Qin Sang was originally sitting on the mule cart driven by Lao San. Hearing Da Zhuang shout like that, she leaped off the cart and covered Da Zhuang's mouth.
"What are you shouting for? Are you afraid people won't know Steward Huangs Residence has water?"
Only after being scolded did Tian Dazhuang notice many displaced people huddling in the corners of the walls looking their way, making him feel quite guilty.
Qin Sang cleared her throat and said loudly:
"Do you think Steward Huang is a god? If none of us have water, how could his family have any? If his family had water, would he need to move to the county seat?"
Now, not only did the displaced people lower their gazes, but even the guarding villagers became worried:
"Then, will we... also have to flee the famine?"
"No, maybe the heavens will rain tomorrow," Qin Sang said nonchalantly before jumping back onto the cart.
The grain shop was already closed. Qin Sang saw the manager of the cloth shop moving goods. She pulled the mule to a stop, got off, and asked:
"Boss, are you closing up shop? Are you moving all these goods back home?"
The shopkeeper still remembered Qin Sang; after all, she was a major customer who bought four or five bolts of cloth at once.
"Ah, it's you, sister. Indeed, with displaced people everywhere now, business is impossible to conduct."
Qin Sang looked at the cart full of linen, Cotton Cloth, Silk, and various other items:
"Are you still selling these bolts of cloth?"
The shopkeeper was taken aback:
"Sister, you want to buy cloth?"
Qin Sang nodded, looking troubled:
"There are many people in my family, and the ones I bought last time weren't enough for everyone to have a few sets of clothes. I don't have much money on hand; could you sell me a few bolts at a low price, Manager?"
The shopkeeper was delighted:
"Sure, sure! Take your pick; I'll sell them to you at half price."
Qin Sang naturally seized the chance to pick. Cloth was a hard currency in ancient times, and opportunities to buy it at half price were rare.
Qin Sang wasn't modest either; she chose twenty bolts of linen and Cotton Cloth in total and bought thirty pairs of shoe soles. Seeing that the shop also had Cotton, she asked for ten catties of it, thinking she could supplement it from the Mall later if it wasn't enough.
Overjoyed, the shopkeeper gave Qin Sang an extra bolt of linen for free, along with three sets of needle and thread and a pair of scissors.
They were loaded onto the carriage, stacked high and covered with a oilcloth.
Tian Wenmo said worriedly:
"We can't even buy grain anymore, yet Mother still has the heart to make new clothes?"
Qin Sang heard him but didn't explain. She flicked the reins and said:
"Let's go. There's nothing left to buy in Town. Let's hurry back to the village."
With that, she drove the mule into a trot.
Everyone followed at a trot; no one complained, as they didn't want to stay in Town any longer either.
Once they were safely out of Town, Qin Sang checked that no one was around and let Tian Yougen and the others take turns resting on the mule cart.
After everyone had a drink of water, Qin Sang whispered:
"Steward Huang said he has water for sale, but he couldn't let me take it out of the city openly. He said if I did, it wouldn't even make it back to the village."
Everyone's faces brightened with joy upon hearing this. Tian Yougen asked in confusion:
"If he won't let you take it, how will you buy it?"
Qin Sang had already thought it through:
"Steward Huang said he'll send someone to the outskirts of the village tonight, but only I am allowed to meet them.
Besides water, there will be grain and other things. Whatever else I need, I just have to write a list for him, and he'll find a way to get it for me.
It's only because Steward Huang made money selling mosquito coils that he's giving me this face. Otherwise, he wouldn't even bother with anyone else.
Steward Huang also repeatedly requested that I not reveal anything to the outside world to avoid attracting greed.
I thought since this water was intended to help everyone and the grain is to be exchanged for Medicinal Herbs with you all, I should explain it to you."
Tian Yougen nodded. "It should be so."
The others chimed in:
"Right, exactly. Standing outside that house today, I didn't even dare close my eyes. I felt like wolves and tigers were staring at me."
"They weren't staring at you; they were staring at the Water Canteen on your waist."
"Yes, yes, yes. It was terrifying."
Qin Sang cautioned again:
"In the future, you must never tell anyone that water can be bought from Steward Huang. Say that the village found a Mountain Spring on the back mountain."
No one doubted her at all; they were only filled with the joy of finding a way to survive:
"Da Zhuangs Mother is still the one with the most solutions, being acquainted with Steward Huang."
"Yeah, seeing Da Zhuangs Mother leave the city without buying anything, to be honest, I was already wondering where to go to flee the famine."
"Now, as long as we dig up Medicinal Herbs, we can exchange them for water. As long as we don't die of thirst, we won't have to flee the famine."
Listening to everyone's cheerful discussion, Qin Sang waited a while before saying:
"Don't be happy too soon. Steward Huang won't be able to help me for much longer."
Everyone was stunned:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, what do you mean by that?"
Qin Sang revealed the news that Steward Huang's family was moving away:
"There are more and more displaced people now, and it's becoming less safe. Steward Huang can only send supplies for three days. Moreover, in three days, my family also plans to go into the mountains to live for a while. We won't come down until things have stabilized."
War was even more terrifying than droughts or floods. With natural disasters, if you weren't too unlucky, you could somewhat survive. But once War arrived, you only had the choice to kill or be killed.
Qin Sang couldn't save everyone in Town, but she would help those in her own village as much as she could.
Before everyone could get depressed, Qin Sang added:
"However, Steward Huang said that for these three days, he'll take as many mosquito coils as I can make and as many Medicinal Herbs as I can find. So, for these three days, I want to hire you all for work.
Help my family make mosquito coils. For one day's work, you'll get five catties of grain and two catties of water.
Even if we have to hide in the mountains then, we might find a water source in the deep mountains. Besides, it might rain any day now; it can't possibly not rain for a whole year, right?"
Five catties of grain could last a family of five for four or five days if they ate sparingly. Since more than one person in a family could work, a family might earn dozens of catties of grain in three days, so they wouldn't have to panic for a month or two.
As for the two catties of water, Qin Sang had considered it. Water was hard to preserve. When they went up the mountain, was everyone supposed to carry a water vat? So, giving them a small surplus was enough.
As soon as Qin Sang finished speaking, everyone's spirits lifted:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, is what you're saying true?"
"I'll do it! Da Zhuangs Mother, forget one day; I'd do it for a day and a night, even three days and three nights!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Qin Sang also spoke to Tian Yougen about the War, telling him to talk to the village chief properly when they returned. It would be best if they could mobilize the whole village to hide in the mountains together.
Qin Sang looked at Hunter Xu:
"I'd like to ask you to teach Da Zhuang and San Gui Archery so they can protect themselves in the future. If you agree, Hunter Xu, I'll have them both officially become your disciples."
Beside her, the driving Tian Sangui got so nervous that he almost slammed on the brakes, nearly throwing everyone off the cart.
Hunter Xu had also heard what Qin Sang said just now. Needless to say, he and his son would definitely live in the mountains. If the whole village went, having two more people who knew how to hunt would also lighten the burden on him and his son.
"There's no need for a formal apprenticeship; I'll just teach them."
In ancient times, a master truly treated his disciples like sons. Qin Sang didn't expect Hunter Xu to teach them his secret techniques; after all, he had a son of his own.
"That's fine. They don't need to be perfect marksmen; hitting a target from twenty paces would be good enough."
Tian Sangui felt a faint excitement, and the mule cart moved faster and faster under his driving.