: "Is this the cart carrying the xiucai that Master wants to invite?"

  "Exactly, is it suitable for me to take him in now?" Zheng Chun asked.

  Yao Yiliang said: "I'll go and report first, just in case the county magistrate has something important to discuss, it wouldn't be suitable for you to bring a young scholar like him bursting in."

  Zheng Chun thanked Yao Ya and returned to tell Su Hang, "Su Xiucan, the county magistrate is discussing matters in the hall. I've sent someone to report our arrival. If it's convenient for the county magistrate, I'll bring you in again. Please wait here for a while."

  "It's nothing." Su Hao waved his hand dismissively.

  Zheng Chun instructed Su Xiao Hu to drive the ox cart under a nearby tree, while Su Hao accompanied Lu Xiu Er to stand in the empty space, looking around. Lu Xiu Er was visiting the county government office for the first time and found everything novel. As a traveler through time and space, Su Hao also showed great interest in this authentic ancient county town.

  After waiting for a short while, Yao the constable came running out. Zheng Chun hastily went forward to ask: "Old Yao, how is it? Is the magistrate free?"

  "There's space, there's space. Master Fang himself has come out to welcome that scholar." said Yao the constable, panting with exhaustion.

  Zheng Chun looked up and saw Master Fang Mengjin walking out of the county government office with small steps. He quickly ran to greet Su Hao, pulling him to the entrance of the county government office before Fang Mengjin could leave.

  "Master, how dare you take the trouble to come out?" Zheng Chun said with a smile on his face to Meng Jin.

  "Is this young Su Hao?" Fang Mengjin didn't pay attention to Zheng Chun, but instead smiled and nodded at Su Hao, saying: "I'm old Fang Mengjin."

  "Master Fang, it's actually me, Su Hao. I'm so moved that Master Fang has come out to welcome me personally." Su Hao said with courtesy, performing the rituals of a junior.

  "Listening to Zheng Dian's words, Su Xiao Ge's skill in divining well locations is mysterious and unpredictable, consecutively discovering several top-grade wells, bringing benefits to the people. Fang Mou couldn't personally go to Zhegui village to invite him, which was already a breach of etiquette towards a virtuous person." Fang Mengbi threw praise at Su Huan's head, this is called 'killing with excessive praise', first lifting up Su Huan before speaking.

  "Master, you assist the county magistrate, handling countless matters every day. I'm just a student who has done something trivial, how dare I trouble you to travel far? I heard that the county magistrate summoned me, so I rushed here hastily, but unfortunately, the journey was long and delayed my arrival. I don't know if the county magistrate will blame me." Su Hao also started speaking eloquently.

  Zheng Chun stood by, his mouth twisted as if he had eaten a bitter melon. Bullshit, you're starting to talk nonsense now, afraid that County Magistrate will blame you, why didn't you say that you even renovated a stove and went home to drink tea for half a day before coming?

  Lian Fang and Meng Jin were both polite to Su Huai, so Zheng Chun naturally had nothing to say. He said to Lian Fang, "Master, this is not a place for conversation. Can we invite Su Xiucai inside? I wonder where the county magistrate intends to meet Su Xiucai."

  "Oh, I'm getting old and muddled." Fang Mengjin said with a pretended tap on his forehead, "A great talent like Brother Su can't stand outside talking, it's impolite. Brother Su, let's go in, the county magistrate is waiting for you in the second hall."

  "Alright." Su Hao nodded and turned his head, shouting to Lu Xiuer who was standing a dozen steps away: "Xiuer, you and Xiaohu wait for me outside, I'll be right back."

  "Who is that girl..." Fang Mengjin followed Su Hang's line of sight and saw Lu Xiuer, asking casually.

  "Oh, that's my sister," Su Hao said. "A country girl who hasn't seen the world, I brought her to the county town to broaden her horizons."

  "What a lovely and charming young lady." Fang Mengjin praised, "Since you've brought her here to broaden her horizons, why not let her go in and take a look too? The county magistrate's daughter is about the same age as your younger sister, I'm sure the county magistrate will also love your younger sister."

  "Alright." Su Hao heard Fang Mengjin's invitation and didn't think there was anything inappropriate about it. In his view, the county magistrate was just a mid-level cadre after all. In his previous life, Su Hao had been on familiar terms with cadres of this level, addressing them as brothers.

  "Xiu'er, come here." Su Hao beckoned to Lu Xiu'er and shouted.

  Lu Xiuer looked at the several officials beside Su Hang, hesitating and not daring to come forward. Su Hang smiled at Fang Mian and said, "Let Master Fang laugh, this country girl has never seen an official before, she's a bit timid."

  Having said that, he walked up to Lu Xiuer and, without giving her a chance to refuse, pulled her over by the hand.

  "Xiu Er, this is Master Fang." Su Hao introduced to Lu Xiu Er.

  "What should I say?" Lu Xiuer was so embarrassed that her face turned bright red, and she asked Su Hang in a low voice.

  "Haha, no need to be polite, I'm just an old man a few years older than you, Miss Su can call me Uncle Fang. " Fang Mengjin disguised himself as a kind and affable old grandfather, said to Lu Xiuer. He heard Su Hang calling Lu Xiuer "Shemei" (younger sister), so he thought Lu Xiuer was also surnamed Su.

  "Xiu'er, just call him Uncle Fang." Su Hao also didn't bother with formalities and directly instructed Lu Xiu'er.

  Lu Xiuer's face turned red as she called out in a barely audible voice, "Uncle Fang." Fang Mengjin burst into loud laughter and stretched out his hand to Su Hang, saying, "Su young fellow, please."

  "Please go first, Master Fang." Su Hao replied.

  A group of people walked towards the county government office, and Lu Xiuer was involuntarily pulled by Su Hang into the county government office as well. Once they entered the county government office, Su Hang no longer needed to hold onto Lu Xiuer's hand because she had already been scared stiff, her two hands tightly grasping onto Su Hang's collar, staring at the ground, and not even daring to breathe.

  The scale of Fengcheng County Government is very large, from the main gate, there is a long corridor, in front of which are the ceremonial gate, the archway, the moon platform, and then the county government hall. On both sides of the corridor are distributed six houses: Li Hu Li Bing Xing Gong, as well as Dian Shi Government, Kuai Ban House, Li She, Prison, Temple and so on.

  All of this is only the front half of the county government office, behind the main hall there are still buildings such as the County Lieutenant's Office, the Chief Clerk's Office, the Archive Library, the Second Hall, the Third Hall, and the Accounting House. Further back is the inner government office, which is where the county magistrate lives.

  Fang Mengjin led Su Huai and his sister through the main hall to the second hall, where the county magistrate received guests. Zheng Chun and Li Xing were no longer qualified to follow them, so they returned to their own quarters, waiting to be summoned at any time.

  "Sir, Su Hao has been invited."

  Arriving outside the Second Hall, Fang Mengjin asked Su Hao and his sister to wait first, while he went in to report.

  "Come quickly." The voice of the county magistrate came from inside the house.

  Fang Mengjin lifted the curtain and said to Su Hao: "The two of you, the county magistrate has summoned."

  "I..." Lu Xiuer looked at Su Hang, her face contorted as if she was about to cry. The person inside was the county magistrate, and she was just a rural servant girl, how dare she go in?

  "Let's go, it's nothing." Su Hao pulled Lu Xiuer and dragged her into the second hall.

  The furnishings in the two halls of the county government office were no different from those of an ordinary landlord's living room. On the wall opposite the main gate, there was a landscape painting, with two armchairs placed in front of it and a tea table in between, which was where the host and honored guests sat. On either side, there was a row of chairs, with a small tea table between every two chairs, which was where subordinates sat when they came to pay their respects to their superior.

  Su Hao and Lu Xi'er walked into the second hall, County Magistrate Han Wen was sitting upright in the main seat. When he saw Su Hao and others coming in, he smiled and stood up, taking two symbolic steps forward to show his welcome. Su Hao naturally couldn't put on airs in front of the county magistrate, so he quickly took two steps forward, came to the front of the county magistrate, and bowed: "Student Su Hao, pays respects to County Magistrate."

  "No need for courtesy, no need for courtesy." Han Wen bowed his hands to Su Hao and said.

  "Sir, this is Su Hao's sister, Miss Su Xiu'er." Fang Mengjin introduced Lu Xiuer to Han Wen.

  "Oh, I forgot to mention earlier," Su Hao hastily corrected, "my younger sister is actually an adopted daughter of our family, and she has a different surname from the students. Her surname is Lu."

  He then said to Lu Xiuer: "Xiuer, come quickly and pay your respects to Magistrate Zheng."

  "Miss Lu Xiuer pays her respects to His Honor the Magistrate."

  Lu Xiuer finally listened to a few plays and still remembered some of the play's text. She knelt on the ground and gave Han Wen a bow, stuttering as she managed to say what she wanted to say.

  "Haha, no need to be so polite." Han Wen laughed and said to Fang Mengjin: "Master, I think Lu Niang's age is not much different from Qian'er's. Country girls are actually more robust than Qian'er."

  "Sir," said Fang Mengjin with a smile, "just now Su Xiaojie said that his sister hasn't been out much in the world, so he wanted to bring her out to see the world.

  "Ah, right on time." Han Wen said, clapping his hands twice towards the door. A maid-like person entered in response, and Han Wen instructed her: "Hong Lian, take Lu Niang to the inner courtyard to meet Madame and Miss, have Miss keep Lu Niang company in the rear garden, so Lu Niang won't feel constrained here."

  "Yes." The maid named Honglian walked over, curtsied to Lu Xiuer and said: "Miss Lu, please."

  "Am I going?" Lu Xiuer asked Su Hua in a low voice, her tension making her dare not breathe heavily.

  Su Hao patted her on the shoulder and said: "Go ahead, broaden your horizons, and when you get back, you can brag to the girls."