"Don't leave after you've received the porridge. Your Excellency has something to say later."
After hearing Shi Lei's words, the victims all stood there obediently and did not leave. There were a lot of chatter in the crowd.
"What do you want to say, sir? Is it about entering the city?"
This man told his guess, and everyone around him became excited.
"Really? We can enter the city?"
"I'm just guessing. After all, the doctor has checked everyone's health. According to the county magistrate's promise, we should be allowed to enter the city."
"You're right, it should be like this. I don't know what kind of house we can get. There are five people in my family, and the smaller ones can't even fit in..."
"You are so beautiful. All you need is a shelter from the wind and rain. Why do you want so much?"
"Hey, shelter from the wind and rain, it has to rain now..."
The drought has been going on for several months now, and we still don't know when it will rain. Thinking of this, the faces of the victims have sad faces, and the joy of entering the city has also dissipated.
"Master Shen, Chief Liang is here!"
Suddenly a shout broke out from the crowd, and everyone looked towards the city gate, only to see Liang Duo walking behind Shen Yanqing and Jiang Miao. Now Shen Yanqing had a high prestige in the hearts of these victims, and everyone saw him
All very excited.
"Master Shen, you are here. Thanks to Master Shen, we can eat and have doctors treat us. We will never forget Master Shen's kindness!"
"Yes, without Mr. Shen, our current life would not be possible."
Jiang Miao stood next to Shen Yanqing and felt happy for him when she heard the grateful words of the victims. Although Shen Yanqing was still young, he was devoted to the people, so he won the hearts of the people not long after taking office.
Shen Yanqing noticed her gaze. Jiang Miao's eyes were full of admiration and attachment. Shen Yanqing's ears felt hot. He tried his best to calm down, and his stern face became colder. Liang Duo thought he thought the victims were noisy, so he hurriedly
He made a gesture to shut everyone up.
"Okay, please be quiet now!" These people kept saying things to each other. I didn't know when to say it, so I had to inform them that it was important to get down to business.
The surroundings finally quieted down. Liang Duo cleared his throat, glanced at Shen Yanqing and said without objection.
"You must have guessed the reason why the adults asked you to come. Now that everyone has completed their physical examination, except for a few people who have some physical problems, most of them are hungry and have some physical damage. These are not big problems. Take care of yourself.
You’ll be back soon.”
Liang Duo's words made the victims feel relieved. Although Shen Yanqing said that the doctors in the city would treat him if he was sick, everyone hoped that they would be free from illness and disaster.
"You also know that the food in the city is limited, and you cannot rely on others for relief. The food donated by so many people in Zhenjiang Prefecture is just a drop in the bucket. If you want to survive, you have to rely on yourself. Now we not only need to solve your housing problem, but also outside the city
The wasteland must be planted with crops, otherwise everyone will continue to starve after eating the existing food..."
Liang Duo slowed down and observed the reactions of the victims. They were all thoughtful, and some directly raised questions.
"Chief Liang, do we all have a place to live? The weather is so dry now that we can't survive even planting crops." With so many of them, can all the houses in the city be accommodated? What about the remaining people?
What to do?
There is also the matter of planting crops. They knew that when the famine first occurred, all the grains they prepared for spring planting were eaten, otherwise they would not have been left lying on the ground.
"Yes, Chief Liang, can all of us enter the city?"
These are all related to their interests, and the victims are eager to ask for details.
"Listen to me first!"
Liang Duo knew their worries, and that was what he was going to say next.
"Master Shen already has a solution. The idle houses in the city all have owners. Although they have fled to other places, there is no guarantee that they will come back one day. Even if you live there, you can only stay temporarily, so
Master Shen has other ideas, let everyone build your own house, the government will allocate land for you for free, and you are allowed to use the stones, wood, sand and soil on the mountain..."
"real?"
The victims were all excited. Who wouldn't want to have a home after being homeless for so long? And now they don't have to pay for the materials to build the house. They only need a handful of energy. Isn't this a good thing?
"Of course it's true, but there are conditions. Although Mr. Shen has said that you won't be allowed to pay, in exchange, half of the crops you grow this year must be handed over to the government."
The famine is continuous. Although Shen Yanqing has made big policies, it will take time for Zhenjiang Mansion to recover. Shen Yanqing asked them to hand over the food in order to store it for emergencies, in case the situation gets worse later.
The government will also have grain reserves.
“But what crops should we grow?”
The victims had no objection to Shen Yanqing's decision; they were more concerned about what to plant in the fields.
"Grow sweet potatoes."
"Sweet potato? What is this?"
As soon as Liang Duo spoke, everyone was confused as to why they had never heard of this kind of food.
Not only had they never heard of it, but it was also the first time for Liang Duo to hear it. He only knew the name of this crop, but he didn’t know what it was like.
So Liang Duo looked at Shen Yanqing next to him and wanted him to explain to everyone. Shen Yanqing nodded slightly, took a step forward, and walked in front of everyone.
"Sweet potatoes are a high-yielding crop discovered by my wife. The yield from one acre of land can reach 500 shi. It tastes delicious when steamed, fried or boiled. It is easy to feed and can be grown in dry areas."
"The yield per acre is five hundred shi? What kind of magical crop is this? With sweet potatoes, wouldn't we all have to go hungry?"
"Who says it's not the case? The yield of ordinary wheat and rice per mu is only 200 shi, which is more than double..."
"Then Master Shen, how are we going to plant it?"
The victims were all very excited and wished they could plant sweet potatoes immediately.
"I will send people to Furong Town to collect the rice seedlings. The rice seedlings will be distributed according to the number of people in each household. Before the rice seedlings are collected, you must first prepare to plow the land and fertilize, and the construction of houses must also be put on the agenda.
How many people are willing to live in unused houses in the city, and how many are willing to build their own houses, please go to Chief Liang to register clearly. We also need at least one person from each family to build houses. We must work together to build our homes!"
"Okay! Let's work together to build a home!"
"We listen to Master Shen!"
Shen Yanqing's words inspired the victims. Shen Yanqing has provided them with hope and a way out for survival. In order to have their own home and not have to endure hunger, they will work hard!
