Chapter 1: Drought

Spring in March

The wind is cool.

Usually at this time of year, Shangyang Village would have started preparing for farming.

But, after last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, there hasn’t been a drop of rain. The soil in the fields is hard and cracked, making it impossible to sow seeds. 

Months have passed, with no rain, the water levels in the rivers and ponds have gradually decreased, until they have dried up.

Now,

The people of Shangyang Village have to go to the spring in the deep mountains and forests to get a drink of water.

Only there is there still a little water flowing out every day.

But in recent days, the flow has also been getting smaller, and the villagers are all uneasy, not knowing what to do.

Gu Jin woke up thirsty.

She opened her eyes, looked at the dark roof beams and sighed.

“Sister, why aren’t you sleeping?” A little radish head stuck his hand out from under the covers and rubbed his eyes.

“I can’t sleep.” Gu Jin replied casually, “It’s still early, you go back to sleep.”

After she finished speaking, she got out of bed, put on a pair of straw sandals and went out.

They have to go early today to get a spot, otherwise if they can’t get water again, they won’t have water to cook.

Li Shi was already waiting outside. Seeing her daughter come out, she picked up a bucket and walked out of the courtyard.

Gu Jin looked at her back and frowned.

She took the bucket from Li Shi’s hand, “Mother, why don’t you go today, I can carry these two buckets.”

Li Shi glared at her daughter, “I know you’re strong, but your mouth is not as quick as mine, who can you outsmart?”

Gu Jin was worried, “But, mother, you’re still pregnant, what if something happens…”

Before she could finish, Li Shi cut her off.

“It’s all fate, why worry so much?”

Gu Jin fell silent.

She didn’t believe in fate before, but after being reborn into this world, she believed.

The two of them walked towards the deep mountains, one in front of the other.

Along the way, they met villagers, who avoided them like they were seeing a plague.

Although Gu Jin was used to it, she was still uncomfortable.

Her mother in this life, her real name is Li Taohua.

She was beautiful when she was young, and was famous in the surrounding villages.

Many matchmakers came to propose marriage, and finally, she was married to Gu Changsheng, the youngest son of the Gu family.

Gu Changsheng was handsome and intelligent.

The Gu family saw that he was clever, and after discussion, they supported him to study with all their efforts.

But he took the exam for several years, and failed every year.

In this dynasty, paper, ink, and brushes were very expensive, and the Gu family could no longer afford it.

They simply married him a wife, to see if his luck would change.

As a result, his luck did not change, he still failed the exam every year, but he had one child after another.

Last year, after failing the exam again, he disregarded his pregnant wife…

The seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

Gu Changsheng drowned himself.

He was determined to die, but he concealed it so well that no one in the Gu family noticed anything wrong, and they watched the tragedy unfold.

Another half a month later, although the river water had become shallower due to the drought, Gu Jin’s brother, Gu Huaiyu, fell into the same river and died.

From then on, Li Shi’s reputation for being a widow-maker and child-killer spread throughout Shangyang Village.

The Gu family, perhaps afraid, separated their family.

Gu Jin was happy about it.

The more people there are, the more trouble there is.

The Gu family had more than twenty people, and it was painful to listen to them eat.

“Hurry up.”

Although Li Shi was pregnant, she walked very fast. Seeing Gu Jin walking slowly, she urged her.

Gu Jin hurried to catch up.

In her previous life, she was a descendant of the Bajixquan martial art, and she started practicing martial arts at the age of three. After being reborn in Zhou Kingdom, she started practicing martial arts again when she was three years old. This year, she was eight years old, and although she looked thin, she was actually all muscle.

When they arrived at the spring, there were already many villagers fetching water.

Li Shi held Gu Jin’s hand with one hand, and held the bucket with the other, preparing to go forward to fetch water.

At this time, the women were not happy.

“Li Shi, wait a minute, we haven’t finished yet.” Yang Xinghua shouted loudly.

Li Shi was always fierce.

She also shouted loudly, “You’ve already filled your buckets, and you’re still hogging the spring, damn it, are you trying to make our family die of thirst?”

Gu Jin saw that things were not good, she quickly covered her eyes with her hand, pretending to cry.

She cried while helping, “Mother, I want to drink water, I’m so thirsty.”

Gu Jin cried as she squeezed forward.

In the face of survival, face is worthless.

Gu Jin cried heart-wrenchingly, looking pitiful.

Yang Xinghua stood in front of the spring, motionless.

Others felt sorry for her, but they only looked away, and did not speak to persuade her.

Gu Jin saw it and remembered it.

She let go of Li Shi’s hand, and like a little tiger, she charged towards Yang Shi’s stomach.

“I want to drink water, get out of my way.”

Gu Jin charged forward with all her might.

She had been stronger than ordinary people since she was a child, and she had been training all the time, Yang Xinghua was caught off guard and was knocked to the ground with a thud.

Gu Jin quickly called out, “Mother, come and get water.”

Li Shi quickly placed the bucket under the spring.

Yang Shi was so angry that her eyes were bloodshot, and she started to curse Gu Jin’s ancestors.

“Damn you, you little brat, how can you be so ill-mannered?”

“My Jin’er has been taught by her father to be knowledgeable and courteous since she was a child, it’s you, you old hag, who are disrespectful to your elders. This spring is not yours, you’re holding on to it, your face is thicker than a city wall.”

Li Shi was not to be outdone, and she unleashed a barrage of insults.

The two of them went back and forth, arguing endlessly.

Gu Jin scooped up a scoop of water and handed it to her, “Mother, drink, drink your fill, then continue to scold.”

She was lucky that her mother in this life was fierce, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to survive in this village that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

At this time, the village elder, Yang Tou, rushed over, he shouted, “What are you arguing about? If you argue anymore, neither of your families will be allowed to fetch water.”

Yang Tou was annoyed.

Since the beginning of last year, the rain had gradually decreased, resulting in a poor harvest.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was not a drop of rain.

The disaster was becoming more and more serious.

The court had sent two batches of disaster relief grain, but there was no follow-up.

Fortunately, Shangyang Village had good weather in previous years, and every household had some surplus grain. Although they couldn’t eat their fill, at least they didn’t starve.

But after the New Year, the weather still didn’t rain, and they were eating up their savings. Many villages already had people starving to death.

The county magistrate had no choice but to report to the court and apply for begging.

But the imperial edict never came.

Seeing that the disaster was becoming more and more serious, the prefect was afraid of unrest, and sent many soldiers to patrol everywhere.

If they found any disaster victims acting on their own, they would be executed without mercy.

Shangyang Village at least had a spring, while other villages often fought over water.

Right now, they could only wait for the imperial edict from the court, then Shangyang Village would have a chance to survive.

“Old village head, why don’t we go to the county to inquire again today, if we wait any longer, people will die.” Yang Xinghua asked softly.

Hearing Yang Xinghua’s question, the people around quickly pricked up their ears.

If they could go to another state to beg for food, they would need to take more water back.

The dry food they carried on the road must be sufficient.

Yang Tou impatiently waved his hand, “What are you asking for?”

“If the county has news, someone will definitely come to tell us.”

“The most important thing now is to send people to guard the entrance of the village, if another village takes over this spring, our village will be finished.”

Gu Jin heard this and felt uneasy.

Living in a peaceful era, she had never worried about water, she could just turn on the tap and have an endless supply of running water.

She didn’t expect that in this era, people would actually die of thirst.

She carried a bucket of water, her steps uneven as she followed Li Taohua, her face full of worry.

When they got home, Li Taohua first scooped out half a bucket of water and put it aside to mix flour and make pancakes, the rest was saved.

As long as they passed through the disaster area, water would no longer be a scarce resource, so they had to prepare enough food for the journey.

“Mother, are you preparing food for the journey?” Gu Jin asked, raising her head.

Li Taohua nodded.

She had three children, and the smartest one was Gu Jin.

This child, she understood everything with just a little explanation.

If she hadn’t seen her crawl out of her own belly with her own eyes, she would have suspected that she was a spirit transformed.

Gu Jin didn’t ask any more questions.

She returned to her room and rummaged through her bamboo basket.