Found Without the Slightest Effort

Their luck was poor that night. They searched for two hours without finding a thing.

Zhou Qingyan sighed. "Wanwan, are you tired? Why don't we go back?"

Zhou Wanwan shook her head. "Let's wait a little longer! I hope we can find something else, or life will be hard for us in the disaster year!"

Zhou Qinghe also urged him, "Big brother, don't bother Wanwan. We just need to follow her."

Zhou Wanwan closed her eyes and heard the wild grass beside her suddenly speak. "Yesterday I saw a group of people sneaking around, hiding things in a cave on our mountain."

"That's right, I saw them too. There were several sacks of grain!"

"How come I didn't see them yesterday? Were your eyes playing tricks on you?"

"You were asleep at the time. They went to that cave up ahead."

Zhou Wanwan headed straight in the direction the wild grass had tilted its head. After they walked for the time it took an incense stick to burn, they did indeed find a hidden cave.

Zhou Wanwan suddenly heard people talking and immediately pulled her brothers into the grass beside them.

They had just crouched down when they heard Zhou Fu'an and Zhou Fukang's voices. Zhou Fu'an frowned. "We've already brought two sacks over today. I'm exhausted."

Zhou Fukang said with a smile:

"Big brother, just do whatever Mother tells you. We sold all the fields at home and traded everything for grain.

"If a disaster year really comes, our family will make a fortune."

Zhou Fu'an laughed. "Mother said that if a disaster year comes, all this grain can be traded for gold.

"Then we can go to the city and buy a house and shops. Our family will be rich."

Zhou Fukang nodded.

"Mother said she originally wanted to sell that money-losing girl from Fourth Brother's family, but unfortunately they ran away.

"She planned to raise the younger ones to be our family's servants.

"Then they'd do whatever we told them to, but they actually grew backbones."

Zhou Fuyu came over with a sack of rice on his back. "Hey! What are you talking about?"

"We're talking about Fourth Brother!"

Zhou Fuyu chuckled.

"Don't worry! Mother secretly told me that the monks can run, but the temple can't. Do you really think their family can escape?

"When the disaster year comes and they can't survive, they'll naturally come running back. That'll be the best time to deal with them.

"We originally planned to have them repair the ancestral house themselves. We're still holding on to the deed to its land.

"If they repair the ancestral house, we'll take it back afterward. It'll be another deal guaranteed to make a profit."

Zhou Fu'an shook his head. "Too bad they didn't fall for it!"

Zhou Fuyu snorted with laughter.

"It doesn't matter whether they fall for it. Mother wants their family to suffer a little, and then they'll naturally come back obediently.

"Don't worry about it. Never mind that family; right now we need to stockpile more grain and water.

"Mother bought dozens more large vats and filled them all with water. When the time comes, all of that will be money!"

Zhou Fu'an looked at him.

"Do you think what Mother said is reliable? She keeps saying it'll happen soon.

"But we haven't heard a peep about it yet. We sold the family's fields, and the crops in them are almost ready to harvest."

Zhou Fuyu laughed. "Of course it's reliable. It'll happen in the next couple of days. You two just wait and see! Our family is going to make a huge fortune this time."

The third son was Old Madam Zhou's favorite, so he knew the most.

The three brothers put the grain in the cave, then turned and headed down the mountain.

Zhou Wanwan still didn't move. A while after they had left, Zhou Fuyu turned back again. "Ah! All right, now I can rest easy. Let's go back!"

Zhou Fu'an couldn't help mocking him.

"You're far too cautious. We chose a pretty remote place. Who could possibly find it?

"All right, let's hurry back! Mother's waiting for us to eat."

After they left, Zhou Wanwan still didn't move. Zhou Qingyan said, "Little sister, why aren't we moving yet?"

Zhou Wanwan whispered, "Shh," and saw Zhou Fuyu come back again. "I'm still a little uneasy, so I came back for another look."

He walked around the area again, and Zhou Fukang couldn't help complaining. "All right, you're suspicious of everything all day long. Are you satisfied now?"

"I'm satisfied, I'm satisfied." Only then did Zhou Fuyu go down the mountain.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn had passed, Zhou Wanwan finally said, "All right, big brother, second brother, go get Father and Mother."

Zhou Qingyan and Zhou Qinghe turned and left at once. Zhou Wanwan and Zhou Qingchen entered the cave. It was very well hidden; behind a dense thicket, they found a coarse hemp curtain hanging down.

The curtain looked ordinary and blended in with the surrounding weeds. It was impossible to spot without looking closely.

The two of them reached out and lifted the curtain, and there was a cave hidden behind it.

The cave wasn't particularly large, but it was spacious enough, about a dozen square meters or so. Its walls were rough stone and looked quite solid.

Everything in the cave was neatly arranged. More than ten sacks of grain were piled on one side, the sacks sewn from coarse cloth.

On the other side were a good thirty-odd pottery jars and wooden buckets, all filled to the brim with water.

Zhou Wanwan smiled. "We found it without the slightest effort. We've gained quite a haul today. With these things, I feel much more at ease."

This was what the Zhou family owed them. Only after Liu Su'e and Zhou Fusheng arrived did Zhou Wanwan tell them to carry the rice in the opposite direction first, then turn and head toward the cellar they had dug.

The cellar was already beginning to take shape, but it still wasn't big enough.

Once they had carried the grain, wooden buckets, and pottery jars over, Liu Su'e and Zhou Fusheng continued digging the cellar.

After a whole night's work, it had finally taken shape and could hold everything without a problem. Zhou Wanwan and the others fetched water. Fortunately, they were close to the mountain spring, so they soon finished.

Once they were done, they fixed up the cellar entrance. Liu Su'e smiled. "Oh! You really can't tell it's there at all from outside. Let's head down the mountain!"

Zhou Wanwan and the others went down the mountain. Without even bothering to eat, the whole family fell straight into a deep sleep.

In the morning, Liu Su'e stir-fried a vegetable dish, and they made do with that for their meal. After eating, Zhou Wanwan looked at them and said, "I'm planning to go into the mountains for another look tonight, in case..."

Liu Su'e couldn't help saying, "You're going into the mountains again?"

"Yes. We only have these next few days, so we have to find a way to get more supplies.

"Father, Mother, find a way to fill all the water vats at home, as well as the wooden buckets and clay pots. They all need to be filled.

"We'll find a way to go into the mountains again and look for some game. Tomorrow, I'm planning to go to the market to buy some chicks and piglets. We can't have our family going without meat," Zhou Wanwan said.

She reckoned the locust plague would arrive in the next day or two, so she had to find a way to race against time.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard a sound from the corner of the wall across from her...