Chapter 555 The Rain Comes



The next day was a sunny and windy day. The people of Jinli Town who stayed in the wilderness lined up to wait for the yamen runners to distribute porridge and noodles. They all looked a little listless.

Except for the children playing in the fields.

The children who were clamoring to go home last night were running under the blue sky and white clouds, chasing and playing, and shedding strings of crisp laughter.

This eased the adults' irritable mood a little. After drinking the porridge in their bowls, they looked at each other and became dazed.

"We still have to work in the fields today," someone said.

It was May now, and there was so much work to do in the fields that we couldn't have a single day's leisure.

The inside is surrounded by three layers inside and three layers outside.

"Li Zheng, I have to go plow the land today."

"Li Zheng, we still have to plant corn, we can't delay any longer."

"Yes, Li Zheng, tell me straight, can we leave or not?"

Li Zheng was sweating profusely from being asked questions, and felt like he was going to have a heat stroke: "Don't worry, it's still early, I'll ask when the adults come."

Many people looked up at the sky and said, "What do you mean it's still early? The sun has already come out. On normal days, we have to carry hoes and go to the fields when it's still dark..."

"On weekdays, on weekdays, there won't be earthquakes on weekdays." Li Zheng was a little annoyed and muttered.

When people heard this, they immediately asked, "Li Zheng, do you think there will really be an earthquake in our town?"

I took a few big gulps of water.

Answering this question has almost dried his lips.

Finally, Yu Jin showed up, and Li Zheng hurriedly said, "Prince, the villagers are in a hurry."

"What's the hurry?"

Li Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, you don't know that in May and June, there is a lot of work to do in the fields. We can't leave without people."

Yu Jin hadn't thought about these details. After hearing what Li Zheng said, he paused for a moment and said, "It's fine for the villagers to work in the fields, but remember to come back here to sleep after you finish your farm work."

Worried that these people would go home directly after finishing their work, he reminded them, "Wait until the evening, and remember to arrange for someone to count the number of people."

Li Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered, "Your Majesty, there are more than a thousand people in the town. If someone slips away, we may not be able to count them."

"I'll try my best."

"Okay, okay." Li Zheng had no choice but to nod.

"Long Dan, you stay here and help Li Zheng."

Long Dan clasped his fists and said, "Yes."

Yu Jin looked around and left with Erniu.

By the evening, as expected, more than a hundred people had not returned.

Li Zheng was helpless, so he sent a few people back to the town with gongs and struck them, and they persuaded seventy or eighty people to come back.

Yu Jin was busy all day in Qianhe County, settling the new disaster victims. It was not until he returned to Wuji Town in the evening that he heard Long Dan's report.

"So, there are eleven people who returned to Jinli Town after doing farm work?"

Eleven means one in ten.

"Master, this is it. Don't you think those people are stupid? You have made such plans for them, but they still go back to seek death."

Yu Jin smiled and said, "How can you force everyone to believe in a dream?"

Long Dan continued, "Later, Li Zheng led people to persuade 70 to 80 people to go back, but there were still a dozen people who refused to leave."

Yu Jin frowned, went to the temporary courtyard to take a shower, and then went back to the house to lie down.

Summer nights are very lively, with the sounds of birds and insects filling our ears.

Yu Jin couldn't sleep and missed Jiang Silai.

I wonder how Ah Si is doing. Is her belly bigger? Is she still able to move around?

Without him by my side, would I still be unable to sleep like him?

Jiang Si was indeed not asleep at this time.

Counting the days since Yu Jin left, her heart was always in suspense.

When did the brutal second earthquake occur? Or had it already happened, but the news had not yet reached Beijing?

The capital city is not far from Qianhe County. If this is the case, if we send it quickly within 800 miles, we will hear the news tomorrow.

She stroked her bulging belly and turned over carefully.

"Master, can't you sleep?" Aqiao, who was resting on the ground, got up, put a pillow under Jiang Si's feet, and gently massaged her calves.

In the later stages of her pregnancy, Jiang Si would sometimes experience cramps in her calves at night, and Yu Jin would massage her legs whenever she was at home.

Aqiao started doing the work that Yu Jin usually did, and Jiang Si became more and more concerned about the man who was away from home.

"Asleep." She stared at the sky-blue flowered tent, sighed, and closed her eyes again.

The people of Jinli Town slept in the wilderness for three days in a row. Those who slept in tents were fine, but those who slept outside were bitten all over.

The children who felt fresh when they first arrived, after the novelty wore off, started clamoring to go home.

"Mom, I want to eat meat buns, but there are only steamed bread and porridge here."

"Dad, Nini seems to have a fever. We can't sleep in the wild. The child can't stand it..."

"It's itchy, I need to take a shower!"

The complaints gradually increased.

In the afternoon, the weather suddenly changed and it started to rain.

As a result, not only those who have no tents, but even those who have tents to shelter from the rain cannot bear it.

Looking at the rain, if it continues all night, can this tent withstand it?

More people clamored to leave.

Li was thinking about Yu Jin's instructions, and his face turned red with anxiety: "We can't leave. The prince said that there will be an earthquake in the town in five days at the latest. The time is almost up, so please be patient."

"Be patient?" A tall and strong man wiped his face, "It's raining so hard, how can I sleep tonight? Li Zheng, you have to be patient, I can't be patient anymore!"

"That's right, I can't bear it anymore!" Many people echoed.

Those who were clamoring to leave gathered together and walked forward in the rain.

Yu Jin, who had hurried over, stood in front, his clothes soaked by the rain.

"Your Majesty, these people are clamoring to go back." Long Dan came forward and said.

Yu Jin nodded, wiped the rain that was about to get into his eyes, and asked loudly: "Do the villagers really want to go back?"

The sound of rain was loud, but his voice seemed to be penetrating and fell into everyone's ears.

The tall and strong man shouted, "Your Majesty, we have been living here for several days. How could there be an earthquake? It is raining now. It is impossible to sleep here. We need to go back."

"If you go back now, the remaining half of your subsidy will be gone," Long Dan shouted.

The tall and strong man shook his head: "I would rather not have it than go back. My baby has a fever."

The woman standing next to the tall man was holding a young child in her arms. The child had a hat woven from straw leaves on his head. The child's face seemed to be flushed due to fever, and he was looking at Yu Jin with wide eyes.

Meeting those black grape-like eyes, Yu Jin's originally cold heart softened a little: "One tael of silver."

"What?" Everyone was confused for a moment.

Yu Jin said calmly, "On a per-person basis, in addition to the previously agreed subsidy, everyone who stays can get one or two taels of silver."

Many people who were determined to go home wiped away the rain.

One or two taels of silver can support them in digging in the fields for half a year. Rain is nothing. They can even sleep here even if it rains knives!


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