"How could you all be left out? Everyone gets a share." Zhao Yunyun said, and then continued to take out gifts one after another.
Xu Han had an exquisite jade hairpin, Lu Chuan had a folding fan, and Grandpa Zhao and the Taoist priest had a set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
"Since the Taoist priest isn't here, I'll put it away for him first," Grandpa Zhao said.
“Okay, you can keep it for now,” Zhao Yunyun said.
"Everyone must be hungry. It's almost lunchtime. I'll go make lunch first," Lu Chuan said.
"I'll help you," Grandpa Zhao said.
Yunhua wanted to help, but Lu Chuan refused, saying, "You've traveled for so long, you should rest for a while."
“Yes, Yunhua, let’s chat here for a while and let them go about their business,” Xu Han said.
"Then I won't be polite." Yunhua said, then sat down again to play with Mu'er.
Seeing Yunhua and Mu'er having fun, Xu Han quickly gossiped about Zhao Yunyun, "When Yunhua came back last time, I heard about your fiancé. How is he treating you?"
"He's a really nice person, with a good temper, and he's good to me too," Zhao Yunyun said shyly.
"Tell me more about it," Xu Han asked curiously.
So Xu Han and Zhao Yunyun discussed for an hour, only ending their conversation reluctantly when Lu Chuan called them to dinner.
Xu Han listened to Zhao Yunyun talk a lot about Li Lin, and from Zhao Yunyun's words, she could clearly feel that Zhao Yunyun still liked Li Lin very much.
In that hour, Xu Han had also found out about Li Lin's family situation. Seeing that Li Lin was indeed a trustworthy person, she felt relieved.
Lunch was rather simple today; we'll cook a bigger meal tonight. During lunch, we inevitably started talking about what's happening outside.
"Is the pandemic over outside now?" Lu Chuan asked.
"It was almost over, but thankfully Grandpa had prepared a prescription in advance."
"When the plague first started, my grandfather and I repeatedly adjusted the prescriptions based on the symptoms of those infected. Once we were sure the prescriptions were effective, I immediately submitted them to the imperial court. So the plague was brought under control quite quickly," Zhao Yunyun said while eating.
"That's good. There shouldn't be many deaths from this plague," Xu Han said.
"Because it was discovered in time, and I had sent a letter to the imperial court in advance, the court also took some precautions, so the situation was under control."
"However, in some remote areas, quite a few people still died, but fortunately, the situation was brought under control in most places in time," Zhao Yunyun explained.
"Fortunately, we have Grandpa Zhao and Yunyun, these two great doctors, otherwise the people of Yuanqing Kingdom would have suffered greatly this time," Xu Han flattered.
"Hahaha, you little rascal," Grandpa Zhao said with a chuckle, tapping Xu Han's forehead.
"I don't think there will be any more heavy rain or snow, so the people can finally return to normal life," Lu Chuan said.
“There are reports that those who fled to the south will be sent back to their hometowns by the government. The city cannot be empty. Now that the natural disaster has passed, people still need to live in the northern region,” Yunhua said.
“Of those who fled to the south, many died or were injured, and not many survived. Wouldn’t they have to go through all that again if they went back to the north from the south? I’m afraid even fewer people would survive then,” Xu Han said.
"This court encourages people from the south to live in the north, where the population is sparse and the land is vast, so they can get more land there."
"Moreover, this repatriation was organized by the government, and there were government officials along the way, so it shouldn't be difficult," Yunhua explained.
"That sounds pretty good." But then Xu Han thought again that there would be another war soon, and wouldn't it be these people who would suffer then?
But as Yunhua said, a city cannot be without people for even a day. The reason why there were no people before was because of the severe drought in the northern region. Even if we conquered it, there would be no people or food. But now it's different. Other countries in the surrounding area will definitely be eager to make a move.
Thinking of this, Xu Han asked again, "Is this drought only affecting our Yuanqing Kingdom? What's the situation like in other countries?"
"It is said that other countries to the north were affected by the disaster earlier than us. Before things got very serious here, they had already lost their water supply. This is also the reason why other countries did not invade us."
"By the time they realized what was happening, we were already severely affected by the disaster, so we had no choice but to concentrate our forces to besiege the surrounding small countries that had water and food," Yunhua said.
"It seems that other countries have also been experiencing turmoil in recent years, with constant disasters and wars," Lu Chuan said.
"These past few years have been difficult for the people, and the country is also in trouble. I heard from the Taoist priest that the current emperor is old and probably won't last much longer."
"The princes are constantly fighting over the throne. If the throne isn't settled soon, the world won't be at peace," Grandpa Zhao said.
"Sigh, life is really tough. Luckily, we live deep in the mountains. We've made it through the early days, and things will definitely get better from here on out. I'm going to plant lots of fruits, flowers, and grass in this valley, and build a small fish pond. Life will be so pleasant." Xu Han said, dreaming about the future.
“Yes, let’s not worry about all that messy stuff. Let’s just live our own lives well. I’ll help you build our own paradise.” Lu Chuan said, holding Xu Han’s hand.
“We’ll come and stay there too, and when we’re free, we can pick fruit and vegetables and experience a different kind of life,” Yunhua said.
"Me too, me too! I want to come too! Sister Xu Han, please plant more fruit! I love fruit the most!" Zhao Yunyun said excitedly.
"Hahaha, it seems we have a place to retire now. Fishing and enjoying tea in this beautiful environment is truly a blessing," Grandpa Zhao said happily.
"Spring is just around the corner, and then we can start building our home," Xu Han said.
"I'll see if I can go up the mountain to dig up some wildflowers, or when the county town returns to normal, I can buy some flowers and fruit trees and plant all the flowers, plants and fruit trees you like in our yard," Lu Chuan said.
"Don't wait until later, I can get these things myself, and I'll transport them back next spring," Yunhua said.
"Really? Then we can grow more than just wildflowers; we can grow other things too," Xu Han said excitedly.
"Of course, that's no problem. Don't underestimate the power of the Taoist priest and me in the capital. Getting these things is easy. Just tell us what you want, and we can usually get it for you," Grandpa Zhao said.
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