“Host, there’s one more thing I need to tell you,” Yuanbao said hesitantly.
"Yuanbao, what's wrong?" Xu Nian asked nervously.
“In the original story, a month later, a severe drought struck the land, and all the crops in the fields withered and died. This year, there was no harvest at all, and with the famine and the imperial court’s taxes, the people were living in dire straits.” Xu Nian’s face turned grim as Yuanbao finished speaking.
"Yuanbao, how long will this drought last?" Xu Nian thought that if it was short, they could still endure it.
"The country has suffered a severe drought for three years."
"So long?" Xu Nian could imagine how many people would die if it didn't rain for so long.
"Yuanbao, do you sell any props for artificial rainmaking?" Xu Nian gritted her teeth and finally asked.
"Host, you want to spend points to bring rain and save people?" Yuanbao was surprised, as Xu Nian had always been very stingy.
“With three years of drought and no food, people will do anything. If Mu Qingqing goes to flee the famine with her parents, how am I supposed to save her? She'll either starve to death or be eaten. To avoid taking any risks, I'd rather spend my points on this task!” Yuanbao didn't believe Xu Nian's sophistry.
It knew that Xu Nian had softened her heart; she didn't want to face a world littered with corpses and shattered earth.
"Host, even if you use points to bring rain, you can only keep one side safe. When refugees flock here, it will cause trouble."
"How large will the area affected by the rainfall be?" Xu Nian closed her eyes. Although she was just a passerby, she couldn't do nothing.
"One thousand points for a thousand miles, one hundred points for a hundred miles," Yuanbao quoted honestly.
"So expensive, it's robbery!" Even if Xu Nian used up all the points for this mission, with rain only once every month or so, those 10,000 points would only last for a year at most.
This mission was a huge loss; she even has to pay out of her own pocket.
"Yuanbao, I choose the Thousand Mile Land for Rainfall Points." Xu Nian was extremely distressed. It wasn't that she didn't want to choose the Hundred Mile Land, but that the Hundred Mile Land was too small.
After three years of severe drought, this is the only place that has received rain. When the time comes, refugees will flock here, and Xu Nian is afraid that the area of a thousand miles is too small.
"Don't worry, host, there will definitely be enough rain."
"Yuanbao, I feel like I'm doing something stupid." Xu Nian sighed. She didn't know if what she was doing would be good or bad, but she would save as many people as she could, and she couldn't care less about more than that.
“It’s a good thing that the host has a clear conscience.” Yuanbao’s words of comfort made Xu Nian feel a little better.
"Yuanbao, I want to be alone." Xu Nian shut herself off.
Having lost contact with Yuanbao, Xu Nian sat alone, lost in thought, trying to comfort her wounded heart.
"Niannian, the water's here. Niannian, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly so upset?" Wang Pu'an put down the water and hurriedly squatted down in front of Xu Nian, asking anxiously.
"Wang Pu'an, I want to cry." Xu Nian pouted, her eyes brimming with tears; she really wanted to cry.
"Niannian, don't be sad. Tell me what's wrong." Wang Pu'an's words of comfort did not make Xu Nian feel better. Every time she saw him, she thought of the points she lost due to the failure of her mission.
"Waaaah! Wang Pu'an, it's all your fault." Xu Nian really cried, her points, her money.
She's been so frugal for so long, she tries to avoid spending points when doing tasks.
Now she has to spend so much money on her own initiative, and she feels terrible!
"Okay, okay, it's all my fault, Niannian, don't cry." Wang Puan recalled what he had done, not understanding what had made Xu Nian sad again.
"Wang Pu'an, buy more grain these next few days." Xu Nian's words jumped out too quickly, but Wang Pu'an could only nod in agreement.
"Okay, I'll go buy it tomorrow."
"Wang Pu'an, let's go back to Butou Village and farm!"
“Don’t worry, Niannian. I opened a shop in town with a partner, and the money I earn is enough to support us. I’ve also rented out the land in Butou Village, and the grain we pay is enough to feed us.”
Xu Nian realized that Wang Pu'an's talk of his possessions wasn't so simple. "Wang Pu'an, you're not a local gentry now, are you?"
"I only just realized it!" Wang Pu'an sighed.
"How is this possible? How did you do that?" Xu Nian thought and thought, but couldn't find anything Wang Puan had done!
He was always hanging around her, only occasionally going out for a short while, and when he came back, he would bring her pastries or something.
"Niannian, you don't care about me at all." This time it was Wang Puan's turn to feel wronged.
"Think about it yourself, how do you resemble a country gentleman?" Xu Nian wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with a serious expression.
"It was my fault. I didn't tell Niannian the truth." Wang Pu'an's apology was considered the end of the matter.
The next day, Xu Nian talked to Mu Qingqing about stockpiling grain. Unexpectedly, Mu Qingqing's family owned a grain shop, so Xu Nian asked Wang Pu'an to buy more.
She had no other idea than to buy enough grain for the whole year.
Grain prices are not high now, but after the drought, they will skyrocket. With speculators driving up prices, grain will become difficult to buy later on.
Although Xu Nian decided to use points to bring rain, she didn't know what the final price of grain would be.
May our land be safe and sound, and may our people live in peace and health.
A month passed quickly, and the weather began to get hotter and hotter. Mu Qingqing complained more than once that she missed modern air conditioning.
Xu Nian also thought that even the wind blowing was hot in this weather. She drank bowl after bowl of herbal tea, but it was still hot.
"Niannian, is this weather going to cause a drought? It hasn't rained for half a month, and it's sunny every day. It's making people anxious," Mu Qingqing muttered.
"Don't worry, it will rain." Xu Nian thought that it was about time for the first rain.
"Niannian, you're so calm!" Mu Qingqing waved her fan so hard her hand was practically spinning, but the sweat on her forehead never stopped.
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