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

The clothes were dried as new overnight.

Not until all the children were settled were the women allowed to go to the next room to bathe and change.

Because the earthen kangs in the other two rooms were not yet completed, the men spent the night there, planning to have a good wash after the kangs were repaired.

After working until late at night, the group was finally able to sleep.

The next day, Sun Wan, Madam Chi and Lin Xiangxiang went to the town again, but this time they were accompanied by Zhang Daniu and Zhu Xiuqin.

After arriving in the town, Sun Wan first went to find the big brother who sold the backpacks yesterday, and hurriedly ordered twenty of them at once to put on the stall.

They got up earlier this morning and the location of their stall was much better than yesterday.

As the sky gradually brightened, they happened to be next to a bun shop. As soon as the steamer was opened, the rich aroma made them salivate.

Zhu Xiuqin couldn't help but go forward to ask, and when she came back with an exaggerated expression, she said, "A vegetarian bun costs two copper coins, and a meat bun costs three copper coins!"

"Oh, everything is so expensive here."

In desperation, everyone chose to eat the dry food they brought with them.

Nearing noon, the sales of pine nuts were only about half, slightly lower than the previous day.

But this was all within Mrs. Chi's expectations, so no one was too worried.

Sun Wan remembered what the woman from Xinghua Village said yesterday, and decided to go to other parts of the market while there were fewer people at noon.

Lin Xiangxiang also wanted to go. She seemed to enjoy the bustling atmosphere and was particularly quiet when visiting the market.

The two of them strolled down two streets when suddenly Sun Wan heard someone shouting, "Leather sales! Top-quality leather for a high price!"

Sun Wan's heart moved slightly.

Recalling the days in the ancient temple in the mountains, they had accumulated a lot of rabbit meat and rabbit skins because of the wild rabbits there.

Unfortunately, he later encountered the Jizhou rebels, all his property was looted, and he almost starved to death on the way to escape.

But secretly, there are actually a lot of rabbit skins hidden in Sun Wan's space.

In addition, after everyone worked together to deal with a group of wild wolves, she collected some wolf skins.

When Sun Wan got closer, she found that the man who bought the fur had an exotic face, a high nose bridge, deep eyes, and emerald-like pupils sparkling.

Seeing Sun Wan approaching, the man asked curiously, "Are you here to sell leather?"

Sun Wan looked around and found herself in a place where foreign merchants gathered, with all kinds of foreigners walking around.

She approached a Geyi merchant named Zaha, who specialized in furs, and struck up a conversation.

Sun Wan didn't reveal directly what she had on hand, but instead inquired about the market price: "How much would you give for leather of this quality? And what about leather with some minor flaws or serious damage?"

Zaha patiently answered them one by one: "For good quality, 50 wen; for slightly damaged ones, 30 wen; and for severely damaged ones, 10 wen at most."

Through this exchange, Sun Wan estimated that the leather in her space, even if of average quality, could be sold for about thirty coins each.

"Brother, are you going up the mountain to hunt yourself?" Sun Wan asked curiously.

Zaha shook his head and denied it: "I don't hunt, I'm just a middleman, making a profit from the difference."

Sun Wan didn't care whether Zaha was a first-hand source of goods. After all, every businessman has his or her own struggles and connections. She pulled a handful of pine nuts from her pocket as a friendly gesture. Zaha was hesitant, but seeing Sun Wan's sincerity, he readily accepted.

Zaha was well aware of the principle of "one who eats someone's food will be soft-hearted, and one who receives someone's money will be reluctant to return it." Moreover, he had seen countless people and could see that Sun Wan was not just asking about furs.

During the conversation, he noticed a calculation in Sun Wan's eyes, as if she was making some plans in her mind.

In order to maintain this potential business opportunity, Zaha relaxed and chatted casually with Sun Wan.

He confided in Sun Wan, "It may seem easy for us middlemen, but it's actually not easy. If the hunters don't have to, why wouldn't they sell the furs themselves and give them to us?"

"If you want to buy the leather, you have to offer a price slightly higher than the market price. Then you have to transport it all the way here to sell it. The journey is full of risks. If you encounter bandits, you will lose everything."

Zaha sighed: "Every industry has its difficulties."

Sun Wan, who had experienced the life of fleeing famine, deeply agreed with this and nodded continuously.

Zaha pointed to a restaurant not far away and lowered his voice a bit: "If you want to make money quickly and steadily, you have to look at those local bigwigs."

"For example, the owner of the 'Zuixianlou' is actually the county magistrate himself! Although our Qingshui Town is small, it is the hub of the entire county."

Sun Wan looked in the direction of Zaha's finger and saw that Zuixianlou was extraordinary. Those who came in and out were all extraordinary people and were dressed in gorgeous clothes.

Suddenly, Zaha changed the subject: "You just said you were from Xinghua Village?"

Sun Wan was stunned for a moment, then confirmed, "Yes."

"Then do you know that there is a secret in your village?" Zaha looked meaningfully.

"Actually, I know a thing or two. The second son of the headman of your village is a true student and even became a disciple of the county magistrate."

This made Sun Wan feel mixed emotions. No wonder Liu Lizheng acted so arrogantly; it turned out that the powerful county magistrate was behind him.

Sun Wan sighed secretly in her heart. They were already weak in Xinghua Village, and now with the addition of a powerful village chief, their future would be even more difficult.

She let out a bitter smile, "What a pity! We're new refugees and aren't familiar with the villagers. How could we possibly get such a good thing?"

When Zaha heard this, his eyes were full of understanding and sympathy: "That is indeed difficult."

"But then again, even though we live in the same village, as long as we keep to ourselves, as time goes by and we get to know each other better, life will naturally get easier."

"Since you're refugees, and the village has provided you with food aid, you should be able to live a stable life for a while."

"Relief food?!" Sun Wan looked at Zaha with wide eyes in surprise.

Zaha was stunned. "You didn't even know this? All the disaster victims who fled to Huizhou and were settled there by the prefecture government can receive six months of relief food! Twenty kilograms per person per month."

How could Sun Wan know about this!

Her eyes suddenly widened, anger faintly visible in her eyes: "No one has ever mentioned this."

"Brother, to be honest, we've been relying on ourselves these past few days, and we don't even know what the relief food will look like!"

"This is not good."

Zaha clapped his hands and said, "If that's the case, your food supplies are probably in jeopardy."

Sun Wan couldn't help but get anxious: "Brother, do you know how to get relief food? Where can I get it?"

Zaha scratched his head. "I'm not sure about that. I'm not a refugee. But I have seen refugees taken to the county government office."

"It seems I have to register my residence first."

Seeing that he also had only a vague understanding, Sun Wan did not ask any more questions, even though she was still feeling uneasy.

"Brother, please wait a moment. I will go back and get all the skins I have saved. You told me such important news. I have to thank you very much."