Cheng Zongyang sighed inwardly, stopping to take the waterskin from his lower back. He squatted down, uncorked it, and handed it to the woman.
"Where are you from?" Cheng Zongyang asked.
"Linchuan Prefecture…"
The woman answered, her eyes flashing with a look of salvation. She took the waterskin and sat up, but instead of drinking, she brought it to the corner of the child's mouth.
"Little one, quick, there's water. Mama will give you a drink…"
However, the child in her arms showed no reaction. Its eyelids were tightly shut on its gaunt little face, utterly breathless.
"Little one, there's water! Open your eyes and look at Mama!"
Her voice choked with sobs, the woman continued to rock the child while squeezing water from the waterskin into its mouth.
But the water only trickled from the corner of its mouth; the child still showed no reaction.
"Little one, we're almost at the County Town! There's water now, open your eyes and look at Mama, please… *sob*…" The woman couldn't help but weep softly.
Cheng Zongyang let out a deep sigh. He took another small cloth pouch from his waist and discreetly tucked it into the pocket of the child's clothes for the woman, then slowly rose and said:
"There are some sorghum crackers in the pouch. The County Town is just ahead. As long as you're alive, there's hope."
With that, he walked away without a backward glance, clearly having no intention of taking back his waterskin.
In a year of natural disaster, he had seen more than his share of tragedies.
The next moment, an irrepressible wail erupted from the side of the dirt road behind him, from the woman clutching her long-dead child.
The reality she was finally forced to confront completely shattered her last shred of clinging hope and delusion.
Her heart-wrenching sobs, directed at the heavens, seemed to be a lament for the torment, starvation, and destruction of her family she had endured on her journey. They were an accusation against the cruelty of fate, the harshness of the world, and the mercilessness of the disaster.
The passing refugees who saw this scene were not the least bit moved.
Lonely and helpless, driven by a near-desperate will to survive, they dragged their exhausted bodies onward. They had seen too much along the way and had long since grown numb.
But some of the refugees began to eye the "thing" in the woman's arms!
...
The Da Liang Kingdom is divided into nine prefectures, arranged in the shape of the Nine Palaces.
Beiding Prefecture is located in the center of the nine.
To the north, it borders Ji Yun; to the south, Xiangyang; to the west, Xichuan; and to the east, Yangzhou. To its northwest lies Haining Prefecture; to the northeast, Qingfeng Prefecture; to the southwest, Linchuan Prefecture; and to the southeast, Luoyang Prefecture.
Tianduan Mountain spans the Land of Four Mansions—Xiangyang, Linchuan, Beiding, and Xichuan—covering an unimaginably vast area.
'That woman said she was from Linchuan. It seems the disaster there is far more severe than in Xiangyang.'
Cheng Zongyang's heart was heavy as he walked on. He had some understanding of the continental geography of this world, but it was mostly limited to the Da Liang Kingdom. He knew nothing about any other countries.
What little he knew, he had gleaned from striking up conversations with various traveling merchants in the County Town.
But his real understanding was limited to the basic situation within the borders of Jade Peak County.
Even when it came to the prefecture above it, Qianye Prefecture, his knowledge was superficial at best.
Linchuan, the place the woman had mentioned, was a very distant place to him. Reaching it required crossing Tianduan Mountain via its only official road.
He didn't know the exact distance, only that Jade Peak County was located to the west of Xiangyang, near Tianduan Mountain, making it one of the county towns closest to Linchuan Prefecture.
'If refugees are fleeing Linchuan, it's not surprising they would reach Jade Peak County after such a long journey.'
'But what's really going on? To travel such a great distance to reach Xiangyang... does this mean the disaster in Linchuan has become that severe?'
Cheng Zongyang had a feeling that the severity of the drought over the past two years, and the scope of its devastation, were far beyond what he had imagined.
He was well aware of the deep attachment farmers had to their land and their homeland. Unless they were absolutely forced to, they would never abandon their homes and become refugees.
Even when forced to flee, they would choose the nearest possible refuge, hoping to return to their homeland within their lifetime.
For them to cross such a great distance to reach Xiangyang, he figured, meant their home was no longer fit for human life.
'I heard Second Uncle say before that it hasn't rained in Luoyang for half a year, and the signs of a disaster were already apparent.'
'But for Linchuan to have already reached this point… does that mean Xiangyang will be next?'
He then recalled the situation in the nearby Hengshui Village.
'It seems it won't be long before the chaos spreads here,' Cheng Zongyang thought, suppressing his complicated feelings and quickening his pace.
A rope breaks at its weakest point. In a year of famine, protecting his own family was what mattered most.
He reached the entrance to his village, ignored the refugees he met on the road, continued walking for some distance, and then entered the forest.
Inside the forest, while there was still daylight, he entered the Wilderness World and got busy.
About an hour later, just as the sun completely set, he reappeared in the woods. He then took out a wooden carrying rack and placed a bag of Old Rice, a bag of cornmeal, and five pounds of brown sugar on it.
The provisions were worth fifteen taels and five mace of silver, which was more than enough. He also prepared some loose silver and two packets of Medicinal Materials, tied everything to the wooden rack, and continued his journey home.
However, as he emerged from the forest and reached the alleyway beside his house, he could vaguely make out several village elders leaving his home in the dim twilight. Among them was Uncle Kun, the man he had unexpectedly run into one night on his way home.
Cheng Zongyang immediately stopped and hid around the corner of a wall.
'What's going on?' Cheng Zongyang wondered.
Once they were a good distance away, Cheng Zongyang shouldered the wooden rack and headed for his front door.
The door happened to be unlatched. Cheng Zongyang went inside, closing it behind him.
"Mom, I'm back," Cheng Zongyang called out.
"Yang'Er!" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family, who was in the kitchen, beamed with joy upon seeing her son return.
"Big Brother!"
The little girl playing in the courtyard was overjoyed to see her big brother. She dropped the little wooden stick in her hand and ran toward him, giggling.
Cheng Zongyang smiled warmly. He carefully placed the goods in the kitchen, then squatted down, letting his little sister wrap her arms affectionately around his neck.
"Did you miss me?" Cheng Zongyang asked, kissing the little girl's chubby cheek, his eyes full of adoration.
"Mhm, I did,"
the little girl giggled, nodding emphatically. "Big Brother, are you hungry? There's still some tasty meat left from lunch. Mom said she was saving it for you."
"Hahaha, Mom always dotes on us," Cheng Zongyang laughed happily.
Just then, Cheng Guanghai emerged from the dim inner room.
"Dad," Cheng Zongyang greeted him.
"Wow, so much rice and flour! And brown sugar! Huh? Big Brother, what did you get these packets of medicine for?" Cheng Zongliang's voice drifted from the kitchen.
He didn't even need to look to know the boy was rummaging through the bags again.
Just then, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family came out, a nervous look on her face. She asked quickly, "Yang'Er, why so many provisions this time? And what about these Medicinal Materials? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Go on and play, sweetie," Cheng Zongyang said gently to his little sister.
"Okay." The little girl didn't cling to him. She gave her big brother a peck on the cheek and went back to playing with her little stick.
"How much was your share from those people?" Cheng Guanghai asked, walking over. Seeing the amount of food in the kitchen, he already had a guess.
Cheng Zongyang took the prepared four taels and five mace of silver from his robes and handed it to his mother, smiling as he said:
"My cut was twenty taels. They had me sell a lot of things this time. For the sake of our long-term partnership, I negotiated a cut for Second Uncle…"
Cheng Zongyang briefly explained the situation. Then, under his parents' shocked gazes, he added:
"I've decided to join them."
After careful consideration, he had decided to use this story to explain his future gains.
At this, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family finally snapped out of her shock over the nearly one thousand taels another person had earned. "Absolutely not!" she exclaimed.
Cheng Zongyang just smiled. "Mom, I'm hungry. Let's make dinner first."
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family remembered her son hadn't eaten lunch. The previous matter was instantly pushed to the back of her mind. Her heart aching for him, she said at once:
"I'm already on it. The village chief came by with a few others just now, so I got a little delayed. Go wash up first; it'll be ready soon. You can tell me about that medicine later."