Start By Parsing The Sun

Chapter 257: [256] The Grand Chancellor's Governance, Fiery Red Lotus, and Long-Distance Chat with Qingqing

Early in the morning.

Chen Shu and his wife, braving the swirling snowflakes, were pushing their own cart, which was their family's livelihood - a pancake cart.

Their destination was the heart of Anhua City - the Political Square.

As they passed a road covered in thick snow, a group of inspectors happened to pass by.

The head inspector gave a command, and a group of people rushed forward, pulling from the front and pushing from the back, easily getting the pancake cart out of the snowy section of the road.

Even the two spirit mastiffs helped push the cart with their hind legs.

The couple sincerely and anxiously thanked them, "Thank you very much for the help, inspectors!"

The head inspector waved his hand indifferently and led his team away.

"Woof! Woof!"

The dogs barked a few times at the couple, as if reminding them to be careful on their journey.

Chen Shu looked at the inspectors as they gradually disappeared into the distance and muttered softly, "Since the arrival of the Grand Chancellor, the Inspectorate has completely changed."

His wife, Wang Fen, whispered in agreement, "Yes, they used to be fierce and terrifying, but now they are much friendlier to the common people."

The couple sighed together and continued on their way, pushing the pancake cart.

Half an hour later.

The couple arrived at the Political Square.

"Creak!"

Accompanied by the sound of trampling on the snow, a young steward in uniform walked quickly towards them and said directly, "Do you have a business permit?"

Chen Shu quickly replied, "Yes, I do!"

The middle-aged man carefully took out a palm-sized metal plate from the inner pocket of his winter clothes and handed it to Chen Shu.

The steward carefully examined it and said seriously, "The Grand Chancellor, in his kindness, has designated an area in the square for you to operate."

"It is right under his nose, so please operate with integrity, without shortchanging or substituting inferior ingredients, and pay attention to food hygiene..."

The steward listed more than ten prohibitions in one breath, his tone becoming stern, "If anyone violates them, the permit will be confiscated immediately, understand?"

Chen Shu nodded repeatedly, "Understood!"

To obtain this permit, he boldly spent all of his family's savings of thirty silver coins. Naturally, he wouldn't dare to do anything that would result in a loss.

The steward waved his hand, "Alright."

The couple quickly pushed the pancake cart to the designated location.

Chen Shu glanced at the sky and quickly said, "I estimate that in another ten minutes, someone will come. I'll start the fire, and you prepare the pancakes."

The middle-aged man squatted down, first stuffing fuel blocks into the stove, then pouring in a little brown oil, and finally striking a few times with a flint, causing a blazing flame to burst out.

Wang Fen quickly took out various things, such as pancake batter, sauces, and various toppings.

Not even ten minutes had passed.

A bearded commoner walked towards the square.

Chen Shu glanced at him and decisively shouted, "Hot and delicious pancakes, tasty and affordable!"

This sound, like a signal.

The dozen or so stalls in the business district all started shouting.

"Hot steaming buns, warm and filling!"

"Sweet ginger tea, warming the heart and stomach!"

The voices of the stall owners were not too loud, nor did they continuously shout, as per the supervisor's request.

After all, the government building was not far away. If it was as noisy as a market here, wouldn't it affect the work of the staff?

Perhaps it was because he was the first one to call out, the big-bearded man walked straight towards the pancake stall.

Soon enough.

The pancake stall got its first business of the day - three pancakes.

While skillfully making pancakes, Chen Shu smiled and asked, "Are you here to see the 'Galloping War Horses' in the Political Hall Square?"

The big-bearded man nodded, "Yes! I heard there are only three performances every day, and each time it's packed with people, so I came early."

The so-called "Galloping War Horses" were the twelve stone horses that Cheng Han had created on a whim a few days ago.

He gave the horses the command to run three times in the morning, afternoon, and evening, as a way to showcase their presence, while serving as statues the rest of the time.

Unexpectedly, after this matter spread, many commoners came out of curiosity.

At first, the guards of the Political Hall would drive away unrelated people.

Cheng Han sat in his office and noticed this scene, decisively stopping the guards' actions and ordering the square to be opened to the entire city's commoners.

Since then, the Political Square had completely become a famous attraction in the city.

People came to visit from morning till night, and when the stone horses galloped, even more people gathered, creating a lively scene.

At this moment.

Chen Shu became excited and showed off his knowledge, "Ever since the Chief Executive took office, there has been big news in Anhua City every day."

"Everyone thought that the Wishing Monument in Dongshan Park was a tool for the Chief Executive to listen to the voices of the common people, but who knew that the stone monument could actually cure illnesses and save lives."

"The officials of the Political Hall said that at least three thousand commoners encountered doctors in their dreams in the stone monument and were diagnosed with hidden illnesses, with prescriptions given."

The big-bearded man looked surprised, "The Wishing Monument is that powerful?!"

Chen Shu chuckled, "The Chief Executive also issued an executive order, commanding major pharmacies to temporarily open branches at the entrance of the park, so that the commoners can easily get their prescribed medicine."

His wife, Wang Fen, skillfully put a pancake into a paper bag and added, "The people from the Political Hall also said that with so many pharmacies gathered together, it's very convenient for the commoners to compare prices and buy cheaper medicine."

The big-bearded man nodded repeatedly, "This is indeed a good idea!"

Chen Shu changed the topic, "I don't know if you know, but yesterday the Chief Executive personally signed the 'Low-Income Family Living Security Act,' also known as the 'Low-Income Guarantee Act.'"

The big-bearded man looked curious, "Oh? I haven't heard of that."

In the spirit of serving the customer, Chen Shu immediately explained, "The general idea of the act is that low-income families are divided into three categories based on their income, and each category can receive a certain amount of subsidy."

Wang Fen added, "The lowest category, the extremely difficult families, can receive a subsidy of up to six silver coins per month!"

Ordinary monthly income is usually around twenty silver coins, so six silver coins is definitely not a small amount of money.

The big-bearded man exclaimed, "The Chief Executive is truly a good person who cares about the common people."

Chen Shu handed over the pancake, agreeing deeply, "Who can deny that? Compared to the previous Chief Executives, they are really far inferior to this Chief Executive."

Da Hu Zi took the pancake and smiled, "You seem to know a lot about the Council Hall."

Chen Shu smiled, "My wife and I set up our stall at the entrance of the Council Hall. Many officials come to us to buy pancakes, so how can we not know?"

Da Hu Zi handed over the money, "You don't need to give me change for the extra two copper coins. Consider it a tip."

Chen Shu smiled, "You are too generous!"

*

As time passed, more and more people flowed into the Council Square.

Although the crowd was so large that it could be described as "a sea of people," the Inspection Office had gained experience in dealing with it. A large number of inspectors who arrived early maintained order in an orderly manner.

With more people, the business at the pancake stall naturally became more prosperous.

Chen Shu and his wife were so busy that their feet never touched the ground, and their hands never stopped.

"Dang! Dang!"

A loud bell suddenly rang through the Council Square.

The tens of thousands of people gathered here surged in an instant.

Because this meant that the first horse race of the morning was about to begin.

Chen Shu wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed, "Finally, we can take a break."

Wang Fen quickly counted the money in the iron box and whispered, "In just a short while, we earned at least five silver coins."

Chen Shu looked at the towering Council Building and devoutly muttered, "Thank you, Your Excellency, the Chief Minister."

In the past, he would never dare to set up a stall in the Council Square. As soon as he got close, he would be rudely driven away, and his cart might even be overturned.

But now, the Chief Minister personally designated a business area and even created the magical horse race, giving him hope for a better life.

"Dang! Dang!"

The bell continued to ring.

Wang Fen wiped her hands on her apron, feeling extremely happy, "It's about to start."

Chen Shu nodded and looked towards the center of the square, "There seem to be more people today than yesterday."

The business area was located behind the crowd.

From their perspective, all they could see were layers upon layers of heads, and at most, they could only see the heads of the stone horse statues.

After a few seconds.

A huge commotion suddenly erupted in the square.

Because all twelve horses came to life and started shaking their heads and tails.

Ordinary people had never seen such a scene before, so naturally, they were all shocked.

"Dong! Dong!"

A dull vibration came from the ground.

The twelve stone horses began to run along the dedicated track enclosed by iron railings.

Wang Fen tiptoed, her face filled with anticipation, "I wonder what new tricks there will be today?"

Since the birth of the stone horses, there had been different tricks every day, so many people came to watch every day.

"Dong! Dong!"

The sound of horse hooves became more and more intense, indicating that the horses were running faster and faster.

Five seconds later.

The sea of people suddenly boiled over.

"Oh my god!"

"Oh my goodness!"

Such exclamations resounded in waves.

Each of the stone horses' hooves was actually emitting flames.

At a glance, this group of stone horses had turned into fiery warhorses.

Even more astonishingly, every time a horse's hoof touched the ground, it left behind a ball of flames, which then bloomed into a lifelike fiery lotus.

After the group of stone horses ran a lap, the track was left with a circle of fiery lotuses.

This scene was truly breathtaking.

*

Inside the palace.

Two guardian mystics stared at the images projected by the mystic formation and couldn't help but be speechless.

It wasn't until a minute had passed that the group of stone horses stopped running and returned to their original positions, turning back into stone sculptures, that the two of them came back to their senses.

The guardian mystic Xu Daoming had a complex expression, "Tsk tsk, the day before yesterday, the ground where the horses ran sprouted colorful flowers, yesterday there were ice lotuses, and today it's fire lotuses."

The other guardian mystic, Zhao Qihuan, couldn't help but sigh, "This kid's tricks are really out of the ordinary!"

To tell the truth, as mystics, the two of them felt like they were having their eyes opened wide.

*

Inside the Council Building.

The female secretary Xie You stood behind a large glass window, overlooking the track covered in fiery lotuses, and her enticing red lips formed an "O" shape.

Right beside her.

Cheng Han didn't pay much attention to the scene on the square.

He was chatting with his girlfriend, Qian Qingqing, through his own detective cat, "Do you want to see the fiery warhorses?"

They had this kind of long-distance chat almost every day.

During this period of time, although they hadn't met, they hadn't grown apart at all. On the contrary, their feelings had become even closer.

Soon.

The little girl's answer came.

"I do!"