Cai Damei rejected Ye Yunniang's suggestion.
"If we move there, wouldn't that be telling everyone our family has grain, inviting thieves to take notice?"
"Then what should we do?"
"Tomorrow, I'll take twenty catties of rice to the Zhou family. After that, it's up to your aunt and her family to plan their own affairs." It wasn't that Cai Damei was heartless and didn't care for her younger sister. She had to prioritize the children depending on her first.
"Mother, should we tell Master Bao about the Zhang family's matter?"
"Your aunt and them are afraid it will affect the children; they don't want to make a big fuss."
"The Zhou house is empty, and Zhang Cai'er hasn't been seen for a long time. Outsiders will surely figure out what happened." Ye Yunniang felt the Zhou family's approach wasn't good.
Ye Yunniang's points were all things Cai Damei had already said, but the Zhou family insisted on their way.
"The Zhou family has decided. Let's not ask any more questions."
Ye Yunniang gave an acknowledging hum and didn't speak further of the Zhou family's affairs.
Time slowly moved into October. Not a single drop of rain had fallen since February.
Fortunately, Bao Min had arranged for people to clear the river channels and dig deeper wells, allowing the farmers to plant some drought-resistant crops.
Bao Min also submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting the exemption of this year's taxes.
This allowed the common people to barely fill their stomachs and avoid becoming famine refugees.
Many households in the city began to suffer from famine, with some families banding together to go outside the city walls to dig for wild vegetables to eat.
It was best to save as much grain as possible.
The Li family had sufficient grain stores and didn't go digging for wild vegetables. But with others starving, it wouldn't do for their own family to eat their fill every single day.
Ye Yunniang reduced portions for each meal, eating only until sixty or seventy percent full.
The three children visibly grew thinner.
The children understood the situation; none of them complained and finished each meal earnestly.
When playing outside, they wouldn't speak of their family's circumstances to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Early in the morning, Ye Yunniang got up and went to the market.
Affected by the drought, nearly half the shops were closed. The remaining ones, though open for business, had raised their prices considerably.
Ye Yunniang went to the butcher's shop to buy meat.
A catty of pork belly, previously 15 coppers per catty, was now 35 coppers.
And this was only because Ye Yunniang had asked Qiu Fang to help reserve it.
After buying the meat, she bought two catties of shriveled fruit and some yellowing greens.
Ye Yunniang hurried back home.
When she arrived, Li Pan and Li An had already left for school.
After the weather turned cold, Teacher Du's school had reopened, and the children returned to their studies.
Cai Damei took the meat and went into the kitchen to prepare.
In the evening, the table was set with braised pork, stir-fried greens with dried mushrooms, plain stir-fried bean sprouts, steamed egg with dried scallops, and hand-pulled noodles as the staple.
"Mother, is there some good occasion today?" Li Pan swallowed his saliva, smelling the aroma of meat.
"Today is your grandfather's birthday," Ye Yunniang explained, placing separately portioned noodles, dishes, and two flasks of wine as an offering before Li Min's memorial tablet.
She lit incense and handed it to Li Pan. "Invite your grandfather and father to come and eat."
Li Pan took the incense. "Grandfather, Father, please eat." After saying this, he raised it above his head and bowed solemnly three times.
Li An and Li Ping followed behind Li Pan and also bowed three times.
After the bows, Ye Yunniang led the children to sit at the table, waiting for Cai Damei to join them for the meal.
"No wonder Master Bao's expression was so unpleasant today," Li Ping suddenly blurted out.
It was their grandfather's birthday, and Grandmother had prepared so many good things.
Last month, on Master Bao's birthday, if Luo Xin hadn't mentioned it, no one would have remembered.
Even after Luo Xin's reminder, Cai Damei only had Ye Yunniang make a bowl of hand-pulled noodles.
"On which day does Master Bao's expression look pleasant?" Li An retorted.
Li Pan didn't speak but nodded in agreement.
After news of the drought spread, undercurrents began to swirl in Jiangcheng.
There were too many matters requiring Bao Min's attention every day.
Apart from wearing a smile for Cai Damei and Bao Shuyi, Bao Min wore a cold expression for everyone else.
"Teacher Du says that the autumn harvest in Jiangnan has seen continuous rain for two months. The rice harvest is severely poor."
Because of the drought and hunger at home, Teacher Du knew his students couldn't concentrate in class, so he often spoke of outside affairs.
Ye Yunniang heard much news of the outside world from Li Pan.
For instance, Shancheng, nearest to Jiangcheng, being more mountainous, was less affected by the drought and had a decent autumn harvest.
Most of the grain, vegetables, and fruit currently sold in Jiangcheng were transported from Shancheng.
There was also news that the border regions were recently unstable. It was said the grasslands suffered severe water shortages, grass was sparse, and many cattle and sheep had starved.
Tribes from the grasslands were gathering forces to attack the border cities. The imperial court might conscript soldiers and increase taxes, among other rumors.
"Jiangnan is the court's second-largest granary. Many places are depending on Jiangnan's grain to survive," Li Ping said. Having worked on accounts at the magistrate's office for half a year, his exposure had increased, and he had matured quickly.
"That's not what I meant to talk about," Li Pan interrupted Li Ping, looking at Ye Yunniang. "Mother, from now on, our family can't eat only seventy percent full at every meal."
"You are still growing," Ye Yunniang hesitated.
"Many classmates' families have already switched to eating only two meals a day. Some families eat only one meal," Li Pan described the situations of some classmates.
"My deskmate. His family exchanged all their white rice flour for taro and sorghum flour. Another family directly bought cornmeal mixed with corncob grit," Li An added.
"Our family's pickled vegetables from Little Cai Shop are almost sold out. Aunt Baise's embroidery shop isn't open. Yet our family eats three meals a day, every meal with white rice flour," Li Ping concluded.
"Alright then. From now on, eat thirty percent full in the evening, seventy percent for breakfast and lunch," Ye Yunniang compromised.
"No, thirty percent full for breakfast and lunch too," Li Pan disagreed.
"You're still young. If your bodies are damaged by hunger, it's a lifelong matter," Ye Yunniang disagreed.
"Thirty percent full morning and evening, fifty percent at noon. That's settled," Cai Damei said as she walked into the main hall, deciding the Li family's future meals.
After putting the children to sleep, Ye Yunniang discussed with Cai Damei about reopening the Baise Embroidery Shop.
With Little Cai Shop about to close, they needed an outward-facing business to earn money.
Cai Damei disagreed. They had closed it before precisely because it couldn't earn money. Opening it now would earn even less.
"Just open for half a day. Those items in the embroidery shop will get worm-eaten if left stored for too long." Even if Li Pan and the others hadn't spoken today, Ye Yunniang had planned to reopen the Baise Embroidery Shop.
Hearing it put this way, Cai Damei agreed.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also discussed buying some cornmeal mixed with corncob grit and sweet potato flour mixed with sweet potato vines.
After buying them, Ye Yunniang used half cornmeal and half white flour to make steamed buns.
After steaming them, Ye Yunniang and Cai Damei tasted them.
They were too rough on the throat.
They had never eaten such unpalatable steamed buns.
Back in the countryside, after every harvest, Li Min would always set aside enough rice and flour for the women of the household.
The two women couldn't eat them, but Li Pan and Li An ate them with relish.
"Mother, please make this kind of bun for us to take to school from now on," Li Pan requested.
"No, you're still too young. It will hurt your throats," Ye Yunniang disagreed. She thought she would eat these herself, and the children could still have white flour steamed buns or rice.
"Mother, we want to eat this kind of bun," Li Pan and Li An insisted strongly. Otherwise, they wouldn't eat lunch at all.
"Our family has food. Why must we force ourselves to be like everyone else?" Ye Yunniang's heart ached for her two sons; she couldn't bear for them to suffer.
"You two won't regret it?" Cai Damei asked.
"We won't regret it," Li Pan and Li An's attitudes were firm.
"Good. Starting tomorrow, the buns you take to school will be this kind," Cai Damei finalized the decision.
