As he was thinking about the charity auction, he saw several people striding toward him. Looking closely, he recognized County Magistrate Xu Qinglian, followed by his adviser Xing Shan and two yamen runners.
Xu Qinglian's carriage had stopped some distance away. The road near the embankment was muddy, and fearing that the carriage would get stuck, he had come up on foot along a stone-paved path. Although the distance was short, his official boots were already spattered with mud.
Hu Xiaotian cupped his hands toward Xu Qinglian from afar and smiled. "Good morning, Magistrate Xu!" His eyes instinctively flicked toward the man's crotch. Xu Qinglian had not wet his trousers today.
Xu Qinglian looked up at the sun. It was already past eleven, and he called this morning? The brat never said anything sensible. His little eyes swept over the embankment, and he asked snidely, "Why are you here all by yourself?"
"The weather cleared up," Hu Xiaotian said. "The men had been working for a whole day and night. They were exhausted, so I sent them back to rest."
Ever since Hu Xiaotian had made him wet his bed yesterday, Xu Qinglian had been seething with anger and had found no outlet for it. At the sight of Hu Xiaotian, grievances old and new surged into his heart all at once. "Hu Xiaotian," he snapped, "guarding the embankment is no small matter. I told you repeatedly that this embankment concerns the safety of the entire Azure Cloud County seat. If anything goes wrong and the court demands accountability, I fear even I won't be able to protect you."
Although Xu Qinglian had always harbored ill intentions toward Hu Xiaotian, since Hu Xiaotian's arrival in Azure Cloud, they had at least maintained a courteous front. This was the first time