Chapter 83 - 84: Into the Mountains
The black-clothed men kneeling on the ground didn’t answer, quietly awaiting their new orders.
Hua Shunming beckoned to them, whispered a few instructions, and then sent them away with a wicked smirk.
’Since you already have a countermeasure, I’ll just have to be the one to shatter it.’
* * *
Jin Qianqian followed behind Hong Daya, advancing toward the deep mountains with the long column of people.
Gu Wenheng, along with his brothers, split up to guard the front and rear.
By now, the refugees had scoured the entire area around the lake, collecting all the edible wild vegetables and fruits they could find.
To find more food, everyone had no choice but to venture deeper and farther into the mountain forests.
The people of Bainiao naturally didn’t all set out at once. They split into two groups based on their original villages; one part went out to search, while the other remained to guard everyone’s belongings and their campsite.
Especially the older folks, like Li Cuicui, who were looking after the half-grown children and did not go into the mountains with the main group.
"Qianqian, it’s all thanks to the fishhooks you prepared earlier. The elders and children back at camp have been able to recover some of their strength." Dai Ling had caught up at some point and was now walking beside Jin Qianqian.
Jin Qianqian immediately recognized her as Gu Shulin’s wife. "Aunt Shulin, you’re being too formal. At the time, we were just a little curious and bought them because the price seemed fair. We paid for them with silver coins, and since they weren’t heavy, we never had the heart to throw them away.
"Besides, if it weren’t for this huge lake, the hooks would have been useless no matter what."
Dai Ling said, "That still required you to be willing to share. These past few days, everyone has saved so much grain thanks to your hooks. Your Third Grandpa has been praising you, saying you have great foresight."
Jin Qianqian feigned a look of delight. "Really? Third Grandpa truly praised us? It’s such an honor to earn his approval."
Dai Ling replied, "Don’t say that. He looks after all the juniors in our clan. As long as you do well, he takes notice."
Jin Qianqian didn’t miss the smugness in her eyes and played along with her words. "That’s true. We’ve relied on the wisdom of the elders to make it this far. They say having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. You are truly a fortunate person, Aunt."
Dai Ling covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. "I never expected my nephew’s wife to be such a charming person. That clever mouth of yours has practically praised my entire family."
Jin Qianqian replied, "That’s because your family is worthy of praise. Otherwise, I couldn’t make things up out of thin air, even if I wracked my brains."
Hong Daya, walking ahead of her, was speechless.
’That daughter-in-law from Third Grandpa’s family is the most difficult person to get along with in the village,’ Hong Daya thought. ’She’s usually insufferably arrogant. It’s rare for her to take the initiative to talk to Seventh Wife, and even rarer to be coaxed into such a good mood. What is she up to?’
’And Jin Qianqian... she’s so young, yet so eloquent. Compliments just roll off her tongue. How come I never noticed she was so capable before?’
(Jin Qianqian thought, ’...Because this body has a new core.’)
As she spoke, Dai Ling secretly sized up Jin Qianqian. ’My husband told me to get on good terms with Seventh Wife, and I didn’t think much of it at first,’ she mused. ’But now it seems she’s truly more than meets the eye.’
’For such an eloquent young wife to have been a girl with no presence in the village before... she really hid herself well.’
"Qianqian, have you and your husband thought about what you’ll do after the drought passes?"
Jin Qianqian replied, "We’ll follow the main group. We’ll go wherever Third Grandpa tells us to go."
Whether they returned to their hometown or found a place to settle nearby, they would need official documents from the Clan Leader in addition to their own household registration. Jin Qianqian was not about to make a mistake now and give the other woman any leverage.
"I’m talking about the two of you and your future plans," Dai Ling pressed. "I remember Wenheng passed the child student exam. Hasn’t he thought about taking the next step?"
Jin Qianqian pursed her lips into a smile. "Aunt, we truly haven’t spoken about it. Right now, we’re just focused on surviving day by day. How could we dare to have such fanciful ideas?
"It’s already late autumn. If it doesn’t rain, we’ll have to worry about the coming winter."
"Tell me about it." Hearing this, Dai Ling’s brow furrowed. "Even if the quilts we brought from home are thick, we can’t just sleep out in the open when winter comes. In some ways, that’s even more terrifying than a lack of water."
"If we were at home, we could at least sleep on a heated kang bed. But now, we don’t even have a tile over our heads. It’s worrying just to think about it."
With the conversation turning to such a heavy topic, Dai Ling no longer felt like chatting, and the two slowly drifted apart.
"Sister-in-law, does Seventh really not plan to continue taking the exams?" Hong Daya, her curiosity piqued, asked more directly.
Jin Qianqian answered, "We have nothing right now. Even if my husband had the ambition, he lacks the means. We should wait until we’re settled to discuss it. Besides, the exams have been suspended for so many years, who knows when they’ll resume?"
Thinking about this, Jin Qianqian silently shook her head. ’In this feudal era, the death of an Emperor could actually halt the imperial examinations.’
’Logically speaking, with the extended mourning period for the late Emperor and now this natural disaster, the examinations will probably be postponed again.’
"That’s true," Hong Daya said, convinced. "If you two hadn’t been lucky enough to find this lake, we’d probably still be chewing on grass roots."
"The younger ones have it a little better since their teeth are strong. Some of the older folks have chewed until their teeth fell out."
Jin Qianqian saw the leaders at the front venturing farther and farther off the beaten path. "It seems this isn’t a place we can stay for long," she remarked. "There are too many of us, and only so much to eat in the mountains."
"We have to go back with something to show for it," Hong Daya said, turning to look at her. "If you can’t walk anymore, I’ll pull you along."
Jin Qianqian shook her head. "I can manage. Don’t forget that my husband and I already walked through the mountain forests for days on end."
Hong Daya didn’t insist. When they came to a path narrow enough for only single-file passage, she let Jin Qianqian go ahead, carefully protecting her from behind.
’Her boy, after all, hadn’t been mooching off the young couple these past few days.’
* * *
"Let’s search here!" The person leading the group looked at the sky, estimated the time, and finally called for a halt.
"What is there to find here? The ground is bare; I can’t even see any wild fruit," many people complained, afraid they were wasting another day.
"We have to look, even if we find nothing. If it comes to it, we can dig up some grass roots to take back. At least that would be some sort of harvest." Although Gu Shulin was unfamiliar with the wilderness, he knew this was the best choice.
If they went any farther, they wouldn’t make it back before dark, not to mention it would leave them even less time to forage.
Gu Yuanjin touched the bow on his back and turned to Gu Wenheng. "Seventh, come with Big Brother and scout ahead. Let’s see if we can bring some meat back for the family."
Before Gu Wenheng could say a word, Gu Yuanhuo and Gu Yuanshui came over. "Big Brother, Seventh only knows his books and fancy words. Let us go with you instead!"