Chapter 6: Setting Out Ahead of Schedule

Yan Huaiwen was still the same. After taking his medicine, he grew drowsy and fell asleep, only to cough himself awake again.

Seeing his second brother tidying up the room quietly, he couldn’t help but let out a light cough.

“Big Brother, you’re awake!” Yan Lao’er quickly came over and asked him, “Do you need to relieve yourself?”

Yan Huaiwen couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. Asking the same thing over and over – didn’t he have anything else to say to his big brother? Like, for instance, his *twenty taels* gambling debt.

But he said nothing, shaking his head subtly.

He asked him, “How’s the wheat harvest coming along in the fields?”

Yan Lao’er looked a bit embarrassed. The work was indeed slow, but truly, he and his wife had tried their best.

“Probably, it’ll still take some time,” he said sheepishly. “It should be ready to be stored with everyone else’s.”

Harvesting so many days earlier than others, yet still storing it at the same time.

This speed…

Yan Huaiwen secretly shook his head. There wasn’t enough time. According to his vague, distant memories, the village well would soon dry up. Without water, the wheat in the fields would collapse, severely reducing the yield, and not much grain would be harvested.

They were still relatively fortunate. In the town’s grain stores, prices were soaring. Many couldn’t afford grain. Without food or water, what else could they do but flee?

At first, it was the well-informed wealthy households. Then, more and more people followed. It was only when they realized that half the town’s population had fled as refugees that they started to panic.

But they had still left too late. Everything edible along the way had been scavenged by those who came before, leaving them with only dry grass roots and tree bark, not to mention the lack of water sources.

This time, they absolutely had to set off early.

“Tian You, go invite the Village Chief over,” Yan Huaiwen instructed.

“Invite the Village Chief? It’s so late…” Yan Lao’er wasn’t curious why the Village Chief was being invited. He was an imposter, and absolutely couldn’t probe too deeply, or he might dig himself into a hole.

Yan Huaiwen glared: “Just go when I tell you to go.”

Yan Lao’er assented and quickly left.

…

The Village Chief, though old, was still robust, and remained steadfastly by the village well.

The old man was only in his early forties this year. He had three sons, and his three sons had given him five grandsons, making his family the most prosperous in terms of male descendants in the village.

Village Chief Luo had set a rule: four buckets of water per household per day, and that was four buckets. This standard was based on his own family’s daily water consumption. If anyone claimed it wasn’t enough, he would certainly take his sons and grandsons to their home to see exactly how it wasn’t enough.

In fact, the Village Chief was already discussing the wheat harvest with his eldest son.

“Without water, the wheat in the fields will eventually dry up and die. It’s better to harvest it early.”

The villagers had never given up hope, pouring all the water they could spare from their own consumption into the fields, all for the sake of a good harvest.

But looking at it now… alas! Heaven was not giving them a way to live!

“Father, harvesting even one day earlier means a significant loss!” Eldest Luo winced in pain. Only farmers who had tended the land for years knew the preciousness of every single grain.

Especially with so many mouths to feed in their family, they were all depending on the yield from the fields for food.

“Don’t I feel the pain?” The Village Chief glared fiercely at him. “The old folks in the village say there’s no rain, no rain, haven’t you heard? Heaven isn’t granting us food!” He sighed deeply.

“Who’s there?” The Luo family’s eldest grandson heard the movement and called out to the rapidly approaching figure.

“Da Tie? It’s me, Yan Lao’er. Is your grandpa there?” Yan Huaian was panting from exhaustion, only wanting to quickly invite the Village Chief home and then collapse into sleep.

“He’s here. Yan Second Uncle, why are you here again?” San Tie was more lively than Da Tie, who was more mature, and he was also more familiar with Yan Lao’er.

He had heard Yan Lao’er boast quite a bit. Regardless of whether Yan Lao’er was a proper worker or not, he truly lived a carefree life, not needing to work, being supported by others, eating well and drinking well.

Tsk! What a wonderful life!

San Tie, for one, was very envious.

“My Big Brother invited the old man over.” Upon arriving, Yan Huaian saw the stern-faced Village Chief. “Uncle Luo, you see…”

Village Chief Luo wasted no words. He instructed his son and grandson to guard the well, then stood up and left.

San Tie’s eyes darted around, and he called out, “Grandpa, I’ll accompany you.”

Eldest Luo thought for a moment and didn’t object.

Scholar Yan was the only educated person in the village with an official title.

He was highly respected by the villagers.

But this time, his family had provoked the headman’s family, who held sway over all the surrounding villages for miles.

They truly couldn’t figure out if the two families were actually discussing a marriage.

The headman’s youngest son spoke with such certainty, but if he really wanted to get married, how could he have beaten his future father-in-law?

The villagers were simple and didn’t think in such complicated ways.

Eldest Luo felt that Scholar Yan probably wouldn’t agree, and the headman’s family, being consistently overbearing, would surely cause trouble again.

Inviting his father over at this time must be to discuss countermeasures.

It was good to let San Tie go along too; the boy was a chatterbox and could report back later.

The old man was in excellent health and walked incredibly fast; Yan Huaian could barely keep up.

As they walked, he cast a sidelong glance at him and asked, “Is Scholar Yan feeling better?”

“Much better,” Yan Huaian replied.

The Village Chief then asked, “Did you take your wife to the fields today?”

“Yes, my family plans to harvest the wheat early.” Yan Huaian felt his answer was perfectly fine.

To his surprise, Village Chief Luo snorted loudly and said, “Normally, I don’t care about your shenanigans, but your brother is still lying there, unable to get up. And you come up with such a scheme? What, you want him to feel pained watching you work the fields? And taking your wife with you too? You’re really something! I hear the money for the medicine is still on credit. Yan Huaian, oh Yan Huaian, your brother has treated you well! Why don’t you know how to save some face for him, you are a scholar? Huh? All you know is how to scheme for money, money…”

San Tie saw his grandpa getting more and more carried away, and quickly interrupted him, “Grandpa, watch your step, mind the road.”

The Village Chief said, “What’s there to watch? I’ve walked the village roads for over forty years; I could walk them back and forth with my eyes closed.”

However, he was too lazy to talk to Yan Huaian anymore. He’d speak directly to the Scholar. He wouldn’t bother with this good-for-nothing, hmph!

…

“I apologize for inviting you over so late, old man… cough, cough…” Yan Huaiwen propped himself up, gesturing for his foolish younger brother to pour water.

Yan Huaian, receiving the instruction, immediately sprang into action.

The Village Chief sighed, “You’re not well, I should have come to see you sooner, but as you know, the weather has been strange lately. I had to keep an eye on things; my eldest son and the others can’t manage it.”

If he wasn’t there to keep order by the old well, it would probably have been drained dry long ago.

Two bowls of cool boiled water were brought before the grandfather and grandson.

San Tie couldn’t help but swallow.

Even though they guarded the old well, they hadn’t drawn a single extra drop of water.

Grandpa had set the limit, and they honestly followed it, even saving sips from their own mouths to water the fields.

Seeing his third grandson’s craving, the Village Chief couldn’t bear it and said, “Drink.”

“Aye!” San Tie responded extremely quickly, grabbing the bowl. After his grandpa took a sip, he then gulped it down.

“Ahem… I’ve invited you here precisely for this.”
(End of this chapter)