The thatched hut was very simple, with some rice stored in the yard, and several eerie long knives placed near the door.
Song He'er was certain that the people living inside were not ordinary people. Otherwise, if the people in front of the drought were eating grass roots and tree bark, how could this family live peacefully here?
Song He'er walked steadily into the courtyard of this family. It was called a courtyard, but it was just a fence made of branches. Apart from keeping out some stray cats, it did nothing else.
"Is anyone there?" Song He'er asked softly.
After a short while, a middle-aged man with a stubble beard, dressed in foreign clothing, and with an ugly appearance came out of the house.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Uncle, we're refugees from the north. We'd like to trade with you for some rice!"
The man looked Song He'er up and down, then replied impatiently, "How do you know I definitely have rice here?"
"Uncle, you can live so leisurely in this harsh place, you must have some skills to rely on. You must be very capable!"
Flattery is Song He'er's usual tactic. If she can make him happy, he might agree to exchange things with her in a while.
Sure enough, the man's attitude softened slightly. "There is some food, but I need to eat it myself. You should look elsewhere!"
As he spoke, he was about to close the door and go inside.
Song He'er ran forward and blocked his way.
"I'm telling you, you brat, can't you understand what I'm saying? I told you, I have nothing for you to eat!" With that, he pushed her aside and went to close the door.
Song He'er took out a few round pearls from her sleeve and handed them directly to him. "These are the payment for our exchange, but we'll have to see if you have anything worth that price here!"
The man's eyes lit up when he saw the valuable item, and he reached out to snatch the pearl from Song He'er's hand.
"Wow, such perfectly round pearls are really rare in the Western Continent!"
Song He'er put the pearl back into her sleeve, looked up at him seriously, and said, "Uncle, we agreed beforehand that we would exchange something for it. If you don't want to give me food for free, I won't give you money for free either!"
Seeing that there was money to be made, the man agreed without hesitation. After all, in this remote place, he was just a lookout. Although he had an endless supply of rice and flour every day, he had no income. Now that he could get a fine pearl, he was naturally overjoyed.
"Okay, what do you need?"
"White rice, cotton, and a mosquito net to keep warm!"
After thinking for a while, the man replied, "I have rice and warm tents, but I don't have much cotton. You know, I live here alone, what would I need so much cotton for?"
Song He'er felt that what he said made some sense. After all, cotton is something that can be used to make a garment that can be worn for several years. No one would hoard dozens of kilograms of it at home.
"Then show me the rice and the tent!"
The man nodded and gestured for her to come inside, saying, "Come in and take a look."
Song He'er became more vigilant and followed the man into the thatched hut.
The room was neatly furnished, and the tables and chairs were spotless. Only some odds and ends in the corner were an eyesore.
"This is the tent. I use it when I go hunting. It's big enough for seven or eight people to sleep in."
"Seven or eight people? That's not enough!"
The man was somewhat surprised. "How many do you want?"
"We need two tents to sleep in."
The man hesitated for a moment, "I still need it normally. If I give it all to you, what will I use?"
"This isn't something you can use to tide you over. Money or the account book, the choice is yours..."
Before he could answer, Song He'er went to check the rice in the rice jar.
Although the house was small, it was filled with seven large vats of white rice. These things were actually already in the space, but they were being replaced now simply to cover up the truth and make it more legitimate to cook porridge in the future.
"It seems you really are the West Continent's informant; you've certainly stocked up on plenty of food."
The man, realizing he'd been recognized so easily, felt awkward and quickly changed the subject, "Alright, how much are you planning to pay me for these things...?"
"Hmm... Two tents and a jar of rice only cost two strings of cash. This pearl of mine is worth far more than that. I can give it to you, but uncle, I need to ask you for something else."
The man hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, "What...do you want?"
"I need your citizenship certificate for traveling to and from the Western Continent."
The man's eyes widened as he stared at Song He'er in disbelief. "A marriage contract! You dare to take this?!"
Song He'er guessed that he must have more than just one set of household registration documents. Merchants who wanted to sell their goods in Xizhou would have to buy expensive household registration documents from him in order to travel freely in Xizhou.
"Uncle, since I can guess what you do, I must also know what you have, so let's be frank and talk things out, right?"
"You little brat, you don't look like you're even a teenager. What's your background? You're not a spy from the Central Plains, are you?"
The man was quite alert; seeing how much Song He'er knew, he immediately became wary.
"Uncle, think about it carefully. We're heading south and won't be returning to the capital. If we were spies, why would we be so poor that we don't even have rice?"
Although the man had some doubts, he didn't want to cause any more trouble and just wanted to get his hands on the pearl as soon as possible.
"Alright, alright, take whatever you want!"
As he spoke, he walked to the bedside, took out a household registration document from under the pillow, and then put a jar of white rice into a sack.
"Alright, everything's ready. Cash on delivery."
Song He'er looked at the heavy sack and said with some worry, "I can't carry it. Could you please take it to my family for me? Um... I'll keep this household registration document myself."
The man was clearly getting impatient. "You're making such a fuss!"
Song He'er took out the pearl and placed it on the table in the room.
The man picked it up and examined it from left to right in the sunlight. Seeing that it was of good quality, he nodded in agreement.
"There's an oxcart in the yard, I'll use it to take you there."
"good!"
Song He'er watched him load the tent and rice onto the cart before she left, relieved.
Qin Xiaoniang's heart was in her throat, fearing that something might happen to Song He'er. When she saw her return, she immediately greeted her with a beaming smile.
"He'er, how did it go? Did you succeed?"
Song He'er playfully stuck out her tongue at her and nodded happily, "Mother, I changed the rice and two mosquito nets!"
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