Upon hearing this, everyone except Zhen Wanwan showed surprised expressions, realizing they had given themselves away.
Wang Cuihua was the most obvious example. She pursed her lips, wanting to refuse, but she knew she couldn't disobey Old Master Zhen's orders.
She had no choice but to place her hopes on Zhen Fugui and Old Lady Li.
Grandma Li hesitated. Although she was very reluctant to part with the food in her home, she thought about how many people would starve to death because of the war.
Just like a year ago, the thought of it made her feel hopeless.
But the food was just being given away like that, and she just couldn't bring herself to nod at all!
After thinking for a moment, Old Lady Li still spoke up: "Anqing Prefecture has a population of over a thousand people in just one county. I'm afraid our family of misfits won't last long."
Grandpa Zhen nodded in agreement: "Your mother is right, so I was thinking that when the autumn harvest comes this year, when everyone has extra sweet potatoes, we should use the money to buy all the sweet potatoes and send them to Xiao Yuan so that he can help donate them!"
Zhen Wanwan also looked at Grandpa Zhen with surprise; she hadn't expected him to be willing to do this.
Although her thoughts were the same as his, she was truly gratified that Grandpa Zhen had this idea.
When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven.
Although she hasn't reached the level of being the richest person yet, she has the ability now and is willing to help others.
Grandpa Zhen is just an ordinary villager, so it's really rare for him to have this awareness.
After hearing Grandpa Zhen's explanation, Zhen Fugui's eyes lit up slightly. He had always been happy to help others and was willing to help as many people as possible within his ability.
"Dad, when I distributed sweet potato seeds to the villagers, I already told them about it and registered the seed situation of each household. I can go and harvest the sweet potatoes when the time comes!"
Grandpa Zhen gave a satisfied "hmm" and gave Zhen Fugui an encouraging look.
Although he was unhappy that Zhen Fugui was sent back by Zhu Yuan, he could still offer some support from behind the scenes.
Zhen Wanwan's eyes lit up as she looked at her older brother. Perhaps her brother couldn't do the work of killing enemies, but he was good at logistics.
Thinking of this, Zhen Wanwan felt happy and looked at her older brother with a light in her eyes.
"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, I have a way to achieve great things without you brothers having to fight on the front lines!"
The people inside the room all looked at Zhen Wanwan. Except for Wang Cuihua, who looked completely bewildered, the other three were all puzzled.
Concerning their future, Zhen Fugui couldn't help but urge, "Little sister, tell me!"
Zhen Wanwan narrowed her eyes and looked at Grandpa Zhen.
"Just like Dad said, we can't help much at the front, but we're very suitable to help from the rear."
"My eldest brother is meticulous, kind and approachable, and has a great reputation. Most importantly, he is very good at management."
"When it comes to military campaigns, supplies are the first priority. Right now, the thing our family has the least shortage of is food, which is our advantage."
"We have high-yield sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. As long as we cultivate them carefully, we can produce hundreds of thousands of tons every year."
"At that time, my elder brother and father can serve as grain reserve officers in Anqing Prefecture, specifically to supply grain to the army."
"Of course we can't let ourselves be at a disadvantage in this matter. We'll have my husband talk to the higher-ups and ask them to give Father and my elder brother an official position to manage the granary."
"As for the grain, we can't just give it away for free. I think we can discuss with the higher-ups that we can choose to cultivate land within Anqing Prefecture without paying taxes, but they must reserve 10% of the grain for us."
As for confirming with the higher-ups, Zhen Wanwan only mentioned it to her family; it was just a matter of her whispering in Zhu Yuan's ear.
These remarks stunned the people present.
Grandpa Zhen's expression changed several times. If what his daughter said was true, he was willing!
He was even willing to work for the imperial court for free, as long as he was given an official position.
Zhen Fugui listened with great excitement, as if he himself had truly accomplished something great.
Grandma Li hesitated for a while, with some concerns but mostly anticipation.
For these native people, becoming an official without studying or taking the imperial examinations is something they would be overjoyed to dream of.
Wang Cuihua was beaming with joy, already imagining the glamorous scene of becoming Shangguan's wife.
Therefore, her eight neat but yellowed teeth were particularly noticeable at that moment.
Zhen Wanwan and the others all looked at Wang Cuihua, who, without realizing it, gave them a big smile.
"Dad, Mom, I think it's a good idea to donate the food we have at home since we can't eat it all!"
Wang Cuihua was completely preoccupied with the official's wife, and had no idea about her father-in-law's resistance when he wanted to donate grain.
Zhen Fugui felt that his wife was particularly pathetic at this moment, unlike him, who, although happy in his heart, did not show it.
Looking at Zhen Fugui's upturned lips, Zhen Wanwan thought that his older brother and sister-in-law were a perfect match, and that they looked so alike when they smiled.
Grandma Li understood that her husband and son were tempted, but she still remained calm.
"Wanwan, do you think this will work? Putting aside whether they'll give you an official position, just the idea of not paying taxes seems pretty risky to me."
After all, Anqing Prefecture's tax revenue was already frighteningly high when there was no war, and now that there was going to be a war, the imperial court would definitely try every means to exploit the people.
Therefore, although she was wavering inside, she was not so optimistic.
Grandpa Zhen wasn't as pessimistic as Grandma Li; he was one of the few who knew Zhu Yuan's true identity.
He was certain that his daughter held a place in his son-in-law's heart that no one could match.
He would do anything his daughter asked, no matter how difficult it was.
But this is still too simplistic.
“Wanwan, your mother is right. I don’t think the tax exemption thing is very reliable.”
“If it’s about reducing taxes, that’s understandable. But we can’t be the only ones in Anqing Prefecture exempt from taxes, can we? What will others think? If we wait too long, other people will start to complain.”
When the people of a city are treated unfairly, things are bound to go wrong if this continues for a long time.
Grandpa Zhen had a long-term vision; their initial intention in doing this was to help more people, not to pursue personal gain.
After being reminded by Grandpa Zhen and Grandma Li, Zhen Wanwan also realized that this was not quite appropriate.
She sighed softly: "In that case, besides tax exemption, what else needs to be added?"
"This matter needs to be finalized as soon as possible so that it can be implemented more quickly."
After all, they've come to our doorstep; we can't just sit around thinking without doing anything.
Moreover, she wanted to do her best to help Zhuyuan so that he would be free from any worries.
She was initially worried about how to get the food out of the space, but now that the Zhen family was there to cover her up, she was no longer afraid.
The sooner this is done, the better. Only when the soldiers and the people see enough food can they feel secure and remain calm.
Only when people remain calm can they work together to better accomplish their mission.
After a moment of contemplation, Grandpa Zhen made a decision: "We need to think about this matter carefully and clarify our thoughts."
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhen Wanwan said goodbye and went home. If she got home too late, her two little ones would cry again because they hadn't seen her.
When they were little, it was fine, but as the children grew older, they became more attached to her, and even Zhu Yuan had to take a backseat to her.
Zhen Wanwan felt both happy and helpless, but thankfully the two children weren't causing any trouble.
She won't cry as long as she's within sight.
As soon as you enter the courtyard of the Happy House, you can hear Granny Zhang soothing the children.
Zhen Wanwan sighed; the child had indeed woken up.
"Let me do it! Why are you crying, my sweet baby? I'm sorry, Mommy went to Grandma's house."
When Zhen Wanwan saw that Guabao was crying and making a fuss, while Tianbao sat next to her helplessly covering her ears, Zhen Wanwan found it quite amusing.
But in front of her child, she dared not reveal a single word, always wanting to save face for her precious child.
When Guai Bao noticed his mother's expression, he felt a pang of sadness and raised his little hand to show Zhen Wanwan, looking aggrieved.
There was a chubby little hand with a cut on it, which had already healed, leaving only a trace of blood.
Rou'er quietly explained from the side, "Young Master accidentally broke the vase and cut his hand."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan looked at the little boy who looked aggrieved and quickly hugged him tenderly, saying, "Oh, my little darling, it won't hurt anymore. You can't touch those things again, okay?"
The little one hummed in agreement and sniffled.
He felt contempt for himself at that moment. He was all grown up and sensible, yet he still got a runny nose over such trivial things.
Perhaps he was reincarnated and his personality became childlike.
"Madam, the master has sent word back!"
Xiaomei handed a letter to Zhen Wanwan.
Seeing the familiar handwriting warmed Zhen Wanwan's heart.
As long as they were in a long-distance relationship, no matter how busy he was, Zhu Yuan would write her a letter every day.
She guessed that today's letter might mention Zhen Fugui.
After receiving a comforting hug from her mother, the little one felt much better and calmed down to play educational puzzles with her younger sister.
With her hands free, Zhen Wanwan thought about what she had said to Zhen's family in Meizi Village earlier that day.
"Xiaomei, is the messenger still here?"
Xiaomei nodded and said, "He's still here. I had him go to the front hall for his meal, and I came to ask if you need a reply."
Zhen Wanwan hummed in agreement and sighed, saying that Xiaomei handled things properly.
"Yes, please have him wait for me a little while he finishes eating. I'll write a letter to my husband!"
Xiaomei responded and went out to deliver the message.
Zhen Wanwan opened the envelope, and as expected, besides the usual greetings, the letter contained information about Zhen Fugui's trip to the prefectural city.
To her surprise, Zhu Yuan rejected her elder brother, but at the end of the letter, he gave her some advice.
Zhu Yuan said that her elder brother was a promising talent, and if he were buried among the crowd, it would be a waste of his potential.
He wanted to ask for her opinion and the thoughts of Zhen's family. If it was feasible, he wanted to keep Zhen Fugui by his side.
At the same time, Zhu Yuan also promised to protect him and not let him lose his life.
After reading, Zhen Wanwan went inside and wrote down their conversation at Zhen's house that day, as well as the attitudes of each member of Zhen's family.
After thinking for a moment, Zhen Wanwan wrote down Grandpa Zhen's words again.
After finishing writing, Zhen Wanwan sealed the letter with ink and then asked Xiaomei to deliver it.
She was also asked to give the messenger some silver and snacks.
After a long day, Zhen Wanwan took a petal bath with sesame oil in the water, which was very relaxing.
While taking a bath, she was thinking about the day after tomorrow when the construction of the Happiness Home would begin.
Fan Jian sent a message saying that everything was ready and that she needed to cut the ribbon and hold the groundbreaking ceremony the day after tomorrow.
Granny Zhang has already prepared everything needed for that day; all she needs to do is show up.
I had originally planned to cut the ribbon with Zhuyuan, but unfortunately the Northern Hu people's attack on the city was too sudden.
Now she's all alone.
Once the water cooled down, Zhen Wanwan got up, went next door to tell stories, and coaxed the two children to sleep before finally falling asleep herself with them in her arms.
Zhen Wanwan entered the space. The potatoes she had planted a couple of days ago had already taken root and sprouted. She watered the ground with well water for a while.
Seeing the potatoes growing well, Zhen Wanwan couldn't help but smile.
Once this batch of potatoes has grown, she will find a reason to harvest all the grain she had previously cultivated.
She then mixed some of it with the grain that Zhen's family sent to the military camp in the prefectural city, and planned to give the rest to homeless children and homeless people who were unable to work.
However, she doesn't intend to distribute food for nothing, as that would only encourage some people's laziness.
Moreover, it's hard to guard against someone taking advantage of this situation, perhaps even abducting children or maiming a perfectly healthy person for a meal—that's not her intention.
Before leaving the space, Zhen Wanwan bought another batch of anti-all-illness medicine from Tmall Genie.
After her tireless efforts, Tmall Genie, that notoriously stingy company, finally gave her a 20% discount when she was willing to buy in bulk.
Because of this, she has to listen to it repeat itself every time she buys something.
To save money, Zhen Wanwan gritted her teeth and patiently listened to its nagging.
Now that the Northern Hu people have openly settled outside Anqing Prefecture, war is imminent, and Zhen Wanwan has no choice but to take precautions.
She will have someone send the cure-all medicine to Zhuyuan tomorrow, so that casualties can be reduced if war really breaks out.
Thinking of this, Zhen Wanwan sighed. In her previous life, she was a liberal arts student who loved to slack off and knew nothing about math, physics, or chemistry.
Asking her to manufacture gunpowder and similar substances would be tantamount to killing her.
Even if you cut open her brain, you would only find a mess.
Therefore, she never mentioned gunpowder to Zhuyuan.
After all, without hope, there is no disappointment.
She does have access to firearms, but... she doesn't have the money!
The money for those two small pistols she and Zhuyuan used came from her own savings for her funeral.
She even took out the private stash of money that Zhu Yuan had been keeping for her.
This feeling is like a eunuch seeing a beautiful girl but being powerless to do anything about it.
Zhen Wanwan looked at the bag of medicine in her hand and then at the Tmall Genie with great regret.
Since she couldn't improve the weapons, she could only work on the logistics.
At the very least, there must be enough food and good medicine for wounds.
While Zhu Yuan charged into battle, she provided perfect support from behind.
She believes that when husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can break even metal.
After deciding what to do tomorrow, Zhen Wanwan left the space.
She covered Tianbao, who had kicked off the blanket, with the blanket again before she nestled the two soft, cuddly little ones into sleep.
The moon is exceptionally round tonight, and some people go to gaze at it, longing for their hometown.
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