Chapter 154: Selling Children for Food

This year, the first instance of human trafficking born out of starvation in Ten Li Village was disguised as a respectable marriage.

Among the remaining families in the village, a Wang family, having no choice, marries their thirteen-year-old daughter to a thirty-nine-year-old widower. The dowry: a bag of soybeans and half a bag of grains.

Shen San eyes the one and a half bags of soybeans and grains with a deep sense of longing.

This was no small portion; it was a substantial bag capable of holding a stone of grain.

As for the girl, half-grown yet, who was dragged away by the family of the old widower amidst her harrowing cries, who cares about her screams, however pitiful they may be?

Probably only the unmarried young women of the same village, scared and shrinking back with pale faces.

Shen San, like many remaining villagers, only exhibited envy, coveting the bag of soybeans and half a bag of grains.

After disputing with Shen San about the meager price of selling their few acres of land, combined with a small sum accumulated by Shen Jin from selling wild chickens to peddlers, Li's family could afford medical consultation and medication. Now, her health has somewhat improved, coughing less severely, no longer bedridden, sleeping at night, and able to perform light household tasks during the day.

At this moment, Li stands numbly amidst the crowd, watching the scene unfold, with a thought echoing in her mind – has the sale of children begun? If only they could endure until July, the earliest batch of soybeans could be harvested.

But that voice in her heart is too weak, even for Li herself to voice out loud.

Two and a half months is too long and grueling. Once the grain runs out completely, not two and a half months, but even a month could drive a good person mad.

Her family's soybeans are also running low. Glancing inadvertently, she notices an old peddler carrying his wares.

Li has never interacted with the old peddler, but he is the only one who occasionally visits their village.

She doesn't show any particular emotion but feels relieved internally. After her health improved, the wild chickens and rabbits Shen Jin occasionally caught were secretly exchanged for beans with the peddler, hidden outside.

It's not much though, and catching wild chickens has become more challenging because everyone depends on wild vegetables for survival. The moment any edible wild greens sprout nearby, they're instantly picked clean by the village children. Adults, on the other hand, venture deeper into the mountains.

With even wild vegetables requiring deeper foraging, what to say of wild chickens and rabbits? With so many people entering the mountains, the wild animals have long been scared away, fleeing even deeper.

In these times, survival isn't easy for both humans and animals.

Li watches the neighboring young woman, her mouth muffled and carried away half coaxingly, half forcibly by the old widower's brothers. Even her cries become indistinct and are quickly dispersed by the wind as they move away.

Turning back, she sees the mother wiping away tears and clinging to those two bags of grain as if holding onto life itself.

The onlookers lingered for a while, not dispersing until the family came to their senses, cautiously carrying the grains inside and firmly shutting the door. The crowd remained, gathered at the doorstep, discussing in envy or sighing, not ready to leave just yet.

Shen Jin, with his younger siblings, had been roaming the nearby hills in search of any newly sprouted wild vegetables. On their return, they unexpectedly encountered the old widower and his group.

The siblings recognized the girl; she seemed only a couple of years older than Shen Ning. What was happening?

Shen Jin, protecting his younger siblings, stepped back and, mustering courage, called out, "Wang Meiniang?"

The old widower glanced at him, dismissed him as just a child, and curtly said, "She's marrying into our family," without further explanation, as the men hustled Wang Meiniang away swiftly.

Wang Meiniang was still sobbing, struggling desperately, but how could she overpower several grown men?

Tianya, clinging to Shen Tie's leg, shrank back and whispered, "Brother, Meiniang sister is crying."

Shen Tie, himself a bit scared, asked Shen Jin, "Brother, is getting married always like this?"

It was common for girls in the village to marry at thirteen or fourteen, but such scenes were typically harmonious and joyful. This situation with Wang Meiniang looked frightening.

Shen Jin, unsure himself, urged his siblings, "Let's hurry back to the village and see."

The siblings rushed back. The crowd outside the Wang's house hadn't dispersed yet. Approaching Li's side, Shen Jin overheard people talking about a bag of soybeans and half a bag of grains; the Wang family had provisions now.

He vaguely understood what had happened but couldn't fully grasp it.

With the Wang family's door closed and people’s comments winding down, the crowd gradually dispersed. Everyone had their struggles – searching for wild vegetables, tending to fields, or conserving energy at home – so they all headed back to their respective homes.

……

The Shen family's third branch also made their way home.

Shen San glanced at the basket in Shen Jin's hand, rummaged through it – mouse barley, dock, and shepherd's purse – barely amounting to two handfuls.

Except for the year they fled the famine, Shen San had never despised wild vegetables so much. But even these greens, which had colored his face with weariness these past two months, were now hard to find. In any case, they weren't enough to satisfy hunger.

The thought of the neighboring Wang family's bag of soybeans and half a bag of grain made Shen San glance at Tianya involuntarily.

Just one look, and he felt disheartened; she was too young.

In these times, people weren't valued highly. If she were ten years older, she could be married off directly. As small as she was, not only was marriage out of the question, but even traffickers wouldn't be interested.

To fetch a good price – if it's a girl, she must be at least seven or eight years old, so traffickers can groom her for a few years before selling; for boys, they need to be at least nine or ten, capable of labor, to be sold as workers or slaves...

His eyes flickered over the faces of Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

These were his sons...

Li, taking the basket from Shen Jin's hands, glanced up only to catch the contemplative expression on Shen San's face as he looked at his children.

A jolt of alarm went through her, and she quickly averted her eyes, her heart pounding rapidly.

Selling children into slavery – how could she forget? She too had children, and the act of selling one’s own was not exclusive to the Wang family next door.

Li's heart raced tumultuously as she lowered her eyes, struggling to calm her breathing. Only when her complexion appeared normal did she dare to look up again.

Since then, she had been warily observing Shen San.

Initially, she feared it would be Tianya, but Li soon realized that Shen San's gaze lingered most frequently on Shen Jin and Shen Yin.

Suppressing a bone-deep chill that made her want to shiver, she waited for Shen San to leave for the fields before pulling Shen Jin and Shen Yin inside, whispering, “We haven’t caught anything on the outskirts for days, how about I join you deeper in the woods?”

Shen Jin was taken aback.

Ever since they sold their land, his mother had forbidden him from venturing too deep.

“Mother?”

Li closed her eyes briefly, summoning the strength to expel a heavy sigh from her chest, and said, “I’ll accompany you deeper in. If we catch a wild chicken, bring one back and tell your father that you and Xiao Yin can trap wild game now.”

The deeper woods she referred to were areas beyond where the villagers typically foraged for wild vegetables.

Even Shen Yin seemed perplexed.

Ever since their father pawned the family's belongings and handed over the accumulated money for military exemption, leaving them without even enough to buy salt, their mother had started to guard against their father. The hunting of wild chickens and burrowing into caves had always been kept secret from him. Why would she now suggest revealing it?

Shen Jin froze for a moment, then suddenly realized something and looked up incredulously at Li, “Mother, are you saying father might, might…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Li gripped Shen Jin's hand, preventing him from continuing, and simply said, “No matter what, we need to show him your and Xiao Yin’s value.”

Being valuable meant they wouldn’t be discarded or traded for a few bags of grain to fill stomachs.

Shen Yin, still not fully understanding, watched as Shen Jin’s eyes brimmed with tears.

It must have been their father’s intention that their mother noticed, leading to her reaction.

Shen Jin didn’t cry out loud, but his tears flowed so swiftly that his face scrunched up in discomfort, unable to relax.

He wiped his tears roughly, smearing them across his face and hands, his breaths coming in short gasps. Despite his efforts, sobs eventually broke through.

Feeling helpless and belatedly grasping the situation, Shen Yin’s eyes reddened and his lips quivered, about to join Shen Jin in crying.

Li embraced them both, whispering soothingly, “Not yet, not yet, we haven’t reached that point. You can hunt; it won’t come to that, it won’t.”

Li wasn’t sure if she was comforting her children or herself, perhaps both.

She wiped away the tears and snot from their faces, her own eyes reddening as well.

"I'll accompany you into the mountains. Let's first check the traps we set earlier to see if they've caught anything. If not, we'll go deeper and set more traps. In a day or two, maybe three or four, we should bring something back home."

Shen Jin, wiping his tears, nodded and said, "Okay, let's go now."

As they headed out, Shen Jin paused upon seeing Shen Tie and Shen Tian, and looked up at Li, "Mother, should we take Xiao Tie and Tian as well?"

Li thought it wasn't necessary yet, considering finding a buyer would take time, and during these hard times when everyone was struggling to feed themselves, buyers or human traffickers would choose older children. The younger two were ironically safer due to their age.

She shook her head, "It’s alright, they should be safe for the next few days. We’ll be more cautious afterward."

Li was also reluctant to take the younger children deeper into the mountains.

Though Shen Jin didn't fully understand the nuances of human trafficking, he trusted Li implicitly, having developed a strong bond with her over the recent months. He turned to grab baskets and sickles with Shen Yin.

Li instructed Shen Tie and Shen Tian to stay at home and not to wander off, advising them to tell their father they went to gather wild vegetables if he returned.

Shen Tie, noting his brothers’ red eyes but seeing them quickly leave, agreed to Li's instructions.

……

This was Li’s first time accompanying her sons into the mountains since falling ill.

She followed her sons through the convoluted paths in the mountains. When they led her to an inconspicuous spot and crawled into a hidden opening, calling for her to follow, she paused in surprise.

This was different from the kind of burrow she had imagined.

Entering the burrow and closing the lid overhead, Li adjusted to the darkness and realized her sons had amassed various items. Although visibility was limited, she discerned plenty of pots, jars, and utensils. Feeling around, she opened a jar, releasing the distinct aroma of dried and smoked meat.

There was even a rudimentary wooden rack in the middle, on which sat a small cloth bag filled with soybeans, as Li discovered upon squeezing it.

Shen Yin explained, "There are three such burrows; we dug this one ourselves. The other two were made by Big Brother. Each burrow has some supplies stored, including dried meat given by Big Brother."

Since Shen Lian had been gone for a long time, the brothers felt safe revealing his past visits. To reassure Li, they shared details about their food storage.

Li felt a warmth around her eyes. Since the upheaval in their lives, she had lost count of how many times she had silently thanked Shen Lian, her nephew.

Of course, Shen Lian had disowned her long ago, refusing to acknowledge her as his aunt and showing no interest in her gratitude.

Yet, Li genuinely felt grateful to him.

Holding the small bag of grain, she remained silent, nodding her head, unable to articulate her feelings.

Shen Jin took out a slingshot given by their Big Brother and stuffed a handful of pebbles into his pocket. He then led his mother and brother out of the burrow, carefully covering the entrance before heading deeper into the mountains.

Fortune smiled on the brothers; Shen Jin was particularly lucky. Despite several days without catch and empty traps set the day before, they stumbled upon a gray rabbit. After several attempts with the slingshot, he finally struck the rabbit, causing it to collapse.

The three hurried over and found the rabbit with a bloody head, a pebble embedded in it.

Shen Jin swallowed hard, realizing for the first time the formidable power of his slingshot.

Indeed, the slingshot, made from materials bought in the county by Big Brother, was of superior quality.

Li, overcome with emotion and breathing heavily, had heard that the slingshot was also a gift from Shen Lian.

However, her gratitude for the materials was soon overshadowed by joy from the catch. She watched Shen Jin and Shen Yin skillfully tie up a rabbit and put it in their basket, delighted to head home.

They avoided going too deep into the woods due to illness and youth. After hiding their slingshots, the mother and sons covered the rabbit with wild vegetables and headed home.

……

Shen San, watching Shen Jin take the rabbit out of the basket, almost couldn't believe his eyes.

"Where did this come from?"

Shen Jin, who had become adept at keeping secrets from Shen San, struggled to speak when he remembered his father's recent thoughts of selling him and Shen Yin. Worried his true feelings might show, he just hung his head low, mimicking Shen Yin.

Mrs. Li interjected upon seeing her sons' reluctance, "Didn't they learn from their big brother for so long? I thought they hadn't learned anything, but to my surprise, they've been bringing back things from the mountains."

Seeing the bloody wound on the rabbit's head, Shen San recalled Shen Lian teaching the children to hunt, his eyes lighting up: "You really learned? Did your big brother give you a slingshot?"

Shen Jin knew he had to speak up.

He nodded, "He did, and taught us how to set traps too. We've tried many times without success, but today we just happened to come across this one and hit it with the slingshot."

Shen San beamed with pride, lifting Shen Jin up, "Good job, my son! Now our family won't be short of meat, right?"

Mrs. Li managed a strained smile, adding, "Even if we get a rabbit every seven or eight days, it's something we can trade for food in town, isn’t it?"

Shen San's cheerfulness faltered slightly before he responded, "Right, we're running low on food at home."

He eyed the wild rabbit, swallowing hard.

Starved for meat, his stomach ached with longing.

Though Shen San was aware of the importance of food over game at the moment, he cheerfully set Shen Jin down, "Alright, it’s not yet midday, we should sell this rabbit while it’s fresh. I’ll head to the county and see if I can exchange it for some grain."

His travel pass hadn't expired yet, so Shen San retrieved it from inside the house. He then placed the gray rabbit in a basket and swiftly left for the county.

Upon his departure, Li's entire demeanor deflated with a sense of resignation.

……

In Dong Fu Lou.

The old servant of the Xu family had just informed Xu, the family head, about the selling of daughters in Shi Li Village. While sitting in the back alley, the servant spotted someone in the distance at another food shop's back kitchen, seemingly trying to sell something.

The man who pulled a gray rabbit out of his basket was none other than Shen San.

Upon seeing the rabbit, the old servant quickly deduced the situation and hurried back to the wine shop to inform Xu.

The master and servant watched Shen San from a booth overlooking the back alley, confirming it was indeed him.

After the man left, they sent Dong, the young servant, to the food shop across the street to inquire. It was confirmed that the rabbit was being sold as a game caught by the family.

Dong reported, "I examined the wound; it looks like it was shot with a slingshot."

Xu, the family head, then realized that the rabbit must have been hunted by Shen Jin.

After sending Dong away and having the old servant monitor for a few days, they saw Shen San heading to the county again with a basket, while Shen Jin had not traded with the peddler for several days. This confirmed Xu's suspicions, prompting him to write a letter to Shen Lian.

Taking advantage of the early daylight, Xu sealed the letter in a bamboo tube and instructed the old servant and Dong to discreetly deliver it to the mountains, disguised in ragged clothes.

The letter detailed recent changes in the political climate, Xu's concerns, and the situation in Shi Li Village, including Li's responses with her children.

As they were about to leave, Xu stopped them for a final instruction.

Currently, it's too risky to carry food with them. The mountains are hiding many refugees, and three people empty-handed won't attract attention; in fact, others might even avoid them. However, three refugees carrying food could be a target for danger.

Xu instructed his people to take nearly twenty catties of salt from his private stock stored in the tavern's storeroom. He divided it into more than twenty thin cloth bags, each sewn tightly and discretely wrapped around the bodies of the old servant and Dong under their clothes.

Xu's own supplies were quite ample, but he wasn't sure about the situation of other families. Taking advantage of the cooler weather, he wanted to send as much aid as possible.

Only after dispatching his men did Xu sigh deeply.

He sent the letter more out of a need to share his growing unease about the current situation and because Shen Lian had entrusted him with the welfare of Shen's family's children. However, Xu was uncertain if or when Shen Lian would receive it.

Xu didn't know when or even if Shen Lian would come to collect the letter.

With each day growing more chaotic and the unrest creeping closer to Shezhou, even local authorities, the military, and prominent families had their contingency plans, yet Xu felt increasingly burdened.

He continued to make preparations as best as he could, though his options were limited.

Xu was less worried about his mother and younger children but was deeply concerned about his wife and older sons left in Shezhou.

He couldn't predict when or how disaster might strike them or himself.

Every waking moment is a torment.

He can only hope that the Wang family is strong enough to protect themselves, and at least safeguard his wife and children. As for himself, he's unsure when his employer will allow him to return.

While lost in thought, there's a knock at the door. Xu, the tavern owner, turns to see his bookkeeper.

The bookkeeper opens the door, a mix of excitement and something else in his expression, steps aside, and says, "Boss, guess who's here?"