Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 77

The second memorial was sent, but An Yinong still sat in the court. On that day, the Jin family really caused trouble for the hunter, but all the troubles were resolved by the little ghosts who secretly followed them.

“How can we guard against thieves for a thousand days…”

The threatened yamen runner brought the calf back the next day. An Yinong spent money to buy a pasture, build a cowshed, and hire a cowherd. It seemed that he really wanted to raise cattle, and it was not just empty talk. The errand runners also placed some jute.

“Do farmers need to raise black cows and jute?” Gu Zhengzhong didn’t know why An Yinong raised these two species. He grew that kind of grass with special roots for rubber. However black cows were not good at farming, and the other plant was useless. What was the point of raising these?

“They are useful.” An Yinong put down the green plant in his hand, “After clearing out the Jin and Bai families, I will consider reclaiming wasteland and dividing the land. However, the land in Dingsha County is barren. Even if we actively reclaim the wasteland, we can only barely make ends meet. If we want to live a good life, we must use agriculture as the foundation and business as a supplement.”

“Merchants?” Gu Zhengzhong had never heard of this theory. In his opinion, emphasizing commerce would destroy agriculture.

“Agriculture can provide food and clothing, while commerce can make people rich. Nowadays, it is unrealistic to attract people to come here for entertainment and income. It is better to develop local cash crops or animals. Black cattle are not good at farming, but their meat is very plump. We can develop another breed called beef cattle.”

Meat, eggs and milk are the nutrients most needed by people in this era. Limiting cattle to the “working cattle” breed and not allowing them to be slaughtered and sold was a waste of resources. Some inland areas may not be compatible for large-scale cattle breeding, but the northwest was suitable. Beef and milk (milk powder) could completely become local economic industries.

In addition, Chinese people also needed beef. A reason why Westerners had such strong physiques was related to their eating habits. They grew up eating meat. The neighbour next door who lives a good life changed from a vegetarian diet to a meat-eating diet, and his height increased rapidly. This showed that meat, eggs and milk could strengthen a nation. How could he miss out on such high-quality meat?

“As for the rest…” An Yinong laughed and looked at Gu Zhengzhong: “Sir, look, if I publish a story in the name of a county head, will anyone listen?”

“?” Now Gu Zhengzhong was completely confused.

An Yinong just smiled: He didn’t quite understand how succulents became popular in modern times, but if he wanted to sell something that others had never seen before, he had to “tell a good story” first.

As long as he could put aside his shamelessness, the county magistrate’s publishing of a book was a great gimmick. It was a kind of advertisement. So it was not excessive for him to promote Dingsha County’s products in the advertisement, right? Of course, this was all a matter for the future, and the biggest obstacle had not been removed yet.

At this time, the news that the young master of the Jin family had been beaten and imprisoned had spread throughout Dingsha County. The people of were amazed: the new magistrate dared to compete with the Jin family?

The Jin family patriarch walked around the yard, then suddenly picked up a vase and smashed it to the ground. “What a great Dingsha County Magistrate!”

His sister-in-law held a handkerchief to her eyes and cried: “Brother-in-law, please save him. This is my only child. He is my life. If anything happens to him, I, I will not live either.”

“Enough, you just know how to cry. I told you to take care of the child more on weekdays but you didn’t listen. What’s the point of crying now?” The head of the Jin family looked at the face that no longer looked beautiful, and felt annoyed.

“How can I care? You also know that he is… Who in the Wu family would treat him sincerely? This child is so miserable that he was easily seduced by those dirty ladies and now he has made such a mistake.” After saying that, she started to sob again.

“I will take care of this matter.” After all, he was his own son, so the head of the Jin family would not really ignore it.

An Yinong was an official appointed by the imperial court, so the head of the Jin family decided to use courtesy first and then force. He first sent people to deliver gifts, including a cart of precious spices, gold and silver utensils, and also had an eloquent housekeeper speak well of Mr. Jin to An Yinong.

He said that the master’s nephew was young and ignorant and had acted naughty, but now he had been taught a lesson, and he hoped that the adults would forgive him for the sake of his elderly parents.

Could the upright young official agree to this? That definitely couldn’t happen.

An Yinong threw the gift out the door and said something like “wealth and honor cannot lead to debauchery” at the door, which was really righteous.

“Sour scholar!” Patriarch Jin slammed the table at the unsuccessful butler and the returned gift, “If you don’t accept my toast, you’ll have to drink a penalty drink.”

On the surface, they couldn’t touch the magistrate of Dingsha County. They couldn’t force him to accept a gift if he didn’t want to, or bring his servants to break into the county jail and rob prisoners. If he really did such a thing, the eldest son in the garrison couldn’t save him. But if they can’t do it openly, can’t they still do it secretly?

The Jin family head wanted to bribe the people around An Yinong. He had done this more than once. In the past, some county magistrates had been defeated by him in this way.

But… there were only two people around An Yinong, a coachman named Uncle Zhong and guard Tian, both of whom were loyal and can’t be found to hold any evidence against them, and they were not tempted by bribes.

“We can’t kill him, because it will attract attention from above. So, wouldn’t it be better to let him become ill and unable to work?” They came up with another good idea, “The county magistrate has just arrived and is not used to the local climate… Alas, no one wants this to happen.”

Undisguised laughter rang out from the study: “Hahahahahahaha…”

At noon that day, Guard Tian, who had gone to bring lunch, had not returned for a long time. An Yinong, who was sitting in the back hall of the yamen flipping through files, could not help but come out. He asked a yamen runner, “Have you seen Guard Tian?”

“Your Excellency, I saw Guard Tian go out earlier. Is there anything you want to talk to him about?”

“I asked him to bring me some food. It’s strange that he hasn’t come back yet at this time?” An Yinong looked up at the sky with a puzzled look on his face.

“Is that so? Then can I run errands for you and buy some food?” The bailiff flattered.

An Yinong looked at him and said, “Okay, go to Taihe Building and bring me three dishes, two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and rice. If you meet Guard Tian on the way, ask him to come back quickly.”

The bailiff agreed and quickly bought back a steaming hot meal.

An Yinong in the backyard looked at the packed food and said, “Why is there so much? I can’t finish it all… Have you eaten yet? I’ll get a bowl and we can eat together.”

“How can this be so embarrassing?” The bailiff waved his hands repeatedly.

“Why would I feel embarrassed?” An Yinong stood there, his hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling gently and kindly, “Just think of it as you guys working hard to hold back Guard Tian, and then working so hard to get the poison, and then put it in the food, don’t you think?”

The bailiff’s face turned pale. His lip trembled and he wanted to turn around and leave, but he didn’t expect that Guard Tian had returned at some point and was right behind him.

“As a yamen runner, you poisoned an official appointed by the imperial court, which is a heavy crime.” An Yinong looked at the yamen runner who had been tied up, “I feel sorry for your elderly parents at home, who are ashamed because of you, and your brothers and sisters in the same clan can’t hold their heads up because of you.”

“Sir, please forgive me. I am willing to do anything for you.” The bailiff cried and shouted on the ground.

“I gave you a chance, but you didn’t cherish it. Keep going. You’re delaying my meal. The food is almost getting cold.”

A yamen runner suddenly became a prisoner and was deliberately put in the cell of a criminal who had a grudge against him. Now the yamen runners looked at An Yinong as if they were looking at a devil. They became more cautious and continued to search for local black cattle calves, as well as rubber grass and jute for him with trepidation.

As mentioned before, An Yinong bought the land with his own money, built a cowshed with good ventilation and quality, and found two reliable people to raise cattle for him. That evening he went to the cattle ranch. Each calf had been brushed clean and the cowshed was also spotless. Two cowherds stood there, not daring to breathe, waiting for him to inspect the results.

In this place where an ordinary person could only earn three to five taels of silver a year, An Yinong paid them both one tael of silver a month, so they cherished this job very much.

An Yinong checked the calves one by one, actually praising them: “Not bad.” The bailiffs were not fooling around. These calves were very strong and had thick meat.

He set rules for how much fresh grass the cows should eat, how much water they should drink, how much time they should get in the sun, and how many minutes they should be let out for air. He also required that the cows be massaged once a day and the cowshed be cleaned every day.

There were more than twenty calves and only two people to take care of them. It was really strenous, but because the pay was sufficient, the two cowherds have no complaints. In addition, he also bought uninhabited saline meadow areas where there were large areas of naturally growing rubber grass.

Now it was late autumn and not suitable for planting, so An Yinong concentrated on black cattle breeding. He went to see them every day and took a small notebook to record notes. A yamen runner glanced at it and found that it recorded the date, weather, rain conditions, the conditions of each numbered calf, etc., as if he was doing research.

“It takes time to select economic species and find ways to grow and breed them, so I have to prepare early.”

An Yinong and Gu Zhengzhong explained: “If we follow the routine, we can’t accomplish much in three years, so we have to do it in two ways.”

The people in Dingsha County didn’t know the magistrate’s plan, and they all thought he was crazy. The people who had high expectations for the new magistrate because of the cousin of the Jin family were somewhat disappointed: although he was not as confused and accomplice to evil as the previous “drunk magistrate”, he did not make any changes to Dingsha County.

The Jin family couldn’t figure out what he was trying to do. It didn’t seem like he was hostile, but he didn’t seem to be cooperative either. After the poisoning failed, they became hesitant and did not do it again for a long time, but this time these people were ready to act again.

“Hold on.” The Jin family waited for an opportunity.

An Yinong continued to work, raise cattle and wait. He not only kept records himself, but also consulted experienced cattle herders and kept adjusting his breeding methods. Later he bought more cows, hired more cowherds, and then divided the animals into five cow sheds. He raised them using five different methods and then analyzed the results.

If An Yinong had a little free time, he would use it to write storybooks. For him, writing storybooks was not a job, but a fun leisure activity. Only in the world of storybooks could there be wild and unconstrained designs and love, hatred and vengeance that did not need to pay attention to worldly rules.

Under such busy conditions, even if he had a golden finger, he still fell ill.

“No rest?”

“Hmm?” An Yinong was holding a pen in his hand, drawing illustrations for his storybook.

His paintings were very special, not the scattered perspective of ordinary illustrations, but a special bird’s-eye view. Even a special ancient man like Gu Zhengzhong was shocked by this, as if he was really standing in the air, looking down at this pearl city that combines the cultures of the two countries.

This painting method was very special, especially the combination of reality and fantasy. Gu Zhengzhong wanted to see the full picture after the painting is completed, but he also didn’t ‘t want An Yinong to be too tired.

“I’m fine. After taking some medicine, I’m no longer dizzy. Sir, take a look at this painting, is it good?” He bent down and drew the building bit by bit. He was so serious and focused that Gu Zhengzhong hesitated for a moment, but finally did not stop him.

But the next day, An Yinong spoke with a nasal tone, and his cold was more serious, but he was still eager to pick up the paintbrush. At this time, Gu Zhengzhong forcefully put away his painting tools: “If you delay recuperation now, you will have to lie in bed even longer in the future.”

An Yinong was pressed on the bed, with a wet gauze on his forehead, looking at Gu Zhengzhong eagerly: “I’m bored.”

Gu Zhengzhong: “…”

Then the sound of a guqin was heard in the room, then it changed to the gentle sound of reading a storybook, and finally the sound of sword dancing. The crow on the windowsill looked at the closed window, then raised its head to look at the frosted grass and trees, as if it had witnessed the birth of a tyrant.

However, An Yinong did not have much time to rest (get benefits), as a murder case was discovered in Dingsha County, and a night watchman found a skeleton. At this time, as the county magistrate, he should go there in person.

The weather was a bit cold, so An Yinong put on a local woolen cloak and went to the scene while coughing. He also experienced a botched beauty trap on the way.

An alluring exotic beauty fell in front of his car and fainted. An Yinong looked at Gu Zhengzhong, who had an expressionless face, and asked someone to call a doctor while coughing: “Please ask a doctor to come.”

The doctor came and after examining him, he looked troubled and hesitantly said that he was weak. It seemed that the doctor also knew what was going on.

“I do have an idea. Does the doctor have needles on him?” An Yinong spread out his fan, and there was a low cough under the fan. “Guardian Tian knows a little about acupuncture, and it will be fine after a prick. Guardian Tian, be careful, don’t make a mistake like last time and get facial paralysis.”

“Yes, sir,” said Guard Tian, who had no knowledge of acupuncture.

Guard Tian approached with the thickest needle. Seeing that he was serious, the woman on the ground quickly opened her eyes and acted weakly: “What’s wrong with me?”

“Awake? That’s good. Come, take her away. She’s charged with obstructing official business.” An Yinong waved his hand and asked the bailiff to come and drag the woman away.

The woman was quieed and dragged away. An Yinong put down his fan and showed a cold expression: “Let’s go.”

After resolving this incident, An Yinong rushed to the scene. However, the first thing he saw was not the night watchman who was still frightened, or the corpse covered with cloth on the ground, but a middle-aged man standing there covered in blood.

There is no doubt that this was the victim.

“The master is here.” A little ghost appeared beside the middle-aged man, “The master judges people during the day and ghosts at night. If you have any grievances, you can tell the master.”

The middle-aged man saw that An Yinong seemed to be able to see him, so he knelt down and said, “Sir! I have grievances to speak out! The one who killed me was Wulang of the Bai family. He saw that I had a precious horse and wanted to snatch it away, so he brought people to kill me!”

Others were looking for the murderer with clues, but An Yinong was looking for evidence with the victims to reconstruct the case. Isn’t it true that he was always right? It only took him half a day from the discovery of the body to the discovery of the murderer, who was still sleeping on a woman’s belly when he was caught. It was no one else but a young master of the Bai family.

With the witnesses (the thugs who went there at the time) and the physical evidence (the stolen horse) in hand, and after An Yinong’s threats, the “Fifth Master” of the Bai family admitted that he had killed people and stolen the treasure. The county magistrate next to him was shaking in his hand as he held the pen: if he admitted this, he would surely be put to death.

The young master of the Bai family was just about to call them to go to the Bai family to find his uncle, when suddenly a few shrill laughs came out of the air and echoed in the lobby. The young master of the Bai family looked around and found that the laughter came from his own mouth. He couldn’t help but be frightened.

The yamen runners around were so frightened by the laughter that their legs began to tremble.

“What are you standing there for? Give me eighty blows first. Cough cough cough…”

The eldest son of the Bai family also went in sideways, and looked at the young master of the Jin family across the fence, and was speechless.

“Ask your family to bring an extra quilt. It’s cold.” The young master of the Jin family, who was shivering in a thick sheepskin robe, warned the newcomers. He now had an untidy beard and looked unrecognizable from his original appearance.

The Bai family was anxious. The Jin family’s cousin was sentenced to ten years in prison for harassing a woman and was still in prison. The Bai family had committed murder and was directly sentenced to death. Once it was reported to the higher authorities and approved, he would be sentenced to death.

The Bai family had some influence in Dingsha County, but outside, he was just a younger brother. How could he interfere with the decisions of the higher-ups? So the angry head of the Bai family found the Jin family.

“He has only been here for a short time, but he has already arrested the children of our two families. One was sentenced to ten years, and the other was sentenced to death. If this continues, how will the people below us look at us? They will lose their confidence!” The head of the Bai family pounded the table, “This new magistrate is really going too far!”

The head of the Jin family stroked his beard and said, “Let’s teach him a lesson, so that he doesn’t forget that the Jin and Bai families have the final say in Dingsha County. If he wants to suppress the local tyrant, it depends on whether we are willing or not.”

The next day was still dark.

“Knock, knock, knock.” There was a rapid knock on the door. An Yinong got up in a daze, put on his coat, and lit the oil lamp: “Who is it?”

“Sir, it’s me.” A familiar voice sounded. It was the captain of the police who had surrendered.

“What’s the matter?” An Yinong opened the door with a creak. The cold wind rushed in, making him shiver. “Come in and tell me.”

“Yes.” The captain walked in and closed the door. “Sir, a cowherd just came over and said that a cow in the cowshed accidentally ate poisonous grass and is now in a bad condition.”

“What?” An Yinong looked up suddenly and narrowed his eyes.

Although the five cowsheds were raised in five different ways, their food was all grass grown in the same place. If it was a problem with the grass, it would not be just one cowshed that had problems. In addition, the cowherds were careful and would not add other grass to the cows without authorization.

This matter could only be man-made.

An Yinong didn’t hesitate. He quickly changed his clothes and said, “I’m going to go there right away.”

The head of the police didn’t want to confront the Jin and Bai families, so he temporarily withdrew. Guard Tian brought a lantern, and the two of them led the horses in the backyard of the county government office and ran all the way to the cowshed. Sure enough, there were a dozen cows in a cowshed lying there foaming at the mouth, and the veterinarian was treating them.

“Is there any other way?” An Yinong did not blame the cowherd, he asked the veterinarian first.

“It was discovered in time and the patient is now taking herbal medicine. But I can’t say whether he can get better in the end.” The veterinarian shook his head, not daring to give a guarantee.

He looked at the sick cows one by one, gave them all a healing aura, and then asked the cowherd beside him: “What’s going on?”

Seeing that he had no intention of blaming him, the cowherd plucked up the courage to tell the story again. It turned out that the poisonous grass was not mixed in the fodder, but squeezed into juice and mixed into the drinking water. It was already late at night, and the cowherd did not notice that the drinking water was wrong, so he gave it to the cows, which led to this result.

“You are responsible for the negligence in this matter, so I deduct one month’s salary. Do you have any objection?” An Yinong said to the cowherd after learning the situation. The evil man had intentions but no intentions, and the main responsibility did not lie with the cowherd.

The cowherd thought he would have to pay compensation, and the best outcome would be losing his job, but he didn’t expect that he would only be fined one month’s salary. He was grateful and burst into tears: “Thank you, sir, thank you, sir.”

They waited here until dawn, and watched the dying cows recover one by one while foaming at the mouth. After the veterinarian checked them, he said, “They are fine, and they will be fine after a few days of rest.”

At this point, the shadow of the cattle poisoning finally dissipated and everyone smiled.

But An Yinong’s smile only lasted until he left the farm: “It’s either the Jin family or the Bai family. Haha, I didn’t look for them, but they came to look for me.”

“Sir, then we…” Before Guard Tian could finish his words, a man in black suddenly rushed out from the side of the road and stabbed at An Yinong with a sword.

“My Lord, be careful!”