But as soon as she spoke, the room fell silent in an instant. After a long while, Sima Han smacked his lips, his eyes full of helplessness.
"The idea is great, of course, but it's not as simple as us saying we'll help with disaster relief, is it?"
"Why not?" Shen Xiaoyan continued to ask.
She was willing to use her own money to help these homeless people, why couldn't she do as she pleased?
"The imperial court hasn't even started disaster relief yet, and you're already beginning. Isn't that blatantly slapping the court in the face?" Zheng Wei said helplessly.
"Oh, right, I forgot, this is..."
"Is what?"
Shen Xiaoyan stopped speaking midway, piquing Yue Qingxin's curiosity, so she quickly asked.
Facing Yue Qingxin's pestering, Shen Xiaoyan merely smiled without speaking, but in her heart, she sighed infinitely. This was not the previous life.
This was not the era of freedom of action from her previous life.
This was a society with royal authority. If one defied imperial orders or the court, there would be no good outcome.
Although Shen Xiaoyan was not afraid of offending the court, she disliked trouble and had no need to stir it up.
Shen Xiaoyan didn't feel angry when her suggestion was rejected by everyone; she just felt a bit disappointed.
After chatting for a couple more sentences, the few people prepared to return to their rooms.
Lu Taobao and Shen Xiaoming had not yet reached the stage of spirit extraction. As long as they had time each day, they would focus on cultivation.
But before everyone could stand up, Huo Fen rushed in in a hurry.
"What's wrong? Take your time if there's something," Shen Xiaoyan said, looking at her.
"The village chief is here. He said there's something to discuss," Huo Fen took a deep breath and answered Shen Xiaoyan with a bow after catching her breath.
Hearing her answer, Shen Xiaoyan and the others exchanged glances, all unsure why Bai Yonggui had come.
Even Shen Xiaoyan, after thinking for a moment, felt she might have guessed something.
"You're not familiar with the village chief, so I'll go with Mimi." Zheng Wei said to Sima Han and the others.
"I want to go too," Lu You coaxed and stepped forward, standing in front of Zheng Wei.
"What are you going for?" Zheng Wei asked curiously. "You're not from the village."
"I'm a businessman, after all. Haven't you heard the saying that no one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason? Especially in this situation, Bai Yonggui's visit must be no ordinary matter. Neither of you has much business acumen, and sister-in-law is too compassionate... *cough cough*, she's a kind person. Therefore, there must be a businessman like me present to prevent you from being tricked."
Hearing Lu Youqi's lengthy speech, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei felt like laughing, and also a bit touched.
Especially Shen Xiaoyan, Lu Youqi had wanted to say she was overly compassionate, and although the words stopped at his lips and were changed, everyone present knew what he meant.
Shen Xiaoyan felt a little hesitant, but she was still somewhat touched. After all, Lu Youqi was doing this for her own good.
"Then let's go. Don't keep the village chief waiting," Zheng Wei said and led the way out.
Shen Xiaoyan followed closely behind Zheng Wei, and Lu Taobao quickly caught up.
As they stepped out of the main room, a gust of cool wind hit them.
Shen Xiaoyan sneezed from the wind. Zheng Wei, who was walking ahead, immediately turned around, looking at Shen Xiaoyan worriedly. "What's wrong, Mimi? Are you feeling cold? If so, you can go back. I can go alone."
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head. "It's nothing, just my nose itches."
Bai Yonggui's arrival at this time was certainly related to the snow disaster. She cared very much about this matter, so how could she be willing to go back?
Zheng Wei knew what Shen Xiaoyan was thinking, so he only said that. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan refuse, he didn't say anything more.
The three of them walked to the front courtyard and directly entered the main room.
Lifting the curtain and walking in, Shen Xiaoyan finally felt warm.
Although the main room in the front courtyard was not inhabited, it was kept warm just in case it was needed. If they had to start a fire then, it would be too late. Therefore, the kang was kept warm during the day, just not at a high temperature.
Even so, it was much better than the icy weather outside.
As the three walked into the room, they saw Bai Yonggui sitting on a wooden chair, deep in thought, seemingly pondering something.
As if hearing someone enter, Bai Yonggui looked up towards the door. Seeing Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoyan entering, he quickly stood up with a smile.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei were startled by Bai Yonggui's action. When had Bai Yonggui ever been like this before?
Even though their family's life was getting better and better, in Bai Yonggui's eyes, it was the same as before, with no changes.
As the village chief, Bai Yonggui would not change his attitude towards Shen Xiaoyan's family just because their life had improved.
Therefore, Bai Yonggui's current behavior truly startled Shen Xiaoyan.
"Village chief, why are you standing? As juniors, it's already embarrassing enough to keep you waiting for so long. To have you stand up to greet us now is truly..."
"No need, no need, you don't need to feel guilty. This is my own business, it has nothing to do with you," Bai Yonggui waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, and quickly interrupted Shen Xiaoyan.
Seeing him say this, Shen Xiaoyan had nothing more to say.
After everyone sat down, Bai Yonggui's expression turned serious.
"You are all intelligent people, so I won't beat around the bush."
"Just say what you need to say, Village Chief," Zheng Wei said calmly.
"You should have some idea why I'm here, so I'll be direct."
Bai Yonggui sighed heavily at this point.
"The snow has been so heavy, and the consequences, I'm afraid you know. Most houses in the village have already collapsed. Many villagers are eating and sleeping in this blizzard. In this kind of weather, imagine what kind of life that is..."
As Bai Yonggui spoke, his eyes became somewhat red, and his voice choked up a little.
Shen Xiaoyan and the other two said nothing, just sat quietly, waiting for Bai Yonggui to continue.
After a moment, Bai Yonggui calmed himself down and continued, "I've come to discuss with you. Your house is large and has many rooms, but you have few people and can't possibly live in all of them. Could you allow them to stay for some time? When spring arrives and they build new houses, they can move out, alright?"
After Bai Yonggui finished speaking, he looked at Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei with anticipation.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei exchanged a glance, unsure what to say.
What was this situation?
Shen Xiaoyan had thought that Bai Yonggui would at most ask them for some money or food.
But who knew that the moment he opened his mouth, he was asking the villagers of Baiyun Village to live in their home for several months until they built new houses and then moved out.
Although Shen Xiaoyan was a bit kind, she wasn't foolish, was she?
Building a house sounded simple, but when it truly came to doing it, it was full of trouble.
If those people got comfortable living with them and then claimed they didn't have money to build houses and stayed put, what would they do?
If that were the case, the outcome was predictable. They might receive a thank you for taking in those people, but if they kicked them out, they would definitely be scolded mercilessly, accused of being heartless.
Moral blackmail was always something Shen Xiaoyan detested the most.