105 Twenty-Three Newborns
The pregnant woman’s words stunned the officers. What happened to the post-disaster reconstruction? This was almost like a paradise!
When the official arrived, Jiang Si had just returned from Jiang prefecture, his face full of pride. When he returned, he found that Zhao Yingying had already left. He felt a little uncomfortable, but it was quickly washed away by the joy of the upcoming marriage.
“Mother, here’s 60,000 Yuan. Find some people to repair the house. The more beautiful, the better. We’re going to marry the prefecture governor’s daughter, so we can’t lose face.” Jiang Si felt regretful that he had been born into a poor family. “There’s also a meeting gift my wife. Mother, you have to think of a way.” Although he did not say that Yang Fen should go to Jiang Xi, Yang Fen’s mind had already turned to Jiang Xi.
Now, whatever Jiang Si said was right. If Yang Fen had only been biased toward Jiang Si in the past, then she was now completely devoted to him. He was her only son who lived up to expectations! As long as she coaxed her son well, she could be the wife of an official!
The room was busy preparing for the wedding when the officers knocked on the door and entered.
“Village chief, the people from town came to ask about the number of people in our village!” The pregnant woman came over with the officers enthusiastically. The villagers knew very well how many people there were in the village.
Jiang Si did not even bat an eye when he heard that the officers were coming. He had passed the imperial examination. In the past, he would flatter the officers when he saw them, but now it was no longer necessary. Instead, the officers were the ones who had to flatter him.
Jiang Xi came out when she heard the noise. Yang Fen poured tea for the officer. Jiang Shan looked at the empty table and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and a few pieces of sugar.
“We’re here under orders to register the number of people. After the snow disaster, the number of people in every village changed. We don’t know the original and current number of people in Happy Village, as well as the number of outsiders, people who have frozen or starved to death. If there are new people, we’ll count them too. However, with the current situation, I don’t think there’ll be that many newborns.” The officer was sitting on a chair, drinking tea and munching on sunflower seeds. When he saw Jiang Shan bringing in more buns from outside, his eyes were filled with envy!
The price of grain in the town was extremely high, and it kept increasing. Many people could not afford it anymore, so the number of people starving to death in the town was more than all the villages combined. However, the Happy Village could actually afford to eat buns!
“The original population of Happy Village was 700. The current population is…” Jiang Xi paused.
“The current number of people is 1900, with 1200 new people, who are outsiders. They did not freeze to death or starve to death. Yes, there are 22 newborns!” Then, someone shouted from outside the door. “Village Chief, we just received news that the Xu family has given birth to a chubby little boy!”
The officer was dumbfounded. Jiang Xi, who was beside him, only said, “Oh.” She said to the dumbfounded officer, “There’re 23 newborns now.”
“You… You said you increased the number of outsiders by 1200 and there’re 23 newborns? When it’s snowing heavily, the people in your village were still in the mood to have children?” An officer shouted, his face full of surprise. it was a year of snow disasters where people starved to death and froze to death everywhere. Every town had to count their population and report it to the higher-ups. The number of people in Happy Village meant that Happy Village alone could pull up the death toll of the entire town! Even their mayor could be rewarded!
A few days ago, when the officers reported the number of people, they were criticized. However, when they heard about the number of people in Happy Village, they did not even plan to eat their buns. They hurriedly counted the number of people and rushed to town. It was not a good thing that Happy Village had taken in refugees before, but now it had become a great thing!
“With your current status, there is no need for you to personally speak to the officers and lower your status. Your unmarried fourth sister-in-law is a well-educated and well-mannered daughter of a big family. In the future, you should learn from her. As a woman, you should have the appearance of a woman. At home, you should listen to your father and brothers, and after you get married, you should listen to your husband. When your fourth sister-in-law speaks, she is gentle and delicate, unlike you, shouting at the top of your voice.” Jiang Si walked out with his hands clasped behind his back, acting like an elder brother. He looked at Jiang Xi and said, “You still don’t know what kind of person your fourth sister-in-law is, right? A few days ago, I got to know her big brother, Song You, and I heard a little about your fourth sister-in-law. Your fourth sister-in-law’s family is a daughter that hundreds of families want, but it’s a pity that her body is a little weak and she has been raised at home without going out. She’s a true girl who doesn’t leave her house. If you speak a little too loudly, you can scare her. I heard that she’s proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.”