In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 598 Deeply Shocked

A genuine smile appeared on Wang Yu's face. As someone who had held Zhang He and Shouhou when they were children, she was considered their elder. Naturally, she was very happy to see the two younger generation return safely.

“He-ge’er, you’ve changed so much, and so has Skinny Monkey. I remember you were as skinny as a bamboo pole when you were little, but now you’re completely different and much stronger.”

After exchanging pleasantries with the two, Wang Yu planned to go to the kitchen to cook a meal for them.

"He Ge'er and Shouhou, wait a moment, I'll go cook for you."

"No need, Auntie, the people I brought are already cooking in the kitchen."

"How can you expect guests to cook?"

"It's alright, Auntie, just chat with us."

"..."

So Wang Yu sat down again and chatted with Zhang He about their experience of fleeing famine.

"He-ge'er, where did you two flee to during the famine?"

Wang Yu asked.

Upon hearing this question, the village chief also cast a curious glance at Zhang He. He knew that Zhang He and the skinny monkey had fled to the south to escape famine, but he didn't know exactly where.

"We fled to Qingzhou."

A look of reminiscence flashed in Zhang He's eyes: "The journey of fleeing famine was really tough. Skinny Monkey and I almost starved to death on the road..."

Listening to Zhang He recount his story of fleeing famine, a hint of sympathy flashed in the eyes of the two village chiefs. Leaving one's home is already an extremely difficult thing for ordinary people, let alone...

On the road away from home, they had to endure hunger and thirst, and even fight like fierce wild beasts for food from other people.

"On the way, both Skinny Monkey and I were so hungry that we started gnawing on tree bark."

Zhang He said with a bitter expression, "Whether it's tree bark or clay, as long as it won't kill us, Skinny Monkey and I have no choice but to stuff it into our mouths..."

At this point, Zhang He paused and continued, "We thought that once we got to the county town, we would have a way to survive, but things were not as simple as we imagined. After we arrived in the county town, we couldn't even get through the city gate. We could only stay outside the city and compete with other refugees for the few things we could eat."

"I've heard that some wealthy families in the city distribute porridge outside the city walls. Haven't you encountered any?"

Wang Yu asked subconsciously.

"I did run into him."

Zhang He sneered and said, "But the porridge was so thin you could see your shadow, and there were far more monks than porridge. Out of thousands of refugees, less than fifty people could get any porridge."

The distribution of porridge by wealthy families was often more symbolic than practical; it was merely for the sake of a good reputation. As for ensuring that the refugees were fed and did not starve, that was not something the wealthy families cared about at all.

"Of course, some people are able to get into the city."

At this point, Zhang He's expression became even more sarcastic: "Some young and beautiful women can gain the favor of landlords, sign indentures with them, and then enter the landlord's mansion as slaves or maids."

"This……"

The two village chiefs exchanged bewildered glances. The landlord's actions were nothing short of blatant profiteering, taking advantage of the refugees' hunger to recruit maids and servants at the lowest possible price...

"So how did you survive?"

Wang Yu asked again, having learned from Zhang He's words about the hardships of fleeing famine, and becoming even more curious about how Zhang He and his companion had survived.

"We were lucky; we met a benefactor."

Zhang He replied, "Because I'm quite loyal, I gained the support of many refugees and became a minor leader among them. And because I became a minor leader, I attracted the attention of Xu Zhiwen, the magistrate of Taiping County..."

As Zhang He recounted the story, the village chief and Wang Yu's expressions grew increasingly shocked.

They never expected that Zhang He, whom they had watched grow up, would be able to do such a great thing!

They not only killed dozens of city guards, but also broke into the landlord's house and carried out a massacre there...

The thought that the person in front of them was a ruthless man who had killed dozens, or even hundreds, of people made the village chief and Wang Yu's eyes flash with fear.

Fortunately, this fear soon disappeared.

"and after?"

Wang Yu asked.

"Later, I became the head constable of Taiping County, while Zhang He and the other brothers became constables."

"So you became a constable!"

The village chief suddenly realized that although the head constable was not a high-ranking official, he wielded considerable power and it was a lucrative position. No wonder Zhang He and the skinny monkey were dressed so well.

"I'm no longer a constable."

Zhang He surprisingly shook his head: "I resigned from my position as head constable several months ago, and now I'm just a businessman."

Merchants were considered a lowly profession in the Xia Kingdom, but Zhang He showed no shame when talking about his merchant status; on the contrary, there was a hint of pride on his face.

"merchant?"

The village chief and Wang Yuqi were both surprised, "The position of constable is so good, why not become a businessman instead of a constable?"

In the common people's minds, positions like constable and police officer are considered secure jobs, guaranteeing income regardless of circumstances, and also allowing for extra income.

On the contrary, the status of merchants... Xia was an agrarian society, and the policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce made the status of merchants very awkward.

Simply put, merchants are wealthy but have low social status, and are incomparable to positions like constables.

"Naturally, it's because being a businessman can make money."

The skinny monkey quickly replied, "We constables have enough to eat and drink, but that's about it! Magistrate Xu is very strict with constables. Any constable who dares to take advantage of the people will be severely punished. So when we are constables, all we get is the salary issued by the government. But it's different when you're a merchant!"

The skinny monkey paused for a moment, then said smugly, "Brother Zhang and I can earn several hundred taels of silver just by going out as merchants, which is hundreds or even thousands of times more than we earn as constables!"

"What? Several hundred taels of silver? For one trip???"

The village chief and Wang Yu were completely dumbfounded.

As the village head of Zhangwang Village, Zhang Hao was a worldly man. Ordinary people might not see a whole tael of silver more than a few times in their entire lives, but Zhang Hao had seen it before.

However, Zhang Hao was still shocked when he heard the skinny monkey say that he could earn several hundred taels of silver for one trip!

What does several hundred taels of silver mean?

It's no exaggeration to say that in today's impoverished Liangzhou, five taels of silver can buy a life, and several hundred taels of silver... can buy dozens of lives!

This sum of money, enough to buy dozens of lives, was just the profit from one trip for Skinny Monkey and his gang. How could Zhang Hao not be shocked?

Zhang Hao couldn't help but suspect that the business the skinny monkey was talking about was robbery, otherwise how could he make money so quickly?