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

Upon entering the house, his father, Chen Dashan, lay on the earthen kang (a heated brick bed), his face ashen, his chest rising and falling weakly.

Occasionally, he would cough violently, and dark red blood would seep from the corner of his mouth.

The younger sister, Chen Ling'er, was in an even worse state, so thin that she was just skin and bones, her eyes staring blankly at the thatched roof.

Chen Mo felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Ling'er, look what your brother brought back for you."

Chen Mo pulled out four mud-covered wild eggs from his pocket.

Chen Ling'er's empty eyes lit up instantly.

She struggled to sit up, but had no strength at all.

"Chicken, eggs?"

Chen Dashan, who was lying down, suddenly opened his eyes, his cloudy eyes staring intently at the thing in Chen Mo's hand, unable to believe it.

"Mo, Mo'er, where, where did you come from?"

"I found it in the back hill, and hid it so well that no one else could find it."

Chen Mo made up an excuse on the spot.

His father, Chen Dashan, burst into tears, which streamed down his cheeks and into the yellowed pillow.

Chen Mo placed the eggs down and started a fire.

The firewood was all wet, and it took forever to light, producing thick smoke that made people cough.

After finally managing to ignite a small flame, he quickly placed the broken pot on the stove, poured in water, cracked two eggs into it, and stirred it with chopsticks.

Soon, a fragrant aroma filled the thatched hut.

The aroma of egg drop soup.

Chen Ling'er kept swallowing, her eyes fixed on the pot.

Chen Dashan turned his head away, unable to bear watching any longer.

Chen Mo ladled out a bowl, blew on it to cool it down a bit, and then placed it in front of Chen Dashan.

"Dad, you drink first."

Chen Dashan shook his head.

"Here, for Ling'er."

"You drink it! If you don't, I'll pour it all out!"

Chen Mo's voice was firm and left no room for refusal.

His father couldn't dissuade him, so he had to be helped by him to drink most of the bowl in small sips.

Chen Mo gave the rest to his younger sister.

Chen Ling'er drank while tears streamed down her face.

"Brother, this is delicious!"

"There are two left, we'll eat them tomorrow."

Chen Mo then processed the wild vegetables he had dug up, threw them into a pot, added a lot of water, and cooked a pot of vegetable porridge so thin that you could see your reflection in it.

The family shared the drink, and their complexions improved a little, but they were still very weak.

Late at night.

With his family all asleep, Chen Mo sat quietly by the kang (a heated brick bed), watching his younger sister and father.

It seems that simply keeping them alive is not enough; they need to live well.

Tomorrow, I'll have to take a risk.

Either get some more filling food, or get a weapon.

"Mo'er,"

Chen Dashan's voice suddenly rang out, startling Chen Mo.

His father woke up at some point and was looking at him.

"You, you've changed."

"Today's attack on Wang Mang is unlike your approach."

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

"Dad, he's bullying us right on our doorstep, how can I tolerate this?"

"Be careful of him." Chen Dashan took a breath. "His father, Wang Laoqi, used to be a notorious bandit leader on Black Wind Ridge. Later, the imperial court failed to suppress the bandits and instead offered amnesty. He spent a large sum of money to bribe the county officials, and that's how he became the village head of our village. His family lives in the town, and he also has a cousin who works as a clerk in the county government. With officials and bandits colluding, how can we ordinary people afford to offend him?"

Bandits? Constables?

Chen Mo frowned.

The threat was greater than he had imagined.

"Dad, what kind of person is Li Laogen in the village?" Chen Mo changed the subject.

"Mr. Li?" Chen Dashan's tone became more respectful when he mentioned him. "He was a scholar, a graduate of the imperial examination. He was an upright man, and his words carried weight in the village. If it weren't for him, our family would have lost this little bit of land long ago."

Chen Mo nodded and memorized the name.

"Mo'er, come here."

Chen Dashan waved to him.

Chen Mo leaned closer.

"Dad, there's something... cough cough," Chen Dashan coughed violently, his breathing becoming more rapid, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid I won't make it through the night. Our family's biggest secret, I have to tell you."

Chen Mo's heart jumped into his throat.

"Don't talk nonsense! You'll get better!"

"Let me finish!" Chen Dashan grabbed his hand with surprising strength. "The stove, the third brick under the stove, move it, there's a cellar. On the left wall of the cellar, the fifth row from the inside, the seventh brick down, there's an empty space behind it."

Chen Mo's eyes widened.

"Inside there, there are... there are five silver coins minted by the Qianlong Emperor with dragon patterns, and three strings of Qianlong copper coins."

Chen Dashan's voice grew softer and softer.

"That's...that's our family's lifeline, the money we're saving to save you and Ling'er's lives. We mustn't touch it unless absolutely necessary, even if it means death."

boom!

Chen Mo's brain had been struck by lightning.

Seed grain? Silver dollars?

In his past life, his father never revealed this secret until his death!

He and his sister stayed by their father's side until he died of illness, starving to death in this dilapidated house. They never knew that right under their feet was the money that could have saved them!

A raging fire instantly ignited from the depths of his heart.

He hates it!

I hate my incredibly stupid self from my past life!

Why! Why doesn't he know anything!

The night was deeper.

Following his father's instructions, Chen Mo gently moved the loose brick under the stove.

A dark hole was revealed.

He crawled inside; the cellar was narrow and damp, with a strong earthy smell.

He groped his way to the left wall and, by the faint moonlight filtering through the hole, carefully counted the objects.

Fifth row, seventh brick.

He tapped it with his finger.

It's empty!

He was so excited that his hands trembled. He used his fingernails to carefully remove the damp soil from the cracks between the bricks, and finally managed to pry the brick out.

Sure enough, there was a hole behind it.

He reached in and felt a burlap sack and a small cloth bag.

When they pulled it out, the sack was heavy, probably weighing about 20 pounds, and it contained coarse grains mixed with wheat seeds.

Opening the cloth bag, five silver dollars and three strings of copper coins gleamed dimly in the moonlight.

Chen Mo froze completely.

In my past life, my father's body slowly grew cold on the kang (a heated brick bed).

His younger sister nestled in his arms, crying, "Brother, I'm so hungry," before gradually falling silent.

He himself, filled with endless regret, walked toward death.

Those images were being repeatedly cut and replayed in his mind at that moment.

"ah!"

He bit his arm hard and let out a suppressed roar.

Why should I?!

Why is he so incompetent!

……

On the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in Wang Mang's house.

Wang Mang lay there cursing, one leg slinged over with a rag.

"Damn it, that hurts like hell!"

Lin Qingxue knelt by the kang (a heated brick bed), head bowed, crying as she changed his dressing.

"Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry! You jinx!" Wang Mang roared irritably.

The door was pushed open, and Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi shrank back and slipped in.

"Brother Mang."

"How is it? Is that old bastard from the Chen family dead yet?" Wang Mang asked.

Zhao Si quickly replied, "No. But I think Chen Mo is acting a bit strange; he actually dared to fight back."

Wang Mang's ultimate goal was always the rumored half-bag of seed grain from the Chen family.

Once Chen Dashan is dead, he can legitimately go and rob him.

If we act now, that old bastard Li Laogen will definitely come out and meddle.

"Oh, right, Brother Mang!" Sun Gouzi suddenly remembered something. "Master Liu from the grain shop in town has said that he has the backing of the county magistrate, so this year he's offering 30% more grain than usual! He's buying government grain, and he says it's going to be transported to the prefectural capital!"

"Thirty percent high school?"

Wang Mang's eyes lit up immediately.

He quickly did a mental calculation.