Shen Xiaoyan, hearing Yizhiye's reply, could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
If the timing were different, Shen Xiaoyan would have really wanted to tell Yizhiye: "You old driver."
Namuzhong stared blankly at the laughing Shen Xiaoyan, then looked at the others who were trying to suppress their laughter. She finally vaguely understood what Yizhiye meant.
Just as she was about to unleash her anger, Zheng Wei spoke.
"Let's get back to business. We need to quickly come up with a plan. We've already agreed, and there will be action tomorrow."
Namuzhong immediately quieted down at Zheng Wei's words.
However, she still shot a fierce look at Yizhiye, her facial expression full of unspoken meaning.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan silently shed a tear of sympathy for Yizhiye in her heart.
"Does everyone have any ideas?" Zheng Wei asked, looking at everyone.
"The problems the villagers face now are just a few: first, they have no place to live; second, they have no cotton clothes; third, they can't get hot meals," Sima Han said. Although his speaking speed was relatively slow, every sentence hit the mark.
The others nodded in agreement as they listened to him. These three were indeed the most pressing issues.
Although there were other problems, they were all minor ones.
"Then I'll talk about food and clothing first. In our household, we have plenty of food and various cotton clothes and quilts. We don't need to worry about that," Shen Xiaoyan said.
Sima Han and the others nodded in agreement with Shen Xiaoyan's words.
Although they didn't know exactly how much food they had, they had seen Shen Xiaoyan constantly sending people to buy grain and various cotton batting and fabric scraps.
Even if they weren't finished cotton clothes, it wouldn't be difficult for people to take them back and make them themselves.
"Speaking of this, I'm curious, Xiaoyan, why did you buy so much grain and cotton batting and fabric scraps so much in advance? Did you know there would be a snow disaster?" Namuzhong asked, puzzled.
Although Namuzhong's question might have been casual, Shen Xiaoyan answered very seriously, "This is being prepared for the unexpected. Although I didn't know there would be a snow disaster this year, I prepare these things every year. You can ask my sister and A'han."
Namuzhong looked at Sima Han and Yue Qingxin upon hearing this. She saw them both nod. Yue Qingxin said, "Every year at harvest time, my sister buys a lot of newly harvested grain, never at a discounted price. Then, the following spring, she sells this grain again at the normal price."
"Oh? Then why do you do this?" Namuzhong felt even more confused.
She had seen merchants speculating in grain before.
Those merchants would make a lot of profit by reselling grain. However, according to what Yue Qingxin had just said, Shen Xiaoyan didn't do that at all.
If it wasn't to make more money, then why go to so much trouble and use so much manpower?
Seeing Namuzhong's lack of understanding, Shen Xiaoyan smiled and explained, "This is being prepared for the unexpected."
"It's so cold here. If there's a heavy snowfall and a snow disaster, it's always good to make preparations in advance," Zheng Wei continued Shen Xiaoyan's words.
Hearing Zheng Wei say this, Namuzhong finally understood. She looked at Shen Xiaoyan with admiration and said, "You're amazing. You even knew to be prepared for the unexpected. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have thought of it."
"With your brain, you probably only think about food," Yizhiye said in a low voice.
"What did you say?" Namuzhong said, her gaze shooting at Yizhiye like a dagger.
"Nothing, nothing, I didn't say anything. Muzhong, you misheard. Haven't you been sleeping well lately? Are you hallucinating? You must get a good rest tonight. You've lost weight recently, and it pains me to see it."
"Hmph."
After Yizhiye's long speech, the only response he received was a "hmph," along with Namuzhong's warning glare.
Yizhiye blamed himself internally for speaking too quickly while smiling obsequiously at Namuzhong, continuously praying that he could still sleep in his bed that night.
Namuzhong, however, no longer looked at Yizhiye. Instead, she turned to Shen Xiaoyan and asked, "Even though we have these things, are we just going to give them away for free?"
"Yes, you know, a greedy person is never satisfied. If you give once, they might be grateful. If you give a second time, they'll still thank you. But by the third time, they'll feel it's their due. If you stop giving afterward, they'll call you heartless," Yizhiye said in a deep voice.
"Little Xie ge is right," Namuzhong also nodded in agreement.
Hearing Namuzhong praise him, Yizhiye's eyes showed a different spark. He immediately looked at Namuzhong, only to find that Namuzhong wasn't looking at him at all.
"If it comes to this, isn't it the same as what the village chief asked you to do? Why should we go through all this trouble and offend the village chief?" Namuzhong continued.
None of the people present considered offending the village chief a trivial matter.
However, it was better to avoid making enemies if possible.
"Therefore, I didn't plan to give them away for free," Shen Xiaoyan said.
"Not for free?"
Except for Zheng Wei, the others said in unison.
"Yes, not for free. They have to pay for it themselves. I'll sell it at a slightly lower price than the usual market price," Shen Xiaoyan said.
Namuzhong said with a hint of worry, "But even so, some people will still talk..."
"Let them talk. Do they really think I'm a saint and will support them for free?" Shen Xiaoyan interrupted Namuzhong mockingly.
Although she knew Shen Xiaoyan was right, Namuzhong still felt a little worried.
"Even so, how will the issue of housing be resolved?" Yizhiye asked.
"We don't need to worry about housing, do we? I believe the village chief will make proper arrangements. After all, he is the village chief, and we are not. We can't possibly arrange everything for them, can we?"
Shen Xiaoyan's words were simple, but to the ears of those present, they were not that simple.
Seeing everyone with troubled expressions and looking as if they carried the weight of the world, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei felt helpless.
They exchanged a look, and Zheng Wei spoke, "You don't need to worry. Mìmi and I have already discussed this."
"How did you discuss it?" Yizhiye asked unhurriedly.
Zheng Wei did not answer Yizhiye's question immediately. Instead, he looked at Sima Han for a long time, until Sima Han became quite uneasy. Then he said, "Sima Han, do you want to return to the imperial capital?"
Sima Han was stunned by Zheng Wei's question. Wasn't this about how to help the disaster victims? How did the topic suddenly shift to whether he wanted to go to the imperial capital?
"I..." Sima Han opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer.
He had been contemplating this question for some time but had never come up with a definitive answer.