Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 494: With Food in Hand, You Will Not Be Panic

"All of us are going to the capital by land, so we have to pass through the neighboring county."

"Now, even if the county gate is opened, there is no way to go."

Shen Yu was surprised. He didn't expect the water to recede so slowly.

If you think about it carefully, what this guest said should be the truth.

The surface drainage here is all open ditches, there is no underground drainage tunnel at all, and the water can only recede after the water level in the canal drops.

Another guest thought of a more practical problem: "If this happens, I wonder if there will be enough food in the county town."

Another guest speculated uncertainly, "If there were no flood of disaster victims here, there should be enough food. But if the disaster victims from neighboring counties come here, it will be hard to say."

The Li family members looked at each other, and they all thought of the food and pickles that Shen Yu had stockpiled.

You have food in your hands, don't panic.

Li couldn't help but secretly rejoice: "Fortunately, Yuzhi insisted on hoarding grain. A few days ago, I felt that the grain occupied two rooms and could not receive guests, which was a bit uneconomical."

"Now it seems that we are lucky to have the food stored there, so we can feel at ease now."

Shen Yu saw that the guests were becoming more and more frustrated as they talked, but it was of no use in solving the current difficulties.

I tried to persuade them kindly for a while and asked them to relax for the time being.

It is better to go back and have a rest first. Maybe the water will recede quickly tomorrow when the weather clears up.

The guests knew there was no other solution, so they just went their separate ways.

Although Shen Yu said it lightly, but when he returned to bed, listening to the sound of the rain which was still neither hurried nor slow, and the occasional sound of gongs, he just tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

After finally waiting until dawn, he got up.

The rain had stopped at this time, the air was fresh, the sky was clear, and it looked like the bright early summer.

Unfortunately, the trapped people had no mood to appreciate these things, as they had already gone out to find out the news.

By noon, notices from the county government had been posted everywhere, and the people finally knew the details of the situation.

The people in the neighboring county were safe because the city gates were closed in time and the terrain was high.

However, a large area along the canal in the neighboring county has been completely flooded, so Anping County also has to close the city gates for a while as a precaution.

Wait until the weather clears up and the water level in the canal drops a little, then open the city gate.

As for food, there is no shortage of grain in the grain store, but vegetables and meat are usually shipped from outside the city, so they will be out of stock for some time.

People in the county town were in a panic for a while, fearing that the city gates would be closed for too long and that they would run out of food, so they flocked to the grain stores to buy food.

As people rushed in eagerly, the price of grain in the grain store increased three times in one hour. The last time, the price had increased fivefold, and people still had to queue up to buy it.

And as if it was pre-arranged, after only a short while of selling, all the grain stores started to close their doors, saying that they didn't have much grain left and that the daily sales were limited. Please come early tomorrow to queue up.

People looked at the closed grain store, the woman who couldn't buy grain, and thought of the empty grain jar at home, and couldn't help sobbing.

Shen Yu had stockpiled food early in the morning and did not send his waiters to buy food. However, the restaurant's business had to be halted because there was no meat and vegetables.

We closed the door of the restaurant and took inventory of the food stock together. If we were only going to eat at home and supply the twenty or so guests staying there, we could eat sparingly and last for ten days or so.

But as the weather gets warmer, there are not many vegetables and meat left, and they will be gone in a day or two at most.

But at this time, how can we pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables and the deliciousness? It is good enough to be able to eat enough and not go hungry.

Fortunately, God was kind to us. After it rained that day, the sky suddenly cleared up and it was sunny for three or four days in a row.

The county government would send people out of the city every day to investigate. Unfortunately, although the water level in the canal was no longer rising, it was falling slowly, and the water level in the neighboring county had hardly receded.

Outside the city wall of Anping County, some thatched huts have been erected. I heard that they are all occupied by people living along the river from the neighboring county.

Some of them ran fast and rushed into the city gate of the neighboring county, while those who ran slowly had to run to places without water.

The county government was worried that the food stored in the county would not be enough, and secondly, allowing so many outsiders in at once might cause trouble.

Therefore, he refused to let the people from neighboring counties enter the city and only allowed them to take shelter temporarily near the city wall.

Fortunately, it was already May and the nights were not cold, but there was nowhere to buy food. After a few days, the little food people brought with them had been eaten up, and the children began to cry with hunger.

The runners came back and told the county magistrate what was happening outside the city wall.

The county magistrate could no longer sit still. Although the victims were not local citizens, they still starved to death outside the county wall, so he had to take some responsibility. So he discussed with Master Qian and the others whether he should send some food to them.

The two legal advisors also agreed to send some food, thinking that doing so would not only save the lives of the victims and do good deeds, but would also add to the county magistrate's political achievements.

The county government is much more well-off than before because of the money raised from donations a few days ago.

So they planned to build a porridge stall next to the city wall, buy some rice to make porridge, and make some cakes to distribute to the victims.

They can hold on for five or six days, and when the water in the neighboring county recedes, they can go back home.

This is easier said than done, but there is only one chef, Jiang, in the county government office, and he is also responsible for the daily meals of the runners in the county government office, so he cannot leave at all.

Chef Xu has a lot of free time, but he is old, and because of the rain these days, his old leg pain has recurred. He spends most of the day lying in bed and can't do any heavy work.

If we find someone else to do it, we would be worried that the person we find might have bad intentions and embezzle the rice for their own benefit, leaving the victims to starve. That would be a case of good intentions leading to bad results.

Master Qian thought of the time when the canal was being repaired and everyone was relieved and satisfied with the food cooked by Shen Yu, so he said, "The city gates have been closed these days, so I guess Fengnian Restaurant won't be able to open and cook because it doesn't have ingredients."

"I don't know what Miss Shen's family is doing. I think they would be willing to help me for a few days."

The county magistrate didn't know who to arrest, but after hearing Master Qian's suggestion, he immediately thought it was a good idea.

He smiled and said, "Yes, yes, how could I forget about her."

"Xiao Si praised her in front of me many times, saying that she has a good heart and is not reserved."

"Last time when the canal was being repaired, the food for the laborers depended on her."

"Everyone was well fed and motivated, and the canal embankment was well built, so it was able to withstand the erosion of rain this time and nothing happened."

"Go find her and arrange for someone to go to the grain store to buy rice. We will start distributing porridge this afternoon."