Transmigrated Family C28

Chapter 28: Uniting the People

“Uniting the people!” Yan Yu blurted out. Her education hadn’t been for nothing—she had some real substance in that little belly of hers.

“Father, think about it. In ancient times, families rarely split up; decisions were always made by the elders. If Eldest Uncle treats them well, their families will surely treat us well in return.

Our family doesn’t have many people who can do hard labor, so if the villagers help us, the journey will be much smoother.

If some elderly folks feel like they’re a burden and decide not to leave, then their entire family might not be able to go either. This drought is truly severe. If they don’t leave…”

Yan Yu now understood—they had to leave before the grain tax was collected to have more food for themselves.

If they stayed, they’d have to pay taxes. Once the taxes were collected and the drought continued, they’d have nothing to eat or drink…

“Can’t we just buy it ourselves and lend it to them? That’s money from selling our land!” Yan Lao’er said painfully.

He had spoken so generously before only because Old Yan had taken the lead—he couldn’t let his elder brother down.

Since they were spending the money, they had to make sure people remembered their kindness.

Since Old Yan was so determined to take the villagers with them, how could he not lend a hand, paint a bright future for everyone?

But deep down, he was miserable—his own family barely had enough to eat.

Wouldn’t that silver be better spent on food?

Yan Yu continued her analysis: “If we lend our livestock to the villagers, they won’t care for them as much as their own. If trouble arises on the road, they’ll abandon them and run. But if the livestock belong to everyone, and their own parents are riding in the carts, they’ll work harder to protect them.”

“Besides, our family is the only one in the village with an ox. Physician Cui has a donkey, but that stands out too much. If we had two more animals, it would be much better. Right, Father?”

Yan Lao’er thought about it—if an entire village was walking, but his family alone had an ox cart… that would be bad.

As his daughter put it, they’d stand out too much.

“Didn’t you say we should look after our neighbors? That was generous! Now why are you getting stingy?” Yan Yu teased.

“That’s different! Your Eldest Uncle only has so much money from selling the land—spending here and there, there’s not much left.

We’ll need money to settle down in the north. Everything costs silver.

And now he’s gone and given away fifteen taels just like that, without even discussing it with the family.

That was money from selling the land! That land was half mine! So half the silver should be mine too. We sold the land for twenty taels—fifteen of those should be mine, and he didn’t even ask me!” Yan Lao’er grumbled. He was mostly just complaining for the sake of it.

Yan Yu’s eyes lit up.

“Father! You’re absolutely right! When we get home, argue with Eldest Uncle about it. Keep up your persona—so understanding, not like ‘Yan Lao’er’ at all!”

Yan Lao’er: …

Could he drop this ridiculous persona?

“Make a fuss, just enough to hear what Eldest Uncle is thinking. Then pretend to be convinced, so we don’t have to guess.” Yan Yu encouraged.

“But that would mean all my noble and touching words earlier were for nothing!” Yan Lao’er protested.

“Father, from what I’ve learned from my friends, you can’t just make a fuss for nothing. Every time you do, Eldest Uncle ends up giving you money. Sigh! My Eldest Uncle is too kind!”

Yan Lao’er absolutely refused to admit he was tempted by money. “What if your uncle gets angry and decides to split the family?”

“That’s why you have to keep it light, don’t overdo it. Just get some answers.”

Yan Lao’er: This was definitely a bad idea.

—

“Eldest Brother, why didn’t you discuss such a big decision with me?” Yan Lao’er asked in a low voice.

“Do you mean selling the land to pay debts or buying livestock for the village elders?”

Yan Lao’er lowered his head and braced himself. “The silver from selling the land was half mine. Why spend it on livestock for the elders? We don’t even have enough for ourselves…”

Yan Huaiwen remained silent for a moment.

“You didn’t say that at the wheat field.”

“That was just to save face for you in front of outsiders! You had already made your statement—I couldn’t take it back. Of course, I had to let them remember our kindness! That was a lot of silver…”

Yan Huaiwen felt a bit complicated.

So his unreliable younger brother actually knew how to uphold his image in front of others?

His perspective was just a little too narrow—always focused on his own family’s interests.

He hadn’t intentionally left Yan Lao’er out of the discussion—it was just that he was used to making decisions on his own.

Tianyou hadn’t asked, and he had forgotten.

“You’re right. That ten mu of land was under my name, but since we haven’t split the family, the silver from selling it should indeed be shared between us.” Yan Huaiwen admitted.

Yan Lao’er panicked.

“Eldest Brother, I…”

Yan Huaiwen interrupted him, continuing, “Not discussing it with you was my oversight. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Yan Lao’er listened as his brother explained their thin family ties and how traveling with familiar people was safer—similar to what his daughter had analyzed.

But there were also points they hadn’t considered.

“Our village may not be blood relatives, but we’re closer than strangers. To outsiders, we are a group—not easy to take advantage of.

On this journey north, as we lead the way, others will follow. Disaster refugees tend to move in groups. If we head to Guanzhou, some may trail behind us. If they see how we respect the elderly and care for the young, they’ll behave more properly too.

When we reach Guanzhou, scattered refugees will be assigned to different villages. But if we arrive as a large group willing to cultivate new land, we might be settled together.

Our village is full of honest folk—no thieves or troublemakers. That’s rare. You and I have few relatives, and without our neighbors’ help, life would be much harder. If I have to leave in the future, I’ll feel more at ease knowing you’re among familiar faces.”

Yan Yu crouched by the door.

Her Eldest Uncle really thought far ahead.

She learned something new again.

In the end, Eldest Uncle even gave her father money! Haha!

Maybe he was just used to it—whenever his younger brother made a fuss, he would soothe him with money.

But Yan Yu was still dissatisfied with her father’s performance.

His persona wasn’t strong enough—overall, he just looked weak.

—

“Father, your performance wasn’t good enough. Not imposing enough!” Yan Yu criticized.

“I was feeling guilty! I only just paid off my gambling debts!”

“Father, are you afraid Eldest Uncle will split the family?”

Yan Lao’er stayed silent.

The longer they lived together, the less he wanted to separate. He, his wife, and daughter didn’t know much about the world—they could easily be deceived.

Besides, Old Yan was genuinely a good man.

“Eldest Uncle won’t do that. Haven’t you noticed? He’s forgiven you! As long as we behave properly and don’t step out of line, he won’t send us away.

When Eldest Uncle becomes a high-ranking official in the future, we’ll be his family. We can ride his coattails, make some money, and live as wealthy folks—just thinking about it makes me happy!”

“He really gave me money! Just look at Yan Lao’er, gambling away so much—what a scoundrel!”

“Father, let’s use it to buy eggs. One silver can get two eggs.”

“No, eggs spoil easily. We should buy grain—all grain.”

(End of Chapter)