By noon, the villagers returning from the town to buy grain were trickling back, all looking dejected. The price of grain had shot up several times—corn had risen to twenty wen per jin, and it was still hard to buy.
Many who had waited in long lines came back empty-handed.
When Zhang Yuanshan and his family heard this news, their gratitude toward Shen Yong’an deepened even further. They thought to themselves that, in the future, they would have to repay this good brother properly.
Shen Yu had spent the entire day making medicinal pills, with little Shen Hao helping his sister.
She secretly added a bit of spiritual spring water to each pill, increasing their effectiveness several times. Once done, she placed them in various small glass bottles she had chosen from the market, labeled them with usage instructions and dosages, for convenience on the journey.
She also prepared some anti-mosquito ointments and cooling balms, but what she prepared the most was the strong Soul-Detaching Powder, a life-saving item in these chaotic times.
Shen Yu then sent her father to the mountains to cut bamboo. Following her instructions, he made two simple, low bamboo beds that could be secretly placed in tents for sleeping outdoors, keeping out moisture and insects.
Lin Shuyuan worked on sewing cotton jackets for Shen Yu and little Shen Hao, while Shen Yu made dinner. She took out the pork bought from the market and used a braised pork seasoning pack from the store to cook a large pot of fragrant braised pork, along with steaming two large pots of buns. Except for what would be eaten that night, everything else was stored in her space.
Now, in the name of a “mystic master,” whatever Shen Yu took out or stored, her family had gotten used to it. Little Shen Hao had also been repeatedly warned by his mother not to let outsiders discover his sister’s abilities, or she would be in danger.
Little Shen Hao didn’t want any harm to come to his beloved sister. The small child’s mouth was tighter than any adult’s.
The whole family worked until midnight before finally going to bed.
In the village, villagers who had spent the entire day and night harvesting grain were now bagging the stalks and husks at home. If the grain was damp, they would have to wait to dry it on the road when they had the chance.
Those with larger plots of land had worked two full days and nights, hardly sleeping at all, and almost all the grain in the fields had been harvested.
Before dawn, each household had tied up whatever they could carry onto flatbed carts. Families without carts packed their goods into several large bundles to be carried by those strong enough.
Chickens and ducks that were normally treated like treasures, kept for eggs to trade for silver, now had to be slaughtered, salted, or smoked, so they could last a few days on the journey.
Shen Yu took out about ten buns in the morning, Lin Shuyuan made porridge, and everyone ate breakfast calmly before starting to pack.
Shen Yong’an worried about being too conspicuous, so he didn’t add a proper compartment to the donkey cart, only placing everyday necessities like a small iron pot, water jars, and wooden buckets together. Clothes and bedding were bundled separately and sealed tightly with oiled cloth, leaving two seats for people to ride.
Though it looked like a lot of stuff, most of it was already stored in Shen Yu’s space.
At the first hour of the morning, only 32 of the 39 households had arrived. Two families had gone to relatives, and five households had elderly family members who couldn’t walk, taking their grain into the deep mountains.
The Shen-Liu family of six arrived just as everyone was about to depart, dragging a flatbed cart with a jumble of old belongings tied together haphazardly.
Mrs. Shen-Liu, limping with one arm, struggled to follow behind, gasping for breath. Seeing Shen Yong’an’s family moving ahead with the donkey cart, her eyes boiled with hatred, but the pain in her body kept her from shouting, so she cursed silently.
Xie Jinhua’s eyes turned red with jealousy at the sight of the donkey cart. Her sister-in-law, whom she usually bullied at will, was sitting on the cart, while the village chief’s daughter hadn’t even gotten a seat yet.
In a fit of rage, Xie Jinhua grabbed Lin Shuyuan’s arm and twisted it violently. “Sister-in-law! Haven’t you seen that mother can barely walk? Your family has a donkey cart, it should be for mother! How dare you sit when your mother-in-law can’t? You’re an unfilial daughter-in-law!” She tried to pull Lin Shuyuan off the cart.
Shen Yu stepped forward and punched Xie Jinhua squarely in the face. “Unfilial? That old hag isn’t worth a damn. My donkey cart has nothing to do with your family. Touch my mother today, and I’ll make sure you regret it!” She kicked Xie Jinhua to the ground and struck her twice more.
Xie Jinhua lost a tooth and blood trickled from her mouth. Stunned, she couldn’t believe the timid, clever little girl she had known was now so fierce and brutal.
Shivering, she looked at Shen Yu with pure fear. “Y-You’re not Shen Yu… who… who are you?”
“Enough with the trouble. Shen-Liu, if your family causes more problems, don’t follow us,” the old village chief said, urging everyone to set off.
On the side, Shen Cui and Shen Xu, who had long been resentful of Shen Yu but dared not speak, hurried to help Xie Jinhua. The frightened girl allowed them to lead her to the back of the line.
Hidden in the crowd, Shen Cui’s eyes glinted with malice as she stared at Shen Yu. Seeing her decisive action, she suddenly realized that this Shen Yu was no longer the original—she had clearly been possessed by another soul.
Shen Yu never expected that the person closest to the truth would be Shen Cui.
..
Everyone roughly planned their escape route and agreed to move toward the capital. After all, under the emperor’s watch, defenses would be stronger, and officials would hesitate to blatantly exploit the common people.
Led by a dozen or so elderly villagers, the whole village knelt at the village entrance to bow three times to their ancestors, promising to return once settled. With tears in their eyes, they reluctantly left Shenjia Village.
The village chief’s ox cart went first, Shen Yu’s family’s donkey cart was in the middle, and Aunt Pang’s ox cart followed behind.
Only two families had ox carts—the village chief’s and Aunt Pang’s. Her husband, Shen Changqing, used to work in town building houses. They had bought an ox because of their large landholding.
The villagers moved slowly under the scorching sun. Within twenty li, some of the elderly could no longer walk, their wrinkled faces full of despair. The children drooped like leaves, their faces red from the sun.
Seeing the elders struggling, the village chief arranged for three carts to each carry two elders.
The old village chief’s grandson, Tiedan, remained on the ox cart.
Two elders were assigned to Shen Yong’an’s family. One was the Shen family patriarch. Lin Shuyuan got off the cart, and Shen Yong’an lifted little Shen Hao onto it.
The big blue donkey had drunk the spiritual spring water secretly fed by Shen Yu the night before. Now it held its head high, full of strength. Even with a few extra people, it could handle the load easily.