Phi-Fic Chapter 548 Great Love
Chapter 548 Great Love
As soon as Chen Wenfang got off the car, the people in line all looked over. Chen Wenfang's expression remained unchanged, thinking to herself that no one should recognize her. She led the people straight to the shop.
Suddenly, an old man with a cane appeared from the side, and the smiling Wenfangzhu stepped forward to stop her, slowly bowing and saying, "Greetings, Madam Chen."
Chen Wenfang smiled gently. "It's so cold, the elderly shouldn't be out," she said, offering a slight helping hand. "Is there something you need, Master Wen?"
"I have nothing to do. I wait here every day just to see my wife." The wrinkles on his face relaxed like a blooming chrysanthemum, radiant and beautiful.
The head of the Wen family took a step back and knelt down, bowing deeply. "On behalf of the twelve thousand poor families of our West Ward, I kowtow to thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
"Absolutely not!" Chen Wenfang hurriedly asked the guards to pull him up, but the old man was too old, and they dared not use too much force. What if he broke his old arms and legs? They forced him to kneel down. Chen Wenfang could only turn to the side, dodging and dodging, and accept his greeting in a perfunctory manner.
After he finally finished bowing, the crowd helped him up.
Chen Wenfang quickly instructed, "Please go back inside quickly, it's too cold today. As the general's wife, these are my duties, and I don't deserve such a grand gesture."
"You deserve it! I hope my wife takes good care of herself and enjoys all the best." The old shopkeeper stood up and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle before leaving, satisfied.
This scene was witnessed by countless people. Steam billowed from the shops and houses on both sides of the street, carrying a faint smell of coal, which melted the snowflakes in the sky and warmed people's hearts.
Chen Wenfang entered the shop with a slight smile on her lips, feeling a sense of recognition and satisfaction.
Gu Ming came forward and said, "Greetings, Madam."
Looking at the well-organized shop, Chen Wenfang smiled and praised, "Mr. Gu, you've done a good job. I just came to take a look. You don't need to worry about me. Just ask if you need money."
Gu Ming already displayed the air of a master of the house. "Reporting to Madam, the shop is now making a slight profit and no longer needs money. The fort outside the city has also been built, so there aren't many places where we need money. The wheat has all been planted, and in the spring, we'll replant peanuts and sweet potatoes. I believe we can solve the famine problem for all the people next year."
"That's wonderful, thank you for your hard work." Chen Wenfang tilted her head and looked at his slightly youthful face. "How old are you, Mr. Gu?"
I heard that the person he most wants to be is Lin Er, so it seems he's still a child.
Gu Ming blushed slightly and looked at her softly, "Replying to Madam, I am eighteen years old this year."
"Good boy, work hard, you'll definitely amount to something in the future. Tell me if you need anything!" Chen Wenfang looked at him as if she were seeing Chen Xuanyu as an adult.
"Yes, I will certainly live up to your expectations, Madam." Gu Ming blushed to the roots of his ears and gave a somewhat restrained bow.
After inspecting the shop, Chen Wenfang felt much more at ease, at least she saw where the money had been spent.
Gu Ming and the others watched her leave. Gu Ming's friend Du Tong sighed, "What is this Madam Chen after? General Wang is the same, spending money like water. Are there really people in this world who regard money as dirt?"
Gu Ming smiled and said, "Do you know what Madam Chen said? Even though she's just a woman!"
"What?" Du Tong asked dismissively.
"She said, sometimes, even though her own life is a mess, she can't bear to see people suffer! That's true love!" Gu Ming said with deep emotion, "Do you know what she accomplished? 'If only I had thousands of mansions, I could shelter all the poor and make them happy!' She accomplished it, do you understand? The people in Xifang only need a few hours of work to get through the winter safely. If they work even harder, they can move into the unified housing next spring. These small buildings, which have long been inhabited by countless people in the south, will be seen everywhere in the suburbs next year."
Gu Ming gazed longingly at the carriage disappearing into the distance, his heart brimming with ambition. "I am willing to follow in their footsteps, to contribute to the prosperity of our Great Song Dynasty, whether as an official, a commoner, or a swordsman! All for the sake of reducing the number of impoverished people in this great land of China!"
Du Tong looked at him with a complicated expression, "Brother Gu, you've changed!"
Gu Ming laughed heartily, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "Yes, I used to only pursue power further because I thought some things in this world were impossible. But they proved to me that when you use power as a tool, your ideals are easier to achieve."
"Is that so?" Du Tong lowered his head and muttered to himself, "It seems I need to think about this carefully too."
"Think it over carefully." Gu Ming patted his shoulder. He had now become a candidate for the Linzi Battalion and was just waiting for this experience. Presumably, next year, he would also become a person who could stand on his own. Gu Ming put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky. The sky is high enough for birds to fly and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap! His era had arrived, and he would personally build a part of this Great Song Dynasty.
Chen Wenfang, whom Gu Ming had always loved, was drowsy in the carriage leaving the city. She had gotten up too early that morning. Sister-in-law Nie sat beside her and thoughtfully covered her with a quilt.
Outside the city, Li Changbai and Zhao Yizhi, along with Zhang Hu leading a team of nearly a thousand men, were responsible for building fortresses, repairing roads, clearing land, and fighting Liao soldiers. They came and went every day, so it was still quite safe.
As soon as the carriage left the city, a cloth shop on the street lowered a red cloth banner that read, "New Xiangyun yarn arrived today, five taels of silver per foot."
Outside the city, accompanied by Sister-in-law Nie, Chen Wenfang arrived at Yuanjiabao, which was only two miles away from the city. This was the first time she had seen an ancient castle. The castle was made of mud mixed with wheat straw, which was then pounded and dried into bricks and used to build walls. In the middle, bamboo was tied with mud to serve as beams, making it quite sturdy and durable.
"If only we had cement, this would be much better. It's so sloppy and looks terrible." Chen Wenfang looked at the low, unfinished earthen fort and was greatly disappointed.
"Is Madam not quite satisfied with this?" The master craftsman in charge of the overall construction, surnamed Zhang, was very displeased upon hearing Chen Wenfang's words.
"Ah, haha, no, it's built quite well." Chen Wenfang laughed awkwardly. It was quite good that it could be built like this in less than three months. In ancient times, infrastructure capabilities were backward and everything depended on people. It was too much to ask of him.
Seeing that the distinguished person before him had changed his tune at the right time and was not arrogant, Master Zhang put on a smiling face and humbly asked, "May I ask what kind of cement you mentioned, madam? Is it better than clay?"
"Of course," Chen Wenfang boasted. "I've heard it's made by firing limestone and clay, grinding it into powder, adding water, and then using it. It'll last for a hundred years without dissolving."
"Really!" Master Zhang's eyes lit up, and he pulled her along as if to give it a try.
Sister-in-law Nie quickly stepped in between them.
"Hehe, why don't you give it a try?" Chen Wenfang knew he was in the wrong. He quickly glanced at the lives of the people in the fortress and, seeing that they didn't seem to be lacking food or clothing, hurriedly left with his men.