The Pretty Wife of General Jinxiu Huanian

Chapter 140: Drought

Yunxi and the prince sat on a stone bench in the courtyard of the marquis's mansion. Yunxi was wearing a light blue dress, her hair was simply tied up, and a few strands of hair fell by her ears.

The prince was wearing a dark purple robe with a black belt around his waist, looking very energetic.

The two were talking about recent events in the capital when suddenly a gust of hot wind blew past, rustling the leaves.

"Why is the wind so hot!" Yunxi frowned slightly, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief in her hand, and narrowed her eyes.

The prince looked up at the sky. The sky was very blue, without a single cloud in sight. The bright sunlight shone straight down, stinging his eyes.

"Madam, I heard that many places have been hit by drought these days, and the people are suffering."

The prince's face was full of worry and his brows were tightly furrowed.

Yunxi put down her handkerchief, placed her hands on her legs, and said, "I've also heard some news. If this drought continues, I really can't imagine what will happen."

After saying that, Yunxi and the prince looked at each other and stood up.

The prince shook his sleeves, Yunxi adjusted her skirt, and decided to go out and take a look.

As soon as I walked out of the Marquis' Mansion, I saw that everyone on the street looked hurried and haggard.

A water vendor, guarding a few worn-out buckets, shouted loudly: "Water for sale, water for sale!"

Yunxi walked up and asked, "How much is this water?"

The vendor glanced at Yunxi and the prince, and said with a bitter face, "Madam, a bucket of water costs three cents."

Yunxi was surprised and said, "Normally a bucket of water costs only a penny, why is it so expensive now?"

The vendor shook his head helplessly, spread his hands and said, "Madam, you don't know, with the drought, water is in short supply, and it's good to have this water to sell.

I have no choice. It’s not easy to find water everywhere.”

Yunxi frowned, looked at the pitifully small amount of water, then looked at the eager eyes around her, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She turned to look at the prince, who also had a serious expression on his face.

As we continued walking forward, we saw that the soil in the fields was as dry and cracked as a turtle's back, and the crops were withered and lifeless.

Several farmers squatted by the field, sighing.

"God is so blind! I'm afraid the harvest for the year will be gone."

An old farmer with wrinkles all over his face, his eyes full of despair, wiped his face with his rough hands as he spoke. The sweat on his face mixed with dust left a trail of black marks.

Another younger farmer stood up, spat fiercely on the ground, and said angrily: "If this continues, our whole family will starve!

How can I live like this? "

Yunxi and the prince walked forward. The old farmer looked up and saw them, and hurriedly saluted, bending very low with a bit of awe.

The prince said, "No need for formalities. This drought is so severe. Does the court have any plan to deal with it?"

The old farmer shook his head, sighed, and said, "Your Majesty, we are just hoping for some rain to save our crops.

We ordinary people don’t know much about the affairs of the imperial court.”

Yunxi couldn't help but ask, "Master, how long has this drought lasted?"

The old farmer raised his head, looked at the dry and cracked land in the distance, and said in a hoarse voice: "Madam, it hasn't rained properly in almost two months.

The food supply at home has long been depleted, and there is no hope for the crops here either."

The young farmer continued, "My child at home cries every day because he's hungry. It's like a knife is piercing my heart."

As he spoke, he clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white.

The prince frowned and said seriously, "I will find a way when I return and ask the court to come up with a solution as soon as possible."

Yunxi also said: "Don't be discouraged, there will always be a way to overcome the difficulties."

When the old farmer heard this, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, but it quickly dimmed. "I hope so. I hope it rains soon so we can have a way to survive."

Yunxi and the prince left the fields in silence. Yunxi's skirt was covered in dust, and the prince's boots were also a little dirty.

Arriving at a village, I saw only dilapidated houses with mottled walls, and the roads in the village were bumpy and dusty.

The village was silent, with the occasional sound of children crying.

A thin woman, holding a crying child, sat at the door.

The woman was pale and thin, her hair was as messy as dead grass, her clothes were patched up, and her eyes were empty and lifeless.

The child's face was pale, his crying was weak, and his little hands kept grabbing the woman's clothes.

Yunxi stepped forward and asked, "Sister-in-law, why is the child crying like this?"

The woman looked up at Yunxi, her lips cracked and her voice hoarse as she said, "Madam, the child is hungry. He hasn't eaten properly for several days. How can he not cry with an empty stomach?"

As she spoke, tears began to fall like beads from a broken string.

Yunxi looked at the poor child, her heart tightening. She quickly took out some small change from her sleeve and handed it to the woman: "Sister-in-law, use this to buy something for the child to eat."

The woman's eyes suddenly lit up, and she took the silver with trembling hands. Her lips trembled as she quickly thanked him, "Thank you, ma'am. You are such a kind person. The Buddha will bless you."

Yunxi sighed softly and continued to wander around the village. He saw an old man hunched over, leaning on a broken wooden stick, walking slowly.

His face was wrinkled, his eyes were cloudy, and he kept muttering, "This life is unbearable."

Not far away, a middle-aged man was squatting in the corner, holding his head with his hands, holding a piece of dry grass in his mouth, with a sad look on his face.

Yunxi walked up and asked, "Brother, what's going on?" The man raised his head, glanced at Yunxi, and said in a muffled voice, "My family's crops are all gone, my wife and children are starving, and I'm so upset."

Yunxi watched these scenes with a frown on her face. Then she saw a half-grown child running barefoot on the ground, his clothes torn and tattered, and he was as thin as a bamboo pole.

After a walk around the village, all I saw was a scene of desolation.

The house was dilapidated and on the verge of falling apart, and the mud walls had been eroded by wind and rain and were in a terrible state.

The people were dressed in rags, some wore open-toed shoes, and some were barefoot.

Everyone looked pale, with despair and helplessness in their eyes.

Yunxi and the prince returned to the Marquis' Mansion with heavy hearts.

"Your Highness, we can't just sit back and watch." Yunxi frowned and said anxiously.

The prince sat on the chair, clenched his fists, pounded the table heavily, and said, "Don't worry, madam, I will find a way."

The next day, Yunxi and the prince went out again. This time, they came to the porridge stall in the city.

The porridge stall was crowded with people, each of them stretching their necks and staring eagerly at the big pot of porridge.

A woman carrying a child on her back kept standing on tiptoe, afraid of missing the chance to get porridge.

A child was tugging at the corner of an adult's clothes, crying because of hunger.

An old man was holding porridge, his hands were shaking so badly that half of the porridge spilled before he could even sit down.

"This porridge is too watery. It doesn't fill me up at all." A young man complained.

The person in charge of distributing porridge said helplessly: "There is no other way. Food is in short supply. This is good enough."

Yunxi's eyes welled up with tears as she watched this scene.

The prince frowned, gritted his teeth and said, "Go get some grain from our mansion and make porridge for the people."

The subordinates did not dare to delay and ran to do it.

Soon, the food for the mansion was delivered to the porridge shed. The cooks rolled up their sleeves and worked furiously. The fire in the stove roared, the porridge in the big pot gurgled, and the aroma filled everyone's nose.

The porridge was also much thicker.

The common people gathered around, their eyes filled with gratitude. An old man in ragged clothes took the prince's hand, his lips trembling as he said, "Prince, you saved our lives!"

A woman holding a child, tears in her eyes, said in a trembling voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Madam!"

There was also a skinny young man who bowed deeply and said loudly: "I will serve the prince like a slave in the future!"

Yunxi and the prince felt a little comforted when they saw the satisfied expressions of the people.

However, this is just a drop in the bucket. The drought is still continuing and reports of disasters are coming from more places.

Just as we were calming down, we heard another cry for help. A farmer, with a look of sorrow on his face, squatted on the ground and cried, "My fields are all dry and I haven't harvested a single grain!"

There was also an old lady, leaning on a broken cane, saying tremblingly: "How can we live?"

Yunxi and the prince knew that they were facing a difficult challenge.