roccoschili Chapter 144 Disaster Relief
Chapter 144 Disaster Relief
Huaying drank some herbal tea and told Fu Shiyan what she had seen along the way.
Fu Shiyan handed the smoothie that An Nian brought to Hua Ying, "If it doesn't rain again, there will be a disaster. It's better to prepare early. Even if there is no natural disaster, we still need to eat."
Huaying looked at the sky through the window. It was cloudless and didn't look like it would rain.
Fu Shiyan picked up a cattail leaf fan and fanned Huaying. "Let's talk to the teacher and classmates when we go to the provincial academy tomorrow. If there are any signs, we can make plans." When natural disasters strike, it is inevitable that lives will be lost. We should save as many as we can.
Huaying frowned. If a natural disaster comes, it will be accompanied by man-made disasters.
"Huaying." Fu Shiyan saw Huaying's worried face and called out. "It might rain in a few days. Don't worry too much. Don't you still have the court?"
"Tell me what you have been doing at home these days." Fu Shiyan sat next to Huaying and took her hand to play with it carefully. This little hand is now as smooth as jade, not as rough as it was in Taohua Town.
“I went to the fields all day long in the past few days, and I will have to go to the fields again in the future.” I don’t know when the waterwheel will be completed.
Fu Shiyan looked at Huaying tenderly, continued to fan her with a fan, and fed her a sweet date. "If you like the rural life so much, when you marry me, the backyard will be yours, and you can do whatever you want."
Huaying's mouth curled up beautifully, Hmm, this date is really sweet.
"Second brother, I just came back from the clinic, and there are so many beggars on the street." Before Shi Nuan came in, her voice had already reached the ears of the two men.
When he entered the study and saw the person coming, he was surprised and said, "Sister Huaying, when did you come? Shi Nuan missed you so much." After saying that, he hugged Huaying's arm affectionately.
Shi Nuan has grown very fast and is now as tall as Huaying's chin, but her clinginess has not changed at all.
Huaying smiled and handed her a cup of cold tea, then picked up the embroidered handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Shi Nuan's forehead. "You're such a grown-up girl, why are you still so impulsive when encountering things?"
Shi Nuan smiled shyly and said playfully, "Sister-in-law taught me this, Shi Nuan remember it."
Then he remembered the rumors he had heard on the street and said seriously, "The price of food on the street has risen today, four cents higher than yesterday."
"These four cents may not seem like much at first glance, but when you consider the price of food, if you buy rice or flour in quantities of ten or twenty kilograms, it adds up to a lot." Huaying rubbed his forehead.
"Tell Uncle Zhang and An Nian later to store some food. Don't go out without permission as a little girl."
The palace examination will be held in half a month. Let’s just endure this period first.
Seeing Huaying’s worried face, Shi Nuan nodded obediently.
Huaying returned to the Shen Mansion, discussed with her mother, and ordered the housekeeper to collect large amounts of grain and vegetables.
A few days later, a large number of victims poured into Chang'an Avenue.
The price of grain is getting higher day by day. Grain merchants have been stabbed in the back countless times, but the price of grain has not dropped a penny. There are many people snatching grain, making trouble, and closing shops on the streets.
The wealthy families stayed indoors and most of the people who went to the streets to buy food were men.
In the evening, seeing her father dragging his tired steps back home, Huaying hurriedly went forward to ask: "Father, there is a disaster in Yuezhou Prefecture. Has anyone reported it to the emperor?"
My father slowly took off his official hat, revealing the gray hair on his temples, and nodded slightly with a frown.
"The disaster in Yuezhou Prefecture is more serious than expected, with starving people everywhere. The one in charge of disaster relief this time is Fu Shichen, the eldest son of the Fu family. Yuezhou is a tough nut to crack!"
Huaying felt a tightness in her heart. Disaster relief work was arduous. Not only did they have to appease the people and distribute relief grain, they also had to consider post-disaster reconstruction.
These tasks may seem simple, but they actually concern the life and death of countless people.
It is the duty of an official to do a good job; but if he does not do a good job, he may risk losing his head.
At this time, my mother also came over with a string of Buddhist beads in her hand.
"I pray to the Buddha every day to bless Wu State with a heavy rain." She clasped her hands together, hoping to receive God's blessing.
The next day, the gates of the capital were quietly closed, the court set up porridge stalls, and issued a new decree: "Anyone who raises the price of rice again will be killed without mercy." Only then did the chaos in Chang'an calm down.
At daybreak, the grain transported to Yuezhou Prefecture for disaster relief was on the way. Huaying, wearing a veiled hat, accompanied Fu Shiyan and Shi Nuan to send her elder brother Fu Shichen to the city gate.
"Brother, everyone avoids this kind of job, why do you have to rush to do it? Since returning to Beijing, the three of us have eaten together so many times that I can't count them all. I don't know when I will be able to see you again this time."
Shi Nuan's eyes were red, and she looked at her elder brother with grievance.
"Nuannuan, don't cry. Big brother promised to come back soon." Fu Shichen felt depressed and wiped the tears from his little sister's face.
He looked at Fu Shiyan who was standing behind his younger sister, "The palace examination is about to begin, I wish you success." He looked at Huaying, "When I come back, it will be time for you to drink at your wedding."
Fu Shichen showed a trace of relief on his face, and his tone had a hint of parental maturity.
"Brother, take care and wait for your return."
Fu Shichen jumped on his horse and shouted to the team transporting the imperial grain, "Let's go."
If I return from this disaster relief mission, I will have a seat in the court and be able to provide a support for my younger brothers and sisters. My parents in heaven will also be able to rest assured.
Looking back at the three people standing at the city gate, who were gradually getting smaller, Fu Shichen squeezed his horse's belly tightly and shouted, "Gee!" and galloped forward...
The next day, Huaying stood on the river bank, the ground beneath her feet was cracked.
The seedlings were barely alive. In the distance, several water wheels were desperately watering the crops. The water in the river had already run dry.
If it doesn't rain soon, not only Yuezhou, but even the capital will be in danger.
After some time, the number of porridge stalls in the city gradually decreased, and the streets slowly returned to their previous state. The city of Chang'an was preparing for the upcoming palace examination, the final exam of the Wu State.
Shops and street vendors sold study tools and books. Even the inns offered high-end and high-end rooms. The streets were bustling for a while.
The sun is still shining brightly today. Fu Shiyan, who had just returned from school, saw Huaying standing in front of a bookstall. He walked over quickly and held an umbrella over her head.
Huaying knew it was Fu Shiyan without turning around, just because there was a faint scent of ink on him.
"The palace examination is about to begin. Are all the things ready?" Huaying asked Fu Shiyan.
"Uncle Zhang has prepared everything a long time ago. It's too hot outside, let's go have some tea." After saying that, Fu Shiyan took Huaying to the teahouse.
The teahouse was doing good business and the private rooms were full. Fu Shiyan and Hua Ying were led by the waiter to a table by the window on the second floor.
"A pot of tea, a plate of mung bean cakes, and a plate of candied fruits," Fu Shiyan picked two of Huaying's favorite foods.
The waiter agreed to all the requests.
Huaying couldn't help but raise the corner of her mouth after listening to Fu Shiyan's words. She knows how to take care of people.
The teahouse gradually filled up and the storyteller also showed up and talked about the current disaster relief efforts.
"Are we allowed to talk about these things?" Huaying held her chin and looked at the storyteller.
There is no freedom of speech in Wu State now, and one should be more cautious when talking about the affairs of the court of the previous dynasty. After all, the speaker may not mean it but the listener may take it seriously.
Huaying was a little worried, but she felt that she was overthinking.
"What's there to hide? Our emperor is a wise ruler, he won't blame you for such trivial matters." said a guest at the next table.
"The emperor sent people to provide relief and comfort the people before the disaster in Yuezhou Prefecture came. If others tell about it, they will only express gratitude to the emperor for his kindness," said Fu Shiyan.