Chapter 131 Mutual Trust
After dinner, we boiled some hot water and took turns to clean the cave. We built a fire with stones inside and outside the cave to serve as a light. Whoever needed to clean the cave would close the cave door and everyone would leave to make room.
We have been on the road for nine days. If it weren't for the early spring and the cold weather, we would have been fed up.
By the time I finished washing and changed into clean clothes, it was already the end of the Xu hour. I put out the fire outside the cave, sprinkled medicinal powder on the cave entrance, and closed the simple wooden door of the cave. Then I felt safe.
Since the snake was discovered during the day, everyone was a little confused. With the light of the fire, Old Lady Chen, Old Lady Lu and Zhou Cunzheng's wife took out oil lamps from their own belongings and lit them up. The group of people searched the cave inside and out, including the shelves where grain was piled. They checked carefully to make sure that no snake had entered the cave when they were not noticing. Then they blew out the oil lamps and let the remaining fire from the fire burn while each family arranged to sleep on their own mats on the floor.
I didn't fall asleep as soon as I lay down. It was my first day here, and I had to miss everyone, my in-laws, my parents, my brothers. Of course, I could only talk about these things with my family members together.
Shen An and Shen Ning also had someone they were worried about, so they whispered to Sang Luo. Sang Luo rubbed the two children's heads and said, "An Xin, your family also fled to Huainan Road and settled in Shili Village. Look, your grandparents, parents, and second uncle are all gone. Are your third uncle and aunt still alive and well?"
Luck is one thing. Some people seek profit and avoid harm, or are cowardly and bad. Or maybe there are some other reasons that she can't imagine or understand, but they still survived. You can't say that it is not a skill.
It sounds reasonable, but Chen An said: "At that time, my parents, grandparents, my parents and my second uncle and second aunt stood up for me. They could hide behind them. Who is there now? Should we let Xiao Jin stand up for me?"
Sang Luo was quite clever. She burst out laughing and said, "I'll tell you a secret. Didn't Shopkeeper Xu walk with us for a while? Your eldest brother walked quite a distance with us afterwards. Do you remember?"
Shen An and Shen Ning naturally remembered it. When the eldest sister-in-law mentioned this, Shen An thought about it carefully and remembered that his eldest brother seemed to have bowed to Manager Xu at that time?
I didn't think about it at the time, but now that I heard my sister-in-law talking about it, I naturally thought more about it. Chen An's eyes lit up: "Sister-in-law, what are you saying?"
He didn't quite believe it and didn't dare to say it out loud for a while.
Sang Luo smiled and said, "It's just as you thought. We will be more careful within our ability, so don't worry. Xiao Jin is different from you. He is the son of your third uncle and aunt. There is an old saying that even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Although it's not absolute, most people still love their own flesh and blood. They are hiding in Shili Village. As long as the bandits don't rush into the village, the adults will naturally find a way for them to eat and drink. If the bandits do break into the village, think about the retreat route your eldest brother prepared for Xiao Jin. He can hide for a long time."
Shen Anke was too relieved. In his eyes, Shopkeeper Xu was the most capable.
Chen Ning still didn't quite understand, so he asked Chen An, who whispered his guess into his ear. Chen Ning patted his chest, moved to Xu Wenyin in the next bed, and gave her a bear hug.
Xu Wenyin looked puzzled, and Shen Ning smiled with crooked eyes: "I will definitely treat you well in the future! Very, very well!"
Old Mrs. Xu knew something. She had gone with her son when he left that day. She knew exactly what Chen Lie had entrusted to her. It turned out that her son was afraid that if they were in the mountains and there was chaos outside, they would lose contact. So he took the initiative to agree with Shen Lie to hide bamboo slips for conveying messages somewhere at the grain-collecting point. That was why Shen Lie asked her to help keep an eye on the cousins in Shili Village without affecting his own safety.
She smiled and patted her granddaughter's head: "Okay, you've been tired all day, and you have to get up early to work tomorrow, so go to sleep."
Then he smiled at Shen Ning: "A Ning, go to sleep too. It's just right to be next to Wen Yin."
Chen Ning agreed happily. The mattresses of the two families were originally placed next to each other. It was for no other reason than to avoid insects, so they tried to leave as few gaps as possible.
It was not the first day that Xu Wenyin slept in the cave. Although she was afraid of insects, she had no other choice and she was really too tired. The two girls lay down together, each covered with their own quilt, whispered a few words, and then closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Wang Yunzheng and Xu Wenbo slept on the other side. He originally wanted to read the book he brought with him by the firelight for a while, but when he untied his bag, the old lady saw him and said, "Yunzheng, you are sleeping too. Reading by the firelight hurts your eyes. You don't need to study hard at this moment. It will be the same if you get up early tomorrow to read again."
Wang Yunzheng had great respect for his great aunt, Mrs. Xu, so he quickly agreed and tied the bundle tightly again. He just sat there, closing his eyes, moving his lips slightly, and reciting silently.
Chen An originally wanted to see what books Wang Yunzheng had, but when he saw this, he knew he wouldn't be able to read them tonight, so he also started to recite the Thousand Character Classic silently.
The night was quiet, gradually only the chirping of insects and the occasional crackling of burning firewood could be heard, mixed with snoring that was sometimes deep or shallow, light or heavy.
The fire finally went out and the cave became completely dark. I don't know how much time passed before dawn came again between the rise and fall of my breathing.
…
The land reclamation in Yun Valley was in full swing. On February 15th, in the deep mountains dozens of miles away from Shili Village, Chen Lie and his group met Manager Xu and his group who were waiting in the agreed cave.
The Xu family had more food than any of the other five families, a full forty shi!
Part of it was stockpiled for his own family when he helped Sang Luo and the others buy grain, and part of it was stockpiled later. Manager Xu kept some for himself, and most of it was transported here in batches by his servants and trusted men in the restaurant.
As for Shezhou, they had already bought enough grain to last for several years from their employers before the grain price went up and stored it away.
"I'll ask you to carry thirty shi back for me and give them to my mother. I'll give the remaining ten shi to each of you, two shi each. From now on, my family will be in the mountains, so I'll ask you to take care of them."
Two stone of grain fell from the sky. The five families were stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously took half a step back, making excuses one after another, and no one was willing to accept it.
Everyone loves food, especially in these troubled times, but it is precisely in these troubled times that food is really too expensive.
No reward without merit. Shopkeeper Xu has already helped them a lot. It is only right for him to take his family with him and take care of them. How could they dare to accept such a generous gift?
Besides, if each family saves their food, it will last for a long time. They can also grow crops in the valley and live a frugal life. Why would they be willing to pay such a high price for food?
Chen Lie also shook his head: "Manager Xu, you have helped us enough, there is really no need to do this, we will help deliver these grains and hand them over to the old lady."
Seeing that Shopkeeper Xu was about to say something, Zhoucun quickly interrupted him and said, "Shopkeeper Xu, we really can't accept this. Besides, although the grain of each family is not much, it won't hurt to save some to last for two or three years. The land we found can still grow some. There is really no need to do this. To be honest, if we really have to go hungry, we will not refuse. If the old lady still has enough grain by then, we will shamelessly ask her to borrow some."
Everyone who followed nodded.
Shopkeeper Xu thought to himself, if it really comes to that, the world will be in chaos for many years. Judging from the information we have received so far, the possibility is not high. He looked at everyone, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "You have to ask me to do my part."
Old man Chen waved his hand: "It's unorthodox to say that. We will be uncomfortable if you are so polite."
Country people are simple and honest. Since they have decided to take the Xu family with them, they should treat them as their own family. The so-called care is nothing more than helping to carry some food now and teaching them about farming in the future. How can this be a big deal? How can they be willing to ask for such a benefit?
When Old Man Chen said that, Old Man Lu said, "That's right. If you want to do that, we won't dare to help you pick the grain."
Shopkeeper Xu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He bowed to the two old men who were obviously older than him and said, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to your advice. I'll go ahead and pick some. If you really don't have enough food later, don't worry. I'll discuss it with my mother."
There are five people in their family. Judging from the food intake of his mother and the children, well, even if the children grow up for two years and eat as much as adults, they don't need to be too frugal. These 40 stone of grain will be enough for five years, and it won't be a problem to lend some out.
After the food issue was settled, Manager Xu led a few people further into the cave, saying as they walked, "You won't accept the food, but you must not refuse these two things."
Before anyone saw what it was, they could vaguely hear a whole bunch of chirping and yiyiyiyi sounds.
They were all farm men, they didn't even need to look, they already knew what it was, and their eyes lit up at once.
Shopkeeper Xu saw this and laughed, "Last time I saw you carrying live chickens and ducks, but there was no rooster. I thought you should be able to raise some chickens and ducks there, so I prepared some newly hatched chicks and ducklings for you. Take good care of them along the way, and I think they can survive. Share them among each family, so that the children can eat some chicken and duck eggs in the future. I asked someone who knows the business to carefully select them, and most of the chicks are hens. If there are really one or two that I can't identify, just stew them before the crowing begins."
This is very careful consideration.
It's amazing that the families who bought these chickens, ducklings and young ducks were really willing to accept them. Firstly, they were not expensive, and secondly, they really improved their quality of life. They left in a hurry and didn't even have time to prepare live chickens and ducks, so they all expressed their gratitude.
I thought the two things that Shopkeeper Xu was talking about were chickens and ducks, but Shopkeeper Xu opened the lids of a pair of baskets next to him, and they were full of various packaged medicines: "I'll take one of these two baskets to my mother, and the other one to you. I hope you don't need to use them, but there are no doctors in the mountains, so it's better to be prepared."
This, too, really touched the hearts of several families.
Although every family has some medicine prepared, they are still poor. How much can they prepare?
Old Man Lu smiled and cupped his hands: "We really need this, so I'll take it. Thank you, Shopkeeper Xu."
Shopkeeper Xu smiled and bowed in return: "I'm glad you accept it. My preparations were not in vain."
They also brought out the pots, bowls, bedding and other things they had prepared for their family. Unlike the ceramic pots used by everyone else, the Xu family used a relatively sophisticated iron pot, which only people with connections could afford.
Recalling something, he took out a set of stone-cutting tools from the side of one of the baskets, looked at his uncle's sturdy figure, thought for a while, and handed it to Chen Lie: "Last time I heard you say you were living in a cave, so I prepared a set of these tools for you. You can take them with you. They will be useful wherever you need to level the ground. I don't think Qinghe will need them, so I won't give them to him."
Chen Lie laughed: "I was originally thinking of asking you to help me get a set. This is needed right now. Don't worry, just because you have considered so much for us, I will also be responsible for fixing up the place where the old lady lives later."
Wei Qinghe touched his nose and thought that he was really not very good at these things.
Shopkeeper Xu said with a smile: "Thank you in advance."
When Old Man Chen and his companions saw that it was a set of tools for chiseling stones, they all laughed. Except for Old Man Lu, everyone present had been to Yun Valley and had naturally seen the caves. They didn't dare to expand the cave as there were too many caves and they didn't dare to make any changes. They couldn't hollow out the bottom of the mountain, but if they wanted to live comfortably, it was still necessary to level the ground. They all praised the shopkeeper for being so thoughtful.
Everyone was busy packing up. Grain was packed into bags at a stone level. In addition to grain, the baskets could also be used to stuff some miscellaneous items. Everyone was busy, so Shopkeeper Xu pulled Chen Lie aside to talk.
"Last time you asked me to do something, there is something I want to tell you."
Shen Lie's heart tightened when he heard this, and he quickly looked at Shopkeeper Xu.
Shopkeeper Xu waved his hand and smiled, "It's not that anything happened to those kids, it's about the conscription of soldiers and grain."
He told Chen Lie what he had learned by asking his servants to disguise themselves as peddlers in the village, and said, "Your uncle's family should have used up all their money to pay for military service, and there isn't much food left. Li is injured, but no doctor has been sent for. My servants carefully followed her and checked on her several times. It seems that the child has applied some herbs. That's the situation."
Chen Dashan was standing nearby. When he heard what was said, his expression turned cold. “Your uncle and aunt are really great. It seems that your family can still afford the money for the military service. But they were so cruel back then that they pushed you out.”
The price of the substitute service is not something that can be saved in one or two years by digging for food in the fields. Farmers only rely on the little income from the fields. What can they have left after paying for food and rent in a year? Being able to save one or half a tael is considered a skill, so this money should have been available two or three years ago, at least the difference would not be too big, at most one or two taels are missing. If Shen San had been willing at that time, each family could have pooled together and borrowed it. Shen Lie was not good at hunting at that time, so he could have hunted some pheasants and exchanged them with the county, and the one or two taels of foreign debt could have been repaid in one or two months.
In the final analysis, I just couldn't bear to spend that huge amount of money on my nephew.
Shopkeeper Xu also sighed in his heart. He had recently asked his servants to help keep an eye on the situation in Shili Village, so he had a clear understanding of the Shen family's affairs. Shopkeeper Xu admired the fact that the eldest branch of the Shen family could still care about his cousins under such circumstances. To be honest, he was more willing to make friends with Shen Lie and Sang Luo. It was a great fortune to make friends with such people in a lifetime.
Naturally, he became more concerned about the things Chen Lie entrusted to him.
When Shen Lie heard about Shen San using silver to pay for his labor service, his eyes turned cold. Moreover, at this time of year, he could use the silver to pay for his labor service instead of buying food.
He used to think that Shen San was cold and indifferent to his siblings who were not his biological children. Later, when he saw that Li was pushed out by him to serve in the army, he saw through it a little more. He didn't expect that he would even take advantage of his own children's livelihood for the sake of his own life.
Seeing that Shopkeeper Xu was still waiting for his words, Shen Lie said, "You don't need to worry about it. Whether it's Shen San or Li Shi, no matter what happens, you don't need to worry. I don't have that kind of friendship with them. I just want you to help me keep an eye on those children... When the food of the Shen family's third room is running out, please pay more attention to it. I'm afraid that the children will be sold for food before the war even starts."
Shopkeeper Xu had seen many cases of children being sold. In the north, it was not uncommon to exchange children for food. He nodded and said, "Okay. I think those kids are smart. They have been busy with wild vegetables these days. We have dried a lot of them in the yard. It won't happen in a short time. If it really comes to that, I will pay more attention to it and act accordingly. I will let you know if there is anything."
Chen Lie bowed, and Shopkeeper Xu quickly raised his hand to support him: "There is no need for us two families to do this."
The two of them trusted each other and understood each other's feelings. One was hiding in the mountains, and the other could not leave Qiyang County temporarily due to his duties. They were able to help each other.
Chen Lie didn't say anything more and let Shopkeeper Xu talk to Wei Qing and Uncle Lang for a while. In fact, he was just asking about the old lady and the children so that he could feel at ease. Then he told them what they had brought, such as oil, salt, seeds and so on.
Salt was easy to carry and could be stored for many years, so they brought quite a lot. As for oil, they could only make oil from the prey hunted by Chen Lie and his men. When the small jar Wei Qinghe brought was used up, they would exchange it with Chen Lie for some grain. They also asked Wei Qinghe to learn how to grow vegetables from the other families.
Before leaving, Chen Lie took out a small medicine bottle from his bosom and gave it to Shopkeeper Xu. He pointed at Old Man Chen and Chen Dashan and said, "This medicine kills the enemy instantly. It was originally a recipe of the Chen family. We rely on this medicine to be safer when we go in and out of the forest. Take this bottle and use it for self-defense. We have to make two trips to take these grains away. Please keep it with your men for another day or two."
When Manager Xu heard that it was a fatal weapon, he knew it was a good thing to save lives in times of chaos. He hurriedly thanked Chen Lie and the Chen family's grandparents and grandchildren, then carefully put it away and sent everyone away.
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