Traveling through troubled times to escape famine and cultivate crops as a grain merchant

Chapter 1098 Not Home for the New Year Again

She doesn't want her daughter to go out.

The south is thousands of miles away. If she doesn’t come back once she leaves, where can she find someone?

It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

She could feel that as the child grew older, the string in her hand became thinner and thinner, and finally broke completely over the years.

But, she has not married yet and has not grown up yet, she is still so young.

But looking at Zhou Guo's determined eyes, she just stood there, as if she was different from others.

When she was at home, even if she did nothing and just stayed in the yard drinking tea and reading, she felt more at ease, as if no matter what happened, it would not be a big deal as long as her daughter was there.

Li sighed. She didn't know when her daughter had become her backbone and the mainstay of the family.

Since he is the backbone and the mainstay, she has no right to interfere. She said, "Then I'll go pack your things for you."

Zhou Guo said, "Mother, please pack some narrow-sleeved clothes for me. Don't use bright colors. Plain ones are best. It's not convenient to ride a horse."

The old man pulled her aside and asked seriously, "Tell me the truth, where are you going? What happened in the south? Is there any unusual movement in the army?"

Zhou Guo knew that she could hide it from other people in the family, but not from the old man and Zhou Gu.

Moreover, if she was going to do such a big thing, there had to be at least one or two people in her family who knew about it; not all of them could be kept in the dark.

He said honestly, "Something has happened in the south. This year there has been no harvest due to drought. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have nothing to eat. One million and a half tons of grain from our family has been requisitioned. I want to go south with the grain transport team."

In the end, she concealed the fact that she was going to the front line. If the old man knew about it, he would not let her go even if he knocked her out.

The old man looked at her suspiciously, "Is that really the case? Nothing else? Is it worth it for you to go to the south in person for such a small matter? There is no one in the northern military camp, and you are asked to transport food? You have to transport the food yourself?"

Zhou Guo said calmly: "In addition to transporting grain, I have to go to the south. There is drought in many places in the south this year, and the harvest is not good. I have to arrange things after winter and prepare for next year's spring plowing.

If I want the prefectures to have a good harvest next year, I have to visit each village, just like I did in the north, to understand everyone's difficulties and what they need most. Only by knowing this can I arrange the seeds and fertilizers for spring farming and strive for a good harvest in the south next year."

This is also what she wants to do.

The salty and bitter land has played a huge role in cultivating grain varieties in the past two years. The grain grown here is resistant to salt and drought. If there is a real drought next year, some of these drought-resistant grain varieties will be dispatched south, at least to make things less difficult for everyone.

The old man was skeptical. Thinking of the news that had come back in the past few days, he warned: "I tell you, you can't go to places where there are wars. Hundreds of thousands of troops can't do anything about it. What use will it be for a thin young lady like you to go there?

It's all in vain. If you don't do it right, you'll lose your life. Our whole family still depends on you for support. If you're gone, who in this family do you think can resist the wolves and tigers of Yunzhou? If you're gone, the whole family will be eaten to the bone without leaving any residue!"

Zhou Guo nodded seriously, "I know, I will never let myself lose my life."

After saying that, she walked towards Zhou Gu who was standing beside her. "Big brother, second brother, third brother and my younger brother are still studying outside. The North has been unstable these days. I have sent people to look for them. Once they are found, they will be asked to come back. You can go and pick them up."

Zhou Gu asked worriedly, "Is it that serious? Why is the Northland not stable when you go to transport grain? What happened?"

Zhou Guo said, "It's okay. We just need to transport grain recently. We need to recruit civilians to transport grain. We need to recruit civilians from all over the north and south rivers. We are afraid that they will be recruited on the way."

There are hundreds of thousands of grain transport teams and time is very tight. If no special measures are taken, it may be too late.

Zhou Gu quickly said, "I see. I'll send someone to pick her up right away."

What their family fears most now is this inexplicable conscription.

At the beginning, the two strong laborers in the family were captured in this way, and their life or death are unknown over the years.

If they were really caught, there would be four men in the family.

Zhou Gu left in a hurry.

The old man was speechless and didn't even think about what the Zhou family's current status was in the north. Even if they caught someone, they would be brought back in a few days. Who would dare to let the Zhou family become laborers?

After Zhou Guo finished speaking, she went to the room. She had to bring some things with her, such as medicine and food. She couldn't stand being hungry and had to go without a meal.

Li packed her luggage in a short while. Zhou Guo often went out, so she packed her luggage faster and faster.

Wu Ya said, "The meal is ready. Let's eat first before leaving."

Zhou Guo nodded, "Okay, it will take several months before I can eat at home again."

On the table was her favorite braised pig's trotter tendon, as well as large crabs, turtles, and braised prawns...

The whole table is full of delicious food.

Zhou Guo laughed, "There are so many delicious foods. This one meal can last for several meals."

The days of traveling are not pleasant at all.

Li picked up a piece of pig tendon with a chopstick and said, "Do you know how hard it is now? Did you hear me telling you not to go?"

Zhou Guo shook his head, "No, I have to go."

Li sighed, "Life outside is not easy. The weather is getting colder. If we travel quickly, we will suffer. Why don't you take a few more people with you this time? Take the cook with you, a little girl with you, and your carriage with you, right?"

The carriage was very expensive and it was really comfortable to sit in it in the winter. You wouldn't be cold or shaken. With it, you could suffer half as much on the long journey.

Zhou Guo said, "No need, mother, leave this carriage at home. You can use it when you go out in winter. I need to hurry this time, so I'll go on a fast horse. It's not convenient to take a carriage."

Li was anxious. "Go quickly? It's almost winter, and it's going to be cold soon. How much suffering will we have to endure?"

Zhou Guo said, "It's okay. The further south you go, the warmer it gets. Winter in the south is different from that in the north. It's not as bitter and cold. I won't suffer if I wear something thicker. I'll be warm in my sable coat."

Li stopped talking. What did she mean by warm? She was from the south. Although the winter in the south would not freeze people into ice as in the north, it could still freeze people to death every winter. How could it be warm?

After the meal, Zhou Guo left.

She carried two large packages with her, one containing clothes and the other containing some medicine and food, and she also brought her bow.

This was something Zhou Dacang brought back from the military camp for her. It has never been used except for hunting over the years.

She didn't rush to Yunzhou, but went to Chengding.

Went to the village.