Chapter 29: 29. Xiao Shimei Really Doesn't Treat Me as an Outsider

29. Xiao Shimei Really Doesn't Treat Me as an Outsider

"Magistrate... Magistrate, please stay!"

County Assistant Diao chased after him and finally managed to stop the resolute man.

"Does County Assistant Diao have any instructions?"

"I wouldn't dare give instructions, I wouldn't dare..."

County Assistant Diao was panting, adjusted his crooked official hat, and said helplessly:

"How can we let the Magistrate spend money to treat guests? The Magistrate came all the way to Longcheng to take up his post. It should be the local gentry fulfilling the duties of a host and letting them treat you. How can we trouble the Magistrate?"

Ouyang Rong thought for a while and asked: "Are you saying I am a guest? And they are the hosts?"

"Right... no, no." County Assistant Diao waved his hands hurriedly. "Your subordinate means that the gentry and elders welcoming their parent-official is the fine tradition of this county. The previous magistrates all followed this process. The Magistrate doesn't need to be so polite and pay out of his own pocket..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head. "I'm not being polite at all. Just let them not be too polite."

He looked at the uneasy County Assistant Diao and said softly:

"Actually, I won't hide it from you, County Assistant. Besides wanting to get to know all the local worthies and clan elders, there is also a serious matter for the country and the people... for them."

"What does the Magistrate mean..."

"That's right. After the banquet that day, I will hold a water conservancy fundraising event. At that time, I will take the lead in donating grain. Next, I'll have to trouble everyone."

County Assistant Diao stopped speaking.

Ouyang Rong said with a calm expression:

"I have also thought about the official document sent from Jiangzhou and the imperial court's suggestions for a few days.

"At present, the disaster relief grain is roughly enough. With the 3,000 shi of rice to be transported from Jiangzhou later, maintaining the stability of the 24 disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city for three months is not a problem...

"But now there is another imminent matter before us—the water conservancy projects, including the Di Gong Gate, must be built as soon as possible. Otherwise, according to my prediction, when the heavy rains come in the near future, it will be another tragedy of water flooding Longcheng.

"County Assistant Diao, this matter is absolutely not just the business of those tens of thousands of disaster victims on the outskirts of the city, but concerns the safety of everyone inside and outside Longcheng. You are the County Assistant of Longcheng, the most senior in the government office, and more familiar with the gentry and wealthy families in the county. You should clarify these interests for me and tell them about the difficulties of the imperial court and Jiangzhou."

County Assistant Diao sighed. "The Magistrate is truly exhausting himself for the people of Longcheng."

"It's just my duty."

County Assistant Diao hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but remind him: "Magistrate, the suggestion I gave you that day, actually you can also consider it... Holding a fundraising banquet isn't impossible. However, if you want the fundraising effect to be good, it's best if the Magistrate separately invites the Liu family beforehand and discusses it properly..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted: "Is County Assistant Diao on good terms with the Liu family? You've been speaking for them all along."

County Assistant Diao said solemnly: "Magistrate, you misunderstand. Your subordinate isn't speaking for the Liu family, but thinking for the Magistrate, which is why I made these shallow suggestions."

Ouyang Rong looked at him for a while before nodding and saying:

"Thank you, County Assistant, no need. This fundraising banquet will be aimed at all the gentry and wealthy merchants in Longcheng County. I'm not begging for food, but being sincere and treating them with sincerity.

"You go and tell them about the tax welfare after fundraising mentioned in the imperial court's official document. Although I have a stubborn temper, I am not an unreasonable person. I will execute it at my discretion, as long as they donate enthusiastically... This ruthless natural disaster can be overcome by the government and the people working together. This is not just a matter for one family."

With the last sentence, Ouyang Rong looked meaningfully at County Assistant Diao and turned to leave the county government office.

County Assistant Diao sighed and looked at his back, saying:

"Your subordinate... obeys."

Just when County Assistant Diao was going from house to house in Longcheng County to contact the gentry and clan elders, and passing on the young magistrate's invitation and promises one by one.

Ouyang Rong walked silently into the office of the Household Department in the official government office and retrieved the financial and tax account books of the county over the years.

He had arranged the matters of the disaster relief camps today in advance yesterday, so he could go a bit late today and come to the county government office first to handle a more important matter.

The young magistrate dismissed the respectful clerks to the side and sat alone in the small room, quietly flipping through them.

By the time Xie Lingjiang came looking for him carrying a two-layered small box, Ouyang Rong was still lowering his head and carefully reviewing.

"Ru Shixiong."

"Hmm."

"I brought you some pastries. Aunt Zhen asked me to bring them."

"Good."

Seeing that he didn't even lift his head and was still focused on the official documents, Xie Lingjiang quieted down, put down the pastry box, sat to one side, and waited, occasionally sizing someone up.

Xie Lingjiang had always felt that a man looked better when he was serious and focused. Her father was like that.

Not long after, Ouyang Rong temporarily closed the book, rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers, and raised his head to look at the white clouds and blue sky outside the door to relieve his fatigue. However, Xiao Shimei suddenly stood up, handed him the opened pastry box, reached out and bent over, her upper body leaning forward...

Ouyang Rong, caught off guard, suddenly felt that his eyes were no longer tired.

Slender branches hanging with heavy fruit.

Such a line of poetry inexplicably popped into his mind.

And he didn't know if it was because he had read too many dense small characters, but his eyes had a kind of trance where everything looked big and small... This wave superimposed together, a royal flush.

"Why is Ru Shixiong leaning back?" Xie Lingjiang asked crisply.

"No... nothing, just stretching," Ouyang Rong said calmly.

He wasn't the kind of person who couldn't control his eyes, but Xiao Shimei was indeed too wealthy, and her actions were decisive and agile, swaying back and forth in front of him. Even if a muscular man of the same weight were in front of Ouyang Rong, he would still be unable to help but take a look. It was just a subconscious reaction.

And it could be seen that she should have been binding her chest extremely tightly, usually paying great attention to this matter, and fixing it very well, because the bulging fabric she saw in her daily actions didn't have any exaggerated ripples.

"What is Ru Shixiong looking at?"

Ouyang Rong was suddenly a little panicked, but then reacted keenly, it didn't seem to be asking about this.

"The financial expenditure of Longcheng County government office for the past two years, and the tax collection situation of some wealthy households."

The gentlemanly Ru Shixiong said solemnly.

"Oh."

Xie Lingjiang nodded, reached out to take a piece of pastry, and then bent over to get closer, curiously looking at the books on his desk.

She seemed to have been quite interested in everything this Ru Shixiong had done recently, and didn't know if it was because of that "energy."

"Then does Ru Shixiong have any discoveries?"

Ouyang Rong nodded and picked one to say: "In the first half of this year, Longcheng County government office only had 50-plus strings of savings last year. But the expenditure flow was more than 2,000 strings. And the year before last was also the same, with a financial surplus of 40-plus strings of savings..."

The more Xie Lingjiang heard, the more she frowned. "Doesn't this mean that the income of every year is spent just right, with not much left? So coincidental?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at the clerks and government office runners passing by in the distance outside the door. "And every financial expenditure item every year is very detailed, even writing clearly how many door gods and couplets the government office needs to paste on the first day of the Lunar New Year... If you count them, it is indeed spent this much, with no errors."

Xie Lingjiang's brows furrowed even more.

He smiled. "Don't worry about these for now."

The young magistrate casually closed the financial book, threw it to the side, as if nothing had happened, and shook a bell on the table, immediately summoning a few respectful clerks. He asked the clerks to take the books about the county's finances back for filing.

After the clerks left, Ouyang Rong's expression remained as usual. Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but ask: "Could it be that we'll just let it go and not investigate the government office?"

His tone was calm: "Let's consider it passed for now. There is a more important matter."

Ouyang Rong pointed to the thick book involving Longcheng's taxes left on the desk. This was the focus of coming here today.

Xie Lingjiang was silent for a while, nodded gently, and went to curiously flip through the remaining books on the desk, as if wanting to figure out Ru Shixiong's intention, forgetting even to eat the pastry in her hand.

At the same time, because she was too focused, her upper body subconsciously leaned forward more and more...

With a beauty leaning close, Ouyang Rong, who was preparing to taste the pastry, immediately smelled a fragrance more fragrant than the pastry.

Although he knew Xiao Shimei was unintentional, he still silently avoided suspicion and moved back a position for her who was leaning over.

Ouyang Rong pinched a piece of pastry, took a light bite, and secretly said in his heart:

"Xiao Shimei really doesn't treat me as an outsider."

She didn't guard against her gentlemanly Ru Shixiong at all... The feeling of being trusted by his Xiao Shimei made him quite gratified, and he silently decided to control his eyes in the future.

However, Ouyang Rong suddenly discovered one point. Sometimes when his eyes got lost and accidentally looked somewhere, it seemed that no merit points were deducted. He didn't know if it was because the other party hadn't discovered it...

Regarding this, he was just purely curious and couldn't help but turn his head to look to verify.

Just at this moment, with a "clang," a dull wooden fish sound rang in his ears.

Merit deducted by one.

Before Ouyang Rong could darken his face, he saw Xie Lingjiang, who had been leaning sideways and carefully looking at the documents on his desk, suddenly stand up, holding the pastry blankly in her left hand, busily grabbing the sword hilt with her right hand, turning her back to him, and walking quickly to the door without looking back.

It was less like "walking quickly" and more like fleeing.

However, Ouyang Rong still keenly saw that the small part of fair skin exposed between the collar of the Xiao Shimei's back neck and her cloud-like hair was flushed red at this moment, like maple leaves drunk by the warm wind.

It was just that this Xie family noble girl who wanted to flee reacted to something. When she reached the door, she hurriedly stopped, as if stopping to look at the scenery, turned her back to the "indecent" bastard Ru Shixiong inside the door, shook her head, looked left and right, and after a while, her expression couldn't be seen, only hearing her lower her voice and drop a sentence "It's too hot in the room, I... I'll go get some air," and her beautiful figure disappeared at the door.

Xiao Shimei ran away holding the pastry.

"..."

Only Ouyang Rong, who wanted to speak but stopped, remained in the room... That, can you listen to my explanation?

"It's over. My image as a gentleman in Xiao Shimei's heart is gone."

A certain Ru Shixiong was sad.

However... although it was a misunderstanding, to be honest, he never expected that his Xiao Shimei, who was usually pedantic, serious, and straight-faced, would be so silly and cute when she was occasionally shy and blushing.

This wave, it seemed to be called contrast cuteness. ===== CHAPTER 30 =====