Chapter 140

Starting from the second day, Ling Ran and Fan Jiang drove a donkey cart to the city to buy a full load of supplies and bring them back.

Every detail was carefully considered.

They brought back a full cart every day, without fail except on rainy days.

Fortunately, the new house was spacious with many rooms and storerooms, providing ample space.

Fan Jin separately purchased rice to transport back—of course, not all at once.

As with last year, he first bought some rice from the city’s rice shop and transported it back. He then concealed the rice bought from the market in a small grove where the stream was clear, before Shuiqing took the back roads home, while Fan Jin returned with the ox cart from the main road.

Upon the return of the grandson of the village’s old village chief, Li Changlin, he also learned that the emperor was reducing the power of the feudal lords.

However, no one paid much attention to it. Whether it was the emperor or the lords, they were too distant to concern them, almost unreal to hear about.

They were more concerned about whether the fields were well-turned, whether any family’s rabbits had litters, whether any of their chicks had been killed by dogs, and most importantly, how many jin of rice their children had gathered today!

But even if they didn’t collect much now, it didn’t matter because by June, during the agricultural slack season, bamboo mushrooms would come out.

They could also pick and sell bamboo mushrooms!

Bamboo mushrooms were much more abundant than skirt mushrooms.

The people in the entire village were filled with joy, spending their days in cheerfulness and hope.

Fan Qian and Fan Dazhu gradually started working in the fields, as not farming meant no food; they could slack off on other things, but going hungry was a big deal, and laziness was not an option!

Among those in the village most concerned about the reduction of feudal powers were Shuiqing’s family, the old village chief, and Fan Damu.

The old village chief worried about the impact on everyone’s livelihoods.

Fan Damu wondered if he could find any business opportunities!

Since last year’s falling out with Fan Jin’s family, there had been little change in their lives, but the people in the village were doing better and better. He was known as the village’s “genius,” but now he felt his reputation was at stake!

He had to prove to the villagers that he, Fan Damu, was still the smartest person around!

Shuiqing and Fan Jin knew nothing about these concerns.

That day, Fan Jin hurried back and anxiously announced, “Another lord has been stripped of his title. This is the third one this month.

At the same time, the prefectural office posted notices forbidding private brewing of alcohol.”

Yan Qiuxing, who was sewing clothes, opened her mouth in astonishment and didn’t know what to say for a while.

She felt her mother had remarkable foresight!

Looking at her mother, who was sewing gold leaves onto the hem of a garment opposite her, she admired her deeply!

Shuiqing: Others study mathematics and physics to travel the world without fear, but she remembers history so well—she’s not afraid even when transported to ancient times?

She can even predict familiar developmental processes.

She looked at her children and said, “The grain we hoarded earlier should be enough to trade for this season’s skirt mushrooms. After that, we just need enough for ourselves.”

Without hoarding some grain, it would be impossible to produce or secretly add to it later.

Fan Jin hesitated and whispered, “It shouldn’t get too chaotic for the time being. Let’s hoard a little more, so when bamboo mushrooms come out in June, we can still trade with grain; otherwise, I’m afraid grain prices will rise later.”

If grain prices rise, accompanied by reduced quantities and increased demand, there would often be a need to queue and limit purchases.

Then it would be impossible to trade grain for bamboo mushrooms.

“June marks the beginning of summer. If, as the old village chief said, there might be floods this year, we might not even be able to go out, let alone pick mushrooms,” Shuiqing chuckled.

Fan Jin remembered the unusually cold winter last year.

He sighed.

The emperor was busy reducing the power of the feudal lords; if a flood occurred, would they care about us commoners…

Shortly after, Ling Ran and Fan Jiang, who followed closely behind, drove their donkey cart straight into the courtyard. One continued driving the cart, while the other turned to close the courtyard gate.

Both of them, looking tense, said at the same time, “We heard in the city…”

“Ling Ge, Dad came back and said!” Fan He hurriedly informed.

It was only then that they noticed the ox cart was also there, and they turned to say, “The winds outside have changed. Previously, most people were either joyous or gloating; now, apart from scholars still loudly discussing matters in the taverns, grocery stores, cloth shops, blacksmiths, and other shops’ owners are all deeply troubled, fearing that the times might become chaotic.”

Businesspeople are particularly sensitive to any signs of change.

Shuiqing said to Ling Ran and Fan Jiang, “The things you’ve bought over the past month should be enough. There’s no need to go to the city tomorrow.”

Anyway, if they didn’t have enough, as long as the market had it, she could secretly add more.

The storeroom was filled with goods, and it was hard to keep track of how much was used by whom.

The more goods there were, the easier it was to do things under the radar.

Fan Jiang straightforwardly replied, “Okay! Then, Mother, I’ll go chop firewood tomorrow!”

Recently, a lot of firewood had been burned at home, leaving the storeroom quite empty. He could go up the mountain tomorrow to chop wood.

“No rush. You and Ling Ran will drive the donkey cart early tomorrow morning. We’ll go to Niu Tou Town, your maternal grandfather’s house,” Shuiqing thought they should go.

The government office posted a notice forbidding private brewing of alcohol, and they should have heard about it and would definitely comply.

However, Wen Hua mentioned earlier that he wanted to go to the city to find an apprentice or assistant for the shop. She needed to see if he had found one. If he had, she would send a message and hoped they’d return soon.

The Hu family had few people, and if something happened, the three of them could take care of each other.

At least they wouldn’t have to live in fear.

Ling Ran and Fan Jiang both agreed.

Shuiqing then instructed the children in the courtyard, “Tomorrow when we leave, make sure to close and bolt the courtyard gate. Try not to go out unnecessarily.”

“Not just tomorrow, but from now on, get into the habit of closing and bolting the gate behind you, understand?”

“Understood!”

“Mother, rest assured.”

They vaguely sensed that their family was different from others in the village.

Other families didn’t care much about the reduction of feudal powers, but their father, mother, and Ling Ge seemed to attach great importance to it.

The villagers took a more cautious approach to floods, preferring to believe they might happen rather than dismiss them, but their parents didn’t seem overly worried about floods.

During these days, they had been tirelessly buying goods and grains, not just preparing for possible floods, but more like preparing for war.

Was there really going to be a war?

It felt like such a distant thing.

The next day, Fan Jin continued to go to the city to buy grains.

Shuiqing took Ling Ran and Fan Jiang in the donkey cart to Niu Tou Town.

It must be said that having two carts at home was very convenient at critical times.

Niutou Town was very quiet.

The Hu family was even quieter.

Knocking on the courtyard door, Hu’s mother opened it and saw the three of them. She smiled and said, “I knew you would come. Yesterday, your brother saw the notice in the city and took leave from the master, rushing back to tell me that brewing alcohol was not allowed. This morning, he went to help your dad slaughter a pig. I’ll bring some fresh pork to your place later and let you know. I didn’t expect you to arrive first.”