For the past few days, they had been tirelessly planting seeds in the farm. Once the seeds rewarded by the System were used up, they spent money to buy more. By now, nearly the entire acre of land in front of the farmhouse had been planted.
Lin Jinyue opened the System Panel to check the current status.
【Farm System Level: 2 (1350/5000)
Wealth: 978 wen
Storage Space: Eggs12, Chinese Cabbage10 jin, Rice50 jin, Flour20 jin】
The copper coins inside could be exchanged at a 1:1 ratio for the common currency of their world.
Lin Jinyue exchanged 500 wen, but since she wasn’t familiar with the local prices, she decided to bring some eggs and cabbage along just in case.
The family of four arrived at the city gate of Nan’an County, paid the entry fee, and entered smoothly.
The Farm System level was too low, and the System Mall only offered the most basic grains and Chinese cabbage seeds. Clothes and bedding hadn’t been Unlocked yet, so Lin Jinyue planned to buy some daily necessities in the city.
Who would have thought that while the outside appeared peaceful, the city was already in chaos? It was said that Prince Jing’s army was close to capturing the neighboring city, and hardly anyone remained in town. Those who had received the news early had left two days ago. Only a handful of shops were still open, with shopkeepers hurriedly sorting through items they could take with them. In their rush, they refused to sell anything.
Especially food—there was simply none for sale. Occasionally, a vendor might be willing to sell a few jin, but a single jin of rice was priced at several taels of silver. In normal times, one tael of silver would be enough to feed a family of five for a year.
Lin Jinyue sighed helplessly. It seemed clothes and bedding would have to wait for now, and they could only hope for the System Mall to refresh.
Still, Lin Jinyue wasn’t ready to give up.
They had finally come across a town that wasn’t yet embroiled in conflict—who knew when they’d have another chance to enter a city?
She decided to take a few eggs and a basket of cabbage to try her luck. After all, clothes and fabrics were mere worldly possessions—how could they compare to food?
Someone spotted what they had and immediately rushed over, startling them into thinking it was an attempted street robbery.
The man jumped down from his carriage, nearly stumbling in his haste. Grabbing Lin Shucheng’s arm, he urgently asked, “Weren’t you just asking about bedding and cloth? I have some. How much food do you have left? I have everything except food—I’ll trade anything for food.”
Originally, they had only wanted to exchange for some coarse cloth to make clean clothes. But when the deal was done, the whole family was left in a daze. Seven eggs, a basket of cabbage, and ten jin of coarse rice had been traded for a chest of high-quality brocade.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Lin Jinyue added a few more eggs and some mixed-grain pancakes they had brought with them.
In return, they received a chest of coarse cloth, some miscellaneous items, and a few pieces of broken silver—all pressed upon them insistently.
The man said, “What use is a fortune in times like these? Staying alive is the greatest luxury one can hope for. Since I can’t take these things with me anyway, consider them a gift.”
The family carried the chest to an empty spot. Seeing no one around, Lin Jinyue promptly stored everything in the Farm System’s Storage Space, keeping only a bit of coarse cloth in hand as they exited the city gate.
“You’re actually still alive!”
Lin Youliang and his family stared at them in disbelief.
Lin Lao San’s wife, Madame Jiang, and their son had clearly been half-dead before, yet now they stood here full of vitality. The entire Lin Lao San family looked energetic, with rosy complexions, and they even had silver to buy cloth in the city—nothing like refugees fleeing famine.
Lin Jinyue had been in high spirits, but hearing such an ill-omened remark as soon as they stepped out instantly soured her mood.
Looking at the Lin Youliang family’s miserable state, Lin Lao Er lay pitifully on the ground, unconscious and on the verge of death.
The original group of about a hundred people from Lin Family Village had shrunk by a third in just three days.
Lin Jinyue paid no attention to the Lin Youliang family, but she remembered how, in that critical moment, the other villagers had each given them a bit of food. Without that, even with the Farm System, their first day would have been extremely difficult.
Lin Shucheng was also pondering how to bring up the matter.
With such a long journey ahead and supplies running out, it would be hard to survive the trek north.
Even if they made it to the north, they likely wouldn’t fare well, as the capital was about to fall.
At that moment, a well-dressed steward approached.
The Lin family members rushed forward, kneeling on the ground and pleading, "Noble sir, my son is sturdy and can do any kind of labor. Please, have mercy and give our child a way out. We only ask for some coarse grain cakes."
As they spoke, they pulled Da Ya forward as if displaying goods.
Lin Lao Da eagerly added, "Sir, look, my daughter is quite pretty. She’s just a bit dirty now, but with some care, she can serve people. Please, have mercy."
The steward kicked him aside. "Get out of the way, don’t block the path."
Seeing the Lin family’s actions, the other villagers hesitated.
This steward was different from the cannibalistic Master Xu. Selling their children might offer them a chance to survive, whereas keeping them at home would likely mean the entire family perishing.
Three years of severe drought, compounded by war, had made survival nearly impossible.
Lin Jinyue’s family couldn’t bear to watch.
She led her family to a secluded alley and asked, "Should we give them some food and warn them about the war in the north?"
Jiang Yun also frowned. "Those children are pitiful. We have the Farm System. Why not take them with us? We can farm and exchange for food, at least ensuring they don’t starve."
All four members of the family had come from a peaceful era and couldn’t stand the sight of children being sold.
Lin Jinyue noticed her mother’s compassion and desire to take those people along but didn’t quite agree.
"In these chaotic times, our family can’t take on too much. Surviving ourselves is already a struggle. Everyone is fleeing north, but our family of four is heading south. We can barely protect ourselves."
Though Lin Jinyue felt for them, she had read many historical accounts of famine and war and had long understood the depths of human cruelty through words.
She also recalled the original host’s memories and gently reminded her, "Mom, we can give them some coarse grain cakes to repay their kindness in the woods. But before we crossed over, the Jiang family was too kind. Villagers would come for every headache or fever, saying at first that any treatment would do, just to survive. Later, several families blamed her when she couldn’t cure them."
"And in these chaotic times, our family can’t take on too much."
Jiang Yun was just momentarily soft-hearted and wasn’t truly being foolish.
Lin Jinyue decided to give the Lin Family Village people some food and warn them of the danger.
When they returned, they saw the villagers sitting at the south gate of Nan’an County, their faces numb with despair.
Only the Lin family was still cursing and complaining:
"Damn it, they won’t even give a basket of coarse rice. Do they think we haven’t asked around? We already know the market price—a boy can be exchanged for ten catties of coarse rice, a girl for fifteen catties."
"That black-hearted wretch, trying to trade away Big Ya for just eight catties of coarse rice."
Lin Jinyue felt a wave of discomfort hearing this—last time, she had nearly been sold off herself.