Among China's twenty-four solar terms was Grain in Ear, which marked both the ripening season for winter wheat and the sowing season for summer crops.
France, however, had no such solar term. The French generally sowed in October of the previous year and harvested in July or August of the following year. There was only one harvest a year, and if it failed, the entire country would fall into a food shortage until the next harvest.
The ears of wheat in the fields were not especially plump. Those who grew grain knew best that there would be no bumper harvest that year. There was a village near the convent where Pomona lived. It was relatively prosperous, and its residents had not yet shown any signs of unrest, but on the roads, people could already be seen driving carts, taking their wives, children, and elderly relatives away from their homeland to flee the famine.
They were headed for Paris. Whenever famine or war broke out, the first thing ordinary people thought of was going to the capital. The king might ignore other cities, but he could not abandon the capital. Besides, Paris offered more employment opportunities, as well as a city garrison and sturdy walls. It was far safer than the countryside, where bandits might run rampant at any moment.
According to the "knitting women" gathered outside people's doors, their relatives working in Paris earned less than 3 francs a month, usually around 2 francs. The advantage was that the work was easier, and they did not have to watch the weather as farmers did.
One franc could be exchanged for 20 sous, so 2 francs was 40 sous. If a pound of bread cost 7 sous, then 40 sous could buy just over 5 pounds of bread—not even enough to