CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 121: UNPREVENTABLE DISASTER

Two days later, Duan Yunfei left Jinxi Town with Xuan Ming, Xuan Ying, and Le Zhao and his entourage.

Before leaving, Duan Yunfei gave Shen Qinglan a white jade hairpin. The jade hairpin was flawless, with several orchids skillfully carved on it.

At first glance, it was not an ordinary item. Shen Qinglan liked nothing more than these extraordinary things.

Duan Yunfei gave it to her, so she accepted it; after all, it wasn’t the first time she received something from him.

At most, if Duan Yunfei needed her help in the future, she would wholeheartedly assist him.

Before leaving, Luo Tianjie personally visited the Shen Mansion and even gave gifts to everyone.

Upon learning he was the second young master of Bright Moon City, initially, the Shen Family and Dong Family were somewhat intimidated.

But afterward, they were won over by Luo Tianjie’s straightforward nature.

Luo Tianjie, when spoken of kindly, had a straightforward nature; when spoken of unkindly, he was naturally blunt.

He would treat those he liked with sincerity, and those he didn’t like, he would ignore completely.

This is why whenever he had something good, he thought of saving some for Shen Qingfeng.

Not long after Duan Yunfei’s party left, Shen Qinglan received the news.

The downstream of the Yingyang River was flooded; many houses were washed away, and even the upstream villages had water reaching people’s waists.

When the Dong Family heard the news, they couldn’t help but feel relieved. Luckily, they left early, or else they feared they would become souls lost in the water.

Thinking of the possibility of losing their home, Mrs. Lu couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

Although the government had given advance notice allowing the villagers to escape disaster, soon a group of refugees gathered outside the town.

As the number of people increased with nowhere to settle, various incidents occurred, causing headaches for the government.

The price of grain skyrocketed from a few coins per pound to hundreds of coins per pound.

"Such a cold world!" Shen Qingfeng lamented.

Shen Qingning said, "Our shopkeeper often says, ’There’s no business without deceit.’"

Ever since the Shen Family moved to the town, Shen Qingning no longer stayed in the dormitory after work but went directly to Shen Qinglan’s place.

The flood lasted for three days before the sky finally cleared.

At the moment she saw the dawn, Shen Qinglan felt a significant sense of relief.

Lately, the restaurants in town rarely operated, and Shengxiang Restaurant also remained closed.

It was only Old Tang who prepared food every day and sent it to the refugees outside the town.

Due to the large number of people, fearing trouble, the County Magistrate stationed guards at the Town Gate, preventing refugees from entering.

They could only stay in the broken temples outside the town, and the County Magistrate sent people to deliver food and water regularly.

To secure a shelter, the refugees had another fight last night, with someone beaten up severely, bleeding profusely, forcing the County Magistrate to invite a doctor.

Early in the morning, Shen Qinglan went out again, accompanying Old Tang to deliver food to the refugee area.

With the rain stopping for the past two days, the County Magistrate ordered shelters to be set up to separate refugees from different villages.

The number of refugees continued to grow.

Although the County Magistrate quickly reported the matter to the Court, it would take a month even for urgent letters from Jinxi Town to the Capital and back.

"Ah—" Old Tang sighed, "Natural disasters are hard to prevent!"

Shen Qinglan remained silent, only serving food to those in line.

"Hey—move aside, move aside. Can’t you see I’m here?"

A commotion not far away caught Shen Qinglan and Old Tang’s attention.

Over there, a few shifty-looking men were pushing aside several women at the front of the line, cutting in themselves.

Old Tang frowned but did not act, nor did Shen Qinglan, though her expression was somewhat icy.