The entire Central Plains region experienced a sharp drop in temperature due to frost, and in May, heavy snow fell.

Wu Xingwang rushed back from Pingdu and Linjiang counties with his son, and the news he brought back greatly shocked the people of Longtan.

"Lord Lin, I believe that the great disaster in the north will inevitably be followed by even greater turmoil."

“In Pingdu and Linjiang counties, a considerable number of refugees have begun to migrate in small numbers.”

After listening to what Wu Xingwang and his son said, the clan chief felt a little flustered and frowned, saying, "They say that a timely snowfall promises a good harvest, but it's already May, let alone summer. Xiaoman has long passed. If it snows now, won't all the cucumbers, corn, and wheat we just planted be frozen to death?"

"Fortunately, we're not in the Central Plains, so it won't affect us," the village chief said thankfully.

“We’re in the southern coastal region, surely the snow wouldn’t fall here?” Pan Qingfeng felt a growing unease.

Although the two years they spent in the South were relatively peaceful, except for the hurricane last year, the weather was generally favorable.

Listening to the discussions of the crowd, Lin Yinan fell into deep thought. She knew that behind such extreme weather was often human-caused disaster.

"No matter how the world changes, what we need to do is to cultivate the crops in the fields well and ensure this year's harvest," she said calmly.

She was used to such natural disasters.

Lin Yiheng was not so optimistic; there was a reason why one small change could have far-reaching consequences.

"Something is definitely amiss. It seems we need to prepare in advance."

Lin Yinan: "In a while, there will definitely be a large number of refugees heading south, and we here..."

Her words seemed to be the backbone, as if everything was under her control, successfully calming the panic in everyone's hearts.

Everyone is discussing their next steps in the council chamber.

Lin Shuo and Liang Wen rushed in from outside.

Seeing the two of them looking flustered, Lin Yiheng asked, "Second Uncle, what happened?"

"The creek outside the city that irrigates the area has dried up!" Lin Shuo said.

After the potatoes were planted, he would go to the field twice a day to check on them.

Liang Wen, standing nearby, said, "We went to check on the stream that irrigates the rice paddies in the city early this morning, and we found that it was almost dry."

At this moment, the clan chief muttered, "Haven't you noticed? It hasn't rained much since the beginning of spring. How can the water keep flowing? The water level in our wells has dropped quite a bit."

Lin Shuo looked anxious. "It's the rice heading stage right now, we can't do without water!!"

Having grown rice in the south for two years, everyone knows very well that the heading stage is a crucial period that determines rice yield.

"The rice heads in about seven to ten days," Liang Wendao said.

This is precisely the time when a large amount of water and nutrients are needed.

Pan Qingfeng, recalling the days of famine when he thought of fleeing, suddenly stood up and said in a serious tone, "I will organize people to fetch water for irrigation right away. We must not let our crops die of thirst!"

"Anan, give us some ideas!" The clan chief looked at Lin Yinan with great anticipation.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Lin Yinan with hopeful eyes. She had led them all the way south to this place and was the pillar of the entire Longtan County. They believed that she would definitely be able to find a solution.

Lin Yinan lowered her eyes in thought, when suddenly a person appeared in her mind.

A moment later, she looked up at Lin Fu, who was sitting by the door, and said, "Ah Fu, could you please have the guards go to the academy and invite Master Su Kaifa back?"

Su Kaifa is a member of the Su family whom Su Kunliang brought with him last year.

Last year, Dongwang Village was flooded. Later, the Su Development Organization organized people to build canals and dig ditches, which completely solved the problem of flooding in Dongwang Village every time it rains.

After the college was built, Lin Yinan added a course on water conservancy construction, taught by Su Kaifa.

Many people find this to be an unheard-of but very useful major, so there are quite a few students attending each class.

Seeing that sitting there wasn't a solution, Lin Yinan said, "Let's go check out the farmland in the city first."

Without waiting for anyone's reply, she stood up and walked out.

The clan chief propped himself up from the chair, and Lin Yiheng quickly went to help him.

"Let's go! Let's see if there's any solution."

The crowd followed Lin Yinan one after another. Wu Xingwang and his son looked at each other, realizing that this was a top priority for Longtan, so they followed as well.

As Lin Yinan stepped out of the county government office, he saw a secret guard leading a mule cart galloping down the street.

The guards dismounted and went to help the people on the mule cart.

Su Kaifa stopped the car.

He ran over, covered in sweat, and said, "Lord Lin, when I took my students to the fields for lessons today, I found that several irrigation streams in the fields had dried up."

Lin Yinan smiled slightly, expressing her appreciation for his seriousness and meticulousness.

"You're so thoughtful! I was just looking for you; we were planning to go check out the stream behind the county government office."

"I am with you."

Upon seeing this, Lin Yiheng and Pan Qingfeng hurriedly returned to the county government office, each carrying a basket with several machetes in it, as well as hoes and shovels.

The group walked upstream along the stream.

Lin Yinan looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and blue, with a few thin clouds drifting lazily across it, making the sky seem very high and far away.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, and the flowers, grass, and leaves along the roadside curled up and wilted.

The road in front of them felt distorted by the sun, and even the breeze was unbearably hot, making their noses feel like they were on fire.

It's not even June yet, and it's already so hot.

The clan chief was feeling a bit dizzy from the sun. He put his hand on his forehead and looked up at the sky.

"There's absolutely no sign of it raining today!"

Lin Shuo was worried about his health, so when they passed a big tree, he pointed to the shade of the tree and said to him, "Uncle Chief, why don't you sit here and wait for us? It's too sunny, I'm afraid you can't stand it."

The clan chief agreed after a moment's thought. After all, he had just recovered from a serious illness, and with the weather so bad, he couldn't burden the younger generation in the village.

"Uncle, I'll stay here with you too." The village chief felt like he was also suffering from heatstroke, his head throbbing with pain.

Lin Yinan led the group forward.

The rice in the field was all heading. Lin Shuo looked at the field and saw that there was only a shallow layer of water left. He said with a serious expression, "At most two days. If there is no water, we will have to carry water to irrigate it."

Throughout the journey, Su Kaifa's eyes never left the stream, observing it carefully and meticulously.

More than half an hour later, the group arrived at the entrance to the forest behind the mountain.

There's still a small trickle of water in this stream, but it stops flowing further out, so it seems there's not much water left.

Everyone went to the edge of the forest to cut firewood. Further ahead, it was all dense, tall primeval forest and thickets of thorns.

They've only been in Longtan for two years, and the weeds and bushes outside the town haven't been cleared yet, so no villagers will come in to cut firewood now.

At this moment, the machete that Lin Yiheng brought came in handy.

He and Pan Qingfeng led the way with machetes to clear a path for everyone.

Lin Yinan also drew his sword from his waist and occasionally slashed away the brambles that stretched out from the side. The others were not idle either, holding wooden sticks and tapping in the grass to drive away the snakes, insects and rats hiding there.