“These were the fish we caught from the river. They’re fresh, and we wanted to bring them to Sister Su. We wish Sister Su an abundance of blessings year after year, and peace and safety in every passing year.” Huzi kowtowed to Su Yujin once more.

The fish were wild grass carp, quite large, their gills opening and closing, clearly just caught recently.

Fishing was possible in winter, and in fact, the fish were easier to catch because the river water was cold and they lost their usual vitality. However, the thick ice on the river made it difficult to locate the fish, and the surface was much colder than elsewhere, making fishing extremely difficult. The mere act of braving the freezing cold to break through the ice deterred many from fishing.

The fact that Huzi and his companion managed to catch such a large grass carp…

Perhaps they felt that since they were visiting for the New Year, they couldn’t come empty-handed.

Looking at Huzi’s hands, which were frozen like radishes, Su Yujin felt a lump in her throat. “This fish is really big. We’ll make a sweet and sour fish for lunch; it’ll definitely be fresh and delicious.”

Seeing Su Yujin’s joy, Huzi felt a great sense of accomplishment, and his little body straightened up a bit more.

“Huibinlou is closed for the moment. Will you have enough food for the New Year?”

There were more than a dozen little beggars of Huzi’s age, so Su Yujin instructed Wu Jiantong to save the remaining fish and meat from Huibinlou’s kitchen waste for them.

“Enough to eat, enough to eat,” Huzi nodded repeatedly. “Manager Wu and Uncle Zheng always treat us well, saving the best leftovers for us. Even if we can’t finish it all, we save some for emergencies.”

“We’ve saved up quite a bit of dry rations, and when Huibinlou closed for the New Year, Manager Wu and Uncle Zheng gave us plenty of things too. We really had a prosperous New Year, so don’t worry, Sister Su.” Huzi grinned broadly after saying this.

He had brushed his teeth with willow twigs and rinsed his mouth with salt water before leaving today, making his teeth quite white.

“That’s good.” Su Yujin smiled and gave Huzi a lot of dried fruit she had prepared at home, so he could take it back and share it with the others.

Huzi thanked her profusely but only took some of the common peanuts and melon seeds, keeping the slightly more expensive ones like walnuts and chestnuts.

After seeing Huzi off, Su Yujin lowered her head and thought for a long time.

He Yanxiu handed her a cup of hot tea before she came to her senses. “Thank you, Second Master.”

“These beggars are either unregistered vagrants or have lost their parents and are oppressed by their uncles and elders, leaving them with no way to survive. Even if they become beggars in the county town, they refuse to go home. They are truly pitiful. If we could help them find some work so they wouldn’t have to endure the elements every day, it would be a good deed.”

Hearing that He Yanxiu was also interested in this matter, Su Yujin nodded quickly. “Yes, but because they have no household registration, they can’t work.”

Hiring people of unknown origin was considered employing unregistered workers, and if the authorities found out, they would be severely punished.

This was why, although Su Yujin wanted to help them, she couldn’t hire them to work. She could only instruct Wu Jiantong to provide them with some food, just enough to fill their stomachs.

“But if there were a way to get the authorities to approve it and help them find a way to make a living, it would be a win-win situation,” He Yanxiu said.

For the government to approve of the matter and even step in to help them make a living, it must be something that was also highly beneficial to the government.

What kind of matter could achieve such an effect…

Su Yujin pondered for several days, and finally had a rough idea in mind.

She even wrote down her idea on several pages, creating a very detailed feasibility study.

Seeing her own detailed and illustrated plan, with a very tempting vision of the future, Su Yujin couldn’t help but give herself a thumbs up.

But a problem arose…

Even if this plan really was a good one, would Ye Daren truly be able to swallow his pride and bring himself to do such a thing?

She feared he would only chuckle at the first sentence, offer a polite response, say “wait for good news,” and then completely drop the subject.

Su Yujin frowned and paced in the courtyard for a long time.

He Yanxiu, dressed neatly, came out of the house and instructed Xing’an to prepare a carriage.

“Is Second Master going out?”

“Yes,” He Yanxiu called to Su Yujin. “Let’s go.”

He Yanxiu wanted her to go out together?

Su Yujin was a little confused. “Second Master, what’s going on…?”

“Weren’t you worried about how to bring this matter up with Ye Xianling((The local magistrate of a county during the imperial era. He served as the county’s chief administrative and judicial official, overseeing local governance, law enforcement, taxation, and the resolution of civil and criminal disputes.))?” He Yanxiu said. “I happen to have some matters to discuss with Ye Xianling. Why don’t we go together?”

“Okay!” Su Yujin nodded hurriedly in agreement.

The higher the rank, the more powerful one could bully others. Even though He Yanxiu didn’t have a habit of abusing his power, the disparity in rank between him and Ye Xianling likely instilled fear in the Xianling, leading him to give him some face.

If something could be done but not done, then do it; if something could be worried about but not worried about, then worry about it. That way, there was a good chance of success!

Su Yujin didn’t even bother to change her clothes before getting into the carriage with He Yanxiu and heading to the Ye family.

Officials usually had about twenty days of annual leave, starting on the 25th of the lunar year and ending after the Lantern Festival. Therefore, Ye Yongwang was still at home, teaching his children to read, write, play chess, and practice calligraphy.

Hearing that He Yanxiu and Su Yujin had arrived, Ye Yongwang hurriedly went to greet them personally.

“Ye Daren, Happy New Year!” He Yanxiu cupped his hands in greeting.

“Happy New Year, He Daren! Happy New Year, Miss Su!” Ye Yongwang was flattered and quickly invited them to the main hall, ordering the best tea in the house to be served.

“He Daren’s presence at my humble abode is truly an honor,” Ye Yongwang said, sitting ramrod straight, his entire being quite nervous. For someone of He Yanxiu’s rank to personally visit, it certainly wasn’t just for a New Year’s greeting.

And for He Yanxiu to make a special trip to see him during the New Year period, it must be something significant.

Perhaps it concerned his official position?

Ye Yongwang quickly recalled everything he had done recently, even in the last year or two, racking his brains to see if he had done anything wrong…

“Ye Daren, you’re too kind,” He Yanxiu said. “I’ve been in Qinghe County these past few days, and when I stroll around the streets, I often see beggars begging along the streets, and there are quite a few of them.”

“It is indeed somewhat unseemly for beggars to be begging on the streets, but most of these beggars in the county are homeless children, quite pitiful, and usually very obedient and sensible, without any history of theft or robbery, so the yamen (government office) doesn’t usually interfere much,” Ye Yongwang hurriedly said. “Of course, the large number of beggars in the county is something my Qinghe County yamen hasn’t done enough. He Daren, rest assured, I have instructed the yamen runners to properly settle these beggars in the past two days…”

Was he really here to hold him accountable?

Ye Yongwang felt sweat dripping down his forehead!

(End of Chapter)

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