If you can't make it on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace), you'll end up losing your whol

Chapter 183 The Luo Family Mines, the Old Man Farms

Wen Yuanqian thought for a moment and asked Grandpa Wang, "Brother, what happened? Do you remember?"

Grandpa Wang frowned and tried hard to recall, "Back then, the officials from Shi'an City led a group of men directly into the village and took away all the able-bodied men in the village that day, saying they would work in the nearby mines and be paid. Three months later, the officials brought the first payment of wages, and then took away another group of people. Six months later, the officials brought the second payment of wages and took away another group of people. Sigh."

Wen Chengjian brought the old man a cup of hot tea, saying, "Grandpa, please have some tea."

Grandpa Wang accepted it with both hands. "However, after that, the officials came for the third time only after a year. This time, not only did they not pay wages, but they also took away all the labor force here. People over 10 years old and under 60 years old, regardless of gender, were all taken away. I heard that the surrounding villages are the same."

Wen Yuanqian asked, "On what grounds were you taken away? Did you see the government order?"

Grandpa Wang said with a wry smile, "I saw it. There's another badge. It says that the imperial court has discovered a new mine and needs more people to work there. This time it's a decree from the imperial court for forced labor. There's no pay, and the whole village needs to fully support the mining. Later, when these kids grow up, they'll have to come back and recruit more people. Sigh, what a mess this is!"

When these children grow up?

Wenwen looked at the oldest child in Grandpa Wang's house, the one who climbed out of the water by himself after falling in. He looked about eight or nine years old, not far from ten.

Alas, it's all about timing and fate!

Upon hearing this, Yao Changhao suddenly asked, "Grandpa, do you still remember the words on that waist tag?"

Grandpa Wang frowned, thought for a moment, and then suddenly exclaimed, "It's the character 'Luo'!"

罗？

Yao Changhao understood! The people in charge of the Wen family also realized it.

These past few years have been the time when the Luo family has been at the height of their power, controlling the lifeline of mineral mining in Zhongzhao Kingdom.

Upon discovering a new mine, they concealed the truth and secretly began mining, even going so far as to conscript laborers under the guise of the imperial court to mine the ore.

How big of a mine is it that it requires the entire workforce of one village and even several surrounding villages?

What kind of secret mineral is it that the miners can't go home for years at a time?

What conspiracy lies behind all of this remains unknown to the Wen family.

Now they are criminals, exiled prisoners, so it's better to avoid trouble.

Thinking of this, Wen Yuanqian glanced at Wen Qilin and his brothers subtly, then turned to Grandpa Wang and said.

“Brother, I understand your worries. When you get old, you just want your children and grandchildren around.” He casually changed the subject. “With no able-bodied people at home, it’s tough on you two to do the farm work.”

At this point, even more sorrow welled up in Grandpa Wang's heart.

That's right! With no able-bodied men in the family, the two elderly people have to do all the work in the fields.

The elderly couple toiled day and night, their backs to the earth, their backs to the sky, working themselves to the bone. Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative; the droughts of recent years had been particularly severe, causing the harvest to decline again and again. It seemed that they had no idea how they would manage to feed their family through the winter.

The more Grandpa Wang thought about it, the more anxious and distressed he became, and tears streamed down his face.

The old man hurriedly covered his face with his hands, wiped his face, and said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry for making everyone laugh."

The Wen family felt a lot of emotions when they saw what Grandpa Wang looked like.

Wenwen looked at the Wang family children present, each one thin and bony, and she could hardly believe how these children had spent the past few years.

Sigh, sometimes she might be a bit of a busybody.

However, sometimes, lending a helping hand, even a small act of assistance, can change the fate of an individual or even an entire family.

Taking advantage of a lull in the adults' conversation, Wenwen asked in a clear voice, "Grandpa, what do you plant here in winter?"

Aunt Wang said, “You don’t know, the winters here are too cold to grow crops. We’ve tried before, but when the wind and snow came, all the seedlings froze to death. Alas... these past few years have been even more drought-stricken, making it impossible to grow crops.”

How will you know if you don't try? What if it turns out to be a success?

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Wenwen took a few roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes from the children's table and walked up to Grandpa Wang and the others. "Grandpa, Grandma, try this and see if it's delicious?"

Mr. Wang and Mrs. Wang, two elderly people...

What happened to this child?

We were talking about growing crops, and suddenly the conversation turned to food?

The topic changed so quickly; they're older and a bit slow to catch on.

However, it was hard to refuse such kindness, especially since the children had already put food right in front of their mouths.

The two elderly people took it and ate it bite by bite.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"delicious."

Wenwen thought to herself, as long as it tastes good.

Next, let's see how she convinces—oh, no, how she promotes her sweet potato and potato planting plan.

“Grandpa, Grandma, we bought these sweet potatoes and potatoes by chance from a shop in the town ahead. The shopkeeper said that he got them from the foreigners, and that they are both the fruit and the seed.”

"Huh? It's both a fruit and a seed?"

"Yes, the shopkeeper told us that once they sprout, we can plant them, first like this... then like this... and finally, after a while, we can dig them up."

Moreover, there are many ways to eat this. You can stew it like I just did, grill it like this, or stir-fry it. It can be eaten as a side dish or as a main course.

"Ah, oh, good, that's good."

Wenwen's outburst completely baffled the two elderly people.

What exactly is this child trying to say? Why all the fuss over these two issues?

Seeing the old man's confused look, Wenwen winked at Wen Yuanqian and said, "Grandfather, you two chat here. My brothers and I are going out for a bit."

The siblings went into the kitchen and closed the door.

The potatoes and sweet potatoes that had just been brought in were piled up in the corner of the kitchen.

Wenwen said to Wenchengjian, "Brother, bring a bag of potatoes over here."

A whole bag of potatoes was placed in front of her, and with a whoosh, she dumped them all on the ground.

The older brothers were a little confused.

"Brother, bring another bag of sweet potatoes over, and pour them out like this too."

Wen Chengjian didn't know her intentions, but he was very efficient in carrying them out.

In addition, he unconditionally trusted his younger sister, stepping over the potatoes scattered all over the ground.

He grabbed a bag of sweet potatoes and dumped them all on the ground with a splash.

Well, now, the ground in front of the kitchen is covered with potatoes and sweet potatoes, leaving almost no room for people to step.

The older brothers, genuinely curious, couldn't help but ask, "Little sister, what are you doing?"

Wenwen chuckled, "Brothers, watch closely!"