Chapter 6: Setting Off Early

Yan Huaiwen was still the same as before; after taking his medicine, he felt drowsy and lethargic, only to be woken up by his own coughing in his sleep.

Seeing his second brother tidying up the room with light, cautious movements, he couldn't help but let out a soft cough.

"Big Brother, you're awake!" Yan Lao'er hurried over and asked, "Do you need to relieve yourself?"

Yan Huaiwen couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Asking back and forth like this—did he have nothing else to say to his own brother? For instance, about that twenty-tael gambling debt.

But he said nothing, merely shaking his head calmly.

He asked, "How is the wheat harvest in the fields coming along?"

Yan Lao'er felt a bit embarrassed. The work was truly moving quite slowly, but in truth, he and his wife had already done their best.

"Probably... it will still take some time," he said sheepishly. "We should be able to get it into the granary at the same time as everyone else."

Harvesting so many days earlier than others, yet still getting it into the granary at the same time.

This speed...

Yan Huaiwen shook his head inwardly. There wasn't enough time. According to his vague and distant memories, the village well would soon run dry. Without water, the wheat in the fields would lodge and yields would drop drastically; there wouldn't be much grain left to harvest.

They were still considered lucky. In the town, grain prices were skyrocketing. With so many people unable to afford food, and with no grain and no water, what else could they do but flee?

At first, it was the well-informed wealthy families, then more and more people followed. By the time they realized half the people in town had already fled as refugees, it was already too late to panic.

But they had still left too late. Everything edible on the road had been scavenged clean by those ahead of them, leaving only dry grass roots and tree bark, not to mention the lack of water sources.

This time, they absolutely had to set out early.

"Tianyou, go and invite the village chief over," Yan Huaiwen instructed.

"Invite the village chief? It's so late..." Yan Lao'er wasn't curious about why he needed to invite the chief; he was a fake, after all, and absolutely could not dig for the root of the matter, or he might end up digging his own grave.

Yan Huaiwen glared at him: "Just go when I tell you to."

Yan Lao'er acknowledged the order and scurried off.

...

The village chief was still hale and hearty, standing guard by the village well.

The old man was only in his early forties. He had three sons, and those three sons had given him five grandsons; his was the family with the most men in the village.

Village Chief Luo had set a rule: four buckets of water per household per day, and that was exactly four buckets. This standard was based on his own family's daily water consumption. If anyone claimed it wasn't enough, he would insist on taking his sons and grandsons to their home to see exactly how they were using it.

In fact, the village chief was already discussing the wheat harvest with his eldest son.

"Without water, the wheat will dry up and die sooner or later if left in the fields. We might as well harvest it early."

The villagers had never given up hope. They had poured every drop of water they could spare from their own mouths into the fields, all for the sake of a good harvest.

But looking at it now... *Sigh!* Heaven was leaving them no way to survive!

"Dad, if we harvest a day early, we'll lose quite a bit of yield!" Luo Laoda felt a sharp pang of heartache. Only farmers who had tended the land for years knew the preciousness of every single grain.

Especially since his large family was counting on the harvest from the fields to eat.

"Do you think I don't feel the heartache?" The village chief glared at him fiercely. "The elders in the village have all been saying there's no rain, no rain—didn't you hear them? Heaven is not granting us a living!" He sighed deeply.

"Who's there?" The eldest grandson of the Luo family heard movement and barked a question at the approaching figure.

"Datie? It's me, Yan Lao'er. Is your grandfather there?" Yan Huai'an was panting from exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to invite the village chief home quickly and then collapse into sleep.

"He's here. Uncle Yan, why are you here again?" San Tie had a more lively personality; he wasn't as mature as Datie and was more familiar with Yan Lao'er.

He had heard Yan Lao'er boast plenty of times. Regardless of whether Yan Lao'er was upright or not, it was true that he lived a carefree life—no need to work, someone to support him, eating well and drinking well.

*Tsk!* What a beautiful life!

If nothing else, San Tie envied him.

"My big brother is inviting him to our house." Upon reaching them, Yan Huai'an saw the stern-faced village chief. "Uncle Luo, would you..."

Village Chief Luo didn't waste words. He instructed his son and grandson to keep a close watch on the well and set off immediately.

San Tie rolled his eyes and called out, "Grandpa, I'll go with you."

Luo Laoda thought for a moment and didn't object.

Scholar Yan was the only person in the village with an academic degree.

He was highly respected by the villagers.

But this time, the family he had offended was the family of the *lizheng* (village head/magistrate) who loomed over the ten surrounding villages.

They really couldn't figure out if the two families were truly discussing a marriage alliance.

The *lizheng*'s youngest son spoke with such certainty, but if they really wanted to marry, how could he beat up his future father-in-law?

The villagers were simple folk and didn't have so many twists and turns in their thinking.

Luo Laoda just felt that Scholar Yan probably didn't agree, and since the *lizheng*'s family was habitually overbearing, they would surely cause more trouble.

Inviting his father over at this time was likely to discuss countermeasures.

Letting San Tie tag along was fine; the kid had a loose tongue and could tell them what happened when he got back.

The old man was in great shape and walked so fast that Yan Lao'er could barely keep up.

As he walked, he squinted at him and asked, "Is Scholar Yan feeling any better?"

"Much better," Yan Huai'an replied.

The village chief asked again, "Did you take your wife to the fields today?"

"Yes, my family plans to harvest the wheat early." Yan Huai'an felt his answer was perfectly fine.

Unexpectedly, Village Chief Luo let out a loud huff and said, "I don't care about your usual antics, but your brother is still lying in bed unable to get up. To think you'd come up with a method like this—what? Trying to make him feel bad by watching you work the fields? And taking your wife along too? You're really something! I heard the money for the medicine is still on credit. Yan Lao'er, oh Yan Lao'er, your brother has treated you well! How can you not know to save some face for him, a scholar? Huh? All you know is how to scheme for money, money..."

Seeing his grandfather going further and further, San Tie hurriedly interrupted, "Grandpa, watch the road, mind your step."

The village chief said, "Watch what? I've walked the village roads for forty years; I could walk them back and forth with my eyes closed."

However, he was too lazy to talk to Yan Lao'er anymore. If he had anything to say, he would say it to the scholar; he wouldn't bother with this good-for-nothing. *Hmph!*

...

"I'm sorry to have invited you over so late... *cough, cough*..." Yan Huaiwen propped himself up to sit, signaling his foolish younger brother to pour some water.

Receiving the instruction, Yan Lao'er immediately sprang into action.

The village chief sighed, "You're in poor health; I should have come to see you sooner. But you know how it is—the weather has been wrong lately, and I have to keep an eye on things. The eldest and the others can't hold the line."

If he wasn't there to hold the fort at the old well, he feared it would have been drained dry by others long ago.

Two bowls of cool boiled water were placed before the grandfather and grandson.

San Tie couldn't help but swallow hard.

Don't look at them as the guardians of the old well; they hadn't drawn a single drop of extra water.

His grandfather had set the limit, and they followed it honestly, even having to save water from their own mouths to pour into the fields.

Seeing his third grandson looking so thirsty, the village chief couldn't bear it and said, "Drink."

"Yes!" San Tie responded quickly, grabbed a bowl, and waited for his grandfather to take a sip before gulping it down.

"Cough, cough... I invited you here for this very reason."