FID – Chapter 572

Chapter 572: A Beauty That Attracts Trouble

Everyone was instantly startled awake.

Feng Mohan’s expression grew serious. Without any delay, he immediately picked up a brush and issued the decree.

“Imperial Uncle, go ahead. I can hold down the capital.”

This time, he didn’t throw a tantrum.

A disaster had struck Yunzhou, and it was the first time he had seen his imperial uncle so frantic. It had to be something concerning Aunt Liu.

The Liu family courtyard was also dear to him.

Feng Qingbai gave the young boy a deep look before reaching out to ruffle his hair. “As long as things are stable there, I’ll return as soon as possible.”

“Imperial Uncle, safe travels.” Feng Mohan nodded firmly.

He rode out of the city and headed straight for the riverside dock.

Wei Zi had already sent word to the Canal Guild’s base, and a passenger boat was waiting at the pier.

In the dead of night, one man and one horse sped forward, his dark eyes glimmering like the cold stars above.

On Luofu Mountain, the villagers of two entire villages had been stranded for three days.

The land below was still submerged, turning them into castaways on an isolated island with no escape.

Every available cave on the mountain was packed with people.

Though it was summer, the continuous rainfall had brought the temperature down. The Xinghua villagers coped, but for the Xiapo villagers, many children and elderly couldn’t withstand the cold and had begun falling ill.

Thankfully, two skilled doctors were among them. Otherwise, it was uncertain how long the sick would last.

Qian Wanjin sat with the Liu family, looking completely drained of energy. His whole demeanor was listless, even the little tuft of hair on his forehead drooped lifelessly, making him seem even more dejected.

“Lucky Nannan, how long are we going to stay here? It’s been three days—three whole days without a hot meal! I feel like I’m not going to make it. Hurry over and check my pulse… see if I’m still alive…”

When everyone fled, they brought food but forgot to bring cooking utensils. Among the two villages, only one person had carried a pot from home.

It was only when hunger hit that they realized—not only were they missing pots and bowls, but they didn’t even have firewood.

Even the dry branches on the mountain had been completely soaked by the rain, making them impossible to light.

That first day, they had barely managed to stave off hunger by relying on Wei Hong, who led a group out to pick wild fruits. Hundreds of people could only make do with that.

For a foodie like Qian Wan Jin, nothing was more agonizing than not having proper food.

Liu Yusheng had just finished acupuncture treatment on a small child when she heard him complain. She sighed helplessly. “Go check if the firewood piled in the cave has dried. If we can start a fire, we’ll cook a big pot of porridge to make do. We have no choice but to endure for now.”

It wasn’t just Qian Wan Jin who was starving—everyone was.

Especially the little children in the village, who cried non-stop when hunger hit. After three days, the mountain had hardly been quiet.

If not for the fruits she had secretly taken from her space and mixed in with the wild fruits Wei Hong gathered, there wouldn’t have been enough to go around.

Even so, she had taken a huge risk in doing so.

Fortunately, at times like this, no one had the energy to scrutinize the differences in the fruit—they only cared about filling their stomachs.

The Liu family huddled together inside the cave, squeezed in with dozens of villagers from the same village. No one had a smile on their face, nor did they have the energy to talk.

Apart from occasionally helping Liu Yusheng when she was too busy, Xue Qinglian spent most of his time leaning against the stone wall, dozing off, looking completely unbothered—almost as if he weren’t in a disaster situation.

Liu Zhiqiu sat beside Grandma Liu, occasionally sneaking glances at the small wooden box in her lap.

After holding it in for three days, she finally couldn’t resist anymore.

“Grandma, I need to tell you something.”

“Say it.” Her voice was dull and lifeless.

“Promise me you won’t hit me. And don’t embarrass the family—look, both villages are here. We have to save some face for the Liu family, right?”

“What exactly is it?”

Liu Zhiqiu shifted slightly, putting a bit of distance between himself and his grandmother before cautiously saying, “Grandma, uh… something is missing from your little wooden box. That is, well… cough… while you weren’t looking, I borrowed a little for an emergency… But don’t worry! I’ll definitely pay it back!”

Grandma Liu’s dull eyes immediately widened in shock as she turned to stare at him. “How much did you take?”

Liu Zhiqiu shrank back and hesitantly raised five fingers.

“Fifty?” the old woman asked.

Liu Zhiqiu shook his head.

“Five hundred?” Grandma Liu squinted her eyes.

Liu Zhiqiu shook his head again and braced himself as he confessed, “F-Fifty thousand.”

He fully expected to receive a slap from his grandmother right after—she was an expert at that, and when she got angry, she didn’t care about saving face or appearances.

But to his surprise, the old woman just let out a snort and chuckled. “You little brat, I knew all along. I was just waiting for you to fess up. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

She might not be good at many things, but when it came to counting money, she never got it wrong.

Besides, Liu Erlin had already given her a heads-up. There was a reason behind all this—how could she really blame her grandson just because of some money?

She wasn’t some old woman who only cared about money.

Liu Zhiqiu was stunned. “…Grandma, you knew all along? So, you’ve just been watching your grandson lose sleep over this for days?”

“Or would you rather I had beaten you up instead?”

“N-No, this is great! The best outcome!” Liu Zhiqiu immediately scooted closer to the old woman. “I knew our grandma was wise, kind, and adorable! Where else in the world could I find such a wonderful grandmother?”

Flattery was free, but everyone who overheard him just rolled their eyes in disdain.

Liu Yusheng shook her head and chuckled. Of all the people affected by this disaster, the only two who seemed completely unfazed were Xue Qinglian and her second brother.

“Nannan, what do you think is happening with your eldest brother right now? He should have received news about our village by now, right? I wonder how anxious he must be.” The old woman swatted away the shameless Liu Zhiqiu and let out a worried sigh.

“Grandma, don’t worry. Eldest Brother always has a plan. As soon as he gets word of our situation, he’ll definitely bring people to rescue us. We just need to wait a little longer.” Liu Yusheng reassured her.

“It’s already been three days. By now, the prefecture and county offices should have received word. They should have been the first to take action. But we haven’t seen anyone yet—could it be that even the county office was washed away by the flood?”

The surrounding villagers joined in on the discussion.

The fact that the town and county officials hadn’t sent anyone after so long left everyone feeling disappointed and uneasy.

As Liu Yusheng listened, she unscrewed the water pouch she carried and handed out water to her family.

Since they were in public, she discreetly mixed spiritual spring water into the regular water so no one would notice. This way, her family could stay nourished and healthy.

This time, Qian Wanjin showed some restraint. He waited until all the Liu family members had drunk before taking his turn.

Then, he grabbed the whole pouch. “Nannan, there’s not much left in here. I’m just going to finish it all!”

“Go ahead.” Liu Yusheng rubbed her forehead. Even when it came to water, this guy had to be greedy.

“Lucky Nannan, do you think someone at the county office is deliberately causing trouble, stopping the magistrate from coming to our aid?” Qian Wanjin asked, savoring the sweet spring water. As he spoke, he cast a sideways glance at Liu Zhiqiu, making it obvious he was hinting at something.

“Why are you looking at me? How is this my fault?” Liu Zhiqiu protested.

Wasn’t he just sitting here, minding his own business? 

How did trouble fall on his head out of nowhere now?

What Kang Ziyu wanted to do had nothing to do with him!

“If you hadn’t attracted someone’s attention in the first place, would she be out for revenge because of love? Look at you—your face just screams trouble!”