Leaving the fourth son, Lin Chaobei, to continue waiting in line, the eldest and third sons headed to the spot where the villagers claimed their mother was digging up wild grass.
When they arrived, Yue Jiuyue was sitting on a rock resting, though her hoe never stopped moving. The ground all around her had been stripped clean—not a single blade of grass remained.
“Mother!”
Even though the two brothers had come and seen with their own eyes that their mother was indeed digging up many inedible weeds, they still didn’t know how to broach the subject with her. After all, it was their failure as sons to provide enough food that had driven her to dig up weeds to eat.
“Oh? Why are you here? Perfect timing—come over here and help me. Dig up all these weeds for me. Mother has a use for them!”
Yue Jiuyue didn’t care why her two sons had come. She was so tired that her back ached and she could barely stand. With her sons digging up medicinal herbs for her, she could earn four taels of silver an hour, right?
Wheat was going for about twenty to thirty wen per catty. With her two sons digging for an hour, she could exchange their haul for about a hundred and fifty catties of wheat. Or she could buy flour directly and finally sink her teeth into some soft, fluffy steamed buns!
Just thinking about grain and steamed buns made Yue Jiuyue’s stomach growl loudly.
They were the most ordinary steamed buns—the kind she’d eaten every single day before yesterday. Sometimes she’d even get tired of them and switch things up—rice for a couple of meals, or flatbreads and twisted rolls. She never imagined that one day she’d be craving steamed buns so badly she’d be drooling.
So she urged her two sons to dig faster, harder—leaving them no chance to say what they’d come to say.
Besides, from what their mother said, these weeds were useful. It didn’t sound like she was planning to eat them. That put their minds at ease.
And so, as the villagers carried their spring water home, they once again saw the mother and her two sons digging up weeds on the mountain. Seeing the two boys join in, the villagers couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Weren’t they supposed to talk some sense into Old Lady Lin Yue? How could they join in on the nonsense?
Not long after, a warm-hearted old woman—moving with some difficulty—made her way up the mountain.
“Sister-in-law, my eldest grandson tells me you’re up here digging up these weeds. Are you taking them home to boil and eat, or do you have some other use for them?
I’m not an old busybody trying to meddle in your affairs, but the truth is, these weeds aren’t safe to eat. Scratching up your throat is the least of it. What if you upset your stomach? Then you’d need medicine, wouldn’t you? And medicine costs money. With that money, you might as well buy some real grain. Don’t you agree?”
This old woman was the clan leader’s wife, Wang by name. Ever since she married the clan leader, she’d never suffered any real hardship. Even in this famine year, her household didn’t lack for food. She was easygoing and warm-hearted. Whenever someone in the clan ran into trouble, she’d offer advice, and if she could lend a helping hand, she would. That was why the villagers held her in high regard.
The original owner had felt the same way.
The original owner had also received help from Wang. When she’d first been cast out of the family, the thatched cottage she lived in had been built by Wang’s sons. So, naturally, Yue Jiuyue didn’t treat her the way she treated others. For once, her tone was unusually gentle.
“Auntie, why have you come? Come over here and sit down for a rest.”
After helping Wang settle onto the rock, Yue Jiuyue began to explain.
“Auntie, here’s the thing. We’re in the middle of a famine. My family is so poor we can’t even boil water. I’ve been home with nothing to do these past few days, and then I suddenly remembered something. Back when I used to go to town, I saw people delivering medicinal herbs to the clinics. I didn’t pay much attention at the time—I only remember they looked like weeds. So I thought I’d dig up some weeds and go to a clinic another day to ask if they’ll take them.”