Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 413 - 410: Harder After the Hurricane

Lin Taohua happily stepped forward, taking out the bran hidden in the stone cave, to feed their family’s great contributor—yes, you read that right, the great contributor.

There’s no need to mention the White Feathered Divine Chicken, it eats locusts and grows fast, and can be exchanged for money.

The other two Kang Beier ducks were originally given to the children by Lin Wanwan to raise, as a labor assignment.

Now that they’ve grown, they’ve become the great contributors of the family. The two ducks almost lay eggs every day, which her mother and grandfather find miraculous, for every duck egg is wealth!

Most of the duck eggs need to be saved up to trade for food and vegetables. On rare occasions, the mother would make a bowl of egg soup for the family to drink, to get some nutrition.

Lin Mengjin looked at Lin Taohua working methodically, feeling quite gratified in his heart.

On usual mornings, he either goes out fishing early with the others or stays home to sleep and recharge. It’s rare for him to see the kids in the household getting up early to work.

Seeing it today, he felt a mix of heartache and pride!

Look at their Taohua, such a diligent and simple woman. When she grows up, matchmakers might break down their doorstep!

Thinking of this made Lin Mengjin very proud, his face carrying an exuberant smile, as he returned to enthusiastically prepare to repair the roof.

The force of the hurricane has mostly passed by now, the rain reduced to just a drizzle. He must quickly fix the roof to ensure a good night’s sleep.

There are quite a few busy people in Lin Family Manor like him. The power of this hurricane is quite strong, and ordinary roofs really can’t withstand it.

The sky grew brighter, and the rain gradually ceased, leaving only some mild wind.

Many Lin Family Manor clan members walked to the seaside to watch the waves, judging whether the hurricane had completely passed.

Living by the mountain, they rely on the mountain; living by the sea, they rely on the sea.

The people of Lin Family Manor care about when the hurricane will retreat and when the waves will calm. They’re waiting for calm seas so they can go out fishing.

After a hurricane, the sea usually tosses ashore many fish rarely seen here, which can be sold for a good price then.

Besides the people of Lin Family Manor, folks from Lu Family Manor, Dafeng Village, and some impoverished families from other areas who sought shelter from the hurricane in their village’s workshops, also flocked to the seaside, watching the sea surface.

Although they avoided much hardship by hiding in the newly built, very solid brick houses during these past couple of days, it’s inevitable that they are concerned about their homes.

No matter how squalid, it’s still a place to shelter from the elements. No matter how good it is here, it’s not home.

Watching the turbid sea waves ebbing away one after another, everyone was eager to return to see their own situation.

The main person in charge here was naturally the Lin Clan Leader. Facing the clamor of the poor families demanding to leave, the Lin Clan Leader glanced at the sky and the waves and did not do much to stop them.

This group of impoverished farmers, who were lodged in dangerous homes judged by their own clan leaders and neighborhood leaders, with the Lin Clan Leader’s nod, took their families and returned to their respective villages. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

For the safety of the clan, Lin Mengbo and a few other sturdy men came to the workshops to maintain order.

Lin Wanwan stood on the balcony of her small building, watching the people winding away from the village road, and sighed.

What awaits them ahead is probably not good news. This violent storm may have already blown their homes down.

But once these people leave, they probably won’t come back. Even if their own home has collapsed, in this hot weather, as long as there’s no rainstorm, sleeping under the sky isn’t a problem.

She didn’t know how Xiao Chong planned to carry out post-disaster reconstruction work this time, as many people in Mao County have likely suffered.

Indeed, just as Lin Wanwan expected, once the power of the hurricane dissipated, the neighborhood leaders and elders from various townships hurriedly reported the situation here to the County Government, eagerly awaiting orders from above.

Some of those whose fields suffered were hoping for a tax exemption from the court!

As the person in the county responsible for urging the collection of rent and taxes, Zhang Minor Mansion was having a headache.

After the autumn harvest, it was supposed to be a great time for tax collection, but who knows how much of the people’s savings this hurricane has blown away.

The amount of tax collected is directly related to his political performance, so how could he not be worried?

He even envied his colleague, Minor Mansion Du. Although both are County Magistrates, the latter only manages catching thieves and maintaining public order, making it much less worrisome.

Little did he know that Minor Mansion Du envied Zhang Minor Mansion too. This year, he had an unsolved major case on his hands—that of the elusive gang of human traffickers plaguing various towns.

Because of this, he was under immense pressure, having to deal with daily inquiries from his direct superior Xiao Chong and harassment from noble families who have lost children.

In the Great Tang, the County Magistrate and his subordinates, including the County Magistrate and Chief Clerk, all had a 007 work schedule, as they were heavily burdened with work. As long as they don’t drop dead, they keep working hard to death.

They can’t help it, there is a serious shortage of manpower at the grassroots level!

In such a large Mao County, there’s only one County Magistrate, one Chief Clerk, and two County Magistrates as official posts. Yet, the County Magistrates oversee a wide range of issues, and still don’t have many people to command—simply because the court is poor and can’t afford surplus officials!

The County Government personnel, they all take on more work if they’re capable, and even if they’re not capable, they also have to work harder! Anyway, being forced to do it all, every little and big thing in Mao County has to be handled by you guys!

Modern positions like town mayors and community grassroots officials do not exist in the Great Tang. Below the town level, everything relies on self-governance. Since ancient times, royal power never descended to the countryside, simply because there were no officials assigned to go there!

The elders and neighborhood leaders in the countryside, they basically work for the court out of their own pockets. Without any wages being paid to them, what control can you expect?

So it’s inevitable that royal power never reached the countryside. If it could be managed, it wouldn’t be left unmanaged.

In a feudal society where transportation mainly relies on walking, communication mostly involves shouting, and productivity was extremely low, the court couldn’t afford to support grassroots officials in the countryside! If they really did support so many people, the national treasury would be bankrupt in an instant, and the Minister of Revenue would faint in the bathroom.

Because a Wanghai Salt Field was built in Mao County last year, the county government’s economy has been significantly boosted, like drinking a potent tonic, and hence the ranks of Government Officials and miscreants have been expanded.

But compared to the vast ocean of ordinary citizens, the few extra hands in the County Government are still a drop in the bucket.

Xiao Chong even arranged for his subordinates and guests to work in the County Government, paying them out of his own pocket, but still, he was busy to death every day.

With the County Magistrate busy like a dog, how could the Chief Clerk and County Magistrate have it easy?

While others hid at home sipping wine and singing songs on hurricane days, the County Government’s people still had to miserably work overtime and perform duties.

Not only did they have to patrol the streets, they also had to observe the impact of the hurricane and guard against petty criminals taking advantage of the situation, going through wind and rain, too exhausted to even have the strength to speak.

After the hurricane, the wealthy farmers sighed with relief, as the sky cleared and the rain stopped, allowing them to resume dancing. However, the County Government’s people only became busier!

They had to collect and analyze the reports submitted by elders and neighborhood leaders, assess the damage, and also busy themselves with disaster relief and resettlement for the honest citizens in difficulty.

Xiao Chong’s reputation in the hearts of the people reached its peak during this punctual hurricane, and now everyone is hoping that Xiao Mingfu can continue to save them from distress.