The next morning, the Sun family's errand boy arrived. He would come and go between the Cheng and Sun families every few days to pass on messages between the two best friends, and mainly to pick up a pot of water from the Cheng family.
The servant's original name was Big Dog. After being bought by the Sun family, he was renamed Shunfeng. Whether it was the blessing of his name or his innate talent, he was exceptionally fast, and over time he became a dedicated errand runner.
"Shunfeng, come in quickly!" Ruyi always called this name with a hint of mischievousness. "There's something very important in this bundle. Be careful on your way back. Things haven't been peaceful lately, so be careful, understand?"
Ruyi specially replaced the basket she usually used to deliver things with a lighter and less conspicuous bundle. In addition to the bean sprouts, eggs and Runmai tea she used before, she added a piece of Chinese ham and a thick letter, so this bundle was heavier than the usual basket.
Shunfeng was just a teenager, and Ruyi couldn't help but give him careful instructions.
Shunfeng took the bundle and carefully carried it on his back. He didn't ask why they weren't using the previous basket, but simply replied obediently, "Okay, I understand, Madam Cheng!"
Ruyi watched him turn around and disappear in an instant, and sighed in her heart, "If he were born in the future, he would definitely be a national team player!"
There was no information about Yang Liuer in the dream, so she didn't know what happened to the Sun family afterward.
However, the Sun family is much wealthier than the Cheng family, with a large and prosperous household, and most of their servants are able-bodied men, so they should be able to protect themselves.
The letter warned that things might not be peaceful ahead, and advised Yang Liuer to make some preparations. It also mentioned that the Runmai Tea was actually a tonic, and that her husband and son could drink some to strengthen their bodies. The letter listed a whole bunch of other things, hoping that Yang Liuer could get through this safely.
After returning to her room, Ruyi began to take stock. She had four Bigu Pills left, five Runmai Pills, a portion of Yunling Pill residue that she had just received that day, and this month's newcomer gift pack: a first-grade low-quality Crimson Thorn.
"【Crimson Thorn】, a first-grade low-level spiritual plant, five seeds, wood attribute, short growth period, mature body is brown with crimson thorns. Early Qi Refining stage or mortals will be temporarily paralyzed if they touch the thorns. If they are stabbed in a large area, they will be paralyzed all over, or even fall into a coma until the poison is detoxified or the poison dissipates. Mid-stage Qi Refining stage and above are not affected."
Note 1: If there is insufficient spiritual energy during the growth period, the thorns will not turn red and will not be poisonous.
Note 2: The toxicity of the thorn will remain for three days after it is removed, then decreases daily, and the toxicity will completely dissipate after ten days.
Note 3: The roots of thorns contain abundant sap; applying this to the wound can help detoxify.
This... is simply a defensive and ambush-proof artifact!
However, how to use it to achieve the greatest effect still needs some thought.
With ample food supplies, her family can reduce the amount of Bigu Pills they use. If all goes well, they will be able to get six more pills in ten days. Therefore, she plans to add Bigu Pill powder to the public well in batches!
There are two reasons for doing this. First, their pills have a very targeted effect, as they can both satisfy hunger and detoxify and improve health, making them very suitable for neighbors to take under the current circumstances.
Secondly, it was to hide themselves. After a while, the others would only get thinner and thinner, while their family would have plenty of food. Even if they deliberately reduced their food intake, they would still stand out in stark contrast. Wouldn't that make them an obvious target?
Therefore, Ruyi planned to appear by the well every morning during the peak water-drawing period, ostensibly to chat with the neighbors and gather information, but actually to distribute Bigu Dan powder in batches according to the opportune time.
Of course, she also knew that several hundred people lived in the nearby alleys, and a few pills wouldn't have much effect. Although it was just a drop in the ocean, it would at least make some changes over time. A single spark can start a prairie fire, and maybe that small change could have a huge impact?
Besides the fasting pills, she also planned to exchange some of the vegetables she grew herself. After all, there was still a lot of the residue from the Spirit Nourishing Pills left over from last month, which should be enough to grow thorns. She could just use a little bit to grow vegetables. Of course, other vegetables would only be a small part, and sprouts would be the main part. She just needed to control the quantity and be careful not to let anyone find out anything.
As for the neighbors outside, this is all we can do for now. Things haven't started to get chaotic yet, and making people wary for no reason will only arouse suspicion.
But it's different at home; there are so many things you can do there!
During breakfast, Ruyi took advantage of everyone being present to discuss her plans for the future.
"I suspect that the government's search of the grain shops a few days ago is because the county town will not be unsealed in the near future, so the government officials are so anxious to collect more grain. Moreover, Wang Liu and his gang of thugs may have also gotten wind of this, so things are likely to get chaotic in the coming days!"
After Ruyi finished speaking, she looked at everyone and saw that they were all listening attentively, so she continued: "Although our family is not small, we have almost no fighting power, so we need to prepare in advance!"
Her plan is not difficult. First, everyone should continue to work out together, and morning exercise every day is essential.
Then the two meals a day will remain the same, only the portion sizes need to be adjusted appropriately.
“From now on, every morning Aunt Cui and I will go out to fetch water, and also to inquire about news and exchange food. Other people should try not to go out, so the amount of food we eat each day needs to be reduced accordingly, so that at least we won’t look too different from others.”
As soon as Ruyi finished speaking, the others disagreed, especially Cheng Yunping.
He stood up abruptly and said angrily, "Mother! I'm all grown up now, a real man! Let me go! I can eat less!"
"It's precisely because you're the biggest pillar of this family in the future that you must be the healthiest!" Ruyi looked deeply at her adopted son. He meant well, but he wasn't very bright...
“You are all young, Dad is old, Xiaoman has to take care of the children, and after Aunt Cui and I leave, the safety of the house will depend on you! So you have to eat more and grow stronger so that you can protect them well. Your work is the most important thing!”
After hearing this, Yunping patted his chest and said that he would definitely take good care of his wife, children and sisters!
Luckily, kids are easier to fool...
"Besides, you're not without work even if you stay at home. I'm planning to reinforce the doors and windows of the house, and it would be best to install some traps."
Although the Cheng family's house was just a small courtyard with one entrance, it had three single-sided walls. Only one side connected to the neighboring Wei family's courtyard, and the wall was relatively high. The other walls were estimated to be only about two meters high, making it very easy to climb over.
There was also a shop in the front yard with a row of wooden doors facing the street. They didn't look very sturdy. Ruyi remembered that there was a lot of wood in the cellar, which could be used to reinforce it. Cheng Yan was put in charge of this task, with Yun Ping assisting him.
After that day, the Cheng family began to act according to plan.
Every morning, Ruyi would secretly add the Bigu Pills to the well water in several batches, adding more when there were many people and less when there were few. Occasionally, she would also sprinkle some Runmai Pills.
As for Xu Cui's food-exchanging and information-gathering business, it was booming. She seemed to have found the value of life, and she was surrounded by people every day. She was just short of setting up a stall.
As more and more people started exchanging items, even people from other alleys would come to stroll around, but everyone tacitly dispersed before the end of the morning.
Ruyi did not restrict the types of items that could be exchanged, so more and more people started to exchange other items. For example, people who owned cloth shops would exchange cloth, people who owned shoe shops would exchange shoes, and some people would even buy directly with money. The reason was simple: they had no food left to exchange.
The county town is different from the countryside. Not every household grows its own vegetables. Although more people have stockpiled staple foods than you might imagine, it's not good to just eat staple foods without vegetables. So the demand for vegetables is still quite high. As for eggs and meat, nobody would exchange them.
During this period, there were occasional sarcastic remarks about the Cheng family, with people pretending to be poor and crying pitifully. Fortunately, they were all old neighbors who had lived there for decades, so no one broke off relations and nothing serious happened in the end.
Xu Cui would also intentionally or unintentionally reveal some information during the chat, reminding everyone to be careful. Whether anyone listened or not was not her concern.
In fact, it has had some effect. In recent days, people have been coming to their house to buy wooden boards, probably because they feel that they need to reinforce their doors and windows. In any case, it is a good thing to have more insurance.
At this time, the Cheng family had already temporarily reinforced the back door and the front door and windows of the shop. They were currently raising the courtyard wall. Cheng Yan planned to help the Wei family reinforce some doors and windows after the reinforcement was completed. The Wei family was different from the Cheng family. Their house only had a single front door, and the other three sides were adjacent to other houses, so the project was relatively simple.
As for the red thorns, Ruyi prepared several pots filled with soil, planted the seeds, and temporarily placed them in her room.
When her family members saw it out of curiosity, they would ask questions. Ruyi had already prepared her answer beforehand, and she would simply push the blame to the grain shop, saying that it was found in a secret vault. Since there was no way to verify it, everyone would just think that the grain shop was indeed not a respectable place.
Time passed by unnoticed. In mid-April, several families in nearby alleys were burgled, and an elderly person even died as a result.
The residents of the alley were immediately on edge, and those who could afford it reinforced their doors and windows.
By this time, the Cheng family had completed the second reinforcement and, at Ruyi's suggestion, had installed some simple traps and warning devices.
Five pots of red thorns were placed in several hidden places in the yard. The thorns, which were already three feet tall, were covered with faintly red thorns. After Ruyi repeatedly reminded everyone, they tried their best to avoid touching them.
As for Ruyi's project of feeding the neighbors, it has begun to show some results. Almost every day, the families who exchange vegetables with her family have a slightly better complexion and physical condition than others, but it is not too obvious. People just think that they should eat more vegetables. Unexpectedly, the Cheng family's vegetable business has become even better as a result.
As for the Wei family, Ruyi would often slip extra Bigu Pills or Runmai Pills into their buckets when they came out to fetch water, and Xu Cui would also secretly slip in extra food when exchanging with the Wei family. So far, although Wei Zhi and his wife have lost some weight, they are still quite energetic.
Everything proceeded according to Cheng Ruyi's plan, except for one thing: the Zhou family, the richest family in the county, started distributing porridge at this time.
Every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), porridge would be distributed at the main gate of the Zhou family's residence. Any resident of the county could receive a bowl as long as they had their household registration certificate. However, they had to finish the porridge on the spot before leaving, in order to ensure that the food of the vulnerable groups would not be taken away by others.
The requirement for proof of household registration is to prevent people from queuing repeatedly. Someone from the Zhou family will be responsible for registering them, and anyone who queues repeatedly will not be able to get porridge again.
Although it's just a bowl of plain, watery mixed grain porridge, it's a lifesaver for many people. It may not fill their stomachs, but at least it keeps them from starving.
Unfortunately, the number of slots was limited each day, and almost all of them were snapped up by people living near the Zhou family. Many people even started queuing up in the middle of the night.
This event was not seen in Ruyi's dream, perhaps because it was not directly related to the life or death of her family.
Regardless, after hearing this, she, like everyone else, felt quite impressed with the Zhou family. Whatever their intentions, they had indeed helped some people in a practical way. If all the wealthy families in the city could do the same, perhaps things wouldn't have become so chaotic later on.
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