The Two Hundred and Eighty Pound Fat Girl and Her Five Husbands

Lin Zaozao was sitting in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling bronze mirror in her room, carefully examining her forehead, fearing that a scar would remain there.

Though she was tough, as a girl, she still didn't want a scar on her forehead!

If she had a long scar on her forehead, she might as well become a female bandit instead of serving as a high priestess.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of the scar on her forehead.

"Little Priestess, I'm going to fetch water. Do you want to come?"

"Fetch water! Of course, I'll go. I've been cooped up in this Sacrificial Hall for too long, it's making me feel like I'm growing mushrooms on my head."

Lin Zaozao jumped up from the ground and dashed towards the big mountain.

The place for fetching water on the big mountain wasn't far away, so Lin Zaozao didn't feel tired walking. Most importantly, after just a few steps, Dashan carried her in his arms and headed towards the water fetching spot.

Just as Han Ye had said, along the way through the vast palace, Lin Zaozao couldn't see a single palace maid.

It wasn't until Dashan carried Lin Zaozao to an open low-lying area that she saw some people.

Among them were Han Xibei and Han Ye, whom she hadn't seen for two days. At this moment, they were dressed simply, like ordinary village children, carrying water up from the low area.

Following their path, Lin Zaozao finally understood why they were fetching water.

Because on top of the low area, there was a large expanse of rice paddies. Han Ye and Han Xibei were fetching water to irrigate those rice paddies.

"Dashan, are you fetching water to irrigate the rice paddies too?"

"Yes! These rice paddies are our hope. If these rice crops dry out, we'll all starve to death."

Dashan set Lin Zaozao down, grinned foolishly, then picked up the water buckets and headed towards the low area.

"Dashan, Han Ye and little Xibei are princes, do they also have to fetch water to irrigate the rice paddies?"

"Of course they do. There are barely any people left in the palace now, and with such a large area of rice paddies, if Lord Han Ye and Prince Han Xibei don't help, we won't be able to irrigate them all by ourselves."

Dashan smiled at Lin Zaozao while carrying two buckets of water, then turned and walked towards the rice paddies above.

"Dashan, why are there no people in the palace? Can't we spend money to hire some people?"

"Little Priestess, Han Country has suffered from a ten-year drought. Now, both inside and outside the palace, nine out of ten homes are empty.

Countless civilians have died due to this once-in-a-century severe drought. Even if the palace has money, they can't hire anyone.

We're just hoping that after the rains come, the surviving rice grains can mature. With some grain, we'll count every life saved as a blessing!"

Dashan sighed as he walked along.

When Lin Zaozao and Dashan reached the rice paddies above, she was stunned by the sight before her eyes.

The rice plants in the paddies were sparse and withered, not to mention yellowed. With these rice grains, how many people could they feed?

Remembering the porridge made of hardened rice that Uncle Zhang had given her, Lin Zaozao grabbed Dashan's sleeve and asked doubtfully:

"Dashan, if Han Country is so short of grain, what do you usually eat?"

"Tree leaves, tree bark, plus bran and wheat husks bought from Fengshuo Country and Canglan Country, made into hard buns.

Although they're a bit hard, Uncle Zhang's cooking skills are decent, so they're still quite tasty.

Little Priestess, don't look down on them for not being tasty. Even in the palace, we're fortunate to have something to eat. Outside the palace, civilians are so hungry that they're eating Buddha stones."

"Early morning, why are you out here? Is your head still hurting?"

Han Ye carried a bucket of water and put the straw hat from his head onto Lin Zaozao's, gently asking.

"My head doesn't hurt anymore, Han Ye."

Lin Zaozao looked at Han Ye's ragged clothes, and her eyes couldn't help getting teary.

She had been foolish. She had spent several days with Han Ye and the others, but she hadn't noticed the abnormalities in this palace.

At first, she was only surprised that there were barely any people in such a vast palace. But now, thinking carefully, although Han Ye and Han Xibei were princes, the clothes they wore were just half-new and half-worn.

Dashan had said that Uncle Zhang was a national guardian general. But a national guardian general not only wore rags, but he also took on the responsibility of being the cook in the palace, making her delicious meals three times a day.

Thinking of the snacks Uncle Zhang made specially for her, and the porridge made of hardened rice for her three meals a day, Lin Zaozao's eyes couldn't help turning red.

With so many signs, she finally realized.

It seemed her brain had been eaten by a dog.

"Han Ye, where did the white flour in the porridge Uncle Zhang made for me come from?"

"Early morning, why are you asking this?"

"Han Ye, tell me now, where did the white flour in the porridge Uncle Zhang made for me come from?"

Seeing Lin Zaozao's firm attitude, Han Ye thought for a moment, then said:

"Early morning, the white flour in the porridge was ground from the seeds meant for planting next year."

"What! I ate the seeds?"

Lin Zaozao asked in shock.

Although she had never farmed before, even with her piggy brain, she knew how important the seeds for planting were.

Moreover, in such harsh conditions, if she ate the seeds, what would they do next year?

Just this morning, she had complained to Uncle Zhang about not wanting to eat porridge made of hardened rice for all three meals, saying that no matter how delicious something was, eating it every day wouldn't be good.

And on the first day of eating, when she was eating the porridge, Dashan had looked at her with such shock.

It turned out she had been eating the seeds meant for planting.

"Han Ye, where did the cow's milk I drink every day come from?"

"Little Priestess, Uncle Zhang sold his precious sword to specifically buy you a mother cow that had just given birth from Fengshuo Country."

Dashan's words made Lin Zaozao feel even more upset.

The things she had taken for granted were so precious in this Han Country that had suffered a decade of drought!

However, they gave her all their best things. Thinking of this, Lin Zaozao felt a tightness in her chest.

She remembered a few days ago when she fell, that damn system had told her that because she had tripped on flat ground, she had gained the ability to catalyze plant growth.

Since she had already taken that fall and suffered the consequences, she might as well make use of this ability to catalyze plant growth.

Moreover, the recipients would be Han Ye and Uncle Zhang, who had been so good to her!

With this in mind, Lin Zaozao took off her shoes and walked into the rice paddy. Not knowing how to catalyze plant growth, Lin Zaozao simply grasped a rice seedling and began catalyzing.

With Lin Zaozao's silent urging of "Grow faster, grow faster," the rice seedling in her hand grew, enlarged, and matured at a visible rate.

Seeing the rice plant rapidly grow taller, Lin Zaozao instinctively loosened her grip and stepped back a few paces.

She looked up at the towering rice plant, now as tall as a small tree, and her eyes bulged from their sockets.

Was the system's ability to catalyze plant growth really this potent?

With just a simple touch, she was able to make the rice seedling grow to such a size. If she catalyzed plant growth on a large scale, could she solve the Han Country's food crisis?

Thinking of this, Lin Zaozao squatted down and placed her hands in the rice paddy. Using the same method, in just a moment, the previously sparse and half-dead rice seedlings matured in patches under Lin Zaozao's catalyzing ability.

Lin Zaozao stood up and, seeing the rice plants taller than two people, reached out and forcefully broke off a stalk, taking a few grains from the top.

A single grain of rice was as big as a jujube date. In her previous world, this would have been considered a super rice.

Peeling off the husk, Lin Zaozao put the grain of rice to her mouth and bit down.

But her teeth were too tender and couldn't bite through.

It seemed she would need help.

"Dashan, can you bite into this grain of rice and see if there's any difference from regular rice?"

The stiff-bodied Dashan woodenly took the grain of rice that Lin Zaozao handed him. He examined it carefully, surprised by its immense size.

Could such a large grain of rice be real, or was he dreaming?

After a moment of hesitation, Dashan put the grain in his mouth and bit down.

Instantly, a rich aroma of rice filled his mouth.

"Little priestess, this rice is so fragrant!"

Dashan held out the half-bitten grain of rice in front of Lin Zaozao, dazedly remarking on its fragrance.

"Fragrant! Then it must be edible. As long as it's edible, we can survive."

As Lin Zaozao took small steps to leave the rice paddy, someone grabbed her underarms and lifted her out.

"Little girl, it's cool in the fields. Put your shoes on."

Uncle Zhang held Lin Zaozao halfway in his arms and used the edge of his robe to wipe her feet clean before helping her put her shoes back on.

"Uncle Zhang, did you see? The rice I catalyzed can feed so many people.

Uncle Zhang, do we have any other rice paddies? I can help you catalyze those too right now."

Lin Zaozao excitedly pointed to the rice paddy behind her.

"Little girl, there's no gain without loss. Catalyzing too much rice might affect your health."

"It's fine, it's fine. I catalyzed this whole paddy and I feel no reaction at all. Uncle Zhang, the people of the Han Country are starving with no food to eat. Even if I get a little tired, it's no big deal."

Lin Zaozao looked excitedly at the rice paddy behind her.

Lin Zaozao's words made Uncle Zhang's body stiffen.

He looked up at Lin Zaozao's excited face, recalling the elder priest Mingyue's words about sacrifice, and thinking of the starving people outside the palace.

After considering it, he nodded in agreement.

Forgive his selfishness this once! The people of the Han Country truly could not continue dying. Not only was the national treasury empty, the Han Country had no more money to buy grain from the Fengshuo and Canglan Countries.

If the starvation continued, how many more people in the Han Country would die?