Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui were startled. They hurriedly opened the courtyard gate and indeed saw thick smoke billowing from one direction outside the village, accompanied by shouts and clamor.
Seeing the two come out, Xu Xiaoman said, “Brother Errui, come with me quickly. They’re fighting over there—refugees are looting.”
Most of the villagers had already left, leaving only a handful of households behind. Hearing that refugees were looting, Xu Errui grabbed a wooden stick by the door and ran off.
Jiang Zhi wanted to stop him but couldn’t. Frowning, she watched the two disappear into the darkness, hoping Xu Errui would be clever enough to handle the situation.
She was somewhat puzzled. After all, the refugees were outsiders and likely lacked confidence, so they shouldn’t dare to truly clash with the locals.
They could no longer stay in the village. They had to go up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning.
She closed the courtyard gate and pulled Qiaoyun into the house. “Qiaoyun, we can’t sleep tonight. If you’re tired, just rest your head on the table for a while. We’ll head up the mountain at dawn.”
Qiaoyun nodded vigorously.
She had little say in household matters. When Errui spoke, she listened to Errui. When her mother-in-law spoke, both she and Errui listened to her mother-in-law.
The weather was still very cold. Jiang Zhi gathered a pile of wood from the woodshed and, regardless of whether it could burn properly, lit a fire right in the middle of the main room to warm themselves.
The original host had likely never been this considerate before, so Qiaoyun was quite unaccustomed to it. She kept stealing glances at her mother-in-law across the fire.
Jiang Zhi paid her no mind. The original host had always been temperamental and eccentric—suddenly becoming cheerful and talkative would have been alarming.
Finally, the commotion outside gradually died down, and footsteps approached.
Xu Errui knocked on the door. “Mother, Qiaoyun, open up quickly! I’m back!”
Jiang Zhi went to open the door and immediately asked, “How many refugees came? What happened just now?”
Seeing the fire inside, Xu Errui warmed his hands by it. “Mother, refugees came and looted.”
That was stating the obvious—Xiaoman had already said as much when he arrived.
Knowing Xu Errui was honest and straightforward, Jiang Zhi could only wait for him to explain slowly.
Outwardly calm, her heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Born in peaceful times, no one had experienced such a situation before. Now, she could only rely on intuition and common sense to make sense of it.
Qiaoyun poured a bowl of hot water from beside the fire for Xu Errui and urged him to tell them what had happened.
Xu Errui took a sip of water and quickly said, “There were over twenty refugees from outside. First, they asked for water, then they demanded Uncle Youcai give them grain to cook. Uncle Youcai’s family refused, and the two sides started fighting. The refugees even nearly set fire to the houses. But by the time Xiaoman and I arrived, Uncle Youcai and the others had already driven the refugees away—they had more people.”
“These refugees are truly despicable!” Qiaoyun muttered softly.
Jiang Zhi remained silent, lost in thought. The Youcai Xu Errui mentioned was from one of the households that had stolen during the day. Relying on their numbers and the fact that they were all strong men, they had looked down on the refugees.
How dare refugees loot them?
Now, the refugees were turning into rioters, teetering on the edge of losing control. Continuing to underestimate them would lead to trouble.
Xu Family Village was unusually quiet that night, yet also unsettlingly restless.
Perhaps truly sensing the terror of clashing with refugees, the remaining villagers couldn’t sleep. From time to time, someone would patrol with a torch to check their surroundings.
Xiaoman came running to Jiang Zhi’s house again, saying his grandfather was willing to go up the mountain and would leave tomorrow.
By dawn, the village was cold and deserted, with no cooking smoke in sight. Jiang Zhi’s family was also preparing to leave.
They took everything with them. Qiaoyun was also going along. Five months pregnant, she leaned on a wooden stick to climb the mountain herself.
Xu Errui alone carried several large back baskets, having to make multiple trips back and forth.
When encountering dangerous mountain paths, he needed Jiang Zhi to lend a hand to get through.
Joining them on the mountain were Xiao Man and Xiaoman's Grandparents.
Xiao Man struggled up the slope carrying a person wrapped tightly in cloth; judging by the legs that nearly dragged on the ground, it was likely his bedridden elder brother.
The two elderly each shouldered bundles, and even the little girl carried her own belongings.
If just climbing the mountain was this difficult, one could imagine the hardship of fleeing famine.
Apart from them, other families in hiding gradually made their way up the mountain. No one spoke; each person was heavy-hearted.
Whether fleeing elsewhere or ascending the mountain, both meant abandoning their homes—no one could feel at ease.
They walked in fits and starts, as each family’s kiln and charcoal shed were in different locations, requiring them to part ways after each stretch.
Jiang Zhi’s home was situated highest up. Only after moving all their belongings to their charcoal shed did everyone finally heave a long sigh of relief.
If the villagers found the climb difficult, the refugees would find it even harder. From their elevated position, they could simply hurl stones down to drive people back, making it temporarily safe to stay up there.
Of course, if the war dragged on for years, Da Yan would know no peace anywhere.
The three of them were utterly exhausted by now and needed rest before they could work.
The coarse grain flatbreads baked last night and the roasted sweet potatoes came in handy.
Qiaoyun gathered some dry leaves and branches nearby, set up a makeshift stove with three stones in a sheltered spot, fetched mountain spring water to boil, and managed a simple meal.
Though the setting was crude, the three ate leisurely, far better than living in constant fear in the village.
With their stomachs full and energy somewhat restored, the immediate task was to repair the charcoal shed.
They would need to spend the night on the mountain, and staying out in the open would be unbearable.
Xu Errui found some previously stripped tree bark nearby and cut thatch from the cliff edge to use together.
Though these grasses had been exposed to frost and dew for months, their leaves were already decayed and unsuitable for roofing, the coarse stems were still better than leaving gaps for wind and rain.
The pond cleared the day before was now free of fallen leaves. Qiaoyun took out pots, bowls, and utensils nearby, washing them one by one before placing them in baskets that served as cupboards.
They could only bring limited items up the mountain; furniture like tables, chairs, benches, and wooden beds had to be left behind. Now, aside from a few quilts, the shed had only bare earthen ground.
While Xu Errui and the other two worked on repairing the shed, Jiang Zhi walked alone into the nearby blue oak forest.
Here, thick layers of fallen leaves covered the ground. She planned to collect some clean leaves for bedding and gather dry branches that would catch fire easily.
Additionally, Jiang Zhi wanted to try her luck to see if she could find what she was looking for.
As soon as she brushed aside the fallen leaves, the Cyclobalanopsis acorns beneath caught her eye.
Sure enough, there were Cyclobalanopsis acorns, and having only passed two or three months, they were still fresh, clustered in piles hidden under the leaves.
Some had shed their outer shells, while others remained nestled in their cup-like husks.
The blue oak tree is an evergreen deciduous tree, tolerant of cold and poor soil, widely distributed and highly versatile.
According to the Jiuhuang Bencao (Materia Medica for Famine Relief): "Its origin was not previously recorded, but now it is found everywhere. Large trees that bear acorn cups are oaks, while smaller ones that do not bear acorn cups are blue oaks."
The Jiuhuang Bencao also notes its use in relieving famine: "Gather tender leaves, boil until cooked, soak in water until they turn yellow, rinse thoroughly with clean water, and season with oil and salt to eat."
These are just side dishes; what Jiang Zhi values most is that after removing the astringency, Cyclobalanopsis acorns can be processed into starch, tofu, and brewed into alcohol, serving as a staple food.
This removal of astringency is crucial.
Looking at the mountains covered with blue oak forests, Jiang Zhi revealed a satisfied smile.
True strength never complains about the environment—now she has both food and resources.
Since transmigrating here, Jiang Zhi had repeatedly searched for any special abilities she might possess: a space, a system, mind-reading, or supernatural powers like immense strength.
A day passed, and she found none.
Her age was also a disadvantage, leaving her without even the opportunity to change her fate through marriage.
It seemed that transmigration didn't necessarily come with supernatural abilities; all she could rely on was her knowledge.
Her grandfather had been a rural barefoot herbal doctor, and both her parents were native farmers. From a young age, Jiang Zhi followed her grandfather around the mountains, learning to recognize hundreds of medicinal herbs. As she grew older, she naturally enrolled in a traditional Chinese medicine college to study herbal medicine.
Unlike traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who diagnose and prescribe, pharmacology was a different field.
Thus, instead of studying medicine in school, she learned to make ointments, pellets, pills, and powders. After graduation, she worked in a pharmacy dispensing medicine, which aligned well with her expertise.
However, as traditional Chinese herbs began to be cultivated on a large scale, yields increased significantly—even ginseng was grown like radishes. In contrast, their efficacy steadily declined.
Herbal medicine was increasingly dismissed as unorthodox and abandoned by society. Her and her grandfather's dream of revitalizing herbal medicine grew more distant.
As her parents and grandfather passed away one after another, she completely gave up on her herbal medicine dream and settled into a mundane job in the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy of the town hospital.
Still, her training in herbal medicine had its benefits. For example, what others saw as weeds, she could identify as medicine.
What others saw as ordinary trees, she could also recognize as medicine.
Now, looking at the blue oak trees, while others might think of their hard wood as ideal for furniture or charcoal, her mind automatically conjured other uses.
Besides the edible seeds, blue oak bark has the effects of invigorating the spleen, stopping diarrhea, and astringing to stop bleeding. It can treat spleen deficiency diarrhea, chronic dysentery, leukorrhea, various types of bleeding, malignant sores, and abscesses.
For now, Jiang Zhi didn't need to use blue oak for medicinal purposes; the edible seeds alone were more than enough.