Transmigration: From Dragon Princess To Pampered Granddaughter
Chapter 247 - 248: Bitten by a Rat

Chapter 247: Chapter 248: Bitten by a Rat

"Sanni, however, took it as a given, after all, her little sister was a fairy and naturally couldn’t be expected to work.

*

After dinner, when people headed for the fields, they found that the jubilant mood from the grain distribution the previous day had faded in every household, and all that was left were sighs of dismay.

In their area, three neighboring communes had had the best harvests, leading to droves of relatives coming to borrow grain, which put them in an awkward position.

If they refused to lend, it would harm their relationships and reputation, but if they lent to one household, others would soon follow. This predicament threatened to deplete their own grain supplies.

Unable to refuse the requests, several households had already lent out quite a lot of their grain.

Zhao Mancao observed them with furrowed brows, worrying they would end up lending out all of their own grain.

He decided to hold a meeting at the commune dam after lunch.

Standing on the stage with a speaker in his hand, he said seriously, "I’ve called everyone here primarily to discuss the issue of grain borrowing. I know some of you have already lent out quite a bit of grain. This spirit of mutual aid is something we should all learn from. However, I want to remind you that the damage to this year’s crops is not as severe as you might think."

At his last sentence, all the worried commune members perked up their ears, eager to hear about the situation in the other communes.

The relatives who came to borrow grain had all cried about their poor harvests and the threat of starvation, but they didn’t provide specifics about how bad their situation was, leaving others unsure about lending them grain.

If the grain was indeed vital for survival, refusing to lend would be akin to standing by while someone died!

Zhao Mancao, seeing the reaction, paused for a moment before continuing, "The communes that were severely affected are only the two next to ours. Even so, they still have at least half of last year’s harvest. With less of their yield given to the state, they should have enough for half-full meals each time, and won’t starve. It’s also important to note that they’ve only harvested the first crop – the second is soon to be reaped. Although it won’t yield as much, there will still be a fair amount of grain. What I want to convey today is that you should consider your own circumstances carefully before deciding whether to lend grain."

Upon hearing this, the commune members’ faces visibly relaxed.

They had been so preoccupied with their dwindling grain supplies and the relatives who kept asking for more, they had forgotten

The hardships of the past had made them fearful of hunger, and the reduced harvest had scared them tremendously, causing them to panic.

That’s why they had been trying everything they could to stock up on grain.

What they had overlooked was that, actually, this year could be considered a year of good harvest, and even having half of that would be enough to scrape by.

Their own households had over ten mouths to feed. If they lent their grain out, the ones going hungry would be their own family members.

In these times, the grain yield wasn’t high to begin with. Even in a good year, the regular grain distribution would just about feed their large families.

If they lent their grain out, they had no idea when it would all come back.

So, after the meeting, most of those who had been unsure about lending grain had decided not to do so.

Only a few households lent out some after being relentlessly pursued by their relatives.

*

In the evening, when midnight finally arrived, Chen Jiandang impatiently asked, "Mom, are we going to dig for rat holes tonight?"