Chapter 246 The Impact of Refugees, Diana's Ex-Husband, Current Situation
After many ups and downs, winter has finally come to an end.
Life is tough for everyone.
With no grain production for nearly five months, and the grain reserves in the territory prioritizing the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the battlefield, the supply of grain to the people in all aspects has become somewhat harsh.
Fortunately, the most difficult winter has passed, and spring is always a season full of sowing and hope.
As agreed, Ray visited Nash's house several times.
As for food, Nash purchased a lot when things were bad at the beginning, so there's no shortage for now, and we should be able to hold out until this summer's harvest without any problems.
To save money, Nash's parents rarely went out to buy groceries.
So every time Lai visited them, in addition to flour, he would also bring a lot of vegetables and meat.
At first, they were unwilling to accept it.
Later, Lai demonstrated on the spot how to turn a handful of seeds into a large pot of spinach, and then began to harvest the vegetables.
The Nash family wasn't extremely wealthy, but they lived a comfortable life, and their economic situation was considered quite good among ordinary families.
If even families like this can't afford to go out to buy groceries, one can only imagine the living conditions of those in even worse circumstances, especially in a place like Wangcheng, which is considered the capital of the country.
The various effects of the war have begun to gradually become apparent.
The planting time in the greenhouses at the manor was still a month and a half earlier than normal, and the weather was still a bit cold at this time.
To maintain the temperature inside, the two fireplaces were kept burning.
The three little ones—no, they're three big now. They especially love to snuggle up and sleep by the wall where the fireplace burns at night.
After asking Ray, Cher built a large doghouse for the three of them using the leftover bricks from the greenhouse construction.
The three puppies from the same litter grew up together and have never been separated. They have a very close relationship and often sleep together at night.
At first, the minor nobles living nearby looked down on Lai's behavior of destroying the lawn and planting vegetables instead.
Nowadays, everyone is enjoying the convenience of Victor Manor.
They changed their disdain to flattery, fearing that Lai wouldn't sell them the vegetables.
In response to the Regent's call, all the farms in the countryside have been converted to grow grain.
The farm in Lei's case doesn't count as a farm; they're exploiting a loophole in the wording.
With Edmund's intervention, Ray paid a deposit of ten gold coins to confirm that the various plants to be grown on the greenhouse and estate land were for "personal viewing and research purposes".
If you turn a blind eye, it will pass. Things will remain the same as before.
Some families have already started to follow Lai's example, clearing a small patch of turf in preparation for planting some vegetables this spring.
Unlike Victor Manor, they had fewer than ten people, including Tata, the little monster.
The master's family is large, plus a dozen or twenty servants, and their daily food, drink and other expenses cost a lot of money.
Starting to grow vegetables was a last resort.
Regardless of how others lived, the grocery store continued to operate as always.
To ensure everyone can enjoy vegetables, the bean sprouts that were only available during the winter have been changed to be sold year-round.
This stuff comes in large quantities, can be used to make soup, and is cheap. While expensive vegetables might be too expensive to buy, bean sprouts are something every household can afford.
The firewood that the estate had stockpiled last autumn has finally run out.
Butler Cher and Vincent set off to a forest farm dozens of miles away to buy timber. The timber there was mostly scraps shaved off from finished timber, and was very cheap.
About two days later, the two men finally returned with more than a dozen oxcarts loaded with firewood, but they also brought bad news.
"Refugees have already begun to flood into nearby towns."
"Chel said."
"Where did they come from? Have you found out?"
Logically speaking, the First Territory is about one and a half times the distance of Eaton Forest from the main battlefield. It's really inappropriate that refugees would be fleeing from such a distance.
Lei pondered to himself, utterly perplexed.
“I asked around, and they said they came from the Second Territory.”
Second territory...
Has something new happened in Eaton City?
Lei couldn't help but feel a little worried.
More than five months have passed since the first main boundary marker was repaired, and there has been no news of the second main boundary marker being prepared for repair for such a long time.
What exactly happened there?
He was extremely worried that the war would drag on for years, or perhaps, that victory would never be achieved.
Indeed, recently, many more donkey carts and mule carts have appeared on the official road leading to the capital. They travel in groups of three or five, with families in tow.
When asked, they said they were planning to come here to stay with relatives.
Their homeland was ravaged by the demons' war and was no longer suitable for habitation.
Initially, some refugees did manage to infiltrate the royal city. They were distant relatives of some minor nobles in the city and had travel documents.
As more and more refugees arrived, the regent began to address the problem.
Unable to enter the city, the refugees settled in the surrounding areas or suburbs.
There's no one managing them, making the surrounding environment a mess.
Finally, it was suggested by one of the ministers that they be moved to the nearly empty old house near the Egrich estate.
The area around the old house quickly came back to life.
Meanwhile, something happened shortly after the firewood was transported back to Victor's estate that is particularly speechless and disgusting.
Diana's ex-husband suddenly showed up at their door with his elderly mother, demanding to see them.
Duncan is the older of the two brothers, a few years older than him. He had met and knew Duncan when he was a child.
Realizing something was wrong, he immediately ran back to the villa and told Cher about it.
Diana's ex-husband originally wanted to force his way into the estate, but the three adorable dogs, Wangcai, stood guard at the entrance and barked at them, which immediately made him lose the courage to continue.
The two people waited in front of the door for a full hour, refusing to leave. Seeing that she couldn't avoid them any longer, Cher finally went out to meet them.
"Father, you're out."
As soon as Cher appeared, the man immediately went to greet her with a fawning smile on his face.
"My daughter has divorced you. I am not your father."
Cher couldn't stand the sight of her former son-in-law.
On the contrary, Diana's ex-husband looked at Cher with great enthusiasm, revealing a greedy glint in his eyes.
He has already found out.
The owner of the manor that the old man had always guarded has returned and is now leading his family to a better life.
Look at him, look at him. Just a few years ago, the old man was wearing tattered clothes. Now he's wearing the latest fashions, and those pockets look like they can hold a lot.
“My dear in-law, it’s only been a few years since we last met, why are you being so formal?”
The man's mother, who had been sitting on the wooden cart, finally spoke.
What are you doing here?
Ignoring her attempt to claim kinship, Cher asked coldly.
The woman's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her smile.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Jane, and the child must miss her father. I made her two new dresses and stopped by to see her.”
"Jane, slow down, don't break the bird eggs."
"Understood, Brother Ross!"
Two children came back from the backyard with bird eggs, chatting and laughing, extremely happy.
"Jane, Jane! Come here quickly, let Grandma take a look."
The girl stood frozen in front of the villa, staring in disbelief at the gate.
After realizing who the two people were, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Jane, it's me, Dad!
"dad......"
Jane repeated blankly, the images of that person beating and scolding her and her mother when he was drunk piecing together in her mind.
"This little girl is useless. What's the point of her studying! When she's a bit older, just send her off to get married!"
The two "fathers" and "grandmothers" standing in front of the door had both said these words to me.
"You're not my dad! You're not my grandma!"
Cher gave him a wink, and Ross pulled Jane back to the villa.
"Hehe, the child is a little shy because he hasn't seen his father and grandmother for a long time. They'll get used to each other from now on."
The old lady tried to smooth things over, but when Cher heard what she said, his face turned cold.
"What do you mean."
“My dear in-law, let’s be frank. I don’t have many years left to live, so I’d like to take the little girl back to live with me for a while.”
Like attracts like; judging from her son's past behavior, she's no better. Otherwise, she wouldn't have allowed her son to do such "good things."
Cher quickly figured out the crux of the matter.
They somehow found out that their family's life had improved and wanted to use Jane to control Diana and then threaten them.
“You and Diana are divorced. We clearly agreed that Jane would come to live with us and that you would have no further relationship with the children.”
Now that they've come knocking, everyone knows what their true intentions are.
I advise you to leave here right now, or don't blame me for making things difficult for you."
"Pah! You'll teach us a lesson! You're nothing more than an old dog that guards the gate; what makes you think you can turn the world upside down?"
After a few words of disagreement, the old lady revealed her true colors and started hurling extremely offensive insults.
“My son is that little girl’s biological father. It’s only natural for a father to come and see his child! What kind of logic is it for you to stop us!”
Rye was sitting in the living room drinking tea when Jane came in crying. Ross explained the whole story in a few words.
Diana hugged Jane tightly, the two of them huddled together, wiping away tears, while Karma scolded and comforted her from the side.
Vincent had already gone to the grocery store, leaving only Cher and Ray, the two men who could manage, at home.
He decided to go out and help resolve the matter. As soon as he stepped out of the villa, he heard Diana's former mother-in-law pointing her finger at Cher and berating her.
That angry, embarrassed face uttered words that were sharp and sarcastic.
"Butler Cher, who is barking in front of the manor gate? This is a private manor. Unauthorized personnel should be driven away immediately."
“Sir, we are the husband and mother-in-law of your maid Diana. We have come today to take Jane back to stay for a while.”
The old lady's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change. She flattered Leie obsequiously, her wrinkles forming a chrysanthemum-like shape.
“Young master, Diana is divorced. She and her son disliked Jane because she was a girl. They had agreed that Diana would take Jane away, but now they have changed their minds and come looking for her.”
"Since that's the case, Diana and Jane have nothing to do with them anymore. Just kick them both out. If they dare to cause trouble here again, call the patrol knights over."
Ray's tone was icy, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. The man trembled uncontrollably with fear.
"Yes, young master."
"Diana! Jane! I'm going back now, but I'll come back to see you again later!"
The man pushed his mother away quickly.
Ray had no sympathy for such a scoundrel.
"Thank you for your trouble, young master."
"We live under the same roof, so don't speak so formally. I will investigate this matter and resolve it for Diana. You can put Diana's mind at ease."
"Yes, I thank you on behalf of Diana and Jane."
Old Butler Cher bowed deeply to Ray, his eyes already welling up with tears.
With just a small amount of money, Ray easily learned the whole story.
Human greed is insatiable; like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
Diana's ex-husband saw that life improved after she and her daughter left him.
He was just thinking of taking advantage of the situation and swindling some gold coins out of Diana. Ideally, the two of them could remarry, and he could move his whole family into Victor Manor.
His mother was also someone he brought along to help him.
The two men wanted to control Diana, and their first priority was to snatch Jane back. This led to the scene at the gate where they were initially obsequious but later became arrogant.
To deal with such scoundrels, you have to make them afraid.
Rye hired three thugs with three gold coins and intimidated Diana's ex-husband several times before he gave up his despicable thoughts.
The mother and daughter's lives finally returned to peace.
Actually, this is partly due to the refugees.
Among the refugees, there are both good and bad. Where there are many people, there are also many conflicts.
Diana's ex-husband was poor and lived in the suburbs. Later, many refugees moved in and settled around their home. These refugees all came from the same place and were very united.
In order to compete for limited living space, they began to gang up on and bully the local residents.
Diana's ex-husband was a typical bully at home.
He acts arrogantly at home, but when he's bullied outside, he doesn't dare utter a sound, and when he gets home, he takes his anger out on his wife and daughters.
They wanted to move, but they didn't have the money.
The family discussed it and suddenly remembered that Diana had a father who had worked as a butler for a noble family for decades.
Finally, they set their sights on Diana, who was already divorced.
He secretly watched Diana and Karma several times while they were out grocery shopping.
After not seeing her for several years, he noticed that Diana had regained her beauty and was living a better life in the city, which made him very tempted. He immediately hatched a wicked plan.
Vincent went out to sell vegetables, leaving behind only the elderly and young, who were easy targets. So, he brought his mother, known for her silver tongue and eloquence, to their door.
Unexpectedly, Ray was home.
To put it bluntly, they felt the Cher family was too easy to bully. After being warned, they behaved themselves.
It's just a pity for little Jane; the psychological trauma from her childhood will take a long, long time to heal.
Even the strongest person has a vulnerable side.
Social instability and restless people lead to a lot of messy and chaotic things.
Several nearby houses have already been burgled, but Victor's manor is in a slightly better situation because it is guarded by three large, free-roaming dogs.
But you can often hear dogs barking at night.
To avoid being burgled, besides being more vigilant at home, one can only hope for the help of nearby street thieves.
So each household on the street where Victor Manor was located paid a gold coin as compensation for the knights' extra patrols each day.
The situation of losing things finally improved.
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