"What?! There are steamed buns!"

The refugees, who were initially filled with fear, suddenly erupted into a frenzy, all staring at Su An in disbelief.

"Fried dough sticks? What are fried dough sticks?"

"Never mind what it is! There are steamed buns! We can finally fill our stomachs! We don't have to just drink thin porridge anymore!"

In an instant, many people burst into tears of excitement and knelt down before Su An.

"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss, you saved my life!"

Seeing the refugees so happy they cried tears of joy, Su An felt extremely sad. He asked Fu Zhun's men to help maintain order at the entrance and instructed them to have Zhang San bring out the cooked food for distribution.

The diners were robbed by the vagrants, and now the table is a mess.

She quickly turned back into the shop and said sincerely, "I'm sorry everyone, I will arrange another table for you, and then we will be temporarily closing!"

Su An's words startled all the diners in the restaurant.

They have plenty of money, and besides, they've become addicted to the taste of Su's shop. If it closes down, where will they find such delicious food again?

Seeing the diners' dissatisfaction, Su An explained repeatedly, "Nowadays, there are vagrants everywhere in the county, and the security can't keep up. In the future, there will only be more and more incidents of people breaking into shops. This is a last resort."

"Furthermore, there are too many refugees, and the county's grain reserves are running low. Our small shop has a lot of flour, so we've been making steamed buns and other wheat-based foods to help the disaster victims. It's our small contribution."

Su An patiently explained, not wanting this matter to affect the shop's reputation, as these were all loyal customers who came rain or shine!

Fortunately, the diners were understanding after hearing this, and their initial displeasure turned into admiration.

"Boss Su's business is booming, yet he's willing to close his shop to help disaster victims. He truly has the heart of a bodhisattva!"

"Boss, please let us know as soon as you open your business!"

Su An breathed a sigh of relief, and after calming the diners down, he hurriedly led everyone to start steaming buns and making noodles, making some food that could be cooked quickly.

The family and everyone else saw the plight of the disaster victims and felt a deep sense of pity and heaviness in their hearts. They quickly busied themselves in the kitchen, and even everyone from Fu Zhun's side joined in.

After the first pot of porridge, steamed buns, and noodles were sent out, the commotion outside quickly subsided, and all that could be seen were people kneeling and weeping in obeisance before the Su family.

Su An was exhausted, her back aching, but her heart was heavy. She discussed the disaster victims with Fu Zhun in the courtyard.

Fu Zhun had already sent his secret guards to investigate. He said with a cold expression, "There is a severe drought in the north. There has been no rain since the beginning of spring. Streams have dried up and crops have failed, causing people to flee to the south en masse."

The South is relatively prosperous, unlike the barren North which is also suffering from drought, so people naturally flock there hoping to make a living.

Su An asked, puzzled, "But even so, why are there so many refugees coming to Fuyou County? Don't the big cities and small towns ahead accept people?"

Fuyou County is just a backward small county. What merit or ability does it have to settle this large group of refugees?

Not only is the county packed, but I heard that even the main roads outside the county have been filled with camps, and there's almost no place to stay.

The county magistrate had no choice but to set up checkpoints at the city gates to control the number of migrants entering the city.

Fu Zhun clenched his fists, his voice cold and angry: "That's right, the towns along the way didn't allow the refugees to enter, and they were driven down layer by layer until they finally reached Fuyou County."

Su An immediately understood.

None of the officials wanted to take on such a huge mess, and the magistrate of Fuyou County was honest and kind, and would not do something like closing the city and driving people away. Therefore, all the refugees rushed to Fuyou County!

A fire ignited in Su An's heart, a feeling of anger mixed with a sense of powerlessness.

She was angry, but she didn't have the ability to solve such a big problem on her own.

However, as if remembering something, she suddenly raised her head: "Fu Zhun, have you ever heard of sweet potatoes? They are an important food, delicious and filling, with high yields and drought resistance. One acre can yield two to three thousand kilograms, which might be able to solve this drought!"

Fu Zhun was frowning in thought when he heard this and was caught off guard and stunned. "There is such a crop? I have never heard of it."

Su An's heart sank. Well, this answer seemed to be expected again.

She had been here for so long and had never seen sweet potatoes, and even Prince Fu Zhun had never heard of them. It seemed that they had indeed not been introduced here yet.

She said with regret and seriousness, "Sweet potatoes are a foreign crop, and we still need to import them from overseas."

These two words caused a huge uproar in Fu Zhun's heart, and he was so shocked that he couldn't say a word.

The idea of ​​sweet potatoes sounded so absurd; he had never heard of them before. Yet Su An seemed incredibly certain, as if he knew everything about sweet potatoes.

He suppressed the strange turmoil in his heart and said, "It seems you are very familiar with this thing. Since it was introduced from overseas, I will immediately order people to collect seeds and crops from overseas. I will need your help to identify them then."

Su An's eyes lit up when she heard this.

This method is feasible!

When she worked as a private chef, she would grow her own vegetables and fruits, which saved money and allowed her to pick fresh produce. This gave her experience, and she was no problem recognizing seeds!

Without delay, Fu Zhun dispatched a large number of secret guards to search for them.

Over the next three days, seeds and seedlings were delivered one after another, but to everyone's disappointment, none of them were sweet potatoes.

Su An was not discouraged. The Great Chu Dynasty's maritime trade had been operating for who knows how long, and with so much trade coming and going, it wasn't so easy to find. At least there was hope.

As she closed her shop to provide relief to disaster victims, diners praised her for her kindness, which inspired several other eateries in the county to follow suit and set up porridge shops.

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