Chapter 33 Drought Years (Part 4)

It wasn’t even dark yet, but the group had to keep moving. The long procession was scattered and loosely spaced as they walked.

At the very front, Chen Huihong strode forward with ease. Aside from her rather hard-to-describe, extremely unkempt appearance, she didn’t look much like a famine victim. In particular, the clothes stuffed full of straw made her appear puffed up and sturdy—compared to the truly weak famine victims nearby, she looked like someone strong enough to take on ten people at once.

Huiniang was somewhat afraid of the human trafficker, whose temperament changed faster than flipping a book page, so she stayed tightly behind Chen Huihong. Even when she struggled to keep up, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to jog forward to avoid falling behind. Whenever Chen Huihong occasionally glanced back and saw Huiniang’s stumbling figure, she would slightly slow her pace.

As for the third person in the group—the trafficker surnamed Zhang—her expression and demeanor were far more ferocious.

In terms of physique, Zhang—referred to by others as “Madam Zhang”—would be considered average to slightly thin by modern standards. She appeared to be in her forties or fifties, tall and about the same height as Chen Huihong. Her clothes were tattered but relatively thick. She carried sweet potatoes in her arms and valuables on her person, making her quite well-off among the famine victims.

Perhaps due to the burden she carried, keeping up with Chen Huihong was much more exhausting for her than for Huiniang. Yet Chen Huihong didn’t care at all whether she kept up, only occasionally slowing down to wait for Huiniang.

Zhang didn’t want to be left behind by Chen Huihong, nor did she want the “goods” she was escorting to fall behind. She walked in a state of anxiety and exhaustion, constantly looking ahead and back. All she could do was mutter and curse under her breath along the way—since Chen Huihong couldn’t hear her anyway.

But even if Chen Huihong couldn’t hear her, Qin Huai could.

From mid-afternoon until nightfall, Qin Huai gradually pieced together the situation of this group.

Compared to the previous dream he had seen, Chen Huihong and Huiniang this time had already formed a temporary partnership that had lasted for several months. Not only had they escaped the worst of the drought-stricken region, they had also established identities and a clear direction of travel.

As for the trafficker, her surname was Zhang, and everyone else called her “Madam Zhang.”

From Madam Zhang’s perspective, Chen Huihong was a strange young lady from a wealthy family who had been separated from her relatives during the famine while traveling and had somehow been educated in Western ways. Huiniang was a maid she had picked up along the way.

The reason this unusual group had come together was because Madam Zhang’s husband had died.

Madam Zhang was from Beiping and had been in this trade for over a decade, always working as part of a husband-and-wife team. Two years ago, during a severe drought in the Shanxi region, the couple had made good profits buying low and selling high. Hearing that the drought persisted this year, they went there again hoping to make another fortune.

However, this year’s drought was even worse than the previous years. Crops failed completely, the land was barren for miles, and ordinary families had reached the point where they couldn’t survive without selling their children. Buying people no longer required money or grain—just shouting out loud would draw crowds of desperate people willing to follow traffickers for a bite of food.

In times of famine, people even resorted to cannibalism. Starvation turned humans into beasts. Madam Zhang’s husband unexpectedly died during one of their transactions. Witnessing everything from afar, Madam Zhang was terrified. She fled overnight with her acquired “goods,” staying away from populated areas, and eventually encountered Chen Huihong and Huiniang, who were also avoiding crowds.

Huiniang came from a relatively well-off farming family. Compared to truly impoverished children, she was sturdier and slightly taller. The first time Qin Huai saw her in the dream, he had thought she was extremely malnourished compared to Chen Huihui in the real world. But compared to the half-grown boys Madam Zhang had purchased, Huiniang was much better off.

As for Chen Huihong, her height, build, and demeanor clearly indicated she came from a wealthy background. Previously, with only Huiniang as a comparison, it wasn’t obvious. But now, standing among this group, she stood out like a crane among chickens.

Huiniang knew the route and could find water. Chen Huihong appeared to have connections, was physically strong, and capable in a fight. Madam Zhang had lost her husband and had dozens of “goods” to manage, fearing she couldn’t protect her supplies. So she latched onto Chen Huihong, hoping to gain protection by traveling together.

When Madam Zhang first met Chen Huihong, she had more than twenty children with her—boys and girls ranging from thirteen or fourteen years old down to six or seven.

By now, the attractive girls had already been sold off at discounted prices along the way. Those who were too weak to keep up had died on the road. The remaining ones were the “selected” goods. Each looked on the verge of collapse, but once they reached Beiping and had a couple of full meals to recover, they could still be sold at a good price.

Now that Beiping was in sight, Madam Zhang set her sights on Huiniang.

Along the journey, Huiniang had been surviving on one bean cake every two days and whatever food she could find herself. Among the famine victims, she was relatively well-off. Even outside the city, she would likely be among the higher-quality people selected for purchase. Having lost her husband, money, and had to sell goods at low prices, Madam Zhang realized that continuing alone would make it difficult to stay in this trade. So she planned to make one final profit—selling whoever she could.

To maximize her earnings, Madam Zhang even generously gave both Chen Huihong and Huiniang a small sweet potato each.

Using a flint, Madam Zhang ignited dry grass and firewood to roast the sweet potatoes and warm herself. Huiniang sat by the fire, holding a clay jar filled with water, waiting for the sediment inside to settle. Chen Huihong, perhaps worried that the flames would ignite the straw in her clothes, sat farther away, quietly chewing tree bark while keeping her back turned, tucking the sweet potato inside her clothing.

“Miss Hui, have you ever been to Beiping with your young lady before?” Madam Zhang asked.

Huiniang silently shook her head.

“Beiping is a big place. There’s the imperial palace and noble residences. Even though the emperor is gone, the old princes and nobles still live luxuriously. If you can get into a noble household as a servant, forget eating one bean cake every two days—you could eat ten a day and no one would care,” Madam Zhang tempted her with the promise of bean cakes.

Huiniang remained unmoved and replied as someone who had seen the world: “But I want to eat white steamed buns.”

Madam Zhang: …

“White buns are available too. In the alleys, the girls don’t just eat white buns—wealthier ones even eat pea jelly, fried dough twists, and red bean rolls, things that used to be reserved for palace nobles. Ever heard of them? Fine delicacies made from refined grains, even finer than refined grains, with plenty of sugar—sweeter than honey!”

Huiniang still remained unmoved, because she had never tasted refined grains or honey and couldn’t even imagine what Madam Zhang was describing.

Madam Zhang didn’t give up: “If that doesn’t work, you can work as a laborer in restaurants or oil mills. Some places don’t discriminate. Though the work is hard, you can at least eat your fill. If you find bean gruel tasteless, you can go try ‘gazing meals’—one copper coin per chopstick. If you’re lucky, you might even get a piece of meat.”

At that, Madam Zhang licked her lips as if savoring a memory: “Once, that Li Mazi who sold gazing meals somehow got hold of leftovers from who knows where—he said it came from a place called ‘Taihe Restaurant’ from beyond the pass. Even spoiled, it tasted good. That one copper coin was well spent.”

Madam Zhang’s description of getting meat for a single coin finally tempted Huiniang. She hugged the jar and walked over to Chen Huihong, handing it to her.

“Big sister, have some water.”

The water had already mostly settled.

Chen Huihong took a symbolic sip and returned the jar to Huiniang, then continued playing with a broken wooden toy horse she had picked up earlier.

“Big sister, Madam Zhang said you can buy meat in Beiping for just one copper coin,” Huiniang whispered.

“I heard,” Chen Huihong said indifferently. “It’s all leftover scraps. Eating too much will make you sick. If you’re unlucky, it can even kill you.”

“But…” Huiniang still longed for it. “You can eat meat…”

Several of the resting boys shared the same thought. One boy struggled to sit up, looked at Madam Zhang with longing eyes, and asked:

“M-Madam Zhang, when we reach Beiping, can we also eat meat for one copper coin?”

“Eat, eat, all you know is eating!” Madam Zhang scolded angrily. “How much grain have you eaten from me along the way? You walk so slowly, and now that we’re near Beiping, being able to give you a full meal is already generous enough! Who told you to sit there talking? Don’t you know talking while sitting wastes energy and food?”

“Everyone lie down and sleep. We’ll set off at dawn. Once we reach Beiping, I still have to find buyers for you. The sooner you’re sold, the less food you eat!”

The children hurriedly lay down. Madam Zhang carefully finished her sweet potato, even chewing the skin thoroughly before swallowing it, then curled up with her bag and went to sleep.

In an instant, among everyone, only Chen Huihong and Huiniang remained sitting.

“Big sister, once we reach Beiping, should we find work? It seems beggars get beaten to death easily,” Huiniang asked softly.

“That’s your concern,” Chen Huihong said, putting away the wooden horse. “I don’t know where I’m going. You said your parents might be in Beiping, so I’ll accompany you there.”

“When we arrive, you go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

With that, Chen Huihong lay down and closed her eyes to sleep.

Huiniang remained sitting with the jar in her arms. After a while, she carefully lay down, pressing her back against Chen Huihong’s back, and fell asleep quietly.

In the firelight, Qin Huai saw Chen Huihong open her eyes and glance at Huiniang. She adjusted her posture slightly so that Huiniang wouldn’t feel uncomfortable leaning against her, then closed her eyes again.