Chapter 59.1

Song Dingxiang followed Song Zhiyuan's gaze and immediately furrowed her brows.

Cowered against the gritty brickwork, a figure was hunched, a human form reduced to skeletal outlines beneath layers of grime and neglect. Tangled hair, like a matted shroud, obscured half the face, casting the exposed cheek in a chiaroscuro of dirt and shadow. Yet, within the obscured contours of that visible half, a flicker of recognition ignited, a ghost of familiarity etched against the canvas of decay.

"Dad, let's not act rashly yet, what if it's not her and we end up scaring someone?" Song Dingxiang felt a sense of discomfort looking at the beggar, who had not lifted her head as she continued to look at the broken bowl in front of her, unaware of the presence of Song Dingxiang and her father.

They had not encountered this beggar earlier in their morning’s exploration. Perhaps the wall, now warmed by the ascending sun, had lured her from the shadows, where she might have sought refuge from the chill of dawn.

Song Zhiyuan parked the carriage at a distance, and Song Dingxiang approached the elderly woman by the tea shack, giving her a few copper coins and instructing her briefly.

The woman approached the beggar and smiled, "Oh, you poor thing... I still have some leftover porridge in the tea shack over there. If you don't mind, you can go over and have it."

The beggar slowly lifted her head, staring blankly at the tea shack not far away. Normally, the tea shack would be bustling with people coming and going, but due to the drought, people either went elsewhere or stayed at home with little desire to hang out, making it unusually quiet.

She licked her lips, picked up her broken bowl, stood up, and followed the woman towards the tea shack with her head bowed.

The tea shack not only sold tea but also offered some simple food items, hence the enclosed kitchen area. She cautiously scanned the area around the kitchen, saw no one, and walked in with a sense of relief.

There was a bowl on the stove, filled with porridge, accompanied by two pieces of bread and a lump of pickled vegetables.

The elderly woman said, "Go ahead, eat. I'm just pitying you."

The beggar touched her growling stomach, eager and impatiently picked up the bowl and gulped down the cold porridge, then grabbed a piece of bread and took a fierce bite, swallowing it down with a gulp.

Song Dingxiang received a gesture from the elderly woman and hurried over with Song Zhiyuan.

"Jiaoxing?" Song Zhiyuan called out.

The beggar suddenly stiffened, lifting her head and looking at Song Zhiyuan in front of her through her messy hair, then glancing at Song Dingxiang behind him. She suddenly shivered all over, bowing her head and trying to run away.

"Song Jiaoxing!" Song Zhiyuan grabbed her thin arm, "It's really you... Stop fooling around, hurry and come back home with us."

The elderly woman craned her neck to look for a while and asked, "What's going on? Is this your daughter?"

Song Dingxiang sighed and said, "Yes, my sister here wasn't happy with the arranged marriage at home, so she ran away in a huff."

It had been nearly half a year, and it was puzzling how Song Jiaoxing managed to survive in such a cold season.

"Oh dear, getting married is better than begging for sure. If she's not willing to beg or get married, who did she find?" The elderly woman looked puzzled.

Song Dingxiang couldn't be bothered to explain this mess of accounts, simply looking at Song Jiaoxing and saying, "If you really don't want to go back, we won't force you. Pretend we didn't see you. We won't care whether you live or die in the future, and probably no one else will either."

Song Jiaoxing's mouth trembled a few times, and she burst into tears.

Song Dingxiang continued, "My father and I came to the county town on business. Even if we come back, it will be after a few years. Think carefully, if you don't come back with us, you'll have to stay here."

The elderly woman also advised, "Dear girl, go back home quickly. It's a severe drought now, and the world is likely to be in chaos later. How can a young lady like you stay outside if you encounter bad people?"

Song Jiaoxing just cried and stopped struggling.

Song Dingxiang had the elderly woman heat up a pot of hot water to wash Song Jiaoxing's face and body clean, then bought a set of coarse clothes for her to change into in the city. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Song Zhiyuan sat on the car shaft with a gloomy expression, driving the cart. Song Jiaoxing sat blankly in the cart, still holding the uneaten bread in her hand.

The bread was a coarse concoction, its composition a stark departure from the refined grains typically associated with sustenance. Cornmeal formed its base, yet sorghum flour and a gritty inclusion of bran lent the bread a rugged, abrasive texture.

It was a desiccated loaf, its consumption a chore that abraded the throat. Nonetheless, in the austere conditions of disaster, this unpalatable staple reigned supreme.

For Song Jiaoxing, a mere sixteen or seventeen years old, such harsh fare had likely been the norm since her arrival in this desolate place.

But even this, she might not be able to eat every meal.

"Why don't you ask me what happened to me?" Song Jiaoxing suddenly spoke, her voice extremely hoarse.

Song Dingxiang fiddled with her purse and said, "I don't want to ask."

Song Jiaoxing stared blankly at Song Dingxiang and after a long while said, "Don't you want to know how I managed to run away?"

Song Dingxiang looked at her and said, "I don't want to know anything. I'll take you back, I've done my duty. Song Jiaoxing, no matter how many blisters are on your feet, you walked there yourself. I advised you back then, but you didn't listen. Now that things have turned out like this, I don't want to ask or say anything."

However, Song Jiaoxing continued to speak, as if talking to herself, "Dashan hid me in the firewood cart, it was already dark then. My father and mother were busy preparing for the next day's celebration, and I took the headpiece while my mother wasn't paying attention, thinking of going to the south. You know? I've heard many storytellers say that there are many talented and wealthy men in the south, who are also gentle."

Song Dingxiang rubbed her forehead and turned her head to look outside the cart. It was already spring, but the greenery was scarce outside, with weeds growing more than crops.

In such a dry season, seeing such lush growth showed the strong vitality.

Song Jiaoxing continued, "I found a carriage going south at the inn, paid with two hairpins. But I wasn't the only one on the carriage, there was a woman around my age who tricked me out of my money and tried to sell me to a bad place. It was terrifying, why are people outside so wicked?"

"I ran away, sneaked up to the mountain while they weren't paying attention. But by then, I had walked quite a distance, I begged for food all the way back. It was so cold, cold and hungry. I knew I was close to home, but I was too scared to go back, I was afraid..."

"Song Dingxiang, talk to me, ask me why I'm afraid, Song Dingxiang!" Song Jiaoxing's thin face was filled with struggle and anger.

Song Dingxiang glanced at her and said, "Do you know that after you left, your parents took the betrothal gift from that family?"

Song Jiaoxing's anger froze instantly, she asked in confusion, "What? My parents took the other family's silver? Why?"

Song Dingxiang said, "I don't know why, but I know that you all caused trouble for that family. Song Jiaoxing, you shouldn't be stupid, so why do you always say and do foolish things?"

"You don't understand..." Song Jiaoxing's hands suddenly started to tremble, she tightly gripped the hard biscuit in her hand, then shoved a big bite into her mouth and chewed viciously, "You don't understand! You have money, your whole family has money. I don't have money, I don't like Song Taohong, I think she's pitiful! But even though she's shameless, she managed to become the county magistrate's wife. What about me? I'm shameless, I earned back what I have, but my mother won't give it to me, she wants to give it to my brothers. Why? That's mine!"

Her voice was muffled, crumbs from the dry biscuit sprayed out as she spoke, making Song Dingxiang disgusted.

And so, Song Jiaoxing gulped down the whole biscuit, choking until her face turned white.

She said, "What's mine is mine, even if I throw it away, even if someone steals it, it's still mine."

Song Dingxiang was completely speechless, she just hoped the carriage would run faster, quickly get home, and not have to look at this crazy person.

Because the village was far from the county town, by the time they were close to home, darkness had descended.

Song Jiaoxing stretched her neck to look outside and suddenly said, "The day I left, the sky was this dark."

There was a benefit to the darkness of the sky, as everyone in the village was at home either eating or chatting, and not lingering outside.

Song Dingxiang didn't get out of the carriage, it was Song Zhiyan who took Song Jiaoxing back home, and then the two of them silently returned to their own house.

Dinner was ready at home, but now there was no rice or wheat flour on the table, only sorghum rice and cornbread. The only ones who could still eat rice and wheat flour were a few of the youngest children, along with Qiao Liu and Zhao Di.

The specter of famine cast a long shadow over the land. Despite the meager sustenance offered by sorghum rice and bread, most people exercised extreme restraint in their consumption.

If it didn't rain this summer, the second half of the year might also be wasted.

Without enough food growing in the fields, people would starve.

"Saw that you were coming back soon, so I was waiting for you to come back and eat." Fang shi happily greeted them, then looked at her husband and daughter with confusion, "Oh, what's wrong? Did you have a fight outside?"

Song Zhiyan waved his hand and said, "Let's talk inside."

"What, you mean Song Jiaoxing has been found??" Fang shi's eyes bulged out, and she was tapped by Li shi, "Keep your voice down, why are you making such a fuss?"

Song Dingxiang briefly explained the situation with Song Jiaoxing, and the whole room fell silent.

This incident was particularly shocking for these women who didn't go out much, as women's world revolved around in-laws, husbands, and children. There was always endless housework, crops to tend to, and clothes to mend.

They couldn't imagine how a woman, especially a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, managed to escape from human traffickers and survive the harsh winter.

Song Xingyi couldn't resist touching his tobacco pipe, and after a while, he said, "Let's eat, let's not talk about them. They've already split up, their family's antics have nothing to do with us. By the way, Dingxiang, did you see any good shops in the county town today?"

Song Dingxiang smiled and said, "It's actually a great opportunity. With the current drought, many people are selling shops and yards, making it easier for me to choose. This yard is particularly large, with three entrances, as well as side courtyards and a small garden. Coincidentally, the back door of this yard faces the street, and the original owners turned that area into three big shops."

Fang shi exclaimed, "Oh my, that must cost a lot of money, do we have enough silver in our family?"

Song Dingxiang replied, "Not much money, it's a total of eight hundred taels. When I calculated my own money, it was enough, and I've already paid the deposit. Uncle, Aunt, if you want to buy a shop, it's better to act quickly now while it's cheap. And, my parents, this yard is under my name, if you want to buy it for my brothers, you'll have to pay for it yourselves."

"You say that, can I still cheat your silver?" Fang shi gave her a look and said, "Besides the one you have your eye on, are there any other good shops?"

"Of course there are, it's just that there aren't many suitable yards. I was thinking that in the future, all of you could move there, anyway, the yard is big enough. The county town isn't far from the academy, so it's convenient for studying. Actually, I didn't plan on buying a yard so early, but I saw a suitable one."

Song Dingxiang felt happy just thinking about her yard, "Tomorrow, I'll bring the rest of the silver, as well as the silver ingots that the Wang family gave us, it should be enough."

Song Zhicheng thought for a moment and said, "But if the drought continues, won't we need to use our silver to buy food?"

Song Dingxiang replied, "I asked Grandpa, and he said if we ration the food we have stored, we won't starve for the next year or two. If the drought continues, the court will distribute relief grain. If even the court stops caring, even if we have silver, we might not be able to buy any food."

Song Xingyi added, "Yes, during the great drought back then when you weren't born yet, sorghum and rice husks mixed with sand were being sold for seven to eight hundred wen per load. The rich wouldn't eat that stuff, and the poor couldn't afford it, so they all went to escape the famine. My father had planted a lot of sweet potatoes and buckwheat hidden in the mountains, just enough to survive those years without starving. Dingxiang is right, now is the time to buy shops and yards at cheap prices. If you have some extra silver, go buy it on your own. Dingxiang bought hers with her own husband's surname, Zhou."