The people of the Fa district were in for a surprise when a horde of bandits brought the two young Misses to the district. Initially the guards had been ready to fight the incoming group of bandits when they noticed the carriage behind the troop.
They initially assumed the two were being held hostage but Sun Mei had been waving from the window to let them know that she was alright, and so was Bai Jingfei.
Soon the bandits dropped the two young ladies off at their destination before hurrying off to try to rob a different group to cut their losses.
They had spent a good five hours clearing the way through a jungle and fighting off wild beasts just for the sake of getting to the Fa district as soon as possible.
And to free themselves of the ill fated company that was Bai Jingfei.
Or 'priestess NingNing' as they knew her.
Bai Jingfei, who was still asleep, would probably have been offended at the way they ran as soon as they could. But she slept through it so there wasn't much she could do either way.
She would later wonder why they didn't even say bye before leaving.
The sun had already set for quite a while and the night sky was filled with stars.
Sun Mei got off the carriage, holding a sleeping Bai Jingfei in a princess carry. They had reached the center of the Fa district.
Fa was one of the few regions of the district that hadn't been flooded, mostly because of it being at a slightly higher height than the land surrounding it. It was a great vantage point and a strategic advantage for the Wang kingdom, considering its proximity to the neighbouring kingdom.
The district was mainly a farming one though. It produced almost a third of the kingdom's food and was known as the belly of the kingdom.
Fertile wetlands due to the Ardim river that flowed through it, allowed for a bountiful harvest every year, and for the district to supply a large amount of the kingdom's food.
Thus, the district being flooded was a massive problem for the regions surrounding it.
The flooding would convert into a famine and probably double the deaths if not dealt with properly. The region had already lost far too much. Losing people was the last step.
The people had so far moved to higher ground, like the central region but the centre could only house so many people. Soon the central region would be filled too and people would have no choice but to look for other places to live.
Sun Mei stopped in front of a log cabin that was the chief's house.
It was quite large and overlooked the entire district. A line of servants welcomed Sun Mei and opened the door for her, bowing as she walked forward commandingly.
Sun Mei quickly strode in, placing Bai Jingfei gently on to a chair before going ahead to talk to the chief. A few servants were carrying away plates so it appeared as if he had just finished dessert.
"So. What have you implemented here?" asked Sun Mei, looking at chief Zhao, who sat at the head of the table. Chief Zhao was clearly ignoring her.
He was a fat, greedy looking man. His protruding belly and greasy face, as well as his oily hair that stuck to his scalp, all gave him the image of a fat piggy, ready for slaughter.
Sun Mei wasn't used to disrespect.
By now, chief Zhao should have greeted her. Instead he was sitting, rubbing his belly, while whispering into the ear of a well dressed servant.
The room had a homey feel tangled with luxury. It was much like a rich person's winter vacation ski lodge. The room was made of wood with plush carpeting lining around the floor. Paintings lined the walls and the fireplace in the corner burned bright, releasing sparks as it burnt.
The centre of the room had a long table, with chairs all around it. Multiple candles cast a golden glow onto the walls of the room. The chairs were comfortable enough for Bai Jingfei to continue napping on.
Sitting herself down at the table, Sun Mei let out a grimace before finally repeating her question, this time louder.
"So! What are you doing to help the people of your district!"
This time she caught chief Zhao's attention, and he lethargically looked up, still rubbing his belly and licking his lips.
"So they sent two rich young misses? What about the Bai family? Where is Bai Liu, that brat?" he asked the servant, just loud enough for Sun Mei to hear.
"Sorry to disappoint you! Bai Liu has better things to do than to converse with you, chief Zhao!" replied Sun Mei coldly, it was as if one could see a storm forming around her.
Chief Zhao didn't take that all too seriously.
He was clearly looking down at Sun Mei for being a woman.
Finally he decided to begin to talk with her, "There's nothing we can do. There's too much rain and the district will inevitably flood."
He said this calmly as if hundreds and thousands of people weren't dying because of this.
When he caught a glance of Sun Mei's disgusted stare he asked caustically, "Is there anything you can do?" then rolling his tongue, full of sarcasm, "Respected young miss Sun."
Sun Mei was pissed but at a loss for what to do. She truly had no ideas.
However, Bai Jingfei did.
Bai Jingfei's eyes started opening slowly, brimming with tears with her innocent doe-like stare.
Bai Jingfei whispered "Dam", clearly still half awake after the long and painful journey. Well not so painful considering her wealthy carriage stuffed to the brim with pillows. Long was enough to describe her journey.
Chief Zhao was extremely confused about why Bai Jingfei was "cursing". He was speechless for a while before mustering out a weak, "Excuse me? Damn?"
"Yes. Dam." said Bai Jingfei, stretching her arms out wide while yawning.