Chapter 7: Paying with Grain for Labor

“Scholar, what wisdom do you have to impart?” the Village Chief asked.

“This great drought, I fear, will last a long time. The village should prepare early,” Yan Huaiwen said, his expression serious.

“Hiss!” Village Chief Luo couldn’t even hold his bowl steady. He quickly put it down and asked urgently, “What do you mean by that? Wen-ge’er, have you heard something in town?”

He was so anxious that he directly called Yan Huaiwen by his childhood nickname.

San Tie secretly glanced at the Scholar. Seeing that he wasn’t angry, he let out a sigh of relief.

Grandpa had specifically told him at home that the eldest of the Yan Family was different from them, these dirt-poor farmers. They couldn’t call him “Wen-ge’er” anymore; they had to respectfully address him as “Scholar.”

Yan Lao’er looked at his elder brother in surprise.

What was going on?

Did scholars know everything in the world without leaving their homes?

Did Big Brother know about the drought so early?

He tried hard to recall the plot his daughter had told him from the book. It seemed there was no such part…

Could it be that their arrival had changed the plot?

Yan Huaiwen had no choice but to use fabricated information to conceal his uncanny foresight.

“That’s right. I heard the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated that there would be a great drought.”

What… what Bureau?!

The Luo family grandfather and grandson didn’t understand what kind of place it was, but it had a grand-sounding name, so they interpreted it based on their limited knowledge.

This was a place that could divine and calculate, and they had predicted it: a great drought!

They had to believe it!

Only a Scholar could get such useful information. Having a scholarly title truly made a difference!

Village Chief Luo, who had experience fleeing from famine, immediately became restless.If what was said was true: they had to prepare early.

“The wheat in the fields must be harvested quickly, and the water from the old well must also be drawn out. While other villages haven’t made a move, we should leave first.” Village Chief Luo had been led by his parents when they fled from famine back then. Too many people had died on the road. On the path of escape, whoever left first had a greater chance of survival.

The younger generation in the village hadn’t experienced it, but the elders had all lived through that time.

They immediately grasped the key points.

That’s right, the two most important things were water and grain.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask for your help with.” Yan Huaiwen looked at his younger brother and said helplessly, “Huai’an and his wife have been busy in the fields all day. They can wait, but the wheat in the fields cannot. It’s inconvenient for me to go out, so I’d trouble you to help find some people to harvest the wheat in our fields within three days. Our family is willing to pay with grain for the labor.”

The Village Chief nodded secretly.

This Scholar was truly insightful.

At this time, temporary laborers were hard to find, as everyone was guarding their own fields.

But paying with grain was different. Even if the amount was small, many people would still be willing to put in the effort.

Tomorrow, when he spread the news about the ‘whatsit Bureau,’ even more people would rush to help the Yan Family harvest their fields.

San Tie’s eyes lit up instantly.

Their family had many mouths to feed and even more hands to work.

Their own fields could be harvested in a jiffy.

Helping the Yan Family harvest their fields while they were at it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Grandpa!” San Tie whispered.

He was given a fierce glare and immediately fell silent.

“Don’t worry, Scholar. You won’t need three days. For your few mu of land, two days will be enough.” Village Chief Luo pondered for a moment, then asked, “Scholar, where do you think we should go?”

He had no idea in his heart. He knew they had to flee, that only by leaving would they find a way to survive.

But where could they go?

As he thought of the family property they had painstakingly built up, which they would once again have to abandon, he finally understood how his parents and grandparents must have felt back then.

It was hard to let go!

“North, to Guanzhou.”

…

After leaving the Yan Family’s door, San Tie impatiently asked his grandpa, “Grandpa, why didn’t you tell the Scholar that our family could help him harvest the wheat?”

“Brainless!” Old Man Luo said, exasperated. “Our family’s situation is obvious for all to see. Don’t you think he knows we have many able-bodied men? He didn’t even mention it, and instead asked us to help find people to work. That’s precisely because he wants to extend this benefit to more villagers, to build goodwill with more neighbors.”

Among his grandchildren, San Tie was considered quick-witted, and Old Man Luo was happy to teach him more. “We’re not like other villages; we each have our own ancestors. If we want everyone to come with us, we need to let them see some tangible benefits.”

“Grandpa, I don’t understand. If they don’t want to come with us, then they can just go their own way, what’s the big deal?” San Tie was confused, still thinking about the grain the Scholar had promised.

“You’re still young, you haven’t experienced much, so you don’t know the ins and outs of this,” Old Man Luo said. “We’re fleeing from famine. Which direction to go, which path to take, what time to leave, what time to sleep, whether the old and young need to ride in carts, who goes to find food and drink, who guards our belongings and children—we need people to make decisions, and we also need people to help with the work. Only by sticking together can we find a way to survive.”

“The Scholar is the most accomplished person in our village, and everyone respects him. But he usually doesn’t interact much with us. If we want everyone to work together, we need to let them know that the Scholar is generous, kind-hearted, and willing to help us poor folk.”

“As for why we need to travel together? Do you think the road of escape is as peaceful as going from our village to town? We’re suffering from drought, won’t other villages be suffering too? If no one can survive, everyone will have to leave. When people are starving, they’ll do anything! If we run into those who can’t survive, they’ll fight us to the death, snatching our provisions. How would we live then? So, everyone needs to stick together, protect our belongings, protect the old and young in our village. We’ve lived in this village for decades, we know each other inside out. Isn’t that better than teaming up with strangers?”

“But Grandpa, even after paying the grain tax, the Scholar’s family doesn’t have much land. How many people can that help? Will the villagers really be willing to follow? I heard the south is very rich, they can plant three crops a year. Good heavens, they must eat big white steamed buns every meal! The old folks in the village say the north is very cold, cold enough to freeze people to death. If you’re relieving yourself halfway, it can freeze into an icicle… You plant in spring and harvest in autumn, only one crop a year. It’s not even as good as our place.” San Tie was genuinely worried. Relieving oneself was a big deal. What if his ‘little bird’ got frozen off?!

“It’s not that you can’t survive in the north…” Old Man Luo cautiously looked around, then lowered his voice. “If we harvest the wheat now, it’s much earlier than in previous years. The yamen’s grain collection officials won’t be here for another ten days or so…”

Ten days or so!

San Tie shivered.

The yield from the fields this year could be roughly estimated at a glance; it was significantly less than previous years. How much would be left after paying the grain tax?

But what if they didn’t pay the tax?

According to previous years’ schedules, by the time the grain collection officials arrived, they would have long been gone.

Fled from famine!!!

“Grandpa!” San Tie was excited, his voice trembling. “Can we really not pay? Didn’t they say if you don’t pay taxes, you’ll be dragged away for forced labor?”

“Lower your voice!” Old Man Luo accurately located his grandson in the dark, glared fiercely at him, then whispered, “The south won’t work. There’s little uncultivated land there, and once the disaster here passes, they’ll just send us back. The north is different; there’s plenty of barren land. If we’re willing, we’ll most likely be able to settle there.”

“If people settle, they’ll have to re-register their household.”

That was true, but Old Man Luo was still hesitant. Did they really have to go north?

Without a tax clearance document, their land would likely be confiscated by the yamen even before three years of abandonment.

Without land, they would become rootless vagrants.

Ignoring his grandson, who was so happy he was practically giddy, Old Man Luo hurried home.

He might have to find a few old fellows to discuss this with.

(End of this chapter)