At the Liú household, Shūxīn sat facing the family, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. Ever since she had mentioned discovering a large patch of sweet potatoes and Chinese yams in the mountains, everyone had been staring at her.
“Tell me, how could you be so brave? That’s deep in the mountains! What if a wild animal grabbed you?” Grandpa Liú clicked his tongue and spoke sharply.
“Exactly! I knew you were daring, but I didn’t know it was this extreme,” said her mother, Yáng Yuè.
“I see how capable you are… should I send you to keep the sun company? How dare you do such a huge thing behind our backs!” her father scolded furiously.
Her uncle and brothers didn’t dare say anything—Grandma Liú had already grabbed a broom and was waving it at her. As she struck, she scolded:
“You reckless girl! How dare you do such a dangerous thing behind my back? Doesn’t anyone at home matter to you? You can’t go anywhere without telling your family?”
Seeing this, the rest of the family didn’t even try to lecture her—they quickly tried to hold Grandma Liú back, knowing she wouldn’t let it slide otherwise.
In the end, the scolding ended with Shūxīn’s backside slightly reddened, and the family sat together to calmly discuss what to do next.
Grandpa Liú looked at her and said, “Xīnbǎo, I know you’re capable and lucky. Because of you often bringing things back from the mountains, the Liú family is living well now. I know you’re clever and thoughtful. Tell me exactly what you have in mind.”
“Grandpa, our family already has enough grain. No one will go hungry. We’ll quietly collect a little more from the mountains for ourselves,” Shūxīn said.
“And we can inform the village. Everyone lives in the same village. We can’t just watch them starve. Only if the village survives can our family stay safe. Our grain won’t stand out too much; otherwise, I’m afraid…”
Shūxīn carefully explained her plan to Grandpa Liú, leaving the operational details to him.
After listening, Grandpa Liú remained silent for a while before replying, “I understand your plan. You’re cautious because you don’t want to expose the family, and it’s thanks to your ability that we’re in this situation. Since we aren’t short on food, let’s do as you suggested. I support you, don’t worry.”
He then spoke to Aunt Liú and her mother: “The Liú family has enough food. Tonight, let Xīnbǎo lead us into the mountains. You follow along. You can take some home, but under no circumstances reveal our family’s situation to your relatives. You know what would happen if you did.”
Grandma Liú agreed: “Keep your mouths shut. Otherwise, the Liú family won’t tolerate you—but I will.”
Aunt Liú shivered at Grandma’s words. Though Grandma Liú usually treated her eldest daughter-in-law kindly, she was formidable with others. She could curse, fight, and enforce discipline without losing.
Grandpa Liú didn’t hesitate. That very night, he led the family into the mountains and collected several sacks of grain, bringing them home under the cover of darkness.
The next evening, Grandpa Liú, Dad Liú, and Uncle Liú knocked on villagers’ doors.
The captain’s house went first, then the others. With the captain’s guidance, villagers didn’t ask many questions.
“Knock, knock, knock.” The captain opened the door to see Grandpa Liú. “Uncle, what’s the matter?”
Grandpa Liú didn’t waste words. “Root, get someone to bring their tools and follow me.” He turned and moved to the next house without explanation.
The brigade leader, Liú Shuānggēn, was sharp-minded and efficiently gathered his son to follow.
Each household followed the same procedure. By dawn, they reached the foot of the mountains. Grandpa Liú then let Shūxīn lead them into the mountains.
Once inside, the brigade leader asked Grandpa Liú what was happening. Grandpa explained that their family had discovered a wild patch of sweet potatoes and Chinese yams deep in the mountains. Now, with villagers starting to run out of food, they couldn’t bear to watch people starve. They planned to guide villagers to harvest the crops.
Upon hearing this, the captain and villagers perked up. Faces no longer grim, they climbed with all their strength. No one asked how Grandpa Liú’s family had discovered the patch—they only cared that there was food. Any doubts were buried; after all, the Liú family had shared generously, and the villagers couldn’t be ungrateful.
As the saying goes: “Bravery often comes from rough hands, ingratitude often from the educated.” Though everyone was a humble farmer, they knew gratitude.
Shūxīn had observed the villagers carefully over the years. She saw no truly malicious people, which gave her confidence to act. Otherwise, the Liú family wouldn’t have intervened, but she also wanted the villagers to remember the Liú family favorably, providing future protection.
Following Shūxīn’s careful guidance, they arrived at the destination—a mountain valley, shaded by trees, with a small stream running through it.
The stream had dried up due to drought, leaving only a partially cracked riverbed, evidence that water had once flowed.
On both sides was a sprawling, disorderly field of sweet potatoes and Chinese yams. The sweet potato vines still showed green, while the yam vines had withered. Looking at the green sweet potato patch, no one could guess that outside, the land was barren.
The villagers, seeing this, were moved to tears—they could survive.
With so much land, each household could gather two to three hundred jin, enough for three to four months. The vines couldn’t go to waste.
Without hesitation, everyone got to work. Even though they hadn’t eaten well in a long time, they exerted themselves to finish quickly and bring the harvest home. The elderly and children were waiting for the meal.
The captain allocated plots for each family. Once a family finished, they returned home.
Every villager thanked the Liú family as they harvested. They couldn’t help the Liús now, but they would remember them for the future.
The villagers joyfully dug up the sweet potatoes. Each vine had several large tubers. They calculated in their minds that this yield was better than previous years—more food to last longer.
They were even more grateful that the Liú family had discovered such a large patch and shared it openly. This laid the foundation for Shūxīn to become a dominant figure in Liúlín.
With Shūxīn’s “cheating advantage,” no one in the village starved when the famine ended.
Shūxīn not only increased the Liú family’s standing in the village but also gained merit—her abilities and mental power leveled up further.
By summer 1961, rain finally came. Though spring planting was missed, there was still the autumn crop.
With rain, the mountains gradually recovered. Wild vegetables and mushrooms sprouted, ensuring no one went hungry.
The villagers regained their energy. As long as there were no natural disasters or human calamities, hard work would ensure survival.
Women went into the mountains to forage, while men worked the fields for autumn planting.
After three years of drought, the fields were barren and needed irrigation. Otherwise, the soil would remain infertile, and next year’s harvest would fail.
Shūxīn watched the villagers working, no longer seeing the previous desolation, and smiled.
Though she had experienced an apocalyptic world, witnessing countless separations and deaths, she still wished for everyone to live a little happier.