Since returning from seeing someone off in the suburbs, Lin Momo has been absent-minded, unable to eat or sleep, and lacking energy for anything. She spends her days hoping that Shiguang or Zhu Rui will send a letter back soon.
She had originally planned to go back to Linjia Village, but now she was too lazy to go and just asked Li Dashan to go to Linjia Village to check on the situation for her.
In the past two years, thanks to Lin Momo's secret assistance, the Lin family has not fled the famine with their entire family as before. Although they can only eat half full and have become thinner, they are still much better off than the villagers who are as thin as sticks.
The old fox, the village chief, sensed something was amiss. He sneaked up to Old Master Lin in the dark of night and quietly asked if his grandson-in-law could also get some grain for the villagers, which they would buy with money.
Out of consideration for the money she had lent her that day, Lin Momo agreed.
Since the drought began, people have been coming to the Lin family to borrow grain, but the old man of the Lin family has not agreed. He said that his son took advantage of his absence to exchange the family's old grain for money. They have many children and grandchildren, and they are worried about not being able to feed so many people.
The third brother, Lin Chunsheng, did indeed take advantage of the high prices offered by grain merchants in the spring and quickly sold off all the remaining sacks of grain from the previous year, which was witnessed by the villagers.
When Old Master Lin heard the news and went to stop them, it was too late. The grain merchant had already taken the grain away. In a fit of anger, he beat his son in the street.
At the time, the neighbors tried to break up the fight and persuade the old man to calm down, all thinking that the old man was probably senile this time.
The grain merchants offered such high prices, so which household with even a little grain wouldn't sell it?
It's not worth getting angry over such a trivial matter and even beating your son in the street.
Afterwards, when they sat together grinding their teeth, they talked about it quite a bit.
Although the eldest son's family's grain was being held back by the old man and not sold, besides feeding their own family, they would definitely have to help their third son's family who had no grain to eat, as well as their second son's family who were not well-off. There was really no way to lend any more grain to others.
After refusing several requests, no one came to borrow grain anymore. As for what people said behind his back, Old Master Lin paid no attention to it.
As the disaster worsened and taxes were due, people in the village starved to death one after another. Then, people came to the door asking for grain. They knelt down at the door, swaying, and refused to leave until they were given the grain.
This put the Lin family in a very passive position.
This situation is very unfavorable to the Lin family, and Lin Momo certainly cannot sit idly by. She is also thinking about how to resolve it.
Just then, Village Chief Lin came to ask for help. Old Master Lin couldn't bear it and earnestly advised, "As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. If you can help, please do so. After all, we are all from the same village."
Lin pretended to be hesitant, but finally gritted her teeth and agreed.
They left over 3,000 catties of rice in a secluded spot outside the town and had the village chief send people to collect it. Of course, they also received money, which was half the price of grain in normal years.
Elder Lin was moved to tears, deeply grateful, and thought to himself that he had not misjudged the man.
Lin Lao Er's daughter is very fortunate. She is kind-hearted and always willing to help the villagers. The Lin family has truly raised a good daughter. Not only do they enjoy happiness, but the entire village also benefits from her.
Lin Momo could help with the food shortage, but she was powerless to do anything else.
Now that the government has started conscripting men in the town, I wonder what's happening in the countryside. If it hasn't affected the lower classes yet, it's a good warning to the Lin family and the villagers so they can prepare in advance and avoid being caught off guard like she and Shi Guang.
Li Dashan went to the Lin family and came back saying that the countryside had not yet conscripted soldiers.
When Grandpa Lin learned that his grandson-in-law had been forcibly conscripted into the army, he was very worried about him. He also felt that it was not safe for his granddaughter to live alone in the town. The next day, he brought his eldest grandson and drove a mule cart to the town to personally pick up Lin Momo and take her back to her parents' home.
Lin Momo wanted to wait at home for Shiguang to send a letter back, and she was unwilling to leave at all. She even refused the suggestion that Lin Zhiyong and his wife move in to give her courage.
Instead, she reminded her grandfather that he should prepare early, as conscription was inevitable.
Right now, it's highly likely that the government is short-handed. Once the taxes are collected from the nearby towns, it will probably be the turn of the villages below.
Grandpa Lin had also thought of this problem, but he was at a loss for how to deal with it. He thought to himself that he would have to go back and discuss it with the village chief.
With things on their minds, the two of them rushed back without even eating.
Lin Momo didn't stop them. She asked Uncle Li to load three bags of grain onto the mule cart and then sent the two away.
*
As time went by, Lin Momo became somewhat listless, losing interest in everything, and often spending the entire day lying on the chaise lounge.
One day in the courtyard, when she heard the children next door crying loudly because they were hungry, she suddenly remembered that there was still an important thing she hadn't done.
I'm too lazy to think of any perfect solutions, so I'll just choose the simplest and most brutal method.
The town is not large, with a population of only about a thousand households, and the east side is rich while the west side is poor.
Her house was located in the center of town, surrounded by people of all social classes, rich and poor.
In the early years, some wealthy families fell on hard times and divided their large houses into sections for rent. Later, when they urgently needed money, they simply sold the houses instead of renting them out.
After identifying the recipients of the aid, Lin Momo began her targeted poverty alleviation efforts.
One night, he climbed over the wall and threw a bag of grain into the yards of the poor families in the surrounding neighborhood and the western part of the town.
With the help of space, she only needs to move her legs and think to accurately deliver the grain.
After running around, Lin Momo returned late at night. The eastern sky was already faintly turning white. After returning to her room, she fell asleep immediately, not even hearing Aunt Li's exclamation when she woke up early and found a bag of grain inexplicably in the yard.
That's right, Lin Momo even lost grain in her own yard.
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