Chapter 133: We Do Not Need to Compete with Them

At dinner, Wei Ruo made an appearance. Lady Yun praised her, saying, "Ruo'er, what you have done these past two days is truly excellent. I encountered Madame Qian while I was out today, and she spoke of you with great admiration, praising you repeatedly."

Wei Ruo gave a faint nod but did not respond. It was no surprise that Madame Qian would praise her; to a certain extent, Wei Ruo’s actions had also helped Magistrate Qian.

Lady Yun continued, "However, Ruo'er, although the Commandant’s residence is not overflowing with wealth, we can still afford the silver for porridge distribution. Tomorrow, you should go distribute porridge using our own people and supplies. There is no need to follow the Xie family anymore."

Before Wei Ruo could reply, Lady Yun added, "And take Wanwan with you so that she can learn from you."

Since her eldest daughter had gained a good reputation outside for saving lives and distributing porridge, Wanwan inevitably appeared inferior by comparison. Furthermore, Wanwan had been singled out for criticism by Madame Yuan in the prefectural city previously, so a remedy had to be found.

Wei Qingwan then walked over and bowed slightly to Wei Ruo. "Sister, your recent actions have been praised by Father and the people of the county. I truly admire you. Tomorrow, I will go with you to distribute porridge. I will do whatever you ask of me; I will not be the least bit negligent."

Wei Ruo smiled, curling her lips. "Sister Qingwan, do you wish to learn how to save lives, or do you wish to learn how to be praised?"

"Naturally, I wish to learn how to help others like you do. Father’s rescue was thanks to your efforts, and our family is overjoyed by his safety. I imagine the other people you have saved are also the parents and children of other families; they must be very grateful as well," Wei Qingwan replied.

"It is good that you think this way. However, since you have such intentions, you can go on your own; there is no need to follow me," Wei Ruo answered.

Wei Ruo then turned to Lady Yun. "Mother, since I have already promised Miss Xie that we would distribute porridge together, I cannot break my word. The Commandant’s residence can have Qingwan set up her own distribution point. This will not only earn a good reputation for the residence but also for Qingwan."

At Wei Ruo’s words, the expressions of Lady Yun and Wei Qingwan became somewhat unnatural.

"Does Mother think I am wrong? Letting Qingwan set up a separate porridge station is a perfect solution. It fulfills your and Sister’s desire to help others without putting me in a difficult position. Besides, since it is to help the commoners, the more porridge distributed, the better."

Wei Ruo’s words were reasonable, making it difficult for Lady Yun to argue.

Wei Qingwan felt anxious; she had wanted to accompany Wei Ruo. In the current Commandant’s residence, no one was wealthier than Wei Ruo. The Seventh Prince had just rewarded her with a hundred taels of gold—a massive sum. With this money, Wei Ruo could afford to provide relief to the commoners however she saw fit, without worrying about the costs of porridge or cotton-padded clothes.

It was easy to say the family would pay, but in reality, it was difficult. Having seen the account books, Wei Qingwan knew the household’s income and expenses were strained this year, and there was little surplus in the public coffers.

Lady Yun and Wei Qingwan seemed to want to say more, but Wei Ruo did not give them the chance. Seeing Wei Mingting, she walked straight toward him.

"Father."

Seeing Wei Ruo, Wei Mingting’s expression softened considerably. "Ruo'er, you must take care to rest these past few days. Saving lives is important, but you must look after your own health."

"I know, Father. You should also take care; you have been busy on both sides lately, so do remember to rest," Wei Ruo said.

Wei Mingting nodded with a kindly expression. In the eyes of Wei Yichen and the others, Wei Mingting was always a stern man who rarely smiled, but when facing Wei Ruo, he showed much more tenderness. Perhaps it was because this daughter felt particularly close to him, or perhaps it was out of a sense of deep indebtedness and guilt toward her.

Seeing this, Lady Yun and Wei Qingwan did not bring up the previous matter again. The family ate dinner in silence.

After the meal, Wei Ruo did not stay for tea, claiming she had matters to attend to, and returned directly to Tingsong Garden. Wei Mingting did not stay long either; he was quite busy, and having returned to eat with his family was already an achievement. He still had to go to the study to handle some business.

Afterward, Wei Yichen, who was busy studying, and Wei Yilin, who had recently become obsessed with martial arts, also excused themselves.

Wei Qingwan was the only one left. Seeing that no one else was around, she asked Lady Yun, "Mother, about the porridge distribution..."

Lady Yun frowned. "Don't worry about it. I will take the silver for the porridge from my dowry for you."

Hearing this, Wei Qingwan could not muster a smile. "But Mother, that is your dowry. How could I use your dowry..." she said, feeling ashamed.

"Mother’s dowry will eventually be for you and Ruo'er anyway. Money should be spent where it is most needed; just go ahead and use it," Lady Yun said. She took Wei Qingwan’s hand, patted it gently, and said earnestly, "Wanwan, go and do it well. Regardless of whether you can regain some reputation, you must contribute your share for the people of Xingshan County. They are the people your father and his soldiers have given their lives to protect."

Wei Qingwan nodded. "Mother, rest assured, I will do my best."

***

The next day, Wei Ruo and Xie Ying were at the west city gate for the porridge distribution as usual. They had specifically prepared more salted vegetables today, which made the porridge much more palatable.

Xie Ying leaned into Wei Ruo’s ear. "Ruo'er, I heard that Wei Qingwan and Qian Zhilan set up a stall at the north city gate, mimicking our porridge distribution!"

Wei Ruo smiled. "Regardless of their motives, the porridge is being distributed, and the disaster-stricken people are getting to eat. That is a good thing."

Xie Ying thought for a moment. "That’s true. We didn't come here for the sake of reputation, so there’s no need to compete with them. As long as the outcome helps people and allows more to survive the hardship, it’s all for the best!"

"That is exactly the point."

Wei Ruo smiled, and she and Xie Ying continued their work. After a busy morning, just as they finished distributing the porridge, Xie Jue arrived at the stall with several carts of supplies.

"Sister, Miss Wei." Xie Jue called out to Xie Ying and Wei Ruo with a beaming smile.

"Brother, why did you only just arrive!" Xie Ying said, somewhat annoyed.

"My dear sister, this was the fastest I could manage. You have no idea how scarce cotton-padded clothes and quilts are right now. If it weren't for Mother’s manors and shops, I wouldn't know where to buy them even if I had the silver!" Xie Jue explained with an innocent expression.

The sudden change in weather had not just affected Xingshan County; it was a disaster everywhere. Grain was scarce, and cotton-padded goods were in high demand.

"Alright, alright. Wait for us to clear this up, and then we will go door-to-door to check on the situation and deliver to the families in need," Xie Ying said.