Outside Jinhua Prefecture City, beside rows of irrigation canals, stretched vast paddy fields. They were dotted with farmsteads made of a few thatched huts, and occasionally, patches of uneven land were planted with various vegetables and spices.
Near the city gates, two low-ranking officials from the Governor's Office were guiding a young man wearing short, narrow-sleeved Daoist robes and a waist token from the Daoist Scripture Hall as he inspected the ears of rice in a paddy field.
In the distance, a few farmers hid behind a haystack, staring at the group and chatting quietly among themselves.
"What are those officials up to?"
"Are you blind? Can't you see they're inspecting the ears of rice?"
"I'm asking *why* they're looking at the ears of rice."
"You! Asking questions so aggressively. You're a natural-born cucumber, just begging to be smacked!"
"Well, I think you're a walnut, begging to be hammered!"
