Rebirth of an Old Farmer: Escape from Famine with Children and Grandchildren

As she walked, Sun Wan deliberately slowed down her pace and fell behind. The reason for this was simple: when she accidentally came across a young but useful-looking sapling or some other unknown wild plant, she would pull it up by the roots and quietly put it into the space she carried with her for safekeeping.

Because ever since that experience, Sun Wan always remembered that the kind vendor who was willing to exchange a few plantains for cornmeal cakes for her to eat especially liked to collect plants with intact roots.

Therefore, no matter when and where, as long as she has time and opportunity, she will not miss any opportunity to collect such resources, hoping to accumulate more supplies in this way to exchange for the items she needs in her future life.

On the one hand, it is to repay the help and support given by the generous donor. On the other hand, it is because the food and fabrics provided by the other party are very precious and extremely useful materials, which will greatly help improve the family's living conditions both during the current escape process and after settling down in the future.

The three women continued their arduous climb for a while before realizing that the wild vegetables they could find became increasingly scarce the higher they went. Furthermore, the ground was becoming increasingly slippery and difficult to walk on. With the sky rapidly darkening, it was not advisable to linger outside for too long to avoid danger. So, after some discussion, Sun Wan, the most experienced, finally stepped forward and suggested, "It seems there's nothing left to dig here, and if we go back any later, we might miss dinner. Let's just go back the way we came."

Wu smiled and said, "Okay, let's go back. There's so little fresh grass and wild vegetables here; they're all dried up. I wonder what the situation is like down there now, and whether they've also been affected by the flood."

Sun Wan looked up and looked into the distance. At the foot of the mountain was the official road leading to Youzhou. The road was winding and led all the way to the place she cared about.

She wondered secretly whether the flood over there had receded and whether people's lives had returned to normal.

She turned and looked in the direction where Su Mingxiang fell into the flood. There was originally a clear stream there, but now it has turned into a turbulent river. Her heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

The leaves floating on the water seemed to be telling the story of the disaster that had just happened.

She thought that although Su Mingxiang had studied in school for four or five years, he was thinner than his two brothers.

However, whenever the child has free time, he goes up the mountain to chop firewood, dig wild vegetables or work in the fields, so he is still quite strong.

She prayed silently, hoping that he could keep the bag she gave him, which contained clothes and dry food, but if there was really no way, don't force it too much, as long as he was okay.

In fact, what Sun Wan was most worried about was that Su Mingxiang brought Su Shulan with her, especially since Su Shulan was quite pretty.

In this chaotic world, beauty can be a curse for a girl and can easily bring her unnecessary trouble.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh, hoping that the brother and sister could overcome the difficulties safely and return to their family as soon as possible.

When the three of them slowly returned to the valley, Zhang Nizi had already prepared the meal, including hot wild vegetable porridge and fragrant wild vegetable pancakes.

Another family came with Zhang Lao Hu and Zhang Deshui. Everyone sat together, and it was particularly warm.

Sun Wan picked up a bowl of hot wild vegetable porridge and was about to take a bite when Linglong came skipping over and sat next to her with an innocent smile on her face.

Miaomiao also ran over and sat on the other side of Sun Wan. The two little girls giggled, their voices clear and pleasant.

Su Bailin also wanted to sit closer to Sun Wan, but his legs were short and he walked slowly. When he finally got there, the seat had already been taken by someone else.

The little guy looked at Sun Wan with his big eyes full of grievance, as if asking why there was no place for him to sit, which made Sun Wan feel uncomfortable.

She immediately pulled Su Bolin to sit in front of her, "Hey, grandma's little grandson is here. Do you want to have dinner with grandma? Then come and sit next to grandma."

After saying that, she touched the child's head and smiled kindly.

Tonight, the food in every household in Sujia Village is almost the same. No matter whether they are poor or slightly better-off families, on such a special day, they have to accept the simplest meal combinations.

The staple food is nothing more than a clear but hot wild vegetable porridge paired with wild vegetable cakes that are a bit dry and hard but taste good.

Not only are a variety of wild grass roots and wild fruit scraps added to the porridge, but in order to ensure that the amount is enough to feed every hungry mouth, a lot of bark powder is even mixed in; and in those cakes that look slightly rough but still fragrant, some finely ground chestnut powder is added.

Even such a simple and even slightly shabby food combination is a rare luxury in this extraordinary period.

Therefore, everyone sitting around the low and simple dining table showed an imperceptible sense of relief in their eyes. They looked at each other contentedly and smiled as they passed food to each other. The feeling of being able to fill their stomachs to 70% in such difficult times was truly precious.

After seeing everyone finish their dinner amidst laughter and joy, the respected old village chief cleared his throat gently and prepared to deliver an important speech.

"My dear fellow villagers, I want to say a few words from my heart."

His voice, though slightly hoarse from days of fatigue, was still loud and clear. "This disaster has forced us all to evacuate our homeland and embark on a journey to the distant Youzhou in the east in search of survival. This will be a journey filled with hardships and unknown dangers. Without a reliable leader to guide our team forward, it is obviously impossible."

The old village chief glanced around at the familiar faces around him and continued, "You all know that I'm over seventy years old this year, and my physical strength is not as strong as it once was. Furthermore, I've been busy arranging the evacuation for several days, and I've exhausted the last bit of energy. I'm simply unable to take on such a difficult task. So, I've thought of Lan Zhen, who is intelligent, virtuous, and has leadership skills. I hope to nominate her to take on the important responsibility of leading us forward this time. What are your thoughts on this?"

Before anyone else could respond, the young Sun Wan had already stood up with her back straight, looking at everyone present with a determined gaze.

"Actually, I personally have a different opinion on this point. I think we should consider appointing Su Shunde as our new candidate for village chief, allowing him to officially take over the management of village affairs from the old chief. Our elders can continue to participate in an advisory capacity. As the saying goes, 'Elders in the family are like treasures,' especially in a crisis like this! Your rich experience and valuable wisdom will definitely help this newcomer and guide us through the various difficulties ahead and find a new home suitable for long-term residence."