Qin Sang looked at him.
"Just your family, or all of you?"
"The families of our ten or so brothers aren't large. My family only has my grandmother left. All together, there are only about twenty-something people."
"We aren't familiar with the mountains. Following you, Aunt, might give us a better chance of survival."
Qin Sang looked into his eyes.
"Have you considered telling this news to the villagers and then heading into the mountains together?"
Heizi gave a bitter smile.
"Aunt, we will tell them, of course, but people have to actually listen to us for it to matter."
"To tell you the truth, because we used to be Local Ruffians in Town, the villagers don't think much of us. If you hadn't let us collect herbs to trade for grain for them, they might have already driven us out of the village."
Seeing his sincerity, Qin Sang had no reason to doubt him.
Qin Sang wasn't worried about having too many people; besides, the villagers might not all choose to go anyway.
"If you want to come along, you may. But let me be clear about the ugly truths first: once we enter the mountains, you cannot form cliques or exclude others. Everything must follow my command."
"Additionally, you must bring your own rations and water. We are under no obligation to provide them for free."
"Once in the mountains, everyone is a single unit. If we encounter danger, we face it together."
"Especially if I discover anyone harboring dishonest intentions again—if one person messes up, the whole group is kicked out of the team."
The more bluntly Qin Sang spoke, the more relieved Heizi felt. This meant everyone would be equal in the mountains and they wouldn't be looked down upon just because they were from another village.
"Don't worry, Aunt. We definitely won't cause any trouble."
Since Qin Sang had agreed, she naturally had to help them consider more things. She instructed Heizi on what to prepare and other precautions before letting him leave with a bag of grain and a jar of water.
After seeing Heizi off, Carpenter Zhao arrived.
Third Brothers Wife pulled her Father into the main hall and spoke for a long while. It was already dark when Third Brothers Wife finally came out with a smile to call for Qin Sang.
"Mother, my dad wants to have a word with you."
Qin Sang nodded understandingly and entered the room.
"In-law."
Carpenter Zhao had a face full of worry. Coming over to trade for grain should have been a happy occasion, but the joy hadn't lasted long.
"In-law, Huan'er told me. I plan to head into the mountains with you all. Is that alright?"
Qin Sang naturally wouldn't refuse.
"You're being too polite, In-law. We are all relatives, and with Huan'er, we are one family. It's only right that we head into the mountains together."
Carpenter Zhao squeezed out a smile.
"That's good then. I'll go back and have the family start packing..."
Qin Sang said:
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, In-law. Packing is necessary, but I'd also like to ask for your help. Can you make a few Wheelbarrows?"
Carts certainly couldn't be used on mountain paths, though mules and horses could carry things up. If they had Wheelbarrows, they could definitely bring more supplies.
Carpenter Zhao really wanted to agree.
"I do know how to make Wheelbarrows, it's just that in such a short time..."
Qin Sang pulled out a wooden box of iron nails and a diagram from her room.
"These are iron nails I bought from Steward Huang. Not using mortise and tenon joints will make it much faster. This is a diagram I drew of a simplified Wheelbarrow; it shouldn't be difficult."
Iron was a scarce resource in ancient times. Commoners were very reluctant to use ironware, so who would be willing to use iron to make nails for tools?
He looked at the box of iron nails and then at the diagram of the simplified Wheelbarrow before taking them.
"This will indeed be much faster, but it might not be very sturdy."
Qin Sang smiled.
"It doesn't matter if it's not sturdy. You'll be with us then, and you're not likely to throw away the tools of your trade. We can just fix whatever gets loose. I won't have you do it for nothing; I'll give you ten catties of flour per Wheelbarrow. Can you make as many as possible?"
Carpenter Zhao wanted to say he didn't need payment, but they were about to flee a famine. It wasn't the time for such gestures; the most he could do was have his family maintain and repair them well later.
"Fine, I'll have my three sons work on it with me. I guarantee we'll make ten for you."
Qin Sang nodded. Her own family needed two. With her Mall warehouse, she could fit any amount of supplies, so the rest could be given to whichever families needed one.
By the time all this was settled, it was completely dark. The villagers suggested lighting torches to continue working, but Qin Sang refused.
She also wanted to give the villagers time to pack. It didn't matter if they couldn't make two thousand tubes; Steward Huang hadn't specified a required amount anyway.
She was only using the mosquito coils business as a way to subsidize everyone's rice and grain while earning some silver on the side.
Si Jin came over to report their progress. In just one afternoon, they had already made five hundred tubes of mosquito coils. After drying in the sun for a day tomorrow, they could be packaged.
The bamboo tubes were also all cut, so those people could be arranged to do the packaging then.
Qin Sang nodded. No one was slacking off. Especially since they had just started today; once everyone was familiar with the process tomorrow, their efficiency would only increase.
Qin Sang nodded and looked at the villagers waiting outside the courtyard. She led the mule cart out. The villagers stood up one after another; they all knew Qin Sang was going to pick up the water and grain sent by Steward Huang.
Tian Dazhuang was very worried.
"Mother, let me go with you. It's too dangerous in the middle of the night."
Qin Sang smiled and beckoned to Da Huang. Da Huang immediately dashed over and leaped onto the mule cart.
"I'll have Da Huang accompany me. Steward Huang said only I can go to receive it; he's also worried about complications. You all stay home and listen to the village chief's meeting. Tell me about it when I get back."
This was the village chief's idea. Since everyone had to wait here to take their rice, grain, and water home, it was the perfect time to hold a meeting and discuss heading into the mountains because of the military chaos.
The village chief leaned on his cane and came forward to advise her.
"Then Da Zhuangs Mother, you must be extremely careful. If anything seems wrong, you can leave the grain and water behind. The person is more important."
Qin Sang nodded with a smile and gently shook the reins. The mule lifted its hooves and walked toward the village exit.
Under everyone's gaze, they watched Qin Sang disappear into the darkness. Only then did the village chief withdraw his gaze and look at the crowd.
A torch was stuck into the courtyard wall. The villagers formed a circle; those standing further away could only vaguely see faces.
"I had You Gen, You Di, and You Cai inform everyone of the situation at noon today, and you've all had the afternoon to think about it. Da Zhuangs Mother's idea is to hide in the mountains for a while. If anyone in the village is willing to go with them, you need to decide early. Now, everyone, speak your minds."
"Those who don't want to go won't be forced."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone began discussing at once.
"The heavens aren't letting us live!"
"Staying means eating tree bark and chewing grass roots; going into the mountains won't be any different."
"As long as the green mountains remain, one need not worry about firewood. To the mountains it is!"
The village chief raised his hand to quiet the discussion.
"Very well. Those willing to go together, go to Wen Mo and sign up."
Consequently, many people lined up in front of Tian Wenmo. Besides recording which family it was, Tian Wenmo also asked how many people were in the household, and how many were elderly or young.
This registration took quite a while. People kept glancing toward the darkness and then up at the moon in the sky, everyone becoming somewhat restless and anxious.
After waiting another hour, Tian Hongmei shouted out in dissatisfaction:
"Why hasn't Widow Tian come back yet? She didn't run away, did she?"