Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

This rare and long-lasting drought ravaged countless families, but the Li family was fortunate to avoid severe losses, thanks to their hardworking, honest, and conscientious character.

Every member of the Li family, young and old, worked diligently and relentlessly, day after day, year after year, without a single slack. Thanks to this, the family was able to accumulate a considerable amount of food, a precious reserve that became a lifeline during the drought.

When the drought finally struck, many families in the surrounding area were devastated, with some even dying of hunger. However, thanks to their previous savings, the Li family managed to survive, albeit in dire straits, and avoid starvation.

Even more remarkable is the fact that the Li family remained relatively intact. Due to government forced labor, all adult males were forced to work at construction sites, digging ditches and other arduous tasks for meager pay to make ends meet. The women, however, remained at home, managing the household. They not only prepared three meals a day but also spent their evenings repairing worn farm tools and carrying out various chores. Despite the hardships and difficulties of life, the Li family remained united in their support and resilience, weathering the numerous challenges brought on by the drought.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family hugged our youngest son, who was only two or three years old and still ignorant, tightly. She worked hard while crying and muttering, "What kind of world is this!" Her originally pretty face was now a mess of tears and sweat, and her eyes were full of despair and helplessness.

The eldest daughter-in-law, who had left home, continued to work hard, holding her young child in her arms. However, her sorrowful sobs never stopped, as if she wanted to vent all the grievances and pain in her heart. This tragic scene could not help but move people's hearts.

Seeing this, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Sun, hurried forward, gently patted her daughter-in-law on the back, and kept comforting her, "Daughter-in-law, don't lose heart! Look, His Royal Highness the Prince has come in person to provide disaster relief. As long as we work together to dig through these ditches, we can smoothly divert water to the fields. Then, we will all be saved. Although we don't have much to eat now, as long as we are willing to work harder, at least we can still have something to eat, and we won't starve to death. Besides, many of those who wanted to escape starved to death on the way. So, let's stay here and work hard."

After hearing what her mother-in-law said, the daughter-in-law stopped sobbing a little, raised her head to look at her mother-in-law, and said in a trembling voice: "Mom, I'm not afraid of hardship, I'm just worried that life will continue to be so hard and there is no hope at all. How are we going to live in the future?" As she spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes again.

Grandma Sun responded with a firm expression, "Silly child, since the Fourth Prince has personally come here to provide relief to the victims, it means he must have a solution. Important figures like them will definitely find a way out for poor people like us. We must trust the court and His Highness the Fourth Prince. As long as we persevere, we will eventually get through this." After saying this, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, each catching a faint but warm glimmer of hope in the other's eyes. So, they lowered their heads again and silently devoted themselves to the work of digging the ditch...

Such a heartbreaking and helpless scene, like a miserable picture scroll, continues to unfold in every corner of this dusty and machine-roaring construction site.

Take the Zhao family in the village, for example. Now, only the Zhao family and their young grandson are left to depend on each other. Old Zhao was once a strong man, but during the famine, he willingly gave his limited food to his grandson to keep him alive, ultimately starving to death. His eldest son, desperate to protect the family's meager supplies, was beaten to death by those starving to death.

Fortunately, these days, as long as you're willing to put in some effort, you can earn a little food. Old Man Zhao's grandson is only five years old, a well-behaved little boy who hangs by his grandfather's side all day. While he can't help with any heavy work, he occasionally helps his grandfather with tools or lends a hand, which is a small comfort and warmth in the lives of both grandfather and grandson.

Each person on the construction site is given a bucket of water every day. Although the amount of water is not much, for someone of Old Man Zhao's age, if he uses it sparingly, he will not suffer from severe dehydration to the point of endangering his life.

At this moment, Old Man Zhao carefully opened the lid of the bucket, held the stopper close to his grandson, and said in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze: "My dear grandson, come and drink some water! Look at your little mouth, it's dry and chapped!" However, the sensible little grandson blinked his clear eyes and replied in a childish voice: "Grandpa, I'm not thirsty, you drink!" Hearing this, Old Man Zhao's eyes were warmed and his heart was filled with pity. He stretched out his rough big hand, gently stroked the little grandson's head, and said with a few sobs: "Silly child, drink quickly, after you finish drinking, Grandpa will drink..."

Chen Duhu directed his officials to distribute the meticulously drawn designs one by one, and carefully instructed them to carefully survey the river's course and rationally plan its layout, ensuring that every village had access to the river. This way, even villages that had previously been neglected and difficult to govern could now enjoy the river's nourishment.

One of Chengdu Hu's men watched his master so busy, filled with doubt. He stepped forward and asked cautiously, "Master Du Hu, are the higher-ups dissatisfied with our dedication to helping the Fourth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Duhu raised his eyes slightly, glanced at the man, and responded unhappily, "Even if you don't do as I say, what can we do? As the saying goes, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one. If we accidentally offend the Fourth Prince, I'm afraid we will lose our official hats immediately! But how will the higher-ups deal with it?" At this point, Chen Duhu couldn't help but sigh softly and said helplessly, "I have already written a letter and sent it to the capital at full speed. I'm just waiting to see what instructions the higher-ups will give. Before we receive a firm order, we can only act according to the Fourth Prince's instructions. You, don't just stand there like an idiot, quickly arrange the personnel responsible for digging the ditch and the direction of construction!"

The construction site was bustling with activity, the roar of machinery and the shouts of workers intertwined in a deafening cacophony. The rising dust danced wildly in the air, casting a thin yellow veil over the entire site.

Li Ruoyue stood quietly by, her gaze fixed on the noisy and chaotic scene before her. She saw workers furiously wielding shovels to dig the earth, others pushing carts filled with sand and gravel back and forth, and still others operating large machinery with frantic and orderly operation. Despite the chaos, everyone was busy and methodical, each doing their part.

Looking at the bustling scene of work, Li Ruoyue couldn't help but feel a strong sense of longing. She knew that the tremendous power of so many people working together could create amazing results.

"Many hands truly mean strength!" Li Ruoyue muttered to herself. She thought of the workers toiling away at the trench, their immense sweat and painstaking effort. This project focused primarily on repairing the main road. Ditch construction was an extremely large and complex undertaking, impossible to complete all at once. So, everyone had to take one step at a time, completing the main road first and then gradually improving the other components next time or next year.

At this moment, Luzhu beside her looked at Li Ruoyue with a puzzled look and said, "Miss, what's so good about this construction site? It's covered in dust. Let's go back quickly."

Hearing this, Li Ruoyue glanced out the window at the flying dust and nodded gently. Then she reached out and slowly lowered the curtains on the car window, saying to Luzhu, "Let's go back." The car started and slowly drove away from the bustling construction site. But Li Ruoyue's heart remained there, deeply moved by the workers' hard work, courage, and spirit of unity and cooperation...

The Fourth Prince's trip to borrow grain was truly a difficult one! What was his purpose? While the disaster elsewhere wasn't as severe, food supplies were still plentiful. As a distinguished figure, the Fourth Prince was warmly received by local officials wherever he went. However, when he mentioned his purpose for borrowing grain, the situation suddenly became awkward. The officials began to pass the buck, unwilling to accept responsibility.

Officials from all over the country said, "Although we haven't encountered any major natural disasters this year, grain production is still limited. Most of what we have is just reserve grain, and we must not use it carelessly. Moreover, the people themselves don't have much grain left, so there's really no grain to borrow!" Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince understood the situation. However, he remained undeterred and calmly considered a response.

A moment later, the Fourth Prince decisively issued an order: "Quickly invite the wealthiest people in your area, those with ample funds, and those who are well-known and prominent in the area, to come to me. I have something to tell them!" Upon hearing this order, the officials looked at each other in bewilderment. However, due to the Fourth Prince's authority, they dared not disobey the order and withdrew, quickly setting about inviting officials, gentry, and wealthy families from all over the country.