Rebirth of the Evil Stepmother and the Four Villainous Children

Everyone did not dare to delay and hurried back. When they came here, they walked slowly because they were unfamiliar with the route. Now that everyone was excited and familiar with the route, they quickened their pace back to the city.

Soon they reached the foot of the mountain, but there was still no sign of the dark clouds coming. However, they had found a water source, which was a good thing. At the same time, Xie Wuyou's people began to spread the word.

Within an incense stick of time, everyone in Yuzhou City knew that Madam Zhou from the north was the woman who grew high-yield rice and invented bamboo paper.

She came a few days ago, escorting hundreds of carts of grain, which were called potatoes. If planted well, the yield per mu would be 1,000 kilograms. I also heard that she and the prince went into the mountains and found a secret river. In short, they had water to drink. Many people also said that it would rain in Yuzhou City today because of Zhou Rongrong's good deed.

Zhou Rongrong listened to what Sang Biao said to her and asked while looking at the potatoes in the yard that had not been moved much.

"Why are these still here? Haven't they been distributed?"

Sang Biao said, "It was Lord Hong. He said he wanted to save some for planting. There is still enough food in the city from the imperial court."

Zhou Rongrong nodded and said, "Okay, wait a little longer. It will rain today."

The rumors in the city spread like wildfire, and even Mrs. Hong and Hong Qiuxue knew about it.

Mrs. Hong fanned herself and said to her daughter, "If you don't make it rain today, Miss Zhou's reputation will be ruined."

Hong Qiuxue and Mrs. Hong both hoped that it would not rain, but this was not something they could hope for.

In the afternoon, the sun may have gotten tired of playing and hid away. A large dark cloud then floated over Yuzhou City.

It was really going to rain now. Following a few loud thunders, raindrops hit the faces of every citizen in Yuzhou city who were looking up at the sky with expectant eyes.

"It's raining. It's really raining."

"Oh my God, we are saved."

"It must be that Miss Zhou. It must be her. She is such a kind person. She saved my life."

Even Zhou Rongrong could hear the sounds inside the Hong Mansion. Looking at the puddles gradually forming on the ground and the happy people in the mansion, Zhou Rongrong spoke to Lord Hong beside her.

"Sir, we still need to fetch water. Under the current circumstances, it will take several days of continuous rain to solve the urgent problem in Sanzhou. It is hard to say whether it will rain in other counties. The mountain roads are difficult to travel, and it is probably impossible to do it with manpower. Is this the wheelbarrow I designed? It is simple and convenient, and any carpenter can make it."

Wheelbarrows have long been popular in the mountain villages and even in Zhao County. Having a wheelbarrow is really much more convenient. You no longer have to carry such a heavy weight on your body. It is really much more convenient to push the wheelbarrow. Even country roads are not a problem as long as you are careful.

Master Hong took the design and handed it to the master, saying, "Hurry up and gather all the carpenters to make this wheelbarrow."

Now he has something more important to say, and he rolled up his sleeves that were wet from the rain.

"Girl, can we distribute the potatoes in the yard as seeds? I think it would be okay to plant them now that it has rained. Is it suitable?"

Zhou Rongrong said, "Yes, the method of planting potatoes is similar to that of sweet potatoes. In our area, the yield is basically more than 2,000 kilograms per mu. I'm not sure about your area, but potatoes are drought-resistant and high-yielding, so you can give it a try. If you can adapt to it, no one will go hungry when encountering such things in the future."

Seeing that Zhou Rongrong agreed, he continued to pursue the victory and said, "Thank you very much, young lady, but I have another unreasonable request."

"Sir, please speak."

"Well, I heard that Zhao County can produce thousands of kilograms of rice. I wonder if you can buy some for me?"

Zhou Rongrong took a good look at the prefect's official uniform. It was so discolored from washing that the shoes he wore were extremely ordinary. She looked around the mansion. Although the man didn't look at her well, the family members' clothes and appearance were a little shabby compared to those of other housekeepers. Either he was putting on a show, or this prefect was a person of integrity.

What's more, those who work under Xie Wuyou must have been strictly investigated, he thought.

"Maybe I can help you, but not this year. Is it possible next year?"

Lord Hong was so grateful that he bowed and said, "It's possible, it's possible. I will personally lead people to get it back when the time comes."

Standing on the second floor and looking at the mother and daughter below, I was really confused. I didn’t understand why my father/husband was so kind to this country woman?

Hong Qiuxue stamped her feet and said anxiously, "Mom, it's really raining. What should we do? There are rumors on the street that Zhou Rongrong is the reincarnation of a goddess. How could this be possible?"

Hong Qiuxue herself had not made any progress, but she was always confident that as long as Zhou Rongrong was gone, the prince's gaze would definitely linger on her.

But now she felt that something was wrong. Even if she was raised in seclusion, she knew that this rumor that spread all over the streets and alleys all of a sudden did not come out of thin air. Her father would definitely not help, so it must be the prince.

Why did the prince help her? How could she know it would rain today? Or did she know some magic?

But these days she has been telling her father openly and secretly that she is willing to marry into the palace as a concubine or even a mistress.

But my father said that she was dreaming. The prince didn't think highly of me at all. He also said how great Zhou Rongrong was. I'm afraid that the emperor will reward her this time.

This made Hong Qiuxue, who had always been pampered, even angrier. Now whenever she saw Zhou Rongrong, she felt that she was really pretending. She was obviously a woman, so why could she enter the main hall to discuss things? And why couldn't her subordinates get any information about Zhou Rongrong no matter how they tried to get information?

Not only did she dress like a country woman, her temperament and domineering manner, but also the piles of potatoes and food in the backyard told her that she was a good person.

Zhou Rongrong is not an ordinary woman. She is not a canary fastened in the backyard. She is an eagle that can soar freely in the sky like those men.

But why?

Mrs. Hong naturally thought that her daughter was just having a temper tantrum. With today's rain, the prince would be close to leaving Yuzhou, but now the prince still couldn't see her daughter. Even if they met head-on, he would just avoid her. Although Mrs. Hong wanted her daughter to marry him, she also hoped that she could marry someone who had someone else in his heart.

It was obvious in this situation that the prince didn't have her in his heart, which made Mrs. Hong hesitate. She patted her daughter's back gently and advised her patiently.

"Xue'er, I look at the prince coldly and I'm afraid he is not a good match."

Hong Qiuxue's eyes turned red, and tears began to fall down as she sobbed and acted coquettishly in Mrs. Hong's arms.

"But, but mother, I just like the prince. If I can't marry the prince, I would rather die."