Space Farming: Traveling through Ancient Times to Do Business

As she spoke, the woman picked up the mahogany comb again and combed Daya's hair more gently. "Also, don't let your little head get bogged down in thoughts all day. Eat more and grow strong so that you can have the strength to help your mother with work and get through this difficult time together, okay?"

Daya felt warm in her heart when she heard her mother's words, as if even the slight pain on her scalp became insignificant. She nodded heavily, with a firm and courageous light in her eyes. "Mom, I understand. I will be obedient and try my best to help. Let's work together and we will definitely get through this drought!"

......

"Mother, I just heard that the escort who came back from Bincheng brought a worrying news. It is said that Bincheng has been blocked now because a serious plague has broken out there and many people have been infected." Chen Zhuang trotted all the way home, panting, and didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.

Chen Zhuang's face was very heavy, and there were even fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said anxiously: "Bincheng is not far from here. If the plague spreads to our side, the consequences will be disastrous!"

After hearing what her husband said, Chen stopped what she was doing, looked up at Chen Zhuang, frowned slightly, and a look of worry appeared on her face. She said worriedly: "Then what should we do?" She knew that if it was true as her husband said, they would face a difficult challenge.

Chen Zhuang pondered for a moment and said in a firm tone: "I don't know, but according to rumors, the court has sent people here, and the specific situation is not clear. But in any case, we must prepare for the worst - fleeing from famine." He knew very well that once famine came, the family's stored food would not be able to last for too long.

Chen frowned, a hint of uneasiness flashing in her eyes: "But..." She seemed a little hesitant. After all, leaving home is not an easy thing.

Chen Zhuang understood his wife's worries. He gently held her hand and comforted her: "Don't worry, as long as the family is together, it doesn't matter where we go."

However, Chen was still a little hesitant: "No, we can't wait until the last minute to act. If everyone decides to escape, the road will be very crowded and we may encounter many difficulties."

Chen Zhuang thought about it and felt that what his wife said made sense. He nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, let's go now! I'll call my parents and the children and pack some necessary things." After saying that, he turned and walked into the house.

In the vast land of Dongzhou, similar scenes are replicated like a mirror, and every village and every field is shrouded in a heavy and depressing atmosphere.

Although some people still hold on to a lucky mentality, believing that the current predicament is just a precursor to a severe drought and that famine is still far away, as time goes by, this optimism is gradually shattered by the ruthless reality.

When the villagers wake up every day, the first thing they do is look up at the boundless blue sky, silently wishing for rain in their hearts.

They gathered together, either under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village or on the ridges of the fields, exchanging their guesses and worries about the weather.

The faces of the old people are filled with the vicissitudes and helplessness of life. When they recall the days with abundant rain in the past, they can't help but sigh that things are different now.

God doesn't seem to be in a hurry to respond to people's prayers.

May has passed quietly and it is already mid-June. The sky is still as blue as ever, without a single cloud willing to bear the weight of the rain.

The sun hung in the sky like a fireball, scorching the earth mercilessly. Every inch of land seemed to be scorched and cracked into shocking cracks.

Cicadas chirped tirelessly on the treetops, their calls were even more shrill in the scorching heat, as if they were also expressing their dissatisfaction and helplessness about the drought.

The cry, together with the scorching air, disturbed people's minds and made them unable to find peace.

In the farmlands, the wheat that once carried the villagers’ hopes has now grown short and small, with a withered and yellow color, as if it would fall down at any time.

The villagers had to fetch water from the river every day, bucket by bucket and load by load to water these fragile lives. Their sweat and tears mixed together and dripped on the dry land, but seemed unable to awaken its vitality.

Throughout Dongzhou, people were in an extremely heavy mood.

They went back and forth between the fields several times a day, observing the condition of the wheat with anxious eyes, fearing that they would lose this year's harvest if they were not careful.

Even the usually lively and active children felt the oppression. They no longer played carefree as usual, but sat quietly aside, watching the adults' actions with their young eyes, silently praying for the arrival of rain in their hearts.

As the sky gradually turned pale, two simple donkey carts slowly drove away from Shanshui Village. The wheels rolled over the dusty road, leaving behind a series of footprints of varying depths.

The adults walked beside them, looking back from time to time at their hometown which was gradually getting farther away, their hearts filled with reluctance and determination.

The children were relatively relaxed. They sat on the donkey cart, looking around curiously. Occasionally, their clear laughter added a bit of vitality to this heavy journey.

As the main breadwinner of the family, Chen Zhuang looked particularly solemn at the moment. He knew the difficulty and unknowns of the journey south, but facing the impending famine, migration became their only way out. He looked around at his family members sitting on the ground, his heart full of mixed feelings, which eventually turned into a heavy sigh.

"Let's get going after dinner." Chen Zhuang's voice sounded particularly clear in the early morning air. "There are more and more disaster victims on the road. We have to be careful and try to get to the next town before dark. If we are lucky, we may be able to find someone to stay with for the night, so we don't have to sleep in the wilderness."

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

In the early morning of June, although the sun has not yet risen completely, the air is already filled with a sultry atmosphere.

However, compared with the scorching heat at noon, the weather at this time was still pleasant. Everyone only had a thin layer of sweat on their bodies and did not feel too uncomfortable.

Chen Zhuang continued, "There is a forest thirty miles ahead. I have rested there before when I went out hunting. If we don't make it to the next village in time, we will have to spend the night there. The forest is quite hidden, so we should be able to avoid some unnecessary trouble."

Under the scorching sun, time seemed to be stretched out and every step seemed extremely heavy.

The sun was high in the sky, baking the earth hot, and the air was filled with a suffocating heat.

Although the Chen family was exhausted, they still gritted their teeth and pressed on.

Their faces were sunburned red, and sweat kept dripping from their foreheads like beads that had broken off the string, dripping onto the thirsty ground and evaporating without a trace in an instant.