Sweet Dreams in Famine Years: The System Leads to a Brilliant Life

Zeng Zhengen spent a penny and took the village ox cart to the town. Many shops in the town were closed, and only a few were still open.

She went to a grain store and asked about the price of grain: "Brown rice is six cents a pound, bran is four cents a pound, old rice is ten cents a pound, and fine flour is sixteen cents a pound."

Hearing these quotes, Zeng Zhengen couldn't help but frown. According to the original owner's memory, the price of old rice should be eight cents per catty, and brown rice is only four cents per catty. Why has it increased so much now?

Seeing Zeng Zhengen standing there motionless, the shopkeeper asked, "My dear customer, are you still going to buy?"

Zeng Zhengen originally wanted to say no, but if she didn't buy some food, then bringing the food home would expose her true situation.

"Buy it. Weigh five pounds of old rice for me." Zeng Zhengen decided to buy some.

She didn't dare buy too much because the prices at the grain store were too high.

After returning from the grain store, Zeng Zhengen went to the grocery store and bought a backpack.

Although there are many products in the system mall, there are no backpacks. Zeng Zhengen walked around the town and heard many people talking about the plight of drought, and some even prepared to flee the famine. Seeing this situation, she felt very helpless.

She left the town with a backpack on her back. When she was about to reach the village entrance, she found a secluded place and bought some rice, meat, and bowls and chopsticks from the system mall. Since there was only one iron pot at home, Zeng Zhengen also spent 20 system coins to buy a new one.

In addition, she also bought some cloth to make clothes for the three little ones. Finally, she did not forget to bring some candy and cakes to fulfill her promise to bring delicious food to the little ones.

These miscellaneous items cost a total of 80 system coins, plus the 20 system coins from yesterday, a total of 100 system coins. The system points also increased to 100 points, and there were still more than 900 points away from the lottery points. It seemed that she needed to make persistent efforts and spend more system coins.

After a cup of tea, Zeng Zhengen returned to the village with her backpack on her back. However, when she arrived at her home, she saw the open door and was shocked. She had clearly told the kids not to open the door casually.

Seeing the door open, Zeng Zhengen's heart tightened and he hurriedly quickened his pace back home.

"Mom, you're back!" Zhang Jiahu cheered immediately when he saw Zeng Zhengen.

Zeng Zhengen was relieved to see that the kids were safe and sound. But she still frowned and asked, "Didn't I tell you not to open the door?"

"Mom, our uncle is here, so we opened the door." The eldest brother Zhang Jiajun explained.

Zeng Zhengen then noticed that there was a man sitting in the main room. He was about thirty years old, with a simple and honest appearance. His skin was tanned from working in the fields for many years, but his facial features were somewhat similar to the original owner.

This person was the original owner’s elder brother Zeng Siyuan, who lived in Dapo Village next to Zhangguanbao.

"Zeng'er, you're finally back. How could you leave several children at home alone?" the man said.

Zeng Siyuan stood up and looked at Zeng Zhengen and couldn't help but blame him.

"Brother, I...I was going to town to buy some things, and it was not convenient to bring them with me, so I asked them to stay at home!" Zeng Zhengen explained.

Zeng Siyuan looked at the basket Zeng Zhengen was carrying and saw that she had bought a lot of things, so he didn't say anything more. He had just learned about his sister's recent predicament from several nephews. He originally wanted to seek justice for his sister, but was stopped by several nephews. Now he had something important to discuss with his sister, so he put this matter aside and talked about the business directly.

"Zeng'er, I came here today to tell you that Pan Yang from our Dapo Village decided to lead the villagers to flee the famine southward. My parents asked me to come here and ask you to take a few children with you so that you can take care of us on the way." Zeng Siyuan said seriously.

"Escape from famine?" Zeng Zhengen was stunned. The three little guys also looked up at Zeng Siyuan with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Well, Pan Yang's son went to the county town a few days ago. He heard that the war on the border was tense and the court was preparing to increase taxes this year. Moreover, it has not rained here for more than a year. The crops in the fields have died of drought. Where is the food to pay the taxes?" Zeng Siyuan explained.

"So a few days ago, Pan Yang called a meeting of the villagers, and everyone unanimously decided to flee the famine southward. And we also heard that the neighboring village had already started fleeing the famine." Zeng Siyuan continued to explain.

Hearing this, Zeng Zhengen realized that there was really no other choice. After all, the crops in the fields had died of drought, and it was difficult to ensure food supply, let alone pay taxes.

"Zeng'er, what are you going to do? Do you want to flee with us?" Zeng Siyuan asked cautiously. Fleeing not only means leaving home, but also there are many dangers on the road. No one can guarantee that they can reach the final destination smoothly.

Zeng Zhengen said without hesitation, "Brother, the four of us, mother and son, will naturally follow you."

She knew that since she had been driven out by the Zhang family, it was better to flee with her family than to wander around alone. After all, her parents had always loved her, and the most important thing now was to ensure the safety of their children.

"Yes, we want to follow our uncle and grandparents." The three kids said at the same time.

Zeng Siyuan saw that his sister and nephews had no objection, so he nodded and said, "Okay, pack up your things quickly and we'll go back together."

They were planning to flee the famine early tomorrow morning. If Zeng Zhengen and the others waited until tomorrow to go, it would probably be too late.

Zeng Zhengen didn't waste any more time and hurried back to his room to pack his things. The three little guys also hurried in to help.

The mother and her children didn't have much stuff, just a set of washed-out clothes for each person, so they packed up quickly.

Zeng Siyuan was puzzled when he saw that his sister had only packed one bag.

"Zeng'er, we are going to escape famine this time and we will not be coming back. You must bring everything you can use with you!"

"Brother, don't worry, we have brought all the things with us!" Zeng Zhengen said.

When Zeng Siyuan heard Zeng Zhengen say that he had taken all the things with him, he didn't say anything else.