Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 676 Arrival at Xichang Prefecture

The rain was still heavy, so everyone put on oilcloth raincoats and walked into the rain curtain.

In Changlan Prefecture, Hualei and Rongjin came to a farmland, which was all dry land. Changlan Prefecture has high temperatures all year round and little rainfall, so both wet rice and dry rice are grown here, depending on the location of the field and whether there is sufficient water nearby.

Generally speaking, rice yields are higher when grown in paddy fields, but, due to water shortages in the west, much of the rice is grown on dry land.

Over time, the rice seedlings have adapted to the high temperatures and sandy soil of the west, and their requirements for water quality and temperature are lower than those of rice.

The root system of today's upland rice is more developed than that of paddy rice. It can penetrate deep into the soil layer and absorb water and nutrients from the deep soil to adapt to the arid environment.

At this time, many people in the fields have already turned the soil to prepare for farming. The cultivation of dry rice is also different from that of rice. It does not require seedlings, and the turning of the soil is somewhat similar to that of wheat fields.

Before planting upland rice, after tidying up the field, mix the rice seeds with wood ash. Then use a pointed wooden stick to poke a hole in the ground, sprinkle a few grains of rice, cover with fine soil, and pay attention to the spacing. That's it.

Of course, this planting method makes its yield much lower than that of rice. It is now late March, and many villagers are busy working in the fields.

Looking at the dry land with no fertilizer at all, Hualei sighed softly. The yield of dry rice is already low, and without fertilizer, it will be even lower.

Moreover, there is no fertilizer here, and the soil is becoming sandy, which has a greater impact on the yield. In addition, corn and rapeseed have not yet been spread here.

There were no harrows or hoes in the fields. In the distance, there was an occasional waterwheel, which was probably used to irrigate the official fields. Ordinary people were still farming in the most primitive way.

If we want to improve Xichang Prefecture, we have a long way to go. Hualei stood up and sighed slightly. In front, in order to take care of Jinnian and Jinshi, Hualei asked Uncle Zhao and the others to follow them slowly.

But now, she hoped that Uncle Zhao could arrive in Western Xinjiang as soon as possible. After all, the ship contained corn seeds, sweet potato seeds, and other miscellaneous seeds that she had brought from Shangjing City.

In addition, he also took a few plow carts and rakes from the farm, and brought the small waterwheel flower buds from the flower house in Yongningfang.

If Uncle Zhao had come sooner, maybe he could have caught up with this season. In the next few days, Hualei visited several other counties along the way, and the situations were basically the same.

At noon on that day, Hua Lei and Rong Jin arrived at the gate of the Xichang Prefecture government office. The government office was located on the north side of East Street, facing south, and was square. A pair of stone lions stood majestically at the gate.

Hua Lei stepped forward and took out the certificate and the fish token. The two yamen runners guarding the door must have received instructions. One of them carefully looked at the objects in Hua Lei's hand, and the other one jogged in to report.

Less than a cup of tea later, a man in a green official uniform with small floral patterns came hurriedly behind the yamen runners. Judging from the uniform, he should be the Tongpan of the sixth rank of Xichang Prefecture.

"Master Hua, Master Pei, your humble servant Wan Mingcheng greets Master Hua and Master Pei. Thank you for your hard work." Judge Wan Tong bowed.

"Your Excellency." Hua Lei and Rong Jin returned the greeting at the same time.

"Please come in, my two lords." Judge Wan Tong stepped aside to lead the way.

Hua Lei and Rong Jin followed him into the gate of the government office.

The Xichang government office covers a very large area and has an axially symmetrical layout. The north-south axis is about 56 zhang long and more than 30 zhang wide from east to west. Its size is slightly smaller than the government offices in the capital.

After entering the gate of the government office, there is a corridor in front of you, with auxiliary rooms such as the three-shift dining hall and prison cells on both sides. After passing through the ceremonial gate, the six rooms of Li, Hu, Li, Bing, Xing, and Gong are on both sides.

Then we came to the main hall, the core building of the government office. This hall was called "Ming Zhengtang", where the prefect usually met with officials and held ceremonies.

Behind it are the side hall and the back room, which are usually used for auxiliary office work or private meetings. It will also be Hualei's office for the next three years.

"Sir, I need to borrow your letter of appointment and official seal. Here are your certificate of appointment and fish token. Please keep them." After comparing the fish token, Judge Wan Tong said cautiously.

"Okay." Hua Lei took out the letter of appointment and the official seal. After Wan Tongpan had compared them all, Hua Lei had already finished two cups of tea.

Watching Hualei take back the official seal and the fish talisman, Wan Tongpan asked cautiously, "Sir, do you want to go to the backyard to rest today?"

"Okay, I've been traveling for two months straight and I'm a little tired. I'll take a break today." Hua Lei nodded without trying hard.

"By the way, Lord Wan, please have a meeting at 3:15 am tomorrow. Ask all colleagues in the government office to attend. Also, ask all the officials from the six departments to come. Also, take inventory of the supplies in the warehouses of the departments. I want to see the details." Hua Lei ordered.

"Yes, sir." Judge Wan Tong replied respectfully.

"By the way, I brought a few carts of grain seeds. Lord Wan, please help release them separately. I can use them." Hua Lei ordered again.

"Yes, sir." Judge Wan Tong leaned forward again and responded.

Hua Lei and Rong Jin went out and headed to the residence at the back of the government office. Passing through the Yingong Gate, on both sides were the Archives Department and the Warehouse Department, which were used to store government documents and materials. On the other side were the wing rooms, guest rooms, kitchens, huts and other living facilities.

Next is the second hall, with the east and west flower halls on both sides, and the east is the Tongzhi Yamen, where Rong Jin will work in the future. The Tongzhi is responsible for river engineering, water conservancy, local salt and grain and other affairs.

After passing through the gatehouse at the back, they entered the residence prepared for the prefect. Qingzao, Qingqi and others had already hurried to help tidy up the study and bedroom.

Hua Lei, who had been tense since entering the government office gate, slumped down in a chair. If it weren't for the calm and composed Rong Jin following behind her, Hua Lei felt that she would definitely show her weakness.

In the past, when Hua Lei followed Rong Jin to Mobei, she had Minister Zhang to support her from above and Rong Jin to protect her from beside, so she didn't feel any pressure at all.

However, this time was different. Today was the first time for Hua Lei, as the top leader, to enter the government office. Even though Hua Lei kept encouraging herself, she still felt a lot of pressure.

When she relaxed at this moment, she felt a lot of sweat on her back. Fortunately, Rong Jin was with her, otherwise she might not be able to hold on. Hua Lei smiled at Rong Jin beside her.

Looking at the buds lying on the chair without any image, Rong Jin smiled helplessly. Qing Sheng and Qing Hua came over and asked them to wash up.

After a simple bath and lunch, Hualei went back to her room to rest. She was so tired! At 3:30 pm the next day, Hualei and Rongjin arrived at the door of Mingzheng Hall on time.