Chapter 604: Sisi’s Good Idea

“Not only rice, but also citrus, tea leaves, sugarcane, mulberry hemp, and others have suffered severe production reductions. If this continues, life will be difficult!”

Upon hearing these words, Liu Sisi could no longer sit still.

As soon as she left the grocery store, she hurried straight back to the manor without any regard for the surroundings, not even noticing the relieved expression on Ms. Xin’s face behind her.

“Has Old Master returned?”

As she entered the door, Liu Sisi was inquiring about Di Yelei’s whereabouts.

Old Cheng hurriedly stepped forward: “Madam, the Old Master went out before dawn today, and not only that, he rode out with Da Niu and Er Niu.”

Since moving into the official residence, Old Cheng had quickly gone from being a gatekeeper to becoming the Di Family’s steward-in-chief, responsible for managing all the household matters.

“Did the Old Master say why?”

“I… I don’t know,” the servant replied.

Liu Sisi frowned but was helpless: “Alright! Just notify me as soon as the Old Master returns.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Old Cheng responded respectfully.

Liu Sisi, feeling uneasy, went to the inner room to check on the three children.

The three children were sleeping soundly, as always, well taken care of by the nanny.

After checking them one by one, she went to the study and began browsing various historical records and biographies. She stayed there all afternoon.

It wasn’t until dusk approached that Ms. Gao brought in the lamp, and Liu Sisi finally realized how much time had passed.

“Ms. Gao, what time is it now?”

“Madam, it’s already the end of 5 p.m to 7 p.m. Are you hungry, Madam? Would you like to eat something before continuing?” Ms. Gao replied hastily.

“It’s already the end of 5 p.m to 7 p.m? Has the Old Master returned?”

Liu Sisi closed the book and put it back in its place before turning to walk outside.

“I didn’t know when I came in, and I don’t know if he’s returned to the manor now,” Ms. Gao hurriedly lit the lantern to light the way.

At the moment, it was July, when the sky stayed brighter later in the day. Although it was now the end of 5 p.m to 7 p.m, the surrounding sky was still illuminated, and the stone path could be seen clearly.

Liu Sisi quickly walked to the front hall, where Elderly Mr. Di and Ms. Zhao were gathered, waiting for dinner, but there was no sign of Di Yelei.

As the group was chatting, Di Yelei entered the house looking disheveled. His beard and hair were covered in thick layers of dust, showing that he must be tired today.

Liu Sisi hurriedly greeted him: “You’re back? Where did you go today?”

“I went far today, almost circling the entire county. I had no choice; it was all due to work matters. I’m so hungry I can feel my chest pressed against my back. Is dinner ready yet?”

“It’s already prepared, just waiting for you to eat. Let’s eat first, and then I have something to discuss with you after dinner.” Liu Sisi also knew that now was not the time to talk.

At dinner, everyone enjoyed the meal and chatted happily.

After the meal, Liu Sisi went straight to the study and waited for Di Yelei to arrive, propping her cheeks in her hands.

When Di Yelei arrived, he looked as if he had taken a shower, his upper body bare, and he was still wiping the water droplets from his dripping hair as he walked.

“The weather is unbearably hot today! If the drought continues, even the water in the moat might dry up.”

Di Yelei wasn’t exaggerating.

The water in the moat of Macheng County was being replenished by living water, but half a year of drought had caused the water level in the great river to drop, which in turn led to a drop of at least two feet in the water level in the moat of Macheng County. Macheng County was a small city, and the depth of the moat was only about three meters. If the water level continued to drop, during a battle, the enemy might not even need to attack the city gate – they could just “walk” across the water!

“Ye Lei, I went out today and heard that the early rice has almost no harvest due to this year’s drought, and the late rice has also been affected, resulting in poor yields. Is this true?”

Liu Sisi went straight to the point, asking directly.

Di Yelei paused in the action of drying his hair, then turned to look at her and continued drying his wet hair in silence.

“You don’t need to worry about these things. Before the new Lord County Magistrate arrives, I, Di Yelei, am the highest official in Macheng County. I’ll handle this.”

“Don’t act like you have everything under control! As they say, two heads are better than one, and three cobblers can beat a Zhuge Liang. Tell me about it, maybe I can give you some advice and take some remedial measures!”

“Remedial measures? The early rice in the fields is now just a completely white, empty shell. If it didn’t die from the drought, it was destroyed by locusts. How can it be remedied?”

Di Yelei’s action of drying his hair paused, and he seemed to wilt, sitting down on a chair, frowning and not moving for quite a while.

Liu Sisi thought for a while and sat down next to Di Yelei, taking the towel to dry his hair for him.

“Ye Lei, what if… since the early rice can’t be saved anyway, we just cut the affected early rice and plant sweet potatoes and taro instead?”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

Di Yelei’s eyes lit up instantly! He turned his head and looked at Liu Sisi intently, “Repeat what you just said!”

“I said…” Liu Sisi put down her hand.

Although she lived in the countryside with her grandpa when she was young in her previous life, she hadn’t actually done any farming herself. Most of her agricultural knowledge was learned indirectly.

“I said, why don’t we cut the affected early rice and plant sweet potatoes and taro instead… this could make up for some losses, and the civilians won’t have to worry about going hungry…”

Di Yelei suddenly stared at her like this, making her doubt if she had said something wrong.

The longer he stayed silent, the more anxious and uneasy Liu Sisi felt.

After a while, Di Yelei suddenly patted his thigh and laughed loudly, “Good! Great idea!”

“Sisi, you’re simply my lucky star, Di Yelei! Sometimes I want to peek into your little head and see what’s inside. How can you think of so many ideas?” In his excitement, Di Yelei hugged her, directly lifting her into his arms, incredibly delighted.

“Hehe…”

Liu Sisi was terrified by Di Yelei’s words, breaking out in a cold sweat!

Indeed, the more one talks, the more mistakes one makes!

Although Di Yelei’s words were unintentional, they served as a wake-up call for her!

She mustn’t reveal her true identity.

The more ordinary she appeared, the better! Being the center of attention was never a good thing, as history has shown!

After solving the problem that had been worrying him, Di Yelei’s mood was obviously much better.

First, he accompanied Liu Sisi to visit their three children, then went to see Elderly Mr. Di. The reason for visiting his father was that Elderly Mr. Di was a genuine farmer. If his father thought Sisi’s plan was feasible, this matter could most likely succeed!