Chapter 50: The World Has Fallen into Chaos

In the sweltering midday heat, Yan the Second set off again on his ox, carrying bundles upon bundles.

The villagers had grown accustomed to his daily excursions.

Perhaps because they had all eaten meat in the morning, no one was particularly hungry; they simply had a few bites of steamed buns to settle themselves, without even lighting a fire.

Li Xuemei pulled Da Ya in to help with the work.

They had woven many straw sandals, enough to last a while, so they decided to weave straw mats instead.

The mats from various households were tied to carts during the day to provide shade and used to cover the ground at night, and they had worn thin with holes.

"Sister Hu, I am truly sorry. I don't know how your brother Yan the Second managed to take that straw hat you lent to Er Ya as well," Li Xuemei said with an apologetic look. "When he returns, I will find it and return it to you."

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? A straw hat is worth nothing; I gave it to Er Ya myself," Hu's youngest daughter said hurriedly. "It's only because you and Brother Yan the Second are being too formal by calling it a loan; you're making me blush."

A sister-in-law nearby teased, "Hahaha! Brother Yan the Second took it? Sister Hu, just you wait, maybe he'll bring back an egg in exchange!"

Everyone laughed and joked; no one truly believed Yan the Second would be so lucky as to bring things back.

But to their surprise, he actually did.

"Did you sell all those straw sandals?"

"I did!" Yan the Second's face was flushed with excitement. "I happened to run into a traveling peddler. Seeing that my prices were cheap, he bought them all up. I figured every bit counts, so I didn't mind losing a wen or two.

The peddler also bought those old clothes. I asked him what he used them for, but he wouldn't say...

Then, I turned around and bought some grain from a neighboring village.

I left the iron pot with the villagers there, saying it would save them a trip to town.

Today was simply a day of great fortune. Just as I left our village, I saw something green. I rode the ox over to check, and goodness, there was an old elm tree laden with many strings of something. I plucked them all back; not a single leaf was left.

That medicinal packet Brother Cui prepared also came in handy. The weather is hot, and perhaps people ate something unclean; an old gentleman in the village had an upset stomach. Hehe, as soon as I mentioned what our medicine treats and what herbs are in it, the local experts stepped in to help..."

Yan the Second rambled on, his words flying with great enthusiasm.

He used every ounce of his strength to convince the entire village.

When he brought out a small bag of coarse flour to distribute, no one cared about what was reasonable or not; their eyes held only the joy of having exchanged goods for grain.

Hu's youngest daughter received a larger share; it was said the peddler bought the straw hat as well because he found it so exquisite.

She felt lightheaded—a straw hat could actually be sold?!

Yan the Second secretly wiped the sweat from his brow.

To get food for the villagers, life was truly difficult for them.

Not only did they have to act stealthily, but they also had to concoct excuses, thinking long and hard about whether people would believe them.

Fortunately, they didn't have to do this every day.

Physician Cui felt that during his daily rest periods, he could travel a bit further to see if he could find more medicinal herbs to stock up on. He never knew when Yan the Second might sell them. In his wife's words, Yan the Second was truly capable!

The women of the village had tasted the sweetness of this success and planned to return to their old trade of weaving straw sandals once the mats were finished—and perhaps add straw hats to the list as well.

"Do you think that peddler wants old clothes for something?" someone wondered aloud.

Someone else replied as if it were obvious, "Old clothes have many uses. They can be used to patch shoe soles, or to make patchwork clothes..."

"If we make shoes, I wonder if Yan the Second can help us sell them."

"What are you thinking? Our water supply is so tight; how could we boil starch for glue?"

"Making a few insoles shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"We could certainly prepare a few. If they don't sell, we can just keep them for ourselves."

"Yan the Second's wife, what do you think?"

Being put on the spot, Li Xuemei smiled and said, "What all you sisters say makes sense. We should prepare a few different things, just in case that's what he wants."

"What are you making?" someone asked, noticing her work.

"Well, her father is always carrying so many bundles when he goes out, which isn't convenient. I was thinking of making him a large satchel to hang on the ox's back to save him the trouble of carrying everything."

"Do you have a pattern? Oh! What is this? It looks like... like the cloth slings we use to carry children."

Li Xuemei said with a smile, "I only thought of it because I saw you all carrying children. If we make some wearable bags, his hands will be free to do other things."

"That's wonderful. If it turns out well when you're done, we'll each want one.

Did Er Ya draw this? I saw your Er Ya has been learning characters with the scholar lately."

"Her eldest uncle teaches her a few words when he has nothing else to do. Er Ya is just along for the ride; it's mainly my eldest nephew. His uncle keeps a tight rein on him and won't let him slack off one bit."

...

Yan Yu was on the top bunk, using the notebook her mother had sewn for her to keep accounts.

The selling prices of the goods on the shelves, how much had been sold, and even the items traded from the free market or collected from the villagers—everything had to be recorded.

"Look what I brought you!" Li Xuemei climbed up to show her what she held.

"These are charcoal sticks. If you wrap them in cloth like this, you can write and draw on paper. They use these to trace patterns; I think they're easier to use than a brush. Try it."

Yan Yu grew excited, nearly splashing ink on her face.

"Mother, you've truly saved me! If you tell Father to shape them for me, they'll become charcoal pencils. *Sob*, Mother, why didn't you bring these sooner?"

Her daughter's little wrists were about to break!

"You still need to practice calligraphy with a brush, otherwise you won't pass your uncle's test."

Li Xuemei agreed with the uncle's training; more skills would only serve her well.

"This was actually suggested by Sister Luo when she saw your drawing of that bag. Otherwise, how would I have known such a thing existed?"

Yan the Second crept over and beckoned to the two of them.

Yan Yu tidied her ink and brush and tucked the notebook into her bosom.

The family of three walked toward the place where they kept the people-carriers in silent understanding.

"I really did discover a town nearby. It's quite large, much bigger than our town," Yan the Second whispered.

Yan Yu asked, "Aren't we supposed to avoid the government officials? There must be guards at the town entrance, right? Going in involves inspections and paying fees."

"That town is quite chaotic. I saw that there are few officials and they don't seem to care; they don't bother the commoners coming and going."

Li Xuemei's expression turned serious. "Why don't they care? Tell me more. What did the people coming and going look like?"

"It was... it was..." Yan the Second thought carefully and suddenly felt something was wrong. The people coming and going included the old and the young, traveling in families with many belongings. He was far away and couldn't see clearly, but they seemed to be in quite a hurry.

As soon as he finished, Yan Yu blurted out, "Could they be like us... refugees fleeing famine?"

Seeing her parents staring at her in silence, she felt a chill in her heart. "I'm just guessing!"

Li Xuemei said earnestly, "Calculating the time, it should be just after the grain tax has been paid. The grain collected from every household has gone toward the tax, leaving very little behind.

If it were us, what would we do?"

It went without saying. Wasn't it obvious why they were here?

They would surely have to flee the famine!