From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Clutching their full bellies and carrying a food box, the two left the restaurant looking utterly satisfied.

Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but sigh in contentment. "It’s true what they say: the best ingredients need only the simplest preparation. We’re really going to enjoy ourselves from now on."

Gu Wenheng replied, "We certainly are, but you’re still too thin. Let’s go to a medical hall and have you checked out."

He had wanted to do this for a while, but Doctor Liu outside the city seemed to have limited skills. At best, he could only treat minor ailments like headaches and fevers.

"Being a little thin is fine. See? It gives me a bony, chic look." Jin Qianqian lowered her head and said with a self-deprecating smile. "It’s a good thing we don’t live by the sea, or I might master Qinggong at any moment."

"Stop fooling around," Gu Wenheng said. "If you don’t get your health in order, you’ll be the one to suffer later, and my heart will be the one to ache for you.

I just asked the waiter. The doctor at Renhe Medical Hall up ahead is descended from an Imperial Physician of the previous dynasty, so his skills should be reliable.

It’s a shame we couldn’t get in earlier. I heard a miraculous physician was staying here for quite some time. When we get the chance later, we should have him give us a thorough examination too."

’In his family, everyone had to get a routine physical check-up every year.’ Gu Wenheng was accustomed to it, so seeing a doctor now was mostly for peace of mind.

"Wife, why are Seventh and his family taking so long in there? I wonder if they’ll ask for news about our youngest," Gu Dashishi said, sipping the rice porridge he had just received while his eyes remained glued to the city gates.

Li Cuicui retorted, "Stop making trouble out of nothing all day. If our youngest was still in the city, it’s been open for days now. Don’t you think he’d know to come out and find us?

Just give it up. That boy was lured away who knows where by that Old Man Lan. You should stop going on and on about him. All these years, you’ve been good to him for nothing."

Gu Dashishi fell silent. He was upset, but he knew his wife was right.

Li Cuicui said, "Your arm looks mostly healed to me. Don’t just sit around here all day. Go and help gather some firewood. It gets so cold at night; how else are we supposed to bear it?"

"But if the wound reopens, won’t that be an even bigger problem?" Gu Dashishi clutched his shoulder, which still ached faintly.

"Hmph. Look at Old Man Lan. He’s been up and hopping around for ages, and you’re still here putting on an act. Don’t forget, he injured his *leg*. Even if you can’t use that arm, your other one can still be of some help, can’t it?"

Li Cuicui pointed to their luggage. "I’ve been hauling and carrying all this stuff on the road. If it weren’t for my good sons lending a hand, I’d have collapsed from exhaustion! If you’re going to keep acting like this, then let’s just go our separate ways. You can go find your precious youngest son. I can count on any of my other boys."

"You old woman, what nonsense are you talking?" Gu Dashishi demanded. "Right, have you spoken to our other sons? We’re planning to return to our village. What do they think?"

Li Cuicui scoffed, "What do you think they think? This place is more prosperous than back home, and it’s not suffering from a drought. Who would want to go back?

The moment I brought it up with our eldest, his wife burst into tears, saying she couldn’t possibly leave until they found their child.

And don’t even get me started on *your* second son. We don’t even know where his family is right now.

Third and Fourth told me flat-out that it was impossible. They said that people should always strive to move up in the world, and for the sake of their descendants, they had to get out of Kao Mountain Village."

"Then what about Fifth and Seventh?"

"Fifth is torn. He wants to go back, but he also wants to try and build a better future for his children here.

Seventh? If he can change his household registration to this place, won’t he have a much brighter future? So I didn’t even bother asking him."

"So, you’re saying none of our sons want to go back?" Gu Dashishi’s face darkened. "Are the two of us supposed to go back by ourselves? Then what was the point of raising all those sons?"

"Exactly!" Li Cuicui said. "I’ve been mulling this over for days. It used to be that children would come find their parents, but once we’re old, it’s our turn to go find our children.

If we live too far apart, they won’t be able to help us if we fall ill with even a simple headache or fever.

Why don’t we stop making things difficult for our sons and ourselves? We should just find a place to settle down near them. That way, when we get truly old, we won’t be left to a miserable end."

"..." Gu Dashishi was silent for a moment. "When you get old, you really can’t do what you want anymore. It’s the same with Fourth’s family. None of their children want to go back, and Datian has already given in, letting them make the decision."

"Well, there you have it," Li Cuicui said, her tone much less insistent than before. "At least the Gu family is still staying together."

"You old woman, you don’t understand a thing. Where are they going to find a place big enough for so many of our family members? I’m afraid we’ll all be broken up and sent to different villages."

"..."

Niu Hai’an stared at the tallied numbers and fell completely silent.

"Your Excellency, these are just the preliminary figures," Xiao Yunhai said with a pained expression. "More refugees have been trickling in over the past few days. What... what are we going to do?" He was now in an impossible position, blamed by everyone.

The Holy Emperor himself had publicly condemned him, a Fourth-rank Prefect, in the imperial court. Any hope of further promotion was now impossible; he might even be formally punished.

His only hope was to resolve this refugee crisis quickly. Perhaps then he could atone for his failures.

"Also, this is the data we’ve gathered from the counties and cities regarding the amount of land and the number of refugees they can accommodate." Xiao Yunhai respectfully presented a ledger. "I’m afraid the numbers are not encouraging."

Niu Hai’an took the ledger and set it on his desk. "The drought in the Northern Three Provinces shows no signs of easing, and who knows when the rains will finally come. If we don’t settle these refugees properly, what chance of survival will they have if they return home?"

Before Xiao Yunhai could speak, Niu Hai’an continued, "Don’t limit your search to existing villages. Any area, no matter how remote, can be considered as long as it has suitable wasteland and a water source.

Send all your subordinates out at once. I want you to bring me back numbers for at least double the amount of land within two days."

Xiao Yunhai immediately protested, "Your Excellency, there’s land deep in the mountains, but those areas are completely unsuitable for cultivation. We simply can’t find that much land."

"Insolent!" Niu Hai’an slammed his palm on the desk. "This official gave you an order, not an invitation to bargain. You haven’t even inquired with your subordinates, yet you stand here spouting excuses. No wonder Dao City has fallen into such a mess under your management!"

Xiao Yunhai hung his head low. He had to be the scapegoat for this anyway, so what was the point of implicating anyone else?

"Where are the Deputy and the Minister of Communication?" Niu Hai’an demanded, his gaze sweeping over the other officials.

"Your subordinates are present!" Lu Tongzhi and Lu Tongzheng quickly stepped forward.

Niu Hai’an bypassed the Prefect entirely and gave his orders directly to them. "This official commands you to re-survey the land. Even the uninhabited areas near the Prefecture City are to be included.

If I discover any of you attempting to deceive your superiors, you will answer for it with your official posts."