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

They all died of starvation or freezing on New Year's Eve.

He can't save everyone.

All he can do right now is ensure that his family survives.

The next morning, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

It's Li Laogen.

The old man's expression turned serious as soon as he entered the door.

"Chen Mo, something's happened."

"Today, Wang Laoqi gathered several village officials together, saying that after the spring, they would remeasure each family's land and adjust the taxes."

"He specifically mentioned your two acres of land, saying that its location is excellent and it can no longer be classified as inferior land. It needs to be reclassified, and the tax may double."

"He said it would be calculated based on actual output. I suspect he's targeting you. Once you start planting in the spring, if he sees your crops growing exceptionally well, he'll find an excuse to raise the tax to an extremely high level, and then..."

Chen Mo understood instantly.

That's a brilliant move to cut off the enemy's supply lines.

Wang Laoqi wanted to use legal means to completely destroy him just when he saw a glimmer of hope.

A chill rose from the soles of my feet.

But then, he suddenly laughed.

There was no fear in that smile, only a hint of mockery.

"Uncle Li, if he wants to see it, let him see it."

Li Laogen was stunned: "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Mo took out a bunch of freshly dried bean seeds from his pocket and spread his palm out in front of Li Laogen.

"Isn't he looking at output?"

Chen Mo grinned, revealing a set of white teeth:

"I'll let him see as much as he wants. But what he sees is not up to him to decide."

After Chen Mo saw Li Laogen off, the smile on his face vanished instantly, leaving only silence. He closed the courtyard gate and bolted it.

"Father, you heard everything."

Chen Dashan coughed twice while lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), but there was a clearness in his cloudy eyes: "I heard that. Wang Laoqi's move is quite cunning; he's trying to drive us to a dead end."

"Mo'er, those two acres of land are in a pretty good location, and many people in the village are eyeing them. If you don't cultivate them well, people will laugh at you; if you cultivate them well, Wang Laoqi will have an excuse to raise the taxes. No matter how you cultivate them, it doesn't seem appropriate."

Chen Mo walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat down. He took his younger sister's small hand, which was still wearing the badger skin glove he had made. "Dad, you're right. So, can't we just cultivate those two acres of land properly?"

"We grow buckwheat, the least delicate, slowest-growing, and worst-yielding variety. If he wants to see it, let him see how we work hard all year and end up not even being able to pay our taxes."

in the afternoon.

He summoned Sun Dazhu and revealed the entire plan.

"Near that cave on the back mountain, there is a sunny, gentle slope with black, extremely fertile soil."

"We planted potatoes and beans there."

Sun Dazhu squatted on the ground, his brows furrowed tightly: "Clearing land isn't something to be taken lightly; it's hard work and makes a lot of noise. If the Wang family finds out..."

"So we'll operate tonight." Chen Mo's gaze fell on the gleaming pickaxe in the corner. "The snow has only just melted, and the ground is still very soft. Who would go into those deep forests after dark? We need to finish this quickly and not delay."

Late at night.

Chen Mo lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), not sleepy at all. His mind was racing, pondering every detail.

[Daily information has been updated, please select:]

[1. There is a shallow, swampy area to the west of the village. After the ice melts, the rhizomes of many overwintering reeds are exposed. They have a high starch content, and about 20 jin (10 kg) can be harvested. (Low risk, muddy and cold)]

[Second, in the rock crevices on the southern slope of the back mountain, there is a nest previously built by wild bees. The nest contains a small amount of residual honey and bee pupae, weighing approximately one pound. (Medium risk; wild bees may sting.)]

[Third, at the location of the ice crack in the upper reaches of the Qingshui River, there is a group of about thirty river mussels that have been stranded due to the drop in water level, but their meat is of average quality. (High risk, the ice surface is particularly prone to breaking)]

Twenty catties of reed roots!

This is no small sum. Once ground into powder and mixed with sorghum flour, it's enough to last for several days.

Chen Mo chose [Information 1] without hesitation.

In my mind, a clear picture unfolds: in the swamp west of the village, where no one ventures, beneath the withered reeds and in the cold mud, thick, white roots intertwine.

He immediately got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and woke up Sun Dazhu in the next room.

Without lighting any lamps, the two men, relying on the faint starlight, each carrying a pickaxe, quietly left the village.

The swamp in early spring was bitterly cold.

Mud and water mixed together with crushed ice. Chen Mo and Sun Dazhu gritted their teeth, took off their shoes and socks, and stepped barefoot into the mixture.

"Hiss." Sun Dazhu gasped, his legs immediately going numb.

Chen Mo didn't say anything, he just picked up the pickaxe and started digging. Following the location given by the system, with one stroke, white roots were indeed revealed in the black mud he had turned over.

He pulled out a piece, which was almost as thick as a child's wrist. After cleaning off the mud, he put it directly into his mouth and chewed. A faint sweet and earthy taste filled his mouth.

Yes, you can eat it.

The two immediately became interested and, not caring about the cold, lowered their heads and dug furiously.

"Chen Mo, look at this!" Sun Dazhu suddenly shouted.

Chen Mo went closer and saw Sun Dazhu dig something dark out of the soil.

He took it and carefully wiped away the mud. It was a ceramic jar, with an antique style. The rim was slightly damaged, but the body was mostly intact. He shook it; there was something inside.

Upon pouring it out, I found it was half a can of carbonized grain, long since inedible.

"Damn it, what a disappointment." Sun Dazhu was somewhat disappointed.

Chen Mo's eyes lit up immediately: "The grains weren't used, but this jar is a good item. Right now, it's really hard to find a decent container to store things."

The two men dug up more than 20 kilograms of reed roots, filling an entire sack. Chen Mo carefully carried the pottery jar in his arms, and the two of them trudged towards home, their steps uneven.

Back home, Chen Mo didn't rush to deal with the reed roots; instead, he cleaned the earthenware jar thoroughly.

"Brother, why did you pick up this broken jar?" Chen Ling'er asked curiously.

Chen Mo chuckled mysteriously, took a handful of beans that had already swelled and sprouted from the cloth bag he had fished out of the well, carefully spread them on the bottom of the earthenware jar, and then covered them with a clean, damp cloth.

"Let's eat something fresh." He placed the earthenware pot in the warmest spot by the stove.