"Yes, with this batch of corn flour, we can hold on for a while longer." The village chief said with emotion.

"The price of this batch of corn flour is low, and every household can afford it. For the sake of fairness, I have discussed this batch of corn flour with the elders, and we will divide it equally, with each family getting 80 kilograms. Does anyone disagree with this division?" After the village chief said this, he looked at the people who came to the meeting.

No one said a word. The equal distribution the village chief and the elders had agreed on was a good idea. Everyone thought it was fair. With the price so low, everyone would surely want more. However, there was only so much moldy cornmeal, and everyone was short on food, so no one wanted to suffer a loss.

"If everyone has no objection, then this batch of moldy corn flour will be divided up. In addition, Yun the Butcher bought one thousand kilograms of corn flour, one hundred kilograms of millet, one hundred kilograms of mung beans, two thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes, and three thousand kilograms of potatoes today. Li Xiucai and Zhang the Hunter bought one thousand kilograms of corn flour, one hundred kilograms of millet, one thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes, and one thousand kilograms of potatoes today. This is all the food the three of them bought in the city today." said the village chief.

"Among these grains, there are 800 kilograms of corn flour and 800 kilograms of potatoes, which are the reserve grains purchased by our village. When we were in the village before, our village's reserve grains were distributed to everyone. Now, I have discussed with the elders of the clan, and since we bought a lot of grain this time, we should also store our reserve grains. Does anyone have any objections to this?" The village chief continued to ask.

"Village Chief, we have no objection."

"Village chief, we agree to store spare food."

"Village Chief, we all agree."

Everyone's voices of agreement rang out one after another.

"Okay, the reserve food is settled. For the remaining food, each household should think about how much they want to buy, and pay the money in full when the food is distributed in the middle of the night," the village chief emphasized.

The village chief waved his hand again, asking everyone to stop talking.

"In addition, Yun the Butcher also bought 300 kilograms of salt, 100 kilograms of soybean oil, and 500 kilograms of cotton. The most important thing is that the cloth shop owner was kind enough to sell a batch of old coarse cloth that had been in stock for a long time. Yun the Butcher had examined the old coarse cloth. Although the color was not very attractive, a gray-black color, not a bright color, the quality of the old coarse cloth was very good, it was wear-resistant and stain-resistant, and it would not easily deteriorate.

The most crucial point is that the cloth shop owner sold it to Yun the butcher at 20 wen per meter. "How about that, everyone? Are you surprised?" the village chief asked, and without waiting for anyone to answer, he spoke again.

"The further we go, the colder the weather gets. We need to prepare cotton-padded clothes and quilts in advance. However, each household has different numbers of people, so I suggest each family purchase no more than 20 kilograms of cotton. If you really don't have enough money, the village can help pay for it, but only for cotton. Everyone, remember this: after the village pays, you can pay it back when you have money." The village chief deliberately raised his voice slightly, but he didn't dare speak too loudly, for fear of being heard by the refugees in the square at the city gate.

There was no other way. The weather was getting colder, and if we didn't prepare enough warmth, it would significantly slow down the village's progress. However, the village had already bought some food today and paid Uncle Wu for half of the herbs. The village probably didn't have much money left, so we had to be frugal, the village chief thought helplessly.

"Also, Yun the Butcher knows that what everyone is eating now is not good and not nutritious. He specially bought 100 kilograms of fat meat, the kind that is all fat, and can be taken home to be refined into lard, so that everyone can occasionally give it to the elderly and children as a nutritional supplement. Lard is not only convenient to eat, but also has a weak aroma, so it is not easy to be discovered by other refugees. In order for every family to buy fat meat, each family can buy a maximum of four kilograms of fat meat." The village chief said, holding up four fingers.

Everyone cheered up after hearing the village chief's words. Lard was incredibly affordable and convenient at this time. It was unknown how many shops Butcher Yun had visited to acquire this much fat. Since the drought, there were fewer butcher stalls, and less meat was being sold, making meat a scarce commodity. Butcher Yun truly worked hard for the villagers. This was the sentiment of everyone in Yunjia Village who had gathered for the meeting.

"Butcher Yun also bought twenty pig's feet. They're very large, with a lot of meat on them, and the price is very reasonable. If you want some, you can go find Butcher Yun."

"Everyone knows that in addition to lard, eggs are also a good thing that is affordable and can supplement people's nutrition. Yun the butcher bought 500 eggs this time, at the rate of 10 cents for 6 eggs. The price is also very affordable. If everyone wants it, they will go to Yun the butcher. However, in order for every family to buy eggs, each family can only buy a maximum of 20 eggs. You can buy less, but not more. This point must be remembered." The village chief emphasized.

"Okay, village chief, we've got it. Please continue. What other good things did they buy?" a young man shouted in a low voice.

"Okay, let me continue. Butcher Yun also bought 15 kilograms of red dates. They are large, thin-skinned, and very sweet. Butcher Yun also bought them at a low price. If anyone in your family needs to replenish their Qi and blood, you can buy some."

"Butcher Yun also bought a goodie on this trip to the city. I'm sure you can guess what it is. I'll be frank: ginger. The ginger Yun bought was large, juicy, and very fresh. The ginger seller said it was a gift from a fellow villager who supplies them year-round. Not only does that fellow villager grow high-quality ginger, but he also reportedly cultivates it on a large scale."

The shopkeeper guessed that the fellow villager didn't lack water. If he did, he wouldn't be able to grow such high-quality ginger. Yun the Butcher bought 200 kilograms of ginger. As the weather gets colder, ginger will become more useful. Therefore, every household must have ginger on hand. To be fair, each household cannot buy more than 8 kilograms of ginger. Remember, no more than 8 kilograms. "The village chief stood up and emphasized it again. Seeing everyone nod, he sat down again and continued his speech.

"Today, Li Xiucai and Zhang the Hunter not only bought food. They also traveled a long way across the entire western district of the city to buy medicinal herbs. Not only did they buy a wide variety of herbs, but the prices were also reasonable. The most surprising thing was that the owner of the drugstore also helped us write prescriptions for treating children's dysentery, detoxification, and fever and inflammation. The medicines were also prescribed one by one, and the owner wrote the instructions and dosage on the prescription. Before using, let Uncle Wu take a look and you can use it directly. I don't need to explain the importance of medicinal herbs.

"I don't need to emphasize the importance of those prescriptions, do I? They're all things Uncle Wu isn't particularly skilled at, but they're what we desperately need while fleeing the famine. It's thanks to the kind shopkeeper who prescribed them for us. Otherwise, if we really encountered an emergency, we wouldn't have been able to do anything," the village chief said excitedly.