IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 80

Chapter 80 Famine Year

Chapter 80 Famine Year

In a famine year, with barely enough to eat, even energetic children tire quickly after playing for a while.

The little girl held up the grass-bound grasshopper to her father: “Daddy, look at the grasshopper I caught.”

The man forced a smile, lovingly touching the girl’s head: “Our Yaya… is so amazing!”

“Brother Shuanzi said he’d trade my spinning top for malt sugar.” Yaya pulled Shuanzi in front of her father, and as usual, she playfully coaxed him, “I hid the spinning top by the well, let him go get it, I’ll go to Uncle’s house for the sugar…”

This was a very clumsy lie, so clumsy that everyone could see through it.

That’s what made it all the more tragic.

These children were not growing up, yet they were maturing too early, their understanding heartbreaking.

The man, surnamed Wang, stiffly hugged his daughter, her body in his arms as light as dry firewood, painfully pressing against his chest.

The girl raised her smiling face, tears in her eyes, gently nuzzling in her father’s arms, her voice choked with emotion, instructing him: “Daddy, Mother’s not well, you have to take good care of her. Little brother is still young, he might fuss about the meat soup being bitter and refuse to drink it, don’t let Mother spoil him, make him drink some…”

If Lin Yan didn’t know what was happening just now, he understood now.

In a famine year, there was nothing to eat, grass roots, tree bark, and Guanyin clay were all life-saving rations. When there was no other way out, exchanging children for food was normal.

His stomach churned, the nauseous feeling intensifying.

Lin Yan covered his mouth and dry-heaved twice, but tears fell first. He couldn’t explain what was wrong, it felt like carsickness, but more like his sadness was manifesting physically, turning into physical discomfort.

The girl reluctantly rubbed her father’s hand, struggling to get out of his embrace.

She roughly wiped away the tears on her face, waved goodbye to the boy and her father: “Brother Shuanzi, Uncle and I are going back first, you…”

“Wait a moment.” Lin Yan stood up, pointing to the two children amidst the four people’s frightened gazes, “My master is buying these two children.”

Naturally, exchanging children would be done in the desolate wilderness. Suddenly, someone appearing was already shocking enough, let alone that person opening their mouth to buy people.

Lin Yan looked the two children up and down, calculating how much to offer, while the refugees were also sizing up Lin Yan.

Covered in dust and dirt, with mud in his fingernails and grass in his hair, but… his face was fair, his appearance handsome, his eyes clear, the material of his clothes was not something ordinary people could afford, even the cat in his arms was sleek and healthy, stronger than the oxen plowing the fields in the village.

If the children could follow this adult, it would be a very good place. Although they would become slaves, they would at least survive and have enough to eat.

“Fifty taels.” Lin Yan threw the bank-notes into the hands of the man, surnamed Wang.

These days, buying a person only cost two dou of rice, but this adult offered fifty taels in one go.

The two were so shocked that they couldn’t speak, but Lin Yan thought they felt it was too little.

In a famine year, the price of grain skyrocketed, fifty taels might not even buy much grain, and judging from their conversation, they had elders above and young ones below, so wanting more silver wasn’t considered greedy.

Lin Yan rummaged through his purse, pulled out another bank-note, and threw it to the man surnamed Zhang: “One hundred taels, enough for both of your families to get through this winter.”

The two finally reacted, hurriedly put away the bank-notes, and kowtowed while holding the two children: “Thank you, sir, thank you for your life-saving grace.”

Lin Yan felt uncomfortable with their kneeling, wanting to help them up, but the two were terrified and kowtowed two more times.

Lin Yan could only step aside, put the cat in the girl’s arms, and led the two children towards the main road.

The two refugees kneeling on the ground suddenly stood up and lunged over: “Sir, you… who is your master?”

Lin Yan paused, quickly realizing what they meant.

They wanted to have a chance to recognize their children in the future if they had money.

But those words were just made up by Lin Yan, how could he explain clearly.

Lin Yan quickly recalled his new identity, barely giving a vague piece of information: “My master’s surname is Wu, and the residence is in… Changning.”

The two didn’t think Lin Yan was being perfunctory, and kowtowed two more times: “Yes, yes, yes, thank you, sir, thank you, sir.”

Lin Yan led the two children around in circles, walking along the road for a while, and then saw his carriage.

Lin Yan looked into the distance, quickly discovering a fact that made him both laugh and cry: his route was a circle, and after walking for so long, he had returned to the starting point.

“Young master, you’re finally back, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.” An Tan jumped down from the carriage beam, saying he was worried, but his expression was calm and indifferent.

The feeling of having all your actions controlled by others wasn’t good. Lin Yan secretly rolled his eyes, and led the two children towards the carriage.

“Who are these two children…” An Tan stopped them, sizing up the two children.

The two children were frightened by An Tan’s gaze, constantly shrinking behind Lin Yan.

Lin Yan became increasingly dissatisfied with An Tan. He put on the airs of a master and suppressed him: “These are the maids and servants I bought, they will serve me closely from now on.”

An Tan pulled the boy out, looking at the person trembling in front of him, feeling increasingly unhappy. Seeing Lin Yan’s firm attitude, he finally didn’t embarrass Lin Yan in front of others, but waved for people to take the two children down: “Take them to change their clothes.”

Once the two children were taken away, An Tan moved closer to Lin Yan, earnestly advising: “My young master, it’s fine if you show kindness once, but these refugees are everywhere, you can’t save them all.”

That made sense, but Lin Yan just wasn’t convinced: “But we can’t just…”

“You give away one hundred taels today, fifty taels tomorrow, the silver that the Emperor brought won’t last long.” An Tan took the package from Lin Yan’s hand, put it under the seat, and sighed softly, “This isn’t a long-term solution.”

Long-term solution? What was a long-term solution?

Seeing Lin Yan silent, An Tan could only make his words clearer: “If young master really wants to save these people, it’s better to deal with this thing.”

Lin Yan looked in the direction An Tan was pointing, and sure enough, he saw the locusts flying around again.

An Tan sighed again, his eyes full of helplessness: “It’s already late autumn, but the locusts are still so rampant, and this is only the first year, it will only get worse in the future.”

Lin Yan touched his chin, thinking about the methods he had seen in books.

Remote sensing, gene modification, pesticide spraying… those were impossible, but there was a very simple method that could be used.

“This servant greets the young master.” A crisp voice interrupted Lin Yan’s thoughts. Lin Yan turned his head and saw that the two children had changed their clothes and were awkwardly bowing to him.

The adult clothes looked a little baggy on the two children, but they were much better than before.

Lin Yan pulled the two children over and softly asked, “What are your names?”

The boy muttered something softly.

Lin Yan didn’t hear it, but saw the girl kick the boy, then softly apologized, “Since this servant is the young master’s person now, the young master should give us names.”

Having become slaves, even their names could not be kept.

Lin Yan felt a bit sad for a moment, but had to comply.

So be it, once the famine passed, he would send them back to their families.

As for their names…

Lin Yan scratched his head, his mind filled with various vegetables and fruits.

Eggs and tomatoes, sweet potatoes and eggplants, cheese and milk, roast goose and roast duck… no, no, what was all this nonsense.

Lin Yan decisively gave up on his idea of naming them himself, searching for the names of maids and servants in TV dramas.

Colors, stars, spring, summer, autumn, winter, flowers, herbs, permutations and combinations…

Lin Yan touched the girl’s head and said softly, “Let’s call you Kumquat and Ginkgo.”

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