Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 294 New Destination

Song Chunlin followed him to the cellar to take a look, and it was true. There were more than a dozen baskets of raisins, filling up most of the cellar, and there was no place to put the looms.

"It seems that the cave is still a little small. But we can store the raisins in the upper storehouse. This cellar is used to store cotton. When Uncle Ding and his men arrive, we will dig a bigger and deeper one. I will use it to store wine."

Fang Chen and Fang Yi responded in unison. Song Chunlin looked at them and said, "Is your father not causing you any more trouble?"

The two brothers did not expect Song Chunlin to bring this up. They were both stunned and quickly told him, "No, that Luo wanted to cause trouble for us, but he did not dare to do it openly. He only dared to play tricks behind our backs. With the protection of Dou Duhu and Lu Zhizhou, his trick did not succeed."

Song Chunlin seemed to be thinking: "Is that so, the new governor's surname is Lu?"

"Yes, Magistrate Lu, and there is also a new county magistrate, whose surname is Lu. It is said that he is from the Fanyang Lu family. Magistrate Lu also respects him very much."

Song Chunlin nodded to indicate that he understood. The Lu family of Fanyang was a large clan, and this time they were willing to send their own descendants to the border. Tsk, most likely they did it to gild themselves.

The Fang brothers thought so too. It had only been not long since the Turks and Tatars were driven away from the border. Even a fool could guess that the past few years should be peaceful. The position of county magistrate was generally rotated every four years, and after four years, they would be slowly transferred back to the capital. With these years at the border, they would go back and make good arrangements. Although they could not be said to be the highest official in the country, a high position and generous salary were inevitable.

If he is lucky enough and encounters an external attack again, as long as he can successfully resist the enemy, his gold edge will be even more solid.

However, from the words of the two brothers of the Fang family, they had a good impression of the two new civil servants. It seemed that they did not like to play tricks. Come to think of it, with General Dou, now he should be called Protector General Dou, in charge of Bai Ta City, who would dare to do anything shady in secret?

Anyway, as long as everything goes peacefully during these four years, they can return to Beijing to report on their work when the time comes, so they certainly won't make trouble.

Fang Chen thought about the recent urging of the Ministry of Agriculture, and looked at Song Chunlin with some embarrassment for a moment: "Master, the Ministry of Agriculture has been coming to ask about those grapes recently. We have already given them a batch of grapes last time, but for some reason, their grape germination rate is very low, and even if they grow up, it is difficult to bear fruit. So they thought of asking me to write to you and ask you for some grape cuttings to see if they can survive."

The grapes Song Chunlin gave were all modern improved varieties. With current technology, they can only be grown by cuttings, so the people from the Ministry of Agriculture failed. Song Chunlin didn't really want to let the grape seedlings flow into the market, and the grapes in his vineyard were all varieties suitable for making wine. They were of course delicious to eat, but naturally not as sweet as grapes specifically cultivated as fruit.

Song Chunlin scratched his head and told the two brothers: "Tomorrow you will come with me to the Ministry of Agriculture, and I will explain everything to them myself. Also, I only plan to stay for a month, and I will go back after a month no matter what."

"Only for a month? You're in such a hurry."

Song Chunlin: "So, if you have any questions, just ask them now. I don't have much time."

Fang Chen and Fang Yi naturally had countless questions to ask Song Chunlin, but now was obviously not a good time. The other party had come from afar, and no matter how anxious the two brothers were, they wanted to let their master have a good rest first and talk about it tomorrow.

The quilts in Song Chunlin's room are all newly made. They are made of new cotton that was harvested last year. They are snow-white and fluffy, and they are soft and comfortable when used on the bed.

Song Chunlin lay on the brand new bed, thinking he would have a sleepless night, but unexpectedly he actually fell asleep in the end.

Dabao also slept soundly. Perhaps it was because he was too close to the top-grade wood spiritual root, Dabao slept particularly comfortably. When they woke up in the morning, they felt refreshed and not at all tired.

It was not the first time that Song Chunlin was close to Fang Lanxin, but it was the first time that they stayed together in close proximity for a long time. Even though they were separated by a yard, he always felt that the other party's top-grade wood spiritual roots and his own wood-related abilities seemed to attract each other.

He told Dabao about his discovery. After listening to it, Dabao couldn't find any reason to explain it for a while.

"Master, this is also the first time I've seen a top-grade spiritual root. I don't know why this happened, but it can't be a bad thing, right?"

It is indeed not a bad thing. Song Chunlin just doesn't quite understand. Since the top-grade wood spiritual roots have such a good effect, why did Fang Siyi's family live so miserably before? When Song Chunlin met them, Fang Lanxin was still sick. Was it because she was young at the time and didn't eat enough, so she lacked energy?

This is the only way to explain it now.

The two of them tidied up and came out. Fang Siyi had already prepared breakfast. Knowing that Song Chunlin liked to eat buns, she specially made some buns with corn flour. The stuffing was pork, vermicelli and cabbage, with less meat and more vegetables. It was fragrant and oily in one bite, but not too greasy. Song Chunlin ate three in a row and was so full that he burped.

Fang Siyi handed over a bowl of corn grits porridge with a smile: "Come, have a good rest."

"Thank you, Uncle Fang." Song Chunlin took the bowl and drank from it in small sips.

Dabao was the same, he held a bowl bigger than his face and slurped it up. There was no such thing as being too full. If he was not afraid of scaring the Fang family, he felt that he could eat a few more.

"Are you full?" Fang Siyi seemed to like Dabao very much. When she saw Dabao said that he was full, she gave up the idea of continuing to feed him.

After breakfast, Song Chunlin took the Fang brothers and Dabao to the city. The Fang brothers took the carriage they bought themselves. The four of them first went to the carriage shop to return the rented carriage, and then went to the county government office as they knew the way.

Compared to when Song Chunlin left, Bai Ta City seemed more prosperous and more lively this time. Song Chunlin didn't have time to see it yesterday because he was in a hurry, and now he has time to observe the streets in the city carefully.

"General Dou has done a good job. The road looks much cleaner and tidier than before."

Fang Chen was quite proud: "Protector Dou is really amazing. Didn't the master propose to build a public toilet in the city and create a septic tank? The people in the city had always opposed it. Later, Protector Dou overcame all objections and built a simple one outside the city. After everyone tried it, they no longer rejected it. On the contrary, it also found a way to make a living for several lonely and helpless elderly people."

Song Chunlin was a little surprised: "The two newcomers have no objection."

Fang Chen looked around, then whispered to Song Chunlin: "Of course they have opinions, but their power is not as great as that of Dou Duhu. Dou Duhu has a stubborn temper and they can't argue with him."

Song Chunlin didn't expect that there would be such twists and turns here, but if Dou Duhu was not tougher, he probably wouldn't be able to suppress those people with connections. Just like in Wanshan, it is said that Cheng Qiao and her subordinates have been marginalized and have long been dispensable in Wanshan.

Thinking of that resolute and courageous girl, Song Chunlin felt that the world was really unfair. Capable people were criticized because of their gender and even squeezed out of the upper political circle.

What a coincidence, Cheng Qiao was also in the Protectorate today. She had just arrived when Song Chunlin and the others came. After not seeing each other for more than a year, Cheng Qiao looked visibly haggard. Perhaps she was entangled in many trivial matters and could not get rid of them, so she had to wait until today to come to the Protectorate.

"When my father was alive, he often mentioned General Dou's name to me, saying that General Dou was a rare Confucian general. Today, Cheng Qiao came uninvited because he really wanted to ask for a way out for the soldiers under his command."

She deliberately called Dou Duhu "General Dou" in order to remind him of the comradeship between him and General Cheng. Sure enough, Cheng Qiao saw the moved expression on Dou Duhu's face and knew that she had made the right move.

But before she could hear Dou Duhu's reply, she heard the servants say that Song Chunlin was coming to visit.

"Young Master Song? He came to Baita City?"

Dou Duhu himself was also confused. He had never expected that under his flawless management, Song Chunlin would be able to return to Bai Ta City alone without him knowing anything about it.

In fact, it was not his men's fault that they were not capable. It was just that Song Chunlin had been away for too long, and the soldiers he sent to guard the city gate did not know Song Chunlin. At most, they were a little surprised that a teenager and a child came all the way to the border. However, there was no problem with the passes for both of them, so they were directly ignored.

Having not been back for more than a year, Song Chunlin did not expect to meet two old friends at once. He was even more surprised than Dou and Cheng.

"Sister Cheng, you're here too. That's great. I have something to talk to you about."

Even Cheng Qiao was surprised: "Looking for me? Is there something important, Young Master Song? Is it about the fruit trees in Wanshan?"

Song Chunlin nodded, then shook his head: "The matter of the fruit trees is only one of the things. I have other things to ask you. Now that we are together, it saves me from making another trip."

Cheng Qiao was completely confused by his words, but because Dou Duhu was present, she swallowed the questions she wanted to ask.

Song Chunlin didn't say much, and turned around and asked the two brothers of the Fang family to unload the things from the carriage.

The gift that Song Chunlin prepared for Dou Duhu was naturally not a specialty of the Song family, but medicinal herbs produced in the space. He knew that what the soldiers on the border lacked most was hemostatic drugs, and he didn't know how to refine medicine, so he got some of the hemostatic herbs he could find in the space. These herbs all grew at the foot of the mountain in the space. Although they were not precious ginseng or Ganoderma lucidum, they were all top-quality hemostatic herbs. And because they were grown in the space, their efficacy was dozens or even hundreds of times better than ordinary herbs outside.

Seeing this cartload of medicinal herbs, Dou Duhu and Cheng Qiaodou's eyes lit up. Although they were not well versed in medicine, they could tell that these herbs were all top-quality, even better than those they had seen before.

Seeing that Dou Duhu and Cheng Qiao both had shining eyes, Song Chunlin knew that he had made the right gift. However, the light in Cheng Qiao's eyes soon went out. She knew that even if Song Chunlin gave her the same medicinal herbs, with her current strength, she would not be able to keep them completely. She would be lucky to be able to keep a few of them. She really didn't dare to imagine more, not to mention that these were only given by Song Chunlin to Dou Duhu.

As Cheng Qiao's eyes gradually dimmed, Dou Duhu's eyes became brighter and brighter. He excitedly circled around the cart of medicinal materials and repeatedly asked Song Chunlin questions like a child.

"Is this really for me? All of it?"

Song Chunlin: "Of course, all of them are for you. This car is full of them, General Dou. Ah, no, now I should call you Dou Duhu. Hehe, this is all you. Why don't you quickly arrange for someone to take them away?"

Knowing that he was the only one in the car, Dou Duhu was so happy that he almost jumped up. If it weren't for the need to maintain his dignity, he would have laughed out loud.

Song Chunlin looked at the disappointed Cheng Qiao and told her with a smile: "Madam Cheng, you have some too, but they are all in my farm. I will go get them later."

Cheng Qiao's face lit up with joy at first, but soon dimmed.

"Young Master Song, you don't have to spend money. With my current status, no matter how good the things are, they will never come into my hands. You might as well give it to Dou Duhu. At least Dou Duhu is not a person who will show favoritism. It is much better to give it to him than to me."

Song Chunlin knew that she was thinking wrongly, so he kindly reminded her: "I didn't give these things for free. Even if I gave them to Dou Duhu, he had to do something for me to get them. Similarly, Madam Cheng also has to promise me something."

Hearing Song Chunlin say that it was a paid gift, Cheng Qiao became interested. If Song Chunlin gave the things directly to her and her soldiers, her current boss would take the opportunity to take the things away no matter what. If it was a reward for Cheng Qiao and the others, then if her boss still wanted to take it away, it would be unreasonable. Song Chunlin could calmly take it back for them.

Song Chunlin also thought of this move in order to take care of Cheng Qiao. Asking Dou Duhu for help was just a spur-of-the-moment idea. He had the land, the people, and the documents here. Dou Duhu must be crazy to stop him from building a winery here.

Cheng Qiao naturally figured this out and looked at Song Chunlin with tears in her eyes.

"Cheng Qiao would like to thank Young Master Song here." Of course, what Song Chunlin gave was just a drop in the bucket. Her current predicament was that the old soldiers under her had nowhere to go. Most of them were old and injured, and some were even disabled. The new general had long wanted to drive them out of Wanshan. The reason they could hold on until now was because of the remaining prestige of General Cheng. Because of his sacrifice for his country, the other side did not dare to deal with Cheng Qiao and others blatantly, and only dared to exclude them in secret, wasting time to send them to places where no one cared. After a long time, when the people had almost forgotten about them, they would drive them away. At that time, Wanshan would completely become his one-man show.

"To be honest, Young Master Song, I came here this time to seek a place for the veterans under my command to settle down."