Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 501 Displacement
Xiaping Village, Dafeng County.

The rain poured down, and the entire village, located in a low-lying area, was flooded with water up to waist-deep. The farmland outside the village was completely submerged, and the crops were nowhere to be seen.

At this time, there was no one left in the village, except for some snakes and rats gathered on the roof beams to avoid the rain.

Not far from the village, on a green mountain, in a cave, a group of simply dressed people gathered. These were all villagers from Xiaping Village.

The heavy rain continued for several days, and the water reached knee-deep, forcing the villagers to bring their families to the mountains to seek shelter.

They have now spent two more days sheltering from the rain on the mountain, but the rain clouds still haven't dispersed.

Looking at the gloomy sky and the large raindrops pattering on the ground, some villagers couldn't help but mutter, "Is the heavens leaking rain? This is never going to stop!"

An old man said quietly, "The crops in the fields must be rotting. This year is going to be tough!"

Some villagers turned pale and looked distressed when they thought about the crops that had been flooded.

After this rain, not only did the crops fail, but they also barely had enough food to live on.

They had left the mountain in a hurry, and each household had tried their best to move their belongings, but they hadn't brought much food or supplies.

The remaining grain in each household's granary is probably already soaked in water.

After the heavy rain, the price of grain in shops in the town will definitely rise.

Someone said worriedly, "If this rain doesn't stop, I'm afraid there'll be no way to survive..."

"Cough cough..."

A child's coughing sound came from inside the cave.

A woman was seen holding a drowsy baby, her face full of anxiety.

The woman touched her child's forehead and felt it burning hot.

The woman said to the man beside her, "Sanwazi's medicine didn't work, if this continues..."

With the recent continuous rain, many villagers have caught colds.

Adults can manage, but some children with weak constitutions don't see improvement even after taking some herbal decoctions.

The man frowned upon hearing this, got up to put on his raincoat, and said, "I'm going to town to find a doctor and get some medicine..."

When the man put on his raincoat, he touched a small cloth bag on his chest.

Half of the family's money was entrusted to him, so he absolutely could not be lost.

One villager couldn't help but say, "With such heavy rain, the road to town must be flooded. It's such a long way, it's dangerous for you to go alone! In this awful weather, even the doctors might not be open for business."

"What can we do? We can't just not go!" the man asked anxiously.

Given the current situation, how could he possibly sit here and do nothing?
At this moment, an elder in the village stepped forward and said, "Don't be so hasty in your actions. You've traveled so far by yourself; what if something happens?"

The elder looked around, pointed to about ten able-bodied young men, and said, “You few go to town with Erniu. Each household should chip in some money and buy some grain… This heaven keeps raining, and in a few days we won’t even have chaff to eat! No matter how expensive it is, we have to find a way to buy some, otherwise you kids won’t be able to swallow tree bark…”

The old man's eyes were filled with a quiet recollection of the past. In the old days, when things were tough and there was nothing to eat, he had eaten everything from tree roots and bark to soil that could fill his stomach.

The elder continued, "Go and find out what the county officials have to say. We've suffered such a great disaster; there has to be some explanation!"

Everyone agreed with this, as with such heavy rain, their village must be the only place affected by the disaster.

The officials in the county government should at least offer some relief grain, or reduce this year's grain taxes. Otherwise, everyone will truly be driven to desperation.

The elder then called on a few more younger people, saying, "It's a bit far to town, and I'm too old to be a burden. You kids come with me up the mountain to find some herbs, bring them back, brew them up, and everyone can drink some to ward off the illness..."

The old man thought it wasn't easy for Erniu and the others to go to town to buy medicine, so he led a group of people to the mountains to find some fresh herbs and brew them for everyone to drink.

Although the herbs I found myself couldn't compare to the doctor's prescriptions, even if they didn't cure the disease completely, they could at least suppress the symptoms.

Upon hearing this, a villager said, "Old man, you're too old for that. Leave the herb gathering to us!"

The old man glanced at them sideways and said, "Can you recognize any of these medicines? I told you to learn more, but did you learn them one by one?"

The men who were called out looked embarrassed; in this respect, they were no match for this old man.

The old man waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, everyone chip in first. If you want to buy anything else, just tell Erniu and the others..."

And so, a commotion broke out in the cave.

Before long, Erniu and his companions, carrying heavy amounts of money, wearing raincoats, and holding machetes and other tools, walked out of the cliff cave and into the vast rain and mist.

The nearest town is dozens of miles away, a winding mountain road. Tigers and wolves are common in the mountains, so they have to carry weapons for self-defense and travel with great caution.

After a while, the old man, along with several young men, carrying tools and baskets, went into the mountains to search for medicinal herbs, and also planned to find some food, and even better, hunt some wild game.

Soon, the cave fell silent again.

The villagers who remained in the cave gathered around the fire, huddling together for warmth, and quietly waiting for the villagers who had gone out to return.

Some villagers were busy mending clothes, while others were polishing farm tools. Although their faces showed worry, they still lived their lives with enthusiasm.

Our homes were flooded, our fields were flooded, but we are still alive, so we must try our best to live on.

These Shu people may not understand any grand principles, nor do they have the divine protection of the Chu people, but they understand better that praying to gods and heaven is not as good as relying on themselves.

Time passed slowly, but the heavy rain continued.

At the edge of the wide cave, several children sat in a row, staring blankly at the raindrops dripping to the ground.

Suddenly, a child's eyes darted around, staring in one direction outside. "Hey, what's that?"

In the hazy rain and mist, a faint gray shadow could be seen emerging.

The other children stared wide-eyed and quickly recognized the figure as a wolf, and more than one at that.

The lead gray wolf was as big as a calf, its body shrouded in a layer of gray mist, baring its teeth and looking ferocious and terrifying.

"Father, there are wolves!"

Some children screamed in fright and scrambled towards the adults.

The other children were also quite frightened and rushed into the depths of the cave in a panic.

The other villagers' expressions changed when they heard the children's shouts.

Some men quickly grabbed makeshift weapons such as machetes and pitchforks and went to the cave entrance to stand guard.

Seeing the alpha wolf's unusual size, many people's expressions turned even more grim; this wolf was probably a spirit!

(End of this chapter)