Chapter 1: Current Situation

would take the prefectural and provincial examinations next year to become a scholar, the Su family could still be exempt from taxes and corvée labor. This was the very reason why Xiao Yang dared to m...The autumn wind carried a growing chill as it whistled through the fields. Withered leaves danced in the wind. As Su Yun Duo stepped out of the forest, she was met with a gust of cold wind that sent shivers down her spine.

Su Yunuo held up her hands to ward off the leaves swirling in the wind. She squinted and glanced at the house, visible in the distance, with a weary expression. With strained arms, she struggled to lift the increasingly heavy basket on her back.

Another gust of cold wind blew past, Su Yunuo pulled her neck up and looked at the sky, her brows furrowed instantly.

Today, it seemed like a storm was about to break. Thinking of that dilapidated house with a roof but no real protection from the elements, Su Yunduo felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.

As the saying goes, one autumn rain brings a chill. Besides the sturdy bed made by her scholar father, everything else in their home was thin and flimsy. The family didn't even have decent winter clothes. Su Yunduo felt resentment towards her grandfather, anger towards her stepmother, and above all, a sense of despair for the future.

Su Yunuo is the eldest child and now that her father, the scholar, is seriously ill in bed as the head of the family, there is a big problem. The town doctor has diagnosed him with tuberculosis, a terrible illness that people talk about. It's unclear whether he will survive. Otherwise, even if her stepmother, Xiao Yangshi, cried and made a fuss, it is unlikely that her grandfather would be so cruel as to drive her scholarly son out of the house.

To know, over these years, because of Su Chengzhi's fame as a scholar, the more than ten acres of land belonging to the Su family were exempt from taxes and corvee service. This benefit was not only for Su Chengzhi's household, but as long as the Su family remained undivided and had a scholar, the whole family would continue to enjoy this privilege.

But when Su Chengzhi was brought back to Geshan Village from the town school on his deathbed, his aunt Xiaoyang, who had received the news first, shut him out and made a big scene. In the end, Ye (the grandfather) ruthlessly abandoned Su Chengzhi's family.

The reason is simple, one can't send the entire Su family to their doom just because of Su Chenzhi.

As for agricultural taxes and corvée labor, they thought at most it would last for half a year.

Since Su Zefan, the eldest son of the long house who had already passed the county examination, would take the prefectural and provincial examinations next year to become a scholar, the Su family could still be exempt from taxes and corvée labor. This was the very reason why Xiao Yang dared to make such a scene.

At the thought of these schemes by the Su family, a cold glint flashed across Su Yunduo's face. Without Su Chengzhi's guidance and surveillance, relying on just Su Zefan, hum, the Su family will regret their actions in the future!

Thinking about her own current situation, Su Yun Duo couldn't help but let out a long sigh in her heart. Could that life even be called living!

In Su Yun Duo's understanding, Mr. Xiucai's illness, though severe, was not tuberculosis. However, for the past half month, no matter how Su Yun Duo tried to console him, she couldn't open his heart.

A patient without a belief in survival, even with the best possible illness, cannot be cured. Furthermore, given their current circumstances where they rely on others for even basic necessities, how could they afford quality medicine To ensure that they have at least one dose of medication each day, which may not fully address their symptoms, is already pushing the limits.

To keep her household alive, Su Yun Duo knew that venturing into the mountains didn't guarantee finding food. These days, she almost went into the mountains every day with a basket on her back, as was the case today.

Before going up the mountain, I had only drunk a bowl of coarse rice porridge that was almost translucent. Luckily, I found some wild fruit in the mountains and ate two to fill my stomach. It finally allowed me to make it to now.

These days I've been going up the mountain almost every day. Aside from occasionally finding a few old vegetables that are almost inedible, it can be said that I've gained nothing. Today's search finally yielded some results. Unlike the previous few days, when I ran back and forth in vain, Su Yun'uo lightly pressed her lips together, a faint smile appearing on her face.

Once again, she hoisted the basket on her back. Su Yunduo put away the ache in her heart, shook her head and pursed her lips. Facing the cold wind, she bowed slightly, quickening her pace a little as she walked, somewhat unsteadily, along the country path.

The basket held a day's harvest: some wild vegetables, a few mushrooms, half a basket of wild berries, and a rather dry pumpkin. Su Yun Duo was extremely pleased. With these things, she could survive for another two or three days.

If I hadn't been bold enough to venture into the mountains today, where could I have found vegetables, wild fruits, and pumpkins in this deep autumn Not to mention what was hidden in my arms.

She tucked what was in her hands into her sleeve and looked back up at the hillside. Su Yunduo was still there, hiding things. Later, she would try to persuade Ningshi to go to the county town tomorrow. The things hidden on that hillside could bring some much-needed supplies to their impoverished home. A glimmer of hope flashed in Su Yunduo's heart.

Although not every household in the village was as poor as Su Yun Duo's, almost everyone was still struggling after the recent disaster. This was especially true for Ge Shan Village, a remote and impoverished settlement nestled in hillsides, but even Lin Xi Town saw many families struggling to eat, clothe themselves, and were even forced to sell their children just to survive. As a result, people living near the mountains couldn't find any edible plants or even edible bark anymore.

With these things in her knapsack and the hidden treasures at the foot of the mountain, Su Yunduo felt a surge of confidence.

The current state of poverty in our home cannot be changed overnight. We can only take things one step at a time. With these meager provisions in my basket, we are able to have a decent meal for dinner today.

Thinking of her bedridden scholar father, her weak pregnant mother, and her younger brother who was still young, Su Yunduo couldn't help but smile faintly at the thought that tonight she wouldn't need to drink water to fill her stomach and could sleep soundly without having to get up in the middle of the night to urinate.

She hadn't gone ten paces after leaving the mountain when rain began to fall from the sky, and it only grew heavier. Su Yun Duo cursed her luck under her breath and quickened her pace.

I gazed upon the village ahead, shrouded in mist and drizzle. Turning my gaze back to the path I had come from, the thought of carving a mountain road behind my own house surged strongly within me once more.

If we could open a new mountain road from behind our house, it would be so much easier to get in and out of the mountains.

But opening a new mountain road is no easy feat, just relying on this little board Su Yunuo couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

It would be great if my little uncle was here!

Such a thought popped into Su Yunduo's mind unexpectedly, but it was quickly suppressed.

One should rely on oneself rather than others.

It is said that Xiao Uncle Ning Zhongping took a big job three months ago, leading the most capable team of bodyguards from Ningwei鏢局 to Beijing, but he hasn't returned since.

The capital wasn't too close to Yanshan Prefecture, nor was it too far. Even at a fast gallop, it would only take about seven or eight days. However, Ning Zhongping had been gone for three months without returning. Su Yunluo didn't believe anything had happened.

Of course, Su Yun Duo Xi Ning Zhong Ping was only delayed in returning home by trivial matters, not that anything serious happened to him, let alone that he was injured or even killed.

In Su Yunduo's memory, this uncle was very kind to all the younger generations.

Although the Su family and the Ning family were not close due to Su Yunduo's grandfather, whenever they met, Ning Zhongping would always give Su Yunduo and her younger brother some rare things. Unfortunately, these items were eventually taken by their cousin, Su Yunying.current state of poverty in our home cannot be changed overnight. We can only take things one step at a time. With these meager provisions in my basket, we are able to have a decent meal for dinner to...