Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Under normal circumstances, no one would pay attention to the words of Yueqian. After all, she was a simple woman who had married into a poor villager’s household. Her words did not even carry the same weight as the village leader’s. However, now she was Yueqian who had once given them hope, so her words were taken seriously.
"Go ahead."
The village leader saw Yueqian, his eyes shining with hope, as did the others.
"Thank you," she said, then stood up to ensure everyone could see her.
"Firstly, I would like to express my opinion. I agree with the village leader that we should wait for the official forces to finish dealing with the bandits before we go into the forest. I fear it might not even take a month; this should be resolved soon."
As Yueqian said this, many looked uneasy, as if to say a month was too long and they might starve by then.
"But in the meantime, I believe the authorities will provide us with soup kitchens because they must consider our hardships. We may need to wait about 10 days, or perhaps more," Yueqian pretended to predict.
However, how she mentioned the heroine’s people would come within 10 days was not accurate, because they would probably come after the fifteenth day since the women travel group couldn’t come easily.
When she got married, she traveled by boat, so she arrived early, but still took several days. But the heroine’s journey cannot be like that since they have many items to bring, including dry food, requiring them to travel along the riverbank, making frequent stops due to the many women in the group, thus extending the time.
This aid should sustain them for 15-20 days before the authorities subdue the bandits. While this aid was necessary, the wellbeing of the villagers for those 15 days was also critical.
Some people might be able to wait for help once they hear that they only need to endure for 15 days; their expressions improve, but some are still deeply worried. However, the number of people in distress has decreased by now.
"Lady, although you say that, those of us who rely solely on the forest for our livelihood cannot wait even a day. Our families might starve before help arrives," one man said, his little child by his side.
"Yes, I’m in the same situation. If I can’t gather forest products to sell, I, who have invested everything in the farm, have nothing left to eat," another added. Yueqian nodded.
"Yes, those who are truly in need should register with the village leader. I previously made some money selling my dowry in the city. I will allow you to borrow some of that. Of course, this loan must be tied to a land lease agreement. When the harvest is over, you must repay me the money, or if you can’t, you must work off the debt," Yueqian said seriously.
Upon hearing this, many people were astonished.
They hadn’t expected Yueqian, who had already extended help to them, to reach out again. To them, this help felt like a goddess extending her helping hand.
The borrow agreement, this kind of help was seen as a gesture of generosity, unlike setting up the soup kitchen. Although they were villagers, they had their dignity; unless utterly destitute, none wanted to depend on the soup kitchen.
When the villagers heard that Yueqian was allowing them to borrow money to survive until the next harvest, some were moved to tears. The benevolence of this beautiful woman was immense. There had never been someone that would offer such generosity in their time of crisis.
"Ha! You just said you had no money, and now you have enough to lend to others?" Mu Tian, seeing the villagers’ attitudes toward Yueqian turning her into a saintly figure, couldn’t help but make a sarcastic comment.
She was unaware of how much anger her words would provoke in the village. Even her own family looked at Mu Tian as if they were looking at a dead fish. No one could believe Mu Tian could be so foolish.
"I truly said I had no money because I need to save my portion for the future. So, considering what Aunt Mu Tian has said, I ask everyone to please sympathize and return the money after the harvest, or when you have sufficient funds," Yueqian explained worriedly.
Once money is lent, its return depends on fate. This was a saying from the time she came from. However, in these times, if not too selfish, the pressures of society will prompt people to quickly repay their debts. Also, hearing Mu Tian’s comment made everyone realize that Yueqian wouldn’t have considered using this money unless it was a real crisis.
Her initial generosity was already significant, and knowing this only made her generosity even greater.
"Please, village leader, help screen those who are genuinely in need. I don’t want any of our neighbors to die when we can still help," Yueqian earnestly said. Everyone’s face showed deep appreciation.
From now on, Yueqian wouldn’t just be the first person everyone thought of in good times; whether Mu Heng’s household did anything or if anyone said they were wrong, even if beaten to death, no one would believe it.
Her goodness this time had completely won the hearts of the people!
After the meeting, the village leader called Yueqian to inquire exactly how much money she can lend to each family. If they calculated it, surviving a month might cost up to 90 brass coins per person. If a household had three members, it would need 270 brass coins, which Yueqian nodded and confirmed she had enough for everyone.
Mu Heng also mentioned that he could use the money he had earned previously to help this time. The village leader was deeply moved by the generosity of Yueqian and Mu Heng. Nevertheless, the importance of assistance cannot be denied.
Other village leaders, upon hearing about the loan that would require paying back with land lease agreement that had been made in the village, came to inquire about it with Yueqian’s village leader on behalf of their own villages. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Eventually, everyone ended up borrowing, but they had to carefully select who really needed the help; otherwise, not everyone could be assisted.
This slightly altered the course of events, as the butterfly effect took its course once again unnoticed. From the heroine’s plan to aid the villagers by setting up a soup kitchen that would have brought great honor to her as a lifesaver, as there were many villagers who died previously, it turned out no one was in such dire stage.
When the soup kitchen was established in the city, not a single villager from the countryside came to get food. Only those who were already doing business in the city and wanted to save money lined up.
The village leader’s announcement not to go up the mountain turned out to be beneficial; afterward, no one died from encountering bandits in the forest anymore.
Mu Heng became more determined as well. He spent all afternoon writing, while the two children used this time to study. Others, not needing to venture into the hills for food, found more time to work on their farms, allowing for faster cultivation than initially planned. Mu Heng’s work also progressed rapidly; he had already sown seeds in several fields.
“I heard that people from the capital have started arriving. It turns out that the aid coming is from the women of the capital,” Mu Heng mentioned, glancing at his wife’s face.
He did not know what this little one might be thinking, and if she was concerned, he would not be bringing it up again.
“Hmm, I suppose so. People in the capital like to make a name for themselves in this way. If they can help the villagers and become well-known for it, it will enhance their status.” Yueqian did not care.
She was reviewing the children’s writing to see what needed correction, seemingly not concerned with the capital’s people.
“Is that so?” Mu Heng smiled to himself.
He was pleased that his love did not care too much about the capital and did not seem to want to return.
The petite woman glanced at her husband’s face, knowing what he was thinking. In fact, if they were closer, she would tell him that she was the one who planned to leave the capital herself; why should there still be ties to the past?
“By the way, when will they start distributing the food?” Yueqian asked.
She needed to calculate correctly. Since the village leader’s announcement, twelve days had passed. She heard that the army had also arrived, led by the Young General tasked with combating the bandits as part of his plan.
“They announced that distribution could start tomorrow,” Mu Heng thought briefly before responding as he had heard.
Despite his disbelief that distribution could occur the next day since they had just arrived and had not yet set up any facilities, he relayed the information without alteration for his wife to hear.
"Is it that urgent?" If they are hurrying this much, it means that the Young General will also arrive tomorrow.
The general must receive a royal command to move. He would be delayed compared to the group of women who, having heard about the people’s hardship, proceeded earlier.
If she wanted to make an impression on him, it must be when he saw the distribution of supplies. Otherwise, why would she bother coming here? The general would first see her when he entered the city to meet with the mayor, and then his troops would move into the forests and mountains, so they wouldn’t meet again. Therefore, there were only a few days to make a good impression.
As he spoke, Mu Heng noticed his wife’s worried look, although he didn’t know why she was concerned. He felt worried too.
“Husband...” Yueqian looked at the face of the man who was concerned about her. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
She hesitated about whether to tell him, but if not... it might become more complicated later.
“I’m afraid that the army coming to help this time might be led by the Young General... my former fiancé.” When Yueqian said this, it felt like a hammer struck Mu Heng’s head.
His displeasure grew immensely. In truth, he had despised this so-called Young General ever since he learned that he was his wife’s former fiancé, thinking this man wasn’t a gentleman. How could he allow Yueqian to suffer without offering help?
Hearing that it might now be him leading the army made Mu Heng even more upset.
Moreover... When compared, Mu Heng felt deeply inferior. Even though he truly loved Yueqian and knew she loved him back, when compared, he had nothing good...
