After traveling through time, I led the whole village to become rich!

Zhou did not go up the mountain. Zhao Guoliang asked her to watch at the foot of the mountain. The kudzu roots that were brought back had to wait until everyone arrived before they could be distributed.

Baskets of kudzu root were carried down the mountain. The eyes of the old people and children at the foot of the mountain lit up when they saw so much edible food.

He had fully recovered by the afternoon, but she was still a little weak.

She also came to the village open space and looked at the piles of kudzu root. She said, "This time, thanks to Hu Lan, there is so much food that we can all survive for a long time. It was also her idea to find water. We all owe Hu Lan a huge favor."

Zhou nodded, "Yes, this time it's all thanks to Hu Lan."

An old woman interrupted, "I heard Hu Lan and her husband got divorced? Is that true?"

Zhou nodded and said, "It's true. Hu Lan will live in the village from now on."

The old woman sighed, "What will she do in the future? Will she live with Lao Zhang and the others?"

"She has three children with her, so it will be difficult for her to get married again in the future."

"Everyone owes her a favor this time. Everyone should help her find a suitable husband. It's not right for a woman to always live in her parents' home. She should get married. Having a man to rely on will make her feel more secure."

These old people are helping Zhang Hulan worry about getting married.

If Zhang Hulan knew, she would definitely say "Thank you..." to them.

The old people and children were chatting here, while outside the village, a carriage was parked on the side of the road. A middle-aged man in official uniform was standing on the side of the road, looking at the moist soil in the rice fields outside the road with some surprise.

There were several yamen runners nearby searching everywhere. They shouted, "Sir, the water is coming from that side."

The middle-aged man was named Wu Deyong, and he was the newly appointed county magistrate of Changning County.

Wu Deyong walked towards the yamen runners and saw a small ditch with water flowing in it.

He squatted down, scooped up a handful of water and put it on his face. It felt cool and comfortable.

"There's such a huge amount of water here. It seems the food supply in Daping Village can be saved."

Then he frowned again and looked at the rice fields again.

"That's not right. Isn't there water? Why are the rice plants so dry and yellow?"

The attendant Tian Wu pointed to the cracks in the rice fields and said, "Look, sir, the fields are full of cracks, that's where the water should be."

Wu Deyong nodded in agreement, "Yes, that should be the case."

Liu Yongquan and several villagers came down the mountain carrying baskets full of kudzu roots. When they saw Wu Deyong in official uniform on the side of the road, they were a little afraid to approach him.

Wu Deyong waved at them, "Fellow villagers, come here, I have something to ask you."

The yamen runner shouted, "Come here quickly! This is our new county magistrate, Lord Wu."

Liu Yongquan and several villagers hurried forward, ready to put down their backpacks and kneel down to kowtow, but Wu Deyong waved his hand and said, "Forget it, spare your ceremony."

Wu Deyong saw what was in their backpacks and asked, "What are you carrying?"

Liu Yongquan replied: "Your Excellency, this is kudzu root, it's edible. We can dig it up and eat it as food."

"Pueraria lobata? What is Pueraria lobata? Have you heard of it?" Wu Deyong asked the yamen runner beside him.

The yamen runners all shook their heads and said, "I've never heard of it."

The kudzu roots look different. Some look like sweet potatoes or yacon, but some of the older ones look like tree roots.

Liu Yongquan and the villagers put the small ones at the bottom of their backpacks, and put the old ones that look like tree roots on the top of the backpacks so that they can fit more.

Wu Deyong sighed inwardly, "Alas... the people are suffering... they've even started eating tree roots..."

Wu Deyong then pointed at the water in the ditch and asked, "Where did you draw this water from? When did you draw it down?"

Liu Yongquan answered honestly, "We just brought it down this morning. We brought it down from a cave halfway up the mountain. We worked all day and all night yesterday to get it down."

Wu Deyong asked again, "There is water on this mountain. Why didn't you bring it down earlier?"

Liu Yongquan talked about the water shortage in the village and how they found water.

Liu Yongquan finally said, "It was the girl from the Zhang family who told us about this kudzu root. She was kind-hearted and didn't want to see the villagers starve to death, so she told everyone that kudzu root was edible and asked everyone to dig it up as a life-saving food."

Wu Deyong nodded and said, "Well, that's great! Your village can find its own water source and can also find food to survive. That's great."

"Let's go and take a look at your village."

Wu Deyong followed Liu Yongquan and the others into the village. Liu Yongquan quickly said to the surrounding villagers, "This is the county magistrate. The county magistrate is here to see us."

Mrs. Zhou, some elderly people, and children quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Greetings, County Magistrate!"

"Everyone, get up quickly." Wu Deyong looked at the elderly and children in the village and asked, "Where are the others?"

Liu Yongquan replied: "The young ones have all gone to the mountains, and only the elderly and children remain in the village."

Wu Deyong pointed to the kudzu roots he had dug up and asked, "Some of you worked, and some didn't. How are you going to divide the food when the time comes?"

Liu Yongquan still answered honestly: "It will be divided equally among everyone. Everyone will get a share."

Wu Deyong pointed at the elderly and children and asked, "Do they have it too?"

"Yes, but I want to get less."

Wu Deyong nodded frequently, "Very good, you didn't give up on anyone. Your village is great."

"Where's your village head? Is he also on the mountain?"

“It’s all on the mountain.”

"Is it far? If not, I'll go up the mountain with you to take a look."

Liu Yongquan said, "It's not far. It's not far from where you were before. It won't take more than a quarter of an hour to get there."

"Then let's go. I'll go up the mountain too."

Liu Yongquan quickly led the way.

On the way, Wu Deyong carefully inquired about the situation in the village, and Liu Yongquan answered all his questions one by one.

Liu Yongquan said it was not far, but it normally took about fifteen minutes to get from the village to the place where kudzu roots were dug.

But Wu Deyong was carrying a big belly and it took him fifteen minutes to get there.

He gasped and asked, "Didn't they say it would take less than 25 minutes? Why hasn't it arrived yet?"

Liu Yongquan scratched his head. "Sir, if I leave, it won't take more than a quarter of an hour..."

Wu Deyong sat down on the ground and gasped for breath. "How much further?"

"It's not far, it's not far. It should take less than a quarter of an hour."

Liu Yongquan asked hesitantly, "Sir, how about I carry you up there?"

Wu Deyong waved his hand, "No, no, I just need to rest for a while. I'm here to understand the people's sentiments, not to cause trouble for them. I don't need you to carry me on my back, I can do it."

Liu Yongquan immediately showed respect and felt that the county magistrate must be a good official.

The villagers who went down the mountain with Liu Yongquan had already gone ahead, leaving only Liu Yongquan behind to accompany Wu Deyong.