Chapter 80 All Is Well

Chapter 80 All Is Well

Midsummer, even without the scorching daytime sun, cool night breezes were few and far between.

Jiang Wang, wearing only a thin robe, stood in the courtyard. He gazed at the moon obscured by dark clouds, pressed a hand against his aching stomach, and let out a frustrated sigh.

He couldn't sleep.

Hu Dahong and the county magistrate's advisor were temporarily imprisoned, and all the soldiers had switched sides to join them in the relief efforts.

They had relocated all the refugees away from the derelict drill ground, setting up camp in the broad market street before the county office gates.

The number of victims was greater than they had imagined.

The grain they had brought from afar, along with the reserves Hu Dahong had embezzled from the county office, had all been made into porridge and distributed to the victims.

Besides the victims, they also had to ensure that the less severely affected locals and the assisting soldiers had food to eat.

Now, the victims' illnesses were worsening, yet medicine was scarce, and even the simplest rice porridge only had enough for one more meal.

Even though he had sent Kang Fei, who was familiar with the surrounding area, to buy provisions with all the money he carried and the relief funds, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

After all, thousands of mouths were waiting to be fed; how could such a large quantity of grain be secured in such a short time?

Jiang Wang was already thin. The non-stop travel had worn him down, the summer heat had killed his appetite, and he had fallen ill a few days prior.

Now, the baby fat on his face was gone. His thin robe hung loosely on him, making him look like a bamboo pole.

And now, immense pressure weighed on him like a mountain, threatening to crush him...

Where was he supposed to get all this medicine and grain?!

Even if he wrote to Xiao Yan asking him to send some, it would require a long wait.

Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Jiang Wang felt all paths around him were blocked, with nowhere to go and no retreat possible. A fire of frustration built in his chest, and he paced restlessly around the courtyard.

Suddenly, there were two light knocks at the courtyard gate. It was Wu Zhong.

This time, however, he brought two letters.

"Young Master, one is from Chang Wenji, the other is from His Majesty."

Hearing Chang Wenji's name, Jiang Wang felt a headache coming on. A letter from Chang Wenji at this moment certainly wouldn't offer help; it could only be to sound out how things were going here.

With so many urgent matters still unresolved, he really didn't want to put on an act for Chang Wenji anymore.

Yet, thinking that the false information he passed to Chang Wenji might be of help to Xiao Yan, he patiently described the situation here in vague terms, leaning towards the severe side, hoping to confuse him.

As for Xiao Yan's letter, it was like a welcome rain, easing much of the restless heat in Jiang Wang's heart.

The letter stated that a new batch of grain was already on the way and was expected to arrive in about two days.

Jiang Wang breathed a sigh of relief, the pressure instantly easing by more than half.

That meant he only needed to find food for two more days.

The rest of the letter contained Xiao Yan's repeated reminders for him to be careful, rest well, and so on. Touched, Jiang Wang couldn't help but read those lines a couple more times before carefully folding the letter and putting it away.

When he looked up again, Wu Zhong was still standing nearby.

"Eunuch Wu, is there something else?"

Jiang Wang was a bit puzzled.

Wu Zhong wore a hesitant expression, as if there was something he wanted to say but found difficult to voice.

"Speak freely."

"Young Master, you only wrote back to Chancellor Chang but not to His Majesty. Isn't that a bit..."

Inappropriate.

Wu Zhong phrased it very tactfully; he was actually worried he might not do his job properly.

After all, before their departure, His Majesty had specifically instructed him to remind Jiang Wang to write more letters back. Given the rush of the journey, the fact that no letters had been sent was one thing, but if there were no replies either, His Majesty would certainly be displeased.

"This servant knows you are busy, Young Master, but a reply could be written, even briefly."

Wu Zhong's face was full of entreaty, almost spelling out "hard to report back" on his features.

Jiang Wang smiled, instantly understanding Wu Zhong's meaning.

Xiao Yan had helped him with such a significant matter; out of both reason and sentiment, a reply was warranted.

But he pondered for a long time with the brush in hand, unsure what to write. In the end, he only wrote four characters on the paper.

"All is well."

Xiao Yan was already navigating a dragon's den and tiger's lair, walking a tightrope. Over here, even if things were somewhat thorny, everything was still moving in a positive direction.

Since that was the case, it was better not to let Xiao Yan worry.

All is well. The situation here is relatively good, and I am also well.

Although it was only these few words, Wu Zhong was quite satisfied.

These few words would be enough to soothe His Majesty's anxious heart.

Wu Zhong happily took the letter and left, leaving Jiang Wang alone in the room once more.

This time, however, he was no longer troubled.

Jiang Wang called out the system.

He took a deep breath and solemnly asked that question.

"001, can my points buy rice and medicinal decoctions?"

"Of course," the system replied smoothly. "Host, how many points would you like to exchange? 5 points can be exchanged for 200 catties of rice~"

"All of them."

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiang Wang clearly uttered these two words.

All of them.

This time, it was the system that seemed to stutter.

He repeated, a bit disbelieving.

"Host, you said... 'all'?"

"Yes, all."

"But you should know, your points have already reached eighty. With just twenty more, you can reach one hundred, and you can exchange with me for the mastermind behind the car accident that brought you here, and for a return to the modern era."

The system paused, then asked again.

"Are you sure you want to exchange all of them?"

If he returned to the modern era, he could still be that carefree young master from a wealthy family. Though his father didn't dote on him and his mother didn't love him, he had endless money to spend.

He could eat whatever he wanted, play whatever he wanted, without suffering sleepless nights from the heat, or having his appetite ruined by enduring wind and sun.

As for who exactly hit him, he already had a vague answer in his heart.

His stepmother's son, that half-brother who appeared out of nowhere, had always seen him as a thorn in his side, afraid he would take away what belonged to him.

But, even if he had unfinished resentment...

Jiang Wang opened the courtyard gate and looked at the disaster victims lying on the ground in makeshift shelters outside.

There were mothers tightly holding their children in their arms, elderly people in their sixties and seventies, and children who had lost their parents in this disaster.

Their cheeks were sunken, their bodies emaciated. After their homes were destroyed by the flood, they were left homeless with no means to earn a living, relying only on government relief.

Jiang Wang couldn't bring himself to stand by and do nothing. He couldn't just watch them starve to death.

The people before him, these lives, were a thousand times more important than his own affairs.

"Exchange all."

Jiang Wang's tone was firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"Alright, host," the system's mechanical voice seemed to carry a trace of relieved laughter, "Due to the large quantity of items you are exchanging, I will prepare them and place them at the designated location before dawn."

"Okay."

Jiang Wang exchanged all eighty of his points, but not entirely for rice. He exchanged a small portion for medicine.

Combined with the food Kang Fei had purchased from the surrounding areas, it should be enough to get through these two days.

And after two days, the grain Xiao Yan was transporting would arrive, allowing for a perfect transition.

With the matter resolved, a cool breeze actually sprang up in the night. Jiang Wang thought perhaps he could sleep well tonight.

*

Early the next morning, Jiang Wang was drawn by the aroma of rice wafting from outside the courtyard. He woke up, got out of bed, threw on his outer robe, felt his stomach growl, and thought he'd go get a bowl for himself.

Since they had taken over the relief efforts for the disaster victims, they had never cut corners. It was all substantial—the rice aroma was rich, the porridge thick and sticky, a world apart from the watery rice soup from before.

Though there were no other delicacies, a single bowl was enough to fill you up.

Wu Zhong used a little "privilege" to cut in line and ladle a bowl for Jiang Wang. It was just the right temperature to drink.

"Sir, Kang Fei hasn't returned yet. What do you think..."

Once this batch of porridge is distributed, we really will have no grain left.

"Don't worry, come with me."

The two walked to a side room in the courtyard. Jiang Wang opened the door, and sure enough, bags of rice were neatly stacked inside. Besides that, there were packets of medicine for treating malaria placed to the side.

Wu Zhong's eyes lit up, his tone unable to conceal his excitement.

"Sir, you're practically a deity! To be able to get so much grain! And these high-quality medicinal herbs—those sick people will definitely be fine!"

"Mhm, hurry and get people to move it all away. Isn't it time to start preparing for the midday meal now?"

Jiang Wang accepted Wu Zhong's praise, nodding with a broad smile.

His use of the system's cheat was, in a way, a different kind of "deity."

"Right away, sir! I'll have people come move it all immediately!" Wu Zhong went out and added a couple of reminders, "Once the herbal medicine is brewed, you should drink some too. Even if you're not sick, it can help prevent illness."

"Okay."

Watching the busy people coming and going, moving the rice sacks, Jiang Wang opened the system interface. Looking at the system store still there but his points reset to zero, his feelings were a little complicated.

Regret, of course not. But looking at that big zero, he felt a little melancholy.

If he had never possessed it, he naturally wouldn't fear losing it. But those eighty points had truly existed in the system, and now they had all turned to nothing. He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of loss.

Forget it, forget it! Why think so much!

Jiang Wang shook off the sentimentality from his mind. Watching the people full of drive, that emptiness was instantly filled with immense satisfaction.

Data was just a string of electronic symbols. How could it compare to these tangible things he could see and touch?

Besides, if he could save up to eighty once, he could do it a second time. When the system gave him tasks again, he would work hard to take on more.

Jiang Wang called out "001" a few times, but the system wasn't there, giving no response. It had gone off somewhere again, who knows where.

He silently typed a few words, leaving a message for the system.

"Dear System, could the points for the next task be a few more?"

After Jiang Wang left the system program, 001 still didn't appear, but the "unread" status in front of the dialog box changed to "read."

*

Two days later, as their grain supply was visibly running low, just when they thought they'd have to face another headache, the grain sent by Xiao Yan finally arrived.

Jiang Wang counted—a full twenty carts, probably enough to last a month.

He directed the carters where to unload, had all the grain stored in the warehouse, then offered them water and let them rest a while.

One of the cart drivers sat in the shade of a tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, drinking tea while chatting with the person next to him.

"You say these times are unstable; how are us common folk supposed to live?"

"What's unstable? Are you talking about the flood in Lingnan? Isn't that under control now?"

"Brother, you don't know yet? My relative in Zhaojing sent me a letter saying it's already in chaos over there!"

"How so?"

"Beixiang has sent troops! The emperor heard the news, got so furious he had a heart attack, and died!"

Died?

Xiao Yan's dead?

The words slammed into Jiang Wang's heart like a sledgehammer.

Under the blazing sun, he instantly felt his hands and feet turn cold. Dark spots flickered before his eyes, and his body went limp as if all strength had drained away. He collapsed to the ground.

He grabbed the cart driver's hand, trembling as he asked, "Is... is that true?!"

Author's Note:

Xiao Yan's letter: A very long, rambling letter about everything and nothing.

Jiang Wang's reply: All is well.