Chapter 363: Chapter 363 Going to the Provincial City with

Second Brother 1

The former was Wei Ruo’s original suggestion to Madam Yuan, allowing everyone in Taizhou Prefecture to maintain this year’s agricultural yield by switching to late rice and sweet potatoes; the latter was an initiative led personally by Wei Ruo to accommodate refugees by expanding farmland through clearing activities.

Now, both have made substantial progress, giving everyone in Taizhou Prefecture hope.

Madam Yuan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ruoruo, all of this is your doing. If Taizhou Prefecture sees a grain harvest this year, you are indeed the life-saving benefactor of countless farming households and refugees in Taizhou Prefecture!”

Wei Ruo replied, “I appreciate your praise, Madame, but let’s save these words until later, when the grain is in the barn, and then we can celebrate with joy.” Wei Ruo didn’t dare to be too jubilant when the situation remained uncertain. “Alright, alright, let’s not bring it up now,” said Madam Yuan hurriedly. She was only excited and couldn’t resist talking to Wei Ruo about it, but she was indeed afraid that trouble would arise at the last moment.

Madam Yuan subsequently asked Wei Ruo, “By the way, Ruoruo, I heard from Aunt Qin that you want to build a dam across the river? Have you drawn the relevant diagrams?”

“Yes, I do have such a plan. Taizhou Prefecture receives ample annual precipitation, but the distribution is uneven. There is abundant rainfall during the rainy season, but there will be a period of drought after summer which is extremely unfavorable for the growth of rice. This summer was fine, but if it is like the past few years, even if we cultivate more wasteland, without water for irrigation the crops will not grow well.” explained Wei Ruo.

“Yes, that makes sense. Constructing a reservoir, however, is not like other endeavors,” said Madam Yuan, thinking that Wei Ruo made a lot of sense.

Wei Ruo understood what Madam Yuan meant: “Building a reservoir not only requires a significant amount of labor and resources but also requires an exceptionally long period. Even constructing a small reservoir would require at least three to five years. A large-scale reservoir could take ten to twenty years to complete.”

“Exactly, this is the biggest issue in building a reservoir. While it benefits generations to come, during construction, there is no doubt that it strains the people and drains wealth,” said Madam Yuan.

Wei Ruo analysed, “If it’s a situation like today, it is indeed not suitable. We don’t have enough grain to support the construction of the reservoir- but if the granary is full and refugees keep flooding in, arranging for the construction of projects like reservoirs could be a good way to settle the refugees and maintain public morale.”

“Ruoruo, your point is well made,” Madam Yuan agreed with that statement. Wei Ruo continued her analysis, “Indeed, reclaiming wasteland directly addresses the food issue, but it does carry risks. Relying on increasing cultivation area, improving soil fertility, and the excellent traits of crops for withstanding natural disasters is still too weak, and improving the tolerance from more dimensions is preferable to ensure grain yield.”

“In that case, Ruoruo, do you still intend to proceed with building a reservoir?” Madam Yuan asked.

“If there is a grain harvest this year, the granary is full, and refugees from other regions continue to flood into Taizhou Prefecture, arranging for the extra refugees to construct the reservoir could be a good solution,” explained Wei Ruo.

After giving it some serious thought, Madam Yuan said, “I understand. We will discuss this further, depending on the various circumstances at the end of the year.”

Then, Madam Yuan, holding Wei Ruo’s hand, said, “You are a blessed child. Your father has a good chance of being promoted again this time, and the fortune of the Wei Family will only get better.”

Wei Ruo smiled, unsure how to respond to these words. Whether her father’s promotion was considered good or bad news was ambiguous.

###

Wei Ruo stayed at the Yuan Residence until dusk, resolving all the issues that had accumulated over time, while also organising upcoming land reclamation work.

Upon completion, Wei Ruo returned to the Military Prefecture to prepare for her journey to the provincial city the next day.

Wei Ruo planned to visit the provincial city under the pretext of delivering supplies to Wei Yichen, but the real intention was to scout for a new shop location.

Accompanying her the next day would be Wei Jinyi and Xiaobei. When Wei Jinyi said he wished to go along with her, Wei Ruo happily agreed.

With this, Wei Ruo’s reasons for leaving became even more sufficient, and her safety was more secure.

In regards to Wei Ruo’s journey to the provincial city with Wei Jinyi, Yun did not ask further questions.

She was already worn out lately, too tired from handling consecutive events and was looking sick.

She truly didn’t want to deal with the matters concerning her eldest daughter and illegitimate son any more than she had to. After all, her management abilities were already stretched to the limit.

Still, Wei Ruo went to bid Yun farewell before she left on the second day in the morning, as was customary.

Yun, just out of bed and leaning on her couch, said, “Whatever items your older brother lacks, you should supplement first. When we have more resources later, I will compensate you with silver.”

Although Yun did not know when the Military Prefecture would have more resources.

“Understood,” Wei Ruo didn’t say much in return. After all, making a promise and keeping it were two different things.

Afterwards, Wei Ruo set off with Wei Jinyi and the others.

Wei Ruo and Xiumei rode in the carriage, with Xiaobei leading the horses upfront, and Wei Jinyi horseback riding.

After leaving the city gate, Wei Jinyi changed his appearance to that of “Wang Jin”.                                   ⁶

Wei Ruo changed her appearance because she is a woman and didn’t want her family to know what she was doing outside, while Wei Jinyi was a man who technically shouldn’t have as many restrictions as Wei Ruo, but he seemed to share Wei Ruo’s desire not to be recognized by others.

Although Wei Ruo was curious about this, she refrained from asking too much. All she needed to know was that her second brother was trustworthy.

The official road from the government city to the provincial city was relatively comfortable to travel on. If you hurry, you can reach your destination within a day, and a typical traveler on a horse-drawn carriage could make it in two days.

However, there was no urgency for Wei Ruo on this trip. The journey was unhurried, with the four of them taking breaks and stopping frequently When they encountered beautiful mountains, water, or sceneries, they took the time to enjoy them.

Sometimes, they even picked mushrooms and wild vegetables, or fished for shrimp and crabs. They rarely stayed at inns for the night, preferring to stop randomly along the way instead.

The first night, the four of them stayed in a wild area not far from the official road.

The weather made camping outdoors no risk of catching a cold, let alone Wei

Ruo extracting a tent from the carriage.

The only issue during this season was the mosquitos, a problem nonexistent to Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo brought mosquito repellent ointment and incense, warding off all kinds of snakes, rats, insects, and ants.

Wei Ruo set up a pot, and boiled mushroom and meat soup. Under the starry night, they had a satisfying feast.

Afterward, Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi sat on the grass and chatted until midnight before they each went back to the carriage and tent to rest.

The next couple of days passed similarly, with the four of them seeming to have been on a leisure trip rather than hustling to their destination.

By the time Wei Ruo and the others reached Lin’an Prefecture, it was already dusk on the fourth day.

Since she had already visited once with Yun, Wei Ruo easily found an inn where they could stay for the night..