Farming Family's Pocket Dimension: A Charmed Little Lady Comes to Farm

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: I’d Rather Die at Home

The crowd grew as they walked, and before long, everyone had gathered in the open space before the ancestral hall.

The Village Chief sat before the ancestral hall, his brow furrowed in worry as he puffed on his long-stemmed pipe.

Several people ran up to ask, "Chief, what’s this all about? Why’d you call us all here?"

The Village Chief kept his head down. "Go on now. I’ll speak once everyone is here."

Bored with the wait, the crowd began to chat idly. The main topic of conversation was the ongoing drought. Several of the poorer families in the village had already run out of food and were surviving only by foraging for wild vegetables on the back hills.

They all sighed. ’How are we supposed to survive?’

Seeing that the open space was now packed with people, the Village Chief shouted, "Is everyone here?"

A smattering of disorganized replies came from the crowd: "We’re here."

"Chief, if you have something to say, please say it. We still have to get back and cook."

The Village Chief tapped his pipe a few times. "Quiet! Quiet!"

"What I’m about to say is very important, so I need everyone to stop chattering."

The crowd fell silent. The Village Chief climbed onto a stool and gestured with his hand. "My fellow villagers, with the drought as bad as it is this year, I know life is hard for everyone."

"What I have to tell you is that this drought isn’t just for this year. I’m afraid it will last for two more years!"

The crowd instantly exploded into an uproar. "Two more years? We can barely survive this one! If the drought continues next year, our whole family will starve to death!"

"The Chief must be spouting nonsense. I’ve been alive for decades and have never seen a major drought last for three years straight."

Someone shouted out, "Chief, how do you know there’ll be two more years of drought?"

The Village Chief grabbed his pipe and banged it forcefully. "How do I know? Our ancestors sent me a dream!"

"Believe it or not!"

Last night, Gu the Second had shown him the Heavenly Book. It was written on it as clear as day: a great drought of three years would strike the five northern commanderies. The Chief was a man of some experience, but he’d never seen paper like that of the Heavenly Book. It was sturdy yet light and thin, with a dense texture—not at all like anything from the Da Ying Dynasty.

He and Gu Zhang had already agreed: the Heavenly Book could not be revealed. If the government found out about it, they’d likely be arrested and thrown in prison immediately.

Claiming it was a dream from their ancestors was the only way.

"Quiet down! I’m not finished!" the Village Chief yelled, straining his voice.

"A distant nephew of mine came by yesterday and gave me some news. This drought isn’t just affecting our commandery—it’s the same in the five surrounding ones!"

"What? That many places are hit?"

"Is it true?"

Very few people knew this, mainly because transportation was underdeveloped in this era, and there were no means of communication.

The more astute among them immediately began to think. ’The affected area is huge, which means the grain shortage will be massive. Even if they can ship grain in from the south, prices are only going to go up!’

’I need to go stock up on grain, fast.’

The Village Chief stood on the stool, shouting himself hoarse. "That’s the situation we’re in. Our village is relatively well-off; most families can still manage to fill their bellies. But I’ve heard that in the next village, several families have already left to escape the famine."

"I’ve gathered you all here today to tell you that my family and Gu the Second’s have decided to leave. We’re heading south."

"Those who want to go, we should go together. We can look out for one another on the road. Otherwise, once your food runs out, you’ll be too starved to even have the strength to keep moving."

Once the Village Chief finished, the crowd could no longer contain themselves. Someone shouted, "I’m not going! My family has lived here for generations! A man away from home is cheap as dirt—where could we possibly find a place to live out there!"

"Exactly! Fleeing a famine is no small thing. My own great-grandfather had to do it. He started with a family of eight, and four of them died on the road."

Another elder declared stubbornly, "I’m not leaving. If I’m to die, I’ll die in my own home."