In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

After hearing Aunt Liu's question, Aunt Wang calmed down and sighed before quietly explaining the situation to Aunt Liu.

Hearing the whole story, Aunt Liu was incredulous. She stared at Aunt Wang and asked uncertainly, "Are you telling the truth?"

Feeling Aunt Liu's hand trembling as she held her arm, Aunt Wang nodded without hesitation and assured her, "Everything I said is true, not a single lie."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu was incredibly excited, even more so than when she learned about the effects of the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). She was speechless with emotion.

If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, Aunt Liu would have pulled Aunt Wang aside and asked her several times, "Is this true? Is this true?"

Knowing that now was not a good time, Aunt Liu forcibly suppressed her urge to ask questions until she had registered and confirmed the details of building the heated kang bed. Only then did she pull Aunt Wang home quickly.

Wanting to know what was going on, Aunt Liu entered the house and, after confirming that no one was around, quietly asked, "Did Madam really say that? Is there really such a high-yielding crop? You're not lying to us?"

Knowing Aunt Liu's excitement, she had the same thought at the time and had repeatedly confirmed it. So now Aunt Wang nodded seriously and said, "It's true. Madam told me this very clearly. I could not and would not lie about this."

"Then it's true." Aunt Liu relaxed and said.

Her words were calm, but her heart was not. The next second, Aunt Liu's eyes welled up with tears, and her whole body trembled. She choked out, "If this is true, then we won't have to worry about going hungry anymore."

Aunt Wang had been feeling unsettled these past few days, and seeing Aunt Liu like this, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears and say, "Yes, we won't have to worry about going hungry anymore, and our lives will finally have something to look forward to."

The two stayed in the room for a while, wiping away their tears and calming themselves down before trying to pull themselves together again.

Aunt Liu wiped away the last tears from her eyes before calmly analyzing, "This matter is very important and must be carefully considered. We cannot waste a single seed."

Aunt Wang thought so too, and nodded, saying, "That's why I told you this alone, so you can weigh it with me. We must make sure this person is chosen; we can't let anyone waste such an important seed."

Aunt Liu nodded repeatedly and said, "Everyone went to see the heated kang today. We'll soon know how many families have built heated kangs and how many haven't, and then we'll know what to do."

"That's right. Madam said that the growing conditions for that crop are somewhat limited. It's best to grow it in a house with a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), so we try not to consider those households that don't have a heated kang," Aunt Wang said.

Aunt Liu understood this as well. She nodded to show that she understood, but she still couldn't help but say, "We've all seen the effect of the heated kang. This winter is probably going to be especially cold. I reckon there won't be many families that don't build heated kangs."

It was precisely because of this that Aunt Wang was conflicted. She said, "I only feel troubled because I know this situation. There are so many people, but only so many seeds. It's very difficult to decide who gets to share them and who doesn't."

Aunt Liu understood the difficulties involved. She sighed and said, "There's nothing we can do. Seeds are a very important matter. We can't just hand them over to irresponsible people. We'll just have to observe them slowly. We have to be responsible for the cultivation of these seeds."

Aunt Wang understood this principle, and nodded, saying, "That's what I think too. You can observe with me for a while, and the two of you can discuss it."

Aunt Liu: "Okay."

While Aunt Liu and the others were discussing how to choose a suitable family, Su Li was busy directing Mo Bei and the others to spread out the potatoes, sprinkle water, and let them sprout quickly.

These days, Su Li has been busy with the potato matter, and Zhao Zexuan has naturally noticed and knows some information about it. He happens to be at the manor now, so he specially took some time to observe this crop that is said to be very high-yielding.

Standing to the side, Zhao Zexuan listened to Su Li's instructions to Mo Bei and the others, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why is that?"

Upon hearing this, Su Li explained, "Once the potatoes sprout, they can be planted. Once the heated brick beds in the people's homes are built, these potatoes can be distributed and planted."

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan felt much relieved and nodded seriously to show that he understood.

When the topic of building heated kang beds came up, Su Li asked, "What's the situation outside? How many people are willing to build them?"

"According to the soldiers' report, almost all the people who went to see the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) chose to build one, even if it meant borrowing work points on credit," Zhao Zexuan said.

"That's good. It saves the people a lot of trouble if they have this awareness," Su Li commented objectively.

Zhao Zexuan thought so too, and said, "Indeed, it has reduced a lot of trouble."

Knowing the situation outside, Su Li felt relieved and couldn't help but remind Zhao Zexuan, "These potato seeds are definitely not enough to go around; they can only be distributed to a few people."

"Although I told Aunt Wang to try to choose some honest and reliable families, it's hard for others not to notice or know about such a big commotion. Once the effects of this crop spread, many people who didn't get the seeds will come to ask for them. That's when you'll have to play your role."

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said seriously, "Don't worry, they won't cause any trouble."

Hearing this, Su Li felt much more at ease and nodded, saying, "Then I won't worry about it. I won't care whether they cry or make a fuss. You're in charge of calming them down."

Zhao Zexuan: "Okay."

Seeing Zhao Zexuan's straightforwardness, Su Li, unusually concerned, asked, "A heated kang has already been built in the room next door, but your room doesn't. When are you planning to have a craftsman come and build one for you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said, "The craftsmen are probably busy right now. Let's have them come when they have time. There's no rush for now."

Right now, everyone is building heated brick beds, and there isn't a single craftsman available. Su Li nodded understandingly and said, "Indeed, then you can wait a few more days."

……

Building a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is not something that can be done on a whim; it requires a lot of materials. Because he had anticipated the city dwellers' choices, Zhao Zexuan had the foresight to send out several teams of soldiers to find materials and transport them back to the city.

The operation was going smoothly until one day, things went wrong. A group of soldiers lost contact and had not returned to the city for several days. The general in charge of registration noticed something was wrong and hurriedly reported it.

It was truly unexpected that a small team of thirty people would disappear at the same time without any news coming back.