CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64: THE SIN OF GENDER 64

Before setting out, Qin Shuangshuang and Fang Zhongyi carefully planned the journey. It would not be a short trip from Qin Family Village to the border city, with three major State Mansions to pass along the way.

These people were so starved that they resembled living skeletons, a gust of wind could carry them away. Even though all their belongings were loaded on the ox carts, and they traveled light, they could still only cover a few miles a day. It was estimated that reaching the border city would take no less than three months.

Only after setting out did they realize their food supply was insufficient. Qin Shuangshuang initially thought that with everyone eating two meals a day, the food would last until they reached the border city. However, she discovered that even without burdens, after a day of travel, two meals were inadequate.

Barely two days into the journey, with not much ground covered, two villagers fell ill directly because the minimal food intake was too little. Their already emaciated bodies couldn’t handle the exertion.

Regrettably, the ration of two meals a day had to be increased to three, with portions increased to almost full servings. Fortunately, after laying on the ox cart for three or four days, the two sick individuals gradually recovered without major issues.

Not knowing beforehand, only after starting the journey did they realize the disastrous impact was extensive. Despite the group’s slow pace, covering barely ten miles a day due to weakness, after ten days on the road, the desolation persisted. Often, disaster victims would approach the Qin Family Village’s group with pitiful faces to beg for food!

The food on the cart seemed plentiful, but they didn’t know how long it would take to leave the disaster area. Adding to that, their own group had many mouths to feed, leaving them no choice but to advise these victims to head for the border city, where government aid awaited to stop them from starving to death!

Of course, these disaster victims didn’t heed the advice. Despite their attempts to persuade them with broken mouths, these victims weren’t like the learned people from Qin Family Village, guided by Qin Shuangshuang to understand the situation. Naturally, they wouldn’t listen!

Some disaster victims started cursing maliciously when refused food, their words so venomous that it made one want to slap them dead out of rage! Such repeated incidents wore out the group’s sympathy completely!

Now, whenever they saw people begging for food, everyone would simply ignore them. If anyone dared to approach and pester them, they would deliberately scare them off, as they saw no pity for those who had a way out yet preferred to starve to the point of cannibalism without taking it!

In the blink of an eye, the group had been traveling towards the border city for a month and a half, but had only covered just over a thousand miles from Qin Family Village. The main reason for the slow pace was that everyone was physically weak at first, managing to cover only a few dozen miles a day at best.

Later, as food and drink became more plentiful and their health improved, their pace gradually increased. Recently, they had managed to cover more than forty miles a day.

What delighted everyone further was the sight improving as they left Qin Family Village; about two hundred miles down the road, the severity of the disaster decreased. Now, their eyes greeted the vibrant lushness of summer greenery.

They vividly remembered the first time they reached a town where food could be bought; everyone cheered and wept with joy! Then, they raided all the food shops in that small town and collectively spent several silver taels to buy enough food to fill two large ox carts!

Then they celebrated all night! Everyone gorged themselves until their bellies were round! With the thirty taels of silver relocation allowance from the court, plus their previous household savings, they didn’t hesitate to indulge extravagantly. Even the oxen pulling the carts were treated to a feast!

The journey subsequently became smoother. With full bellies, everyone’s recovery sped up, which naturally increased their travel speed.

That day, they passed by a verdant, densely vegetated mountain area. Incidentally, the cured meat they had with them had run out for several days, and Qin Shuangshuang was growing tired of the repetitive diet. Seeing the lush and bountiful mountain stirred her desire to hunt for some fresh game to change their flavor.

Once this thought struck, Qin Shuangshuang couldn’t resist. During the midday rest, she went into the mountains alone, not venturing far, intending to hunt some game on the outskirts!

Qin Shuangshuang primarily targeted three types of game: wild chickens, wild rabbits, and wild boars. Wild chickens and rabbits reproduced easily, especially rabbits, which could have a few to more than ten kits a month in a litter.

As for wild boars, apart from also reproducing prolifically, Qin Shuangshuang liked pork, and wild boars were highly destructive to crops.

Many farmers living at the foot of the mountains equated their loathing for wild boars with locusts. Despite wild boars being less numerous than locusts, their destructiveness wasn’t far off! So, Qin Shuangshuang often hunted these specific animals.

Qin Shuangshuang did encounter tigers, black bears, and deer before, but she had a soft spot for fluffy creatures. She couldn’t bring herself to harm any cute, furry animal.

This was evident when she decisively killed a wild boar but merely knocked a cute deer unconscious, clearly showing her preference. Thus, her focus on hunting wild boars was partly because they weren’t cute. Moreover, wild boars often ventured down the mountain, making it easy to encounter them on the outskirts!

Similarly this time, Qin Shuangshuang had barely entered the mountain when she was lucky enough to hunt a large wild boar. This boar, ordinary as it was, seemed to weigh over six hundred pounds, robust and hefty. When Qin Shuangshuang carried the wild boar out, everyone cheered; there would be meat to eat again!

Qin Sheng coincidentally had his sharp pig-slaughtering knife with him, promptly stepping forward to bleed and butcher it. Naturally, as the blood was being drained, some villagers brought wooden basins to catch the blood, which was a prized commodity that no one was willing to waste.

As they collected the blood, they sprinkled in a handful of salt, stirring as it bled. They placed the stirred blood basin on sun-heated stones. Mixed with pre-seasoned water or hot broth from cooking meat, they filled the intestines with it, making blood sausages.

However, as they prepared to boil water to singe the hair and make the blood sausages, they realized their water supply was running low, and there was no water source nearby. They eventually decided, based on previous inquiries from locals, that the nearest county was just over ten miles ahead.

Being voluntary migrants, every city they reached provided a ration of food. Though not much, it was enough for a few days. Thus, they decided to pause at the county for rest and to find water.

Boosted spirits naturally quickened their pace; in just over half an hour, they reached the county.

Sentry soldiers were stationed at the city gates, primarily for tax collection. Ordinary common people didn’t have to pay entry tax, but those leading carts or carrying trade goods had to pay taxes, with amounts varying according to their cargo.

Although Qin Shuangshuang’s group was cart-driven, they weren’t traders, but migrants, and thus exempt from taxes. Nevertheless, a gatekeeper eyed the conspicuously massive wild boar on the ox cart with greed before stepping forward to block their entry!