Ming nodded, understanding her mother-in-law's meaning, and already knew what to do next.

Xu Zhi wrote a letter to Chen Zhaoci and sent it to the capital by fast horse. She had already visited all the pharmacies in Miaozhou City, and many urgently needed medicinal materials were in short supply here.

As Xu Zhi followed the list and did each item, Bai Ying came over with a raincoat made of oilcloth and said to her, "Miss, look, this is a raincoat that I made based on the one that Master made back then. Last time, Master sent us a cartload of these oilcloths from Penglai, and I thought it would be convenient to make them into raincoats."

Xu Zhi looked at the raincoat made of black oilcloth. It was a simple design with a hood, which was indeed very convenient to cover herself with when it rained.

Shi Liu, already quite curious, put it on and nodded, saying to Bai Ying, "Sister Bai Ying, this raincoat is much more comfortable than a straw raincoat. Can I have it?"

Bai Ying smiled and said, "Of course it's good. There are still a few more being made over there. Once they're finished, we'll send them to the young master so they can wear them."

Xu Zhi asked Bai Ying, "If we make raincoats like these out of the oilcloth we have, how many can we make?"

Bai Ying estimated for a moment and said, "I think we can make about a hundred pieces."

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Go find a few people who are good at needlework and make all the raincoats. I need them urgently."

Bai Ying agreed, and just as she reached the courtyard gate, she saw Ping Shi rushing over. Bai Ying helped her up, and Ping Shi smiled and said, "Oh, thank you, Miss Bai Ying. If it weren't for you helping me, I might have fallen right here."

Xu Zhi quickly came over to take it, saying, "My dear sister-in-law, why are you in such a hurry? Is something wrong?"

Ping took Xu Zhi's hand and went into the house, whispering, "Just now, I saw Lord Chu's family being sent away by Lord Chu in a carriage."

Xu Zhi looked at Ping Shi in surprise. Ping Shi nodded and said, "Could it be that they went out to visit friends?"

Ping shook her head and said, "Is it necessary to bring several cartloads of luggage when visiting friends? Every year at this time, Lord Chu would send off the women of his household and their valuables. It's just that he used to do it more discreetly, and since Madam Chu doesn't usually go out to socialize, not many people know about it."

Xu Zhi asked with some surprise, "Then why are you being so blatant this year, unafraid to do it in front of others?"

Ping shook her head, not quite understanding, and said, "I'm not very clear about this either. I used to think that Madam Chu was not good at socializing, but now I understand. She just doesn't want to socialize with us. She'll just leave when things get tough, since she doesn't know many people anyway."

Ping was actually quite sad. Her husband was working himself to the bone on the dike, and she was staying behind to protect the family for him. But what about Lord Chu and Madam Chu? Especially Lord Chu, who was the local official, but when things came to a head, all he thought about was how to save his own family.

Seeing that Ping was upset, Xu Zhi took her hand and gently comforted her, "Good sister-in-law, what are you doing? Everyone has their own thoughts and choices. We can't control other people's thoughts, let alone decide their choices. We should just do our own thing. Okay, okay, don't be sad. Come here, I'll show you something good."

Upon hearing this, Ping said listlessly, "Me too. Why get angry with these people? I was quite upset at first, but now I realize I have to think about the food, drink, and daily needs of my family, and I also have to take care of my two daughters as they grow up. Where do I have the time or energy for this? I'm so bored."

Shiliu had already come over wearing the raincoat. As soon as Ping saw it, she immediately forgot her anger and sadness. She touched it with her hand and said in surprise, "Oh my, is this made of oilcloth? There is such a big piece of oilcloth! Good sister, this can be made into a raincoat. It is light and rainproof. It is amazing that you could think of such a thing."

Seeing that Ping was in a better mood, Xu Zhi pulled her to sit down and said, "It wasn't my idea. My brother and the others figured it out back then. It's just that this kind of oilcloth is rare. Didn't my brother send me several cartloads of things a few days ago? One of them was this kind of oilcloth. I don't know how they made such a big roll. Sister Bai Ying made it into raincoats like this. When you leave later, sister-in-law, take a few with you."

Ping waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I can't accept something so valuable."

Xu Zhi held Ping's hand and said, "These are all things. Sister-in-law, take a few back. They'll be more convenient to wear when it rains. I'll ask them to make a few slightly smaller ones for our He'er, Miao'er, and Sui'er later. Sister-in-law, to be frank, who knows what our city will be like after it rains? We should start preparing now."

Ping nodded and said, "I've been here for many years, dear sister. We need to buy grain. Once we buy it, it's best to put it in a high place. We also need to stock up on firewood. In the past few years, when I first came here, I didn't have much experience. We didn't have enough firewood at home, and I was worried sick about the rice and flour. Fortunately, someone kindly brought us some, which allowed me to cook. Otherwise, the children would have gone hungry."

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "This is exactly what we should prepare. I'll send someone to buy it for you right away."

The weather was still sunny. Every day, people outside the city would carry firewood into the city to sell. Xu Zhi entrusted the kitchen purchasing work to an old woman, and Bai Ying helped with the bookkeeping every day. Every evening, Bai Ying would come to Xu Zhi to report the prices of rice, flour, cooking oil, firewood, and vegetables in the city that day. This was a habit Xu Zhi had developed over the years. She had been doing this since she helped manage the household in Hexi. Xu Zhi always believed that as the head of the household, one must at least know the prices clearly so that one would not be deceived by subordinates and to constantly remind those working under one's command not to slack off. A successful master is not only strict with his subordinates, but most importantly, he does not give his subordinates the opportunity to make mistakes.

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