Zheng Yuanyuan slept until the morning of the next day before waking up.

My whole body aches, especially my thighs, which feel like countless needles are piercing my flesh. Although I have wiped my hands and face with a hot cloth, I still feel sticky all over because I haven't showered for five or six days and the room is warm.

Seeing Zheng Yuanyuan wake up, Bai Wei, who had been watching over her, said with delight, "Oh my, Miss Zheng, you're awake!"

Zheng Yuanyuan had slept for so long without having a single dream. When she saw Bai Wei, she tugged at her lips, her throat dry and sore.

Bai Wei had already gone outside to call for help. Immediately afterward, there was a sound of footsteps outside, and Chen Zhaoci came in first. After entering, he sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed Zheng Yuanyuan's hand, and began to take her pulse.

Xu Zhi followed behind and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Zheng Yuanyuan had woken up. She said, "Yuanyuan, you're finally awake! I was so worried if you hadn't woken up."

Chen Zhaoci put Zheng Yuanyuan's hand under the covers and said, "It's nothing, she's just too tired. Let her drink some warm water first, then go to the kitchen to make some rice porridge, and she can have steamed buns for dinner."

When Zheng Yuanyuan saw Xu Zhi, tears welled up in her eyes. She pursed her lips and said, "Sister-in-law, I almost couldn't hold on several times along the way. I wanted to come and see you and my brother as soon as possible. The guard even said to find a place to rest before continuing, but I was afraid that people from the capital would come after me. I had no other choice but to grit my teeth and keep running."

Xu Zhi quickly wiped away her tears and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I sent someone to pick you up, but you came back first. It's good that you're here. Rest well, and I'll take you to the beach when you're feeling better."

Zheng Yuanyuan agreed, and Bai Wei brought her a bowl of warm water. Zheng Yuanyuan sat up and drank it all in one gulp, then drank two bowls of millet porridge before Xu Zhi chased her to sleep.

Perhaps because she had slept too much, Zheng Yuanyuan was in good spirits. She kept talking to Xu Zhi, until Zheng Boyuan returned from the seaside barracks. At that moment, Zheng Yuanyuan grabbed her brother's hand and burst into tears.

After crying it out, the pent-up emotions dissipated. After dinner, Zheng Yuanyuan lay down and fell asleep. However, she developed a fever in the middle of the night and became delirious. Chen Zhaoci prescribed medicine, brewed it, and administered it to her using a pickaxe. Then, he and others used physical methods to lower her fever, wiping her armpits and groin with cotton cloths soaked in alcohol. The fever gradually subsided around 4 a.m., and Chen Zhaoci finally went back to lie down.

Zheng Yuanyuan's illness came on suddenly and she remained bedridden until the Lunar New Year, still feeling weak and sickly.

Xu Zhi regretted it a little, and took Zheng Yuanyuan's hand, saying, "Your health isn't good, so why did I ask you to come? We rushed all this way, how can your body handle it?"

Zheng Yuanyuan's face was still a little pale. She smiled and said, "I've taken so much medicine, and my body is in good condition. Didn't you see that I rode all the way from the capital by myself? I haven't been idle these years. When I was in Hexi, I went horseback riding with people on the grasslands. When I was in Yuezhou, I even went out to sea with people. Sister-in-law, don't worry. I was just feeling uneasy a few days ago, afraid that the Sixth Prince would come after me. I was so worried that I lost my nerve, and that's why I got sick."

Xu Zhi still felt a little guilty, but seeing that Zheng Yuanyuan's health was getting better day by day, she was finally relieved.

Zheng Boyuan has been busy at the barracks recently. Although it is not yet the New Year, the ground is frozen to a foot thick. However, there is a lot of work to be done in the early stages of building the barracks. Xu Di is not only busy with building the barracks, but also with the affairs of the entire Penglai County. Xu Di feels that he has a responsibility to take care of the food, drink and daily life of the people in so many villages and towns in the county.

The most urgent task is to find a way for ordinary people to get rich.

Everyone understands this principle, but nowadays, apart from fishermen who don't have good land to cultivate by the sea, most people would rather guard their small plot of land and make a living all year round than do any small business. In this era, the social hierarchy is scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant. Farming is hard and tiring, but farmers are ranked ahead of artisans and merchants, and have a higher social status.

Xu Di has no time to complain about these things now. The imperial court has already allocated the funds for building the barracks and providing disaster relief grain for the three villages. Because the matter has a significant impact, Emperor Liang Cheng personally oversaw it, and no one tried to embezzle the funds. However, this money is really just a drop in the ocean compared to what Xu Di needs to do.

Xu Di deeply understood that changing mindsets was now imperative, but how to do it required careful consideration. He was an official appointed by the imperial court, the highest-ranking official in this region, representing the face of the court. One careless move could dig a pit for himself and eventually drown him. Never underestimate the wisdom of the ancients, especially their wisdom in officialdom.

With so many things to consider, Xu Di had to make the decisions. Some ideas couldn't even be discussed with County Magistrate Yuan and Registrar Tong. These two seemed to be able to carry out his orders well, but who knew who was behind them?

Xu Di simply put those matters aside and distributed the disaster relief funds and grain sent by the imperial court. The New Year was just around the corner, and having food and money in hand could help people forget some of the past hardships. After the New Year, they should move forward and live well, rather than dwelling on the past.

Building a brick kiln is no easy task. Brick kilns waste a lot of land, but the current level of technology does not allow Xu Di to pay too much attention to these issues. Due to the lack of advanced technology, they can only use such traditional methods to fire bricks and tiles.

They found an old craftsman who had built a brick kiln and helped them find a piece of wasteland. They planned to build the kiln and fire bricks and tiles after the New Year. Not only would the military camp need a lot of bricks and tiles, but also the five households in Xiaowangzhuang would need a lot of bricks and tiles to build houses.

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