"Brother Ming, this new county magistrate is such a bastard."
"Brown rice in the city is already going for ten taels of silver per bushel! Even millet is five hundred coins per bushel."
"How could he do that? He's sending the victims to their deaths!"
Liu Qiang clenched his fists, veins bulging as he spoke.
Ye Ming looked embarrassed, because he had come up with this plan.
"Did anyone starve to death?"
"Yes, but not many. Much less than when we went to see them."
This was all right; as long as the death toll wasn't high, there was no problem.
"And Brother Ming, why don't we just stop operating the kiln? There's nowhere to sell it, and you're just losing money."
Ye Ming shook his head.
"Don't make the white and blue porcelain for now. Make the red bricks instead, and save them for rebuilding our brick and tile houses later."
"Spring plowing will start soon, and you can earn some food from me. That'll help us get through this disaster,"
Liu Qiang hesitated, feeling the situation wouldn't be over anytime soon.
Ye Ming had helped the villagers enough, and he felt a little bad about making him lose money.
"Don't worry, I won't lose money, and there's enough food. At worst, I'll go to the county town to buy more."
It was impossible to owe Ye Ming anything. The cost was free clay.
At most, there would be a small labor cost.
As for making money, it wouldn't be much. The wealthy areas of Dayun could produce white porcelain.
Of course, there was also blue and white porcelain, but it was rare.
Ye Ming could only make a small profit near Liuzhou County, but the bulk of his income came from other businesses like brewing.
"Brother Ming, food is so expensive right now. Even if you could get into the city, the two hundred or so taels of silver you have wouldn't buy much."
Ye Ming just smiled mysteriously. "Do you believe that food prices in the city will drop soon?"
"Brother Ming, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"How is that possible?"
"Yes, husband, how is that possible?"
As they were talking, Su Xiaorong and Yang Xiaohui approached with two bowls of chicken soup.
"Hahaha, just wait and see." Ye Ming took a sip of hot chicken soup.
"Chicken soup is really good on this cold day."
"Brother Ming, I'll go back and take care of your sister-in-law."
"Okay, take care."
Su Xiaorong looked worried as she watched Liu Qiang leave.
The county town was in such a difficult situation right now, and she didn't know how her mother and the others were doing.
"What's wrong, Xiaorong? Are you worried about something?"
"Husband, can I go to Sujia Village tomorrow? I want to send some food to my mother and my younger brother."
So that's how it was. I had thought I'd go visit my mother-in-law and brother-in-law once I had my business established. But I was so busy with this that I forgot.
"Okay, I'll go back with you tomorrow. If your mother is willing, I can take them to Qingshi Village together."
Su Xiaorong's eyes lit up after hearing Ye Ming's words.
It would be best if her mother and the others were willing to come. That way she could rest assured.
"Really, husband?"
"Hahaha, of course it's true. What if we have a child in the future? We can ask my mother-in-law to help take care of it for us, right?"
Speaking of children, Su Xiaorong instinctively glanced at her belly . She'd been sleeping with her husband for so long, and there was still no sign of anything.
"Husband, taking care of the child is my job, why should I bother my mother?"
With that thought, she thrust her mouth closer to Ye Ming.
"Don't worry. You're weak, so it's normal that you can't get pregnant right now."
"Just listen to me from now on and eat more, especially meat to nourish yourself."
"Once you're healthy, it'll be easier to get pregnant."
Ye Ming's brazen words made Su Xiaorong a little embarrassed.
Yang Xiaohui was still nearby!
"Oh! Xiaohui's still here."
Yang Xiaohui's face was now even redder than Su Xiaorong's.
Thinking about having a baby with her benefactor in the future...
Ye Ming: Stop thinking about it, that's too much!
....
By then, news of what had happened in Kyoto, Cui Xian, and other counties in Liuzhou Commandery had quickly spread.
Of course, this included the Prince Ping'an's Palace, which had been keeping an eye on Qingshui County.
"Miss, there's news from Qingshui County. Would you like to take a look?" Murong Mingyue, listlessly slumped over the railing, perked up at the news.
Ever since returning from Qingshui County, she'd lost interest in everything.
The collapse of Bai Yueguang's image had dealt a heavy blow.
These days, she'd been haunted by nothing but images of Ye Ming defeating bandits with his extraordinary abilities.
"News from Qingshui County?"
Murong Mingyue put away the alloy arrowhead Ye Ming had given her and walked towards Xiaolian.
"Yes, miss, but it's not good news. See for yourself."
She had been hoping for news about Ye Ming, but after reading it, she became unusually angry.
"How dare the Qingshui County Magistrate? He's actually leading the charge to raise grain prices. Isn't he afraid of death?"
"Alas, why didn't we bring enough money before we left? Can that country bumpkin Ye Ming make it?"
She hadn't even learned his secret yet. What if he died?
"Don't worry, young lady. Young Master Ye possesses extraordinary abilities. He will definitely turn danger into safety."
But Murong Mingyue didn't think so. She wanted to escape.
Every day at home, she was either studying or being arranged by her father to meet those boring talents.
She was completely disgusted.
And those so-called talents were not even a little bit as interesting as Ye Ming.
They were all incredibly respectful to her, their words uttered in all sorts of formalities.
Xiaolian could see through her young lady's thoughts; after all, they had grown up together and were as close as sisters.
"Miss, we can't keep you this time. The prince said you can't leave the palace until you find someone you like."
"Ah, I don't want to. Those guys are so boring."
"He's not as good-looking as Ye Ming, and his body is even thinner than a woman like me. I don't like him."
"Ah, Miss, didn't you like this guy before?"
Murong Mingyue was speechless. She had really liked this guy before, because Lin Weichen was just like him.
But after being rescued by Ye Ming, she had changed.
Because if she was really in danger, she still wanted someone like Ye Ming, who had martial arts skills.
Preferably someone with both civil and military skills.
"The past was the past, and this is now. I don't like it now, okay?"
Xiaolian pouted.
"Alright. We can't escape during this period."
"And if we go to His Highness, he won't help us."
"Just wait until the disaster relief in Qingshui County is resolved, then we'll go and have a look."
"Huh?"
Murong Mingyue made a bitter face.
"How long will that take? I want to ask Ye Ming for clarification."
"If possible, I'd like to learn his amazing skills, too."
Xiaolian was speechless. Her young lady's personality was too difficult to please.