Chapter 603 - 597_1
What was Lin Yue busy with? She was busy buying and transporting food from all over the place to store away. Because she was buying in large quantities and did not want to attract attention, causing unnecessary trouble, she could only bring it home little by little when others didn’t notice, and then kept it stored in the house.
As for the storage location, thanks to the top-grade aunt of Zhao Erhu from those years, Lin Yue, afraid of having the grain seized when she was away, had gone through great pains to hide things. She did more than just dig a small underground storage room. Eventually, it became a habit, and when she saw a new residence, she didn’t forget to leave several storerooms and secret chambers just for emergencies. This was because Lin Yue, unfamiliar with ancient times and lacking a sense of security, combined with reading too many novels and history, found such actions comforting. She hadn’t expected they would indeed come in handy.
Why did Lin Yue hide food? It was merely out of caution, fearing the potential bad scenarios she envisioned, better safe than sorry. Besides, with so many servants in their household, having more food was not an issue. They consumed a lot themselves, and if they couldn’t finish it, they could sell it.
Last winter’s weather was slightly abnormal, with heavier and longer-lasting snowfalls causing snow disasters and many casualties. Even the Emperor used his private silver to help the victims. The state treasury was depleted, so they came up with the idea of overseas trade. That’s why Zhao Erhu was urged to set sail so early. Originally, Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue had planned to make one sea voyage a year to earn enough, but now, with the Emperor’s command, they had no choice but to carry it out, willingly or not!
Only just getting over last winter’s disaster, Erhu hadn’t been gone for a few days when the incessant rain began, showing signs of increasing by the day. It had been raining continuously for six or seven days with no sign of stopping. Lin Yue heard from the old farmers in the village, who had years of experience with the weather, that the rain was unlikely to stop soon and might even lead to flooding in the low-lying downstream areas. That year, the rain kept falling, rivers swelled, and the downstream villages were submerged. Not only were the crops destroyed, but many homes made from mud and adobe were also washed away or collapsed after being soaked.
This was an event from many years ago, unknown to the younger generation in the village, but the old folks might still remember, for the situation back then was too tragic. Although Zhao Family’s village was on higher ground and wasn’t affected by the flood, it wasn’t far from the disaster area. After the flood, refugees who had lost their homes came one after another, and many incidents occurred as a result. After all, those destitute refugees, penniless and without food or drink, resorted to stealing and robbing to survive, making the village restless.