The heavy wheels of the ox cart rolled over the last cobblestone on the official road with a creak, turning onto the secluded path leading to the back mountain of Liú Village.
Moonlight, fragmented by the dense trees on both sides, scattered in patches over the uneven dirt road. The Western Zhou night was so silent that only the chirping of insects and the “creak” of wheels over gravel could be heard, sounding especially sharp in the dead stillness.
On the cart, Liú Xiǎomǎn, Liú Lǎoshí, and Hé Xiǎolíng—who had come specially to help—were all tense like drawn bows.
Hé Xiǎolíng’s hands clutched her washed-white sleeves, her knuckles turning pale.
Liú Lǎoshí laid a gleaming machete across his lap, eyes scanning the dark swaying forest like a hawk, palms slick with sweat.
“Uncle, use this.” Liú Xiǎomǎn took a small paper packet from her bosom and handed it over. It was the repellent powder the money shopkeeper had given. She lowered her voice: “Sprinkle a circle quietly around the wheels. No noise.”
Liú Lǎoshí nodded knowingly, carefully leaning out to evenly scatter the pungent powder.
The strange scent of realgar and herbs instantly drove away the damp earthy smell of the forest.
Just as the cart cautiously navigated the shadows near a small grove by the village entrance, a sudden, fierce barking erupted!
“Woof! Woof woof woof!” It was the vicious black dog from the butcher Liú’s house on the east side of the village. Its sharp, ferocious bark could carry half a mile in the night.
The three hearts shot up into their throats.
Liú Lǎoshí and Hé Xiǎolíng’s faces went pale in an instant. Liú Lǎoshí’s hand trembled, instinctively reaching to stop the cart.
“Don’t stop! Go! Push through!” Liú Xiǎomǎn acted decisively, her voice low but commanding.
She snatched the whip from Liú Lǎoshí, jumped off the cart, and with him on one side and Hé Xiǎolíng on the other, covered the frightened oxen’s eyes with cloth, almost half-pushing, half-driving the cart to surge forward.
The wheels spun wildly, bouncing as if they might come apart.
They bent low, pressing themselves to the ground, pushing with all their strength as the deafening barking filled the night, charging through the most dangerous stretch of the path.
The dog’s barks gradually fell behind them. Fortunately, it seemed no one in the village had been disturbed.
When they finally stopped, their backs were soaked with cold sweat, gasping heavily.
Leaning against the wheel, Liú Xiǎomǎn quietly felt relieved.
Luckily, they had chosen this remote, nearly unused path; otherwise, tonight’s operation would surely have been exposed.
She also realized clearly that as their stockpile grew, the risk and difficulty of transport alone would increase exponentially.
After much jostling through darkness, the ox carts safely reached the familiar rocky pile near the back mountain.
Liú Xiǎomǎn deftly retrieved torches she had previously hidden among the foliage and lit them with a fire starter.
The orange flames rose, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the secret path leading to the waterfall cave.
When Liú Lǎoshí and Hé Xiǎolíng followed her, pushing aside the damp vines and stepping through the icy water curtain into the cave for the first time, they were completely stunned.
The torchlight revealed that the previously sparse cave was now piled high with goods!
Stacks of neatly packed grain, bundles of coarse cloth, all under the firelight, formed a breathtaking sight.
The sense of abundance and security hit the long-struggling couple speechless, leaving only involuntary exclamations of awe.
After the brief shock came an explosion of energy.
Without further instructions, Liú Lǎoshí and Hé Xiǎolíng immediately set to work.
They unloaded bag after bag of heavy grain, bundles of thick cloth, and crates of herbs and tools from the carts, painstakingly moving them into the cave.
Sweat quickly soaked their clothes, but each face glowed with near-frenzied excitement.
“Uncle, pile the grain higher, line the bottom with oilcloth to prevent moisture.”
Liú Xiǎomǎn carried lighter bundles of cloth while calmly directing: “Put the herbs on the dry stone shelves over there, iron tools in a separate pile, away from the cloth.”
Her storage knowledge, though simple, far exceeded that of ordinary farmers of this era.
Liú Lǎoshí and Hé Xiǎolíng did not doubt her advice in the slightest. They marveled at her thorough consideration, trusting her “highly informed guidance” completely.
Watching the stacks of supplies grow, Hé Xiǎolíng wiped her sweat and murmured almost dreamily:
“My heavens… this is even fuller than the granaries at the Wang family’s mansion in town…”
Her words captured the immense gap between ordinary farmers and the wealthy, and deepened their appreciation for how precious these supplies truly were.
Once all the goods were moved, the three collapsed, utterly exhausted, sitting before the stockpile.
Outside, the waterfall roared deafeningly; inside, a rare calm and sense of security prevailed.
Liú Xiǎomǎn offered the water pouch, and the three drank, admiring their labor. A silent, swelling feeling of hope filled the cave.
During the final count, Hé Xiǎolíng touched a bag of rice, puzzled, and whispered:
“Xiǎomǎn, there’s so much… even if our two families ate freely, it would last ten years. How bad… just how bad is this predicted harvest?”
At this, the warm atmosphere in the cave seemed abruptly cut off.
Liú Lǎoshí’s expression darkened, stopping his work. His face, tanned and lined, looked at Liú Xiǎomǎn with intense inquiry, awaiting a true answer.
Liú Xiǎomǎn knew simple excuses would no longer suffice for this monument of effort and silver.
She had to reveal the truth about the future to her only trustworthy allies, binding them fully to her ark.
She paused, then met the mixed gaze of trust, doubt, and unease from her uncle and aunt. Taking a deep breath of the cold, misty air, she spoke with unprecedented seriousness, word by word:
“Uncle, Aunt, it’s not just a bad harvest. What I foresee… is a disaster… one that could starve many people to death.”
The torchlight flickered sharply, casting their solemn faces in shifting shadows.