Bai Yonggui frowned and asked, "You've been living here for years, how could you possibly know the Grand Emperor? With the blizzard blocking the roads, not even the Emperor's men have arrived. How did you notify the Grand Emperor? How could he possibly send you to deal with the disaster so quickly?"
Hearing Bai Yonggui's words, Shen Xiaoyan was almost ready to change her opinion of him.
She hadn't expected this selfish old man to have such a mind.
Sima Han looked at Bai Yonggui and said gently, "Yes, the Grand Emperor might not know yet, or perhaps, the people he sent are on their way. But none of that has anything to do with me."
"Then what you said just now was a lie?" Bai Yonggui pressed further.
"Naturally not." Sima Han's face also turned serious. He continued, "The Grand Emperor has shown me immense kindness, he is the person I respect the most. Everything I do is due to his teachings. Therefore, I said it was his instruction. Is there any problem with that?"
Bai Yonggui was rendered speechless by Zheng Wei's words. He thought for a long time, unsure how to respond.
Only after Sima Han had walked far away and everyone else had registered did Bai Yonggui shake his head with a wry smile.
No matter the reason, it had nothing to do with him. Why overthink it?
Looking at the bustling crowd registering on both sides, Bai Yonggui seemed to feel the atmosphere of the village before the snow disaster. Involuntarily, a light smile appeared on his face.
The Pan and Liang families each invited a close family to stay at their homes. After registering, Madam Pan and Madam Liang walked towards Shen Xiaoyan together.
"Xiaoyan, your method is truly brilliant," Madam Pan praised with a smile as she approached Shen Xiaoyan.
"This is everyone's idea, and it's for the people of the village. As long as everyone can safely survive this snow disaster, that's all that matters," Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile.
"Alas, indeed. How much food and supplies are you going to distribute this time? And the firewood! I say, you shouldn't have given it away. Winter is still long. If you give away all the firewood, how will you manage? Is there enough firewood left?" Madam Liang asked worriedly.
Hearing Madam Liang's words, Shen Xiaoyan felt a warmth in her heart. It truly felt good to be cared for.
"Don't worry, Auntie and Cousin. I am not so selfless that I would let myself starve or freeze while helping the villagers. Besides, we have a few children at home. If not for ourselves, we would think of them. So please rest assured," Shen Xiaoyan replied.
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan say this, Madam Pan and Madam Liang were relieved.
They were afraid that Shen Xiaoyan would be too soft-hearted and, disregarding her own family's needs, would go all out to help the villagers.
Madam Pan looked at Bai Yonggui, who was standing alone, lost in thought. She said to Shen Xiaoyan, "This time, we finally didn't fall for his tricks. Let's see if he dares to scheme against people in the future."
"I never imagined that after all these years, I still didn't see him for what he truly is," Madam Liang said, looking at Bai Yonggui with a very hesitant expression.
"As the saying goes, 'You can know a person's face but not their heart.' How can you see into someone's mind? Auntie and Cousin, you don't need to worry about this. Just be careful in the future," Shen Xiaoyan comforted them.
Although Bai Yonggui was indeed not a good person, Shen Xiaoyan did not want Madam Pan and the others to become people who, after being bitten by a snake once, would fear a well rope for ten years.
For no other reason than that, living like that was simply too exhausting.
Every person you interacted with, you had to consider if they had ulterior motives, if they were plotting against you.
Such a life was truly harder than doing manual labor every day.
"We have all lived for most of our lives, what is there that we don't know? It's you youngsters who need to be careful from now on," Madam Liang said with a smile.
"Exactly. There are more good people than bad," Madam Pan exclaimed. "Although your distribution of goods might be a factor, everyone is from the same village. People wouldn't truly stand by and do nothing."
Shen Xiaoyan and the others did not reply to Madam Pan's words.
Madam Pan's words were not entirely wrong, but Shen Xiaoyan felt they were not entirely correct either.
The expressions of those people just now were something everyone had witnessed.
"Don't think too much about it. Just solve the problem at hand. Auntie, you don't need to think so much. Life must go on," Shen Xiaoyan said softly.
Madam Pan didn't understand the meaning behind Shen Xiaoyan's words. She instinctively nodded. By the time she realized it and wanted to ask Shen Xiaoyan what she meant, she saw Shen Xiaoyan had already gone to speak with Zheng Wei.
With a gentle sigh, Madam Pan put the matter out of her mind.
Shen Xiaoyan was right; no matter what, life had to go on.
Because there were so many people, the registration alone took over an hour. Then, distributing the items to each household took another hour.
By the time everything was finished, it was almost dark.
The weather was already very cold. Earlier, because everyone was very excited and a crowd was gathered together for registration, and then they went to collect their items.
In such a situation, naturally, they didn't feel cold. But once they had free time and evening approached, a cold wind blew, chilling them to the bone.
Shen Xiaoyan rubbed her hands together vigorously, only then feeling like her hands were functional again.
Zheng Wei, seeing Shen Xiaoyan's action, asked caringly, "Mimi, are you cold?"
Shen Xiaoyan did not hide it and nodded, "A little."
Standing by the drafty gate for several hours, how could she not be cold?
Zheng Wei saw the fatigue on Shen Xiaoyan's face and knew she was tired. He himself also felt somewhat weary.
"Everyone has collected their items, right?" Zheng Wei asked Sima Han, glancing at the surging crowd.
"Yes, they have," Sima Han replied in a deep voice.
"Then let them disperse. It's getting dark, and they still need to pack their belongings and move them to the temporary homes. This will take time, so let's not waste any more here," Zheng Wei said.
Sima Han had also overheard Zheng Wei's conversation with Shen Xiaoyan.
Therefore, he knew that Zheng Wei's words were actually out of concern for Shen Xiaoyan, wanting to quickly take her back to her room.
However, knowing this, Zheng Wei's words were presented in a very elegant, or rather, impeccable manner, as if he were acting for the good of everyone, leaving Sima Han with no room to object.
Sima Han finally gave a wry smile and stepped forward. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone has received their items, so let's head back. Those who need to pack should go pack their things. You can have a good night's sleep tonight. If you linger any longer, you'll truly be wasting time."
Sima Han's words startled the people who were still in a state of excitement. They looked at the sky and realized it was already very late.
The people who had recovered from their excitement naturally also felt the cold. They didn't linger any longer, thanked Sima Han one by one, and left in small groups.
Amidst the clamor of voices, Sima Han didn't hear what most people said, but he could imagine it was nothing more than words of gratitude.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Shen Xiaoyan also said to Madam Pan and Madam Liang, "Auntie and Cousin, your homes are also hosting people. You should hurry back and get things organized."
Madam Pan and Madam Liang felt the same way, so they bid farewell to Shen Xiaoyan and the others and walked back towards the village together.
Watching everyone leave, Zheng Wei ordered his servants to move the tables back while holding Shen Xiaoyan's hand and walking into the gate.
Sima Han and the others watched their retreating figures with smiles on their faces, and then followed them towards the gate.
They all walked back to the main courtyard and entered the main house together, letting out a collective sigh of relief.