novelaction Chapter 1164: Roots in the North
Chapter 1164: Roots in the North
The county magistrate said: "No matter what, I still want to thank you. You are the only one who can pay out of your own pocket to help the people at this time."
He took the opportunity to ask, "I wonder where your property is, and how you can help the people of this county?"
He asked cautiously, with expectation in his eyes. It would be of no use if this young man's family didn't have some strength.
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "To be honest, my roots are in the north, and have gradually moved south over the years. Although there are many people in a county, Fengfei County has a small population. It's not long before the Chinese New Year, and spring will come soon after the Chinese New Year. After spring, more wild vegetables will appear on the mountains.
In fact, we don’t need much food. When the fields have a harvest next year, the hardest days for the people will be over.”
She really intended to do so, and had already asked Wu Jiang and several others to go around the world to collect early grain seeds that were drought-resistant and high-yield.
The adult shook his head and said, "You don't know. As long as there are some grass roots and tree barks to eat in the mountains, no one will leave their hometown. If there is really no food to find in the mountains, they will leave."
Zhou Guo was surprised and said, "No, there are still people selling wild vegetables and mushrooms on the streets, which means there is still food. There are few people in the county and there are many mountains. How can we dig up all the tree barks and grass roots?"
"But no one dares to go deep into the mountains, for fear that they won't find food and will be taken away by wolves, tigers or leopards instead."
Dashu and Xiaoshu shook their heads after listening to this. They had no idea how this county magistrate became such a magistrate. Why did he have so many concerns?
Seeing that he looked tired, Zhou Guo said, "My lord, you are still not well. You have been talking to me for such a long time despite your illness. I think you must be tired. You should rest first. I will not disturb you today and will come again tomorrow."
She stood up and was about to leave, but once they started chatting she forgot that the other person was still a sickly person. She had to take it easy, lest his condition get worse. Who could she ask for help?
The county magistrate wanted to stay, but his body was not strong enough. He stood up in excitement and almost fell down. Fortunately, Zhou Guo was quick to catch him, otherwise he would have fallen down and become a fool.
After taking two breaths, he waved his hands and said, "It's not going to work. Sir, please come back tomorrow. I have to go back and rest. My illness is not serious. I will be fine after resting for a while."
Now that he had hope, he felt full of energy. He wished he could get better right away so that he could live a better life with Zhou Guo for the people of this county.
The old servant saw them out and gave them a dim lantern that could only illuminate two steps under their feet, but it was better than nothing.
Dashu held it in his hand and said, "Master, please eat some more when you go back. I don't know if Chef Zhang has left any for us."
As he spoke, a gurgling sound was heard from the side.
The group looked over and saw Xiaoshu holding his stomach, looking pitiful. They hadn't eaten yet. So many people went to the county government office and couldn't even get a single bite to eat.
We are so poor.
Zhou Guo sighed, "Let's go, I'm hungry too."
Two bowls of porridge were not enough to fill my stomach. I felt hungry soon after I finished eating. After talking for so long, I felt even hungrier.
The group quickened their pace.
The street was pitch black, there was no one in the street, there were only a few lights scattered in the houses on both sides of the street, and most people's homes were dark, there was no sound at all.
She had been to so many places and so many counties, but she had never seen a county so quiet after dark, just like the countryside. No, in their village people would still visit each other at this time, and every household would have lights on.
When they returned to the inn, Chef Zhang and his apprentice, the shopkeeper and the waiter were all waiting in the lobby. They were almost sleepy from waiting, and were overjoyed to see the group returning.
The shopkeeper patted his thigh and said, "Finally you're back. It's good to be back."
Chef Zhang asked, "Sir, have you eaten outside?"
Zhou Guo smiled and shook his head, "Not yet, Chef Zhang, did you leave any food for me?"
Chef Zhang stood up and walked to the kitchen. "The pot is hot. Come with me and serve it."
There was a table full of delicious food, even more sumptuous than the lunch we had at noon.
After all, that meal was made in a hurry, but this one was different. It took an entire afternoon to make.
Zhou Guo looked at the delicious food and asked, "Have you eaten yet? If not, have some with us."
Chef Zhang said, "We have already eaten, together with the shopkeeper. These are left for you. If we had waited for you, we would have starved to death."
The shopkeeper laughed and flattered, "The dishes cooked by Chef Zhang are so delicious. I can smell the fragrance from a long distance away. It makes people hungry. The kid next door is crying with greed."
Meat is hard to come by these days, even in their inn, it is rare.
Zhou Guo nodded perfunctorily, picked up the bowl and started eating. He was very hungry.
After eating the porridge, I just felt full with water. Now I feel even hungrier. I might as well not eat. I feel so hungry that my heart is wrenching and my lungs are hurting.
It was even worse during the Dashu period. They didn't even get a bowl of porridge to drink, and just drank some tea. They would go to the county magistrate's house again next time, so they would have to prepare some food.
Zhou Guo finally felt less hungry after eating four bowls of rice. He decided that next time he went, he would have to eat a full meal. If that didn't work, he could just bring some rice and flour for the county magistrate.
If you can't eat anything else, you can always have rice and steamed buns.
Several people ate up a big pot of rice and a table of dishes.
The shopkeeper and the waiter standing by were stunned. They were cleaning the house at noon and didn't see it, but now they saw it with their own eyes. How much rice was in that pot? These guys really have a big appetite.
He could actually eat so much in one meal. "You have such a big appetite. Fortunately, you were born in a rich family. If you were from a poor family, who could afford to feed you?"
One meal can feed a family for several days.
After the meal, the shopkeeper and his waiter began to clean up the table.
If you eat other people's food, you naturally have to make more.
If they were to provide a meal like this in their building, it would cost several taels of silver, and they might not even be able to afford it, as many things were not available in the building.
Zhou Guo said to Dashu and the others, "Okay, go to bed. You've been tired all day and have to get up early tomorrow."
Chef Zhang couldn't hold on any longer. He heard that he had to get up early again tomorrow. He almost fell down and shook his head. "It's good to be young. You have endless energy. I'm old and can't do it anymore. I won't go with you tomorrow."
Zhou Guo nodded, "Okay, you can take a rest tomorrow."
Among so many people, only Zhou Guo filled a basin with hot water, washed his face, hands and feet before going to bed. The others fell asleep immediately.
……
Zhou Guo went out for a walk after breakfast. It seemed that there were more vendors selling wild vegetables than yesterday, early in the morning. There were all kinds of strange things. She even saw poisonous mushrooms among them. She was also stunned and couldn't help asking, "Is this used as medicine?"
The man smiled and said, "Sir, this is a dish, you can eat it."
Zhou Guo's eyebrows jumped, and he looked at him a few more times, then asked, "Which village are you from? What's your name? Have you ever eaten this fungus?"