However, the station had been burned to the ground. Luckily, due to the fine weather and the cumbersome loading and unloading process, most of the grain and fodder were piled up in the rear courtyard on the open ground. This made the loss seem less severe.
Early in the morning, Ye Jiu found Sikong Mo.
Despite being up all night, Sikong Mo’s face showed no signs of exhaustion, but his complexion was somewhat gloomy, reflecting his poor mood.
Suddenly, Ye Jiu felt a pain in his chest.
Reaching out, he tugged at Sikong Mo’s clothes and said, "Master Sikong, you need not worry. I still have plenty of food here that can make up for the loss caused by the fire."
"Gathering so much grain and fodder all at once; won’t it cause any trouble?" Sikong Mo asked subconsciously, "We still have quite a lot left, and I can gather the rest myself. Jiujiu, you need not worry about me if it’s difficult for you."
Because, deep inside, he did not wish for Ye Jiu to suffer on his behalf.
She was so delicate and lovely, meant to be cherished in the palm of one’s hand, not running around all day as she was now.
If he didn’t know how stubborn Ye Jiu was, he would love to keep her by his side forever, pampered and never burdened by any work.
She was born to be noble, yet because of her mother’s folly, she ended up in a farmer’s home having to struggle to make a living, which was heart-wrenching.
Yet, Ye Jiu felt no pressure at all. "It’s not a problem at all; the amount of food I have is more than you could imagine, Master Sikong, so you should not feel any pressure either."
Sikong Mo couldn’t help but laugh, "Let’s get the food out; later, I will have someone send you the Silver Coin."
"That won’t be necessary; consider this food as my contribution to the country and the people," said Ye Jiu.
The Imperial Court had allocated funds for the grain, which he hadn’t touched at all, even giving him the chest it came in. Now, if he were to give more money, he would probably have to pay out of his own pocket.
This grain was very important to him, but to Ye Jiu, it was negligible; it wasn’t right to make him bear this loss.
Sikong Mo did not respond further.
Even more so, he would not hesitate to give her his entire fortune if she wished.
After all, his money would belong to her in the future anyway.
Besides, the wealth accumulated by the Sikong Royal Residence over hundreds of years was beyond the imagination of ordinary people; he truly was not as poor as she thought.
While everyone else was silently suffering, Sikong Mo took Ye Jiu out alone.
When they returned, he called upon those who were uninjured to go with them to the small courtyard they had just visited to load the grain.
And when everyone saw the grain in the courtyard, they all felt an incredible joy.
At the same time, their gaze towards Sikong Mo changed.
All along the way, everyone assumed that gathering grain would surely cause delays, and they would have to conduct distressing negotiations with the principal food suppliers in various towns and cities.
However, as they traveled, none of the problems they imagined occurred, and the procurement of grain and fodder seemed surprisingly easy.
They had nothing to worry about; they only needed to load the grain at each location. Although they didn’t know where this grain was coming from, everything went very smoothly, bringing them natural joy.
However, last night’s sudden attack caught them completely off guard.
With the loss of grain, they thought the days ahead would be difficult, but looking at everything in front of them, it seemed to have appeared out of thin air.