Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 693: Annoying Things

After walking around the pond and looking at it carefully, Hua Lei was very satisfied. This should not be a shoddy project. Rong Jin, who had been following behind, also nodded in approval.

I didn't expect that An Bangbing was reluctant when he asked them for help. However, he was quite responsible in doing things, which is good.

There was nothing wrong with the pond, so Hualei and Rongjin continued on their way. In the afternoon, they arrived at the pond in Meilin County. After walking around, Hualei found that the pond was not as solid as the one in Taohua County.

Although the pond bottom and embankment have been rammed, it is clear that the force is not enough and the ramming is not strong enough. The depth here is similar to that of Taohua County, but the area is larger.

Assuming the rainfall is the same, the capacity and pressure of this pond will definitely be greater than those in Taohua County. There seems to be no problem now, but once the rainwater is full and the dam is not strong enough, it will easily collapse.

The nearby farmlands would be affected, causing drought and flooding. Hualei thought that it was still possible to remedy the situation before it rained.

So, Hua Lei, who originally had no plan to go to the county government office, slightly changed her route and entered the county town when it was almost dark.

She planned to find a restaurant to eat dinner first to appease her rumbling stomach. However, before she finished her dinner, Hualei discovered something that made her angry.

As the group turned a corner, they saw a dozen people standing in front of a restaurant, pushing and shoving each other. A man in his thirties was standing beside them, begging desperately.

"Soldier, our shop is a small business and we cannot sell on credit. Several soldiers have come here every day these days and our shop is really running out of money.

I would like to ask the soldiers to be kind and settle the bill. The total is 1,180 coins, and I will take 1,000 coins. The rest will be considered as my honor to the soldiers."

"Get lost. You're lucky that I can come here for a few days in a row. Don't make me unhappy." Soldier A pushed the man away fiercely.

Hua Lei took a closer look and judging by the clothes these people were wearing, they should be Anbang soldiers who were helping to dig ponds in the county.

When Hualei asked these people to dig the pond, she had agreed with their captain that the soldiers who helped dig the pond would have their meals provided by the county government, three meals a day, which was one more meal than the two meals a day for ordinary people.

In addition, those who want to go out for drinks and meals have to pay for it themselves. It seems that these soldiers came out for drinks and meals, but they didn't want to pay.

I wonder if all the Anbang soldiers are like this, or just these few bad apples? Does this happen all the time, or is it just a coincidence that I happened to see it? Hualei frowned.

"Uncle Soldier, I can't do that... I have old people and young children at home..." The man grabbed Soldier A's sleeve and continued to beg.

"Hey, are you looking for a fight..." Soldier A raised his fist.

"Stop..." The raised fist was caught by Tieying.

"Which bastard dares to meddle in my business?" Soldier A turned his head viciously and said in a bad tone.

"Paying for meals is only natural. Pay!" Rong Jin grabbed Hua Lei, who had a face full of anger, and stepped forward and shouted.

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Ouch! It hurts, it hurts..." Soldier A's arm was twisted behind his back.

"Give me money!" Rong Jin shouted again.

"Damn it, here come some people looking for death..." Several soldiers nearby surrounded him.

Iron Eagle and Iron Hand blocked them, and in less than half a cup of tea, more than a dozen people all fell to the ground.

Rong Jin stepped forward, pulled a purse from Soldier A's waist, took out a silver coin, and put it in the restaurant owner's hand.

"Throw all these people into the county jail." Rong Jin said coldly.

"Hey, kid, you..." Soldier A, who still wanted to act tough, had his mouth stuffed with a rag by Tieying.

Two quarters of an hour later, the Meilin County Magistrate, who had already finished his duty, was called to the main hall of the county government. Looking at the Anbang soldiers tied up with ropes behind their backs, the Meilin County Magistrate had a look of surprise, joy, and helplessness on his face.

Looking at the constantly changing facial expressions of Mei County Magistrate, Hua Lei knew that the county government should know about this matter, so this was not an accidental event.

More than 1,500 soldiers were divided into several groups, and each group went to their respective counties to help dig ponds. Each group had a general flag in charge.

If all the Anbang soldiers are like this, then I am just releasing a group of bandits into every county town. This is not benefiting the people, but creating disasters for them!

Because the pond in Taohua County was well excavated and the Anbang soldiers had already withdrawn, Hualei did not enter the county town and did not find any problems.

However, since it was discovered in Meilin Town, it must be resolved. And judging from the expressions of the Mei County Magistrate and several oppressed soldiers, it is estimated that the county magistrate was unable to intimidate these Anbang soldiers before.

Originally, Hualei didn't want to attract too much attention, so she wore casual clothes. At this time, she went directly to the back hall to change into official uniforms. She also called several soldiers' general flags over. After interrogating them, she learned about the situation from the Mei County Magistrate.

There were indeed some freeloaders among the Anbang soldiers, but they were still a minority. Among the more than 300 soldiers in Meilin County, these dozen were habitual offenders, and the others all obeyed the rules and did not disturb the people excessively.

Because these soldiers were still needed to continue digging, Hualei did not beat them with a stick. Instead, he instructed the general flag on one side to keep a close watch on the soldiers who participated in the excavation.

Then they had shackles put directly on their feet and the keys were put in their sleeve pockets. After the shift was over, they were directly locked up in the county jail at night.

If this happens again, you'll be chained and put in jail for life!

Ever since they saw Hua Lei change into her official uniform, these soldiers thought that at most they would get a beating, and they could take the opportunity to rest from their injuries and avoid the heavy labor.

Who knew that Hualei would do this to them? This mild punishment was not very harmful, but it was extremely insulting.

Will he really have to go out and dig the soil with shackles on his feet? Will he have to sleep in a cell at night? His comrades will laugh at him to death. But he can't do anything when he sees the key in Hualei's sleeve pocket.

Hua Lei also raised the issue of the pond to Lin Zongqi, who was in charge of the pond excavation in Meilin County, and the pond embankment needed to be reinforced.

All the sand and gravel will be used up, and he will come to check it in person in half a month. If it is still unqualified by then, he, as the general flag, will probably be sent to jail for dereliction of duty.

Lin Zongqi nodded in agreement. He did not dare to openly oppose Hualei, who was obedient even to Bao Qianhu. So, he carefully said goodbye to Hualei and personally escorted several of his men to the county jail.