Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

“My lord, my lord, the people are willing to set up soup kitchens, but this can only solve the problem temporarily. I’m afraid it won’t last long!” Magistrate Zhou bowed to Zhang Youtie and said with a worried expression.

"It would be good if you could give us a few days' respite and help us figure something out," Zhang Youtie said.

"Lord Zhou," Xia Yu suggested, "I think we should find some work for these people, so they can earn their food and drink through labor. This will also prevent some people from maliciously freeloading."

After listening to Xia Yu's words, Magistrate Zhou pondered for a while and nodded in agreement. But when he looked out the window at the white expanse, he couldn't think of any work he could do for the refugees.

"But now that the snow has fallen heavily, what kind of work should we find for them?"

“The river is dry this time, and you can see that the riverbed is heavily silted up and shallow. Why don’t we take advantage of the fact that the river is dry now and have those refugees clean up the riverbed within Ming’an County? This way, we’ll give them work and prevent them from gathering together and causing trouble. We’ll also dredge the riverbed, which will help prevent flooding when the rainy season comes.” Xia Yu shared his idea and suggestion. Whether it can be implemented depends on Magistrate Zhou’s decision.

After listening to Xia Yu's words, Magistrate Zhou got up and paced around the room, considering the feasibility of the matter. After a long while, he clapped his hands and said...

"Let's do as the village head says! I was worried about the river becoming shallower before, and now both problems are solved at once." After saying that, he thought for a moment and added...

“Dredging is hard work. If we’re only allowed to drink porridge, well… never mind. The main purpose of dredging is to prevent them from causing trouble. Even if we do less, it’s fine.” Lord Zhou wanted to say that drinking only porridge wouldn’t work, but then he thought that the porridge was donated by the merchants. If he made any other demands, it would be too much to ask. He couldn’t expect them to go without food and drink and donate all their grain.

Having made up his mind, Magistrate Zhou's worried expression, which had lingered on his face for the past few days, finally vanished. After seeing off Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu and her father, he immediately summoned his clerk and the county magistrate to discuss the specifics of the matter.

That afternoon, a resettlement plan for the refugees was finalized. Magistrate Zhou made a copy and sent it to Zhang Youtie's residence for his review.

Xia Yu carefully read through the contents, finding them more detailed than what she had mentioned earlier. The messenger who delivered the letter reported back to Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu.

"My lord, my lord, the master has instructed me to inform you that all the refugee information can be registered this afternoon, and we can begin work at the latest the day after tomorrow."

"Where are the refugees being housed now?" Xia Yu asked.

“My friend, the tents that were used to house the river workers when the canal was being dug have been stored in the government warehouse. Now they can be used by the refugees. Besides, they all have their own cotton clothes and quilts. As long as they have some dry grass to lay on the ground, they will have no problem getting through the winter. The tents are currently set up in the market in the west of the city. To prevent any trouble, the officials have also sent people to guard them there.”

"Yes, Lord Zhou's arrangements are very thoughtful," Zhang Youtie nodded in praise.

Two days later, after the government had settled all the refugees, the streets were no longer filled with beggars as they had been the previous two days. The Shen family's soup kitchen had begun distributing soup to prevent anyone from fraudulently claiming it.

Every morning, government officials would send people to each tent in the refugee camp to distribute small tokens for receiving food. With the token, one could get a bowl of thick porridge. If you didn't have a token, no matter how pitiful you pleaded, you wouldn't get anything.

Some families, even those with several members, would take the thick porridge home and put it in a clay pot with more water to cook it again, so that each person could have an extra bowl.

After the city was completely rectified, Zhang Youtie went to the government office again and talked to the county magistrate in the study.

That very evening, dozens of oxcarts carrying grain were transported from two inconspicuous houses to the government granary.

Just as all the wealthy households, gentry, and scholars in Ming'an County had distributed porridge, the imperial relief officials finally arrived in Zhongzhou Prefecture with the grain.

Lord Zhou had endured so much hardship for so long, and only now could he finally breathe a sigh of relief. If the imperial court's disaster relief supplies hadn't arrived soon, things would have truly become very difficult.

Since arriving in Zhongzhou Prefecture, disaster relief officials have witnessed too many tragic scenes of refugees.

However, when the officials in charge of Ming'an County arrived with grain, they found that the situation was not as dire as in other counties. Although the economy was depressed, no one had starved to death. Moreover, it seemed that people were still working in the riverbed.

Upon arriving at the Ming'an County government office, Magistrate Zhou reported the extent of the disaster in the county to the relief officials. As he spoke, thinking of the hardships of the past month, Magistrate Zhou's voice choked with emotion several times.

Looking at the gaunt officials standing before him, Lord Qin knew the hardships they had endured over the past month and offered words of comfort.

"Thank you all for your hard work, sirs. His Majesty is also very concerned about the disaster situation in Xinzhou Prefecture. After receiving your reports, he immediately dispatched people to allocate relief grain. The delay is due to the long distance and the large amount of grain we brought. Lord Zhou, you have done a great job. I will certainly report the situation here truthfully upon my return." He then asked...

"But I saw a lot of people dredging the river along the way, what's going on?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this was the idea of ​​using work to alleviate poverty that Lord Wenfu came up with. First, to prevent people from posing as refugees to fraudulently claim disaster relief porridge and meals. Second, to give them something to do, thus preventing them from causing trouble while idle. Third, because the riverbed has become shallow due to siltation, and there is a risk of flooding during the rainy season, the refugees were arranged to clean up the silt." Lord Zhou truthfully explained his original thoughts.

"Yes, that's a good idea, and we can implement it. I'll write a memorial to report this to the imperial court later. We can try doing it in other counties as well."

"Actually, it's not just about dredging the riverbed; we can also reclaim land, build roads, and so on." After hearing what Lord Qin said, Magistrate Zhou added in his mind.

But he didn't say it aloud. He also had a memorial to submit to the court, but he had already told others, so what else did he have to write?

After handling the disaster relief matters, Minister Qin, the disaster relief envoy, took gifts to Zhangjia Village and paid his respects to Zhang Youtie and the two elders of the Zhang family.

It turned out that this man was Qin Er's uncle, and the younger brother of Zhang Chengwen's future father-in-law. Before coming, he was entrusted by his elder brother to check on the Zhang family to see if they were all well. Although the news that the Baron of Zhongzhou had helped the villagers buy grain had spread throughout the capital, and everyone knew that the Zhang family would not lack food, they were still afraid that their high profile in buying grain would attract the attention of bandits.