After everyone had gathered under the big locust tree, the village chief, Uncle Lu Yongnian, stood on a large rock and spoke loudly.

“I called everyone here today because of my trip to the county office earlier. This year, the southwestern region of the Daxia Kingdom is experiencing a severe drought. Many prefectures, including Youzhou, Cangzhou, and Jizhou, have been affected. Among them, Youzhou is suffering the most.

It’s already mid-May, and in just over a month, it will be time to harvest the wheat. But this year, nine out of ten stalks are empty.

Due to the lack of rain and the drying up of the rivers, the crops have failed.

This means that we are facing a year with no harvest at all.

However, what’s even worse is that the imperial court has issued an edict declaring this a once-in-a-century drought, which may last for two to three years.

The court suggests that the people of Youzhou gradually migrate north to Suzhou and Yanzhou, where they can either settle or seek temporary relief from the local government.”

“What?! Leaving our homes to flee from famine? Won’t that make us refugees?”

“I’ve been checking the fields every day. It’s just as the village chief said—nine out of ten stalks are empty. Even if we harvest an entire acre, we might not get more than a few pounds of grain.”

“Our family relies on our harvest to survive. Now that there’s no food, how are we supposed to live?”

“Oh, Heaven, open your eyes! The lives of the common people are too bitter!”

“But isn’t there a war in the north? If we go there, won’t it be even more dangerous?”

These were chaotic times, with different states vying for power and battles raging everywhere.

The villagers had thought that, at least, they were far from the war. But now, disaster had struck them in another form.

The imperial court had been increasing taxes for years, and the people were already struggling.

If this year truly yielded no harvest, many would likely starve to death.

As soon as the village chief finished speaking, the crowd broke into wails.

Some even began wiping their tears.

The chief raised his hand to signal for silence.

He understood their pain and helplessness, but the reality was in front of them, and they had to plan ahead.

If they waited until the food was completely gone, even more people would starve.

“I know this is hard for everyone, and I understand your pain. But we must move forward. The river is drying up, and soon the wells may run dry as well. Leaving to seek refuge is only a matter of time.

Although there is war in the north, the region is guarded by the mighty General Beichen Yuan.

The fighting will not reach Suzhou and Yanzhou. The north is vast and sparsely populated, with many rivers. If this drought persists, we can settle there.

The most urgent issue now is food.

Whether you choose to flee or not, food is essential. Tomorrow morning, the county will issue an official notice, and all nearby towns will learn about the court’s decree. Once that happens, grain prices will skyrocket.

That’s why I gathered everyone tonight—to discuss buying food tomorrow morning. The earlier we buy, the cheaper it will be. The later we wait, the higher the prices will get.

At dawn, I will take a dozen villagers and three carts to the town to purchase food. Since Qingshui Town is far from Ping’an County, we should be able to buy before the prices rise. Anyone who needs food should register with Da Jiang, and we’ll buy it together. The rest of you should think carefully about whether to flee. We will make a final decision in a few days.”

After hearing this, Shen Qingwan quietly returned home.

Her original plan to live a peaceful and carefree life had been disrupted.

She wondered if she should leave and live on her own.

After all, her presence in this family didn’t really matter.

But then she thought of the two children, who were already thin and malnourished from hunger.

Shen Qingwan sighed.

Forget it, she decided to stay for now. Since she had taken over this body, it wouldn’t be right to just walk away.

That night, she had a deep and restful sleep—the best she had in years.

The only downside was that the wooden bed was too hard.

The next morning, Shen Qingwan spent a long time sharpening the household machete.

Xiaoyu, watching her stepmother repeatedly glance toward the mountains while sharpening the blade, became nervous.

Was her stepmother planning to abandon them in the mountains to feed the wolves?

“Mother, how about I take Xiaochen to the back mountain to dig up some wild vegetables? We don’t have much food left at home, and wild vegetable pancakes are delicious.”

Xiaoyu carefully observed her stepmother, trying to prove their usefulness.

Maybe then, their stepmother wouldn’t throw them away.

Shen Qingwan looked at the two little ones and smiled. “You two stay home and wait for me. I’m going into the mountains to catch some rabbits.”

“Huh?” Catch rabbits?

Their stepmother could barely walk without tripping.

How was she going to catch rabbits?

Xiaoyu’s mouth fell open in shock.

Shen Qingwan walked over, ruffled her hair, and pulled out two compressed biscuits from her pocket. “Stay home and take care of your little brother. Don’t run around.”

Although she had gold bars stored in her space, she couldn’t just take them out and use them.

Instead, she planned to hunt some wild animals and sell them in town for money.

That way, she would have a proper source of income before making bigger purchases to stockpile supplies in case of a future famine.

Having lived through the apocalypse, Shen Qingwan knew exactly how to hoard supplies.

But first, she needed to solve her immediate problem—getting food. She would go hunting in the mountains and sell the meat.

She couldn’t rely on the old house’s charity forever.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingwan’s lips curved into a faint smile.

The mountains in ancient times were untouched wilderness, full of treasures.

But the villagers were too afraid to venture deep into them because of wolves, tigers, and bears. Even experienced hunters dared not go too far.

But for Shen Qingwan, this was the perfect hunting ground. With her skills, catching some game would be effortless.

Leaving the children with just two compressed biscuits each, she hurried into the mountains.

Meanwhile, the village chief had already taken the only donkey cart, ox cart, and mule cart in the village to the town.

That morning, Old Lady Lu came to deliver some coarse grain pancakes to Shen Qingwan, only to find that she wasn’t home—only the two children were there.

“Xiaoyu, where’s your mother?”

Old Lady Lu glanced into the house and saw no one.

“Grandmother, my mother went to the mountains to catch rabbits. She told us to wait for her at home,” Xiaoyu quickly replied while taking the food.

“What? She went to the mountains? Oh my heavens, has that foolish woman lost her mind?”

Although Old Lady Lu often scolded her daughter-in-law, she didn’t want her to get hurt.

Hearing that she had gone into the mountains, the old woman rushed back home and found Old Man Lu still smoking his pipe.

Panicked, she blurted out: “Old man, something terrible has happened! The eldest daughter-in-law went into the mountains! Xiaoyu said she went to catch rabbits. That mountain is dangerous—how could a woman survive there?

She must be starving! That’s why she took such a risk. Oh, it’s my fault. I should have brought the pancakes over yesterday. If she had food, she wouldn’t have gone. You tell me, what if something happens to her?”

Old Lady Lu rambled on anxiously while Old Man Lu quickly put down his pipe and got up to find their second and third sons.

“Erzi, Sanzi, come out!”

The two young men quickly stepped outside.

“What’s wrong, Father? What happened?”

“Your eldest sister-in-law went into the mountains. I’m worried something might happen to her. You two go find some people and search for her. Bring along the hunter Zhang and his son—they know the mountains best.”

As he spoke, Old Man Lu hurried off.

Hearing that it was Shen Qingwan who was missing, Lu Wenzhi immediately pulled a long face.

“Father, I’m just a scholar who wields a brush, not a hunter. If I go into the mountains, I won’t be of any help. If there’s danger, I might not even be able to protect myself. Let Er-ge go instead.”

His wife, Li Qiujun, chimed in, “Yes, Father. Wenzhi needs to focus on his studies. Besides, Qingwan is an adult. She probably just went to gather some mushrooms and wild vegetables. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to go deep into the mountains.”