“What? Flee? Flee where?” Zhou Zhangshi was stunned, unable to believe it.
“Somewhere the war hasn’t reached, no drought, mountains and rivers are clear and beautiful,” Zhou Dahai fantasized.
“What are we going to do? Second son, second son, hurry, something big is happening!” Zhou Zhangshi shouted out the window.
“Coming, Mother, coming!”
…
Chaos erupted at the old residence.
“Clang, clang, clang… clang, clang, clang…”
Li Wanting and her two children had just finished dinner when they heard the sound of the village gong. Whenever something major happened in the village, people would beat the gong and gather at the ancestral hall.
The three of them slowly walked toward the hall under the moonlight. On the way, they saw many others heading the same direction. By the time they arrived, the hall was already packed with people.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“Not sure, but it must be serious; otherwise, they wouldn’t have called everyone out at this late hour.”
“Listen, they’re saying something about fleeing famine?”
“Fleeing famine?”
…
People buzzed with conversation, the crowd extremely lively.
The three of them stayed back, observing from a distance. They saw two men carrying torches and Zhou Yunda speaking with a few elders from the clan.
After a while, when most people had arrived, Zhou Yunda stood and struck the gong.
“Clang.”
Immediately, the crowd fell silent, all eyes on Zhou Yunda.
“Villagers, quiet please. The crops have all withered in the fields. This year will again yield nothing. The heavens refuse to rain, the streams dried last year, and the wells are almost empty. No food, no water—death is certain. And the war in the north is about to reach our area. If we want to survive, we must flee. I have discussed this with the village elders, and we have all agreed: we will escape the famine.”
At this, the villagers erupted in panic.
“Escape the famine? Village chief, our ancestors have lived here for generations. Where would we go?”
“Can’t we just stay?”
“Heaven isn’t giving us a way to survive.”
“Maybe if we escape, we might survive.”
…
The villagers spoke all at once, mostly in fear.
“Clang.”
Seeing that most had spoken, Zhou Yunda continued, “I do not want to flee. Leaving our homes, abandoning our homeland—it pains me. But there is no other way. If there were even a chance to survive, I wouldn’t make this decision. As the saying goes, ‘Heaven never closes all doors.’ Perhaps if we flee, we may find a sliver of hope. If we stay, death is certain.”
“Village chief, where should we flee?” Shuanzi asked anxiously.
Zhou Yunda glanced at Shuanzi. “We have agreed to head to Shuntian Prefecture in the south. The south is fertile, with abundant rainfall, never drought-stricken. And it is under the rule of the Ming Prince, who is wise and kind to his people. We will gather at the village entrance at the first watch in two days. Those leaving with us will have a day to prepare. Now, everyone, go home, discuss, and register with me when you are ready. That’s all, dismissed.”
Hearing this, the villagers murmured among themselves and returned home. Li Wanting led her children home as well.
“Sister-in-law, are you going to flee?” Wang Lanzhi hurried to catch up and asked.
“Yes, Sister-in-law. Staying behind means we cannot survive. If we leave, we might find a chance to survive. Our entire village leaving together increases safety,” Li Wanting explained.
“Hmm, you’re right. Tomorrow I’ll call your elder brother Dachang from town and buy more grain,” Wang Lanzhi agreed.
“Yeah. Make more cakes, fried noodles, and such—things easy to eat when cooking isn’t convenient,” Li Wanting reminded.
“Okay, I’ll get ready at home. You too,” Wang Lanzhi replied.
“Mm-hmm,” Li Wanting nodded. Wang Lanzhi then turned and left. Li Wanting led her children back home.
Once home, Li Wanting guided her children into the space and sat on the sofa.
“Mom, what food should we prepare?” Zhou Zimo asked.
“Make some coarse-grain cakes and fried noodles for immediate eating. And make extra good food to store in the space—you can eat it anytime,” Li Wanting said, sipping water.
“Oh-oh-oh, yummy food! I want yummy food!” the little foodie Zhou Zomeng said happily.
“Little foodie,” Li Wanting affectionately pinched her daughter’s cheeks. She noticed her daughter’s face had become a bit rounder over the past few days.
Releasing her, Li Wanting turned to her son: “The crops are ready to harvest. I’ll collect the grain today and plant the next batch tomorrow night. Food is essential—humans can’t live without it. During the day tomorrow, I’ll make more prepared food. You take your sister to sleep.”
“Mom, I want to help harvest. There’s so much grain. When will it all be done?” Zimo worried.
“No need, son. You’re still young, and you can’t really help. You can’t use the machine the gods gave me yet. When you’re older, I’ll teach you how. Now, take your sister to wash up and sleep. Tomorrow, help me make the food.” Li Wanting urged.
“All right, Mom,” Zimo said. He realized his mother was right and he couldn’t help. He took his sister to the bathroom.
Li Wanting then went to the warehouse, started up the harvester, and went to the fields.
The grain matured in one month per cycle. Li Wanting, diligent as she was, used modern machinery to plant and harvest efficiently. One hundred acres could be handled in two days. There were no weeds or pests, so besides the two days of harvesting and planting, the fields required no other care.
After Zimo put his sister to sleep, he went out to help, only to find his mother operating some strange machine in the field.
He watched for a while, still unsure what it did. But it was fast and convenient. When his mother poured the grain into the warehouse, it was already hulled. Truly, divine tools were remarkable.
Seeing that her son wasn’t asleep yet, Li Wanting told him to go rest. Zimo, unable to help anyway, obeyed and went to bed.
By midnight, Li Wanting had stored the last cartload of wheat in the warehouse. She had some fruit and snacks, drank some spring water, and seeing her children asleep soundly, her heart softened.
She changed into black clothes, donned a black hat and mask, and slipped out of the space.
Outside, it was pitch dark. No one was around, and the moon had hidden behind clouds. Only the rustle of the trees in the wind could be heard. Truly a “dark night with high winds, perfect for thieves and murderers.”
Li Wanting used her space teleportation to instantly arrive at the old house’s gate. Hearing no sounds, she teleported through the door into the courtyard.
The family was sleeping soundly, snoring drifting from the north room and west wing.