Chapter 10: The Famine 2

In the Liu household, Shuxin sat opposite her family, feeling the pressure mounting as their eyes scrutinized her. Ever since she mentioned discovering a large patch of sweet potatoes and yams in the mountains, everyone had been watching her closely.

“Speak up, how could you be so brave? That’s deep in the mountains! What if a wild beast carried you away?!” Grandpa Liu said fiercely, smacking his lips.

“Exactly! I knew you were brave, but I didn’t think you’d be this bold,” her mother, Yang Yue, chimed in.

“Are you trying to kill me? Do you want to go live with the sun and the stars? How could you hide such a big secret from us?” her father yelled angrily.

Her uncle and brothers didn’t dare speak up, as Grandma Liu had already pulled out a broom and was waving it at Shuxin, scolding her with a fierce expression: “You reckless girl! Do you have a death wish? How dare you do something so dangerous without telling us? Where do you think you’re going?”

Seeing the situation escalate, everyone rushed to intervene, realizing that Grandma Liu was not going to let this go easily.

In the end, this resulted in Shuxin getting scolded for a considerable time, but finally, the family settled down to discuss what to do next.

Grandpa looked at Shuxin and said, “Xinxin, I know you’re capable and lucky, and it’s because you often bring things back from the mountains that our family is doing so well now. I also know you are clever and strategic, so tell us your specific thoughts.”

“Grandpa, we have already prepared enough food at home, so we won’t starve. We can sneak into the mountains to collect some for ourselves first,” Shuxin said.

“As for the rest, we should inform the villagers. We all live in the same village, and it wouldn’t be right to ignore their suffering. If the village does well, then our family will also benefit. Besides, if we have some food, we won’t stand out too much. Otherwise, I’m afraid…”

Shuxin meticulously explained her thoughts to Grandpa Liu, understanding that the specific execution would depend on him.

Grandpa listened to Shuxin’s ideas but didn’t respond immediately. After a moment of silence, he said, “I understand your concerns about exposing our situation. The reason our family is thriving is because of your capabilities. Since we aren’t lacking food now, let’s do it your way. Grandpa supports you; don’t worry.”

He then turned to his daughter-in-law and Yang Yue and instructed, “The Liu family currently has enough food, so tonight, let Xinxin lead the way into the mountains, and you both can follow. You can arrange your own harvest and take some back to your families, but you mustn’t expose our situation. If your families find out, there will be consequences.”

Grandma Liu, hearing this, echoed, “Keep your mouths shut; if you don’t, there won’t be room for you in the Liu family, and I won’t tolerate you either.”

When Liu Bormo thought of Grandma Liu’s temperament, she shivered. Although Grandma Liu was usually kind to her eldest daughter-in-law, she was no pushover with others and could be quite fierce in confrontation.

Deciding not to delay, Grandpa Liu took the Liu family into the mountains that very night and collected several bags of food to sneak back home.

By the next evening, Grandpa Liu, Dad Liu, and Uncle Liu knocked on doors in the village.

They began with the captain’s house, then moved to others; having the captain around made things easier, and the villagers wouldn’t ask too many questions.

Knock, knock, knock! When the captain opened the door and saw Grandpa Liu, he asked, “Uncle? What’s the matter?”

Without any small talk, Grandpa Liu replied, “Genzi, get someone to bring some tools and come with me.” After that, he turned and headed to the next house without further explanation.

Captain Liu Shuanggen was also a savvy person; seeing the urgency, he quickly called his son to follow along.

This was the same operation in every household. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, dawn was just breaking. Then Grandpa Liu asked Shuxin to lead the way into the mountains.

Once they were in the mountains, Captain Liu finally asked Grandpa Liu what was going on. Grandpa Liu explained that they had discovered a wild patch of sweet potatoes and yams deep in the mountains and that the villagers were starting to run out of food. They couldn’t bear to see their neighbors starving, so they planned to take the villagers to dig up sweet potatoes and yams.

Preparing the Fields for Autumn Planting

After three years of drought, the fields were in a very barren state and needed water to nourish them. Otherwise, the land would become impoverished, making next year’s harvest inadequate.

Shuxin watched as the men, women, and children in the village busily engaged in farming once again, no longer seeing the desolation that had prevailed before. It made her heart swell with joy.

Although she had experienced the apocalypse and was accustomed to scenes of despair and death, she still wished for everyone to live a happier life.