He picked up another piece, the biscuit already unwrapped by Jiang Yi, and put it into his mouth.
With one bite, the crispy biscuit immediately crumbled in his mouth. After a couple of chews—
Sweet! Salty! Milky! The aroma of wheat filled his entire mouth!
This was so delicious! The layers of flavor were an experience he had never had before!
The sweet, rich creaminess of the milk blended perfectly with the crispy, savory biscuit in his mouth—an absolutely perfect match!
“You, a young marquis, have never tasted anything like this?” Jiang Yi mocked, looking at Cheng Fang, who seemed utterly transported by the delicious food, forgetting that he himself had been in the same state just moments ago.
“Look at you, guarding the food like that! Don’t just eat by yourself! Hey, give me some more! You can’t finish all of it anyway!”
Jiang Yi tried to snatch the bag from his arms. There were still a few other snacks he hadn’t tried yet!
“Get lost!” Cheng Fang snapped back to reality, clutching the bag and nimbly dodging while kicking Jiang Yi’s outstretched hand. “I haven’t even settled the score with you yet!”
“Ungrateful! If it weren’t for me risking my life to throw you a rope downstream this morning, you’d be feeding the Dragon King by now! Still thinking about snacks? Your wet clothes are still hanging outside. Want to go take a look? I saved your life, and you’re being stingy over a few biscuits.” Jiang Yi grumbled indignantly.
This morning, after two days and nights of torrential rain, the upstream dam finally gave way under the pressure.
The floodwaters raged, surging forth!
Cheng Fang happened to be downstream, rescuing a child who had fallen into the water. Just as he handed the child to the shore, he was swept away by the raging river.
It was Jiang Yi who timely threw a rope downstream and pulled him out.
Hearing this, Cheng Fang’s anger instantly dissipated.
He did owe Jiang Yi his life.
Reluctantly, he handed over the opened pack of biscuits.
“Take it! Shut your mouth! Eat it and get lost!”
Jiang Yi didn’t mind, taking it happily and eating with delight.
“Where did you get all these delicious things? How are they even better than pastries from the capital?”
“I bought them from a store called Jixiang Grocery Store.”
Jixiang Grocery Store? Never heard of it.
Jiang Yi ate quickly.
Cheng Fang was no slouch either. He picked up the opened mung bean cakes and small bread rolls, tasting them one by one, barely having time to speak.
When he bit into a sandwich biscuit, his eyes widened instantly!
There was actually fruit jam inside!
Sour and sweet—so delicious!
Jiang Lingguang had packed six bottles of milk. Cheng Fang took two sips before handing the bottle Jiang Yi had drunk from back to him.
He then picked another bottle, this one labeled with a strawberry flavor.
Of course, strawberries didn’t exist in his era.
So he had no idea what it was.
He just thought the red color looked nice.
He twisted open the cap and took a sip!
Sour and sweet, a completely different flavor from the previous bottle!
The two of them devoured the food like a whirlwind, while the soldiers nearby watched, mouths watering!
Cheng Fang naturally hadn’t forgotten to leave some for them. The opened items on the table were mostly only half-eaten, with the other half almost deliberately saved.
Cheng Fang ordered the soldiers, “Take these out and share them with everyone. Have something to tide you over before the official meal.”
The army had rations, but they were all cooked in large pots, with staples, vegetables, and meat all stewed together.
Delicious definitely isn’t the word for it; it just guarantees you won’t starve.
The soldiers were overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly as they carefully carried out a large pile of biscuits and bread from the tent.
Although the quantity wasn’t large, it was enough for everyone to have a taste.
Cheng Fang looked down. There were still some unopened pastries and four bottles of milk in the plastic bag.
These were to be kept for the Crown Prince and Zhao Jingxing.
The pastries were one thing, but the milk…
One bottle for the Crown Prince, one bottle for Zhao Jingxing. As for the remaining two bottles…
Of course, they were for himself. After all, he had worked hard to bring them back.
“Your humble general, Zhao Jingxing, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Zhao Jingxing had just finished inspecting the situation of the disaster victims when he entered the Crown Prince’s tent.
The flood had struck swiftly. Fortunately, they encountered an army returning to the capital to report on their duties, which provided timely rescue. Otherwise, casualties would have multiplied.
The Crown Prince, Qin Zhao, who had been sent to welcome the army to the capital, was also stranded in Ping’an County due to this disaster.
Inside the tent, the lamplight flickered as Crown Prince Qin Zhao bent over the table, urgently drafting a disaster report.
His youthful face was marked with weariness and anxiety.
“At ease. What are the casualty statistics? Report truthfully.”
“Your Highness, the flood struck suddenly. Fortunately, rescue efforts were timely, preventing a greater catastrophe. This flood affected two villages: Baiyang Village and Xianshui Village. Eleven people drowned in the two villages, and their remains have been collected. Twenty-three are severely injured; the medical officers are doing their utmost to treat them, but their fate remains uncertain. Over a hundred have minor injuries and have been treated and settled. More than four hundred houses were destroyed. County officials are working with military clerks through the night to register the losses.”
Crown Prince Qin Zhao sighed helplessly. “Have the disaster victims been properly settled? Is there any risk of hunger or cold?”
“This general has temporarily allocated five hundred spare tents from the Right Xiaowei Guard to prioritize the settlement of women, children, the elderly, the weak, and those left homeless. Some military rations have been allocated to set up three porridge stations, providing two meals daily to temporarily address the urgent need.”
“Be wary of epidemics after the disaster! Remember to take preventive measures. The military medical officers must cooperate fully, prepare sufficient medicinal supplies, and conduct inspections and diagnoses at all settlement points. Do not be careless. The necessary funds and medicinal supplies—I will immediately issue a handwritten order for Ping’an County to advance the payment, and the court will reimburse it later!”
“Yes!”
Crown Prince Qin Zhao glanced at the map on the table and asked, “Regarding post-disaster reconstruction, what are your suggestions?”
Zhao Jingxing straightened up and pointed to a highland area upstream on the map. “Your Highness, this flood has exposed the flaws in the old village locations. Baiyang Village downstream is low-lying and has been almost completely leveled. Although houses in Xianshui Village upstream remain, the continuous heavy rains have soaked the ground, and the mountain slopes are unstable, posing a landslide risk. The villagers are panicked and dare not return home.”
“If we rebuild on the original sites now, there is no guarantee of safety in the future. This subordinate suggests avoiding dangerous areas along the watercourse and establishing new villages on this highland. The ground here is solid and open, providing protection from floods and landslides.”
He continued, “Reconstruction will require enormous funding. However, if the disaster victims rely solely on relief and become idle consumers, it is not sustainable in the long run and may breed laziness. This subordinate suggests that the Ping’an County government implement work-for-relief! Use the court’s disaster relief funds to employ able-bodied disaster victims to participate in reconstruction. Firstly, they can support their families through labor and sustain their livelihoods. Secondly, the victims will be wholehearted in rebuilding their homes. Thirdly, it can quickly gather labor and accelerate progress. It is currently summer. If managed well and construction is expedited, we may complete shelters before winter to spare the people from the suffering of cold and hunger.”
The Crown Prince’s brow relaxed slightly, his eyes showing approval. “Zhechong Duwei Zhao Jingxing!”
“Your humble general is here!”
“I command you to immediately draft a detailed memorial outlining the pros and cons of the site selection, the regulations for work-for-relief, and estimates of the required funds, provisions, and materials!”
“Your general obeys the command!” Zhao Jingxing bowed deeply.
After Zhao Jingxing exited the tent, Crown Prince Qin Zhao stood up and paced, gazing at the gloomy sky outside the tent.