Xie Yushu sheathed her dagger and followed them out.
Haitang took Xiao Jinyu to play
Xiao Yi found some rattan from somewhere and wove it into a basket.
Xie Yushu poured the remaining water into the wooden bucket and covered it. She emptied a few gourds to prepare for taking them to fill with water the next day.
Looking at the eight large gourds in front of me, I estimated that each one could hold four or five pounds, more than a large bottle of Bilibili.
She drank half a gourdful of water today, used half a gourdful for cooking, and filled a whole bucket with the rest. If she uses it sparingly, it should last her three or four days. If all goes well, she'll bring the water back in three or four days.
Since we're going into the mountains, we should definitely check if there's anything to eat or any medicinal herbs. Now, coarse grains have risen from the usual five copper coins (five copper coins a pound) to two taels of silver a pound. Wheat flour is divided into three grades: good quality at fifteen copper coins a pound, medium quality at ten copper coins a pound, and inferior quality at five copper coins a pound, the same price as coarse grains. First-grade refined rice usually costs thirty copper coins a pound, and broken rice at fifteen copper coins a pound, but these are simply unavailable now!
Here, one thousand copper coins are equal to one tael of silver. The main staple food of the people is coarse grains such as sorghum and corn. Only a few wealthy people can afford rice and wheat flour. The price of coarse grains is five copper coins per catty. Originally, one tael of silver could buy two hundred catties of grain, which was new rice. If it was old rice, it could buy about two hundred and fifty to three hundred catties. But now, two taels of silver can only buy one catty of rice. It's practically like eating silver!
Although Xiao Yi still had some silver, it wasn't enough to eat like that. Besides, twenty-odd taels of silver didn't last long in these times. It would be better if she could find some food to save some silver. Although silver wasn't worth much now, once the disaster was over and grain prices returned to normal, silver would still be a valuable thing.
Xie Yushu went back into the house to find a cloth bag, intending to put whatever she came across in it. By the time she had everything ready, it was completely dark, and the group went back to their rooms to rest.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Xie Yushu had not yet gotten out of bed when she heard voices coming from the courtyard. It sounded like it was Old Madam Xiao again!
“It’s not safe for your wife to go find water alone. Today, your father, your eldest brother and sister-in-law, and your fourth brother’s wife will go with your wife so that they can look after each other.”
Xie Yushu found it amusing. They said it sounded nice, but she would be lucky if they didn't use her as a fallout if there was any danger. Expecting them to take care of her was like the sun rising in the west!
Xiao Yi sounded somewhat hesitant, only saying that he would discuss it with me when I woke up.
Xie Yushu had no objection to bringing them along.
It's not that she's a saint, but rather that years of education in serving people have made it impossible for her to remain indifferent when she sees others in trouble.
Let alone Xiao Yi's family, she would help any ordinary people she could. However, while she was happy to help others, if anyone tried to cause trouble because she was easy to talk to, they would not stand a chance!
After dressing, tidying her hair, and concealing the dagger at her waist, Xie Yushu took a few clean handkerchiefs and went out with her cloth bag. Old Mrs. Xiao was still nagging Xiao Yi. Seeing her come out, Xiao Yi spoke up...
"Your father and elder brother want to go with you to find water."
"Then let's go together! I'm going into the mountains today. You know better than I do what's going on there. If you're going, bring some useful gear. Don't wait until you're in danger and come back empty-handed!"
Grandma Xiao had prepared a whole speech to scold Xie Yushu, but to her surprise, Xie Yushu readily agreed! All her words were stuck in her throat, and she just stared blankly.
Although Old Man Xiao and Xiao Dayong had heard about what was going on in the mountains, they were farmers and had never actually been there. Only Old Man Xiao was carrying a hoe, while the others were carrying water gourds. After hearing what Xie Yushu said, the couple went back and got two sickles.
With everything prepared, Xie Yushu carried Xiao Yi's newly woven basket on her back, put on a straw hat, grabbed a shovel, and led the way out.
The sun hadn't risen yet in the early morning, but it wasn't exactly cool either. The group walked quickly because it would get even hotter once the sun came out.
After walking for three hours straight, passing Luofeng Slope and crossing five not-so-high mountains, it was around 11 a.m. when the group finally reached the edge of the Qinglong Mountain Range forest. Along the way, the water pits that had been occupied yesterday were indeed dry. They encountered several familiar faces who were also starting to search deeper into the mountains.
The air turned into a heatwave again, and even breathing felt like being roasted alive.
"Second son's wife, where did you get your water yesterday? How much further is it? Should we go take another look and dig a bit more? Maybe we can still find water! If we keep walking like this, we'll probably die of heat before we even reach the mountains!" Old Xiao asked.
"It's so hot, the place where we got water yesterday must be dry by now! If we want water, we'll have to walk further in!"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Xiao glanced at the sun overhead, resignedly lowered his head, and continued walking.
Xie Yujiao said in a sarcastic tone
"You didn't even go, how do you know it's dry? We've already walked so far! You're not leading us on a pointless journey, are you? I think you just don't want to take us with you to fetch water! You're afraid there won't be enough water and we'll share it!"
"Then you don't have to come with me, you can go wherever you want!"
"If I knew where the water was, I wouldn't bother coming with you!"
"Then shut up."
"Why should I shut up? I think you're feeling guilty now that I've hit the nail on the head!"
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
Old Man Xiao and Boss Xiao scolded each other at the same time
"If you have the energy, walk a few more steps instead of making a fuss!"
Xie Yujiao awkwardly shut her mouth.
When it came to his own life, Old Man Xiao didn't indulge Xie Yujiao.
As for Xiao the eldest, he is diligent and obedient. As the eldest son, he also has a certain say, which is why he spoke up to reprimand him.
The old couple said they cherished their fourth child the most, and their eldest child was second only to their first.
The eldest son's wife, Li, was also diligent and efficient. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, Qingsong, was 14 years old, her second son, Qingbai, was 11 years old, and her youngest daughter, Haitang, was the same age, both six years old.
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