Chapter 28: Uniting the Masses

“Unite the masses!” Yan Yu blurted out. Her studies hadn't been in vain; she truly did have some clever ideas up her sleeve.

“Dad, think about it. In ancient times, families rarely split up; the elders made all the decisions. Since Big Uncle has been good to them, their families will surely be good to us.

With just our few family members, there’s no one else to do the heavy lifting. If the villagers help us out, our journey will be much easier.

If one of the elderly people feels like they’re a burden and refuses to leave, the whole large family probably won't be able to make it either. This drought is truly severe; if we don't leave...”

Yan Yu now understood: they had to leave before the grain taxes were collected to ensure they had more food.

If they didn't leave, they would have to pay taxes. Once the taxes were paid and the drought continued, they would have nothing to eat or drink...

“Can't we just use our own money to lend it to them? That’s the money from selling our land!” Yan Er Lao said, his heart aching.

Don't let his previous grand words fool you; he only spoke so boldly because Old Yan had spoken first, and as the younger brother, he couldn't let him down.

Since the money was being spent, they couldn't let it go without a trace; they had to make sure the villagers remembered their family's kindness.

Since Old Yan wanted to lead the villagers away together, he had to support him by painting a grand picture.

But how could he not feel distressed? Their own family was already struggling to make ends meet.

If that silver were used to buy grain, wouldn't it taste much better when they ate it!

Yan Yu continued her analysis: “If it’s our livestock being used by the villagers, they won't care for it as much as if it were their own. If something happens on the road, they’ll just pull their oxen away and run. But if it belongs to everyone, and with our Dad sitting atop it, they will definitely work hard to protect it.”

“Besides, our family is the only one in the village with an ox. The physician Cui’s family only has a donkey, which is too conspicuous. Having a couple more livestock would be much better. Don't you agree, Dad?”

Yan Er Lao thought about it. If the whole village set off on foot and only his family had an ox cart... it would indeed be quite conspicuous.

To use his daughter's words, it would "draw too much attention."

“Dad, didn't you just say we're neighbors and we can't just watch people starve? How generous! Why are you being so petty all of a sudden?” Yan Yu teased her father.

“How can they be the same? Your Big Uncle only has that little bit of money from selling the land. After using it here and there, there won't be much left.

When we reach the North, don't we need to settle down? Everything requires silver.

And he, in his brilliance, just handed out fifteen taels without even consulting the family.

That was land-selling money! Right, I should own half that land! And I should own half the silver too. Twenty taels went out, so that fifteen should have been mine, yet he didn't even ask me.” Yan Er Lao rambled nonsense, just talking for the sake of it.

A spark flashed in Yan Yu's eyes.

“Dad! You're absolutely right! When you get home, go argue with Big Uncle. Maintain your persona—the one who is incredibly reasonable and sensible, unlike 'Yan Er Lao'.”

Yan Er Lao: “...”

*Can I just opt out of this damn persona?*

“Just put on a little show, make a bit of a scene, and see what Big Uncle thinks. Then, pretend to be persuaded so we don't have to sit here guessing,” Yan Yu continued to egg him on.

“Then all my righteous and heartwarming words just now were for nothing!” Yan Er Lao protested.

“Dad, based on what I've gathered from my playmates, you can't just make a scene for nothing. Every time you cause a stir, Big Uncle ends up giving you money. Sigh! My Big Uncle is just too good of a person!”

Yan Er Lao absolutely refused to admit he was motivated by the money. “What if your Big Uncle gets angry and splits the family up?”

“That's why you have to be careful with your acting. Don't push too hard; just make sure you get a clear answer.”

Yan Er Lao: *This is definitely a terrible idea.*

...

“Big Brother, why didn't you discuss such a major family matter with me?” Yan Er Lao asked in a low voice.

“Are you talking about selling the land to pay debts, or about providing livestock for the village elders?”

Yan Er Lao lowered his head and braced himself. “Since half the land-selling money belongs to me, why should it be used to buy livestock for the elders? We barely have enough to eat ourselves...”

Yan Huaiven was silent for a long while.

“That wasn't what you said at the threshing floor.”

“Wasn't I just saving face for you in front of outsiders? You had already made the promise, and I couldn't take it back. Of course, I had to make sure they remembered our kindness! That was so much money...”

Yan Huaiven's emotions were complicated.

It turned out his useless younger brother actually knew how to protect his elder brother in public!

It was just that his vision and perspective were a bit narrow, always fixated on their own small possessions.

The reason he hadn't consulted his brother wasn't intentional; he was simply used to making decisions himself.

Since Tianyou hadn't asked, he had simply forgotten.

“You are right. Although those ten acres are registered in my name, we have not split the family. The money from the land sale should rightfully be divided equally between us,” Yan Huaiven said.

Hearing this, Yan Er Lao panicked!

“Big Brother, I...”

Yan Huaiven interrupted him and continued, “The fact that I did not consult you was due to my lack of thorough consideration. It won't happen again.”

Yan Er Lao listened blankly as Old Yan told him things like how their family was small and it would be safer to travel with neighbors—it was much the same as what his daughter had analyzed.

There were also things they hadn't considered.

“Our village is not made of kin, yet we are closer than kin. In the eyes of outsiders, this makes us difficult to bully.

During this escape from the famine, we will go first, heading North. Refugees tend to follow the crowd. We are going to Guanzhou; perhaps others will follow us there. If they see us respecting the elderly and caring for the young, they will likely be more well-behaved.

Once we reach Guanzhou, the scattered population will surely be assigned to various villages. Since we have many people and are willing to reclaim wasteland, we should be settled together in one place.

Our villagers are all honest folk; there are no petty thieves or people with ill intentions. This is rare. Our brotherhood is thin, and we owe much to the help of our neighbors. If I ever have to travel far in the future, I can rest easy knowing you are here in the countryside.”

Yan Yu crouched by the doorway.

She felt deeply that her Big Uncle was thinking long-term.

She had learned something new again.

In the end, Big Uncle really did give him silver, haha!

Perhaps out of habit, whenever his brother caused a stir, he would soothe him with money.

However, Yan Yu was still dissatisfied with her father's performance.

His persona wasn't prominent enough; his overall performance was just one word: cowardly.

...

“Dad, you performed poorly. You lacked presence!” Yan Yu said.

“It's because I feel guilty. I only paid off my gambling debts a couple of days ago.”

“Dad, are you afraid Big Uncle will split the family up?”

Yan Er Lao remained silent.

The more they lived together, the less he wanted to split up. The three of them knew nothing; they might get cheated without even realizing it.

Besides, Old Yan was truly a good man.

“Big Uncle won't do that. Haven't you noticed? He has forgiven you! As long as we follow the rules and don't do anything out of line, Big Uncle won't cast us out.

When Big Uncle becomes a high official in the future, we will be part of an official's family. We can ride his coattails and make a little money; becoming wealthy landowners won't be a problem. Oh, just thinking about it is wonderful!”

“Your Big Uncle actually gave me silver! Tell me, how much money has Yan Er Lao lost? He's really something else!”

“Dad, use it to buy eggs. One egg can be traded for two.”

“No, eggs spoil easily. Let's buy grain. Buy only grain.”