Xiang Dejin had no idea what Jiang Zhi was up to, but he also needed to return to the medical shed and they happened to be going the same way.
This time, Jiang Zhi didn't bring any medicinal herbs, but instead brought some oak powder and vermicelli.
From the time the oak berries ripen, they begin to soak in the water pit.
Chunfeng and Qiaoyun, the two daughters-in-law, are very capable. They take care of the children from morning till night without rest, grinding oak powder, making vermicelli, and spinning yarn, weaving cloth and making clothes whenever they have a spare moment.
Jiang Zhi brought freshly ground flour.
Upon entering the village, Jiang Zhi first found Xu Errui and Xiaoman, who were setting up their kang (heated brick bed). The two were quite surprised to see her suddenly arrive.
"Mom, why are you here?" Xu Errui ran over with his hands covered in dust, thinking something had happened at home.
Jiang Zhi said, "I've come to see how to settle the medical expenses from last time. I also have something to discuss with Section Chief Zhang."
"Oh, Mom! Call me when you're done cooking, and I'll go home with you today!" Xu Errui wanted to go home every day.
Settling medical expenses at the clinic was simple; the usual practice was to exchange goods. Jiang Zhi asked for cotton and cotton cloth.
Living in the mountains, children and the elderly all need thick quilts and cotton-padded coats, the more cotton the better.
Xu Dong was somewhat surprised by her request: "You don't want food anymore? Why are you asking me for cloth?"
Jiang Zhi said, "It's hard to get grain, salt, and oil from Zhang's place. If I go there, I'll just complain about being poor. You must have extra cloth and cotton for bandaging your wound."
It is said that those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and since Zhang Juntou was in charge of the medical shed, he naturally had to take a cut of the profits.
Xiang Dejin and the others kept complaining about the poor food at the medical tent, saying that the wounded soldiers had to find ways to improve their meals. Only Xu Dong's place could provide the wounded soldiers with high-quality and sufficient medicine.
Xu Dong smiled slightly: "Okay, I'll calculate it as cotton and cotton cloth for you."
He thought to himself: Zhang Juntou doesn't have much silver. Now the price of medicine is soaring everywhere. There are cheap and good medicinal materials sent from the mountains. Some of the medicinal materials in the medical shed are directly resold to the city at high prices. There is a lot of profit to be made here.
Jiang Zhi had no idea about any of this, and was still smug about getting ten catties of cotton and two bolts of coarse cotton cloth.
Even if she knew, there was nothing she could do.
If Xu Dong doesn't want his medicinal herbs, and he doesn't have a system to exchange those herbs for grains, oils, cloth, and cotton, he will still need to go to the city to sell them and then buy them.
The roads are not safe now, and the city is not safe either. If we send them to the city, they probably won't even be able to keep their money.
Having obtained the cloth, Jiang Zhi had accomplished half of her goal in descending the mountain. She casually remarked, "Doctor Xu, I heard that they've already begun dispersing the refugees, so why is the number of refugees inside and outside the village increasing instead?"
Xu Errui and Xiaoman both said they wanted to repatriate the refugees, but when she entered the village just now, she saw that the number of refugees stranded on the official road and in the village had increased significantly.
He was dressed in rags, his face was pale and thin, and he looked even more disheveled than when he was first seen at the beginning of the year.
Xu Dong glanced around and saw the laborers busy at work before he began to speak: "They are indeed dispersing refugees now, but that's a matter for the city."
The newly arrived county magistrate, Zhang Zheng, was said to be from the north. He was known for his decisive and efficient work style, and his first official document was an order to forcibly expel him back to his hometown.
The displaced people scattered throughout the city and came to these places. They were all half-starved and longingly watched the medical tents distribute some thin porridge.
When you go to see Commander Zhang later, be careful, he might get angry!
With the appearance of snakeskin and the making of loquat leaf paste, Xu Dong's attitude changed noticeably. He regarded Jiang Zhi as a fellow professional, no longer a simple country bumpkin, and spoke to her more intimately, revealing more of what he knew.
"So that's how it is. This... doesn't the government have any disaster relief grain?" Jiang Zhi rarely inquired about current affairs.
Xu Dong said, "Are you stupid? The new army is in the midst of its military campaigns, and all the official granaries and grain stores have long been emptied."
The goal is for the displaced people to return to farming; there's no need for disaster relief grain. At most, they can borrow some seeds from the government after returning home.
Oh dear! This means the refugees will have to travel hungry.
After receiving the news from Xu Dong, Jiang Zhi turned around and went to find Zhang Juntou.
Sure enough, they found Commander Zhang in his office, raging. His voice was so loud that it could be heard from afar: "What do we need for food? We've already exceeded our budget today. If we keep eating like this, the wounded soldiers in my medical ward will starve!"
In front of Zhang Juntou, the chubby cook in charge of the kitchen was talking about something, looking extremely anxious.
"No, no! If they don't behave, then treat them like bandits and kill them!" Zhang Juntou was furious; he was absolutely enraged.
Seeing that the number of refugees was increasing, and that the "bandits" had just dispersed from his area, only five days later another one or two hundred people had gathered.
Magistrate Zhang only cares about keeping his own city clean and doesn't care about the lives of those below. How can this be allowed?
If I were to release the grain to cook porridge and help the government feed the refugees, all the grain that was previously withheld wouldn't be enough to make up for it.
Who will fill the food deficit? Those people in the army certainly won't take responsibility.
Seeing that Zhang Juntou was unwilling to distribute the grain, the fat cook turned and left.
The village was walled off when the medical shed was built, keeping refugees out, but noise and commotion could still get in.
At this moment, the wounded soldiers also gathered outside the medical tent, discussing in twos and threes: "The refugees can't be left to starve like this!"
"Who says otherwise! If anyone causes trouble, we'll all be there, even if it means getting our hands dirty!" someone said worriedly.
"What's there to be afraid of? This is just reaping the rewards without even lying down!"
They all knew that if the refugees continued to gather like this for too long, something bad would happen. Some were worried, while others were excited.
Those who storm the medical shed are bandits, but they can get a reward for their own treatment.
Jiang Zhi was also very excited; this was a golden opportunity.
When did I become a dark little lucky charm?
Zhang Juntou was sulking at the moment. When he heard the soldier say that Jiang Zhi had arrived and had something to say, he immediately said impatiently, "What is there to say? Go find Old Xu to deliver the medicine. The wages will be settled naturally after the kang is built!"
A few days ago, Zhang Juntou would have been happy to say a few words, but now, just thinking about the refugees gathered outside who wouldn't leave, he wanted to give Zhang Zheng, the magistrate of Pingchuan County, a good scolding.
When Zhang Juntou was nowhere to be seen, a soldier came over and urged Jiang Zhi to leave: "Aunt Jiang, you should go now. The platoon leader has been troubled these days. We can talk about your matter later!"
“I have important business to attend to! Tell Squad Leader Zhang that I have important business to attend to!” Jiang Zhi explained.
"Hey! Go away, don't make things difficult for me!" The soldier shook his head vigorously. Zhang, the sergeant, was looking for someone to vent his anger on, and he couldn't go and invite trouble.
Jiang Zhi couldn't leave now; anyone else would have had to plead with her again, using soft words.
Who is she? She used to be a shrew. Who has ever seen a shrew reason with someone?
At this moment, Jiang Zhi didn't make things difficult for the soldier. She pushed him aside and went straight into Zhang Juntou's office. With a "thud," she slammed her basket on the table: "Squad Leader Zhang, you really know how to turn your back on people! When you wanted someone to make the bed, you were saying nice things to thank me, but now you're ignoring me."
Seeing her shrewish behavior and then looking at the anxious soldier following behind, Zhang Juntou frowned immediately: "Your son's kang (heated brick bed) hasn't been repaired yet. Go back! Go back, come back in a few days to collect your wages, you'll get your share."
Jiang Zhi seemed not to hear, and took out a bag from her basket, opened it to reveal the powder inside: "Squad Leader Zhang, I was sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to save you."
"What nonsense are you spouting! Did the Bodhisattva send you to save me?"
Zhang Jun was so angry he almost laughed. This village woman seemed like a completely different person today; she had never been this audacious before.
Jiang Zhi suppressed her smile: "Squad Leader Zhang, let me tell you seriously, I used to be able to provide medicine to help the medical tent in times of emergency, and now I can also find you an inexhaustible supply of food that can feed tens of thousands of refugees."
She started bragging shamelessly!
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