Su Muqing struggled for a moment. Seeing Lu Yuzhi's slightly displeased expression as he looked at her, she slowly stopped struggling and let him hold her hand.
That was true! This wasn't modern times. It was normal for girls in ancient times to marry and have children at fifteen or sixteen. Besides, their relationship was open and acknowledged by Su Muqing's own parents, so there was nothing to hide.
Having realized this, Su Muqing's playful expression gradually faded, leaving only a blush of shyness on her cheeks.
Su Minghui and Wang Shi were both experienced. Seeing her expression, they understood everything. It seemed the two of them were truly together now.
They hadn't interacted much with this Young Master Lu. They only felt his identity was somewhat mysterious. Judging by the people who followed him, he should be a noble son of a prominent family, possessing an air far grander than the wealthiest landowner in Houxi Village.
Moreover, based on their interactions over the past few months, this person was quite outstanding. Now that his health had greatly improved, he no longer looked as sickly as before.
If only his hair were black, that would be even better. He was so handsome, yet with white hair, he looked good and unique. However, when viewed from behind, it always gave people the impression of an older man preying on a younger woman.
But, regardless of whether his hair was black or white, as long as he treated Muqing well in the future, it would be fine. Although Su Muqing herself was already very capable, skilled, and the disciple of an immortal.
However, for elders like them, they still hoped that someone more powerful and devoted would accompany her, care for her, and protect her. Having such a brother-in-law would also make Su Mingxuan's future life better.
Now that this person had appeared, they would have an explanation to give to Su Mingyuan and Li Shi when they met in the afterlife.
Looking at the beautiful couple standing in the distance, smiles gradually spread across their faces.
Thus, the relationship between Su Muqing and Lu Yuzhi was officially made public within their circle.
"Good! This is truly wonderful. Young Master, Miss Su, please come and sit down for breakfast." Xu Fu was probably the happiest among this group.
His attitude towards Su Muqing had evolved from indifference to gratitude, and finally to a fear of her not taking a liking to their young master. His emotional journey had been quite complex and arduous.
Gongsun Zan and Tianji Laoren looked at the two, who were like a golden couple, and nodded in satisfaction. Especially Gongsun Zan, who had long ago announced that he would no longer cast divination spells to inquire about others' destinies, remarkably calculated the fates of the two.
After performing a few simple finger gestures, Tianji Laoren paused and then slowly relaxed his hand. Strange, so strange, the destinies of these two, no matter what calculation methods he used, could not be aligned.
In fact, judging by their birth dates and times, they had no connection whatsoever, like two people meeting without recognizing each other. Yet, observing their current affectionate display, it was completely contrary to his calculations.
Could it be that because he hadn't calculated for over a decade, his skills had regressed over time? Tianji Laoren stroked his beard, his brow furrowed, falling into self-doubt.
After breakfast, Lu Yuzhi instructed Leng San to find a carpenter to help modify the door openings of Xiong and Ying's rooms. Su Minghui heard this and voluntarily offered to call the carpenter from the village.
Today was the sixth day of the new calendar, the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month. It was only four days until the New Year. Everyone in the city would have to work until the twenty-eighth before they could have a holiday.
In the coming days, Su Muqing and the others would be very busy. First, they had to visit several centralized resettlement sites, and then distribute supplies to each household for the New Year.
Leng San and the others would continue to supervise, while Su Minghui took on the task for Xiong and the others.
After breakfast, Su Cuiping and Lin Rongrong went directly to their office, a place specifically designated for collecting opinions and feedback from the people below, essentially a temporary public opinion survey and complaint station.
All the common people in the city, regardless of who needed help or which management level was exploiting or oppressing the people, could come here to report. Once an investigation confirmed the truth, help would be provided where needed, and governance would be implemented.
Su Muqing and Lu Yuzhi drove, bringing Tianji Laoren and the others, to Mucang County to find Tong Lesheng. Mucang County was now essentially part of Huaxia City's territory.
As this area was continuously receiving refugees, many displaced people from the Dayu Dynasty came here by reputation. Currently, it was primarily managed by Tong Lesheng and Le Xiong of the San Sheng Palace.
Previously, due to the incident of missing persons, many people had moved away from the villages surrounding Mucang County, including the city itself. As a result, many areas around were left empty.
By the end of the year, Huaxia City had successively taken in a large number of displaced people. With the cooperation of Su Minghui and Tong Lesheng from the inside, they were brought into Mucang County from outside the city in the middle of the night.
When the county magistrate discovered this situation, it was already half a month later. When he heard that tens of thousands of displaced people had entered the city, he thought they were planning to incite a riot and seize Mucang County, which terrified him.
This place was already remote. In the past, due to the existence of the no-man's-land, no troops were stationed here. Furthermore, with the sparse population nowadays, the yamen runners and constables in the county office, along with his own household staff, numbered only a few dozen in total. If a conflict were to erupt, Mucang County would have no manpower available.
What worried him the most was that if these displaced people did not receive relief and revolted to survive, he, as the county magistrate, would be the first to bear the brunt of it, and their family would be in grave trouble!
Thinking of this, the county magistrate was so anxious that he felt a fire in his throat and had no sleep at all in the middle of the night. In the latter half of the night, he woke up his wife and concubines, quickly packed their gold, silver, and valuables.
Under the cover of the deep night, the family, guarded by more than a dozen servants, abandoned the city and fled overnight to seek help from the Changning Prefecture. He had even thought of how to report it: claiming that refugees had gathered and ultimately rioted, seizing Mucang County, and requesting the prefecture to dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion!
When Tong Lesheng and the others, who were still anxious about entering the city, heard this news, they were stunned on the spot. The county magistrate just ran away? What was going on?
Originally, they had planned that if the Mucang county magistrate resolutely resisted their entry into the city, they would find a way to make the displaced people bypass the city. However, this would consume too much time.
Who knew that their anxiety didn't last long, and the county magistrate actually handed over the entire city? This saved them a lot of trouble and gave them such a large piece of prime territory for free.
Su Muqing and the others drove from Huaxia City towards Mucang County. The abandoned houses along the road were now emitting wisps of smoke from cooking fires, and there were more workers chopping wood and transporting earth in the vicinity.
Lu Yuzhi parked the car aside. As the group got out and approached to understand the situation, they unexpectedly saw Le Xiong of the San Sheng Palace! He was actually working alongside everyone else.
It was a cold morning, and he, like everyone else, was not dressed very warmly. Beads of sweat were on everyone's faces, indicating they were doing physical labor.
Yet, they all had smiles on their faces, and their eyes held yearning for life and beautiful expectations. Unlike before when they were wandering, their eyes were filled with numbness and confusion.
As Su Muqing and the others approached, they saw a man carrying a wooden beam stumble and lean sideways. Lu Yuzhi quickly flashed behind the man and reached out with one hand to steady him. With his other hand, he held up the wooden beam to prevent the person in front from falling due to uneven force.
After the man regained his footing, he placed the wooden beam back on his shoulder. Hearing the commotion, Le Xiong turned around and saw it was Lu Yuzhi and his companions. When had they returned? He briefly spoke to others and then hurried towards them.
From a distance, Su Muqing saw the signature honest smile on his face covered with a full beard. She quickly smiled and greeted him, "Brother Le Xiong, why are you here so early in the morning?"
Le Xiong raised his arm, casually wiped the sweat from his face, and asked excitedly, "City Lord! Young Master Lu, when did you return? We didn't hear anything!"
Su Muqing handed him a piece of paper and pointed to the corner of his eye, "We also returned last night. It was already dark then, so we didn't send anyone to inform you."
Le Xiong chuckled, took the paper, unfolded it, and wiped his face with it a couple of times. "It's good that you're back. You've been gone for several months, and Huaxia City has changed greatly now."
Su Muqing strongly agreed with this point. "Yes! It was already dark when we entered the city last night, so we didn't pay much attention to the surrounding changes. But after going for a walk this morning and coming all the way here, we realized how much Huaxia City has changed in the past few months! We were just saying that if no one guided us, we probably wouldn't even remember how to get out."
Feeling proud of Su Muqing's affirmation, Le Xiong felt a sense of pride. He had personally participated in building every brick and tile when he was in the city. "Hahaha! Tong Lesheng is now so busy that he's hitting the back of his head with his feet. He probably doesn't have time to guide you."
Speaking of which, Su Muqing looked around and didn't see Tong Lesheng. "By the way, why aren't you in the city? And where is Tong Lesheng?"
Le Xiong led them towards his temporary resting place and said, "City Lord, you may not know, but the areas that used to be no-man's-land have basically been allocated for other uses. As more and more displaced people arrive, the population is increasing daily, and there's not enough space for many people. Since Mucang County has plenty of land, and the county magistrate is a useless fellow, he scared himself away anyway, so we'll just consider it as him giving Mucang County to us. It's better to take it for free! So, we've decided to organize this area in advance. We were planning to find the City Lord for a detailed planning map to organize this place together when you returned."
"Alright, your thinking is very thorough. With more and more people, we need to consider more carefully. Give me the topographical map of the surrounding area. I will design the planning map for this region immediately when I get back today."
Le Xiong got up and rummaged through the cabinet. After a while, he found a map depicting winding terrain and handed it to Su Muqing. "We have a lot of manpower here now, and there are many capable laborers. Let's all work together to build the houses as soon as possible so that everyone can settle down with peace of mind."
Su Muqing took the map he handed her and nodded. "This is what happens when there are many people to get things done. Isn't it because of the sufficient number of people that Huaxia City has changed so much in such a short time!"
"Tong Lesheng is currently in Mucang County, responsible for the allocation of newly arrived displaced people. For any group of displaced people who come seeking refuge, this young man personally meets them. He says that if he finds the leader of the group to have poor character, he will pay special attention to these people. Although he won't prevent them from entering the city, at least when selecting locations, he will make a selection." Speaking of Tong Lesheng, Le Xiong's words were full of affirmation.
Lu Yuzhi also felt that although Tong Lesheng was young, he was quite experienced in handling matters. "Tong Lesheng is doing the right thing. He is tactful in his dealings and has his own methods for judging people. Otherwise, given the tense situation between the two regions back then, how could he have been a guide for several years at only twenty years old."
"Brother Le, you all continue to be busy. We are going to the city to look at this planning map, and I will prepare it as quickly as possible."
The group chatted briefly for a few more minutes. There were many things to do in the recent days, and everyone was very busy. Since there was a holiday in two days, they would all be returning to Huaxia City, so it was better to chat later when they had time.
Leaving the area managed by Le Xiong, the group drove onward. After about forty minutes, they arrived outside the city gate of Mucang County.
The people guarding the city now were all from the former Blood Robe Sect. After Cang Ze was dealt with, the members of the Blood Robe Sect were absorbed into the Justice Gate. After Su Muqing and the others left, these people were all placed under Tong Lesheng's overall management.
Fortunately, they all recognized Su Muqing and the others, so they did not obstruct them much. After the car entered, they went straight to the former county magistrate's mansion. Tong Lesheng was meeting and discussing matters with several team leaders who had come to seek refuge, as well as village chiefs.
Once confirmed, they would immediately demarcate suitable areas for them to organize first. At this moment, Tong Lesheng heard someone report that the City Lord had arrived, and he found it hard to believe.
"You're saying the City Lord is back? Which City Lord? Huaxia City's Su Muqing?" Tong Lesheng said, jumping up from his chair.
The person reporting nodded vigorously, his tone extremely excited. "Yes! It's City Lord Su Muqing. She and Young Master Lu are waiting outside right now, and Tianji Laoren has also come along."
Before the reporter could finish speaking, Tong Lesheng dropped everyone in the room and ran towards the outside. When he rushed out, he indeed saw two people in capable attire standing by a car in the distance. One of them had white hair.