A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

After a long while, Li Laogen lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"Chen Mo, I have something to tell you, but don't tell anyone."

"I personally witnessed Wang Laoqi, Wang Mang's father, bringing back half a cartload of grain from town yesterday afternoon!"

"The perfectly white rice was hidden in the woodshed in his backyard!"

"But he won't give us a single grain."

"I think he planned to wait until spring, until the villagers were so poor that they couldn't survive and had to sell their land, houses, and children, then he would use the least amount of money to take control of the entire Qingshui Village."

Li Laogen walked to the corner of the wall and rummaged through a pile of old and broken junk to find a small hoe.

The hoe was small, and the blade was badly rusted, but the wooden handle was still quite sturdy.

"Take this. If you really want to dig something up, it's better than using your hands."

When Chen Mo got home, it was already afternoon.

As soon as I entered the room, I sensed that something was off.

Chen Ling'er sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), sobbing softly, her eyes as red as a rabbit's.

"What's wrong?" Chen Mo's heart tightened.

Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and let out a heavy sigh: "Wang Mang came by this morning."

Sobbing, Chen Ling'er said, "He said he came to visit my father's illness. As soon as he entered the house, his eyes darted around, and he kept looking at our rice jar for a long time."

Chen Mo's heart sank.

Wang Mang was trying to confirm how much grain the Chen family still had stored.

He walked to the stove and quietly inspected it.

"fine."

There's only a little bit of coarse grain left in the rice bin. If he sees it, that'll be fine. It'll let him know that we're almost out of food.

He knew that what Wang Mang was really looking for was the entrance to the cellar.

Chen Mo processed the fish he had caught that day. He immediately put the two small fish into a pot to make soup, and carefully salted the crucian carp to eat the next day.

The fish soup was ready in no time.

Chen Mo first filled a bowl and handed it to his father.

Chen Dashan took a sip, and some color returned to his previously pale face.

"Mo'er, if you need to use those silver dollars in the cellar, then use them."

"Take this piece and go to town to buy salt; we're almost out at home. Also, get a few yards of the cheapest coarse cloth for your sister; her cotton-padded coat can't be patched anymore."

……

Late at night.

By the dim light of the oil lamp, Chen Mo once again took stock of the family's supplies.

There are still 17 jin of hidden coarse grains, 3 fish, 1 live rabbit, and 5 eggs left.

Hunting bow, machete, ice pick, small hoe.

Five silver dollars.

His father's words echoed in his mind.

Go to town.

It is indeed necessary. But the risks are extremely high.

The town is full of gossips, and the Wang family has informants there. At this time, a single silver dollar is a large sum of money that could bring about a fatal accident. Moreover, the heavy snow has blocked the roads, and it would take at least a day to go there and back. There is only my sick father and my weak younger sister at home, which is too unsafe.

If we don't add salt, the fish and meat won't be able to be preserved. My father's illness can't be delayed, and my sister's cotton-padded coat will become a pile of rags before the next cold wave arrives.

To gamble or not to gamble.

Chen Mo decided to give the choice to the system.

If the information refreshed by the system tomorrow is suitable, he will go to town.

He lay there with his eyes open in the darkness, waiting for dawn to break.

As dawn approached, that familiar panel finally popped into my mind.

[Daily information has been updated, please select:]

[1. At the entrance to the town's black market today, there are homeless people selling two old cotton-padded coats for a relatively cheap price, but they have to exchange them for grain. The low-risk scenario is that the black market is quite chaotic, and there is a possibility of being robbed.]

[Second, about three miles upstream on the Qingshui River, there are abandoned fishing nets tangled under the ice, with five dead fish hanging from them. The medium-risk situation is that the ice upstream is relatively thin, and the dead fish may be rotting.]

[Third, there is a badger burrow in a sheltered spot on the back of the mountain. The badger inside is in a semi-hibernating state, but the burrow is quite deep and difficult to dig. It is a high-risk area, as the badger is very fierce, and digging is quite physically demanding.]

Chen Mo's gaze was fixed on the first message.

An old cotton-padded jacket.

Grain exchange.

This was practically tailor-made for him.

Choose one!

Without any hesitation.

A clear picture appeared in my mind: in the most dilapidated alley at the west end of the town, there was an old beggar with a very haggard face, squatting in the corner of the wall. In front of him was a tattered cloth, on which were two cotton coats with many patches.

The plan instantly took shape in Chen Mo's mind.

How much grain should you bring? Don't bring too much. One pound of coarse grain is just the price of an old cotton coat on the black market.

How do we get there? We have to leave before dawn, ahead of everyone else.

How to use silver dollars? Only carry half a dollar, wrap it in cloth, and sew it inside the innermost part of your clothes. After arriving in town, first buy salt and medicine, and immediately exchange the remaining money for inconspicuous copper coins, never showing off your wealth.

What to do at home? Lock the door from the inside, and leave the hunting bow and arrows with your father. Tell your sister that no matter who knocks, she must not open the door.

He took action immediately.

He took a silver dollar from the cellar and carefully split it in half with a wood-chopping knife.

He carefully wrapped one half and sewed it into his underwear.

He then took out three jin of coarse grains from the bottom of the rice jar, put them into a small cloth bag, and then tucked them into his bosom.

While Chen Mo was doing all this, the lights were also on in the Wang family compound at the east end of the village.

Wang Mang was reporting to his father, Wang Laoqi.

"Father, I went to check as you suggested. The rice jar in the Chen family's house is empty at a glance; there's less than two pounds of coarse grains at most. I've also searched the house inside and out, but I couldn't find any cellar."

Old Wang leaned back in his armchair, toying with two walnuts in his hand, and said with squinted eyes, "But there was a smell of meat at their house yesterday."

Lin Qingxue, who was massaging Wang Laoqi's legs nearby, whispered, "Dad, I saw Chen Mo come back from the river today, carrying a bucket. It looked like something was moving in the bucket."

Wang Mang was taken aback: "He went fishing? The ice is so thick, how could he catch fish? Nonsense!"

Wang Laoqi stopped spinning the walnuts, thought for a moment, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Tomorrow, you take Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi and follow him from a distance. I just want to see where he's going and what he's going to do."

"If he can actually get some food."

"Find a way to find out how he got it."

Wang Mang licked his lips: "What if he refuses to tell me?"

Wang Laoqi let out a cold laugh.

"Isn't it common for someone to slip and fall on the road in this heavy snow, break a leg, and freeze to death in the wilderness?"

Wang Mang immediately understood, and a sinister smile appeared on his face: "I understand, Father."

Outside the door, Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi, who were huddled up to keep warm, exchanged a glance after hearing the conversation inside.

In their eyes, there was both fear of the Wang family father and son's methods and a hint of excitement at being able to do whatever they wanted immediately.

The sky was not yet fully bright; only a sliver of dawn appeared in the east.

Chen Mo slung his bow over his shoulder, tucked half a silver coin and three catties of coarse grain into his pocket, glanced one last time at the locked door, and then walked into the vast snowfield.

He walked quickly, wanting to get back to the village before dark.