Chapter 62: Double Blessing

Zhou Yu’s place didn’t have a stove or any kitchen utensils.

The villagers soon found out, and after some discussion, they realized that no single household could afford to provide all the ingredients on their own. So, they decided that twenty people would take turns providing one meal, gathering enough ingredients and delivering the prepared food to him.

With care coming from the whole community, Zhou Yu couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

And so, after eating the villagers’ voluntarily delivered meals for two days, the afternoon of the fifth day of the lunar new year arrived. The clerks and attendants who had returned to the city for the New Year came back, and the issue of cookware and utensils was completely resolved. Only then did the villagers stop bringing meals.

Instead, Zhou Yu had people set up two large pots in the middle of the village and cooked a big pot of pork bone and mushroom soup to help warm up the villagers.

The rich aroma of the bone broth lingered over Tongshu Village well into the night, and that steaming bowl of soup left a lasting impression in the hearts of every villager.

An An checked herself and found that her energy level had suddenly increased to 12.3. She didn’t know how it had risen so much, but since it was a good thing, she didn’t plan to investigate further.

Ever since Zhou Yu moved in, Zhao Hu would often limp over next door to visit. Aunt Zhao, afraid he might fall and hurt An An, wouldn’t let him hold the child, but once they were next door, Xu Xia would ask Aunt Zhao to pass the baby over.

An An also kept fussing about wanting to see the chicks, and Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying found it hard to keep refusing her.

Aunt Zhao’s sprained ankle recovered fairly quickly. She wasn’t someone who could sit still. With Zhao Hu and An An out of the house, she and Qin Ying began organizing the spring grain and vegetable seeds.

The soil for growing mushrooms and vegetables also needed to be refreshed in time.

On the eighth day of the new year, Zhou Yu had to go on a trip, having been invited by a neighboring county to discuss some matters.

Before leaving, he quietly asked An An if she wanted to go with him.

An An puffed out a long breath while cupping her chubby cheeks. Her mock-serious expression made Zhou Yu laugh uncontrollably.

An An glanced at him and said in a wistful tone, “An… small.”

If it weren’t for these short arms and legs making it hard for her to walk properly, she really would want to go out and explore. If she could help them discover more water sources, not only would it ease the urgent needs of the people, but it would also earn her a large amount of energy—a win-win situation, so why not?

“Ah!” She sighed again.

Zhou Yu dismissed everyone from the room and leaned in to whisper to An An, “What if I said I met one of your mother’s relatives over there? Do you think she would take you along?”

“She would!” An An’s eyes lit up brightly, and she excitedly jumped in place twice. Even if her mother didn’t want to, she could always throw a tantrum and make her take her!

Zhou Yu chuckled and tapped her little nose. “I’m teasing! It’s freezing cold outside—why would I take you out? But…”

He pulled out a detailed map of Qin County and spread it open on the kang bed. “If you can tell me which places are most likely to have water… preferably places near other counties too, I’d be very satisfied.”

“Some things can’t be rushed. Slow and steady is the way to go.”

An An crawled over, a bit troubled. Her Heavenly Eye could only scan small areas.

But using a person to scan through was easier.

So she crawled back and placed her hand on Zhou Yu’s arm, then closed her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yu didn’t dare disturb her and waited quietly.

The Heavenly Eye activated. This time, she checked Zhou Yu’s political merit contribution points.

Right now, the priorities were clearly finding water sources and food. Zhou Yu already had food channels in place, so the most urgent need was water.

She quickly locked onto a few locations that could provide Zhou Yu with contribution points—very suitable spots for drilling wells.

But whether water could actually be found was still uncertain.

She opened her eyes and locked onto Zhou Yu again, attempting to apply two koi blessings.

Success!

This was the first time it had worked!

She opened her bright, sparkling eyes and looked at Zhou Yu, unable to hide the joy in her gaze.

Zhou Yu, however, looked puzzled.

She turned and crawled over to the map, extending her short, tender finger to circle a few spots. “Here!”

Zhou Yu carefully noted them down. “Got it.”

An An sat up, thought for a moment, then seriously raised both hands and spread her fingers. “Ten days!”

Zhou Yu blinked and guessed, “There’s a chance within ten days, but beyond that, maybe not?”

“Mm!” An An nodded solemnly and patted her chest. “Find An! Keep it up!”

Zhou Yu boldly speculated, “Does that mean the good luck you gave me only lasts for ten days?”

An An nodded. Handsome uncle is smart, indeed.

Zhou Yu was overjoyed and excitedly picked her up, tossing her in the air. “Good An An! You’ve been a great help!”

An An still sighed. Even though the koi blessing she gave Zhou Yu could bring significant positive effects, it couldn’t compare to her being present at the site.

After all, she could directly create water.

Zhou Yu affectionately pressed his cheek to hers and said gently, “For now, I’ll send people to search those places for water sources. If we find something, all is well. If not, we’ll find a way to take you there.”

He also decided to personally go to one of the locations. With ten days, if he traveled quickly, he should make it in time.

But given the freezing weather, drilling wells would be extremely difficult and time-consuming. He wouldn’t return for at least a month—possibly not until after spring planting season.

By then, the frozen ground would have thawed, and drilling would be much easier.

He couldn’t help but look up at the sky again, wondering when this natural disaster would end…

An An looked up with him. Sigh. She didn’t know when the disaster would end either, but once her energy reached 50, she could pray for one foot of nourishing rain to fall, covering a radius of at least a hundred li.

When that time came, the end of the drought shouldn’t be far off, right?

But getting to 50… was still a long way to go!

She raised her paw and patted Zhou Yu. Handsome uncle, I’m counting on you!

In that moment, Zhou Yu truly understood her meaning and solemnly promised, “I will do everything in my power to help the people of Qin County overcome the drought. And if I have any strength left, I’ll help even more people.”

These past few days, Zhao Hu had been pestering Xu Xia to train with him. Every morning he tied two sandbags to his legs and ran the mountain paths, sweating all over before returning home for a quick wash, then heading off to practice standing postures with Xu Xia. At night, he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

But visibly, he looked more energetic.

When he heard that Zhou Yu was leaving, Zhao Hu asked to go along.

Although Aunt Zhao was reluctant, she knew this was a rare opportunity—something many people begged for in vain. She simply said to Zhao Hu, “Go ask Lord Zhou. If he agrees, your mother won’t stop you.”

An An had already tested it on her family—they could also receive double koi blessings. But since they lived in the village, she only gave a brief boost and quickly weakened it—another newly discovered feature.

If Uncle could go along, she’d give him the full boost. With the combined double blessings on both of them, the chances of success would increase again.