"Take all the money back. I have enough here; I don't need yours."
After Qin Sang finished speaking, the others were a bit confused:
"Mother, if we don't spend money, will Butcher Hu let her go?"
Qin Sang said crossly:
"We aren't sending Er Fu back. We'll wait for Butcher Hu to come to our door himself."
"When he's on our turf, he'll have to let her go whether he wants to or not."
Tian Dazhuang and the others now admired their mother's ability immensely, so they stopped questioning her.
Anyway, if Mother said it would work, it definitely would.
Third Brothers Wife happily took back her dowry and copper coins, hid them in her room, and then returned to the main hall.
Si Jin held Er Fu's hand, her joy plain to see.
Eldest Girl hugged Qin Sang happily:
"Grandma is the best! I love Grandma the most."
Qin Sang patted the little one's small hand and ended the heavy topic:
"Da Zhuang, San Gui, what did the Village Chief say? Are the Shanshui Brothers staying or being driven away?"
Tian Dazhuang said happily:
"Mother, the Village Chief reached a consensus. The villagers all agreed to expel those two brothers. The Village Chief even removed their names from the Clan register. Several people in their family fainted from crying. When we left, things were still rowdy at the Village Chiefs House."
Tian Sangui, however, was not very happy:
"The Village Chief is still too soft-hearted. He agreed to let them harvest their fields before leaving the village. If you ask me, they should have been sent to the Yamen and locked up."
"And that Tian Hongmei—the Village Chief only warned her to behave herself from now on."
Qin Sang nodded. Being able to drive those two brothers out was good enough. In times like these, even relatives might not take them in. With refugees and bandits outside, whether they survived or not would depend on their own luck.
"During this time, try to go out as little as possible. If you must go out, be careful. Also, stay alert at night and watch out for fires."
Qin Sang urged.
Human hearts are unpredictable. Their home was currently a thatched cottage with adobe walls, and the courtyard was filled with medicinal herbs that were dried through. A single spark thrown in would be a disaster.
Qin Sang's words made everyone in the family tense up:
"We understand, Mother."
Qin Sang instructed further:
"San Gui, later use some bamboo to make a kennel for Da Huang in the courtyard. Da Huang will sleep outside at night to guard us; nothing will escape its notice."
Tian Sangui nodded:
"Alright, Mother."
After giving these instructions, Widow Xia and Da Huas Mother brought over the Charcoal Powder. Each family brought three catties of Charcoal Powder, as fine as flour. They probably hadn't slept all night to get it ready.
Qin Sang told Er Fu to keep track of the amounts, and they would exchange them together later in the evening.
Once Eldest Sister-in-law Tian brought the Moxa floss, Wen Mo weighed the proportions, Da Zhuang mixed it into a dough, and then it was sent over to Osmanthus's house next door.
Osmanthus's family had already made preparations last night, specifically clearing out their courtyard to dry the finished mosquito coils.
The household was not idle either; everyone performed their duties. Since they didn't have to work under the sun, no one was lazy at home. Even the pregnant Third Brothers Wife was on the side passing water, fanning everyone, and occasionally helping with the drying.
Near noon, Old Man Qiao, who was helping with the harvest, arrived with his grandson, carrying two bags of grain:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, the five mu of fields yielded a total of four hundred catties of grain. These two bags are two hundred catties; go ahead and weigh them."
Qin Sang hurried forward to help. This Old Man Qiao was a bachelor in the village. He had been a drunkard in his youth, but as he grew old, he feared dying at home with no one knowing, so a few years ago, he took in an orphan as his grandson.
After getting a grandson, Old Man Qiao actually became reliable. He quit drinking and started working in the fields. However, because he had sold his family's land for alcohol money when he was young, he only had one mu of poor land left to make a living.
In normal years, it was fine; he could work for other families in exchange for food. But now, in a year of famine, who would be willing to hire someone?
When Qin Sang's family mentioned hiring someone to help with the harvest, Tian Dazhuang thought of Old Man Qiao. The old and the young had been busy in the fields for quite some time, and now they were finally finished.
Qin Sang looked at the two hundred catties of grain. Once the husks were removed, they would be lucky to have a hundred and fifty catties left.
"No need to weigh them, Old Man Qiao. You're carrying a small hoe and a basket—are you heading up the mountain?"
Old Man Qiao was nearly sixty. He lived a happy life, and the wrinkles on his face were always accompanied by a smile:
"Indeed. Everyone is exchanging things for grain with your family. If I hadn't promised to harvest for you, I would have gone up the mountain long ago."
Qin Sang said hurriedly:
"You're at such an advanced age; it's not safe to go up the mountain. The herbs at the foot of the mountain have all been picked. If you go deeper and something happens to you, what will we do?"
Old Man Qiao's face hardened:
"This old man's legs are still good! No fear, no fear. If I really die, I'll just have my Lei-zi dig a hole and bury me on the spot."
He wasn't afraid, but Qin Sang was. Although she had told everyone she wasn't responsible if anything happened, could she really just stand by and watch if something actually did?
"Old Man Qiao, how about you help my family collect fodder instead of going up the mountain? We have two animals, and everyone is busy with no time to cut grass. How about you cut fifty catties of grass in exchange for half a catty of grain?"
Qin Sang had been looking for someone for a while, and Old Man Qiao and his grandson were perfect.
Old Man Qiao was delighted:
"Really? Tian Qinshi, you can't lie to me. Fifty catties of grass for half a catty of grain? Your family is collecting grass as well as herbs?"
Qin Sang smiled:
"We are, we are. But you can't tell anyone else about this, or no one will dig up herbs for us anymore."
Old Man Qiao chuckled:
"I know, I know. Why would I tell anyone else? If everyone starts cutting grass, how much can your two animals even eat?"
Why did that sound like an insult?
Qin Sang felt helpless and instructed Old Man Qiao's grandson once more:
"Qiao Lei, keep a close eye on your grandfather while you work. If anything happens, don't panic; quickly find a nearby adult for help, okay?"
Qiao Lei was very sensible; at fourteen, he was constantly supporting Old Man Qiao:
"I understand, Aunt Tian. I will."
By evening, the line of people coming to Qin Sang's house to exchange for grain was very long, including many from neighboring villages. Upon inquiry, she learned that some wives from this village had secretly sent word to their maternal families. Now, people from all over the surrounding area were gradually finding out that Qin Sang was trading grain for herbs.
Qin Sang decided to start the exchanges two hours earlier in the future so the villagers from neighboring villages wouldn't have to walk home in the dark.
After everyone had finished their exchanges and left, Old Man Qiao finally came over with Qiao Lei. They had a large basket of grass, about seventy or eighty catties. Qin Sang had Si Jin weigh out a catty of flour for Old Man Qiao, making him grin from ear to ear.
Hunter Xu and his son knocked on the gate of Qin Sang's courtyard under the moonlight. Both of their baskets were full of Millettia root. Hunter Xu carried a Weasel in his hand and had two Wild Rabbits hanging from his waist, while Xu Hu held a cloth bundle.
"Aunt, I pulled some grass. Could you see if there are any herbs in here?"
Xu Hu was excitedly waiting for Qin Sang to check, forgetting to put down the basket of Millettia root until Si Jin ran out to remind him.
"Why are you coming down the mountain so late?" Si Jin asked worriedly.
Xu Hu put down the basket and answered, blushing slightly:
"It's fine. My Father and I have walked this path down the mountain thousands of times; we could do it with our eyes closed."