northernbook Chapter 131 features a delivery scam.
Chapter 131 features a delivery scam.
Li Huaiyuan was taken aback. "Second Miss knows your identity?"
Ling Yao shook his head. "He probably doesn't know."
Li Huaiyuan frowned. Miss Tian Er didn't know Ling Yao's identity, so why would she let Ling Yao come to get his consent?
After a moment's thought, Li Huaiyuan understood.
He looked Ling Yao up and down; his clothes were simple and plain.
But Ling Yao... has clear eyes and a natural air of nobility.
It seems that... Miss Tian must have guessed that Ling Yao's identity was extraordinary, which is why she sent this boy to find him so that he could resolve the matter himself.
This Miss Tian is truly intelligent.
"Take a good rest. I'll take you to see Miss Tian Er tomorrow."
Just as Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief, she brought it up again, "What? You're really letting Heming grow rice with Tiantian?"
She became close to Lu Tao and Liu San Niang, and started calling Tian Tian by her nickname.
"How could he possibly know anything about farming?"
It wasn't that Madam Li looked down on Ling Yao; it was simply that Ling Yao's identity... destined him to have nothing to do with the land.
In the past twenty years, this was the only time he had ever set foot on muddy ground since leaving Beijing.
He also farms...
"Sister-in-law..." Ling Yao was extremely embarrassed.
Madam Li quickly waved her hand, "No, Heming, that's not what I meant. What I meant was..."
"Farming is too hard work. You...you come from a noble family, how can you farm?"
Ling Yao said seriously, "Sister-in-law, that's not right."
"Precisely because of my identity, I should learn to farm."
“In our Great Qi, so many people are starving and cold. I…” Ling Yao’s expression was solemn. “If this Miss Tian can grow high-yield rice varieties, I will certainly want to learn from her and promote them throughout the Great Qi in the future.”
"Wouldn't that mean all the people in the Great Qi Kingdom would be able to have enough to eat?"
Li Huaiyuan looked at him with deep emotion, and after a long while sighed, "Heming has grown up..."
Ling Yao gave an awkward laugh.
Is it possible that...everyone thinks he's too young? Or that they all think he's naive and inexperienced?
Li Huaiyuan suddenly snapped out of his reverie, "Hey, I haven't asked you yet, where have you been all this time?"
"It should only take a little over a month to get here from the capital. How come you've been gone for more than three months?"
Where are you during the holidays?
"Do you know that your mother has been sending people to look for you along the way for a month? Where have you been?"
Ling Yao took a step back. "I'm just... traveling around to understand people's lives."
"Cousin, I... I'm really tired, so I'll go down and rest for now."
Before Li Huaiyuan could ask any more questions, Ling Yao turned and ran outside.
The yamen runner at the gate looked at Li Huaiyuan.
"Take him to the backyard to rest."
The constables then caught up with Ling Yao.
*
Tian Tian: "..."
What is the situation?
Li Huaiyuan actually brought this guy named Ling Yao with him to find her.
What else is there to say...?
"Second Miss, this is my cousin from the clan, named Lingyao, courtesy name Heming."
"He is interested in high-yield rice varieties and wants to learn how to farm from you. Please, Miss Tian, don't hesitate to teach him."
Tian Tian looked at Ling Yao, who had a hopeful expression on his face.
His courtesy name was Heming...
In this era, not everyone would have a courtesy name. Usually, only cultured scholars or nobles would have one.
Ordinary people and merchants generally do not use courtesy names.
In the Tian family, only Tian Zhicheng has a courtesy name, which seems to be Zhengwei.
Tian Tian had never heard anyone from the Tian family call her by that courtesy name. The only time she heard it was when Tian Zhicheng's classmate came to visit.
The man before us is a scholar, but he is certainly more than just a scholar.
He must have been born into a wealthy family.
"Second Miss, thank you for your trouble." Ling Yao bowed respectfully with her hands clasped together.
Since Li Huaiyuan had personally brought the person over, Tian Tian couldn't refuse and could only agree.
However, as soon as Li Huaiyuan and Madam Li left, she immediately made an appointment with Ling Yao.
"Since you're so eager to learn how to grow rice, then go to the fields every day and record the condition of the rice plants."
Ling Yao nodded; he could do it.
Tian Tian stood up. "Then let's go and familiarize ourselves with the land."
"Carts from other places are not allowed to enter the city, but oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages belonging to local residents are free to come and go..."
"People were arranged to clean up the filth inside the city."
"People were also arranged outside the city to feed the horses and clean up their manure..."
"The whole city is much cleaner now."
"Miss Tian, I heard from my cousin that this was also your idea?" Ling Yao talked on and on, finally looking at Tian Tian in amazement.
Tian Tian nodded.
It was indeed her idea, but initially it was just to avoid blocking the way in front of her shop.
Unexpectedly, after a few months, the city was spotless and the area outside the city was orderly.
The people in the city and the merchants from other places all praised the decision.
In addition, Baishi County has added a new job: delivering goods for merchants. Everyone calls them "errand runners".
Merchants from other places bought goods in the county and wanted them delivered to carriages outside the city.
Merchants who hire help need to settle wages every month, so they hire these errand runners and pay them two or three coins each time.
Some people buy too much stuff and will ask a delivery person to help bring it back to their home.
If these errand runners are flexible, they can earn fifty or sixty coins a day, which is no less than what they earn from a regular job.
"Miss Tian Er." A yamen runner greeted Tian Tian from the roadside.
Tian Tian looked over and saw a traveling merchant from out of town standing next to the yamen runner, who looked very anxious.
"What happened?" Tian Tian recognized the merchant; she must have patronized the Baishi Teahouse before.
The traveling merchant was extremely anxious. "Miss Tian, I bought ten gift boxes at Baishi Teahouse."
"Carrying it all the way here was too tiring, so I found a deliveryman on the roadside, paid him three copper coins, and asked him to deliver it to parking space number ten in the west of the city."
"But when I went back to the carriage, the parking attendant said no one had brought anything."
"this..."
"I've clearly been scammed."
"They're reporting to the authorities."
The constable added, "Second Miss, based on this shopkeeper's description... it's going to be extremely difficult to find that swindler."
"This is the third fraud case this month."
The constable looked at the shopkeeper with a troubled expression; ten gift boxes were worth several taels of silver.
But...it's really difficult for them to find the person based on the shopkeeper's simple description.
Tian Tian frowned...
The errand running spree started because of her ideas.
Therefore, she felt that she should solve this problem for Li Huaiyuan.
"Young man, please go back and tell Lord Li..."
"Since there's a problem with the errand runner, we need to manage him properly. Go back and talk to him..."
“The government should take the lead in managing these errand runners.”
"Now all the errand runners on the street have been banned. Those who want to continue running errands should pay a deposit of fifty coins each. The county government will issue errand runner licenses with numbers on them and issue uniforms."
"..."