Love Lock

Chapter 187 caused the flood.

Raindrops, like silver threads, slanted across the sky and earth. A fast horse galloped across the puddles on the bluestone path, splashing up a string of sparkling water droplets.

The chestnut horse nimbly maneuvered around Tao Qing and his group, who were struggling to move forward, and the sound of its hooves was particularly crisp in the damp air.

The horse arrived at the entrance of Zuixianniang Restaurant and tightened its reins. The horse reared up in front of Han Lei, splashing rainwater that soaked the hem of her skirt.

"Miss Han." The newcomer nimbly dismounted, water droplets falling from his raincoat.

He took off his straw hat, revealing himself to be a guard from the Jingzhou Prince's Palace. He merely nodded hastily to Han Lei before striding hurriedly into the hall.

The shop was filled with the aroma of spiced beef.

King Jingzhou was bending over behind the counter to record the goods, his brush dipped in ink leaving neat and powerful characters on the ledger.

Hearing hurried footsteps, he looked up, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Report! Your Highness. It's extremely urgent!"

Upon seeing the King of Jingzhou, the guard immediately knelt on one knee and took out an exquisite bamboo tube from his bosom.

A piece of black feather stuck to the outside of the bamboo tube was soaked by the rain and gleamed eerily in the candlelight inside the shop: "This is a secret letter that was just delivered by carrier pigeon from the palace."

The King of Jingzhou's expression turned serious. He quickly walked around from behind the counter and took the bamboo tube. Han Lei noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

It was called a secret letter, but it was just a slip of paper.

The moment the note was unfolded, Han Lei saw the prince's pupils suddenly contract, and his face turned from red to white, clearly indicating that something major had happened.

He gripped the note tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Your Highness..." Han Lei unconsciously took half a step forward, then stopped abruptly. She knew that palace secrets were not her concern.

King Jingzhou took a deep breath and glanced at the rows of oil paper packages containing snacks to accompany his drinks on the shelf.

He strode up to Han Lei, his voice extremely low: "Miss Han, I..."

Raindrops pattered against the tiles. Han Lei caught a faint scent of ambergris mixed with a hint of cold sweat on him.

"Your Highness, please speak freely." She bowed slightly.

"I have urgent business in the capital and need to come immediately." His gaze drifted towards the door; through the rain, the guards were already standing before Ma Cheng. "The matter of Xiao Cai's agency rights..."

Han Lei understood and smiled, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will remember your sincerity. When you return, I will give you a satisfactory answer."

"Good! Good!"

The King of Jingzhou forced a smile and then boarded the carriage. As he turned, the hem of his robe rustled in the wind, and the jade pendant at his waist clinked together with a clear sound.

Han Lei stood under the eaves, watching the carriage disappear into the rain and mist, raindrops dripping from the roof tiles to her feet.

The black feather that had been stuck to the bamboo tube had fallen to the ground sometime earlier, and looked even darker after being soaked by the rain. Han Lei was secretly wondering what had happened in the palace.

Just then, Tao Qing's voice pulled her back to reality: "Miss, the wine has been delivered!"

Several brothers from the Jingzhou Big Character Team finally arrived at the shop, pulling a cart. Their coarse cloth clothes were mostly soaked by the rain.

Han Lei snapped out of her thoughts and rolled up her sleeves: "Come on, quickly bring all the wine in."

The group quickly got to work, and as they had arranged all the wine jars neatly, the sky outside suddenly brightened a bit, and the rain that had lasted for two or three days had stopped sometime earlier.

Tao Qing wiped his sweat and smiled, "The rain has stopped, tomorrow should be a good day."

Han Lei stood at the doorway and looked at the empty street, then softly replied, "Yes, I hope so."

An hour later, the murky water on the street gradually seeped into the cracks of the bluestone slabs and dissipated. The water droplets dripping from the eaves made a final tinkling sound on the bluestone slabs.

After a while, the outside gradually became lively again, injecting vitality into the city that had just experienced a rainstorm.

Han Lei suddenly realized that the King of Jingzhou had already gone to the capital, and it was ultimately inappropriate for them to continue living in the King of Jingzhou's mansion.

Moreover, with the continuous torrential rains these past two days, the patrolling soldiers and yamen runners in the city have disappeared, so this might be a good time to leave.

After a long day, everyone finally sat down to rest. Han Lei bought some food from the system, and together with the freshly delivered Drunken Immortal Wine, they ate and drank heartily.

Han Lei picked up the wine cup, and the clear, transparent liquid swirled gently in the porcelain glass.

"Tao Qing, you've had a tough time these past few days. How's everything going at the brewery?"

Tao Qing grinned. "Don't worry, girl. Our wounded soldiers are all skilled now. Although many are missing limbs, they never slack off in their work." He patted his chest as he spoke. "Moreover, after selling Drunken Immortal Wine for several months, everyone has learned a bit about business."

Han Lei took a sip of wine, and the mellow fragrance bloomed on her tongue.

She nodded in satisfaction: "I trust you to handle things. Once the weather clears up, we'll choose an auspicious day to open the tavern."

She walked behind the counter and picked up a booklet: "These are some business tips I've recorded. The stock in the warehouse is enough for the tavern to sell for several months. Once we've made a name for ourselves, we'll give the agency rights for the appetizers to the King of Jingzhou."

Tao Qing's eyes lit up: "Miss, this is a brilliant idea! Just like with the Drunken Immortal Wine back then, we just need to focus on shipping and let the King of Jingzhou worry about sales."

He rubbed his hands together, a rosy glow rising on his dark face. "The brothers all say that working with girls is even more enjoyable than being in the army!"

"You really are quick to understand, you pick things up right away." Han Lei smiled and shook her head. "Remember to bring a few more managers with you. Once things are settled in Cangzhou, I'm going to open a branch."

"Leave it to me!" Tao Qing straightened his back. "It's just that the young lady is going to Cangzhou... There have been torrential rains these past few days, so the road might not be safe."

Han Lei looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky: "That's why we need to leave as soon as possible."

That night, Han Lei and Tao Qing talked until the wee hours. The candlelight cast their shadows on the wall, and Tao Qing occasionally jotted down key points on paper with a brush.

The next day, before dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Han Lei instructed Tao Qing to remember to go to the Jingzhou Prince's Mansion to say goodbye and express her gratitude. Then, she led Da Yi and the others on their journey back to Cangzhou.

The carriage made a dull thud as it rolled over the wet, slippery cobblestones.

Han Lei lifted the car curtain and couldn't help but frown.

After two or three days of continuous torrential rain, although the streets were no longer flooded, the thick silt emitted a foul stench, and several shop owners were cursing as they cleaned the mud in front of their shops.

Han Lei's prediction was correct. The yamen runners and soldiers who used to patrol around were all sent out by Song Peilin, the prefect of Jingzhou, to clear the mud and clean up the city.

With such terrible weather and a dirty environment, they naturally couldn't patrol.

"Let's hurry up."

Han Lei said to the senior student who was driving.

As the carriage sped up, it ran over puddles, splashing mud onto the tattered clothes of a beggar by the roadside. The beggar wasn't annoyed; he simply wiped his face blankly.

The large number of beggars who were originally trapped in Jingzhou City due to martial law were being driven out of the city by the yamen runners and soldiers with disgusted expressions in order to quickly restore order.

At the city gate, the soldiers guarding the city were using long poles to poke at the blocked drainage outlets.

"What are you doing?" A soldier with a pockmarked face lazily stopped the carriage.

Without showing any travel permit, the freshman said directly, "My daughter is returning to Cangzhou to visit relatives."

Just as the soldier was about to say something, the platoon leader next to him, who was also busy with his work, waved his hand impatiently: "Hurry up and get going! Don't delay my dredging!"

Han Lei's carriage slowly left the city. The roads were muddy and difficult to travel on after the rain. As Han Lei's carriage passed by the beggars, seeing their tattered clothes, their mutual support, and their shivering appearance, she felt a strange pain in her heart.

The people of this era were living in utter misery. And she knew that these beggars were all on their way to Cangzhou to seek refuge with the King of Cangzhou.

Han Lei sighed, lowering the carriage curtain, unable to bear watching any longer. She decided to find a slightly drier spot about ten miles ahead to wait for the beggars. She would prepare some food to distribute to them, enough to sustain them until they reached Cangzhou.

The carriage struggled along the official road for a while when Han Lei heard crying outside. She quickly lifted the curtain, and the scene before her made her gasp in shock.

The city was paved with bluestone slabs and had a decent drainage system. So, despite two days of torrential rain, the floodwaters in the city were only ankle-deep.

But once you get to the outskirts, it's a completely different scene.

The torrential rain has caused flooding here, turning the landscape into a vast expanse of water. Large tracts of nearly ripe crops have been submerged, mud houses and thatched huts have collapsed, and countless people are weeping in anguish.

The murky rainwater, carrying broken branches and leaves, flowed slowly. Several children sat on an overturned wooden tub, like helpless little boats.

"Stop for a second," Han Lei suddenly called out.

She saw an old woman with white hair scooping wheat grains from the muddy water with a broken bowl by the roadside; her withered fingers trembled violently.

The freshman followed her gaze and said, "Girl, these..."

Before Da Yi could finish speaking, Han Lei had already jumped off the carriage, her embroidered shoes immediately sinking into the mud.

Without thinking twice, she went straight to the old woman and squatted down: "Grandma, you can't eat this."

The old woman blinked her cloudy eyes: "My dear girl, the flood washed away all our food, and my grandson has been hungry for two days..."

She pointed to a spot not far away where a thin, pale boy was clinging to a tree trunk, his lower body submerged in water, shivering from the cold.

Han Lei felt a lump in her throat, took her cloak from the carriage, and wrapped it around the child. The boy shrank back in fear.

"Don't be afraid," Han Lei said softly, taking out a steamed bun from her spatial storage and handing it to him. "Eat it."

The child was clearly starving. Upon seeing the steamed bun in Han Lei's hand, he didn't even bother to reach out his hand; he simply opened his mouth and bit into it. The steaming vapor rose in front of his dirty little face, making his eyes shine even brighter.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly. Don't choke," Han Lei said softly.

Seeing that the child had food, the old woman wiped away her tears and repeatedly thanked Han Lei.

Han Lei handed the child, who was wrapped in a cloak, to the old woman and then took out a steamed bun for her.

Some people saw the old woman and the child eating steamed buns, and more disaster victims gathered around.

A lame man suddenly knelt down in front of Han Lei: "Please, be kind! Give me some food! My mother has been soaking in cold water and is dying!"

As soon as he knelt down, everyone around him immediately knelt down as well, and cries of pleas rose and fell.

Han Lei couldn't bear to see this and said urgently, "Da Yi, guard the carriage, I'll share some dry rations with them."

"Yes!"

Da Yi answered loudly. He knew what Han Lei was going to do, so he stood guard by the carriage curtain.

Han Lei boarded the carriage, not daring to be too conspicuous. She only bought a large quantity of cornbread, flatbread, and steamed buns from the system.

Fortunately, these disaster victims were just local residents from the area, a few dozen households, not a large number.

Han Lei had the senior students collect the wooden basins floating in the water and distribute them to each household, giving each household a basin of food so they could hold on until the government came to provide disaster relief and porridge.

Han Lei handed the items out of the carriage, and Da Yi and the others who were guarding the carriage door distributed them out. It took about an hour to distribute them to the dozens of households.

Amidst the heartfelt thanks of the disaster victims, the carriage continued its journey along the muddy official road.

The roads became extremely difficult to drive on after the heavy rain, and the wheels kept getting stuck in the mud, making a grating squeaking sound.

On the hillside beside the road, several fresh mudslide marks were shocking to see, with thick trees uprooted and lying haphazardly on the road.

On the worst section of the road, murky mud mixed with gravel completely blocked the official road.

"Shut up!"

Da Si tightened the reins, and the carriage shook violently.

Han Lei lifted the car curtain and saw that the road ahead was completely blocked by a mudslide, with broken branches and pebbles mixed in with the mud.

"Girl, we can't get through." The freshman wiped the sweat from his forehead; his boots were already halfway stuck in the mud.

Han Lei looked around. The sun was blazing overhead, and the humid air made it hard to breathe.

There's no village in sight, no shop in sight.

Han Lei said decisively, "I'll get some tools; we need to clear the road."

After changing into light sportswear in the carriage, Han Lei and Da Yi and others began cleaning the road.

It was nearly noon, and the sun was particularly scorching after the downpour, baking the earth and making the air humid and hot.

The sounds of shovels clashing against stones rose and fell, and their clothes were quickly soaked with sweat.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that they managed to clear a narrow path passable by horse-drawn carriages.

Han Lei slumped on a roadside stone, her sportswear completely soaked through and sticking to her body.

"Girl, have some water." The senior was also panting heavily from exhaustion.

Han Lei took out several bottles of mineral water from her spatial storage and handed them over. As she did so, Han Lei noticed that her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

The group found a shady spot to rest, eating their boxed lunches while waiting for the beggars to join them.

It wasn't until early afternoon that staggering figures appeared in the distance. The ragged beggars walked extremely slowly, and several elderly people could barely move without being supported by younger people.

Han Lei took out several square tables from her spatial storage, the ones she used for playing mahjong last time, and bought over a thousand steaming hot boxed lunches. The piles of white steamed buns looked like small mountains, and their enticing aroma immediately wafted through the air.

Along the way, not only beggars from the capital joined them, but also many disaster victims who had lost their homes in the torrential rain.

Therefore, Han Lei prepared a lot of food.

Smelling the aroma of food, the beggars quickened their pace.

"Everyone line up!" A freshman, holding a stun gun, maintained order. "Everyone gets one!"

To speed up the distribution of food, Han Lei originally only assigned freshmen and sophomores to maintain order. Juniors and seniors were to help her distribute the food.

However, Han Lei underestimated the hunger of these disaster victims and beggars.

A few younger beggars suddenly pushed aside the old man in front of them and rushed forward through the mud.

"Food! Where is there food!" a young beggar with a dirty face shouted frantically.

"Finally, there's something to eat."

"Hurry, hurry up."

The beggars began pushing and shoving frantically, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.

Han Lei hurriedly picked up the megaphone: "Line up! Everyone line up!"

But her voice was completely drowned out by the noise. She shouted herself hoarse, but seemed unable to control the situation.

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