"Why did you come back so late today?" It was even later than usual. Seeing him enter, Yang Chuxia hurried over to greet him, noticing that only the hem of his clothes was a bit damp.
"I went to Yanghe Town to take a look." Yanghe is a river that traverses within Mianyang, intersecting with the Lanjiang River in a crisscross pattern inside Mianyang County. The source of the Lanjiang River is in another prefecture, while the source of Yanghe is within Mianyang County. Not to mention it is a local river, it also borders the Lanjiang River.
"What, is it over the waterline?" She asked, noting the frequency of his outings recently made her think that a flood was about to occur.
"Thatās not the case," Ye Ziāan just chuckled, "I was checking the nearby topography, thinking about how to divert the water that comes from the Lanjiang River each year, along with the water accumulated by Yanghe itself, to other places. Wife, Iām hungry. Did you save some food for me?"
Ye Ziāan didnāt go into too much detail; he tried not to talk about work at home. Whenever it came up, it was Yang Chuxia who would ask, and then he would say a little. It wasnāt that he didnāt want Yang Chuxia to know, but rather that Mianyangās affairs were very complicated, and he didnāt want to burden her with these worries.
Just take Yanghe for exampleāitās practically a dead river within Mianyang County. Its water only flows within the county. Such a large river is just like a reservoirāMianyang has heavy rainfall, and the river accumulates too much water every year. Add to that the extra water from the Lanjiang River that flows into Mianyang annually, it would be strange if it didnāt overflow.
And the dikes of both the Lanjiang and Yanghe Rivers are too low, and also not sturdy enough, unable to withstand the impact of the rushing water.
But Mianyang is so poor. Building dikes and digging canals all cost money; itās like a vicious cycle. Due to prolonged flooding, thereās never time for recovery, resulting in local residents living in poverty. The annual tax revenue is pitiful. Not to mention the lack of taxes, the subsidies from the court, by the time they trickle down to Mianyang, are also minuscule. Without taxes or subsidies, thereās no money; without money, dikes canāt be fortified, canals canāt be dug, and so floods occur. When a disaster strikes, and thereās not enough grain for relief, the county government has to find ways to borrow external debt to subsidize the people. This in turn makes the county government even poorer, and at the same time, the residents become even poorer...
Right now, whatever he wants to do, he doesnāt have much money.
Although he thought of a method that could save some money, it was still worrying!
But it was one thing for him to worry, and he couldnāt bring that worry back home, making his family anxious as well.
Observing that his expression carried a smile, yet there was a faint tiredness in his eyes, Yang Chuxia chose not to ask him anything for the moment, as he seemed unwilling to talk.
"How could I not save some food for you? The water is ready, go wash up first, and you can eat when you come out."
"Youāre the best, wife!" He kissed her and then went to the washroom first.
After Ye Ziāan went in, Yang Chuxia asked Ming Liu and Mingcui to fetch the meal together. However, when they returned, only Ming Liu came back, looking quite upset.
"What happened?"
Seeing her so angry, Yang Chuxia asked.
Ming Liu set the food box on the table and then recounted to Yang Chuxia what Li Wu had told her.
"Madam, Cao Lingling is no longer in the estate," Mingcui said as she returned from outside.
It turned out that when the two sisters heard what Li Wu said, Ming Liu came back with the meal while Mingcui went to find their mother, asking her to keep an eye on Cao Lingling. To their surprise, the person was nowhere to be found, and the serving girls in the same room were all sleeping so soundly, not having awakened yet, presumably drugged.