Kang Hong nodded, "Okay! Youping, since you have made up your mind, then leave!"
Kang Youping unconsciously showed a hint of joy, "Okay!" After that, he carried the bamboo basket and left with Gu and Kang Yuanhua without any hesitation.
When Zhao saw that Kang Youping didn't even look at her, she felt very sad and started crying again.
Kang Hong scolded: "Why are you crying? He is the good son you raised!"
Kang Yueran protected Ye on the inside and said, "Grandpa Lizheng, let's go!"
Kang Yuanchen frowned and asked Kang Yueran in a low voice, "Why did you take her in? I said when we split up the family that you don't have to support her."
Kang Yueran smiled, "Because I'm kind and beautiful!" Taking Zhao in was just a waste of a few mouthfuls of food, but it would bring good reputation to the Second House. Worth it!
Once separated from the villagers, Zhao was just her little toy, and she could do whatever she wanted with her.
Kang Yuanchen: ...
Before we even reached the county gate, we saw a large number of disaster victims gathered at the gate. Some were lying or sitting, their faces full of sorrow.
There were no porridge stalls around, and there were yamen runners guarding the city gate, so not many people came in and out.
Kang Hong went out to find the disaster victims to inquire about the situation, and came back with a gloomy face.
The villagers asked anxiously, "What? You won't let me in?"
"You can enter the city, but it costs two taels of silver per person." Two taels of silver can buy a lot of mixed noodles or bean noodles. If you eat them frugally, it is enough for five or six people to eat for a month. This is obviously to prevent ordinary people without food from entering the city.
Someone then asked, "Did the county magistrate say when the relief grain would arrive?"
"No! When the disaster first hit, the county magistrate organized a porridge-giving service for the wealthy. After word got out, more and more disaster victims came.
As the number of people increased, there was not enough porridge. Fights often broke out over the porridge, so the county magistrate decided not to distribute porridge anymore. He was also afraid that the disaster victims would enter the city to steal food, so he ordered that no one be allowed to enter the city at will.
Kang Hong looked around and said, "The victims here are even poorer than us. I heard some of them started eating Guanyin soil."
Kang Yueran's eyes lit up, "Is there Guanyin clay here?" Guanyin clay is also called porcelain clay, which is used to make porcelain.
Kang Hong had been to the county seat before and had a general understanding of the surrounding area. "Yes, there's a mountain called Baidu Mountain to the south of the county seat. The mountain is covered with Guanyin soil, but Baidu Mountain is closer to Anzhou City."
The villagers were very disappointed after hearing the news Kang Hong brought back. They couldn't wait here any longer. If the disaster victims knew they had food, they might steal it. But after crossing mountains and rivers, the villagers were unwilling to just go back like this.
"Village head, how about spending some money to go into the city and ask around, and then decide whether to stay or go?"
It costs two taels to enter the city. Kang Hong nodded cruelly. "Okay, the information in the city is more accurate."
Kang Yueran said, "I'll go ask around. My father and I once delivered game to a restaurant, and the owner was quite easy to talk to."
There were four yamen runners at the city gate, and they checked everyone entering the city very carefully.
Kang Yueran paid the silver and entered the city after being inspected.
Once, Kang Youan had hunted a lot of prey, so Manager Cheng recommended Manager Hao from Qiongbo Tower in the county town. The original owner had indeed delivered prey there before, and she remembered that Manager Hao was a kind person with a good heart.
After successfully finding Qiongbo Tower, she gave the waiter at the door a dozen copper coins and soon met Manager Hao in the backyard.
Shopkeeper Hao recognized her at a glance, "I remember you. You were the one that Old Cheng introduced to me to deliver wild game. You were the girl who was born with supernatural powers."
"Shopkeeper Hao has a good memory!"
Shopkeeper Hao was somewhat embarrassed, but still asked, "What's the matter?"
"My village was flooded, and several families lost their homes and food. So we came to the county town to see if the government had any regulations for resettling disaster victims.
I thought Manager Hao had met many people and was more informed, so I wanted to find out. If the court has any plans in the near future, we can wait outside the city for a few days; if not, we can return to the village.
Upon hearing that they weren't begging him for shelter, Shopkeeper Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Cheng, the county magistrate of Changming County, is a kind man. When he first saw the disaster victims entering the city, he contacted the wealthy families and provided them with porridge. This attracted even more disaster victims, leading to looting.
He also advised the victims to go home first, but they refused, and more and more victims gathered at the city gate.
Cheng had no choice but to contact wealthy families to donate silver. He took the silver to Anzhou City and asked Anzhou Governor Liao to send people to Lincheng to buy grain.
After waiting for several days, the grain still didn't arrive, and Lord Liao kept delaying the delivery with various excuses. Lord Cheng inquired and learned that Lord Liao had a son who was addicted to gambling and had lost the money he had used to buy the grain.
The number of victims is increasing, and the wealthy families are no longer willing to donate money. Now, Master Cheng is trying to find a solution."
Kang Yueran asked, "With so many victims, we need to buy food. Why are the wealthy families in the county willing to donate so much money?"
A glint of admiration flashed in Shopkeeper Hao's eyes. "Because Lord Cheng is a member of the Liuzhou Cheng family, and one of their direct descendants is a third-rank Minister of War. However, despite this, it will probably be difficult to get the silver back from the prefect, Lord Liao."
"Then, according to Shopkeeper Hao, how long will it take for Master Cheng to buy the food?"
"The entire Anzhou province has been devastated by the rain, and the wheat harvest has been nearly wiped out. It's unclear when we can plant the next crop. A locust plague has hit the south, reducing the grain yield by nearly half. Those with grain are reluctant to sell, while those without are desperately trying to buy and hoard it.
We have many waterways in Anzhou, and some merchants have already brought back rice from the south, but the price is very high.
It's not just food. The flood destroyed many houses, and rebuilding them will require money. I think the victims who are refusing to leave the city gates want not only food, but also money."
Anyway, there's no place to stay back home, and the weather isn't too hot or too cold, so many people are lingering at the city gates, refusing to leave.
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