Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

If the area from the deep mountains to the outskirts is lush and green, then from the mountainside onwards, all that remains is a desolate wasteland stripped of life.

It looked as if it had been cut in two, its greenness abruptly turning into withered yellow. Only a few trees and scattered weeds remained, still struggling.

It was as if they had stepped from one world into another!

Lin Lanshan's eyes were filled with shock, and even a hint of panic.

"Sister, how could this happen? We were perfectly fine in the valley, so why did the trees start to wither so badly from the outer edges?"

Lin Chunyi asked incredulously, "What's going on? Is there really a drought?"

They had only learned about ancient natural disasters from history books and novels before.

What constitutes a drought? It includes continuous high temperatures, depleted water sources, and crop failure.

What should be done if a drought occurs? Should we go deep into the mountains to find water and food, wait for the imperial court to provide disaster relief, or flee to a place with water?

Countless questions raced through their minds, a jumbled mess like knotted yarn. Their hearts pounded with worry and fear.

Lin Chunyi shouted, telling Taozi to run faster, and they headed straight for the village chief's house.

I arrived at their door just before dawn and knocked.

Soon, footsteps came from behind the door; it was Aunt Zhang who opened it.

Compared to the last time we met, she looked much more haggard.

But when she saw the two sisters, her eyes lit up with surprise. "Xiaoyi, what brings you here?"

Before the two sisters could reply, she pulled them inside, saying, "Come in, let's talk."

Then he peeked around the door again before closing it.

The two sisters told Taozi to rest in the yard, and then followed Aunt Zhang into the main room.

Uncle Lin, Brother Zhengmin, Brother Zhengyong, Sister-in-law Yang, except for Xiaoman who is not here.

Everyone was sitting in chairs, and their faces didn't look too good; they must have just had some conversation.

"Xiaoyi and Lanshan are here, so don't look so miserable."

They then came to their senses and looked at the two sisters.

Sister Yang said, "I'll go get you a glass of water."

Before they could refuse, Sister Yang went to the kitchen.

Uncle Lin looked somewhat tired, and he slowly forced a smile as he said:

"Why did you come down the mountain today? Did something happen? Do you need my help?"

Seeing their shabby clothes, he frowned and said:

"Why are you dressed like that? Are you out of money? I'll have your aunt give you some money first."

Aunt Zhang was about to go back inside to get the money when Lin Chunyi took her arm and sat her back down in her chair, smiling gently:

“We have money, Auntie, you don’t need to go.”

Then he said, "Uncle Lin, we're going to town to buy some supplies, so we came to see you first. The clothes are just something we wear because we think they're dirt-resistant."

He paused for a moment, then asked, seemingly casually:

"Uncle Lin, haven't you noticed how hot it's been lately? Even the flowers and plants have withered on our way down the mountain..."

Aunt Zhang was somewhat surprised: "Is it this serious even in the deep mountains?"

Lin Lanshan asked with appropriate naivety:

"Auntie, we feel like the water flow in the mountains has decreased. But it rarely rains here anyway, it should get better after a while. Why is it so serious?"

Aunt Zhang seemed a little lost in thought and said it was nothing.

Lin Chunyi then asked Uncle Lin, "Uncle Lin, has something happened outside?"

Uncle Lin said with a worried look on his face:

"It hasn't rained for most of the year, and the sun is getting stronger and stronger, so we can't harvest any crops."

"But it rained a few days ago..."

Zhengmin replied, "It rained on and off for five days a few days ago. The crops in the fields were about to come back to life, so we thought the drought was over."

As soon as the weather cleared up, a long period of high temperatures and intense sunlight began... The crops couldn't absorb much water at all, and most of them withered and died.

But even after collecting rainwater for five days, it was only enough for drinking. There was no other way; Dad had to lead the villagers to harvest all the crops as quickly as possible.

Sister Yang came over with two glasses of water. "Have some water."

The two sisters thanked them, placed their cups on the small table next to them, and did not drink from them.

Five days of light rain? But they counted twelve days of moderate rain in the valley!

At this moment, Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan finally realized that something unusual had happened.

For example, why has no outsider ever ventured into the deep mountains all these years?

Why is there such a big difference between the deep mountains and the outside world?

And why, of all people...?

For a moment, they felt as if they were bound by vines, tightly tied to the mountain.

"Xiaoyi, Lanshan? What's wrong with you? Is there no water left in the deep mountains?"

Uncle Lin noticed that they had become distracted while talking and their faces had turned pale, so he asked them with concern.

Their consciousness was pulled back, and Lin Chunyi quickly thought for a moment before replying:

"We only recently realized that the stream was running low, so we started using water sparingly. Luckily, we didn't grow many vegetables, so we picked them early, which saved us from watering them."

Whenever it rains, we fill every container we can find with rainwater. It's just my sister and me living in the mountains, so we don't need much, it's enough.

Uncle Lin breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Fortunately, you are all smart and good children. It's just a pity about those vegetables in the field."

There's no other way; if we don't pick them soon, they'll probably end up like the crops we grow...

Rainwater cannot be drunk directly; it must be boiled first, otherwise you will get sick. Got it?

"Uncle Lin, we've got it. Don't worry."

A question suddenly flashed through Lin Chunyi's mind, and she asked in a slightly lower voice:

"Uncle Lin, the drought is so severe now, and the villagers have suffered heavy losses of grain. Has the county magistrate not reported to the imperial court to request disaster relief?"

When it came to disaster relief, the sorrow on the faces of everyone in the house except the two sisters deepened.

Zheng Yongge, still somewhat angry, said:

"Of course there was relief! How could there not be relief? It's just that the imperial court sent people down last month to collect more grain and took our grain to distribute to other places!"

Then he slammed his fist on the table.

Zhengmin shouted in a low voice, telling him to keep his voice down.

Then he said to the two sisters:

"Fortunately, it wasn't a forced requisition. Those who really had no food could use silver and cloth as a substitute."

Our family paid a lot of money, which saved a significant portion of our grain.

The two sisters felt a little uneasy.

The current emperor of Jing is not a foolish person. If the county magistrate did not lie, and if there was no one above him who dared to collect grain privately.

That just goes to show...

Either the south suffered heavy casualties from the disaster;

Either there was a pressing war, and the imperial court was collecting military rations nationwide.

No, if it were a war, they should forcibly requisition food and soldiers...

Regardless of the situation, it at least indicates that the imperial court will not allocate disaster relief grain to help the people anytime soon.

If the drought continues like this, this area may very well become a severe disaster zone...

At that time, the people from dozens or even hundreds of villages and several towns near Youxian Mountain will either risk their lives to enter the deep mountains or have no choice but to flee south to escape the famine.