Chapter 102 Borrowing Grain and Hunting

Days passed by, and before they knew it, the year was drawing to a close. The people of Linjia Village had been living in the valley for over a year.

In previous years, at this time, every household in the village would have been preparing for the New Year, busy sweeping dust and steaming buns. But now, trapped in the mountains, they are struggling to make ends meet and are almost running out of money.

At first, everyone was able to barely make ends meet with the food they had brought, but as time went on, many people in the village ran out of rice.

Some families started cooking thin porridge with wild vegetables mixed with a small amount of grains. The children were so hungry that they lost their liveliness when they first entered the valley, and the adults were also pale and thin, losing their former energy.

That morning, as soon as Lin Yao opened the door, she saw a familiar figure kneeling at the door with his wife and children.

This man is Lin Yongyuan. Lin Yao had a good impression of him; he was hardworking, honest, and never argued with anyone.

He is Lin Demao's cousin and Lin Yougong's cousin, so you could say he is Lin Yao's distant cousin.

He was wearing an old cotton-padded coat covered in patches, his hair was messy, and his face looked haggard. His wife had red eyes and was holding a pair of two-year-old twins in her arms.

The two children were so thin they were just skin and bones, their faces sallow and their lips cracked. They timidly leaned against their mother, barely having the strength to cry.

When Lin Yongyuan saw Lin Yao come out, he immediately kowtowed and said, "Sister Yao, please lend me some food."

His voice choked with emotion, "We're completely out of food. If these two children keep going hungry, they might not make it. Please lend me some food. Once I get out of here, I'll sell everything I own to pay you back!"

His wife also cried, "Ayao, we know it's not right to borrow grain at this time, but we really have no other choice. Look at these two children..."

Lin Yao quickly stepped forward to help them up: "Brother Yongyuan, get up quickly, let's talk this out."

She felt bad looking at the two pitifully thin children, but then she thought that borrowing grain sounded nice, but who knew how long they would be hiding in the valley, and most likely they would never be repaid.

More importantly, once this precedent is set, other villagers who don't have enough grain will definitely come knocking on her door, and even if her family has a lot of grain, it won't be enough to cover the cost of borrowing.

A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. If she ever runs out of food to lend, all the previous kindness might turn into bitterness.

Not far away, a number of villagers had already gathered, watching Lin Yao's every move closely. Some even stood on tiptoe to observe, afraid of missing any details. Although they didn't speak, their faces were full of eagerness.

These families, like Lin Yongyuan's, were almost all running out of food. Some had even been surviving on wild vegetables for days. They had come specifically to watch the excitement and gauge the situation.

"Do you think Yongyuan's family can borrow some grain?" A woman in the back row tugged at the sleeve of the person next to her, her voice very low. "If Ayao is willing to lend it to him, can our family ask for some too? My son was complaining of being hungry yesterday."

The man next to her frowned, but couldn't help nodding: "It's hard to say. Although Sister Ayao is kind-hearted, her family has plenty of grain, but it can't withstand lending. However, Yongyuan has already knelt down, so she might relent."

Not far away, an old woman held her grandson, who was starving and listless, in her arms. Her cloudy eyes stared at Lin Yongyuan's family kneeling on the ground, and she muttered to herself, "If only we could borrow some rice, even just a bowl of rice, so we could make some porridge for the child."

"Hmph, borrow grain?" A soft sneer suddenly came from the side of the crowd, breaking the oppressive anticipation.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Madam Kang standing under the shade of a tree with her arms crossed, a mocking look on her face and disdain in her eyes. "Don't you all know what kind of person Lin Yao is? If she really wanted to borrow grain, she would have taken it out long ago. Why would Yongyuan have to kneel for so long?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the people around her to hear clearly. The woman next to her frowned and couldn't help but retort, "Mrs. Kang, you're wrong. Sister Ayao has always treated us well. She even shared eggs with the children before."

"She's treated us well?" Madam Kang sneered, taking two steps forward to make sure more people could hear. "If she were truly kind, would she have locked my Ye Dong in a cave? Would she have just watched us go hungry without offering a single grain? I think she's doing it on purpose, deliberately watching us get anxious to show off her abilities!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately quieted down.

Some people recalled Ye Dong's imprisonment for stealing grain and felt that Kang Shi was unable to distinguish right from wrong, while others were aroused by her words.

The old woman holding her grandson sighed and advised, "Ye Dong's wife, let's not talk about the past anymore. Ye Dong made a mistake. Everyone is having a hard time now, so it's more important to find a way to get food first."

"Did he do something wrong?" Madam Kang's eyes flashed sharply. "He only took some grain, wasn't it to feed his child? Lin Yao, on the other hand, ruthlessly locked him up, and now everyone is begging her to lend them some grain, and she's acting all high and mighty. I think she has no good intentions!"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, as if she wanted to vent all her pent-up anger. The people surrounding her instinctively stepped back, not wanting to get into an argument with her.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Madam Kang felt even more aggrieved, but she knew that continuing to make a scene would not bring any good, so she could only shut her mouth in a huff, but the hatred in her eyes did not diminish at all.

She secretly glanced in the direction of Lin Yao's courtyard gate. If Lin Yao really didn't lend grain, everyone would definitely resent her. But if she did lend it, plenty of people would come to her door asking for more, and she would want a share too. One day, she would empty her family's grain reserves.

Regardless, she was waiting to see Lin Yao make a fool of herself.

Lin Yao squatted down, touched the child's icy little hands, and said in a deep voice, "Brother Yongyuan, it's not that I don't want to lend, it's just that lending grain won't solve the fundamental problem. We can't just sit and wait for the grain to run out; we have to find a way to survive ourselves."

Lin Yongyuan was stunned: "Find a way to survive? What way to survive could there be in these mountains?"

“Hunting.” Lin Yao looked up at the group and said clearly, “There are definitely rabbits, pheasants, and maybe even wild boars in the forests around this valley. If we go out hunting as a team, we can always get something as long as we put in the effort. It’s dangerous to go hunting alone, but it will be much safer if we go out together as a group and help each other out.”

Upon hearing this, the villagers who had gathered around lit up, but their spirits quickly dampened.

Someone whispered, "My family has no men, how are we supposed to hunt?"

Some people are worried: "If we team up, what if someone slacks off, or the loot isn't distributed evenly?"

Lin Yao, having already considered this, continued, "I suggest that everyone vote to elect three team leaders. These three team leaders must have hunting experience, be trusted by everyone in the village, and be impartial. After the team leaders are elected, everyone can form their own teams. Within each team, those with servants will send their men to hunt, while those without will be responsible for logistics, such as preparing bows and arrows, processing the game, and boiling water. Everyone will have something to do. The food brought back from the hunt will be distributed according to the amount of effort put in, with the team leader responsible for recording the distribution. Everyone will supervise to ensure fairness."

She paused, then added, "This way, regardless of whether there are men in the family or not, everyone can participate, and everyone will have food to eat. It's better than sitting around waiting for the food to run out and everyone going hungry."

The villagers all nodded in agreement.

"That's a great idea!"

"I chose Liu Dazhuang as the team leader. He used to hunt and he's fair!"

"I think Cheng-ge is reliable too, I choose him!"

"Cheng-ge'er is too young; he hasn't been hunting for many years. I think the village head's son is quite good."

Lin Yongyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Ayao, that's a great idea! I'm willing to join. I used to hunt rabbits with my dad, so I can help out!"

Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the villagers who had regained their hope.

She knew that only by uniting everyone and making a living with their own hands could they truly survive in this chaotic world.

Although the end of the year is tough, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can always get through this winter.

Seeing that everyone agreed with the hunting suggestion, the village headman cleared his throat and said loudly, "Since everyone agrees with A-Yao's idea, let's start choosing a team leader now! Anyone who wants to recommend someone or volunteer, please step forward and say so!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd became lively.

"I recommend Liu Dazhuang! Dazhuang spends his days chopping firewood in the mountains and has even hunted wild boars. He's got plenty of experience!"

"I choose Lin Yougong! He's the village head's grandson, he's fair and just, and we trust him!"

"Fang Dayu is reliable too. He's familiar with the herbs in the mountains, and he must know where the prey often appears!"

Everyone chimed in with their opinions, and soon a consensus was reached.

"Alright! Our three team leaders will be Liu Dazhuang, Fang Dayu, and Lin Yougong!" the village head announced loudly. "Next, everyone can form teams freely. Each team should not have too many people, ten to fifteen people is enough, so it will be easier to manage and hunt!"

After the team captains were chosen, the free team formation phase became even more exciting.

As soon as Liu Dazhuang stood still, many villagers with male members in their families gathered around him:

"Brother Dazhuang, my husband is with you, please take care of him!"

"Uncle Dazhuang, I'm strong and can carry prey, count me in!"

Liu Dazhuang was very experienced, and everyone felt confident following him on hunts. His team was almost full in no time.

Lin Yougong was no less impressive. Standing next to the village head, many villagers felt they would receive more support by following him. In addition, he was fair in his dealings, so they didn't have to worry about being taken advantage of when dividing the spoils. Soon, a large number of people gathered around him.

Before long, Liu Dazhuang and Lin Yougong's teams were full, and the remaining villagers looked at each other and then at Fang Dayu standing to the side.

Fang Dayu was introverted and stood there silently, looking at the few people around him with a blank expression, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Although he was also chosen by everyone, they had given priority to the other two, and only those who hadn't made it into their teams came to him.

Just then, Lin Cheng walked over with Azhu, Afu, and a few others, and said with a smile, "Brother Dayu, we'll follow you."

Lin Cheng's family had plenty of labor and more stored grain than other families, so everyone thought he wouldn't join any team. Unexpectedly, he chose Fang Dayu's team.

Fang Dayu was clearly surprised that they would choose him, and immediately showed a grateful smile: "With your help, our team will definitely gain a lot."

Seeing this, Kang's eyes darted around, and she quickly walked over, pleading with Fang Dayu, "Brother Dayu, let me join your team. My family has no men and two children to raise. I can do anything, help with processing the game, boiling water, and logistics will definitely be no problem."

Fang Dayu looked at Kang Shi with a meaningful look in his eyes. He was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, then you will come with our team and be in charge of logistics."

Kang smiled and quickly agreed.

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Author's Note: There's another chapter tonight! Although it's a little late, I'll definitely be delivering three chapters every week!

So, could I please add this to my favorites? [Crying emoji]