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

An abandoned ancient well, its walls covered with moss.

About ten feet below the wellhead, in a crevice of a protruding rock, a simple bird's nest built of withered grass and feathers is clearly visible.

There are three pigeon eggs in the bird's nest.

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

But this old well is located in the open space right in the center of the village.

During the day, with people coming and going, there was simply no opportunity to make a move.

You can only go at midnight.

……

The night was deeper.

Chen Mo secretly got up, dressed, then picked up a spare rope from the corner of the wall and slipped out of the residence.

He hunched his neck, using the starlight to guide his way along the shadows cast by the wall, and soon found his way to the old well.

There was no one around the old well.

He tied one end of the rope to the stone block at the wellhead and wrapped the other end around his waist, about to go down into the well.

Suddenly, faint footsteps and voices came from afar.

Chen Mo's pupils suddenly contracted. Without thinking too much, he immediately turned over and leaned against the shadow behind the well platform.

The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the light of lanterns.

"My father said that this well is a bit strange. In the past, during famines, people always claimed to have seen will-o'-the-wisps in the well. He asked me to come and check if someone had hidden something in it."

"Brother Mang, what's the point of looking at this broken well in the middle of the night? It's freezing cold."

"What do you know? My father said that the less noticed a place is, the more likely it is to hide treasures. In the past, wealthy families hid gold and silver in wells."

Wang Mang held up a lantern, approached the well, and shone it into the dark well.

Wang Mang suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and moved the lantern closer to him.

"What is that?"

"Brother Mang, what's that?"

Zhao Si stretched his neck, looking impatient.

Wang Mang squinted and brought his fat face close to the well opening.

"It looks like a bird's nest? How could there be a bird's nest in this godforsaken place?"

Chen Mo's heart raced.

motherfucker.

If Wang Mang had discovered them, those three pigeon eggs would have been lost.

We must lure him away.

He picked up a clod of dirt.

Suddenly, he swung his wrist forcefully, slamming it onto a pile of firewood in the darkness in the distance.

"who?!"

Wang Mang and Zhao Si immediately turned around, picked up their lanterns, and ran towards the woodpile.

Chen Mo sprang out of the shadows.

He hurriedly untied the hemp rope around his waist, wrapped one end three times around the stone pillar on the well platform, and tied a knot that was impossible to untie.

He flipped over the edge of the well without hesitation and slid down the well wall.

The well was cold and damp, and a smell of earth and mildew hit my nose.

The well walls were covered with slippery moss, and one could barely step on the protruding parts of the brick seams.

Every inch you move down requires you to use all your strength to stabilize yourself.

The pigeon's nest was located more than ten feet deep from the well opening.

Half a meter below, there was a bottomless, dark green well, emanating a chill.

Chen Mo stopped beside the bird's nest and, by the faint starlight shining through the well, saw the three treasures.

It is grayish-white and not much bigger than a thumb.

He carefully reached out and gently picked out the three eggs one by one with his fingertips.

He carried a small cloth bag close to his body, lined with several layers of tattered cloth.

He put the egg in, and only then did his heart finally settle down.

Just as he was about to start climbing, he glanced down at the bird's nest.

One of the well bricks seems a bit loose.

Compared to the perfectly fitted bricks around it, it protrudes outward by a small portion.

Without thinking, he pulled out the dagger he had snatched from Wang Mang and used the tip to pry open the crack in the brickwork.

"Click".

The brick fell off with a snap, revealing a small, dark hole.

There was an oil paper package stuffed inside the hole.

From above came the sound of Wang Mang cursing and swearing.

"Damn, it was a stray cat! It scared the hell out of me!"

The footsteps were coming back.

Chen Mo didn't have time to examine it carefully. He grabbed the oil paper package and stuffed it, along with the pigeon egg, into the cloth bag in his arms. Then, he used both his hands and feet to climb upwards with all his might.

He had just climbed to the top of the well and grabbed the edge when the lanterns of Wang Mang and Zhao Si flickered towards him.

Chen Mo untied the rope around his waist with lightning speed, huddled together with the rope, and with a flip, hid in the shadows on the other side of the well platform.

He pressed himself tightly against the cold stone, not daring to breathe even a little.

Wang Mang walked to the well, still unwilling to give up, and held up a lantern to look into the well again.

"Huh? Where's that bird's nest?"

Zhao Si also came over to take a look.

"It seems like it's gone?"

"Are you seeing things? There's no bird's nest in a broken well," Wang Mang muttered under his breath.

Zhao Si rubbed his eyes, tears streaming down his face from the cold wind.

"It might be from the glare of the snow."

"What treasure could there be in this lousy well?" Wang Mang kicked the well platform, finding it uninteresting. "Let's go back to sleep."

The two walked away, whispering to each other, and the light of the lantern disappeared around the corner of the village.

After waiting for a while and making sure there were no more sounds around, Chen Mo finally emerged from the shadows.

When I got home, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Chen Mo closed the door.

He slowly took out the three pigeon eggs and placed them on a clean cloth.

Next, he took out the oil paper package.

Unwrapping the layers of oiled paper, you'll find five copper coins that have turned black.

Including what he had left before, he now had a total of thirty-five coins on him.

The next day.

In the morning, the sound of a gong suddenly rang out from the center of the village.

Wang Mang, leading Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi, banged a gong and shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Listen up, everyone! Village head Wang is a kind-hearted man; he's opening the granary to lend out grain!"

"Interest rate is 30%, and the grain will be repaid in the fall! Those who want a loan should hurry to the Wang Family Compound!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dilapidated doors of one house after another were pushed open.

The villagers all gathered around the Wang family compound.

Chen Mo also stood in the crowd at a distance, watching coldly.

Wang Mang stood on the stone steps at the entrance of the Wang Family Compound and cleared his throat.

"Borrowing grain is possible! But bring your land deeds as collateral! One mu of land can be exchanged for one dou of miscellaneous grain!"

"No land title? Get a house title! A yard for three bushels of grain!"

"Nothing to your name? Give us people as collateral! Children over ten years old, one bushel of grain per child!"

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"What?!"

"Is this borrowing grain or selling children?!"

Old Man Sun, leaning on his cane, squeezed to the front, his steps shaky.

"Wang Mang, how long can I borrow one dou of grain?"

Wang Mang glanced at him and sneered.

"You shall repay it in the autumn. You shall repay one peck and three pints of fine rice. If you fail to repay, the land deed, the house deed, and the person shall all belong to our Wang family. This is a dead contract, not a flexible one."

One of the men couldn't help but shout, "You're taking advantage of our misfortune! You're exploiting us!"

"Ha." Wang Mang glared. "Take it or leave it. If you starve to death at home, don't blame me for not giving you a chance. Let me tell you, grain is very precious. Your lives are not worth as much as grain."

Chen Mo stood at the back of the crowd, his fists clenched tightly.

He knew that this was a year of famine.

A human life is not worth as much as a bushel of moldy grain.

"Wang Mang! Your Wang family will be punished by Heaven!"

Li Laogen, the village head's old nemesis, rushed over with his cane, pointing his finger at Wang Mang and berating him.

Wang Mang chuckled, completely disregarding him.

"Old Li, what's the use of you shouting here? If you're so capable, then lend us some grain. If you're not, then stand aside and don't hold us back from surviving."