Chapter 1741: Food Was in Short Supply
The weather was getting hotter and the sky remained cloudless. Father Chen was still hoping for it to rain on the fields, but the soil in the fields was almost completely cracked from the drought.
Father Chen stopped hoping for a miracle. He took some money and went to buy food. By this time, the price of the food was 10% higher than it used to be. Due to the riots, food was in short supply.
Father Chen felt a little regretful.
It wasn’t that Father Chen, who has lived a long life, was stupid, but poor people were reluctant to spend any of the money in their hands, let alone spend it on buying food.
As for Ning Shu, she would occasionally go to town. The ginseng incident gave Ning Shu a bit of say in the house. Generally, Father Chen would grant any request Ning Shu made that wasn’t unreasonable.
Occasionally, Ning Shu would meet Bai Yiqiao who was also going to town. When Bai Yiqiao saw Ning Shu, her expression remained indifferent and she wouldn’t speak. She was extremely cold towards Ning Shu.
Ning Shu didn’t care about Bai Yiqiao at all. She just did whatever she had to do.
Ning Shu would also go to Li Gouzi’s house at night every once in a while. Li Gouzi was never at home though and there was no clue as to where he was. Ning Shu even started suspecting that Li Gouzi had been dealt with by a third party.
Ning Shu surreptitiously glanced at Bai Yiqiao who was sitting in the same carriage. Was it Bai Yiqiao who got rid of Li Gouzi? Bai Yiqiao had been trying to force her to get together with Li Gouzi.
Bai Yiqiao looked at Chen Ermei who was sitting opposite her. When Bai Yiqiao saw Chen Ermei’s calm look, a sense of dread filled her.
Bai Yiqiao glanced at the clothes Chen Ermei was wearing. They were mediocre without any bright colors, the fabric was worn out, she didn’t wear any jewelry on her body or in her hair, and her skin was tanned. Bai Yiqiao was unquestionably prettier than her.
What made Fang Yong cherish Chen Ermei so much in her previous life?
She remembered the Chen Ermei she saw in her previous life. She wore magnificent official attire with numerous hairpins in a complex hair bun. It was indescribably luxurious.
That image haunted Bai Yiqiao. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she exorcized it.
The two reached town without speaking the entire time and parted ways.
Ning Shu went to the pharmacy in town and bought some medicine and some acupuncture needles. After the disaster, there would be a major epidemic. If she prepared medicine, she wouldn’t panic if something happened.
Since this task was a counterattack, she had to be careful. She couldn’t lose her life in this troubled world.
Ning Shu exchanged the silver in her hand for some materials like cotton, cloth, and some grain. After the rebellion started spreading, an ingot of gold might not be able to buy even a steamed bun.
Even though Chen Ermei enjoyed high status and wealth in the latter half of her life, that didn’t mean that she didn’t experience her fair share of suffering.
Originally, when Fang Yong went to join the army, it wasn’t just any army but a revolutionary army. To the imperial court, it was a rebellious army full of traitors. There were definitely officials who wanted to capture the family members of any traitors.
While Chen Ermei was pregnant, she took Fang Yong’s old and poor-sighted mother and fled to find Fang Yong. But Fang Yong’s mother died on the way.
To give Fang Yong’s mother a proper resting site, Chen Ermei cremated Fang Yong’s mother and traveled all the way to find Fang Yong with his mother’s ashes.
During troubled times, in order to survive and in order to fill one’s stomach, anything could be done. A woman with a child was practically a moving granary. She could get killed by a deranged person who would eat her and drink her blood.
Chen Ermei wanted to protect herself and her child, as well as her chastity. The hardships Chen Ermei went through were unimaginable. Bai Yiqiao only saw Chen Ermei when Chen Ermei was enjoying prosperity and wealth because of Fang Yong. It never occurred to her how much suffering Chen Ermei must have gone through.
Even Chen Ermei’s paternal family was implicated and the issue was only solved by paying double the grain tax. However, the Chen family became extremely poor and they couldn’t even afford their next meal.
If one desired to wear a crown, one must bear its weight.
In contrast, Bai Yiqiao originally broke her engagement with Fang Yong because Fang Yong’s family conditions weren’t good and he was only a hunter who wasn’t worthy of her.
When Fang Yong became famous, she saw Chen Ermei wearing exquisite brocade and felt that Chen Ermei had stolen something that belonged to her, that Chen Ermei only picked up what she had thrown away.
But when Bai Yiqiao was reborn and became Fang Yong’s wife, she had never experienced the hardship or the suffering of being a fugitive.
MTL Editor: Sam
TLC: Kaho