Chapter 14: Natural Disaster?

"Greetings, Aunt, Cousin."

Xie Ninglan hadn't slept well either. She peered at the newcomer with sleepy eyes, her brain struggling to keep up.

[Who is this?] she asked Xin Nian with her eyes.

Xin Nian rummaged through the original owner's memories, gave Xie Ninglan’s arm a light pinch, and put on a sweet smile. "Cousin is here."

She then lowered her voice and spoke rapidly to her mother, "Mom, this is the only son of your eldest brother, your precious, beloved nephew, Xie Rui."

"A genius prodigy who could write poetry at three, practice martial arts at five, passed the provincial exam at nine, and became a *jinshi* at thirteen. He is currently a Director in the Ministry of Works."

"The original owner loved this nephew far more than her own two children. In your heart, Xie Rui’s status is second only to mine." Xin Nian twisted Xie Ninglan’s arm harder and whispered a reminder, "Be enthusiastic, Mom! Whenever you saw Young Master Xie in the past, your mouth would stretch to your ears; you were absolutely, incredibly delighted."

Xie Ninglan’s mouth twitched.

"Act natural, hurry up and pull the door open to greet him with a smile. I’m telling you, Xie Rui is shrewd, calculating, and has a sharp eye. Don't let him see any flaws or realize you aren't the original owner."

Bombarded by her daughter’s rapid-fire instructions, Xie Ninglan’s mind suddenly cleared.

She quickly plastered on a fake smile, feigned enthusiasm, and pulled open the dilapidated door. "Oh, ho ho ho, it’s Rui-ge’er."

"Mom, don't overdo it," Xin Nian pinched her arm secretly.

Xie Ninglan’s mouth hung in a state that was neither a smile nor a frown, frozen halfway...

Xin Nian stepped forward with a professional, corporate smile. "Cousin, why did you come so early in the morning to deliver these things? There was no need for such trouble; sending a servant would have sufficed."

"That wouldn't do. I had to see Aunt and Cousin at least once. Your journey from the capital is long, and who knows when we shall meet again."

Xin Nian pinched her mother and traced the character for "cry" on her arm.

Xie Ninglan gathered her emotions and squeezed out a few fake tears. "Rui-ge’er, Aunt is truly happy that you came to see me off. Your father is rarely in the capital, so I must trouble you to look after your grandparents on my behalf."

"Aunt, you are too kind. This is only what I ought to do."

Xie Ninglan lowered her head and pinched her nose to keep crying. She didn't know what to say next; it was awkward.

Xin Nian maintained her professional smile and spoke softly, "Cousin, Mother is especially happy to see you. Please forgive her if she is overly emotional and loses her composure."

"Cousin, please don't be so formal; we are family," Xie Rui said with a smile. "The preparations were rushed, but fortunately, I did not fail the task. Everything listed on the inventory is here."

Xin Nian’s eyes lit up. She quickly bypassed him to inspect the five large baskets on the ground. "Thank you, Cousin. You’ve worked hard. Good people will surely be safe for a lifetime."

Xie Rui:...

The little crybaby seems to have changed a bit?

In the past, whenever she saw him, she was always timid and cowardly, hiding away before he could even approach. When had she ever said so much?

"Cousin Niannian."

Xin Nian was checking the contents of the baskets. Not bad, not bad at all—ephedra, kudzu root, pinellia, dahurian angelica, baical skullcap, and more.

All the various herbs she had listed were there. She could find time today to brew the fever-reducing medicine.

Hearing Xie Rui, Xin Nian turned to look at him, meeting his faint, smiling gaze.

"Thank you, Cousin. You’ve been busy all day, you must be tired. Uh, why don't you head back early?"

Kicking him out the moment she got the goods? Xie Rui found it amusing and nodded. "These things are quite heavy. Would you like me to have my men carry them inside for you?"

Xin Nian waved her hands repeatedly. "No, no, thank you, Cousin. I’ll have Third Uncle and the others move them in a moment."

"Very well. Once Aunt and Cousin arrive in Binzhou, there will be people there to meet you."

Meet them? It sounded like they were assisting a prison break.

Xin Nian gave her cousin an innocent, bright smile. "Everything should just take its natural course. We shouldn't burden Uncle too much."

A prison break was out of the question. Xie Rui’s father was the Governor of Binzhou; as long as he served the imperial court, he couldn't abuse his power to take them in.

They were sentenced to exile in the frozen far north; they couldn't afford to be even a mile short!

A transmigrator’s soul, self-reliant and self-sufficient—better not drag the locals into this...

"Niannian, you may not know this, but there has been much turmoil in the court recently. The Imperial Observatory predicts that a natural disaster will descend within the month. Calculating the time, it will be right when you arrive in Binzhou." Xie Rui stared at the young girl, a smile playing on his lips.

Interestingly, after he said this, he didn't see a hint of shock or panic on her face.

Was the little crybaby usually this calm? She wasn't even scared to tears!

"Therefore, we discussed it with Father via letter. If a disaster truly occurs, Father will immediately send people to assist you. Please, Aunt and Cousin, do not worry too much."

Xie Ninglan’s eyes widened. "A natural disaster?"

Did she hear that right? Damn it! She had changed worlds, arrived in ancient times, and there was still an apocalypse coming?

Xin Nian was expressionless. "Cousin, do you know what kind of disaster the Observatory predicted? An earthquake... tremors? Or extreme heat, extreme cold, eternal day, or eternal night?"

Xie Rui raised a handsome eyebrow, remaining calm. "Niannian is quite knowledgeable about natural disasters."

How could Xie Rui know that this was everything Xin Nian’s family had experienced in their past life...

And that was just the basic stuff, not even counting the cataclysms like hail, acid rain, mudslides, intense radiation, toxic insects, poisonous moths, or animal mutations.

Xin Nian gave an awkward smile. To Xie Rui, the little cousin’s delicate face didn't show a hint of genuine mirth.

"The Observatory predicts that 'heavenly fire' will descend within the month, sweeping across a large area of the Central Plains. The heavenly fire will cause trees to wither and leave not a blade of grass growing."

Xie Ninglan and her daughter looked at each other.

What?

The lush greenery they had just seen—was it all to be destroyed by the heavens within a month?

"Aunt and Cousin, do not be nervous. These are merely predictions from the Observatory; they may not actually happen."

Xie Rui comforted them gently. "His Majesty does not believe these rumors, claiming the Observatory officials are alarmists, so he exiled the leaders. The Chief of the Observatory and two of his disciples are currently in your exile party."

Xie Ninglan:...

She didn't know what to say, so she just offered a polite smile.

Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors—but in this world, some things couldn't be fully believed, yet couldn't be entirely dismissed either.

What if the "crow-mouthed" Observatory officials were actually right?

With no preparations on the road of exile, if they truly encountered a natural disaster, they would have absolutely no way out.

After Xie Rui finished his instructions, he bowed to the mother and daughter and took his leave.

Xin Nian waited for a long while, and seeing that the young man didn't double back, she waved her hand and collected all the baskets into her space bead.

She left only one basket, picked out a portion of the herbs to put inside, and covered it with burlap so that outsiders wouldn't be able to tell what was inside.