Chapter 5, The Farmer's Family

This bowl contains not a trace of oil, nor a single grain of rice. Wei Luo was already so hungry that his stomach ached, yet looking at this bowl of soaked soybeans, he still felt no appetite whatsoever

The woman presented the bowls and chopsticks before Wei Luo and said hesitantly, "In the countryside, we only have green beans and wild vegetables to eat"

In fact, if one were to speak of comfort, straw sandals surpass even those exquisite embroidered shoes made of silk when it comes to walking. It is merely that Wei Luo is not accustomed to them at the moment. These straw sandals were made by a woman for herself and are slightly larger. However, with straw sandals, a size or two larger does not make a significant difference. Wei Luo tightened the straps a bit and found them to fit quite well.

However, even without an appetite, it must all be dealt with! No matter what, the priority is to survive first.

A woman is holding a ceramic bowl, which is filled with more than half with green peas. These green peas are swollen from soaking in water, and there is not a trace of oil sheen on them

Wei Luo reached out to take the bowl and chopsticks, forcing a smile as he said, "It's nothing."

Wei Luo sat quietly on the bench, listening to the sound of the spatula coming from the thatched cottage, feeling the cool breeze blowing against her body, and suddenly, an overwhelming sense of loss filled her heart

Wei Luo swallowed hard, noticing the woman staring at her with a pair of lifeless round eyes. The woman's feet were already poised to turn back into the house. In a moment of urgency, Wei Luo disregarded her choice of words and directly asked, "May I inquire, madam, do you have straw sandals? I wish to purchase them." After saying this, she held out her palm, revealing the three knife coins she had prepared earlier.

The room is extremely simple, completely bare, with only a wooden bed at the far end and three or four stools made from tree roots in front of it

Green peas are a very filling food. Although there is neither oil nor rice, after consuming this large bowl of green peas, Wei Luo finally felt invigorated

The woman looked at Wei Luo, her gaze carrying a hint of curiosity. Upon seeing her raise her head, Wei Luo felt a surge of joy in her heart and quickly walked towards her, cupping her hands from a distance and saying: "Greetings, esteemed lady, I am but a passerby." She struggled to articulate these semi-literary, semi-colloquial words, and her tone of speech came across as somewhat awkward.

Just as she was lost in thought, the sound of a woman's footsteps approached. Wei Luo quickly reached out to rub her face, gathering her spirits as she looked towards the woman who was walking out of the room

Wei Luo observed her demeanor, carefully choosing his words in his heart, and strode confidently to the woman. He crossed his arms and spoke aloud: "Madam, I have been traveling for a long time and my stomach is growling with hunger. May I ask if you have any food available?"

The woman watched Wei Luo warily; seeing that Wei Luo was slender and delicate, and not carrying any weapons, she felt that he was not like a brutish man, thus she remained cautious but not overly fearful

Sufficient, indeed.

The woman was taken aback; after a moment of thought, she said: "I have heard it said to be about two to three hundred miles."

The woman joyfully picked up the knife coin from the stool, responding in a series of affirmations. Judging by her expression, she seemed quite satisfied with this transaction

After returning to the official road, Wei Luo reorganized his bundle, not only taking out five knife coins to place on the outside but also putting the remaining four pairs of straw sandals into the bundle

The woman watched Wei Luo leave, quickly put away the knife coins, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and hurriedly ran back into the house.

The woman saw the knife coin in her hand, her eyes brightened, and she nodded, speaking in a strong dialect from the Chu region: "Yes." As she spoke, she glanced at Wei Luo's feet, which were covered by the long robe, and caught a glimpse of the exquisite embroidery on the shoes, prompting her to look up and scrutinize Wei Luo again. At that moment, there was a hint of surprise and apprehension in her gaze as she looked at Wei Luo.

The ground is covered with knee-high wild grass, with only a patch of about 3 to 4 square meters of bare land under the eaves. From this bare land, three narrow paths, each about a foot wide, extend outwards to the left and right.

She followed the woman into the house, and as soon as she entered, a refreshing and comfortable breeze, completely different from the outside, greeted her. This atmosphere left Wei Luo momentarily stunned. She did not know that although the thatched cottage appeared unremarkable, it was exceptionally warm in winter and cool in summer, far more comfortable than the brick and tile houses she had lived in before, and incomparable to the newly built concrete boxes in the city.

She thought of this and lowered her head, chewing on the green peas bit by bit.

Wei Luo smiled and, with her arms crossed, said loudly: "In that case, I thank you, madam." Wei Luo hesitated for a moment but still asked: "Madam, how long will it take to see the city if we head north?"

After saying this, Wei Luo turned around, walked to the stone bed, reached out to pick up a root stool, and exited the room

On the right side of the thatched cottage, there is a small room, and the two rooms are separated by a piece of burlap.

As soon as the straw sandals were on her feet, they pinched her delicate little feet, causing her pain. Wei Luo hesitated for a moment but still gritted her teeth and put them on. Of course, while putting on the straw sandals, she also painted her feet black. As for the pair of embroidered shoes, Wei Luo prepared to put them away several times, as they were still in good condition and could be worn alternately. After much hesitation, Wei Luo ultimately decided to throw them away: this item would expose her identity, so it was better to discard it. Changes always come suddenly; while they may be useful now, in an urgent situation, there would be no time to dispose of them when the moment arrives. Wouldn't that jeopardize everything? After much hesitation, Wei Luo still threw them away: this item would expose her identity, so it was better to discard it. Changes always come suddenly; while they may be useful now, in an urgent situation, there would be no time to dispose of them when the moment arrives. Wouldn't that jeopardize everything?

Wei Luo caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of her eye and couldn't help but smile wryly. With a slight sigh, Wei Luo put down her bowl and spoke, "Aunt, do you have any straw sandals at home? Please buy them all for me."

Wei Luo let out a sigh of relief, once again expressing his gratitude with a crossed hand gesture, before turning around and striding towards the official road

Although Wei Luo may not be striking in appearance, she carries herself with grace and possesses an extraordinary demeanor. Her attire is not that of a commoner; could she possibly be of noble birth? As the woman pondered this, she felt increasingly intimidated and cautious. She nodded hesitantly and said, "There is food, there is food"

Seeing Wei Luo following her all the way to the kitchen door, she extended her right hand, unconsciously tugging at the burlap curtain, and murmured, "You are a person of high status, you should not enter the kitchen... no, no, what I mean is, it is not appropriate for you to enter the kitchen..."

As she placed the empty bowl on the stool, the woman had already walked out of the house, holding a string of straw sandals, with five pairs connected to each other by grass.

Wei Luo nodded, lowering his head to chew on the green peas vigorously

The woman responded repeatedly. She looked at the knife coins on the stool, then at the still frail and delicate Wei Luo, and suddenly felt no fear.

Enough, enough

As she spoke, she stood up. She reached out and placed three knife coins on the stool, "Auntie, is this enough?"

The woman, seeing that she had begun to eat, cautiously stepped back, and before long, she retreated to the small path on the right side of the thatched cottage. It seemed that she was preparing to call her man back from the fields behind the house.

There is one every twenty to thirty li.

The woman hesitated as she walked towards what should be the small kitchen, carefully observing Wei Luo. Her movements were indeed cautious; every time she met Wei Luo's gaze, she would immediately shrink her head back and hurriedly avert her eyes.

Wei Luo reached out to take the straw sandals and, seeing the woman eagerly gazing at the knife coins on the stool, couldn't help but smile and said: "Madam, you can take these three knife coins; is that enough?"

The woman spoke while carefully watching the collar of Wei Luo, retreating with her feet into the room. Seeing her unease, Wei Luo silently resolved: such a poor and honest person should not harbor any ill intentions towards me. With this thought, Wei Luo's demeanor became even more composed.

Two or three hundred miles? Does that mean we will have to spend several more nights in the wilderness? At the thought of this, Wei Luo shivered and frowned as she asked, "How long until we can see a village?"

The woman grew increasingly anxious as she spoke, repeatedly struggling to express herself clearly. Wei Luo had already understood her meaning, and at that moment, he stopped in his tracks, bowed with both hands, and interrupted the woman's words, saying, "I will wait for you in the courtyard, madam."

At this time, Wei Luo was unaware that the rural populace was still largely accustomed to barter, with items such as knife coins serving as hard currency, while women like her were a rare sight.