Chapter 198 Rice
"Ah!" Jiang Mi was shocked again. She stopped complaining in her heart. "Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Just give me a reward later. Rice it is, it should be good stuff."
The system scoffed: "How could anything from my system be bad? You dare complain? Be careful, I'll take back the reward, and you'll have nowhere to cry then."
That's true, the things in the system are indeed very good.
"Okay, okay, you're great, I'll listen to you."
Jiang Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally managed to appease this old man. At least there were some benefits. Something was better than nothing. If it weren't for the system, she wouldn't be alive now. It's just that she couldn't choose for herself.
After negotiating with the system for a while, it was already quite late, so she quickly went to bed. It seemed that ever since she was reborn, she had been sleeping very late at night. Before, she always went to bed early and woke up late. There had really been too much change.
Early the next morning, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the restaurant. It turned out that the news of what happened the night before had spread, and more people knew that the medicine to treat the epidemic came from Jiang's Restaurant. So many people waited there, hoping to get the medicine as soon as possible.
Mother Jiang didn't dare open the door. Those people last night were troublesome enough, let alone so many outside. However, they needed to go out to deliver medicine to the county magistrate, and now both the front and back gates were blocked, making it difficult to deliver the medicine.
"Honey, what are we going to do?" Jiang's mother asked hurriedly when she saw her daughter come out. This was not like last night. They could not stay at home, otherwise what would happen to those who were sick?
Jiang Mi was also very distressed. She was so annoyed that her head was spinning. Just as she was about to force her way out, Zhao Decai suddenly came to her door with his men.
"The magistrate is here! Make way, make way!"
The common people were still afraid of the officials, and they barely made way for him. Zhao Decai walked to the entrance of the restaurant, but he didn't rush to open the door. Instead, he turned around to face everyone and said earnestly, "I understand your feelings very well. You are all very anxious, whether for your loved ones or for the sake of living well. Everyone is worried and afraid, and I feel the same way as you."
At this moment, someone nearby said, "For everyone's sake, the county magistrate has never taken any medicine for the epidemic. He has always shared weal and woe with everyone, staying up very late every day. Even so, he still does many things personally, just because he is afraid that if he takes a dose of medicine, everyone will have one less."
Jiang Mi was deeply moved when she heard this in the restaurant. Zhao Decai was truly a good official, and it was a blessing for the people of Shushan County to have such a magistrate.
Unfortunately, there are always some people who can't put themselves in others' shoes. A man in the crowd said, "Who knows if you really didn't take it? You haven't been infected yet, is it just good luck? I don't believe it. Anyway, we're here to get medicine, so hurry up and give us the medicine!"
Zhao Decai wasn't angry. He just looked at him calmly and said, "I haven't been infected because I've been taking precautions all along. As long as everyone follows my example, you can also avoid infection. Many people don't pay attention and don't even wear face masks, so naturally they will get infected. I've told everyone before that the medicine is being prioritized for those who have already contracted the disease. Everyone is still fine, so just stay home and be patient. Once everyone is better, you won't be afraid of getting infected anymore, and there will be enough medicine by then."
"You make it sound so easy. What if we get infected if we don't take the medicine? You're an official, and you have an endless supply of food, but we don't. How are we supposed to eat if we don't come out? We're not earning a penny now, how are we going to survive in the future? Do you even understand our suffering? Anyway, I don't care about any of that. All I want now is the medicine. Whether others live or die is none of my business!"
The man spoke in a cold and ruthless manner, which disgusted many people in the crowd.
The waiter said from the side, "I know this guy. He's a notorious deadbeat. He's lazy and doesn't work. He has no skills and just freeloads at his neighbors' houses all day long. People avoid him like the plague, but he still has the nerve to go to their houses and beg for money and food. If they don't give him any, he'll curse them."
"So unruly?" Mother Jiang clicked her tongue in amazement. "She's just like that Village Chief Yang!"
"How shameless! There are all kinds of people like that."
The waiter continued, "Yes, this man is outrageous. He bullies men and women and does all sorts of evil. If you ask me, it wouldn't be a pity if he died of the plague. Everyone else would celebrate for days."
"No wonder this person is so heartless. Doesn't he have any family?" Jiang Mi asked curiously. Could this person be so heartless towards his own family as well?
"Hey, don't even mention it. He used to have an old mother, but she was so angry at the stupid things he did last year that she died. He shed a few crocodile tears, took the pitiful money his neighbor gave him, and started living a life of debauchery. He squandered it all in just a few days. If you ask me, he might as well have just died."
It seems this person is very hated. Jiang Mi was just about to go out and speak on behalf of the county magistrate when Huo Ran suddenly appeared in front of her. Huo Ran was wearing a black python robe, a silver crown, and a jade pendant hanging from his waist, which was obviously very valuable.
Although he had always dressed well, he had never been dressed like this before, and no one knew why he was dressed like this today. But as soon as he appeared, he had already stunned everyone present, and the old scoundrel who had spoken earlier dared not continue shouting.
"The government understands your concerns. It's not that the government is abandoning you. Although medicine is in short supply, it's not extremely scarce. The daily production is limited. Once the sick people recover, everyone will be able to get their share of the medicine. There's no need for you to worry about medicine."
Although Huo Ran looked like someone of high status, the deadbeat was still unwilling to leave, and his arrogance had subsided considerably: "Who are you? What can you guarantee? Right now, I only believe whether I have the medicine or not; I don't believe anything else."
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter, as long as everyone believes it. The funds allocated by the imperial court have arrived today, and several imperial physicians have been specially sent. At that time, everyone will not have to worry about the medicine."
Only then did everyone notice the several unfamiliar faces behind Huo Ran. They were clearly of high status, indicating that the imperial court had not abandoned them.
"The Emperor still cares about our safety, so I'm relieved."
"In that case, let's go back first. We shouldn't delay the government's distribution of medicine. If some people lose their lives because of us, it will be our fault."
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