Chapter 6: The Food Is Gone

Nearby, Yan Jia, who was tending the fire, looked up with gratitude at little Su Huan.
“If it weren’t for you calling out to me just now, I might have fallen behind.”

Old Madam Su heard this and couldn’t help but recall the moment. She began to question whether Wuya’s shout at the time had really been just a coincidence.

Perhaps the compassion she thought she saw in her granddaughter’s eyes for the disaster victims wasn’t just her imagination. Considering how the family’s fortunes improved after Wuya was born, maybe this granddaughter of hers truly was different.

Old Madam Su’s expression gradually grew serious. She turned to her four sons and their wives and said,
“Wuya’s uniqueness is something only we need to know. No one is allowed to speak of it outside this family. Understand? Her being with us is a blessing—we must protect her well.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Understood, Grandma.”

Yan He, Yan Qi, and Yan Xing immediately came over and rushed to shake little Su Huan’s hand.
“Grandma, we want our little sister to drive out evil for us too!”

Seeing how suddenly popular she had become, Su Huan happily enjoyed the attention and petting from her brothers.

Old Madam Su chuckled and scolded,
“Go on with you! You’re not sick—what evil needs driving out?”

Suddenly, Wu Chunhe and Zhang Xiaolan came running over in a panic.
“Something’s wrong, Mother! The dried fish and the remaining sweet potatoes are gone! Could they have fallen during the escape earlier?”

At those words, Old Madam Su instantly thought of Jin Yuegui, and a bad premonition surged in her heart.
“Everyone stop what you’re doing and check your luggage. See if anything else is missing!”

She remembered how Jin Yuegui had been fiddling with something on the cart earlier. She’d assumed it was the usual sneaky snacking and didn’t pay it any mind.

Now that she thought about it—the spot Jin Yuegui had been touching was exactly where the dried fish had been kept.

Wu Chunhe and Zhang Xiaolan quickly pulled out their bags and handed them out for inspection. Eventually, Old Madam Su discovered that the household’s emergency money she had kept was missing. The daughters-in-law also realized their carved copper hairpins were gone.

Those hairpins had been made as part of their dowries, gifts from Old Madam Su when they got married. They had previously possessed some plain silver ones too, but those had already been exchanged for food during the journey.

They had planned to save these copper hairpins as the family’s last reserve—for absolute emergencies only. But now they were simply gone. The daughters-in-law’s eyes were red with anxiety.

Yan Jia, Yan He, Yan Qi, and Yan Xing had also lost the few dozen copper coins they’d managed to save—sending them into a panic.

Sons Su Lao’er, Su Lao-san, Su Lao-si, and Su Lao-wu found nothing missing from their belongings—mainly because theirs only contained old, worthless clothes and shoes.

Sensing the rising tension, Su Lao’er left Su Lao-san to stay alert and came over nervously.
“Mother, what’s going on?”

Wu Chunhe cried out,
“Renyi! Our money’s gone! Someone stole it!”

Su Lao’er’s expression darkened.
“Last night, we saw eldest sister-in-law rummaging through the luggage.”

All of the Su family’s bags were still there—except for Jin Yuegui’s.

She was usually so protective of her belongings that she’d sooner lose herself than her luggage. So there was only one possibility—Jin Yuegui was the thief.

Su Huan nodded, confirming Su Lao’er’s claim.
“Ee-yaa~”

After what had just happened, Old Madam Su was very attentive to Su Huan’s actions. Seeing her apparently agreeing with Su Lao’er, she asked,
“Lao’er, did Wuya also witness it last night?”

Su Lao’er nodded quickly.
“Yes, it was Wuya who made a noise that alerted us. At the time, us brothers just wanted to keep the peace, so we didn’t tell you.”

Su Yan Jia, now realizing the full situation, suddenly stood up.
“Grandma! I’m going to find my mother!”

He couldn’t believe his own mother would take off with the entire family’s assets!

He had to ask her in person.

Old Madam Su barked,
“Foolish boy, stop right there! Do you think you’ll find her by running around like this? This matter with your mother has nothing to do with you. I’m the head of this household—I’ll handle it.”

Su Yan Jia’s eyes turned red, on the verge of tears. Su Lao’er quickly pulled him back, calling over Yan He, Yan Qi, and Yan Xing to watch over him.

Wu Chunhe cried out anxiously,
“Mother, we’ve got no money or food. How are we supposed to survive the famine?”

Zhang Xiaolan also chimed in,
“Why don’t we just go back? We’ve only come three hundred li. We can still make it if we turn back now.”

Su Lao’er frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.
“If it hasn’t rained back in our village, we’d be returning to death. But it’s starting to rain here—that means the drought is ending. Why don’t we settle down here?”

Old Madam Su shook her head.
“This place is chaotic—we can’t stay. Our travel permits are still intact. We’ll go to the capital and seek out our relatives. Settling in the capital is our best bet. Also, while we may have no food or money, we can still earn some. Didn’t the wives of Lao-si and Lao-wu embroider lots of sachets, pouches, and handkerchiefs? We can sell them when we reach Wukou County. And we still have two hens and three rabbits, plus the firewood on the cart. That should get us at least twenty jin of coarse grain—enough for a few days.”

Everyone calmed down after hearing her plan.

Li Sumei waited until she’d finished speaking before asking,
“Mother, what about eldest sister-in-law?”

Wu Chunhe gritted her teeth.
“She clearly doesn’t care whether we live or die. Why should we still treat her like family? Sumei, from now on, you’re not to call her ‘sister-in-law’ anymore!”

Zhang Xiaomei didn’t speak, but her expression showed agreement.

This wasn’t the first time Old Madam Su had been disappointed by Jin Yuegui. But now that she had taken the family’s money and food and run off, Old Madam Su’s heart had turned cold.
“Whether she comes back or not, I will divorce her. Once we reach the capital and settle down, I’ll go to the local registry to complete the paperwork.”

The moment Jin Yuegui betrayed the Su family, she was no longer one of them. Whatever happened to the Su family from now on would have nothing to do with her.

Everyone in the Su family agreed with Old Madam Su’s decision.

Afterward, Old Madam Su led the family as they continued their journey as famine refugees.

Since they needed to reach Wukou County as soon as possible to exchange goods for food, they didn’t stop along the way. After reuniting with Su Lao-si and Su Lao-wu, who had gone ahead to scout the road, the family picked up the pace toward the county.

By nightfall, they finally arrived at the gates of Wukou County.

However, to enter the city, they not only needed valid travel permits but also had to pay a three-wen entrance tax per person.

The Su family no longer had any money. Old Madam Su’s face darkened, her expression weathered and weary.
“It used to be one wen per person. Now it’s three. We’ve lost Jin-shi, so we have to pay for fourteen people—that’s forty-two wen. We’ll need to find a broker outside the city to sell the three rabbits. If that’s not enough, we’ll have to sell the two hens as well.”

“Lao’er, Lao-san, you and your wives take the rabbits and find a broker. If the money’s not enough, come back and get the hens.”

There were too many people outside the city gates. Old Madam Su didn’t dare let all four of her grandsons run around. She left Su Lao-si and Su Lao-wu with their wives to guard the cart and the nanny goat. Then, grabbing the last five eggs wrapped in cloth and holding Wuya in her arms, she smeared dirt on their faces to make them look pitiful. With a smile, she approached the guards at the gate.

Naturally, the guards ignored her—until they saw her subtly offering them the eggs.

The guard relented, accepted the eggs, and asked,
“Old lady, what do you want?”

Old Madam Su smiled ingratiatingly.
“I just wanted to ask, Officer—are there any boats leaving for the capital? How much is the fare? When do they set sail?”