Great Drought

"Winning over the people's hearts counts as one of them." Xu Chuan smiled and nodded slightly.

"A great drought is a matter of life and death for the common folk, but for wealthy households, merchant clans, and noble families, it's merely a question of how much they lose."

"Some who only see immediate gains will sell off their land, but the wise will endure."

"Once the drought reaches a certain severity, Great Wei won't sit idly by. They'll send someone to resolve it. With cultivators around, the drought isn't a real problem—it's only a matter of sooner or later."

"Our businesses in perfume, various wines, medicinal herbs, and the like all rely on the land. The thicker this accumulation, the deeper our family's foundation."

Xu Mingyuan pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Father speaks with reason."

"If these pillar industries lack our own roots to support them, and we mostly purchase from others, wouldn't we be throttled by the throat? That would greatly hinder the Xu family's rapid development."

"A great disaster is also a great opportunity."

Xu Mingwei's eyes lit up as he too came to understand.

"Whether it's people or land, the Xu family wants both." Xu Chuan's words were resolute, carrying an unquestionable tone.

"But since the time to resolve the drought is uncertain—maybe months, maybe a year—I've also thought of some ways to reduce our family's losses."

With that, Xu Chuan picked up some draft papers from the desk, covered in drawings and written annotations.

"Take a look first."

The two brothers huddled together, flipping through page after page. The light in their eyes grew brighter, and the smiles on their lips gradually widened.

Xu Mingwei's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he said joyfully, "Father, you're incredible."

"With these designs for the waterwheel and pipeline, as long as we recruit a batch of people to build them, we can greatly reduce the loss of grain in the paddy fields, including fruits and vegetables in the farmland and forests. At the same time, we can fully utilize the labor of our newly hired servants without wasting it."

"This method of using black gauze to block direct sunlight is quite novel, but can it really absorb heat?" Xu Mingwei was equally delighted, though tinged with curiosity.

He had originally thought that due to the drought, the family's industries would suffer considerable losses.

But if all of Xu Chuan's methods worked, then this drought would affect at most ten or twenty percent of their output. In fact, because of the drought, prices for various goods would rise.

The Xu family could even make several times more profit than usual.

"Those little hand-cranked blower gadgets should sell like hotcakes too. Oh, and our family still has the secret recipe for ice-making. Pair that with this, and it'll definitely be a hit."

As for saltpeter, the Xu family only secretly dug up a small amount each summer.

And they kept it very confidential, never letting anyone know about it.

Xu Chuan smiled. "Be careful to keep it secret. It's better to forgo this business entirely than to let anyone discover it. After all, that mountain forest and earth vein don't yet belong to the Xu family."

"I know the stakes." Xu Mingyuan smiled and gave his assurance.

"Go on, get to work."

"Yes, Father." The two cupped their hands, took the draft papers, and left the study.

Xu Chuan then departed as well, heading to Jade Cold Pond to check on the medicinal herbs.

There, more than ten acres of medicinal fields had been reclaimed, specifically for growing herbs—all of them rare varieties.

If any reached twenty years of age, a single plant would be worth at least ten to twenty taels, with the most precious ones valued at forty to fifty taels.

These ten acres of medicinal fields, if fully harvested, would yield a considerable fortune.

However, Xu Chuan hadn't reclaimed the fields and cultivated the herbs to sell them for money. His purpose was to refine medicine and prepare medicinal cuisine.

The spiritual energy here was denser than elsewhere, which also accelerated the growth rate of the herbs.

Aside from the herbs, a small tree grew in this spot.

It stood barely half a zhang tall, with a trunk as thick as an arm and lush green branches and leaves.

It had grown from a seed buried after cutting open the black hard fruit that Xu Mingwei had brought back.

Xu Chuan had painstakingly studied medical arts and medicinal cuisine recipes, researching the properties of numerous herbs.

After months of effort, he had improved the Dragon Elephant Sect's Martial Artist Secret Medicinal Cuisine formula, making it suitable for the vast majority of martial artists, with an efficacy three to four times stronger than the original.

However, the potency was intense, so it could only be taken once every three days.

And because the secret medicinal cuisine was precious, it was currently only provided to Xu Mingyuan and a few others.

As for the Innate Medicinal Cuisine, Xu Chuan was still trying to improve it. For now, the two of them were temporarily using the Dragon Elephant Sect's Innate Medicinal Cuisine to assist their cultivation.

Many noble families in Qingjiang County learned that the Xu family was recklessly handing out charity, taking in large numbers of people and land. They all sneered at it, mocking the Xu family for their shallow foundation and complete lack of experience in dealing with disasters.

After all, with this drought, merely avoiding layoffs and losses was already a stroke of luck. But the Xu family had done the opposite, and they quickly became a laughingstock among the Qingjiang noble families.

Dongxi Village.

The Bai Family.

Bai Fu, together with his son Bai Hua and his son-in-law Bai Fang's family, had jointly rented over a hundred acres of farmland and also cultivated fruits and vegetables.

Thanks to their marital relationship with the Xu family, Xu Mingyuan had waived their stall rent at the West Market.

Over the past year or two, their development had been decent.

They had risen from ordinary commoners to a modestly wealthy household.

Earlier this year, they had even pooled their funds to buy over a hundred mu of land, then rented another hundred mu.

Who could have guessed that within two months, before the crops and vegetables could be harvested, a drought would strike?

And not just any drought—a once-in-a-century Great Drought.

Now, both families had gathered at Bai Fu's home to discuss the matter.

Everyone sat with furrowed brows and gloomy expressions, their faces ashen as if they had swallowed dirt.

"Father-in-law, what do you think we should do about this?"

Bai Fu took a drag from his pipe and sat in silence.

"Brother-in-law, where does this accusation come from? You agreed happily back then, so how can you blame my father now?" Bai Hua said, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. "We all chipped in together; if a problem arises, we bear it together."

"Besides, we both made a fair amount in the past two years. This loss is heavy, but it's not enough to ruin us."

Bai Fang quickly interjected, "Ah Hua, your brother-in-law is just anxious. His Zeng family has many mouths to feed and heavy expenses. You should be more understanding."

"Why don't you go find Big Sister? She dotes on you the most. Now that she's the Xu Family Matriarch, if she's willing to help, it shouldn't be too hard."

"I heard the Xu family has been buying up land recently. Why not sell it to them at the original price?"

Bai Hua immediately snapped, "Second Sister, do you even know what land is going for now?"

"Ordinary Common Folk can barely survive—what use is land to them?"

"And you want Big Sister to take it at the original price? How can you even say that? If you want to go, go yourself. I'm not going!"

"Besides, Big Sister has never meddled in the Xu family's external affairs, as you well know."

"The one who calls the shots in the Xu family is still Big Brother-in-law."

Bai Fang was displeased at this, her face reddening as she argued back, "But this whole thing started with you. If you won't speak to her, who will? Are we just supposed to swallow this loss?"

"This is a drought now, and who knows when it will end. The longer it goes, the harder it gets. Our two families aren't like the Xu family with their vast wealth—we can't afford to take the hit."

"Enough, stop arguing."

Bai Fu gave a cold snort and tapped the table with his pipe, sending a shower of sparks flying.

"I'll go talk to her. Is that good enough?"

"I'll head over now."

With that, Bai Fu stood up and shuffled unsteadily toward the Xu residence.

The Xu family's new mansion was no longer in the same spot as the old Small Courtyard. They had chosen a remote location far from the village.

After all, they needed vast tracts of land, and they couldn't just tear down other people's houses.

It took Bai Fu over two quarters of an hour to reach the Xu family's gate. He looked up at the grand estate, a mix of relief and emotion in his eyes.

He had agreed to Xu Chuan's marriage proposal back then because he saw the man's skill in farming. Marrying Bai Jing to him meant she would at least never go hungry.

Who would have thought that in just over a decade, Xu Chuan would have elevated the family to heights Bai Fu could never have imagined?

On the day the Xu family established their clan, nearly every noble Family and wealthy merchant in all of Qingjiang had been present.

What a grand occasion!

"Old Master Bai has arrived. Are you here to see the head of the family or the lady?"

"I'm here to see my daughter."

With that, he walked straight through the gate. No one stopped him along the way, and every Maidservant and Household Guard he passed greeted him respectfully, not daring to show any neglect.

He had been there for Xu Dezhao's birth and Full Moon Banquet, so he knew the way well.

"Father, what brings you here today? Did you come to see Zhao'er?" Bai Jing asked, pleasantly surprised.