That noon, Chen Qingqing was sorting through the dried herbs, preparing to mix them together to make incense in the afternoon, and then go up the mountain to dig for ginseng the next day.
Just as I finished mixing all the medicinal powders together, I saw Chen Zhanshan walk back with his head down. Seeing his dejected state, I felt very sorry for him.
In this dynasty that favored sons over daughters and valued filial piety above all else, it was astonishing that her parents would choose to sever ties with their family for the sake of a girl.
How could she not be moved by such love and courage?
"Dad, you're back," Chen Qingqing greeted him. "Why are you back so early today?"
Chen Zhanshan nodded. The family's remaining food supplies were almost gone, and he was extremely anxious.
There are too many idle people in Qingshui Town, with plenty of young and strong men and a lot of merchants coming and going.
But people his age wouldn't even give him a second glance. He went to town to look for work for several days in a row but no one would hire him. He had lost hope.
But he still forced a smile. "Qing'er, I've seen you fiddling with these herbs these past few days. What are they for?"
"I'm going to make some incense; there are too many mosquitoes in the house."
Chen Zhanshan looked at the window with a guilty expression. The house, which was converted from a cowshed, had windows that were just a few wooden planks, without even a piece of paper. It was summer now, but what would the family do in winter?
"Qing'er, your father is incompetent, and you have suffered so much." He sighed, and then continued, "This year our fields are so dry that no crops have grown, and we won't be able to harvest a single grain. Winter will be even harder to endure. Why don't we all flee the famine?"
Chen Qingqing shook her head as she listened. Fleeing famine was like begging for food. If you encountered a kind and generous family, they might give you some food. But if you encountered a rude and stingy family, they would not only refuse to give you alms, but also speak ill of you. Such a life would be unbearable.
I've already found the King of Ginseng. As long as I dig it up tomorrow, I won't have to worry about food for the winter.
“Father, fleeing the famine is not a solution. Give me three more days, and I will definitely find a way to earn money. If I still can’t get the money back after three days, then it’s not too late for us to flee the famine.”
Seeing her confident expression, Chen Zhanshan felt that his daughter was hiding something from him, and frowned as he said...
"Qing'er, I know you're worried, but we'll earn the money we should earn. We can't do anything shady. You're just a young girl, you mustn't be fooled, understand?"
"Father, I'm not stupid, don't worry."
"Okay, Dad believes you."
Madam Lin brought over a small stool. "Husband, you must be tired. Sit down and rest for a while."
Chen Zhanshan sat down with his head down and a wry smile on his face. "I didn't do any work, so I'm not tired. I'll go up the mountain this afternoon to gather some firewood to sell in the winter."
"Don't be too anxious, take things slowly." Lin forced a smile. "You rest for a while, I'll go cook now."
"I'm not hungry, don't make my portion, just make sure the two kids are full first."
Chen Zhanshan knew his family's situation; they were about to run out of food. Since they couldn't find work to earn money, they had to save as much as possible, estimating that they could barely make it through a day or two.
Knowing the bitterness in his heart, Chen Qingqing quickly said to Lin Shi, "Mother, Xiao Han and I are not hungry either."
“Yes, I’m not hungry,” Chen Han said with a smile and waved his hand.
"Okay, since no one's hungry, we'll eat tonight." Lin's eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears from the distress.
......
Old Mrs. Chen from the kitchen next door snorted coldly, "You brat, you can barely afford to eat, and you still have time to make incense."
Mrs. Sun glanced at Old Mrs. Chen. Her mother-in-law had been loitering around the kitchen these past few days, preventing her from setting aside any mixed grains or dry rations.
The eldest son's family must be starving, so we have to send them some food today no matter what.
"Mom, the hen in the coop seems to have laid an egg. I can hear it clucking."
Old Mrs. Chen hurriedly stood up. The chicken coop was right next to the foot of the mountain. She had to quickly collect the eggs that had been laid, otherwise they would be swallowed by snakes. How could she save them to nourish Ruolan and Jiye?
"I'm going out for a bit. Hurry up and cook the rice. Your father and Zhanliang should be back from the fields soon."
"Mom, the food will be ready soon, you can go and do your work!"
Seeing her mother-in-law turn and go to the chicken coop, Sun quickly scooped out two pieces of dry food, put them in a hidden basket, and covered them with vegetable leaves.
Old Mrs. Chen hurried to the chicken coop, only to find that there wasn't a single chicken dropping, let alone an egg. She was furious. When she returned to the house, she found that Mrs. Sun had already prepared the meal.
With a cold face, she said, "What's wrong with your ears? Which chicken is clucking? I think you just want to eat eggs."
"I really heard the rooster crow, but maybe it was just lying," Sun explained haphazardly.
......
Just then, a gong sounded from the street.
Chen Han's eyes lit up with joy. "The monkey trainer is here! I'm going to watch him!" He turned and ran outside.
"Xiao Han, don't go." Chen Zhanshan hurriedly called him back. "That's not a monkey show. It's the steward of the wealthy Fan family in Qingshui Town banging a gong and posting notices."
"I thought the monkey show was coming. What a disappointment." Chen Han looked disappointed.
Lin was a little curious and couldn't help but ask, "Honey, is the Fan family hiring handymen? If so, I can work there for a few months and our family will be able to make a living."
Chen Zhanshan shook his head and said, "No, I heard that Master Fan seems to have contracted some strange illness. He's posting notices everywhere and offering a lot of money for medical treatment!"
"What illness is it that requires such a big fuss?"
"Who knows? I guess he's really sick, otherwise he wouldn't be posting notices everywhere."
Chen Qingqing hadn't paid any attention at first, but upon hearing their conversation, she suddenly became interested. "Dad, are you saying someone is posting notices seeking medical help?"
"Yes, they should be under the big locust tree in the village right now."
Great, here's my chance to show off my skills!
Overjoyed, Chen Qingqing quickly put away the herbs for making incense.
After all, there are risks involved in obtaining ginseng. We should focus on making some money first, since the ginseng won't disappear. We can go dig for it a few days later.
"Father, Mother, I'm going out to see what's going on."
"Sister, wait for me, I'm coming too." Chen Han followed closely behind and ran out of the yard.
Chen Zhanshan was stunned. "Qingya usually doesn't like to go out, why is she joining in the fun today!"
Madam Lin smiled faintly, "The child is grown up, let her be."
The area under the big locust tree in the village was already crowded with onlookers.
Chen Qingqing squeezed through the crowd and saw a short, fat man shouting at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, please be quiet. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Shi Taishou..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone chimed in, "Your name is quite down-to-earth, and you say 'shit stinks.' Shit definitely stinks; dogs won't eat it if it doesn't!"
The onlookers burst into laughter.
Chen Qingqing was also amused and burst out laughing.
Shi Taishou's face turned red with embarrassment, and his mouth twitched with anger. "Are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting? I said my surname is Shi, and my given name is Taishou. Tai means sun, and Shou means longevity. It's not stinky. Do you understand? If you dare to make trouble again, I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs."
The man shrank back in fright and dared not utter a sound...
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