After returning to the county seat, the very first thing Du Heng did upon taking office for the day was summon the Works Office to discuss the waterworks project.
In recent years, the county yamen’s public accounts had been empty, so there had been little construction of any kind. The Works Office had little to do and was almost entirely reassigned to miscellaneous duties elsewhere.
Upon learning that the county magistrate intended to undertake waterworks construction, the Clerk of Justice hastily dug out waterworks files that had been piled in a corner and were nearly covered in dust.
“If the county wants to store water in autumn and winter, the only place to start is the Minyin River. Repairs were made in the past, but that was already eight years ago.”
After hearing the Clerk’s briefing, Du Heng took people with him to inspect the Minyin River outside the city.
This river was not a major navigable waterway; rather, it was more like a large reservoir.
The county magistrate before last had once attempted construction on this river. Plans had been drawn up, but the project consumed enormous manpower and resources. Recruitment numbers were limited, and before the work could be completed according to schedule, that magistrate was due for transfer. Unwilling to let his successor reap the benefits, he rushed the project and hastily wrapped it up.
The previous magistrate had accomplished little during his term. The public coffers were empty, and even with the will to build, there was no money to do so. As a result, the county river had gone unmaintained for many years.
Upon inspection, Du Heng found that the embankments hastily built back then had been badly eroded and washed away by summer rains, with many sections leaking water.
Further downstream, the canals were choked with weeds, with numerous side leaks, so the water never reached the villages properly.
After surveying both the county river and the canals, Du Heng convened a joint meeting of the Six Offices at the county yamen.
“Everyone here more or less took part in the autumn harvest this year. Though each office handled different responsibilities, the final accounts are clear to all. Our county suffers from drought, and yields are low. Waterworks must be addressed sooner or later.”
“Since it has to be done, it’s better to do it sooner. Finish the work early, and we can improve people’s livelihoods sooner.”
After stating firmly that this matter was unavoidable, Du Heng asked the Six Offices to speak on the difficulties involved.
The Clerk from the Personnel Office said, “Our county has a small population. If we are to undertake waterworks construction, there are only about sixty county laborers available at present.”
The Great Yun Dynasty had clear legal provisions regarding corvée labor. All adult men were required to serve in three types of service: gengzu, zhengzu, and shuzu.
Gengzu meant that each year, adult men had to provide one month of unpaid labor to the local county government, performing tasks assigned by the yamen—such as waterworks construction, serving as runners or county soldiers, guarding city gates, reclaiming land, and so on. If one did not wish to serve, one could instead pay around one hundred copper coins, allowing the county to hire someone else to do the work.
Zhengzu was military service in the capital. Each adult man only had to serve once in his lifetime, but the term lasted half a year.
Shuzu involved garrison duty at the border, requiring only three days of service.
These latter two had little to do with the local county government. For manpower, the county mainly relied on gengzu. A county with a large population naturally had more people reporting for service and thus more free labor to get things done. A small population meant fewer hands, and if a project absolutely had to be done, the only option was to spend money to hire labor.
“I wonder how long Your Excellency plans to take to complete this project,” the clerk asked.
Du Heng replied, “Naturally, the sooner the better. Ideally, by the time summer drought arrives this year, the farmers will be able to irrigate their crops.”
Given Qiuyang County’s climate, irrigation would be needed as early as April or May. That meant there were only about six months available.
The schedule was extremely tight. With current productivity and labor levels so limited, completing waterworks rehabilitation in just half a year would be extraordinarily difficult.
The Clerk of the Personnel Office said, “If we rely on county laborers, the workforce will rotate once a month. There will be a period of adjustment and handover between outgoing and incoming workers, which will inevitably slow progress. To meet this deadline, we’ll still need to hire additional labor.”
Once hiring was mentioned, money became unavoidable. The Clerk of the Revenue Office quickly ran the numbers. “At the county’s daily labor rate, hiring one able-bodied adult costs forty copper coins per day. If hired by the month, the minimum is eight hundred copper coins. If we hire one hundred men, that’s eighty taels of silver per month.”
“And strong laborers are easiest to hire from October through February. Once spring plowing begins, manpower will become much scarcer.”
Standing beside Du Heng, Jiang Qi carefully recorded every issue raised by the Six Offices, along with their rough calculations.
Du Heng listened quietly before saying, “Labor must be hired. I’ve already spoken with the villagers in advance. In addition, each village will need to build waterwheels for irrigation.”
“Then who pays for the waterwheels?” someone asked. “The people themselves, or the county government?”
Du Heng replied, “What are your opinions?”
The Clerk of the Works Office said, “The waterworks alone will already be demanding. If the county also funds waterwheel construction, we may not be able to handle it even if we had the money.”
The Clerk of the Revenue Office added dryly, “Although there’s still some money left in the public accounts this year, it’s far from abundant.”
There were still a little over eight thousand taels of silver in the treasury. By recent standards, this was the most the county had had in years, but everyone could see that their new magistrate had ambitions. For the things he wanted to do, this amount was still painfully tight.
He kindly reminded them, “And we still owe the court five thousand taels.”
At that, everyone sighed softly.
The Clerk of the Rites Office said, “But farmers are strapped for cash. A single waterwheel costs at least ten taels to build. Where would they find that kind of money? If we make them raise the funds themselves, not only will there be endless complaints, but they still won’t be able to produce the money.”
Du Heng listened as everyone spoke their minds. Although no final conclusion had yet been reached, he felt a measure of relief. Compared to when he first arrived—when officials were each scheming for their own pockets—this was a great improvement.
A leader who led by example and genuinely cared about the people and the county’s development had gradually changed the atmosphere within the yamen.
“What you’ve said all makes sense,” Du Heng concluded. “At present, the public treasury isn’t full, and the people don’t have spare money either. Since that’s the case, the county will take the lead and cover half the cost of building the waterwheels. The remaining half will be handled by the farmers themselves. How does that sound?”
The Six Office clerks paused briefly, then looked at one another and nodded. This was acceptable. Since everyone had difficulties, each side could shoulder part of the burden. That way, the farmers would have no grounds for complaint.
After a full morning of discussion, the matters of repairing waterworks, dredging canals, and building waterwheels for irrigation were settled.
The Rites Office drafted official notices. The Personnel Office handled recruitment. The Works Office surveyed the waterways. The Revenue Office busied itself with calculations… Meanwhile, the Justice Office was still dealing with bandits, and the Military Office was groaning nonstop. Ever since Feng Wanhe had criticized the county troops as inadequate, the Military Office staff had been reporting daily to the training grounds.
In short, none of the Six Offices had a moment to spare. The county yamen was busy once again.
Du Heng also summoned the twelve township heads. While the yamen worked, the villages would have to move as well.
First, each village had to clear weeds from its own rivers and canals, then measure and calculate which fields lay close enough to use tube-wheel irrigation, and which higher lands would require waterwheels.
A single waterwheel could only irrigate a limited area. Fields closer by would cost less to serve; those farther away would require additional wooden channels to divert water, increasing expenses.
Each village needed to plan which households’ fields would share a waterwheel and jointly contribute funds.
Once the number of waterwheels needed per village was determined and the money collected, logging and construction could begin sooner.
The township heads had already heard rumors that the magistrate intended to build waterworks for irrigation. The villages had been buzzing like it was New Year’s—excited but anxious that the plan might fall through. To their surprise, before many days had passed, the magistrate summoned them for a formal meeting to coordinate the project.
At last, the villagers could set their minds at ease.
The township heads carefully recorded Du Heng’s instructions. When they heard that the county would cover half the cost of the waterwheels, with the rest borne by the villagers, they all praised the policy as fair and good.
“One more thing,” Du Heng added. “The county has already begun surveying the canals. County labor alone isn’t enough, so the township heads will need to mobilize able-bodied villagers to assist with construction.”
“You needn’t worry, Your Excellency,” someone replied. “Many young men have already signed up. We’re just waiting for the county’s notice to be posted.”
The head of Taoshui Village was flushed with excitement. “Our village’s young men are willing to fully cooperate with the county’s waterworks construction before spring plowing in February, without taking wages. More than ten have already signed up.”
Du Heng’s brows lifted. “Truly?”
“I wouldn’t dare deceive Your Excellency. The villagers strongly support this waterworks project.”
The head of Mangping Village, now recovered, hurriedly added, “Reporting to Your Excellency, nearly twenty young men from our village have also signed up.”
Earlier, when the village had lost the grain it was supposed to deliver, the county had not punished them. The villagers were deeply grateful, and ever since, Mangping Village had always been the first to respond in support whenever Du Heng took action.
“Excellent, excellent!” Du Heng said happily. “This is wonderful. As long as the people support it, the farmers are motivated, and officials and civilians work together, the project will certainly be completed in time for spring and summer irrigation.”
That so many villagers were willing to volunteer their labor for the county’s waterworks was an unexpected delight. It not only eased the labor shortage but also saved a great deal of public funds.
Still, Du Heng felt it wouldn’t be right to have people work entirely for nothing. He decided that each person would receive a subsidy of twenty copper coins per day. They could eat breakfast and supper at home, but lunch would be covered.
November, usually bleak and desolate in winter, was bustling and lively in the county this year. Throughout the countryside, villagers could be seen clearing canals, while elsewhere people felled timber and built waterwheels.
“Watch me spread my wings like a great roc! Ha! Hah!”
The pear trees, stripped bare in winter, stood with naked branches. Fortunately, the branches still had graceful curves, giving them a bit of charm as they swayed in the wind.
Beneath one such tree, two sturdy little boys each wielded a Guandao, swinging them with glee.
After a round of wildly named “moves,” even in the winter cold a thin sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead.
“I’m exhausted.”
“The freshly made plum-blossom pastries are ready. Come over and have a taste, you two young masters, and take a break,” Water Celery called out.
Hearing her voice, Dan Ce immediately hugged his Guan Yu broadsword and ran over. He grabbed a still-warm pastry and stuffed it into his mouth. Even while wolfing it down, he didn’t forget to comment on today’s flavor. “Xiao Hu, come eat—these are really sweet.”
The little sturdy boy heard him and toddled over. He was about the same height as Dan Ce but nearly a year older, solidly built. Though his round face was still tender and youthful, there was already a faint resemblance to Feng Wanhe.
Dan Ce casually handed a piece to Feng Xiao Hu, then carefully selected the prettiest plum-blossom pastry from the plate. He took a small handkerchief from inside his cross-collared robe and wrapped it up neatly.
Feng Xiao Hu loved the Guan Yu broadsword so much that he couldn’t bear to put it down even while eating. He tucked it under his arm and held the plum pastry with both hands, munching away with relish.
Boys ate messily. Before long, crumbs covered his once-clean mouth.
He sniffed, then stared with big, ox-like eyes at Dan Ce doing such delicate work, speaking in a tone that mimicked his father’s. “People from scholarly families really fuss over nothing. What are you doing?”
“Saving one for my older brother.”
Feng Xiao Hu’s eyes widened even more. Before he could say anything, he saw Qin Dan Ce place the broadsword on the table and trot off toward the depths of the garden.
“Wait for me!”
Feng Xiao Hu hurriedly swallowed his pastry, hugged his broadsword, and chased after him.
Dan Ce ran fast and quickly disappeared from sight. Feng Xiao Hu chased him all the way to the end of the garden and saw Qin Dan Ce standing outside the corridor. Just as he was about to ask what he was doing there, Qin Dan Ce covered his mouth.
“Shh! Don’t talk! If we disturb Granny Tang, we’ll get scolded!”
Seeing how serious Dan Ce looked, Feng Xiao Hu immediately nodded.
Dan Ce let go of him and tiptoed over to the window of the main hall, poking out just half his head to sneak a look toward the lectern.
Granny Tang was looking down, writing something with focused concentration, not paying attention to anything else. Dan Ce stepped onto a small stone stool and carefully leaned against the window.
Inside, several boys and girls were holding brushes, but Dan Ce had no interest in what they were writing. His eyes were fixed solely on Cheng Yi, who was seated by the window.
It was winter now. Although the county wasn’t very cold, Cheng Yi sat indoors all day without bounding around like Dan Ce. Being somewhat frail to begin with, he wore one more layer than Dan Ce, and even his outer robe was thicker.
Today he wore a silver-white round-collared satin robe trimmed with gray rabbit fur. It looked soft and fluffy, making Cheng Yi—already pale—appear even fairer and more adorable.
Dan Ce loved seeing his older brother in white clothes, because he looked like a delicate, lovely little snow doll. But Dan Ce himself disliked white clothing; in less than fifteen minutes he could turn white satin into gray satin. Only Little Sweet Cake could wear such white clothes while writing and never get them dirty.
He watched as his brother held a small goat-hair brush and sketched orchids on white paper. With just a few strokes, a black-ink orchid sprang vividly to life.
Dan Ce admired the orchid even more than Cheng Yi did. Though he didn’t want to interrupt his brother’s concentration, he worried that if he waited too long, the plum pastry in his hand would get cold.
So he puckered his lips and gently blew on it.
Cheng Yi turned his head and saw Dan Ce leaning against the window, hair a bit tousled, cheeks flushed red.
One look told him that Dan Ce must have been playing with the broadsword in the garden again—and had surely run all the way over just now.
He furrowed his brows, wanting to wipe the sweat from Dan Ce’s forehead, but his own handkerchief had just been used to wipe ink, so he could only give up.
Dan Ce hurriedly held out the pastry, hoping his brother would eat it.
Seeing the pastry wrapped in a handkerchief, Cheng Yi felt warm inside. But now that he was studying and learning proper conduct, how could he eat something like this during class?
So he gently shook his head, signaling Dan Ce to wait until after class.
Dan Ce was not pleased. He pouted, stood there unhappily, and refused to leave.
After a pause, he lifted the handkerchief himself and gently brought the plum pastry to Cheng Yi’s mouth, holding up one finger. With lips pressed together and brows knit, he insisted that Cheng Yi take a bite.
Cheng Yi had no choice. He leaned slightly toward the window.
Squatting off to the side, Feng Xiao Hu watched Qin Dan Ce offering the pastry and acting all spoiled and clingy, completely baffled by what was going on.
Curious about what the person inside looked like, and despite Dan Ce telling him to stay quiet, he couldn’t help himself and stood up.
The moment he lifted his head, he saw a pale, exquisitely pretty face, like carved jade dusted with pink. Slightly parted cherry-colored lips took a gentle bite of the pastry Dan Ce was holding.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cheng Yi noticed another head suddenly popping up. His cheeks flushed red, and he instinctively pulled back, accidentally bumping into the books on the desk and making a small noise.
Granny Tang looked over, her brows knitting slightly. “Cheng Yi, what’s the matter?”
Cheng Yi apologized. “Replying to Granny, I moved too much while painting just now and knocked into the books.”
Granny Tang acknowledged it and turned her attention back.
Below the window, Dan Ce—hardly daring to breathe—quickly grabbed Feng Xiao Hu and ran back into the garden.
Feng Xiao Hu stood there with his mouth slightly open, completely dazed, still unable to recover from the shock of seeing such a pretty and adorable child.
“Scared silly?” Dan Ce asked.
“That was your older brother just now?”
Dan Ce nodded while chewing the plum pastry that Cheng Yi had taken a small bite from earlier.
Watching Dan Ce chew, Feng Xiao Hu finally came back to his senses and wiped his mouth. Then he realized in despair that his mouth was covered in crumbs, and he immediately howled.
His mother said children had to be clean and tidy if they wanted others to like them. He looked like a big spotted cat—and that beautiful older brother had seen him like this. There was no way he’d be liked now!
Thinking Feng Xiao Hu was just jealous, Dan Ce grew anxious. He widened his round eyes and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you have an older brother?”
After asking that, he immediately added, “If you like Guan Yu broadswords, I can give you one—but my brother, I’m not sharing him with you. Not even half!”
Hearing this, Feng Xiao Hu puffed up in anger, anxious not to be outdone. “I have an older brother too! Hmph!”
Then his voice dropped. “He’s just… not this small.”
Dan Ce snorted softly, finished the pastry in his hand, and drank a big bowl of water.
He picked up the Guan Yu broadsword. “Let’s keep playing!”
Feng Xiao Hu set the broadsword he’d been clutching tightly in his arms onto the stone table and pushed it toward Dan Ce.
“You don’t want the broadsword anymore?”
“I’ll leave it with you,” Feng Xiao Hu said. “I’ll come over often to play broadswords with you.”
Dan Ce pursed his lips. “Alright then.”
With that settled, the two of them quickly started playing again.
When Du Heng returned from the yamen, the first thing he heard was the entire courtyard ringing with cries of, “Huzi, Huzi! Come chase me!”
He raised his brows. Huzi wasn’t that the dog being kept back in the village in Luoxia County?
When they had moved here, it hadn’t been convenient to bring a dog along, so he had left Huzi in the old family courtyard to guard the house.
Now, hearing that familiar tone used for teasing a dog, Du Heng felt as if he were dreaming.
Before he could even ask what was going on, he saw two sturdy little boys running around the garden, each wielding a broadsword.
And his own son was affectionately calling Feng Ruohe’s precious boy “Huzi.”
Du Heng nearly choked on his own saliva.
“Daddy’s back!”
Dan Ce happily ran over, hugging the broadsword.
“Look at you, sweating all over. Aren’t you hot?” Du Heng crouched down and wiped Dan Ce’s face. Then he looked at Feng Xiao Hu, who had followed along, and greeted him, “Uncle Du.”
“So Xiao Hu came over to play too.”
Feng Xiao Hu nodded.
Earlier, when Qin Xiaoman had gone to help settle Feng Wanhe’s family into the county, the Feng family had invited Qin Xiaoman over as thanks. The two children, close in age and brimming with energy, quickly ended up playing together. Now their relationship was very close.
Du Heng asked Dan Ce, “Why do you call him Huzi?”
Dan Ce had grown up inside the residence and hadn’t really seen Huzi before. Back then he was very young, his memories vague. He only felt that calling Feng Xiao Hu by that nickname carried a strange sense of familiarity, though he didn’t know why. He thought it was just the feeling you had with a good friend.
Just like how he used to shout Little Sweet Cake’s name nonstop back at the old estate—he’d been so happy then.
Before Dan Ce could answer, Feng Xiao Hu spoke up proudly. “Huzi is my nickname. My daddy gave it to me! Pretty awesome, right?”
“……”
Du Heng twitched the corner of his mouth. “That really is just like your father.”
Feng Xiao Hu put on an air of “Dan Ce and I are the best of friends in the whole world.” “I let Dan Ce call me by my nickname.”
Dan Ce nodded enthusiastically. “Mm! Huzi!”
Du Heng looked at the two happy little boys, feeling both helpless and amused.
“Du-daren, you’re back from the yamen?”
Du Heng had just been about to laugh when a somewhat unfamiliar voice reached his ears. He turned and saw a young gentleman dressed in fine brocade.
After a brief moment of recognition, he greeted him politely. “Young Master Feng.”
Compared to men, young gentlemen tended to look gentler, but because his father was a rough, fierce military man, Young Master Feng’s features carried more sharpness than usual.
He wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he was clean and pleasant-looking.
“Xiao Hu has been out for most of the day. It’s getting late, so I should take him home now.”
Feng Xiao Hu, who had been fooling around with Dan Ce, called out, “Brother,” when he saw him.
Du Heng made a couple of polite attempts to keep them, but since the other party was set on leaving, he naturally wouldn’t stay just for courtesy’s sake.
Du Heng knew that lately Qin Xiaoman had been visiting with the Feng family quite often.
Although Feng Wanhe and he hadn’t gotten along at first, military men could seem rough and hard to deal with at a glance. Over time, with more official dealings, they had gradually grown more amicable.
Both of them were busy with their duties and rarely at home, so neither paid much attention to their families’ social interactions.
As for Feng Ruo Jing, the Feng family’s eldest son, Du Heng had only met him two or three times, whereas Qin Xiaoman had seen him far more often.
After bidding Du Heng farewell, Qin Xiaoman personally walked Feng Ruo Jing out. Du Heng avoided suspicion and didn’t follow.
The two children were a bit reluctant to part. Only after agreeing on when they would play together again did they finally separate. Du Heng held Dan Ce and felt that today had simply been an ordinary visit.
“Yi Yan, escort Young Master Feng back. Make sure he reaches his residence safely,” Qin Xiaoman instructed.
Yi Yan, who stood at the gate like a door guardian, answered with a brief acknowledgment.
Watching the expressionless man head down the steps first, Feng Ruo Jing pressed his lips together almost imperceptibly.
Du Heng had been about to carry his son inside to pick up Little Sweet Cake after school, but hearing Qin Xiaoman’s instruction, he stopped.
“Why are you having Yi Yan escort him?”
Qin Xiaoman turned back at the question, eyes widening slightly. “What, I can’t make use of your Yi Yan?”
Du Heng had a servant take Dan Ce away first. He clicked his tongue and said, “That’s not what I meant. I’m asking why Young Master Feng needs an escort at all.”
Qin Xiaoman replied, “Young Master Feng said he hasn’t been in Qiuyang County long and isn’t familiar with things here. A few days ago he nearly got harassed by some ruffians, so he’s a bit scared. He came to our home as a guest—having someone see him off is just being considerate. Besides, he’s General Feng’s son. If something really happened to him on the way home, could our family afford the consequences?”
“And in our household, Yi Yan has the best skills. It makes sense to have him escort him, doesn’t it?”
Du Heng nodded. “Put that way, it does make sense.”
“But the Feng family is a military household. Leaving aside the fact that even if Young Master Feng, as a young gentleman, doesn’t follow his father’s path and can only throw a couple of punches at most, noble young masters being delicate is common enough. Still, the Feng family surely isn’t short on elite guards. If such a pampered young master is afraid of hooligans when going out, wouldn’t his carriage be surrounded by guards like an iron barrel? Would he really need someone from our household to escort him?”
Qin Xiaoman raised his brows, finding that what Du Heng said made a great deal of sense.
“Now that I think about it, Feng Ruo Jing didn’t bring even two guards with him today. Why would he say all that to me?”
Du Heng asked, “Tell me carefully—how exactly did he say it?”
Qin Xiaoman replied, “He said he was afraid of street thugs, and that he’d only just come to Qiuyang County, so the family servants and guards he brought were stupid and couldn’t even figure out the county roads. He said they’d probably wander around for a long time on the way back.”
“So I thought, why not just call someone to lead the way and escort him back? It didn’t seem like a big deal.”
After hearing this, Du Heng felt it was utterly absurd. “If he’s afraid of thugs, then naturally he needs someone skilled with their hands and feet. If he’s unfamiliar with the county roads, then naturally he needs someone who’s been here a while. Our household only has a handful of servants. Other than Yi Yan, who else fits both requirements? How is that any different from naming him outright and asking for Yi Yan to escort him?”
Qin Xiaoman stared blankly, silent for a long while, as if he had suddenly understood something.
“So that saying is true—soldiers don’t shy away from deception. That old fox General Feng! He took a fancy to Yi Yan, and when he didn’t get his way after being refused, he still wouldn’t give up. Now he’s even sent his own young gentleman to try and lure our Yi Yan!”
“……”
Du Heng pressed a hand to his forehead. He opened his mouth, but in the end, not a single word came out.