The Shen family doesn't have to worry, but the rest of the people in the village are all miserable, some can go to relatives and friends to pick up some food, and some can leave the village directly to go to the village first, but there are still a lot of people left, and they can't borrow food, so they can only go to the village chief for help.

The life of the Shen family was basically not affected, and they still got up early every day to sell broth, thinking that there was a disaster, and there were more people who went to the back mountains to dig wild vegetables and sweet potatoes. She can't fight much pigweed now, and in order to survive, it doesn't matter if it's eaten by pigs.

Shen Shiliu saw Han Shuliang in the back mountain, so he walked over to talk.

"Brother Shuliang, why are you here?" Shen Shiliu asked.

Han Shuliang saw that it was Shen Shimei, and he also stopped what he was doing, and said, "My family's field is about to be barren, come and dig some wild sweet potatoes." ”

Shen Shiliu looked at the people around him, and said to Han Shuliang: "Brother Shuliang, you come with me." ”

"Where are you going?" Han Shuliang wondered.

"Come with me first." Shen Shiliu said, there are many people here, and she can't say anything.

Han Shuliang followed Shen Shiliu out of the back mountain, and when he saw that there was no one on the road, he asked, "Pomegranate, what do you want to say?" I've got to dig sweet potatoes. ”

Shen Shiliu said: "Come home with me, Uncle Han's legs are not good yet, how can I eat sweet potatoes?" ”

When Han Shuliang heard this, he hesitated a little and said: "Pomegranate, I know you mean well, but my family already owes you a lot, and I can't ...... anymore."

"That's not bad, it's borrowed anyway, you don't have to have a psychological burden." Shen Shiliu said: "Uncle Han's leg has just been improved, if you don't eat some serious food, then the previous money will be spent in vain." "Anyway, it's not much money to buy food.

There was no one in the Shen family at this time, and the Zheng family was not at home, so Shen Shiliu directly found the money jar, took a tael of silver, and handed it to Han Shuliang.

"Don't buy anything else when you go to the county, you want grain, coarse grains and fine grains to buy, don't just buy coarse grains, it's enough for this winter, and the rest of the little is estimated to be enough to buy seeds in the spring next year, and Uncle Han's legs will be fine by then." Shen Shiliu said.

Shen Shimei didn't open the mountain pond either, she just felt that Han Shuliang might have some success in the future, and he was good friends with Shen Shu, and now that he helped him, there will always be something in return in the future, she is not so great, and she does not want to repay her kindness.

Han Shuliang looked at the money in his hand, he knew what it meant, digging sweet potatoes could only solve the temporary food ration problem, and the land was frozen in winter, let alone digging food out of the soil.

"Pomegranate, let me write you an IOU, the adults in the family are not at home, it's not good for us to take money like this." Han Shuliang said.

Shen Shiliu nodded: "It's okay, my mother always has to ask when she comes back and finds that the money is less." He also secretly said in his heart that Han Shuliang was reliable.

Han Shuliang wrote an IOU and said, "Pomegranate, thank you, you are so kind, I actually ...... I am willing to marry you. ”

"Huh?" Shen Shiliu was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said, "Brother Shuliang, I really didn't have any intentions against you!" Shen Shiliu smiled, and Han Shuliang would not promise him.

Han Shuliang actually didn't mean that, he also said it sincerely, but unfortunately Shen Shiliu didn't believe it.

After sending Han Shuliang away, Shen Shiliu recalculated the accounts, even if he lent out one or two, their family is now very "rich".

At noon, the Shen family and his wife came back from the county seat, knowing that Shen Shiliu had received a tael of silver from Han Shuliang, although they all said that Shen Shimei was too bold, but because he had an IOU in his hand, he just forgot it.

"The situation in the village doesn't seem to be good, but today I saw Village Chief Hong coming out of the county government in the county seat, and his face didn't seem to be very good." Father Shen frowned and said.

Zheng sighed: "It is estimated that the county master refused to open a warehouse to release grain." ”

Shen Shiliu asked, "How many people in our village don't have food for the winter?" ”

"There are more than a dozen of them, and the rest of the families are also tight." Zheng said.

Shen Shiliu sighed, there are more than ten more, I don't know what the village chief will think.

That night, the big bell at the end of the ancestral hall rang again, and Shen Shimei followed, faintly feeling that it was not a good thing.

Sure enough, the village chief said that the county seat was not ready to open a warehouse to release grain, saying that they were the only village affected by the disaster, which was not a disaster, and let them figure out their own way.

"There are still more than a dozen families in the village who have no food for the winter, so if the villagers can help, they can help some!" Village Chief Hong has no choice, his younger brother Hong Dadi is also within the scope of the disaster this time, and he can't help, let alone the rest of the family.

The villagers are silent, the situation of each family is similar, even if there is food for the winter, it is to ask grandpa to borrow it from grandma, it is good if they are not hungry, some families have even filled up with bean cakes to feed horses, where is there any surplus grain?

Shen Shiliu looked at the middle, and there were more than a dozen families standing without food, all of them were orphans and widows, and there was Widow Xu's family inside.

Widow Xu can only cry at this time, a mother-in-law and a daughter in the family, old and young, the little money she works is only enough to make ends meet, just waiting for something to be planted in the ground, so that the hands are loose, this time a hailstorm is completely hopeless.

The village chief also had to treat everyone equally at this time, otherwise the common people would have no way to live, and they might have to do something crazy, so he said: "Fellow villagers, if anyone can donate food, tomorrow will be spring, and the public cattle in the village can first plough his family's land, and the matter of releasing water from the river to water the fields will also be given to his family first, and these dozen or so families will take turns to serve his family's fields." When it comes to autumn, whoever owes how much food they owe, and how much they want to pay back, will not be bad in a bucket! ”

Now that's all he can do, and that's all he can do as the village head!

As soon as Father Shen thought about it, he looked at Shen Pomegranate, Shen Pomegranate pondered for a while, and finally had to nod. However, he didn't stand up immediately after pulling Shen's father, so many people were under their noses, and it was easy to be red when he went out like this, and it would not be worth it if he attracted a thief.

As soon as the village chief saw that no one was silent, he just dismissed everyone first, and Father Shen went up to find the village chief.

"Village chief, how much food do these dozen families need to survive the winter?" Father Shen asked in a whisper, and the village chief led Father Shen to the ancestral hall to talk in detail.

"Xingye, ...... your family?" The village chief asked tentatively, if he was just chatting, he was not in the mood, if he donated food, he could say more.

"My family is going to contribute some money." Father Shen said.

Village Chief Hong was happy all of a sudden: "I calculate, more than a dozen families, twenty-two women, five men, and thirteen children......"

The amount of food for men and women is different, and children are even more so, so Village Chief Hong finally calculated how many catties of food would be needed to survive the next few months.

"It's a thousand pounds to add a piece." The village chief said.

Father Shen thought for a while and said: "My family can take out five taels of silver, and the interest will not be needed, and it is estimated that buying some coarse grains is enough for these people to make a living, which is much better than eating bean cakes." ”

The village chief was overjoyed, took Shen's father's hand and said: "Xingye, your family is the richest in our village, today you can lend these five taels of silver without interest, I thank you on behalf of the dozen or so families in the village!" Don't worry, I'll give you an IOU, and when the villagers have survived this hurdle, I will definitely pay you back the money, and I will guarantee it in the middle! ”

Father Shen nodded, it would be good to give an IOU.

"Then I'll go home and get the money, and I'll go directly to the village chief's house in a while!" Father Shen said and left first, the village chief nodded hurriedly, and sent people away He also went home, and the IOU had to be prepared.

As soon as Shen's father went home and told the matter, the Zheng family went to get the money, and the men in the family all spoke, and she still had to support her as a daughter-in-law.

Shen Shiliu also nodded, anyway, even if it was borrowed, and the village chief was the guarantee, there was nothing to worry about.

"Pomegranate will come with me in a while, dad can't read." Father Shen said.

"Done." Shen Shiliu should come down, she doesn't think that the village chief is the master of the pit, and it doesn't matter if she goes or not.

After eating in the evening, Shen's father went to the village chief's house with the money.

Shen Pomegranate naturally wanted to call people, and after looking around, he found that Hong Dadi was also here.

When the adults went to talk about things, Shen Shiliu was sitting on the side, and Xiuhua, the daughter of the Hongdadi family, came over to chat with her.

"Sister Xiuhua." Shen Pomegranate is called people, Hong Xiuhua is a good-looking and capable person in the village.

"Pomegranate girl, thank you to your family this time, my father is afraid that the family will not have enough to eat, so he has the heart to let me marry directly." Hong Xiuhua said that Hong Dadi was also afraid that his daughter would be wronged, but in the current situation, even if he didn't accept the dowry, he wanted to marry his daughter out quickly, just asking for food and clothing.

"Sister Xiuhua, how old are you this year?" Shen Shiliu had thoughts, originally thinking that Hong Dadi would not marry Hong Xiuhua so easily. She had heard that Hong Xiuhua was good and would run a family, her mother was sick a few years ago, and it was not easy for Hong Dadi to take four children alone, all of them were helped by Hong Xiuhua. However, Shen Shiliu thought that she was the daughter of the village chief's brother's family, and at first Shen Shiliu also thought that it would not be easy to marry.

It's different now, don't look at the scenery of the village chief's house, but this brother's house doesn't look very beautiful.

"I'm sixteen." Hong Xiuhua said, her eyes were round when she smiled.

Shen Pomegranate Hong Xiuhua is indeed beautiful, and she is even more beautiful than Han Meili.

"Uncle Hong didn't say kiss." Shen Shiliu inquired, she probed first, and if all aspects were suitable, she would go back and pry to see if Shen Shu had any ideas.

Hong Xiuhua shook her head, the next three in the family are all younger brothers, they are all young, her family has no mother, the eldest sister is like a mother, the family depends on her to take care of it, and she can't get married early.

Shen Shiliu had a spectrum in his heart, so he asked, "What does Sister Xiuhua want to marry?" Do you think my brother is good like that? ”

This question, Hong Xiuhua made a big red face, Shen Shimei saw this reaction and felt that it was very open!

Hong Xiuhua hurriedly said: "I'm half a year older than the big tree!" ”

Shen Shiliu has already started to laugh in his heart, even his brother's birthday knows, it seems that this Hong Xiuhua still has some thoughts, but he has not dared to say it all along