"nature."
Bai Jingquan smiled faintly.
He then glanced at the people secretly watching from a distance and spoke in a very loud voice: "I hope no one will come to disturb Brother Huo, otherwise I will certainly not forgive them!"
"..."
Silence.
Only the wind passed by.
As Cheng Shanshan watched Bai Jingquan's departing figure, she thought to herself: He's a good person.
After Cheng Wan'er's outburst, some people were already getting restless, and she was worried that things would be unsettled for the next few days.
But with Bai Jingquan's departure as a deterrent, those people at least dared not make a move for the time being.
Thinking this, she glanced coldly at the distance, then turned and went back into the cave.
At this moment, Bai had already finished making the pan-fried dumplings with bok choy filling. The outer layer was fragrant and golden brown, looking very tempting.
Cheng Shanshan quickly pinched one with her hand and put it in her mouth. As the filling and juices burst in her mouth, she jumped up, scalded, and cried out, "It's so hot! It's so hot!"
Seeing this, Bai quickly said, "Let it cool down before eating."
"It's best to eat it while it's hot." Cheng Shanshan said as she picked up another one. Compared to her previous life, she had food, land, medicine, a home, and a mother in this life. She was living a really good life.
If she could, she would like to stay undisturbed like this forever.
After dinner, she hurriedly went into her spatial dimension. Another batch of medicinal herbs had matured, which also reminded her that her storage space was running out.
She had to go out to get the medicinal herbs.
Now that Bai Jingquan has arrived, the villagers are much better off than before, living a life of idleness and waiting for death.
They began to rebuild the village and repair roads. Everything seemed to be returning to normal, but only Cheng Shanshan knew that this was just the calm before the storm, and things would only get worse day by day...
Bai Jingquan came again early the next morning.
This time, he didn't bring Cheng Wan'er with him, but instead brought a bag of slightly moldy cornbread crumbs.
Cheng Shanshan was puzzled: "Your Excellency, what is the meaning of this?"
"These are for you."
Bai Jingquan explained, "Although this isn't usually anything special, it's all we have right now. I hope Miss Cheng won't find it offensive."
Before Cheng Shanshan could speak, Wang Chao, the constable behind her, said indignantly, "How is it not good? This is the lord's only remaining rations. If we give it to you, the lord will go hungry!"
Bai Jingquan frowned: "Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not making this up." Wang Chao looked at Cheng Shanshan with displeasure: "I just want to know who this person in your family is. Our county magistrate has already lowered himself so much, but he still won't come out. Is that polite of you?"
Zhao Mo quickly chimed in, "That's right, hurry up and let that guy surnamed Huo come out!"
Seeing that the two were getting increasingly out of line, Bai Jingquan directly rebuked them: "Do you two not even listen to what I say?"
Wang Chao immediately cupped his hands in apology: "My lord, I didn't!"
Zhao Mo also looked terrified: "Sir, we just feel sorry for you."
"alright."
Bai Jingquan waved his hand: "You all go wait over there. I have something to say to Miss Cheng alone."
"yes."
The two left immediately.
When only Bai Jingquan and Cheng Shanshan remained, he spoke again: "Miss Cheng, I had no intention of causing you trouble. I am truly sorry, but there is really no other way right now."
Seeing Bai Jingquan like this, Cheng Shanshan felt a little sorry for him: "I know how hard it is for you to deal with the people, but the world has become like this, and it is really not something that Huo Mingchen can solve."
"I know that too."
Bai Jingquan's eyes were filled with helplessness.
After considering for a moment, Cheng Shanshan said softly, "Sir, I think instead of continuing to search here, you should take the villagers and leave."
Bai Jingquan was somewhat surprised: "Leave?"
"Um."
Cheng Shanshan responded.
Then he shared his thoughts: "The fields here are all destroyed. Although you brought some food with you, there are too many monks and not enough porridge, so it won't last long. Why don't you leave here and go somewhere else? There might be something better."
Bai Jingquan thought carefully: "I have also thought about leaving here, but it's not just this place that's suffering from the disaster in the county. I've also made arrangements for five other places. These refugees add up to at least four or five thousand people. Where can they go if they leave here?"
"East, please."
Cheng Shanshan remembered that the famine situation was better in the east.
Putting everything else aside, at least the soil there is bad, but it's still possible to farm and make a living. It's the only "clean land" in the face of years of famine: "The terrain there is better, and the disaster won't be as severe as here, so moving there at least gives us hope of survival."
Bai Jingquan was aware of this as well.
I've been studying topographic maps for the past few days, thinking about whether to lead everyone to move eastward.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Shanshan hit the nail on the head with just a few simple words, and he was immediately filled with admiration: "Miss Cheng has great wisdom."
"That's not what I said."
Cheng Shanshan had no intention of taking credit for it: "This was the idea of the people inside."
"So it's Brother Huo!"
Bai Jingquan immediately cupped his hands towards the cave entrance: "Thank you very much, I will follow Brother Huo's instructions."
Looking at Bai Jingquan's expression, Cheng Shanshan couldn't help but ask the question she had been curious about since her past life: "Sir, although you are the county magistrate, you should be able to see that the situation has changed. Why don't you choose to protect yourself?"
"This one?"
Bai Jingquan straightened his clothes.
Then, with his back slightly straightened and his demeanor elegant, he said, "As the magistrate of this county for a day, I will protect the people for that day, so that I may be worthy of the title of 'parent official'."
After saying that, he left, leaving her with only his graceful back view.
That's exactly how it looked in my previous life.
Not long after the famine broke out, all those so-called officials fled, leaving only Bai Jingquan, a young and fearless official, who directed everyone to cultivate the land and rebuild their homes.
If Huo Mingchen was the first benefactor to save lives, then Bai Jingquan was the second, and also the one with the greatest merit.
Seeing him unchanged, Cheng Shanshan felt a sense of hope for the future.
Because I was in a good mood, I suddenly had a craving for red bean dumplings in the evening. So I took out some red beans from my online space, cooked them over low heat until soft, mashed them, and then added rock sugar to continue cooking.
During this time, she made a lot of cute glutinous rice balls. Bai Shi doesn't usually like sweets, but she drank two bowls of them as soon as they came out of the pot: "Shanshan, your cooking skills are getting better and better."
Cheng Shanshan ate slowly, the sweet taste giving him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
But this tranquility didn't last long. Suddenly, strange footsteps and whispers came from outside: "Shall we rush in now?"
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