# Chapter 36: I Have an Idea

Da ya untied one leg of her chickens, fastening one end of the rope to the cart. The four hens flapped their wings and jumped down, but restricted by the rope, they could only move in circles.

She tossed some still-green grass she had found earlier to them, but the hens showed no interest and ignored it completely.

Li Xuemei, who was cooking porridge, noticed this. She grabbed a handful of wheat straw, cut it into small pieces, then sifted some coarsely ground flour, collecting the bran that fell through. She mixed the bran with the shredded wheat straw and scattered it on the ground.

The hens were delighted and immediately started pecking at the mixture.

The aroma of the bubbling coarse rice porridge filled the air.

Yan Yu smelled it and immediately felt her stomach protest—it was time to eat.

She climbed down from the cart as nimbly as a little monkey.

“Da ya, come help me,” Yan Yu called, trying to move a small table down from the cart.

She carried down matching small benches one by one, setting them up properly before sitting down properly to wait.

With a table and benches, it was a proper meal setup.

The surrounding villagers looked on with envy.

Every household in the village grew wheat and mainly ate wheat-based foods. Rice had to be bought from the grain shop, and they could only afford it a few times a year.

Cooking porridge was even more extravagant—it used too much water, something they were reluctant to waste.

And then there were those exquisite clay buckets and pots.

However, no one felt resentful. In the eyes of these simple villagers, a scholar’s family was supposed to eat and live better than them.

As the steaming hot porridge entered her stomach, Yan Yu squinted her eyes in happiness.

Li Xuemei sliced a small plate of pickled vegetables. Yan Yu picked up a piece and alternated between sips of porridge and bites of pickles, savoring every moment.

Yan Lao’er let his nephew eat first while he went to fetch his elder brother.

Yan Huaiwen was discussing the rotation system for riding in the carts with the villagers.

Village Chief Luo was the first to respond, “We’re not so old that we can’t walk. We can keep up.”

“We’re still strong, and it’s only three hours a day, not all at once. We can handle it.”

“Exactly, Scholar Yan, we’re fine. Let the elderly, women, and children ride more.”

Yan Lao’er arrived just in time to hear the villagers enthusiastically insisting that they could walk and didn’t need the carts.

“You people don’t know what’s good for you. My brother is afraid you’ll tire yourselves out, and here you are refusing to ride the carts,” Yan Lao’er squeezed into the group, pointing randomly at a few villagers. “You, you, and you—look at you, skin and bones. If you collapse under the scorching sun, then what?”

“Brother, you go eat first. I’ll explain to them,” Yan Lao’er pushed his brother away and started his straightforward persuasion.

“Why eat three meals a day? If you don’t eat and just walk, your body won’t hold up. A day or two is fine, but long-term? Same thing—if you collapse, who takes responsibility? If you collapse, who will take care of your elderly parents, wives, and children?

“If you’re too weak, when our rations run out, how will you go out to find food? And if we encounter bandits trying to rob us, what do we do? Just let them take everything because you’re as weak as a reed, ready to topple at the slightest push?”

Village Chief Luo nodded repeatedly, “That’s true. Some people are ruthless—when they can’t find food, they steal from others.”

Yan Lao’er continued, “You’re all so focused on saving rations, but how much can you really save? Even if you starve yourselves, the food won’t last until we reach Guanzhou. If we stay strong, we can go into the woods, catch wild chickens, rabbits, and fish in the rivers. Have some ambition—don’t just think about what’s right in front of you.”

“What? Wild chickens? Rabbits? Rivers? Where?”

“Just follow us. Once we get past this dry region, we’ll find them.”

“Alright, we’ll listen to you. Three meals a day to keep up our strength.”

Yan Lao’er nodded in satisfaction. “The same goes for rotating on the carts. We may be strong men, but we’re not made of iron. What’s wrong with resting a bit?

“The elderly, children, and women should also walk a little each day. Sitting in the cart all the time isn’t good—staying still for too long makes people sick.”

“Hehe, we’ll just ride for a little while. But if we sit, who will push the handcarts?”

“Give me a moment. I’ll sort it out,” Yan Lao’er admitted he hadn’t considered this. “Did every household bring a handcart?”

“Almost. The village has six carts, but they’re mostly for people. We had to load our belongings and freshly milled flour onto handcarts.”

Yan Huaiwen wasn’t concerned. “We just left the village, so people are still carrying a lot of things. After some time, they’ll start discarding unnecessary and heavy items.”

Yan Yu exchanged glances with her parents.

After breakfast, Da ya cleaned up, and Yan Yu pulled her parents aside to discuss something important.

The three of them found a quiet spot and spoke in hushed voices.

“Father, Mother, it’s not just the handcarts. I noticed that every household has redundant cooking supplies. This morning, they all used just one pot and took turns cooking.

“If, like Uncle said, they eventually decide to discard unnecessary items, instead of wasting them, we should sell them on the platform to exchange for food.”

Li Xuemei hesitated. “That sounds good, but if things disappear after reaching us, won’t people get suspicious?”

“If we want to make platform transactions seem normal, I have an idea,” Yan Yu said, though she wasn’t sure if it would work.

“What idea?” Yan Lao’er was more confident in his daughter. She was well-read, clever, and becoming more resourceful.

“Father, did you show the mileage map to Sanbao? Did it memorize the route? Can it guide us?” Yan Yu suddenly asked.

Yan Lao’er was puzzled. Why had the conversation shifted to Sanbao all of a sudden?

“I think so. I asked it several times, and it kept nodding,” he replied. He had even asked Sanbao whether it could find the fastest route, and the little creature had nodded eagerly.

“That means we can not only rely on Sanbao for directions but also use it to locate villages.”

Yan Yu’s speech quickened with excitement. “We’re carrying everyday necessities. If we take them directly to villages, just like traveling peddlers, we can trade them for food and supplies.

“The key isn’t what we trade or whether the trade is fair. It’s about keeping these goods circulating…

“It’d be best if Father handled the transactions, while we act as usual. If we mix in some platform trades every two weeks, the villagers won’t notice—they can’t keep track of everything.”

Yan Lao’er: So, you’re just taking advantage of their poor math skills.

Still, though the plan was a bit troublesome, it was indeed a safe approach.

“But how do we control the timing and ensure we find villages every two weeks?” Li Xuemei pointed out a potential flaw.

“That depends on the situation. This is just an initial idea,” Yan Yu shrugged. “I’m not omniscient—I can’t predict everything.”

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