Eat My Childless Life: The Little Fisher Girl is Poor and Fierce

Chapter 242 This pig was beaten by my brother! It must be delicious.

Lin Chang'er's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Give me some information, what's the state of the military strength along the southern coast? Are they capable of waging a large-scale war against the pirates?"

Wu Qingfeng looked at her, his expression gradually darkening.

Lin Chang'er's heart sank along with his expression. Although unwilling, she still asked quietly, "Empty?"

Wu Qingfeng remained silent.

Lin Chang'er understood the situation; otherwise, the court wouldn't have remained inactive for so long. She then smiled helplessly.

With military forces sidelined and the southern coastal areas wide open, what are they trying to do?

Lin Chang'er frowned: "Factional strife or foreign forces?"

Wu Qingfeng let out a deep breath, "Yes, we have them all."

Lin Chang'er hummed in agreement and shrugged. "If it's empty, it's empty. The court won't send troops, but the common people still have to live their lives. Let them fight it out themselves!"

"While they haven't yet gained any real power, we should defeat them before they have a chance to become powerful." If we don't resist, they will become arrogant and embolden us, allowing us to sustain our war effort through conflict, and also laying the groundwork for a large-scale invasion by those bastards in the future.

While they are still just small groups roaming the coast, let them know that it's not so easy for them to come ashore, and they should obediently go back to where they came from.

Wu Qingfeng's eyes lit up. "How do we fight them?" He couldn't bear to see the people suffer from the pirates' raids, but as an official, he couldn't act unless the court intervened.

Lin Chang'er said, "Private soldiers will die if they touch them, but the imperial court can't control the people's spontaneous resistance."

"Let each coastal area set up its own defenses, connect them into a line, and help each other."

Wu Qingfeng paused, "It's a method, but it's difficult to implement."

Lin Chang'er agreed with this point: "Although the coastal defense team in Linshui Village did not receive a salary, I paid them wages to offset the salary, thus ensuring their livelihood. This is how they were established and developed."

Wu Qingfeng understood. "So you want Shao'an to go on a trading business?"

Lin Chang'er nodded, "Think about it, whenever there is war, who are the people who suffer the most?"

“Wealthy and powerful merchants?” Wu Qingfeng asked.

Lin Chang'er said, "That's right. Gold, silver and valuables can be taken away in a bag, but what about fields, houses and shops? They can't be taken away, there's no way to take them. In the chaos of war, even if they are sold cheaply, no one will take them."

"By the time things calm down, who knows how badly it'll be ruined. And not only will the losses be huge, but the escape will be slow too. Just taking inventory of the belongings will probably take half a day!"

Wu Qingfeng agreed, "That makes sense. So, what do you want to do?"

Lin Chang'er sighed, "I think, even if we can't make everyone rich, we should at least let them earn some money, right? Otherwise, if they're penniless and can't even afford to eat, it's better to run away than to risk their lives, at least they can save their own lives, right?"

Wu Qingfeng smiled. "So, you found someone else to take over Shao'an's job at the primary school so that he could go out and do business?"

Lin Chang'er sighed, "That's right. Our current sales volume and workshop size are already sufficient, and we can't absorb many more workers."

"But I think that each place has its own unique local products. If we can sell these products, at least everyone's livelihood can be guaranteed."

"Now that life is better, who would want to be displaced?"

After saying that, she puffed out one cheek, her face full of helplessness.

Wu Qingfeng poked her cheek and said, "Do as you wish. I will discuss this matter with Magistrate Li and Registrar Zhu when we get back."

“If you need anything here, have Liu Zi send someone to tell me.”

"Even if it doesn't work out, Wu Qingfeng will still thank you on behalf of the people of Ninghai."

"Nonsense!" Lin Chang'er slapped the back of his hand. "This matter wasn't originally anyone's business. You just happened to be the magistrate of this place."

"Actually, with your family background and connections, even if you just hold a position without doing anything, you can still return to Beijing smoothly after your term ends, right?"

Wu Qingfeng lowered his eyelashes and heard her laugh again: "Of course, if you don't want to achieve anything, you don't need to come out of the capital, right?"

Wu Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction, and Lin Chang'er smiled at him as well. "As the county magistrate, organizing the people to spontaneously resist the pirates' invasion should not cause any trouble, right?"

“No,” Wu Qingfeng shook his head, grasped Lin Chang’er’s hand, and said solemnly, “You’ve thought it through very well. It’s a blessing for Linshui Village to have you, and it’s also a blessing for Ninghai County.” Of course, it’s also his greatest gain from coming here.

Lin Chang'er laughed out loud, "Stop with the formalities, let's get started first."

"I'll listen to you."

"Stop being silly and eat your food, it's getting cold."

"It tastes good even when it's cold."

Inside the main room, the zither and lute played in harmony, while the courtyard was bustling with people.

There were many people today, so the children didn't eat around the table.

A few older people huddled together in the group of adults, chatting and bragging.

Several children sat in a row on the threshold of the courtyard gate, each holding a bowl.

Little Goldfish usually spends her days with Lin Yanqing and Gu Silang.

But he's still just a five-year-old little dumpling, and he eats at a children's table.

So, at this moment, I'm sitting in a row on the threshold with Gu Xiaolu, Gu Xiaoman, Zhou Yi, and Li Qingyang.

There were also slightly larger ones, Zhou Xiaoniu, Xiaoshan, and Xiaoshu, sitting on small stone stools by the door.

Because Li Qingyang had been spoken to by Lin Chang'er, the children all had a good impression of him.

A group of kids sat together, eating and talking, while the entrance was bustling with activity.

Little Goldfish was the only one among these little ones who had fought against the pirates, and everyone especially admired him.

Gu Xiaoman and Zhou Yi are both his big fans, and Gu Xiaolu also brags about her brother all the time.

When Gu Xiaoman was playing with Li Qingyang before, she couldn't stop talking about my brother.

In particular, Da Tou was eating braised pork belly, his mouth full of oil, and he said with a look of ecstasy, "This braised pork belly with dried vegetables is so delicious. I've never eaten such delicious meat in my life."

Xiaoshan, Xiaoshu, and Zhou Xiaoniu all nodded in agreement, but since they were all busy eating, they only made a few "uh-huh" sounds.

Gu Xiaoman tilted her head back, beaming with pride, "Of course! This pig was made by my brother! It must be delicious."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of braised pork, took a bite, his mouth full of oil, and mimicked Da Tou's blissful expression, saying, "Delicious!"

Seeing his appearance, the little goldfish took out the handkerchief his mother had bought for him, leaned over, and wiped him clean. "You eat like a little pig."

Zhou Yi chuckled sheepishly, "Brother looks like a little pig."

Gu Xiaoman wasn't angry at all. Instead, she poked Li Qingyang's arm and said, "This is my brother. Isn't he amazing!"

Li Qingyang held the bowl and looked at the little goldfish with eyes full of admiration. "Hello, little goldfish brother, my name is Li Qingyang."

The little goldfish nodded to him. "I remember you. My mother spoke to you."

Wiping Gu Xiaoman's mouth clean, he continued to Li Qingyang, "Don't listen to Xiaoman's nonsense. This pig was carried down the mountain by Uncle Hai and the Huo family brothers. Butcher Zhang cleaned it, and my aunts and uncles cut it into pieces. Then my eldest aunt cooked it. The recipe was given to me by my mother. The meat is delicious because of everyone's efforts."

Gu Xiaoman objected, "But if brother doesn't hit the pig, then no one will have meat to eat!"

“Mmm,” Zhou Yi nodded adorably, “Brother is right.”

The little goldfish shook its head. "Okay, okay, brother deserves the credit."

Gu Xiaoman and Zhou Yi exchanged a glance and laughed, "Brother is the best."

The little goldfish ignored the two little ones, but caught a glimpse of Li Qingyang eating white rice out of the corner of its eye, and asked in confusion, "Why aren't you eating meat?"