The soldiers at the city gate were also surprised to see them. They hadn't expected that the empty carts they pushed in would come out full, but they were covered by quilts so they couldn't see what was inside. However, it should be grain.
An Shuyi walked in front, trying to walk as fast as possible, the Zhu family walked in the middle, and Xia Hua walked behind. This group of people were all tall and strong, with fierce-looking faces.
They didn't care about the refugees following behind them. There were soldiers and government officials here, so they didn't dare to make a move. In the past, they would never have had the chance. This was what they were most worried about. Now they didn't dare, but some of their people were still there. If they dared to make a move, they would dare to kill them.
The soldiers and refugees at the city gate were also watching, wondering if the refugees would make a move, but unfortunately they couldn't see it because they were blocked from passing by.
When the refugees realized that the soldiers couldn't see them, they started running forward to try and stop them. But as soon as they surrounded the soldiers, they regretted it because a large number of people appeared ahead.
Before they could even grab it, An Shuyi shouted, "Fight!"
While the refugees were still in a daze, chaos ensued. Village Chief Lin hurriedly led his men over, still holding An Shuyi's knife.
When the refugees saw that there were helpers, and there were only about sixty of them, less than half the number of the other refugees, they were so frightened that they ran away. Some of them couldn't escape and were held down and beaten. They only stopped when they had beaten enough.
Looking at the refugees lying on the ground, though not yet dead, they were covered in wounds that would keep them in pain for ten days to half a month. An Shuyi said, "Let's go!" The tribespeople began to push the grain towards the path.
Village Chief Lin handed the broadsword to his second brother, saying, "Sister-in-law, you guys are really something this time. You managed to buy so much grain. Now we don't have to worry about food anymore."
An Shuyi nodded, "Yes, we bought a lot, but why did you come here?" This place is quite a distance from the path she mentioned.
Village Chief Lin explained, “I saw that it was getting late and you two hadn’t returned yet, so I guessed that you must have gone to the city. You two are so capable, you won’t return empty-handed, so I thought I’d bring some people to wait here, so that we can help if anything happens.”
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I've left someone at the resting place, so nothing will happen. But we were right to come here to wait, otherwise, if those refugees had taken the food, we wouldn't have anything to eat."
"You did a great job this time, you helped us a lot," An Shuyi praised. Indeed, if it were just them, with so many refugees, there would be places they couldn't see. Perhaps the food wouldn't be completely looted, but some would still be taken.
“Sister-in-law, you’re being too polite,” said Village Chief Lin. “We are all from the same clan, and we’re here for our own sake. You mustn’t say things like that again.”
"Hmph," Xia Hua snorted, "Shu Shu was praising you, you don't know what's good for you."
Village Chief Lin nodded, "Yes, Sister-in-law Xia is right, thank you for the praise, Sister-in-law An." This Sister-in-law Xia is a bit fierce. Every time she speaks, he feels scared. She is even more frightening than his wife. Even now, he can still feel his hand throbbing slightly.
An Shuyi glanced at Lin Changmu. This man was so insightful. No wonder he was able to become the village chief and also serve as the village head. If he wasn't tactful, he wouldn't have been elected.
Once they returned to their resting place, they divided the grain among themselves and had the oxen and mules pull it. They planned to distribute the grain again once the oxen and mules found a place to rest. This place was too close to Anhe Prefecture, and some refugees knew they were coming this way, so stopping here was not a good option.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua walked behind. Since they couldn't ride in the carriage, they had to walk. The eldest brother and the others wanted to take the basket from her, but she refused. If they gave it to him, how would she put other things in it later?
"Shushu, give me some of your meat and vegetables later, I'll put them in my basket," Xia Hua said.
She originally planned to buy meat, but it was too expensive, twice as expensive as what Niannian had. So she might as well get it from Niannian. As for the vegetables, although they were available, they were all wilted and ridiculously expensive.
“Okay,” An Shuyi nodded, “but you have to make sure your daughter-in-law cooks it thoroughly so it can be stored properly, otherwise it will smell bad in a day in this weather.”
When she rested in the evening, she would take out the meat and vegetables and teach her two daughters-in-law how to cook. Otherwise, she would get tired of eating roast chicken and roast duck every day. After this period of recuperation, she and Huahua's health had improved a lot. They were no longer as thin as before and did not look as old.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure she does it!" She just doesn't know how talented her daughter-in-law is at cooking. If she's not, she should consider finding a wife with a talent for cooking for her second son.
After all, she couldn't eat Song's pig feed all day long. Although they enjoyed it, it didn't mean it was delicious. Maybe they had never eaten good food before, so they thought Song's food was delicious.
Before it got dark, Village Chief Lin, walking at the front of the group, spotted a flat spot in the distance and decided to rest there. While the others weren't looking, An Shuyi had already bought some meat and vegetables and put them in Xia Hua's basket.
The villagers unloaded the grain they had bought that day from the oxcart and then began to distribute it. Actually, it was also called buying grain, because when they went there, Village Chief Lin originally planned to have the villagers pay in silver first, but An Shuyi thought it was too much trouble and said that she and Xia Hua had enough to buy the grain, and the villagers would decide whether to buy it after they brought the grain back.
So this time, apart from the things Xia Hua bought on her own, everything else was paid for by An Shuyi. She didn't plan to sell the grain at a high price either. Two taels of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure), she bought it at the grain shop for two taels and five hundred wen, and she bought it through her own trading system for three wen per jin (another unit of dry measure). She couldn't sell it too cheaply, otherwise the clansmen would become suspicious.
Everyone started lining up. After paying the silver, they could carry away their grain. Each sack contained one bushel of grain. She and Xia Hua filled their sacks with more, not less. Soon everyone had finished buying. She and Xia Hua divided the remaining grain among themselves and had their sons carry it onto their oxcart.
Next were the tribespeople, asking them to help carry things. An Shuyi took out the items, stated the price, and then took the money to move on to the next item. After she had taken everything, she said, "This time, besides those items, I also bought some meat. It's 20 coins per catty, and each family can buy a maximum of two catties. If anyone wants some, come and get the meat."
"Sister An, isn't this too cheap? Are you subsidizing us?" a tribesman said. He wasn't doubting the meat itself, but it was simply too cheap. They used to have to pay more than ten coins a pound for meat, but now it was only twenty coins, not much more expensive.
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