The otters, unaware of what was happening, wanted to play with them, rubbing against their feet.
Chen Nong reluctantly took out a large bamboo basket and let the otter go inside. It obediently crawled inside, thinking it would be like before, playing together.
Chen Laosi reluctantly lowered the bamboo basket, while the otters continued to call out happily.
The children couldn't help but burst into tears again.
"Waaah—goodbye! We'll miss you!"
Once the bamboo basket reached the pond, the otters, like fish entering the sea, emerged from the basket and swam happily.
It hadn't had a good time playing in the water in a long, long time. This place was so much fun. When it got home, it would catch a few more fish for them.
Old Chen put the bamboo basket back, and everyone stared blankly at the pit for a while. The wind picked up and became a little chilly, and the chaotic sound of the wind seemed to be telling of parting.
Despite their reluctance, they eventually left.
Back home, they began packing their things.
Most of the Chen family's belongings have been packed up; the rest are miscellaneous items, and they don't know where to put them.
The Chen family originally owned many donkeys, but they were requisitioned by higher authorities, leaving only 10 donkeys.
Today, the Zhou family only has 10 donkeys, 6 mules, 5 cows, and 1 horse left to pull carts.
Old Chen and his men set up five large donkey carts, each pulled by two donkeys. These carts were as big as small trucks, and they were all loaded with rice and flour.
Of the five oxcarts, two were loaded entirely with dried fern root powder; one carried easily stored food; one was filled with water, all in large bottles and buckets, saving considerable space and weight; and the last one was empty and used for other miscellaneous items.
The three mule carts, each pulled by two mules, were even larger, and each had a lid. They were enlarged versions of horse-drawn carriages, large enough to sleep in and store many items, arranged like motorhomes.
A horse-drawn carriage, considered a luxury vehicle in the village, contained what the Chen family considered to be valuable items.
Because they had supplies and vehicles, Old Man Chen dared not lead everyone away alone. With so much stuff they were carrying, if they dared to flee the famine alone, they would surely be targeted as easy prey and robbed of everything before they got very far.
So stick together with others, and you won't be easily targeted by thieves because there are more of you.
In the courtyard, Zhou and the others looked at the piles of things that remained after they finished packing. Many of the things were still useful, but they couldn't take them with them.
People say that even a broken home is worth a fortune. When you need to use it, you might lack this or that, but when you actually tidy it up, there are items everywhere, more than you can imagine.
Losing this or leaving that is unacceptable; these items were all bought with hard-earned savings, one copper coin at a time, and I can't bear to lose any of them.
There's so much stuff at home, and everyone's reluctant to leave anything behind. We end up with piles and piles of stuff sitting there, and it's heartbreaking to look at them.
Looking at the stone mortar for milling rice, Zhou hesitated, unsure whether to bring it along. She knew she would definitely need it in the future, but their millet had already been milled into rice, so they wouldn't need it for a long time.
Old Man Chen said, "Take a stone mortar with you. If we run out of food, we can peel off the bark, crush it up, and eat it."
Seeing their reluctance to part with what they had left behind, and their fear that the things they were leaving behind would be ruined, Chen Kai suggested, "Father, Mother, why don't we hide the things we can't take with us in the cave where we used to hide the grain? If we hide them a little deeper inside, they shouldn't be easily discovered."
Old Man Chen nodded and said, "Alright! Hide all those sleds over there."
Old Man Chen looked at the straw raincoats and hats hanging on the wall and said reluctantly, "Take a few sets of straw raincoats and hats and put them in the car."
The fifth day.
The Chen family got up early to make steamed buns, dumplings, flatbreads, and cornbread. These foods were easy to carry on the road. With Chen Nong's buns, they could also eat hot and fresh food. This money was well spent.
Zhou came out carrying a basket of eggs and instructed, "Boil all these eggs in their shells later."
As Chen Nong helped tidy up in the yard, the image of Baozi popped into his head again.
Chen Nong excitedly ran and shouted, "Grandpa and Grandma, the steamed buns can increase the space again!"
Zhou ran out excitedly and asked, "How much silver do you want this time?"
Chen Nong said, "Gou Dan said it would cost 200 taels of silver to increase the volume by 0.5 cubic meters."
After thinking for a moment, Zhou said, "Wait here, I'll go get you the silver."
Zhou felt that although she had asked for more than last time, she thought that since the food could be kept fresh, it wasn't a loss. The buns were bigger, so she could put more food in them.
If this magical steamed bun gets even bigger in the future, wouldn't Daji be able to carry around a small room that can hold a lot of things?
After spending 200 taels of silver, the bun transformed into a 1.5 cubic meter space.
Old Man Chen told Chen Nong to empty all the contents of the buns, put in half of the family's money, and also put in a 5L bottle of mineral water. The remaining space was used to store food.
The other half of the Chen family's money was divided into two parts. One part was kept by the two elders, and the other part was sewn into the creases of everyone's clothes, just in case.
The steamed buns had gotten bigger, and they could hold more food. Zhou was very happy. She returned to the kitchen and waved her hand, "Make some sesame seed cakes, and use plenty of oil! Also, make lots of dumplings."
Just after noon, Chen's relatives arrived, as they had agreed to leave together.
When relatives from the village come to seek refuge and want to move with them, the village chief agrees, but they must obey his arrangements; otherwise, they will be kicked out.
The village chief's house.
The village chiefs from Lotus Village, Dashan Village, and Lotus Flower Village looked at a map and discussed their plans to flee the famine. They were to set off the next day, so they needed to make preparations.
The map only covered their county and didn't go all the way to Youzhou Prefecture. They didn't mind, though. It would take them more than half a month to get out of the county. Having a map would make things easier, as they could plan ahead where to rest, stay, and resupply.
Within the county, they planned to take the official road, and then take the side roads after leaving the county.
In Anping Village, almost every household now owns a donkey cart, which makes traveling on the official road more convenient. If everyone works together well, they can even travel faster.
Chen Laoda's wife's title of "Women's War Goddess" carried considerable weight in the county, making her safe to travel on official roads within the county.
Once you leave the county, you'll take a side road. The side roads are also suitable for vehicles, but they're not as smooth, so be careful of bandits and thieves.
If they had no other choice, they would take the mountain path, which was the most difficult to traverse. Choosing the mountain path meant they would have to abandon most of their supplies, otherwise they wouldn't be able to make it.
The people of Anping Village, along with those from Hehua Village and Dashan Village, and their relatives who came to seek refuge, totaled more than a thousand people. Their group was quite large, and ordinary bandits would not dare to rob them.
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