When it comes to escaping famine, besides food and water, another crucial item must be mentioned: medicine. In ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were the only ones who would perform a diagnosis. A doctor would take a patient's pulse, identify the symptom, and then prescribe and dispense medicine, which the patient would then take home and prepare.
Compared to the modern practice of going directly to the hospital to register and see a doctor, it is not only inefficient, but also many difficult and complicated diseases cannot be cured. Oh, how did I end up in this backward dynasty? Yun Yiyi was once again in self-reproach.
The village had only one doctor, a man in his forties. His surname was Wu, and everyone called him Uncle Wu. In his youth, Uncle Wu apprenticed for six years at a traditional Chinese medicine clinic in town. Therefore, he could treat minor ailments like injuries, colds, and fevers. Serious illnesses still needed to be treated at the clinic in town.
Uncle Wu collects many of his herbs himself, so the prices are reasonable and affordable for the villagers. If someone is truly broke and can only afford to eat, he'll accept eggs, vegetables, or grain.
However, farmers in this dynasty relied on the weather for their livelihoods. In years of good weather and good harvests, after paying taxes, they would sell some of their grain and receive a small profit. The rest of the money came from selling eggs, vegetables, and other household items, which were cheap and didn't fetch much.
Therefore, farmers rarely have much money. Even if an elderly person has a serious illness and knows it's incurable, they won't pay for treatment. They simply can't afford it. In years like last year and this year, people can barely afford to eat, so how can they afford medical care?
Yun the Butcher had many children and wanted to stock up on common medicines. Yun Yiyi had a large cut on the back of her head, and she was bleeding profusely, which frightened Yun the Butcher and Zhang. They took her to the town clinic for bandaging, and the doctor prescribed three doses of calming medicine and six doses of anti-inflammatory medication.
It's a bit hot during the day now, and if they don't take good care of themselves, the wound will fester. Yun the butcher asked the doctor to prescribe some more cold medicine, fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, hemostatic powder, and other herbs. The doctor knew they were fleeing famine and was very understanding, so he prescribed them all.
These medicines cost a total of ten taels of silver, which, admittedly, was quite expensive. The old doctor stroked his beard and said that in a while, his apprentice would return from the provincial capital with medicine, and they would also be preparing to migrate. Not many people had decided to flee the famine yet, but once the situation worsened, the roads would surely be unsafe and difficult to travel.
This time, when he went to town, he found that the grain prices had risen again, several times the usual price, and there were purchase limits. Yun the Butcher bought another 100 kilograms of wheat. He thought that the price was high, so he thought it would be even higher in the future. He decided to buy while he could while the price was still high and he could afford it.
After buying food, Yun the butcher went to the grocery store and bought ten kilograms of strong farm liquor. This strong liquor, when cold, warms the body with a sip. It can also disinfect wounds, as the old doctor had told them. Then, they went to the grocery store and bought twenty kilograms of salt. At that time, there were no restrictions on the purchase of salt, and the price was about the same as before the drought.
After all, salt is rarely used in normal times, and is only used when pickling vegetables. At that time, all salt was official salt, and individuals were not allowed to sell private salt. After all, the profits from salt and iron were very high. For the sake of tax revenue, the government would not let it go. The crime of selling private salt is now very severe. Once discovered, the person will be beheaded. Zhang also thought that salt would be indispensable on the road to escape famine, and it was difficult to buy, so she simply stored some.
Yun the butcher loaded his purchases onto his donkey cart and prepared to return to the village. This time, when he arrived in town, there were many more pale, thin people on the streets, and a crowd gathered at the back door of the restaurant. As he passed by, he could see that not many people were eating inside. Some time ago, the government had distributed relief grain, so everyone still had hope, and so the town hadn't completely fallen into chaos.
If the drought continues and the government doesn't come up with a good way to resettle the victims, it will definitely cause a major riot. Therefore, now is definitely a good time to leave.
"Scholars know more and understand the general situation of the world." Yun the butcher sighed as he cracked his whip.
After dinner, Yun the Butcher and Zhang began packing up their belongings. They took everything they could carry away, and anything they couldn't carry away was stored in a separate room. They would pack it up when they had the chance to return, so they could have something to remember.
The wound on Yun Yiyi's head was medicated and bandaged by the doctor, and the pain was gone. After dinner, Zhang prepared the medicine she had bought from town, along with tomorrow's dose, and watched Yun Yiyi drink it. She then placed tomorrow's dose into two small jars, which she would heat up and drink directly tomorrow.
While everyone slept that night, Yun Yiyi went to the space and continued to prepare supplies. Inside the space was some corn and peanuts she'd harvested before the apocalypse. She continued to plant them. Time flowed at a two-to-one ratio in the space compared to the outside world. The wheat that would have taken two months to harvest outside would have taken two months in the space.
The taste will be better than what is available outside, more fragrant and sweeter. The yield will be twice as high as outside. She looked at the 40-square-meter warehouse, which was half full of grain, and her heart finally settled. Now she didn't have to worry about running out of food while fleeing the famine.
The well water inside the space is also inexhaustible, so there's no need to worry about water shortages. My heart settled a little. Forget it, let's get back to tilling the soil and planting crops. Although Yun Yiyi is still a child, both of us are naturally strong, so these farm chores are effortless. She toiled profusely for four hours inside the space. When she emerged, she fell asleep exhausted.
On the morning of their departure, everyone gathered outside the ancestral hall, and the village chief led them in a final ancestral worship. The elderly in the village wept at the thought of never returning. They feared they would perish in a foreign land. As the old Chinese saying goes, fallen leaves return to their roots. However, the journey to escape famine was too long, filled with uncertainties and dangers. No one could guarantee reaching their destination alive.
During this dynasty, the cohesion of clans was so strong that modern people can hardly imagine it. Yunjia Village was essentially populated by members of the Yun clan. Everyone was related in some way, and if they were to truly go out and encounter danger, they would unite and fight. The village was also home to some opportunistic women and some lazy young men.
Normally, minor fights would be enough, but at this moment, they didn't dare to cause any trouble or leave the village. Individual power is limited, and if they were to be robbed, would they protect their families or their food? Everyone had a clear distinction in the big picture.
After the worship, the village chief began to arrange the procession. The village chief's family, being relatively well-off and possessing a horse-drawn carriage, led the line. The other villagers lined up one household at a time. Yun the Butcher's family was last in line, primarily due to their large labor force. Although their three sons were relatively young, they were all tall and strong, possessing immense strength, which gave them a strong sense of security.
Following the village chief's order to set off, everyone pushed their carts, brought their children and belongings, formed a long line, and headed towards the distant destination.
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