Chapter 189

The men in the village were spirited, and Shuiqing felt comforted by this.

Her own family members were either too scholarly or too young, so they had to rely on the villagers of Shanshui Village for defense and protection.

She suggested, “Let’s not remove the sandbags we used to build the embankment just yet. Keep them in place, but leave an accessible path.”

In the village, it was rare for women to have a say in matters, but Shuiqing was different. Economic power translates to influence, and Shuiqing’s suggestions were always reasonable.

As soon as she finished speaking, the women around her immediately agreed. The village chief had no objections and nodded in approval.

The village chief had heard from his eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Guifen, that although it seemed like Fan Jin, the scholar, was making the decisions in their household, it was actually Shuiqing who was in charge of everything. The fact that their family was thriving was largely due to Shuiqing.

With the village chief’s approval, the other men had no objections either.

Seeing no opposition, Shuiqing continued, “The situation outside may not be chaotic yet, but we should form a team to go to the county town. First, to stock up on essential items like salt. Second, to stock up on food, oil, sugar, and cloth according to each household’s needs. Third, we can gather information about the situation outside to have a better understanding. If things get worse, we should avoid going out alone to sell rabbits. Instead, we should go in groups. If the number of refugees increases, we need to enhance our village’s daytime and nighttime defenses.”

Shuiqing’s thorough and detailed plan left even the village chief surprised. The men, their mouths agape, listened in admiration and praised her for her well-thought-out plan.

Just as Shuiqing was about to shift the focus to the scholarly Fan Jin, he smiled gently and said, “Shuiqing has always been thorough and meticulous. She has thought this through for a long time, and her suggestions are for everyone’s benefit, not just for our family.”

With those simple words, he acknowledged that it was Shuiqing’s idea, mentioned her efforts, and emphasized that these suggestions were for the good of the entire village.

“I told you Shuiqing is smart, always thinking ahead,” Wang Guifen, a loyal supporter of Shuiqing, said joyfully.

“It’s not just about being smart. Didn’t you hear what Fan Jin said? Shuiqing has been thinking about this for a long time, working hard in private,” added Zhang Auntie, another supporter.

The crowd was full of praise for Shuiqing.

Amidst the compliments, the Shanshui Village expedition team was formed. The village had 34 households, plus Shuiqing’s family, making it 35. Except for Zhang Tuzi, Fan Damu, and Fan Qian’s families, everyone else was present. Wang Mazi, who had separated from his family, was not counted as he relied on his sons for his ration and was not expected to work.

Soon, someone went to inquire about the intentions of the three absent families.

The messenger quickly returned.

“Zhang Tuzi said the county town is too far, the road is bad, and he doesn’t have any money to buy anything, so he’s not going.”

“Fan Damu is not at home. His wife said that he left as soon as the floodwaters receded this morning, and they haven’t seen him since. His son didn’t want to come either.”

“Fan Qian is also not at home. His mother and son don’t know where he is, and although Sun Jinhua might know, she didn’t say anything.”

Among these, Zhang Tuzi was known to be lazy and penniless, so no one had high expectations of him. Fan Qian, although Fan Jin’s elder brother, had a strained relationship with him, and everyone knew that despite getting the house, money, land, forest, and grain after the family split, his life was not as good as Fan Jin’s. People assumed he was too embarrassed to show up and used it as an excuse to avoid coming.

Fan Damu’s situation, however, surprised everyone.

Li Wen speculated, “Could it be that he’s still upset because nobody helped him build his house?”

In the past, everyone would help when Fan Damu had something going on, but this time, no one did. Maybe he had complained at home, which might explain why his son didn’t want to come either.

“But is that our fault? It was his own fault for not digging the ditch and even gloating about it!” Xu Laosan said angrily. The ditch dug during the storm would benefit Fan Damu too. What did he have to be upset about?

However, with the flood just receding, where could these two possibly have gone?

The village chief waved his hand, indicating they should not concern themselves with those few individuals: “Forget about them. These families don’t raise rabbits, so they won’t participate in selling rabbits for money later. Let’s focus on deciding who will go.”

Oh, that’s right, they still had rabbits! They could sell rabbits for money in the future!

“Alright, in another two or three months, the rabbits will be ready for sale. Let’s choose the people now.”

Selecting the people to go out was straightforward. Since the road had low-lying areas that would require wading through water, only the men could go. They also needed to push wheelbarrows or pull carts, which were physically demanding tasks, so they needed young and strong men. Given the uncertainty outside, the chosen men had to be quick-witted and familiar with the county town. They also needed someone who could read to check official notices.

Judging by the sun, it was around the hour of the dragon (7-9 AM), and if they hurried, they could return before dark. They decided to leave today instead of waiting until tomorrow.

In the end, Fan Jin and Ding Heli would drive the ox cart, and each family contributed their most capable and clever young man. Too many vehicles would be inconvenient on the road, so familiar families shared carts.

Five or six families that needed to buy fewer items shared a wheelbarrow, while three to five families that needed more items shared a cart.

With one ox cart, four carts, and two wheelbarrows, the Shanshui Village procurement team set off.

The villagers watched the team leave until they were out of sight before turning to do other tasks. Qin Yilin, worried, watched the team disappear into the distance. If the world became chaotic, their supplies wouldn’t be enough. Fortunately, they could use Shuiqing’s ox cart; otherwise, carrying everything back on their own would be exhausting.

Shuiqing was also worried, but there was no choice. In those days, the only way to know what was happening outside was to go out and see for themselves. Although her own supplies were adequate, the rest of the village depended on this big procurement trip, so they had to go.

Fan Jin and Ding Heli led the way, growing increasingly alarmed as they traveled. The men from the village following them felt the same. They had thought Shanshui Village was in a terrible state, with ruined fields, washed-away rice, broken corn stalks, rotting beans, and little left of the nearly mature beans.

But once they were outside, they realized it was much worse elsewhere. Destroyed fields were just the beginning; there were collapsed houses everywhere and numerous new graves along the dirt roads.

Thinking of the corpses that had floated to their village’s embankment earlier, the men silently followed the vehicles, quickening their pace.

As they neared the city, they saw more and more emaciated people with sallow faces and weak bodies trudging towards the county town. Groups of ragged people huddled under the city walls, staring at them with ghostly eyes. Despite being the strongest men in the village, they all shivered, feeling as if they were being watched by wild animals.