Each person had a coarse grain pancake, and it was a little hard to swallow.
Gianna handed the dried vegetable soup to the children. Each of them drank half a bowl and ate it with the pancake.
After the meal, Floyd left the village through a small path.
Gianna was thinking about what items in her space she could reasonably take out and use for the children.
Vitamins.
She saw the kids playing in the yard and quickly took out a bowl. She poured out three multivitamin tablets, crushed them, added a bit of sugar, and called the three children inside.
Xeno loved to act cute. As soon as he came into the house, he jumped into Gianna's arms.
"Mommy, I really like you!"
These days, their mother had become so gentle.
She didn't scold them anymore, didn't raise her voice, and never hit them. She spoke softly and often smiled at them.
He liked this kind of mother very much.
Dennis and Nori stood obediently in front of Gianna.
Nori asked, "Mommy, why did you call us in?"
Gianna handed the bowl to them and said, "Each of you take a sip."
Nori took the bowl and handed it to Xeno.
Xeno held the bowl and took a sip.
He looked up in surprise. "Mommy, it's sweet water!"
It had been a long time since he had tasted something sweet.
Gianna watched as Dennis and Nori each took a sip and reminded them, "Don't tell your dad about the water I gave you today, okay?"
Dennis nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Mommy. We won't tell Dad."
They knew the family was poor.
All the money was controlled by Dad.
This sugar must've been something Mom saved for a long time.
Gianna gently rubbed the three kids' heads and began tidying up the house.
The house was very old and worn down.
It wasn't the house Floyd used to live in. The old house was taken away by Old Man Liu's family after Floyd's parents passed away.
At that time, Old Man Liu pulled out a paper with fingerprints on it.
He claimed it was a loan agreement from when Floyd's parents were alive, saying they borrowed money from his family.
Now that they were gone and couldn't repay it, the house would be taken as payment.
Floyd, who hadn't experienced the famine yet, was very naive and easy to deceive.
He actually believed the paper was real.
So he built this thatched hut in the new place.
From then on, the whole family lived here.
There wasn't much furniture in the house, not even a basic table or stool.
They usually ate with the bowls in their hands, so there was no need for a table.
Floyd wasn't a carpenter, so he couldn't make furniture either.
Gianna sighed. After quickly cleaning up, she sat under the eaves and stared blankly.
She was thinking about what to do next.
It was the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. Snow would fall soon. When spring came and the snow melted, it would be time to plant again. If they could trade for a few more acres of land, it would help secure a better future.
She had to find a good excuse to use the things in her space.
The more she thought about it, the clearer her plan became.
The first step was to make sure everyone at home had enough to eat—and eat well.
She really didn't want to eat coarse porridge anymore.
Just thinking about it made her throat hurt.
Floyd came back after dark.
He pushed a cart into the house.
Gianna quickly handed him the porridge she had saved.
She had added a vitamin tablet in it just for him.
Floyd was eating the porridge, but he felt something was a bit off with the taste.
Gianna asked, "Did everything go smoothly when you went to trade for the cart?"
Floyd nodded and said, "A lot of people in the neighboring village are getting ready to flee. It's getting harder and harder to find water. People can't hang on much longer. I traded with the village chief from the next village. Gianna, are we really not leaving?"
At first, he didn't want to leave.
But seeing the neighboring village preparing to escape made him feel uneasy.
Everyone was saying there wouldn't be any rain this year. If they couldn't plant food in spring, they'd starve again next year.
The most important thing was—they no longer had any grain seeds.
Gianna said firmly, "We're not leaving. We have three kids with us. It's too dangerous to travel now. Besides, I truly believe it will rain. Even if we escape, are you sure we'll find water along the way?"
Floyd was speechless.
He was a smart man. Thinking it through carefully, they still had a water source. If they sold the wild boar meat and got coarse grain in return, they could survive until next year.
Floyd, who had been uncertain, now felt steady. "Alright! I'll listen to you. We'll stay."
Early the next morning, Floyd scooped the water out of the water jar and hid it.
Their food was carried with them.
These days, other than his own family of four, he didn't trust anyone.
Having a cart made things much easier.
The water buckets and kids were put directly on the cart, and Floyd felt much more relaxed pushing it.
Old Man Liu was guarding the village entrance. When he saw Floyd's family leaving the village with a cart, his eyes lit up.
He quickly stepped forward to flatter them. "Floyd, where are you going to get water? Can you bring me with you?"
Gianna clicked her tongue twice and mocked him without holding back. "You really have no shame! Things have already gotten so bad between us, and you still dare to show up here!"
Old Man Liu immediately got angry. "Don't you know that women shouldn't interrupt when men are talking?"
Gianna sneered, "You call yourself a man?"
That line really hit hard.
"You…"
Old Man Liu was furious.
He turned to Floyd and tried to stir things up. "Floyd, if you don't keep this woman in check, she'll be walking all over you in no time!"
Floyd's voice turned cold as he shouted, "Get lost!"
Then he pushed the cart and left without looking back.
Gianna felt satisfied and quickly followed.
People in the village were all discussing whether or not to run away.
Those planning to escape wanted to convince a few more families to join them.
Traveling in a group was much safer.
Now that Gianna and Floyd had a cart, they moved much faster.
By afternoon, they reached the valley.
They pushed the cart as far as they could and hid it where it wouldn't be seen.
This time, they both agreed not to bring the three kids down the cliff.
Dennis and Nori were very well-behaved. They stayed with Xeno and played in the forest.
The water pit they had dug in the mountain hollow was already full of clean water.
Gianna didn't have to say anything.
Floyd quickly took out the filtering barrel and skillfully scooped up the water to filter it.
This time, they had to work faster.
Gianna brought down the wild boar meat and said, "Tomorrow, after we hide the water, let's go to the county to trade for supplies. If we wait too long and the others all leave, there'll be no one left to trade with."
Floyd hesitated. "Are you really going to trade for land?"
He still felt this decision was a bit risky.
What if it didn't rain next year either?
At least with food, they wouldn't be so desperate.
Gianna sat down on a dry spot and said confidently, "Don't you want a better life? For most people, this is a hard time. But for us, it's the best chance to turn things around."