The little Fubao in the deserted village made all the dignitaries in the court go crazy with envy

Ruan Yan was so scared that she hiccuped and dared not say a word.

With eyes red and swollen from crying, she didn't dare to answer her father's questions.

She was so angry and aggrieved at the time that she didn't care about anything else.

The person who had always praised her suddenly changed. He no longer praised her, flattered her, or spoiled her. It felt like the lapdog that had always been circling around her had started circling around someone else. She was angry and jealous.

"I'm asking you a question, are you mute?!"

There was another loud shout from above.

Ruan Yan shuddered in fright and subconsciously moved closer to her mother.

Zhou Huixin hugged her daughter and tried to smooth things over, "Why are you yelling so loudly? Look how scared Yan'er is. You can't blame Yan'er for what happened today. Jin Duobao hasn't come to our house for a long time, which is very strange. Maybe the Jin family said something behind our backs, and Jin Duobao heard it."

Ruan Chengye's face was gloomy and ugly. "I don't know where my eldest brother found a way to get in touch with the Hezhou porcelain merchants. Dad has been talking about my eldest brother all the time recently. If our second branch doesn't make great progress, it won't be long before the eldest branch steps on us again! How can I not be anxious!"

"This..." Zhou Huixin frowned and said softly, "No matter how anxious or angry you are, it won't solve the problem. It's better to calm down and think of a solution."

"That's easy to say, do you have a good idea? Our family has been able to develop to this day because of Jin Duobao. Without Jin Duobao, it's like we have lost the golden chicken that lays golden eggs! The Jin family will trample us into the mud and make our lives even more difficult than before. Do you believe it?"

Zhou Huixin's heart tightened and a dark light flashed in her eyes.

After having tasted the delicious bun, how can you bear to go back to chewing the hard bun?

She definitely didn't want to go back to the days when she was suppressed by the eldest son's family and had no face in the circle! She didn't want to change from Mrs. Ruan to "the one of that small merchant"!

"Jin Duobao used to be very obedient to Yan'er? Now that his attitude has suddenly changed, there must be a reason behind it."

Zhou Huixin pondered for a moment, her lips tightly pursed, "I'll go to the Jin family a few more times these days to test it out. Jin Duobao's attitude towards Yan'er changed after he left home, so the root cause may be here. If the problem still can't be solved, there is another way, let Yan'er and Jin Duobao get engaged! As long as the two families become in-laws, no matter how unhappy the Jin family is, they can't get rid of us!"

"Mom?!" Ruan Yan exploded in disbelief, "You said you wouldn't let me be Jin Duobao's wife!"

"It's a different time now. When one prospers, all prosper. When one suffers, all suffer. Yan'er, you are good-looking. Mother has thought that you can become an official's wife in the future, but that is conditional. It requires our family to have rich assets and a certain status. If our family is just a small merchant, no matter how beautiful you are, you can only be a concubine in the official's family, just a plaything! It's better for you to marry Jin Duobao. Let your father gain a foothold in Yuanzhou City!"

Looking at her daughter's pale face, Zhou Huixin felt distressed for her own child and softened her tone, "We can't arrange a marriage just because we want to. The Jin family may not agree. If you really don't want to marry Jin Duobao in the future, then find a way to win Jin Duobao back to your side and make him listen to you like before. Only if you help your father and let our second branch stand firm, can those things be turned around in the future. Otherwise, once our family falls from its current position and returns to the past, you won't even be able to afford a little skirt from Zhenyi Pavilion!"

All these words and truths came pouring down at once, and Ruan Yan's face became even paler.

Even though there were some things she couldn't understand yet, her mother had already described to her what life would be like at home in the future.

I can’t even afford a little skirt from Zhenyi Pavilion.

She doesn't want to!

The Lin family was completely unaware of the undercurrents beneath the prosperity of Yuanzhou City.

What farmers worry about is just simple things like having enough food and clothing, and what they worry about is the things on the farm.

It rained all day again.

It has been raining heavily and intermittently during this period and it has never stopped.

"This horrible weather is like there's a big hole in the sky. The rain keeps leaking out, and the water in the Yushui River is about to overflow." Mrs. Lin leaned against the threshold of the main room, looking at the rain curtain falling from the eaves, her face full of worry.

Old Man Lin was lying on a recliner, his legs covered with silver needles, the ends of the needles trembling slightly in the air.

He frowned and sighed, "Once the river overflows, the crops and herbs on both sides will suffer... I'm afraid this year will be difficult."

"It's hard enough in our Yuxi Village, let alone other places..." Mrs. Lin couldn't bear to continue.

Once the water level rises, the rice fields will be flooded and the crops will be destroyed.

People work in the fields all year round, hoping that the rice harvest will provide food for their families. If there is no harvest, they can only suffer until the autumn harvest next year.

The word "bitter stew" alone makes your mouth full of bitterness, it really is like stewing something with bones, blood and flesh.

Yu Heng waited for the time to withdraw his needle, and after hearing this, he said, "In recent years, natural disasters have occurred in various parts of Da Rui, such as drought in Dongzhou and floods in Xizhou... Once a natural disaster strikes, there will definitely be starving people on the road. In order to fill their stomachs, the good people will become bandits, and chaos will break out again."

The emperor was often worried about these things, and he argued in the court about how to provide disaster relief to the people. However, the emperor only listened to orders from below, and there was exploitation at every level, so in the end very little fell into the hands of the people.

This phenomenon is difficult to eradicate despite repeated bans. In the game between the emperor and his ministers, no matter who wins or loses, the common people suffer.

After saying this, Yu Heng withdrew the needle without showing much emotion.

Although he knew a lot of inside information, he was not in the position or involved in it, so he did not have deep feelings and could hardly empathize with the people.

The Lin family members just felt cold all over.

Bai Xiang was on his way home at this time.

The new village is two minutes away from Yuxi Village. The adults were worried about the rising water, so they went to pick up the children themselves.

The loess road leading home was flooded by rain and turned into a muddy tributary.

The rice fields on both sides of the road were submerged in the shallow ocean. The green rice stalks were half submerged, with only the upper half that had already produced ears of rice barely showing.

If the rain continues and the water level continues to rise, it is only a matter of time before the rice fields are submerged.

Bai Xiang was very surprised by the scene before him. He lay on his father's back, stretched his neck and looked around. There was an ocean everywhere. "Dad, will the rice be drowned?"

"Yeah." Lin Dashan responded in a low voice, with the sound of water flowing under his feet. "Not only rice, but all crops planted in the fields will be soaked and rotten. After the planting season, the flood will recede, and it will be too late to plant many crops."

"We worked hard for half a year, but a flood ruined everything. If we can't harvest crops this year, we'll have to wait until next year. How many families can afford that?" Lin Erhe carried his youngest son on his back and smiled bitterly as he walked. "I don't know if God can't bear to see poor people live in peace. It's either drought here or flood there. It's really terrible!"

He wanted to swear, but when he thought of the kids around, he swallowed the word "fuck" back.