☆ 51. Chapter 50. On the Edge of Crisis

                                    

                                          
Chapter 50. On the Edge of Crisis
After a few days of discussing matters in the ancestral hall, Cheng Songer noticed a temporary improvement in the spirits of many families who were previously on the brink of starvation. 
Especially at the village mill, there was a long queue, with everyone holding large handfuls of immature wheat, waiting in line to grind them. 
Upon entering, Cheng Songer saw some villagers putting the immature wheat grains into the grinding plate and grinding them. In no time, the wheat grains were crushed into thin, green, finger-length strips. 
A group of children gathered around the mill and immediately reached out to eat the crushed substance. 
Cheng Songer had never seen this before and asked, "What is this?"
A villager in the queue explained, "This is 'nianzhuan. ' It is made by grinding immature green wheat grains in the mill, and we can eat it directly. It was something we resorted to during times of famine."
Cheng Songer was shocked as she looked at the long line behind the mill, with each person holding a large bundle of wheat. 
She hurriedly asked, "If you harvest the wheat now, won't you have nothing to eat during the harvest time?"
The villager helplessly replied, "What else can we do? We have already eaten everything we could at home. My husband and children have been starving for three or four days. If we don't eat, they will starve to death. I can only focus on surviving today, and we will deal with the future later."
Other villagers also shared the same mindset. 
"Yes, especially with those wandering refugees becoming more and more rampant, stealing wheat every day. Even if we don't eat it, those despicable people will benefit. It's better for us to eat it ourselves."
"That's right. Once other places have a good harvest and the court has enough food, maybe they will come to help with disaster relief."
Some villagers still held onto unrealistic ideas. 
"Yes, as long as the court provides relief, we will have better days."
Cheng Songer remained silent. Currently, the entire county government was practically abandoned. It was better to rely on themselves than to rely on others. 
"Oh, Cheng Songer, it seems like your family doesn't have any land, right?" Liu Su and his wife Cheng Li deliberately asked while holding a large bundle of wheat. 
"Yes," she coldly replied. 
"You're in a miserable situation. At least those of us with land can survive until the autumn harvest. You say you have no land and no food. How will you endure in the future?"
Liu Su sneered, still holding a grudge against Cheng Songer for not sharing the wild boar meat with him before. 
A villager whispered in his ear, "A few days ago, I saw Cheng Qingzhi, that little slut, cooking in his kitchen every day. I wondered how they could afford to cook with fire when they're so poor, so I secretly took a peek. Guess what? The porridge was so watery. . . it was like rinsing two grains of rice in water."
Liu Su covered his mouth and smirked, "No wonder they can afford to cook with fire every meal. Turns out they only put a few grains of rice in each meal. Haha, they're so poor, yet they still pretend."
Cheng Songer tightly pursed her lips, pretending to be angry but not daring to speak, and left in frustration. 
Leaving behind the villagers who loudly mocked her from behind.