Zhao Hanzhang rushed off to the western suburbs in a flash. Of course, she wasn’t alone—she brought all four horse handlers with her.

Looking at the endless wilderness overgrown with weeds, Zhao Hanzhang swept her hand grandly. “This will be our horse ranch in the future.”

Horse Handler Ma opened his mouth wide in astonishment.

“Of course, it can’t be called a horse ranch,” Zhao Hanzhang explained. Without qualifications granted by the court, private individuals couldn’t raise horses. Openly labeling it a horse ranch would be inviting officials to come confiscate it.

Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang said, “This will be called a pasture!”

Horse Handler Ma swallowed and asked, “We’ll just graze animals like this?”

He looked down at the wild grass by his feet, touched it, then shook his head. “Many of these grasses aren’t suitable for horses to eat. They’d be good for raising cattle though.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked down at this lush green grass, feeling pained. “Unfortunately, we have few cattle. So much grass will be wasted.”

Horse Handler Wei: …It’s just wild grass. There’s no shortage of grass suitable for cattle to eat in the fields. No need to feel so distressed.

Horse Handler Wei had raised horses for many years and was very experienced. He examined the soil beneath his feet, then rode his horse around the vicinity. Much later, he rode back, dismounted, and said to Zhao Hanzhang, “My lady, this entire area can be cleared to plant beans. Horses need to eat beans to thrive. That area over there is mostly uncultivated land. We can remove some wild grasses and plant pasture grass instead. From then on, we can intersow some each year. After several years, when the amount of pasture grass in that area increases, we should be able to raise three to five hundred horses.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes brightened slightly. “Good. Just do as you say. Where do you think the horse stables should be built?”

Horse Handler Wei pointed in a direction. “That spot would be best—it’s also near the water source, making it convenient for us to draw water.”

Zhao Hanzhang went with them to look it over and nodded with satisfaction. “Good. After the autumn harvest is finished, I’ll have people come build the stables for you. Land clearing and weed removal will proceed simultaneously. We’ll strive to get the horse ranch—oh no, the pasture—up and running before next spring.”

Horse Handler Wei asked, “When will the foals be delivered?”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “Soon. You all prepare for it.”

Through Horse Handler Wei and Magistrate Chai, Ji Yuan had contacted three horse merchants and placed orders for a total of one hundred twenty-eight horses, including thirty that were immature foals. However, they had only paid deposits—the horses would be delivered gradually later.

Ji Yuan said this was already the limit for those three merchants. If they wanted more, the merchants couldn’t provide them.

And they hadn’t even contacted Liu Kun yet.

Zhao Hanzhang rode her horse leisurely back to the county seat. Before reaching the county office, she saw Fu Tinghan standing at a street corner, watching over a steamed bun stand. About twenty children were lined up in front of him, and he was continuously taking steamed buns from the steamer to give them.

Zhao Hanzhang dismounted, left her horse with Ting He, and curiously approached. “Tinghan, what’s this…”

After looking them over, she asked, “Did you buy these?”

“No,” Fu Tinghan handed an oversized steamed bun to a child, indicating for the next one to come forward, while explaining, “I took grain from the county office and gave it to the shopkeeper to make. This relief point is only responsible for giving children something to eat. The shopkeeper can receive ten pounds of grain as payment each day.”

That sounded quite good.

Zhao Hanzhang leaned to one side watching him distribute the food. “Do you come here every afternoon to hand out grain?”

“No, the clerk responsible for this area has a stomachache. I’m temporarily filling in.” Fu Tinghan finished distributing one steamer. Just as he was about to change to the next one, Zhao Hanzhang had already picked up the empty one and set it aside, lifting the top three steamers to indicate Fu Tinghan should take out the bottom one.

Fu Tinghan paused, then took it out and placed it on top. He picked up a steamed bun and put it in a child’s bowl, then turned to Zhao Hanzhang. “In the future, let me handle this kind of rough work.”

“It’s fine—it’s just something I can do easily.” Zhao Hanzhang continued leaning against the door panel watching Professor Fu distribute steamed buns.

As she watched, her gaze followed his movements to settle on the children lined up before him. They were dressed in rags, some not only with grimy fingernails but also dirty faces.

After receiving their buns, they didn’t immediately stuff them in their mouths. Instead, they first broke them open, kept half, and then urgently ate the other half.

Zhao Hanzhang reached out and pulled over a child who had received a bun and was about to leave. She asked, “It’s already evening—time for the evening meal, right? Who are you saving this half for?”

The child looked at her timidly and said quietly, “For tomorrow morning.”

Fu Tinghan explained from the side, “One meal a day, one bun per meal.”

He paused before continuing, “The county office granary doesn’t have that much grain. We have to ration carefully.”

Currently, the entire county was operating on work-relief programs. To receive grain, one had to work. Fu Tinghan had set work quotas corresponding to grain amounts—an adult laborer could earn enough grain per day to feed himself and two children.

However… there were still many orphans in the county seat without fathers or mothers, as well as lone elderly without support. So Fu Tinghan could only establish separate relief points.

But making them full was impossible. He could only ensure they wouldn’t starve to death.

Zhao Hanzhang asked the child, “Where do you live?”

The child pointed to an alley. “In there.”

Zhao Hanzhang simply followed him in to look. She saw he was pointing to a place where a corner of the courtyard had collapsed. Inside were bloodstains, and on the ground were blood-red drag marks. Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Is this your family’s house?”

“Yes,” the child said matter-of-factly. “My father and mother are both buried. This is mine, but they say it won’t be mine much longer.”

He raised his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang earnestly. “My lady, can the government office not take my home?”

According to the rules, without adult males, there was no household. A child this young couldn’t establish his own household. The government office would temporarily manage his family’s assets and return them when he came of age.

However, with the current chaotic times, once these things were handed over, there was basically no possibility of getting them back.

Of course, even if he didn’t hand them over, this child might not be able to keep them either.

Zhao Hanzhang reached out to touch his head. “No, it can’t. The government office will temporarily safeguard it for you. You living in this house might not be able to keep it, but if it’s placed in the county office, I promise you—as long as I remain in charge of Xiping County for even one day, the government office will only be holding it in trust.”

Zhao Hanzhang continued, “I’ll establish a Charity Hall. You and other children who’ve lost their parents will go live in the Charity Hall. I’ll also hire people to teach you all to read. When you reach sixteen years of age, or after you graduate from school and can work to earn money, the property the government office is safeguarding for you will be returned intact.”

The child asked in a daze, “Even though I’m a commoner, I can learn to read?”

“Of course,” Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Everyone in the world has the right to read and become literate, as long as you want to.”

Zhao Hanzhang took his hand. “Come on, let me first introduce you to your first teacher.”

Fu Tinghan saw her return leading a child by the hand, smiling ingratiatingly, and raised an eyebrow. “What are you planning now?”

Zhao Hanzhang swung the child’s hand. “I want to establish a Charity Hall, and also build a school. These children always need to be properly settled. Besides, aren’t we short of talent? We can’t broadly issue recruitment notices, so we can only cultivate our own. I think these are good candidates.”

—