Chapter 27: Old Yan Buys Livestock for the Village

Village Chief Luo hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for the past few days. This wasn’t just a matter for one or two families; it was a concern for the entire village.

The ox cart in the Yan Family courtyard was no illusion. Yan Lao’er was making trips to town daily, bringing back loads of grain that everyone could see clearly.

The more prepared Scholar Yan was, the more anxious the villagers became.

They couldn’t even deceive themselves into hoping that maybe the heavens would show mercy and bring rain in a few days.

Each day was hotter than the last, and the village well could only yield half a bucket of water at a time.

The four buckets of water per household that Village Chief Luo had allocated daily had now become just one.

Everyone was holding their breath as they harvested the wheat. After Scholar Yan, they all gradually completed their own harvests.

The village’s threshing ground was filled with everyone’s wheat.

The only stone mill was grinding Scholar Yan’s wheat.

Each family waited anxiously, but no one urged him to hurry.

The Qi Family Brothers worked tirelessly, and everyone saw it. Even if it were them, they couldn’t do it any faster.

There was no need to say who came first and who came last; everyone was watching closely.

After the Scholar’s family, it was the Village Chief’s turn. His family had more men, followed by the Qi Family Brothers, who had less land. Then it was Granny Wang’s family. Although she only had two sons, her daughters-in-law were exceptionally capable…

Yan Lao’er squatted nearby the whole time, with no one paying him any mind.

He really had no social connections to speak of.

Bored, he looked around, observing the villagers, the wheat each family had harvested, and counting the children each family had.

During the busy farming season, everyone was out in full force, which made it easier for him to recognize people.

He noted each family as they greeted each other, saving himself from being in the dark about who was who.

From a distance, Yan Yu saw her father squatting alone, looking as if he were being isolated.

Yan Yu ran over quickly and called out, “Dad!”

She leapt forward, and Yan Lao’er hurriedly stood up to catch her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uncle and Brother are behind me,” Yan Yu whispered. “Dad, Uncle and Brother have packed their things. I saw it was all books… They saw our stuff but didn’t ask Mom or me, so they might ask you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control,” Yan Lao’er replied.

“Er Ya! You’re here too!”

“Er Ya, let’s go play!”

“Er Ya, come quickly, I’ve got something cool to show you.”

Yan Yu gave her father a proud little look.

See, see, this is what you call a contrast!

Among the children, Yan Yu was quite popular.

She was much more cheerful and understanding than the old Er Ya. She would make exaggerated expressions to match the other kids’ boasts, could braid grass ropes with the little girls, and dig for bugs with the boys. In just a few days, she had become one with the village children.

Yan Yu was whisked away by the kids.

Yan Lao’er waited until his brother and his eldest nephew arrived.

“Brother, what brings you here? Is something up?”

Although Yan Huaiwen had recovered from his illness, his body hadn’t fully healed. Venturing out in the scorching heat surely meant something was up.

“How much wheat did our family harvest?” Yan Huaiwen only remembered that the yield this year wasn’t good.

After paying the grain tax, they wouldn’t even have enough food for half a year.

“Less than two hundred jin per mu,” Yan Lao’er said with a frown. “Our family has ten mu of land, so that’s about eighteen hundred jin. And ours is top-grade land; others have it worse.”

The weather had a huge impact on the crop yield.

Yan Huaiwen’s expression was grave. Last time, they went to the Prefectural City, but this time they had to go even further.

Originally, they thought saving on the grain tax would be enough, but now it seemed there was still a significant shortfall.

“Scholar!” Village Chief Luo and a group of village elders surrounded them.

Yan Lao’er was predictably pushed out of the circle.

He chuckled and squeezed back next to his brother.

Whatever, I’m going to listen to what you all have to say.

Yan Xiangheng couldn’t bear to look at his uncle, but after thinking it over, he quietly moved closer, standing behind his father with his ears perked up.

“I’ve prepared some silver and plan to buy a couple of livestock for the village elders to use as transport,” Yan Huaiwen said, pulling out a handful of silver and handing it to the Village Chief.

“No, we can’t let the Scholar spend so much. We can walk, and we have carts at home. The boys can push us.”

“Yes, Scholar, we can’t take advantage of you.”

“Scholar, your great kindness, but these old bones of ours can’t bear it! We’ll walk as far as we can. If it weren’t for the worry, this old man wouldn’t want to leave, just to avoid troubling the children and grandchildren.”

“Buying livestock means preparing feed for them, which isn’t cost-effective. Let the boys take turns pushing us, and give them more food. It’s cheaper than keeping livestock.”

“Village Elders, livestock can make the journey faster. Moreover, if we truly reach a desperate point, we can slaughter them for food,” Yan Huaiwen explained.

Yan Lao’er couldn’t help but interject, “We should bring along the wheat straw from each family. It can be used for cooking fires and feeding the livestock. As for water, it might be tight initially, but if we travel quickly and leave this drought-stricken area, we’ll reach places with grass and water, and everything will be fine.

We won’t find nothing along the way. We’ve already got a head start, and I refuse to believe we won’t find food.

Along the road, if there are mountains or forests, we should stop and search carefully. There will definitely be water.”

Yan Huaiwen glanced at him and said, “Indeed, near mountains and forests, there must be water sources.”

Yan Lao’er added, “My brother has a kind heart and can’t bear to see anyone suffer. We’re all from the same village, and we must stick together when we’re out there. Those who have money can contribute money, and those who have strength can contribute strength. Our family has these possessions, and this silver… I think buying a couple of mules should be enough. With two animals to carry us, we can lead the way, and you won’t suffer, and the boys at home will have it easier.”

Several village elders were moved to tears, and their families, thinking something had happened, rushed over to ask.

After hearing the elders’ accounts, every family was deeply grateful.

Yan Huaiwen and the village elders set the departure time and then left with his son.

He wanted to avoid being surrounded by the villagers, thanking him profusely.

He didn’t want to receive it.

Although he had done a good deed, Yan Huaiwen knew he had his own motives, and they were quite significant.

He wanted the villagers to travel with him, to find safety in numbers.

Yan Lao’er, as agreed, settled the grain with the Qi Family.

Then he took his daughter, who had played to her heart’s content, and drove the ox cart home.

Once they were out of sight, he had Sanbao take over the driving.

He pulled out a cloth to wipe his daughter’s face and hands while urging her to drink water.

“Look at you, all sweaty, and you can’t even take a bath. You stink!”

“Dad, look at the bugs my friends helped me find. I’ll use them to feed the chickens. Maybe they’ll lay a couple more eggs.” Yan Yu chattered on, unconcerned. “You have no idea how hard Xiaogo worked to find these bugs. He said he dug several holes before he found them.”

“Is that Physician Cui’s youngest son?”

“Yeah, we borrowed a donkey cart from them once. You have no idea how much Xiaogo admires you. He thinks your horseshoeing skills are super cool, hahaha!”

Yan Lao’er said, “Your uncle is spending money to buy livestock for the village elders to use as transport. I want you to think about it.”

He recounted the story to his daughter.

Author Note:

Old Yan buying livestock for the village elders had his own plans. The story unfolds bit by bit, so don’t rush to criticize.

(End of Chapter)