The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 1032 - 870, it’s not a big deal

Xiao Yeyang returned on the fifth afternoon after Daohua and her group had arrived in Ganzhou City.

Daohua, clad in fox fur, sat on the kang bed near the window, flipping through the records of the Gan State Guard. In Xiliang, they didn’t have glass windows, just papered ones, which meant that even during the day, the rooms were very dim.

The only good light in the entire room came from near the windows.

So, even with the cold wind seeping through the window cracks, Daohua had no choice but to sit there.

Daohua was reading intently when suddenly a pair of strong arms reached out from behind her and hugged her tightly.

Smelling the familiar scent, Daohua put down the book, turned around and hugged the person, "Xiao Yeyang, you’re back." Her eyes and brows revealed unmistakable joy.

Xiao Yeyang, with a smile in his eyes, rubbed his face against Daohua’s face and neck, "Missed me?"

Just as he was about to get affectionate in order to dispel the longing, who knew Daohua, with a look of disgust, pushed him away, "How long have you not shaved? Your stubble is scratching my face."

Seeing the red marks on Daohua’s face, Xiao Yeyang reached out and gently rubbed it for her, "I was in a rush to inspect the Gan State Guard’s defenses; there was no time to tidy up."

Daohua held his hand, sniffed him, and her expression of disgust intensified. She quickly called Guyu and Lixia to prepare hot water.

"You need a good wash."

Xiao Yeyang held onto Daohua, refusing to let go, "Then you’ll have to help me."

Daohua glanced at him sideways, not amused, "Have you seen the master?"

Xiao Yeyang shook his head, "The old man went out with Doctor Ge."

Daohua nodded, and seeing Guyu and Lixia bring in the hot water, she quickly got off the kang, "You go into the Clean Room first; I’ll get your clothes."

Xiao Yeyang smiled and walked into the Clean Room.

A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Yeyang, freshly bathed and relaxed, lay on the kang, his head resting on Daohua’s legs, while she focused on shaving him.

Looking at some frostbites on Xiao Yeyang’s face, Daohua felt distressed. After shaving him, she carefully applied ointment to his wounds.

"I’ll make you a face mask for you to wear when you go out, remember to bring it with you."

Xiao Yeyang’s eyes smiled as he nodded, "Okay."

After applying the ointment to his face, Daohua checked the rest of Xiao Yeyang’s body and treated any bruises and scrapes with medicine.

The charcoal fire burned brightly in the room, the heated kang underneath was warm, and the sweet scent of his wife filled his nostrils; Xiao Yeyang completely relaxed and slowly closed his eyes.

By the time Daohua had finished applying the medicine, she found Xiao Yeyang had fallen into a deep sleep.

In the month since entering Xiliang, traveling every day was exhausting, and even Xiao Yeyang, who trained regularly, was beginning to feel worn out.

Seeing Xiao Yeyang asleep with a troubled frown, Daohua’s face showed pity as she reached out to smooth his brow.

At dinner, seeing that Xiao Yeyang was sleeping soundly, Daohua didn’t call for him and went to the Gujian Courtyard alone.

"Master, Xiao Yeyang came back this afternoon. He’s not injured and is in good shape; you can rest easy."

Gu Jian nodded, "He must be exhausted lately; let him rest well. Also, prepare some medicinal dishes to replenish his body."

Daohua smiled in agreement, "I will."

...

Xiao Yeyang slept until noon the next day before he woke up and heard Daohua asking Deshou in the outer room.

"Didn’t I just allocate a batch of grain for porridge distribution a few days ago? How has it run out so quickly?"

Deshou replied with a bitter face, "I don’t know what happened, but in these past few days, more and more refugees have gathered outside the city. The supply that was supposed to last half a month is already gone."

Daohua frowned, "With the increase in people, has there been any trouble?"

Deshou shook his head, "No, everyone depends on the porridge to survive; they don’t dare make trouble at a time like this."

At that moment, Xiao Yeyang came out.

Daohua quickly got up and walked over, "You’re awake?"

Xiao Yeyang nodded, pulled Daohua to sit down, and looked at Deshou, "What’s the situation with the refugees?"

Deshou promptly explained about the sharp increase in the number of refugees over the past two days.

Xiao Yeyang’s brows furrowed, "When I first arrived, there were only about five or six thousand refugees outside the city, and in less than a month, the number has surged to several tens of thousands... It seems someone does not want to make my life easy."

Daohua showed surprise on her face, "Are you saying someone is driving the refugees towards Ganzhou City? Who are they, and why would they do that? We’ve just arrived, and we haven’t offended anyone, have we?"

Xiao Yeyang scoffed, "We haven’t offended anyone, but our arrival could disrupt the situation in Xiliang. For some people, that means we’re in their way."

Even though Xiliang is harsh, cold, and barren, to some, it is still their territory where they don’t allow outsiders to intervene or bring change.

Due to the Imperial Court’s neglect of the management of Xiliang, the local rulers here might have the illusion that this land already belongs to them.

Daohua frowned, "But if we can’t provide enough food to calm the refugees outside the city..."

Xiao Yeyang took over, "Once the refugees cause trouble, there will certainly be someone reporting it to the Imperial Court, and they will use it as an excuse to drive me out of Xiliang."

After hearing this, Daohua mused for a moment and then looked at Deshou, "You go with Guyu to get another batch of food, and make absolutely sure to appease the refugees outside the city. Don’t let them cause any disturbances."

Deshou glanced at Xiao Yeyang, saw that he had no objections, and then followed Guyu to take his leave.

Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua, "The supplies we brought with us must be almost gone, right?"

Daohua nodded and then had Lixia bring the storeroom inventory list over, handing it to Xiao Yeyang for him to see for himself.

"Don’t worry too much. I’ve already sent a letter to Xiaoliu, but since Beijing is far from Xiliang, it will probably be February by the time the food is transported here."

"Given the current number of refugees outside, we simply won’t last until then. But as long as we get through this period, food supply is bound to be secured in the future."

As he spoke, he paused.

"The matter of the refugees outside isn’t just our responsibility alone, should the officials and merchants within the city also make a contribution?"

Xiao Yeyang shook his head, "Xiliang is not like other places, and the Ganzhou Guard is the poorest of them all. Even the officials and merchants do not have much surplus food at home. Asking them to give up their food would be like taking their lives."

If the situation outside the city didn’t escalate, they might simply refuse to cooperate.

Daohua then asked, "What about the guard itself? The military households are usually farming the land, there must be some grain stored at the guard, right?"

Xiao Yeyang shook his head again, "The military households do hand over food, but the grain yield here is too low. The Ganzhou Guard is the closest to Xiliao, and we need to maintain a stationed Border Army here."

"The previous Commander died because he defaulted on the Border Army’s rations, and when the military leader summoned him, he was accidentally shot by a Xiliao archer in a covert attack."

Daohua was somewhat tongue-tied, "Isn’t it said that the previous Commander was killed during a patrol?"

Xiao Yeyang showed a sneer, "That’s just a nicer way to put it. The severe suffering of the people of Xiliang is due not only to the geography and climate and the Xiliao people, but it is also largely related to the incompetence of officials here."

Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang, "Now that you’ve taken over the Ganzhou Guard, doesn’t that mean you also need to maintain the stationed Border Army here?"

Xiao Yeyang nodded with a headache.

If it weren’t for the Border Army’s consideration of his status, and because he led the elimination of a squad of Xiliao Cavalry, the Border Army would probably have already caused trouble in Ganzhou City.

Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s brows knot again, Daohua moved closer to smooth them, "This is not a big issue. I might not be much help with other things, but when it comes to food, how could I, a major grain merchant, lack any? I’ll handle the food situation."

Xiao Yeyang smiled at Daohua, "Didn’t you say that the food won’t arrive until February?"

Daohua smiled, "It’s far from Beijing, so there’s no helping it, but we can borrow or buy grain from somewhere closer, can’t we?"

Xiao Yeyang did not want to dampen Daohua’s spirit by telling her that she might not be able to buy any grain at all in Xiliang.

In Xiliang, with its nine guards, nearly all of them are the Commissioner’s people, and the one who most wants to drive him out of Xiliang might be Commissioner Wei Hong.

However, as long as there are people, there are weaknesses, and not all the Commanders are incorruptible.

Thinking of the news passed back by the Jinling Guard, Xiao Yeyang decided to go out tomorrow to meet the least favoured Commander of the Lanwu Guard.

If he could win him over, he should be able to secure a batch of food.