The Locust Plague Arrives

Liu Silang asked, "Wanwan, didn't you say we were only buying fine grain, not coarse grain?"

"It's better to be prepared! The fine grain is for our own family, but if a famine really comes, coarse grain can save lives too." Zhou Wanwan insisted on fine grain for herself, but everyone else could make do with coarse grain!

If they bought coarse grain, they could buy more than a hundred sacks.

That evening, Old Liu returned with people from Liu Family Village, bringing thirty taels of silver's worth of coarse grain-a full 120 sacks.

The remaining ten taels had all been spent on fine grain, fifteen sacks in total. Old Liu had the grain put straight into the house.

Zhou Wanwan asked,

"Grandfather, wouldn't it be bad if people found out about all this?

Especially the people from Liu Family Village. I think we should be a little wary of them."

Old Liu shook his head. "We hold the deeds of servitude for everyone in Liu Family Village. We don't have to worry about that."

"What?"

Old Liu smiled.

"I wasn't going to tell you about this, but you're not an outsider.

The people of Liu Family Village are all servants of our Liu family. It's just that no one has shown it openly.

So our family still has the final say in the whole of Liu Family Village. My grandfather thought far ahead back then.

These people had been servants for generations and were utterly loyal. The old man couldn't bear to see their descendants remain servants, so he set them free.

But he also made preparations for both possibilities. Considering that they might refuse to obey in the future, he had them sign secret contracts."

Zhou Wanwan looked at Old Liu. "Then the Liu family had a great household and a vast estate. How did we end up with nothing to eat or drink?"

Old Liu sighed.

"For that, I have to speak of my father. He gambled away the entire family fortune and left me buried under a mountain of debt-even Liu Family Village was saddled with it.

That's why Liu Family Village had no savings to spare all these years. We only finished paying off the debts a few years ago."

Zhou Wanwan understood now. Everyone in Liu Family Village had been paying off Old Liu's father's debts, which was why the village was so poor.

Old Liu sighed.

"That's why I've felt I owed Liu Family Village all these years. Wanwan, your grandfather is especially grateful to you.

Without you, if a drought really struck, few people in Liu Family Village would survive."

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "We should help however we can. Since that's how it is, the people of Liu Family Village are our people. Naturally, we have to save them."

Old Liu went straight into a room and soon came out carrying a box. "These are the deeds of servitude for everyone in Liu Family Village. I'm giving them to you."

Zhou Wanwan hastily waved her hands. "I don't want them, Grandfather. These people listen to you. What sense does it make to give them to me?"

Old Liu smiled faintly. "From now on, you'll be the head of Liu Family Village. Naturally, they'll listen to you. I'll go tell them right now."

Zhou Wanwan pulled him back. "Grandfather, you should think it over carefully! Will these people listen to someone with a different surname?"

"Why wouldn't they? I have the final say in Liu Family Village." Old Liu went straight off to speak to the villagers.

Soon, the village chief of Liu Family Village came over. When he saw Zhou Wanwan, he immediately fell to his knees. "Master..."

Zhou Wanwan frowned at him. "Liu Xiuyuan, you'd better think this through. Once you follow me, you'll be one of my people, and you'll have to listen to me."

Liu Xiuyuan nodded. "I'm willing. Everyone in Liu Family Village is willing."

Zhou Wanwan nodded.

"Good. I don't like forcing people to do things against their will. If you don't want to serve me in the future, you can say so.

I'm willing to let you go too."

Liu Xiuyuan shook his head. "From now on, we are yours, and our loyalty will be yours alone. Please accept us."

Only then did Zhou Wanwan nod. "All right."

Liu Xiuyuan looked at her.

"Master, if you have any orders, you can tell this servant to carry them out. My ancestors were stewards.

That's why I became the village chief. I can do most of the work a steward does."

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "All right, I understand."

With so many subordinates all at once, Zhou Wanwan still wasn't quite used to it.

When she returned home that evening, Liu Su'e was dumbfounded after hearing the story.

"You mean your grandfather gave you all those people in the village? Oh my! Child, how can you be so carefree?

Having these people may make things easier for you sometimes, but you'll have to feed them all from now on.

Given our family's circumstances, how can we feed so many people?"

Zhou Wanwan grinned. "Mother, don't worry about all that. Let's have braised rabbit tonight."

They had returned to Wild Field Village that evening. By now, they had moved almost all the grain and other supplies out of their home, leaving only some grain for their everyday meals.

The roe deer, pheasants, rabbits, and goats they kept at home had also been sent to Liu Family Village.

Liu Su'e looked at the rabbit. "Oh! Then I'll cook this rabbit now and make a wild greens and mushroom soup too. How does that sound?"

Zhou Wanwan's stomach was growling with hunger. She nodded eagerly. "That couldn't be better."

Dinner that day was quite a feast. Zhou Wanwan ate her fill and went straight to sleep.

Early the next morning, Zhou Qingyan shook her awake. "Wanwan, this is bad. A locust plague really has struck."

Zhou Wanwan woke at once and looked at him. "Big brother, what did you say?"

"A locust plague... In a single night, the crops in the fields are all gone." Zhou Qingyan's face was full of terror.

Zhou Wanwan got dressed, and Lin Shouyi had already hurried over. He said,

"Grain prices outside have already risen tenfold. Wanwan, do you still want to buy some grain?

If you do, hurry and come with me. The grain sold by the authorities over there is still relatively cheap."

Zhou Wanwan thought for a moment, then took out the gold hairpin and two rings. "Let's go. We'll buy as much as we can and exchange all of these for coarse grain."

Zhou Wanwan hadn't expected the locust plague to arrive so suddenly either. Now they had to buy as much as they could.

Many common people still hadn't realized how serious the locust plague was, so grain prices were still within a manageable range.

Zhou Wanwan rode in Lin Shouyi's ox cart to Liu Family Village first and had the villagers bring out two horse-drawn carts.

The cow Zhou Wanwan had bought later could work now too, though it was a little slow.

Liu Xiuyuan looked at Zhou Wanwan. "Luckily, we sold all the fields. Otherwise, all our work would have come to nothing."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him. "Have all the Liu family's fields been sold?"

"Yes. The Liu family had ten mu of high-grade fields, twenty mu of medium-grade fields, and fifty mu of low-grade fields in all. They sold for eighty-five taels of silver.

Then it was all exchanged for coarse grain. It won't be a problem to feed everyone in the village, young and old, for a few months." Liu Xiuyuan was extremely capable when it came to getting things done.

Zhou Wanwan felt a little reassured.

"You did very well, but the great drought may last more than three years, or even longer.

This grain still isn't enough to keep the Liu family alive."