Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 69: Disaster Strikes

The next day, they had the uncle help make a wooden box. Bean sprouts need to grow in a dark space and stay moist.

Cheng Xiaoxiao left small holes at the bottom of the box and placed several layers of cotton fabric on top. The fabric was used to retain moisture, and once completely soaked, a one centimeter gap was left in the middle. A layer of bamboo netting was laid on top, covered with a layer of gauze, and the soaked beans were evenly spread on the gauze and thoroughly watered.

Everyone: "That’s it? It’s quite simple!"

"It’s supposed to be simple. Then just put on the lid, make sure no light gets in, and that’s it."

"Erya, remember to water it once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening, just like I did just now."

Erya nodded, indicating she remembered.

Cheng Hao: "How long does it take to grow like this?"

Cheng Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "I’m not sure, probably 3-5 days!" This was her first time doing it; in her previous life, she had only eaten bean sprouts. She stumbled upon a live broadcast video, but since the method was so simple, she remembered it right away.

As for how long exactly and what they would turn out like, how would she know? She was experimenting based on her understanding.

Cheng Hao looked at Cheng Xiaoxiao’s clueless expression, just waiting to see the results. He thought this girl was all-capable, but she too had a childlike side. It was quite a rare sight.

In the meantime, with no results to show, everyone finished being curious and went on with their own tasks.

In the village, a routine was established. Every morning, a group of men trained in grappling techniques at the practice field, while in the afternoon, a group of women and children learned self-defense. At Cheng Xiaoxiao’s house, in the morning, women came to help slaughter and marinate fish, while in the afternoon, the men would catch fish and bring them back.

The villagers were thus busy and content, living in this busy but happy state for over ten days.

During these ten days, Cheng Xiaoxiao completed her wager earlier than expected. Up to now, they had caught over ten thousand catties of fish in total, and Leng Qi had no choice but to agree to accept Cheng Sicheng.

Leng Qi had no choice but to admire the female Rakshasa. Even if he thought there was something fishy, what could he do without evidence? He thought about how things have been abnormal ever since he met Cheng Xiaoxiao, and decided not to dwell on it.

In the future, no matter how bizarre the event, he wouldn’t involve himself anymore.

During these ten days, bean sprouts became the most coveted dish in the village. They were steamed, boiled, and fried by all the villagers who hadn’t kept any beans, regretting it deeply. Consequently, the beans at Cheng Xiaoxiao’s house became quite the hot commodity.

However, Cheng Xiaoxiao only accepted credits for exchanges: 10 credits for five catties of beans. Knowing that one catty of beans could produce 7 catties of bean sprouts, families with credits laughed, while those without credits regretted it immensely!

Previously, the green vegetables or wild vegetables in the village were detested by everyone. Now, with nothing else to eat, bean sprouts became the dish everyone scrambled for at the table. If you were late with your chopsticks, you certainly wouldn’t get a second bite.

Even though there were many beans, they couldn’t withstand everyone’s enthusiasm and were nearly eaten to extinction. Cheng Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected the villagers to be so frenzied, almost using up even the seeding beans.

On the eleventh day, the weather finally cleared up.

The villagers ran out of their homes, disregarding the muddy roads, cheering and celebrating!

"The rain has stopped!"

"The rain has stopped! That’s great!"

"The sun is out, the storm has passed."

And the clan elders came to the fields, unable to distinguish which plot belonged to whom anymore. The ridges had been washed away, and now they were left with a blank expanse of white water mixed with mud, weeds, and branches. How could they farm this land now? 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Third Granduncle shook his tobacco pipe and sighed, "Alas! It’s all over."

A group of clan elders looked at each other, only able to squat down and sigh together.

...

In the eastern part of Yanzhou City, a grand palace of gold and jade stood at the most prominent location. The golden roof and red doors were majestic and imposing, with golden glazed tiles shining brightly under the sunlight.

The continuous heavy rain seemed to have left no trace here. The majestic hall inside remained resplendent and magnificent. However, today’s atmosphere was particularly heavy. On the marble podium was a tiger-headed chair with a golden-silk cushion, where a middle-aged man in a royal purple robe sat solemnly. A group of trembling officials stood below, and with each report, the man’s expression turned a shade darker.

"Have you finished talking?"

"What’s the use of keeping you useless bunches."

"Prince, please calm your anger!"

A group of ministers quickly knelt down to plead guilty, "Prince, it’s not that we neglected our duties. The disaster this time was really... too fierce. We were powerless."

A few young men in brocade robes standing in the hall without kneeling kept their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound at this critical moment.

The more severe and solemn the atmosphere in the strict hall, the more oppressive it became.

The man at the top who was fidgeting with a thumb ring paused, looked at the fourth prince, Zhou Yanjing, in a light purple robe, who was making eyes at his third brother, "Jing’er, do you have something to say?"

Zhou Yanjing paused, wondering how his father noticed him. He initially wanted his third brother to advise, but now he could only step forward himself and lightly bow, "Father, hasn’t elder brother... performed very well this time? Perhaps we should let elder brother take charge of disaster relief and reconstruction."

A group of officials below, hearing someone taking responsibility, hastily agreed, "The Princely Heir is talented and capable, suitable for this important task."

"The Princely Heir’s jurisdiction over the North City Camp and several counties within Yao Shi County suffered the least, showing his excellent management."

An elder minister with a white beard stepped out, knelt, and cupped his hands, "Absolutely not, the Princely Heir is not fully recovered from his injuries. How can he rush about and toil again? The North City Camp and the few counties outside North City are already the most impoverished areas. The Princely Heir has worked hard, paid a great price, and used many resources to improve people’s living conditions. He is simply not in the right condition to oversee disaster relief. Please, Prince, reconsider!"

Zhou Yanjing: "Oh, Elder Li, come on. Elder brother has rested long enough and should relieve father now. It’s not like we have the same strength as elder brother’s wisdom and courage."

Elder Li: "Fourth Prince, be cautious with your words!"

Zhou Yanjing: "Otherwise, Elder Li, why don’t you take on this role? I’ve noticed you’re usually quite concerned about the people’s livelihood."

"Fourth Prince and Second Prince both govern the affluent areas of the city. Naturally, you don’t know the extent of the differences. How about Fourth Prince and The Princely Heir switch places?" Elder Li suggested.

"You..." Zhou Yanjing glared at Elder Li, wanting to lose his temper, but remembering this was the Great Hall, he dared not be too presumptuous.

Although this disaster was severe, richer areas had their advantages, and no one wanted to care for the poor.

"Enough, there’s no use discussing this nonsense!"

King Qi finally remembered that the second prince was still missing, "Commander Chi, is there still no news of the second prince?"

Chi Jun, the one named, immediately bowed and replied, "Back to the Prince, we haven’t found him yet, but we’ve discovered some clues, perhaps related to a Jianghu organization."

King Qi nodded, "Verify it as soon as possible!"

"Understood!"

Upon hearing Commander Chi mention a Jianghu organization, the young man in purple at the head, his eyebrows moved slightly, then continued to stand silently, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.