"Husband, with things as they are now, I'm afraid A Yuan can no longer become engaged to the Wu Family, can he?"
Bai Jing came to the courtyard, her face full of worry as she looked at Xu Chuan, who was sitting cross-legged on a cushion and regulating his breath.
"It truly isn't appropriate. Then let them marry directly next year."
After pondering for a moment, Xu Chuan added, "Have Shitou make a trip to the Wu Family in the county town on my behalf, to show our sincerity."
"Mm, let's do that." Still somewhat unwilling, Bai Jing muttered, "This Heavenly Father has made such a mess of things. A perfectly good engagement banquet, gone just like that. I only hope A Yuan won't take it to heart."
"As his mother, don't you know his temperament?" Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "The drought is severe now. People are dying in more than a dozen nearby county towns. In such circumstances, aren't you afraid people will point fingers at us behind our backs?"
"What you say makes sense, Husband." Upon thinking it over carefully, Bai Jing realized that if the Xu Family still held a lavish celebration under such harsh conditions, countless people would likely swarm toward Dongxi.
"I'll go inform Shitou at once."
Bai Jing went to South Mountain Courtyard and told him of the matter.
Xu Mingwei did not hesitate for long. Shortly afterward, he set off for the county town.
Not far outside the county town was a gathering place for refugees. A river channel lay nearby, but many sections had now run dry, and the water sources that could still be found were dwindling by the day.
As Xu Mingwei passed by, he saw hunched old farmers scraping elm bark and old women with faces like chicken skin