Chapter 96: The Drought Begins
Since the heavy snowfall during the New Year, the entire spring had seen only one light drizzle—so light it didn’t even dampen the dust on the roads.
From the beginning of summer on April 5th until now, nearly two months had passed without a single drop of rain.
Everyone in Tongcheng was praying for rain, longing for the dark clouds, thunder, and torrential downpours that usually marked the summer season. But the sky above remained vast and boundless, with not a single dark cloud in sight—not even many white ones could be seen.
Wild vegetables and grasses on the mountains gradually turned yellow, withered, and curled up. The land cracked under the relentless sun, and the small river in front of the Leng Family’s home had already dried up, its bed fissured and devoid of even a spoonful of water.
The sun hung high in the sky every day, casting a blinding, scorching light. The air was so dry that every part of the body—the nasal passages, throat, lips, and skin—felt parched and dehydrated.
The water Wen Nuan Nuan, Leng Chen, and Leng Tian used for washing their faces in the morning was no longer thrown out. Instead, they sprinkled it on the floors of their rooms to add a bit of humidity to the air, even if the effect was minimal.
“Little Brother, open the door.”
Hearing Leng Yun’s quick footsteps heading toward the courtyard gate, Wen Nuan Nuan first poured a bowl of cool tea and brought it out of the room.
Outside, the sunlight was still blazing, bright enough to dazzle the eyes. Leng Tian, whose physique had grown quite robust, led the horse in by the reins. His face, tanned dark from prolonged exposure to the scorching sun, was beaded with large drops of sweat.
“Sister-in-law,” Leng Tian greeted respectfully.
Seeing how red Eldest Brother’s face was from the sun, Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t bring herself to ask about the situation in the city just yet. Instead, she said with concern, “Drink some water first.”
Leng Tian took the cool tea and gulped it down in large, hurried swallows.
Once Leng Yun, who had been tending to the horse, joined them, the three sat on the long bench in the main hall, waiting for Leng Tian to explain the current situation inside and outside Tongcheng.
Leng Tian wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, his expression tinged with anxiety. “People are everywhere! It’s not just Tongcheng that’s suffering. The neighboring counties of Yiyang and Shanyang are experiencing even worse droughts than we are. Refugees from those two counties are flooding into Tongcheng in large numbers. The city is in chaos right now!”
“Refugees already? But the corn and millet have only just begun to sprout. Why aren’t they waiting?” Leng Yun’s small face also showed signs of worry as he pressed for answers.
Leng Tian shook his head. “They can’t wait. While our crops are still sprouting, theirs have already dried up and died! I heard that in those two counties, rivers have run dry, wells have emptied, the wilderness is devoid of green grass, and the land is cracked for thousands of miles. Entire villages have had no choice but to pack up their belongings and flee with their families.”
Wen Nuan Nuan’s heart sank as she listened. Rivers running dry, wells emptying, the wilderness devoid of green grass, and land cracked for thousands of miles—wasn’t this exactly the grim future awaiting Tongcheng? Or, to be more precise, it had already begun!
The well water that once filled buckets now only reached halfway, and recently, it had dwindled to a shallow layer at the bottom. If the drought continued, even the well water would likely dry up completely.
Without water, how desperate would things become?
“Did you see your Eldest Brother? How is the water situation at the Academy? What did he say?” Wen Nuan Nuan frowned, focusing on the most critical questions.
The three of them at home were still managing well, with enough stored food to last them without worry.
But Leng Xiao and Leng Chen were still outside. With the family separated, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“I saw him! The Academy still has drinking water for now. Eldest Brother told us to keep the doors and windows locked and to stay alert at night. He said that although the refugees are currently heading toward the city, we should be wary of small groups of displaced people wandering into our area. There aren’t many safe places left now.”
Indeed, with several neighboring counties all affected by the disaster, nowhere was truly safe. Riots among refugees and displaced people could break out at any moment.
In Wen Nuan Nuan’s memory, the most severe drought in Huaguo’s history lasted for seven years, and it basically appeared in the form of drought in the north and floods in the south, accompanied by famine, plague, and man-made disasters.
After a great disaster comes a great epidemic, so fleeing was the right decision.
It’s just that the journey of escape was too arduous and difficult.
Fortunately, she had a refrigerator, which was previously stocked full of food and plenty of water. Otherwise, given the seemingly endless extent of the drought, living here would be utterly despairing.
Not to mention anything else, just figuring out where to get the daily necessities of water and food would consume all one’s energy.
“Eldest Brother said Qin Old Master has set the sixth day of the sixth lunar month for worshipping the God of Literature and the Star of Scholars, and the eighth day of the sixth lunar month to go to the yamen to obtain the ‘floating ticket’ needed for the imperial examination and our travel permits. We should bring them along with our household registrations and set off for Ruzhou early!” Leng Tian wanted to say that this Qin Old Master was too inflexible. Given the current situation, why bother picking a specific day for worship? Just finish it quickly and set off earlier!
But he didn’t dare say it. Qin Old Master was the guarantor for all the scholars from Tongcheng taking the imperial examination. Without his signature and guarantee, the ‘floating ticket’ would not be recognized.
“Good, going early will give us peace of mind,” Wen Nuan Nuan agreed with the idea of leaving early.
The ‘floating ticket’ was probably equivalent to the admission ticket in her world. Otherwise, why would Leng Xiao have waited so long?
This was already more than twenty days earlier than they had originally planned, which was a good thing.
After all, Ruzhou was the provincial capital of Zhongzhou, so public order and logistical support were naturally better than in Tongcheng. Wen Nuan Nuan was now only worried about Leng Chen, who was still alone in the city!
“What about Second Brother—”
Before he could finish speaking, a knock sounded outside the courtyard.
“Is anyone from the Leng Family home?”
“It’s Auntie Zhu!” The three of them exchanged glances before Leng Yun quickly ran over to open the courtyard gate.
It wasn’t just Auntie Zhu who entered; Aunt Jiang was with her. Wen Nuan Nuan and Leng Tian quickly stood up to offer them seats, while Leng Yun poured two small cups of cool boiled water and brought them over.
Auntie Zhu and Aunt Jiang thanked them and picked up the cups, taking small sips. Water was a precious commodity now, with each person in the household allowed only one cup per day—no more.
Aunt Jiang moistened her dry throat and said, “Leng Family, the gauze shirts you wanted are ready. Auntie Zhu and I brought them over together, and we also have something to tell you.”
“Auntie, please go ahead. I’m listening,” Wen Nuan Nuan replied with a smile as she took the eight gauze shirts from the two women.
“The village chief has decided to wait another ten days. If it still doesn’t rain by then, the crops in the fields won’t survive either. We’ll set off on the morning of the twelfth day of the sixth lunar month.
Our entire village will flee together at that time. With so many refugees on the road, there will be plenty of trouble and conflicts, and fights over resources are sure to happen. The village chief asked the two of us to talk to your family. Although the Leng Family arrived later, if you want to travel with us villagers and help each other along the way, that’s also possible.” The wrinkles and white hair on Aunt Jiang’s face had increased significantly compared to the beginning of the year, and her brow had remained furrowed since she entered.
In truth, the village chief hadn’t been nearly this polite. A small portion of the villagers disagreed, with the Wang Family being the most opposed.
Their reasons for opposition were nothing more than that the Leng Family had three young men and one woman, with only Leng Xiao being truly capable. Bringing their family along would be a burden, as they would only be able to rely on the Leng Family for help on the road, not the other way around.
She and Auntie Jiang didn’t see it that way. The Leng Family had indeed mentioned that using their carriage would require payment, but they had made it perfectly clear—they weren’t stealing, robbing, or taking advantage, nor would they let others take advantage of them. Wasn’t that much better than the Wang Family?!
But the village chief believed that the Wang Family were locals, while the Leng Family were outsiders. If they wanted to receive their assistance on the journey, they had to offer something in return.
For instance, those two horses, which looked strong and sturdy at a glance, had to be made available for everyone to use.
The village chief’s intentions were quite clear.
But how could she and Auntie Zhu bring themselves to say such a thing?
They could only first ask the Leng Family for their opinion. If they intended to travel together, they would speak up; if they had no such plans at all, it was better not to mention it.