Compensation for Losses
When they arrived at the field, they saw from afar a stretch of scorched black soil, with busy laborers and villagers helping to clean up the aftermath.
The village had spontaneously organized people to help tidy up the mess in Su Li's fields.
By the edge of the field embankment, Bailu and Steward Xiao Yuan stood side by side. Bailu's eyes were red and swollen as she looked at the large area of burnt land and greenhouses, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.
These mushroom houses and vegetable greenhouses were initially built under Su Li's guidance, but later managed solely by Bailu, into which she had poured countless efforts. Seeing the devastation, Bailu's heart felt shattered.
Steward Xiao Yuan, seeing Bailu's pale appearance, felt distressed. He wrapped Bailu's cloak tighter and said, "Sister Bailu, don't be upset. Houses can be rebuilt if they collapse. We don't fear fire here; the ashes left on the ground can even serve as fertilizer."
Bailu felt a little better and nodded, biting her lip. "Sigh, how did the fire start? This was the heart and soul of the madam and me. It's painful to see. The vegetable harvest is affected, and so is the villagers' income. Sigh..."
Steward Xiao Yuan told Bailu to rest nearby and went to the vegetable field himself, personally directing everyone and helping carry things.
Xiao Ze Tian and Xiao Yun inspected the field and saw the damage. They realized Prince Ling's fire was truly vicious, setting multiple fires at once and even pouring oil, causing severe damage to the land.
Xiao Ze Tian grew angrier, clenching his fists. "One day, Prince Ling will pay his blood debt... Xiao Yun, Prince Ling has several expensive silk shops in the capital! If he plays the first day of the lunar month, we'll play the fifteenth! Send someone to burn down his silk shops."
"Yes, master," Xiao Yun shivered and quickly replied.
Meanwhile, Su Li, exhausted after so much turmoil, finally couldn't hold on after breakfast and went back to bed for a deep nap.
Many villagers were worried because of the fire.
"Sigh, Su Li's vegetable field is ruined, what will we do for a living?" Several families gathered in the Tang family's courtyard, all wearing worried expressions.
Tang stirred the pot, "Exactly, not selling vegetables for a day means losing dozens of wen. Who should bear this loss?!"
The man sighed helplessly, "Who else but ourselves to blame? Who would have thought the vegetable field would catch fire? Sigh! I was counting on selling vegetables to make money to get a wife for my little son."
"Exactly, I was also counting on selling vegetables to earn money to build a new house for my family!" another woman agreed.
Everyone sighed deeply. Dozens of wen was not a small amount for farming families, and losing that much money daily hurt everyone.
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Before, without the vegetable selling business, no one minded; but now that there was a steady income, suddenly losing it made everyone uncomfortable, and some even started to feel resentment.
Tang continued to stir the pot, "Su Li's fields are destroyed, and no one knows when they will recover. By the time the vegetables grow back, when will it be? Off-season vegetables rely on timing, and if we miss the winter cold, we won't make any profit!"
"Sigh, what can we do? No other livelihood makes this much money!" The man squatted on the ground, holding his head in frustration.
Tang jumped onto the wooden table and shouted loudly, "What can we do? We signed contracts with Su Li, even putting up house deeds as collateral. Su Li should be responsible for providing us with stable vegetable supplies! Now, no matter what happened to her family, since the vegetables can't be supplied, she must compensate us for our losses!"