Clerk Li had been busy all day and only went to the Xu family's tent around dinner time. Since Zhang Zhaoci was lying in the tent, Clerk Li was too embarrassed to go too far inside. He just sat for a while in front of Xu Rao's bed, briefly talked about what happened during the day, and felt that the weather was too cold and they should find a place to settle down as soon as possible.

Xu Di said, "Father-in-law, do you think we could suggest that those of us with relatives in the area go and stay with them first, and then come back after the New Year to build the houses?"

Li, the registrar, said, “I have discussed this matter with several elderly people, and we think it is feasible. We did a simple count, and more than half of them are able to go and visit relatives. But we can’t just let them leave like this. I think we should give them some kind of subsidy.”

Xu Di said, "We can talk to Wei Lang about this and see if we can give him some money. You can't go anywhere without money, don't you think?"

Li, the registrar, said, “This matter is easy to talk about, but really difficult to handle. All the money our county earned went into repairing the city wall, and now the city has been breached, many houses have been burned down, and everything is in ruins. Rebuilding it would cost a huge sum of money.”

Xu Di said, "We can ask Wei Lang to help us figure out a solution. He came up with the idea, so he has to be responsible for cleaning up the mess for us. Don't worry about that for now. Do we have enough warm clothes and food?"

Li, the registrar, said, "There aren't enough blankets. We came out in a hurry, and no one expected things to turn out like this. Now, some families don't even have blankets to cover themselves at night."

Xu Di said, "These are no big deal, as long as we can buy them."

After Clerk Li left, Zhang Zhaoci said, "Xu Di, I think you should keep a low profile a bit. Don't be so ostentatious; it's not good."

Xu Di said, "I won't do this once my father gets better. My father-in-law is a good man, but it's still quite difficult for him to do these things well. Now that my father is like this, how can I just stand by and watch my father-in-law suffer if I don't lend him a hand? Mother, you personally found this father-in-law for me."

Zhang Zhaoci fell silent, gently patting the swaddled baby lying beside her. It was so cold at night that not only did she have to cover herself with a thick quilt, but the baby was also wrapped in a thick blanket, with another blanket on top of that.

Granny Lu lit a charcoal brazier in the tent, but the warmth was still limited. She sighed and said, "I hope we can come up with a solution soon. We can't stay here like this any longer. It's too cold, and it's not good for anyone."

Xu Di said, "When the young master comes over later, I will tell him to let us go to his general's mansion first. The general's mansion has so many courtyards, let us borrow one."

As it turned out, Wei Lang arrived a little late. When he came, he said to Xu Di, "I have already asked my steward to prepare the General's Mansion. Your family can move there first and stay in the courtyard where I usually live. In these special times, we shouldn't be too concerned about things. As for these people, I will take my time to settle them down. I will eventually find them a place to live."

"Young Master," said Granny Lu. "Shall we pack our things and head over now?"

Wei Lang said, "I asked the steward to find two carriages. You can take the carriages there. The steward said the rooms have been prepared and the kang (heated brick bed) has been heated. You can just move in."

Only then was Granny Lu relieved. The temperature was even lower at night, and Granny Lu was really worried about leaving Zhang Zhaoci and the newborn baby in the tent.

The steward of the general's mansion was a shrewd and capable man. His family had been stewards in the general's mansion for generations. Not only did he manage the huge general's mansion in an orderly manner, but he also maintained a good relationship between the general's mansion and the people in Hexi. The steward personally brought two carriages over and helped the Xu family put their people and things away before instructing the driver to go back.

No matter how many courtyards the general's mansion had, it was still limited. In such a large county town, there were several thousand people, and there was no way to accommodate them all. So, Clerk Li went to discuss with Wei Lang whether they could give some money first so that those who wanted to go and stay with their relatives could take the money and leave.

With so many people gathered below Yanmen Pass, it was hardly a good thing. Wei Lang also felt that it was his decision that had left these people homeless. If they had held the city, Uliji might have retreated due to the prolonged siege, and they could still live in their homes. Therefore, Wei Lang took out a sum of money from his private treasury and asked his steward to distribute it to these people who had evacuated from Hexi.

The rest of the matter was handled by Clerk Li and the steward of the General's Mansion. Xu Rao didn't care how it was handled. He was now lying on the warm kang, feeling comfortable all over, but he dared not move. If he moved, he felt as if the brain matter inside his head was a piece of jelly, trembling and moving, followed by nausea and vomiting.

Zhang Zhaoci had already been cleaned up by Granny Lu and Qingmiao and Qingsui, and changed into clean and soft clothes. She lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), with her youngest son lying next to her. The arrival of this youngest son had been quite a close call. Zhang Zhaoci lay on her side, staring at the little guy's sleeping face. The more she looked at him, the more she felt pity for the child. People say that the old lady loves her youngest son and eldest grandson the most, and there's a reason for that.

Granny Lu brought Zhang Zhaoci a bowl of millet porridge and said, "Have a bowl of millet porridge first. I've already arranged for someone to go to Ganzhou to buy some supplies. We'll have pig's trotter soup tomorrow. Third Grandmother, do you feel your breasts are engorged yet?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "No, it's probably because the delivery wasn't smooth. I'll prescribe myself some medicine to help with lactation. We should have all the herbs we brought with us. I'll drink two bowls and see."

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