Chapter 65 Persuading Disaster Victims of the Gao County Flood (6) - The Female Lead's Clever Battle...

Songshan Town, Xiahaimiao. A rare breeze dispersed the moisture, and the sky was cloudless.

In front of the ochre-red courtyard wall, a group of yamen runners were posting official documents with vermilion annotations.

The clerk moved the bamboo clothes rack by the wall, directed the yamen runners to bring over tables, chairs, and benches, and then took out writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from his accompanying writing box. He then cleared his throat and announced, “The flood in Gao County has been quelled! We are now recruiting craftsmen and laborers to rebuild fields and houses. Anyone willing to help rebuild their homes can register here; the government will provide daily rice and grain!”

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, then it erupted like oil being poured onto a hot pan.

“We can go back… Good heavens, we can finally go home…” The old woman’s hair was gray, and her withered fingers lifted the corner of her clothes to wipe away tears, her voice trembling.

The rough-clothed man beside her shook his head. "Mother, what's the point of going back now? The house and fields have all been swept away by the flood. Didn't you hear the government is recruiting workers to rebuild? Can you carry timber or haul stones?"

“Mother, if you ask me, it would be better to stay in Songshan Town and find a job. Repairing the river and building the embankment is terribly hard work and doesn’t pay well. Let whoever wants to go go.” The old man squatting on the stone steps took out his pipe from his waist and tapped it lightly.

"No, no, no!" the old woman stamped her feet anxiously. "We still have land at home!"

Zhong Qian and Li Yang listened in the crowd for a while. As they had expected, the disaster victims had long since passed the initial panic and were now more concerned about how to live comfortably.

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhong Qian immediately pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

"Fellow villagers," he cleared his throat, "all of you were forced to leave your homes by the flood. Now that the floodwaters have receded and roads are open again, it is the time to return home and rebuild your lives. What are you waiting for?!"

There was still a buzz of discussion below.

"Go back home?" An old man huddled against the wall looked on, trembling and muttering with a mournful face, "But... everything at home is gone..."

The woman beside him, however, had tears in her eyes and tugged at his sleeve: "Uncle, let's go back, shall we? It's the ancestral graveyard after all..."

"Go back what!" The man, who seemed to be the woman, stood up abruptly, his face darkening. He said in a rough voice, "Damn it, you're all talk and no action. What do you know? You can earn thirty coins a day working in Songshan Town. Go back to your hometown to repair the dike? Are you crazy? You don't want those thirty coins?"

The young man, who had been squatting by the incense burner for a while, finally spoke up: "That's right! My mother is still sick, how can we have the spare energy to repair the fields and build houses?"

The noise grew louder, like boiling water splashed on snow. Zhong stood on the steps, looking at the faces filled with calculation, and clenched his sleeves.

His gaze swept past the throng of people and met Li Yang's. Seeing the other nod in acknowledgment, he continued, "Fellow villagers of Gao County," he bowed deeply, "I, an old man, have been grateful for the kindness of my employer, who has been providing porridge here for over a month. Today, upon hearing that the floodwaters have receded in our hometown, my employer specially sent me to offer my assistance..."

He deliberately paused, bending down to brush off non-existent dust from his sleeve. A hush fell over the room—these disaster victims relied on the soup kitchens run by the flower farm for their livelihood; even those who found work in town would rush back to Xiahaimiao for a bowl of thin porridge. If the flower farm stopped providing relief…

Zhong Qian chimed in at the opportune moment: "The host is kind and generous, and has specially set up a reward for those who return home: three taels for those who register on the first day, two taels for the second day, and one tael for the third day. There is a three-day limit, and those who miss the deadline will not be accepted."

Before the words were even finished, the crowd erupted in excitement. Countless eyes darted back and forth between the notice and the clock, and the abacus beads clicked and clattered.

The dark-faced craftsman suddenly clenched his money bag, looked up abruptly, and realized that the amount of the reward and wages was beyond calculation.

The young man squatting by the incense burner helped his sick mother up so she could look around, and even the old man by the wall straightened up, trembling.

Seeing that many people were still observing, the clerk took the opportunity to unfold a scroll of documents and said in a cold voice: "Songshan Town has issued a notice that the soup kitchens will be cleared out in three days. Those who are not registered residents of this town are not allowed to stay and beg for a living."

The young man, who had just wanted to stay, suddenly panicked. If the town wouldn't let him stay, he had no one to rely on here.

At this moment, Li Yang stepped out from the crowd and walked towards the old woman who had spoken first: "Grandma, I went to Gao County the other day to see you. You keep talking about that old locust tree at home... That tree is still there. It wasn't washed away by the flood, and now it has sprouted new branches... Gao County is our root. When you go back, you are going home."

Upon hearing this, the old woman's tears welled up instantly. Her already hunched back trembled violently, and she pushed away the hand that was helping her up. She knelt down with a thud in the direction of Gao County, her withered hands pounding the ground as she cried out, "That tree... that tree was planted by him the year I married him! As long as the tree is still there, our home can't be considered gone... I have to go back, I have to go back no matter what!"

These words were like a boulder thrown into an already turbulent lake, creating ripples everywhere.

The dark-faced craftsman slapped his thigh suddenly: "The stone mill in my yard was also carved by my father himself! I wonder if you can still find it!"

The young man, who was squatting by the incense burner, helped his sick mother up and said urgently, "Mother, let's go back too! You often talk about missing Father, and he's still buried on that mountain!"

"Go back! All of you, go back!"

"The government gives land, and kind people give money. If we don't go now, when will we?" Someone in the crowd shouted.

The crowd surged toward the registration desk like a floodgate opening, and the clerk was instantly surrounded by villagers raising their hands to register. He hurriedly picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and left bright red handprints on the register.

Li Yang and Zhong Qian exchanged a smile, looking at the group of villagers who had been full of plans just a moment ago but were now eager to return home. They knew that the 'fire of homesickness' had finally been ignited.

The fire spread all the way from Xiahai Temple to the main building of Baomotang.

Chen Zhangshi's fingertips trembled, and the teacup clattered onto the bluestone floor: "What did you say? Even the government is openly supporting that girl?"

Granny Sun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "It's absolutely true! This servant saw with her own eyes that the young mistress took the yamen clerk to the Xiahai Temple and dismissed all the disaster victims with just a few words!"

"Impressive tactics..." A sinister glint appeared in Madam Chen's eyes. "How are the accounts over there going?"

“Madam, you are wise,” said Granny Sun, her forehead beaded with cold sweat. “Manager Zhong has been dismissed by the young master, and now a friend of the young mistress is in charge of the accounts. Our people can’t find out a thing.”

She swallowed hard, then added, "I've heard that the Flower Bureau has recently been using Mr. Zheng's calligraphy as a selling point, and with their top courtesan frequently in charge, they're really riding high..."

Veins bulged on Chen Zhangshi's face instantly, her nails digging deep into her palms, leaving white marks. "Bai'er actually ruined all those good-for-nothing friends of his! That little beast has forgotten his mother after getting married, daring to stab her in the back!" She suddenly grabbed Granny Sun's collar, "Ruqing, you go immediately..."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and a maid announced from outside: "Madam, Boss Sai is waiting."

Granny Sun's expression changed drastically, but she saw that Madam Chen had already suppressed her anger and leaned back lazily in her armchair: "Go and investigate again. They definitely can't cover the losses we incurred from selling off our inventory last time. By the way, ask the troupe leader why Rufang has been missing for so many days?"

"Why is Madam still seeing that man surnamed Liu?" Granny Sun couldn't help but nod in the direction of the door.

“Yunxiang is young and strong, so he must have some special qualities.” Madam Chen glanced towards the door, her eyes sparkling. “Has Ruqing forgotten that Boss Liu still owes us money for selling goods?”

Granny Sun immediately beamed with joy: "Exactly! Exactly! I'll go and do it right away."

As the door opened slightly and Granny Sun stepped out, she bumped into Sai Yunxiang, who was standing upright in the corridor wearing light blue Hangzhou silk.

The man glanced at her casually, and just as the door was about to close, Granny Sun bowed her head and suddenly stretched out her short, thick fingers and pinched Sai Yunxiang's buttocks lightly.

The young man in the blue robe suddenly froze. Granny Sun clearly saw the vein on the back of his neck throb and his knuckles turn white from clenching his fists, but he didn't turn around in the end.

Only his hand, which was behind his back, swiftly grabbed her wrist and lightly scratched her palm, making a five-character gesture—five taels of silver.

A smug glint flashed in her cloudy old eyes, and she casually slipped a small silver ingot into his sleeve. The two parted after a brief touch.

As soon as the door closed, the sound of the beaded curtain rustling came from inside.

"Boss Sai..." Madam Chen's anger had long since turned into a soft, nasal voice. As she loosened her sash, she deliberately tossed the gold purse onto the table. "So late, could it be that you were tripped up by some little hussy again?"

Sai Yunxiang chuckled softly, his light blue robe hanging loosely at his elbows, revealing his muscular waist. He bent down and took the swaying pearl earring in his mouth, his fingertips deftly untying the sash at his waist: "My lady, you are wise. Yunxiang has been searching for that filigree gold phoenix hairpin for you these past few days..."

Suddenly, there was a faint tearing sound, and a silk skirt fell to the ground in front of the bed. The mandarin ducks playing in the water pattern on the embroidered curtains fell as the carved bed swayed, the gold hooks clanging loudly, mingling with the woman's sobs.

The rustling of the old trees outside the window masked the increasingly heavy breathing inside. Suddenly, the man's clear eyes looked out the window, and through the window frame, a burly figure flashed by.

Just this morning at dawn, Granny Sun slipped into Sai Yunxiang's small house in the fourth courtyard and placed a silver bracelet, still warm from her body, into his hand.

This was the fifth time this month. Every time before and after their lovemaking, she needed to "reward" him like this before the young madam would be willing to spend a moment of tenderness with her.

As he stood up, fastening his belt, his face showed undisguised disgust, yet he still smiled and said, "Isn't the madam afraid that you'll find out that you're spoiling me like this, nanny?"

Granny Sun's face relaxed for once. Leaning against the headboard and holding her belly, she spat, "You heartless wretch! If it weren't for me, would you have been able to climb this high branch?" Either way, she's serving others, so why can't she have a taste too? This one is much more sensible than the last one.

At this moment, listening to the rising panting from inside the room, Granny Sun rubbed her empty wrist in the shadows of the corridor, savoring the smile that her husband had given her earlier.

She suddenly laughed, her face flushed slightly, and with one hand holding her hair up, she swayed her almost invisible waist as she walked towards Sigou.

She's going to have a good talk with that troupe leader today.

"What brings you here today, sister?"

Li Yang looked up and saw Zi Yan standing in front of the counter with a smile on her face. "I've come to ask the young mistress for a cup of tea."

The two chatted and laughed as they headed towards the backyard.

"How is the matter of conscripting laborers going?" Ziyan put down her teacup and asked with concern about the situation in Gao County.

Li Yang's lips curled up as he sat down at the table. "Sister Ziyan, you guessed it all. This time, we'll first lure her with benefits, then reason with her, and finally appeal to her emotions. Guess what..."

She feigned mystery, saying, "Eighty percent of the disaster victims have already signed their return documents to Gao County. The few remaining people have already found stable livelihoods in the town, so it's alright. Right now, Manager Zhong is following our agreement to send the able-bodied young people back to their hometowns first, and then arrange for the elderly, women, and children. Everything is going very smoothly."

Hearing her praise, Ziyan smiled and said, "Manager Zhong is a capable man, no wonder you're making such a fuss with General Manager Chen for his sake."

Li Yang chuckled, "What?!

Seeing this, Ziyan covered her face with a round fan and chuckled, then sat down opposite her.

During this period, the young mistress first went to Gao County every day to deliver meals to everyone. Then she took on the task of recruiting laborers. The play at Xiahai Temple that day was just the beginning; food, clothing, lodging, and transportation were all problems that followed.

She worked day and night, attending to every detail, afraid of bringing shame upon Chen Junbo. She arranged everything one by one, and only today did she finally have a little free time.

Ziyan had chosen a free day to come and chat. She picked up a celadon cup with her slender fingers, her eyes glancing lightly at the tea, then placed the lid in front of her, gently shaking it. She couldn't help but furrow her brows: "Zhaozhao, your flower shop has been converted into a teahouse, and business is booming. But..."

She tapped the rim of her teacup lightly on the table, making a crisp sound: "The quality of this tea should match the exquisiteness of your pastries."