A peasant girl with a special ability uses herself and two wolves to escape famine!

"Stop dawdling, hurry up, get on with it!"

Urged on by the housekeeper, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed. Their fingertips turned white as they gripped the plates tightly, afraid they might drop them in fright.

That would really mean certain death.

One by one, they raised their heads, holding their plates, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

The housekeeper said, if you can't see it, just pretend it doesn't exist, don't scare yourself unnecessarily.

Xia Ning couldn't help but laugh when she saw their trembling hands. "Don't be afraid, it won't bite."

They felt uncomforted and became even more terrified. They thought, "If they don't bite, they'll eat us!"

Having such a huge snake living in the house, who could stand it? The master is good in every way, except for his rather peculiar hobbies. Seriously, aren't they afraid their little master will get eaten?

too difficult!

One by one, trembling, they put down their food and fled as quickly as possible. Only the steward remained, standing aside waiting for his master to finish his meal so he could report on the recent events, both big and small, that had occurred in the shop and in Hangzhou.

"The governor is dead?" That's too sudden. I thought he could live for another ten years or so.

"Yes, madam. I didn't know whether I should go to pay my respects, but seeing that everyone else went, I just followed suit."

It doesn't matter, going is the right thing to do.

How are their family members doing now?

"After the former prefect passed away, he rarely went out except for the occasional servants who came out to buy groceries. However, the prefect's wife kept a group of people in her private residence."

Xia Ning was surprised. Was he, like them, cultivating his own power?

Who is it that you're raising?

"A bunch of thugs and guards, and a group of beautiful women, practicing singing, dancing and how to serve men inside." The steward thought for a moment, but still decided to report the truth, "It is said that some of the former prefect's concubines are also inside."

Xia Ning: ……

666

This woman is quite formidable.

From what I heard, there were no major incidents in Hangzhou, and the new prefect was a good official who managed things quite well. Everyone had a good year. The only miscalculation was that they didn't know the city would be gone for so long, and they hadn't left enough food, leading to a food shortage in the city.

The yield from our own produce wasn't high because it hadn't rained all year. We had to supply not only Hangzhou but also several nearby cities, and it was definitely not enough. Eventually, we had no choice but to implement purchase restrictions.

The steward breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Marquis and his men had returned. In a few months, if the people couldn't buy food, there would likely be a major upheaval.

The officials in the government office also breathed a sigh of relief. Good heavens, he's finally back! They were all worried sick about his delayed return.

They must be exhausted from just returning today, so they didn't dare to bother them. They would invite the Marquis to the government office in a couple of days to discuss the food shortage.

The butler got carried away with his conversation, forgetting everything for a moment. He turned around, and his heart skipped a beat. Damn, he got carried away.

"You go down."

Seeing the housekeeper's pale face, Xia Ning decided not to keep him any longer and told him to go and rest for a while, and that he would get used to it.

"Yes." He leaned against the wall and walked shakily to his own room.

Xia Ning sighed, "Jiang Yi, what do we do? Everyone seems really afraid of the giant python!"

"What's there to be afraid of? Weren't they afraid of wolves before? They'll get used to it."

This person is heartless and incapable of empathy. Xia Ning felt that asking was pointless.

After his afternoon nap, Jiang Yi took his family to check out the shop. The queue outside was as long as when it first opened. Well, that's how people are; the more people are scrambling for something, the more they'll fight for it. With food rationing, it's no wonder people who have been starving for years can't sit still.

Are there this many people every day?

"Yes, my lord, ever since the purchase restrictions were implemented, no one goes home to sleep at night. They line up at the door every day. It's the same next door. People are lining up to buy salt because there isn't much salt left, and the purchase restrictions are even more severe."

Is that crazy?

"Take me to see the warehouse."

The shopkeeper looked troubled. "My lord, the warehouse has been empty for a long time. The grain we sell every day is transported from the estate. Each time, in addition to our own people, there are also people from the county government escorting us all the way."

"So, the grain you have right now is what's in the shop?"

"Yes, this is the amount we're selling today. It will be moved over tomorrow morning."

Is it so troublesome?

"Okay, I see."

Food is the most important thing for people, and he initially thought he had left enough.