The clan chief sighed and explained the situation of the four families. Of course, he didn't say that those families didn't believe the villagers' words, but rather that the four families consisted of sick and elderly people who had taken medicine and were sleeping soundly. In the end, only two or three people from each family survived.
The clan chief, having lived for decades, spoke slowly but clearly had his own ideas. Once he spoke, the villagers immediately understood his meaning.
Lord Fu nodded and said some comforting words, saying that they had also learned about the matter today and had planned to send someone to take a look tomorrow.
He also said that since they had come, he would send someone to go and take a look tomorrow, so that he could report the actual situation to the magistrate.
The clan chief asked if they could seek government assistance in their situation.
Lord Fu pondered for a moment, neither agreeing nor refusing, only saying that he would apply to his superiors for help for Zhoujia Village.
After all, he's just a town official, so he can't approve much for them; he can approve up to five hundred taels.
However, five hundred taels of silver is simply a drop in the ocean when it comes to helping more than forty households and several hundred people settle in the new village.
If five hundred taels were distributed among each family, that would amount to at most ten or so taels, barely enough to feed them, let alone build a house.
"Are you planning to renovate the old houses in the original village, or move to a different village?" Lord Fu asked.
The clan chief said, "Our Zhou clan has lived in this village for six or seven hundred years. If we move away, we are afraid our ancestors will not rest in peace. They are still buried in the nearby mountains. We cannot leave the village because it is too far away."
“We looked around the area and found a place on a small hill outside the village entrance that is suitable for the villagers to live in. We want to move the village there so that we won’t be affected if the mountains flood in the future.”
"However, as the adults know, all of our grain has been washed away this year. Forget about tax grain, everyone is having trouble even eating. These past few days, we've been eating only one meal a day, and the children are crying from hunger."
The clan chief is quite old, so he's willing to swallow his pride and act as pitifully as possible. If the adults can take pity on them, they will receive help.
After listening, Lord Fu nodded and glanced at them a few times. "Have you been walking since you left this morning?"
Uncle Wangcai nodded, "Yes, sir, there are many sections of the road that have been washed away by the mountains and rivers. We fill in the potholes as we go."
"Liu Heng, arrange for someone to buy them fifty steamed buns and fifty mantou." The town magistrate knew they hadn't eaten, sighed inwardly, and sent his clerk to buy them food.
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly thanked the official for his kindness.
The town magistrate waved his hand, "Alright, you can all sit down and rest for a while. There aren't enough chairs left."
He waved his hand, signaling the people standing behind him to sit down as well. He then ordered someone to boil hot water for them and tell them to eat and drink something when the steamed buns and mantou arrived.
Everyone thanked the official again, their faces filled with gratitude. This official was truly a just and upright magistrate.
Li Mai and Zhou Quan remained silent, observing the town magistrate. He seemed to be a decent person, showing compassion towards them.
It is a blessing for the people to have such a local official.
However, Lord Fu remained silent about whether or not the relief funds could be provided, leaving it unclear whether he truly lacked the authority or was simply making excuses.
The town magistrate met the couple's scrutinizing gaze. These were acquaintances—the cattle thief they had brought over last time, who was still locked up in jail!
However, he didn't speak to them. At this moment, the steamed buns and mantou were brought back. Everyone was starving and silently lowered their heads to eat.
The constables were also sensible. Under Liu Heng's command, they brought out two basins of water for them to wash their hands, and they were required to use their hands to eat steamed buns and mantou.
Liu Heng personally brought over a basin for Li Mai and Zhou Quan to wash first.
Li Mai expressed her gratitude.
These people are really nice; they know women like to be clean, so they let the women wash first.
No one gave out two steamed buns and two mantou. The remaining few were wrapped in a white cloth and placed aside, to be given to whoever needed them later.
Li Mai ate only one steamed bun and was no longer hungry. She gave the remaining steamed buns and mantou to Old Man Zhou, Zhou Quan, and Zhou Lin, the father and son.
Old Man Zhou told her to eat more, but Li Mai said she was full.
These buns are quite big; Li Mai ate one and wasn't hungry anymore.
After they finished eating, the town magistrate and the clan chief agreed that they would send someone to check out the place the next day. Once it was confirmed to be suitable for the villagers to build a new village, he would process the paperwork.
As for allocating relief funds to the village, he can only allocate a maximum of five hundred taels of silver in cash. However, he can arrange for a batch of supplies to be delivered to Zhoujia Village in the coming days.
Everyone thanked Lord Fu after hearing this.
Zhou Quan asked if he could arrange a batch of military tents for the villagers.
Lord Fu said he couldn't transfer it, but he would help apply to his superiors.
The villagers found that this Lord Fu seemed very easy to talk to today, like a just and upright official. He promised to give them money and buy them food.
They finally gained something from this trip. The clan chief received five hundred taels of relief silver, but they didn't know what the specific relief supplies would be.
He discussed it with the villagers and decided to save the money for now, and see what supplies the adults would provide later. If they needed anything else, they would buy it themselves.
After leaving the government office, they saw that it was almost dusk, and it was impossible to return to the village. Finally, led by the clan chief, they went to an inn called Hongding Inn and booked eleven rooms, which was just enough for two people to share a room.
The supplies weren't very large; each room had a small heated platform bed, just enough for two people to sleep on. The innkeeper also provided hot water. The price was agreed upon at 600 coins per room per night, which included feeding the cattle and horses.
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