The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 119: Seven Percent

Mrs. Wang made a big fuss about her stomach, putting on quite a show in the toilet before coming out. She sat down in the Lu family’s home, drank a bowl of water, and finally said she felt better. Knowing her daughter was busy working outside, she didn’t stay long. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo left with their basket.

Mrs. Lu saw them out of the courtyard and watched until they were far away before turning towards the west wing. The door was still locked, but one corner of the window paper had been carefully peeled back and placed to look normal. A small push with a finger could lift it enough to see inside.

She snorted, then turned towards the kitchen to prepare. Her family would be heading to Shen Lie’s small courtyard tonight, and she needed to prepare three days’ worth of food.

Outside Kilogramli Village, finally out of the village, on a deserted mountain path, Mrs. Wang’s eldest daughter-in-law couldn’t contain her excitement. “Mother, do you know? Chunniang was hiding something. The Lu family has their grain stacked up high, filling an entire room with at least forty bags! Forty bags!”

Mrs. Wang almost let out a cry of surprise. “Forty bags?”

“Yes, many are those large bags used by county grain stores, each bag holding a kilogram! There are also smaller bags, likely home-stored grain and beans. The Lu family’s grain must total at least thirty-six or thirty-seven kilograms!”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, calculating the Lu family’s size. “That’s enough to feed them for three years.”

This was assuming normal eating. In a disaster, they’d have to ration carefully. Four or five years might not be impossible.

“Does the Lu family have that much wealth? Even if some of the grain is their own, more than half must be bought. Grain prices have skyrocketed. How could they afford so much?”

They didn’t believe the Lu family had bought early. When the Lu family notified them to buy grain, there were already restrictions. Even beans had soared in price within days. Grain and bean prices had steadily climbed, getting more expensive over time. How could they afford to buy dozens of bags?

“Who knows? Chunniang is quite fortunate.”

The eldest daughter-in-law was jealous after seeing the Lu family’s grain. She was determined to keep the Lu family close. If chaos ensued, the Lu family must stay with them, not let the Feng family lure them away with their grain.

While Mrs. Wang and her daughter-in-law plotted, they didn’t know that in the afternoon, Feng Dalang and Feng Erlang also visited Shili Village. They came through the back mountains, carrying backpacks, and were spotted by some neighbors.

“Oh, aren’t you Liu’s brothers? Visiting your in-laws too?”

Also?

The brothers were puzzled but heard about the Wang family’s visit.

Feng Dalang and Feng Erlang smiled and headed to the Lu house, greeting Mrs. Lu warmly.

Mrs. Lu welcomed them into the main room. “Come in and have some water. How are things?”

Feng Dalang placed his backpack down, revealing a tightly bound pheasant. “We’ve learned well. My brother and I can now catch food in the woods. My parents wanted me to thank you and Brother Shen. We caught three pheasants today, gave one to Brother Shen, and brought one for you.”

Mrs. Lu’s eyes lit up. “You caught this yourselves?”

Feng Dalang nodded, putting the pheasant outside the main room. “We won’t drink water. There are refugees in the county, and we need to go back and train our cousins with slingshots. Brother Shen said he taught us everything. We’ll be scarce for a while.”

Mrs. Lu understood. Though they spoke of refugees, their family likely sought to prepare a refuge. They had also stocked up on grain and beans early on.

She nodded. “Go on, be careful. Help me tell your parents and grandparents to take care.”

“Yes, you too. When my sister returns, please tell her not to worry about us. Your family has helped us a lot.”

Mrs. Lu felt moved. “Alright, alright.”

The brothers left, and Mrs. Lu watched them go far.

Shen Lie had been busy teaching and helping several families prepare, training young men in hunting and self-defense against refugees.

Several families sent messages to each other, cautioning against drawing attention. Everyone traveled via mountain paths, meeting directly in the mountains. The times and places for their children to learn were completely staggered. In the end, each family received a small vial of life-saving medicine, which they carefully stored away, keeping its existence secret even within their own families. With refugees crowding around the county gates, this medicine was essentially their trump card.

…

In Qiyang County, at Dongfu Restaurant, Shopkeeper Xu had returned from his hometown in Shezhou.

After his trip back home, Shopkeeper Xu’s expression was not relaxed. Shezhou, being a prefectural city, had far more information than a remote county like Qiyang. Moreover, the owner of Dongfu Restaurant was from Shezhou, and his connections were even broader than Shopkeeper Xu’s.

Thus, after this trip, Shopkeeper Xu looked increasingly grave.

The head chef and the accountant naturally gathered to inquire about news. Shopkeeper Xu did not hide anything, sharing what he knew. Everyone looked serious. Rebellions were not unheard of, considering the Daqian dynasty hadn’t been established for long and territories were gradually reclaimed. Every few years, there would be one or two rebellions, which was normal.

But never before had there been so many rebels.

The accountant, an old partner of Shopkeeper Xu, couldn’t help but ask if he had made any arrangements for his family.

Shopkeeper Xu nodded. “With the uncertain situation and even the owner unsure how long the troubles in the north will last or if the court can suppress it, I’ve rented a courtyard on the street behind the Wang family mansion to house my family. I’ve shamelessly asked the owner to allow my wife, children, and parents to seek refuge in his home if chaos reaches us.”

The owner of Dongfu Restaurant was named Wang, and the accountant knew the Wang family mansion. It wasn’t that Shopkeeper Xu didn’t want to rent on the same street, but that street was entirely owned by the Wang family, with large estates and no available rentals.

The owner of Dongfu Restaurant had some background, at least in the Shezhou area. Although private armies were banned, influential families found ways to keep retainers and tenant farmers under different titles. In critical times, they could protect the Wang family mansion.

The accountant was somewhat envious. Only someone like Shopkeeper Xu, who had been with the owner for over ten years, could have this favor.

After discussing external affairs, they turned to inn matters. Shopkeeper Xu noticed several dishes missing from the menu, like tofu, dried bean curd, and vegetarian tripe.

“Did Sang Luo stop supplying us?”

The accountant nodded. “She can’t supply anymore. There are at least two hundred refugees around the county gates now. The county government tried to settle them in a remote area, but in this harsh winter, with nothing but residency papers, no food, shelter, tools, or seeds, how can they settle?”

Shopkeeper Xu’s brows furrowed tightly. “How could it come to this? What’s the county magistrate doing?”

The accountant shook his head, making sure no one was around before speaking quietly. “He’s wrangling with the local gentry, saying the disaster report has been submitted but no response yet, so he can’t open the granaries without authorization and is asking the local gentry to contribute grain and money.”

At this point, the accountant didn’t need to say more.

The gentry’s money and grain weren’t easily acquired. Setting up a gruel station was already considered generous. Many likely viewed the refugees as potential slaves—if they wanted to survive, they had to submit.

Some would agree to enslavement, but they were a minority. Having escaped this far, few would sell themselves now with hope in sight.

The stalemate continued.

Shopkeeper Xu had nothing more to say. With the situation as it was, supplies couldn’t be provided. Entering and exiting the county without a large group for safety was impossible.

The accountant mentioned that Sang Luo and Shen Lie had brought eight wolf pelts and a black bear pelt to the county, surprising Shopkeeper Xu, who asked the head chef, “Did they hunt those before?”

The head chef shook his head. “No, they used to catch pheasants and hares.”

Shopkeeper Xu thought about how Shen Lie and his companions had returned to Huainan Road, crossing mountains and covering half the territory of Daqian.

“They’re quite capable.”

Capability was essential for survival.

…

Shen Lie and Sang Luo didn’t know they were being mentioned in the county. Recently, they had gotten many pheasants, some caught by Shen Lie and some brought by the families he taught. Knowing they might have to retreat into the mountains soon, Sang Luo preserved the pheasants as smoked chicken.

At night, Shili Village was very quiet. After everyone had gone to bed, Shen Lie waited outside. In the dark, he heard rustling, followed by three bird calls. He responded, and soon, shadows appeared at the base of the mountain. Seventeen people with empty baskets had been hiding in the nearby forest without lighting torches.

The Shen family’s main house was unlit, and the shadows quickly entered before the gate was closed.

Chen Dashan and his group, familiar with the place, carried the baskets to the backyard and headed straight to the main house. The main house was now empty, even the bamboo racks had been moved to the backyard to make room for sleeping on the floor.

The families left behind had prepared food, setting it on the main table. On this Little New Year’s Eve, the meal was bountiful.

The house was packed with people, and Mrs. Chen and others stepped out to make space.

The group, hungry from traveling, grabbed food without even washing their hands.

Mrs. Chen quietly urged, “Don’t eat too quickly, take it slow.”

For these families, this unusual Little New Year was marked with gratitude and camaraderie.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Sang Luo and Shen Lie laid out the bedding on the floor. The group sat down and began discussing important matters.

From December 14th to December 23rd, they made three trips without rest. On the first trip, twenty people participated. In the next two trips, three people stayed behind to guard the grain while seventeen carried it, with the youngest, Tie Zhu, only doing odd jobs.

The men, using their strength, managed to carry two dan (about 240 pounds) of grain per trip. The women carried smaller bags, transporting one and a half or one dan each trip. By the end of three trips, they had moved over eighty dan of grain.

Now, except for the Lu family, who hadn’t moved any grain, the Shen family had cleared out their grain first to make room for everyone. The Shi and Chen families, with fewer people, had relatively less grain and had moved most of it. The Zhou family, due to their larger size and better financial situation, still had some grain left.

Chen Dashan, who had been overseeing the process, said to Shen Lie, “If we make one more trip, the four families will have moved all their grain except for the food we need to eat. Tonight, everyone should check if there are any other essential items to bring, like salt, which we can pack in jars and take with us. This trip will be our last before the Chinese New Year. After a few days, we’ll start moving again on the second day of the new year.”

This was the plan: to first move 70% of the grain with everyone’s help and then have the Lu family move the remaining 30% to the first storage point on their own.

The remaining 30%, aside from the grain kept for immediate use, was mostly the Lu family’s storage.

Hearing this, Mrs. Lu’s eyes lit up. Finally, on the second day of the new year, their grain could be moved too! Although moving it alone would be slower than with everyone’s help, Mrs. Lu couldn’t contain her excitement.

Sang Luo smiled and suggested, “Since you’ll be back a few days before the new year, we can make another trip to the county under the pretense of preparing for the new year. If you still have some money left, keep a small amount for emergencies and use the rest to buy more salt or medicine.”

Remembering that the Lu and Shi families hadn’t yet bought their medicine, she added, “If you don’t have enough money, consider selling items that are hard to carry. When chaos hits, anything left behind won’t be ours anymore. Exchange as much as you can for supplies. Salt can last for many years if stored properly. I don’t know what will happen to the Daqian dynasty, but we should prepare for the worst. If a dynasty change takes years, we must be ready to stay in the mountains for several years.”

Everyone listened carefully.

Several years.

Old Man Chen nodded. “She’s right. If we’re lucky, peace might come in a few years. Listen to Aluo. Think about what you’ll need to stay in the mountains for several years and buy it now. Preparing for the new year is a good cover. This is the only time we can gather everyone to go to the county.”

Everyone nodded, and families discussed among themselves. The house was small, so everyone could hear each other, and they exchanged suggestions.

Finally, Shi Erlang’s wife pulled her sister-in-law aside to talk about their brothers learning archery from Shen Lie.

“For safety, they learned with slingshots, but switching to bows won’t be hard. The medicine has been given, and your second brother asked me to reassure you.”

Her sister-in-law wiped her eyes and nodded. “Good, good.”

Similarly, Mrs. Lu and Feng Liuniang, the wife of the village head, spoke privately with their daughters-in-law, using various excuses to avoid Wang Chunniang’s wife.

After finishing the discussions and preparing the grain for the next day, it was time for those who had traveled for ten days to rest. Mrs. Chen and others took their leave.

On the way, Mrs. Chen quietly reminded Mrs. Lu, “Everyone will be back in a few days. Make sure to keep an eye on Chunniang.”

Wang Chunniang’s wife knew the location of the first storage point.

Mrs. Lu patted her and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll bind her and gag her, lock the door, and even if her mother visits, she won’t make a sound. I’ll explain to the children that this is a matter of life and death. Tie Zhu and Shuanzhu will keep an eye on her. She won’t cause any trouble.”

Mrs. Lu no longer trusted Wang Chunniang’s wife, no matter how much she promised.

Shi Erlang’s wife, who was with them, breathed a sigh of relief. “Auntie, you’re wise. Now I can enjoy the new year.”

Mrs. Chen laughed. Shi Erlang’s wife was straightforward, a quality she found endearing.