If it were a good year, Yun Yiyi, with her skills, would have had plenty of meat to eat even if she went hunting in the mountains. However, the drought was widespread, and many of the trees and grass on the mountain had withered. The wild animals in the mountains had either starved to death or migrated away. Hunting a game was extremely difficult. The snake had probably slipped through the net, too. Now all she could do was hope to get to the capital so she could buy some meat.
Home-raised pork is still fragrant and delicious. Villagers usually feed their pigs grass and a small amount of grain. Pigs grow very slowly, but the pork is fragrant and delicious. Before the apocalypse, pigs were mostly fed pig feed, which helped them grow faster, but the pork wasn't as delicious as it is now. I can't think about it anymore; the more I think about it, the more greedy I get, Yun Yiyi thought, rubbing her belly.
Before setting off, the village chief asked each family to send one person to attend the meeting. Yun the butcher went and returned soon after.
"Boss, what did the village chief say at the meeting?"
"The village chief said that if we walk fast today, we can reach the city in the evening. If we delay on the road, we may arrive in the middle of the night. We can't get any news on the road, so the village chief asked everyone to move forward as quickly as possible. We can find out what the situation is outside by arriving in the city early." Yun the Butcher said, and called everyone to line up.
It was still dark. The village chief and his family, leading the way, held a large torch. A family in the middle also held a torch, ensuring everyone could see the road clearly. Some children were still asleep, either being pushed in carts or carried on their parents' backs. Yun Yiyi and Zhang joined the long procession of people from Yunjia Village. It was still dark, but setting off at this time had its advantages. It was the coolest time of the day, with no sun. Everyone walked faster.
Once we got onto the official road, we found that there weren't many refugees on the road, just a few scattered people. A small group of about ten people had just passed by. Among them were elderly people, young people, and women. They were pushing carts loaded with things, and a few children were walking beside them.
Yun Yiyi guessed that it must be a large family. The people passing by were most likely a family of three, a couple with a child. The child didn't look very old, and was carried on the mother's back. They were not walking fast, and the people from Yunjia Village soon overtook them.
After walking about five miles, the sky gradually brightened. The temperature also rose suddenly, and sweat quickly broke out. At this time, a group of refugees in front caught Yun Yiyi's attention. They were driving two horse-drawn carriages, and the two drivers had thick faces and looked very fierce.
The carriage's interior was obscured by a curtain, making it difficult to see who was sitting inside or what was being pulled. However, the tracks left by the previous carriage were deep and heavy, likely due to a heavy load. The tracks left by the following carriage were light, and the horses pulling them weren't panting as loudly as the one in front. This latter carriage probably wasn't carrying much, Yun Yiyi guessed.
The people of Yunjia Village saw the two horse-drawn carriages and moved to the side, walking a bit faster. The two people pulling the carts looked at the group of people from Yunjia Village. Elderly people, children, and women were inside, while young men pushed the carts and drove the donkeys. They all looked healthy, unlike the other refugees who were skin and bones. They were probably from the same village, fleeing famine.
They exchanged glances, whipped their whips, and sped forward. Soon, the carriage was no longer visible. Only then did the people of Yunjia Village dare to whisper and slow down. They had been moving so fast earlier that many people didn't realize what was happening. It was simply the people in front who were walking fast, and the people behind were running faster. Those following behind were completely confused.
"Okay, everyone, let's speed up. Let's walk about another 8 miles and then find a place to rest. The temperature is getting higher and higher now. If we walk slowly, the children will easily get heatstroke." The village chief shouted loudly.
"Okay, Village Chief," the villagers whispered. Seeing everyone had heard, the village chief returned to the front of the group to lead the way. They were still circling the same mountain they'd been to yesterday. It was high, and one could see many trees and weeds, a scene of withered and decaying vegetation. In previous years with abundant rain, this mountain must have been abundantly productive. It was unclear how many years it would take for the mountain to recover from this drought.
Occasionally, we could spot rooftops between the trees. This must be a small village. The village chief certainly wouldn't stop to rest until we'd finished the twenty miles we'd covered this morning. "Will we even come across a village when we rest?" everyone thought regretfully.
The weeds along the official road gradually thinned, and the bare fields became more numerous. From last year to this year, there was too little rain. Villagers had planned to plant in the spring, but without rain, the seeds didn't germinate. Later, they became afraid to plant, hoping for rain. Who could have imagined that they would end up fleeing famine and leaving their homes? The plight of farmers who depend on the weather for their livelihoods is truly tragic.
This area is mountainous and water scarce. Even if there are rivers, they're small, narrow, and shallow. In the summer, during the flood season, the rivers are full. In the winter, the water levels are low. And in the spring, they dry up completely. Everyone's used to this.
However, drought years are very difficult to endure. This time, we were planning to move to a new place, and we heard that there was water everywhere. People there even grow rice, and we heard that the rice fields are full of water. People from the north said they had never seen crops growing in water.
Yunjia Village generally grows wheat, corn, peanuts, and sweet potatoes. Wheat is also a common food. As for rice, the town's grain store sells it, and Zhang has also bought some. Everyone agrees that it's delicious, but it's not as filling as wheat. It makes you hungry quickly, and the price is higher than flour, so Zhang feels it's not worth it.
Zhang tried making porridge with rice, cooking it until the rice bloomed. The result was a rich and delicious drink that everyone liked. Later, Zhang would use the rice she bought to make porridge instead of steaming it.
If there hadn't been a drought, no one would have wanted to leave their hometown and live in a completely unfamiliar place. Not only is the climate different, the crops are different, and the customs are different. Furthermore, villages these days are generally built around a single family, creating strong bonds of solidarity. Naturally, this creates a strong sense of rejection of outsiders. When outsiders arrive in a new place, they're not only ostracized but also bullied.
Fortunately, everyone in Yunjia Village fled the famine together this time. Once they arrived, they could find a way to group up together so that everyone could take care of each other if anything happened. As long as they weren't bullied, everyone else could adapt. Furthermore, everyone brought wheat seeds with them, thinking that if there were mountain land, they could try growing wheat there.
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