Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1093 People's Livelihood Complaint Box

The candlelight in the room flickered.

Liang Fu's eyes were filled with heartache under the firelight. "You can't blame him for having a bad temper. As someone who grew up being bullied, it's good enough that he doesn't kill or set fire to anything. He's just quiet and doesn't like to communicate with others."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and their favorable impression of the Yu family plummeted to the bottom.

"But this time I went there, I was able to find out what that kid likes." Liang Fu said: "He likes reading, woodworking, and he likes to think about things that others can't understand."

"Something that others can't understand?" Yu Shizhang asked, "What is it?"

"I can't explain it in detail, but some people in the Yu Mansion think it's a fantasy, but he has been working hard on it. For example..." Liang Fu paused and repeated the words of the Yu family head: "The kid seemed to think that the tinderbox was not good, so he locked himself in the room for several days to make a new type of flint."

"The fire stick is not good?" Fang Ziyan chewed the flower cake and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with it? It's very convenient to carry and use!"

It’s just that the price is a bit high and ordinary people can’t afford it.

Shen Zheng was silent for a moment, then spoke: "The fire stick does have its drawbacks. Not only can the Yin Fire in the tube not last long, but even if it is rekindled, it can only be used for a short time. Moreover, it is too expensive."

Liang Fu looked over in surprise, "But it's not easy to make fire with a flint."

The flint is actually a method of making fire by striking iron and flint, and can be called a "living fossil" of fire making.

But many people are reluctant to use flint, because it is not easy to make fire by striking. Sometimes you have to grind your palms red to see sparks, and those sparks may not be able to ignite the tinder.

For ordinary people, tinderboxes were too expensive and flints were not easy to use in daily life, so most of them would set up a brazier at home, keep the fire, and then cover it with ash. When they wanted to use it next time, they would add some new firewood and blow on it to make it burn.

Shen Zheng pondered this for a moment and then asked Liang Fu, "Did Patriarch Yu tell us what exactly this 'new flint sickle' that Mu Ruojue wants to make is?"

Speaking of convenient ways to start a fire, she actually has one in mind.

"No." Liang Fu began to sigh again. "I guess they don't care much about the child. They just give him everything he needs and don't treat him badly in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation. But they don't show any affection to him and rarely communicate with him."

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Zheng and said, "You have the best brain. Think of a solution. I'll go to Yu Mansion and try again tomorrow."

In order to return to Tongan County as soon as possible, Shen Zheng took on this heavy responsibility.

The restaurant, which had been bustling all day, became quiet and everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

Yu Nanshu took Cui Jinyin and Feng Qianzhi into Shen Zheng's room, got into bed, and pestered Shen Zheng to tell her a bedtime story.

Shen Zheng put down her pen and paper, sat down beside the bed, tucked the quilt in for them, and whispered, "Last night we talked about how the Stone Monkey became their apprentice, right?"

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

"Okay, then I'll start." Shen Zheng lowered her voice and said slowly, "The master said to the stone monkey, 'I see you walk like a monkey eating pine cones, so I'll give you the surname Sun. Now that you have a surname, you need a name. You're my disciple, and it's the generation with the character 'Wu', so you should be called Wukong.' The stone monkey was very happy to have a name, and he jumped three feet high..."

"..."

A moment later, the sound of even breathing came from the bed. Shen Zheng got up and turned off two lights, leaving only one on the table.

......

The next morning, before daybreak, Shen Zheng was waiting outside Liang Fu's room.

Liang Fu was startled when he opened the door, and touched his chest and said, "Why did you get up so early today?"

After a pause, his eyes lit up with joy: "You want to go to Yu Mansion with me?"

That would be great!

With Shen Zheng here, he doesn't believe that he can't take down Mu Ruojue!

"I'm not going." Shen Zheng shattered his hopes and added, "But I think... you can take this blueprint with you today."

As she spoke, Shen Zheng took out a few pieces of paper from her arms.

"Drawings?" Liang Fu took the blueprint with doubt and slowly opened it. "Matches? What are matches?"

"Hmm..." Shen Zheng thought for a moment and said, "A new type of flint. Didn't Patriarch Yu say that Mu Ruojue was making a new type of flint? I don't know if he has any idea. If you see him today, you can show him the blueprint."

"New flint?" Liang Fu immediately took a closer look.

Not to mention Mu Ruojue, he is also interested in this thing!

Shen Zheng nodded and continued, "But this blueprint is incomplete. It's stuck at the most critical step. After you give it to Mu Ruojue, observe his expression. If he shows interest, tell him that if he wants the rest of the blueprint, he should come with us. I'll give it to him after we get on board."

"Hiss—" Liang Fu squinted his eyes and looked up, "You are fishing..."

Shen Zheng smiled: "Those who are willing will take the bait."

"Okay, I'll go right away!" Liang Fu carefully put away the drawings and walked downstairs.

Shen Zheng followed him and said, "Let's go after breakfast. It won't be too late."

After the two of them had breakfast downstairs, the sky gradually brightened and there were shouts outside the restaurant. Yu Shizhang and others came downstairs one after another, and they were all surprised at Shen Zheng's diligence.

It was boring to stay in the restaurant, so everyone decided to walk around the restaurant.

Shen Zheng bought some ingredients for making matches. Yu Shizhang suddenly asked her, "When will you send the letter you wrote yesterday on Linshui Street to the government office?"

Shen Zheng was slightly surprised. "Weren't you out shopping when I wrote yesterday? How could you guess that?"

"How could I not know you?" Yu Shizhang snorted and laughed. "You might not care about people like Lin Xiaoman who sell goods. But can you ignore those shameless people who sell fake medicine under the name of Li Shiyuan? To put it seriously, they are trying to make money and kill people!"

"That's right, so this matter...I want to take care of it." Shen Zheng was a little conflicted: "But I don't want too many people to know our itinerary, so I haven't decided how to send the letter yet."

Yu Shizhang stroked his beard and asked, "Did you put your seal on the letter?"

Shen Zheng nodded: "I'm afraid the prefect won't take it seriously, so I'm putting a seal on it to scare him."

After all, she is now an official assistant to the Six Ministries, in charge of the performance reports and transfers of officials. Based on this point, the Jingzhou prefect did not dare to be perfunctory about the matter.

"Yes, it has to be built." Yu Shizhang thought for a moment, his eyes flashed: "Got it!"

"What?" Shen Zheng asked.

"The People's Livelihood Complaint Box!" Yu Shizhang pointed in the direction of the government office and said, "Before I left Jingzhou last time, I went to the government office on purpose. To make it easier for the people to complain, the government office has set up a 'People's Livelihood Complaint Box' outside the office. Only the prefect has the right to open and inspect this box, which is opened once on the first and fifteenth day of every month. It would be perfect for us to put the letter in the box."

"People's livelihood complaint box?"

After hearing this, the first thing that came to Shen Zheng's mind was that Tongan County should also have one.