Mrs. Li took Li Dahua and Zhao Xiaocao's backpacks out of the house and threw them into the yard.
Seeing the axe on the kang, she laughed a few times and said, "The silver was not stolen, but the farm tools were thrown away in fear.
It’s a pretty good axe. I guess that old ghost soldier Qin Po must be heartbroken.
There is no point in feeling sorry for it. He deserves it for what he did. This axe is quite sharp. I will keep it for Geng Feng to chop wood.
No, I have to hide first. That old ghost soldier Qin Pozi might ask Li Dahua to come back and steal the axe."
In the afternoon, Qin Nian and Geng Feng came back, and the two of them watered the land on the mountain.
All the vegetables that were planted sprouted. Geng Feng was puzzled because the sprouting speed was too fast.
Qin Nian smiled and said, "Now that the weather is so warm, of course the seedlings will sprout quickly."
Geng Feng never dreamed that it would be strange if the seedlings didn't sprout quickly after Qin Nian used the spiritual spring water to irrigate the land.
Mrs. Li told Qin Nian about how Li Dahua and Zhao Xiaocao came to steal the silver.
Hearing that Li Pozi had beaten Li Dahua with a stick, causing her to run away with a bloody head, Qin Nian laughed:
"Grandma, she is your daughter. Did you really hit her so hard? Do you regret it after you hit her?"
Mrs. Li raised her head and said, "If I don't do it, will I still keep her?"
Then he sighed and said, “You didn’t see it, when she burned me, she didn’t hesitate at all, and didn’t consider that I was her biological mother.
I finally got the chance, how could I let her off so easily? Besides, she came here to steal the silver.
If we don't take precautions in advance, she will dare to steal as much silver as we have without any consideration for us, the grandparents and grandchildren.
Regret? I won't regret it even if I kill her. Okay, let's not talk about her anymore.
Xiao Nian, I heard from your aunt Geng that the court sent a prince to provide disaster relief. If the news is true, it is estimated that they can distribute disaster relief food, which would be great."
Qin Nian was also very happy: "I will go to the headman's house to inquire now."
Mrs. Li said, "Your Aunt Geng and I went there, but the head of the village and Suqin were not at home.
You should go back later to avoid making another wasted trip."
While the grandparents were talking, Ye Meizi came in with a smile on her face: "Auntie Li, Zhenhai saw the head of the village just now.
The village head said that the imperial court had indeed sent a prince to provide disaster relief. This prince was the seventh son of the emperor, named Mo Xuan, and was said to be very ruthless in his actions.
He issued an order requiring each village head to count the number of households in the village and the number of people in each household.
After reporting, each household will be issued a grain certificate, and they can go to the county to collect disaster relief grain the next day.
If any village dares to cheat, they will be beheaded on the spot."
Mrs. Li sighed, "Now that we have food, everyone can survive. That's great.
I think Mo Xuan's thundering method is good, otherwise too much of the disaster relief food would be withheld."
Ye Meizi and Qin Nian both agreed with what Li Pozi said.
At dusk, the head of the village came and gave Mrs. Li a grain receipt. It was clearly written on it that there were two people in the family, and it was also stamped, so it could not be faked at all.
The head of the village reminded us to bring our own cloth bags when we go to the county town to collect food tomorrow.
Mrs. Li touched the grain receipt again and again, and sighed in her heart:
"It's great, there's food to eat, and everyone can survive, it's great."
The next day, before daybreak, Li Pozi got up to cook. Ye Meizi from next door also got up, and the two of them talked across the low wall.
There was joy in their voices.
Qin Nian also got up, washed up and had dinner.
Breakfast was millet porridge and steamed cake made from two tablespoons of flour. When making the dough, Mrs. Li added a large spoonful of honey, making the steamed cake sweet and soft.
I got up early in the morning to steam them and gave a few to Ye Meizi.
The radishes that Ye Meizi bought yesterday were not used, so she asked Geng Feng to send three over last night.
Qin Nian cut a radish into strips, mixed it into pickles, and left it overnight for the flavor to absorb. It was just right to eat in the morning.
In a famine year, this was a pretty good breakfast.
After dinner, Qin Nian and Geng Feng took cloth bags and backpacks to the county town to collect relief grain.
The road to the county town was full of people, and everyone had a smile on their face.
It was only eighteen miles and we got there without any effort.
Before, each person had to pay three cents to enter the city, but this time they don’t have to pay that anymore.
After entering the city, Qin Nian and Geng Feng followed the crowd without asking for directions and arrived at the county government office first.
There is a very wide road in front of the county government office. On the side near the gate of the county government office, a very long table was temporarily set up.
Behind the table was a mountain of grain, and there were soldiers guarding it with weapons in their hands.
The distribution of food has begun.
The victims handed over their food grain certificates, the soldiers took a look at them, took them back, and then distributed food grains according to the number of people in the family.
Three pounds of cornmeal per person per household per month, only three pounds!
Something is better than nothing.
There were too many people, and it was almost noon before Qin Nian and Geng Feng finally lined up in front of the counter and handed the two certificates to two soldiers respectively.
The soldier behind the table looked through it carefully, weighed out six pounds of cornmeal, and poured it into Qin Nian's cloth bag.
Geng Feng's family had one more bite than Qin Nian, and three more pounds of cornmeal.
After receiving the food, the two men came out from the crowd.
Geng Feng looked at Qin Nian with concern: "You are sweating all over. You must be very hot. Let's find a cool place and rest for a while before going back."
The two men walked to a tree by the roadside, and as soon as they stood still, the crowd became excited.
Someone said, "Look, Lord Xuan."
"Oh, you are worthy of being a prince. You are so majestic."
"He looks so good. Do you think he looks like the emperor or the empress?"
"Who do you care who he looks like? He can't be wrong if he looks like anyone."
———
Qin Nian and Geng Feng listened to the discussion of the crowd, looked towards the gate of the government office, and saw the prince Mo Xuan that everyone was talking about.
Mo Xuan was very tall, with his hair tied up in a hair ring worn by a royal bead.
He was wearing a purple brocade robe and a palm-wide belt. It was too far away to see his facial features clearly.
When he walked to that station, he looked so majestic and imposing, which was quite intimidating.
Qin Nian retracted his gaze and said calmly: "Let's go, it will be hotter soon."
"Let's go."
Just as Geng Feng finished speaking, with a "whoosh" sound, a sharp arrow flew past them and headed for Mo Xuan.
By the time Mo Xuan discovered it, it was too late. The sharp arrow pierced Mo Xuan's shoulder.
The tail of the arrow vibrated several times, and Mo Xuan's body swayed a few times, barely able to stand.
The crowd immediately fell into chaos and did not even bother to collect food, and fled westward.
Mo Xuan's guards were all terrified and rushed forward to support him: "Your Majesty."
They never dreamed that someone would dare to shoot the prince in broad daylight.
The guards looked westward, looking for the person who shot the arrow in the direction from which the arrow came.
After determining the direction, a large number of black-clad guards rushed over here.
Geng Feng grabbed Qin Nian's hand and said, "Let's go."
The two men were young and walked quickly, and they were out of the county in no time.
The street was still full of people, and everyone was talking.
Qin Nian also discussed with Geng Feng: "There are so many guards around Prince Xuan, it seems like they are just for show."
Geng Feng shook his head: "That's not the case."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
