Chapter 35: Exchanging New Rice for Old Grain
Even so, Lin Sanniang was entirely willing to trade herself for her daughter’s safety. Looking at Taoya, she nodded gently. “Alright. Once Mother is fully recovered, I will go to the shrine of the Goddess to beg for a chance.”
If the immortals demanded something in exchange, let them take hers—so long as her children remained safe and sound.
Taoya coaxed Lin Sanniang into drinking the medicine. “I’ve already brought the medicine back, so please just drink it.”
After taking the medicine, Lin Sanniang’s body improved day by day.
Two days later, she was finally strong enough to withstand the wind. True to what Taoya had suggested, she went to the Goddess shrine to pray for a chance.
She also measured out a tiny portion of the precious, fine rice and carried it with her to the estate of the wealthy family where she used to work as a hired hand.
Last year’s autumn harvest had been terrible, and no new grain had come in yet this year. While the wealthy household did not lack rice and grain, even they did not possess new rice of such refined quality.
The moment the female manager caught sight of the refined rice inside Lin Sanniang’s cloth pouch, her eyes lit up.
She reached in, scooped up a handful, and cradled it in her palm, looking closer with growing delight.
The masters hated eating stale, old rice, but the new rice available on the market was always full of empty husks. The grains were never plump, lacked fragrance, and tasted poor. No matter how meticulously the servants picked through it, they could never produce rice that satisfied the masters.
The manager was secretly thrilled, but she kept a harsh expression on her face. Peering into the cloth pouch, she said disdainfully, “Just this little bit? Who is this supposed to feed?”
Lin Sanniang kept her eyes fixed on the woman’s hand—the manager still hadn’t returned the handful of rice.
Her words were soft, yet her stance remained resolute. “This is all I have. My eldest brother-in-law escorted a shipment to the provincial capital, and on the way, they ran into bandits. He took a knife wound to save the master’s life, and that was the only reason they rewarded him with this small amount. It was originally meant to be saved for my eldest sister’s newborn baby.”
Lin Sanniang pursed her lips. “Manager Zhang, I only came to you first because we are well-acquainted. If you do not want it, I shall simply head to the eastern side of the city.”
The wealthy lived in the south, while the nobility resided in the east. Both areas were full of people who could afford refined grains. With rice as excellent as hers, she would not lack buyers.
Manager Zhang’s eyes darted back and forth. She did happen to know that Lin Sanniang indeed had an eldest brother-in-law who worked for a security convoy, so the story behind the rice checked out.
With one hand still gripping the rice, her other hand lifted the cloth pouch to heft its weight. “Is it truly just this much?”
Lin Sanniang dug her heels in. “Only this much.”
This amount, which was just under half a catty, was her absolute limit.
She stared at Manager Zhang, her expression calm though her heart was pounding like a drum. She had intentionally brought up her brother-in-law’s profession, hoping to use his reputation as a convoy guard to deter Manager Zhang’s greed.
If a person lacked backing, the little goods they held would only be stolen away by others for nothing.
Sure enough, after hefting the bag for a long time and questioning her once more about how the rice was obtained, Manager Zhang asked rather reluctantly, “Then what do you want to trade it for?”
The manager held tight to the coins in her possession and wouldn’t easily part with them. But the estate’s supplies were a different story—especially items that weren’t strictly inventoried, which she had the authority to handle.
Having worked as a hired hand for so long, Lin Sanniang naturally understood this. She couldn’t trade for money or strictly counted goods. What she wanted to trade for was the kind of massive vat where a loss of a catty or two would go entirely unnoticed.
“Old grain or old wheat, whatever you have is fine, but I want four catties.”
Before coming here, she had inquired at the grain shops. This year’s new rice hadn’t come down yet, and because of last year’s poor harvest, not much of last year’s rice remained. Most of what was being sold now was stale rice from the year before last.
The price of rice was thirty percent higher than the price of grain, and new rice was fifty percent more expensive than old rice. Old rice from the previous year was even cheaper.
Factoring in that Manager Zhang could win her master’s favor by presenting this refined rice… asking for four catties of old grain was entirely reasonable.
Sure enough, Manager Zhang practically jumped to her feet, ready to curse. “Are you mad? Less than half a catty, and you want to trade it for four catties of grain?”
Lin Sanniang was terrified inside. Although Manager Zhang was also a servant, to someone like her, the woman was still an authority figure she couldn’t afford to offend.
But the moment Lin Sanniang remembered that this was something Taoya had risked her life to bring back, she refused to bow her head, no matter how frightened she was. “It was traded at the risk of a life… If it is less than four catties, I will not trade.”
Manager Zhang was absolutely furious, loudly berating Lin Sanniang for opening her mouth too wide, calling her an ungrateful wretch who bit the hand that fed her, and a black-hearted, dirt-poor beggar…
Lin Sanniang listened in silence.
None of it mattered, so long as she could secure grain. Stale grain was fine; as long as there was food, they could stay alive.
As the saying went, the one who complains about the goods is the one who wants to buy.
Manager Zhang cursed up a storm until her throat practically went dry, yet Lin Sanniang did nothing but stare intently at the manager’s hand, which was still clutching the handful of refined rice.
The manager had squeezed the refined rice so hard her palm was practically sweating, but Lin Sanniang refused to back down.
In the end, Manager Zhang gave in. She tossed the rice back into the cloth pouch with a resentful look—though she did it with a touch of caution, terrified that a single grain of this refined rice might spill.
“Just you wait!”
Manager Zhang spat out the words, shut the door, and went inside.
Lin Sanniang waited by the side entrance, pressing herself tightly against the wooden door and the stone wall, not daring to move an inch away.
The street outside was full of desperately starving people. She couldn’t let anyone know she had food on her.
Manager Zhang returned relatively quickly, and she truly brought four catties of old rice with her. She said disdainfully, “Where would I get unhusked grain right now? Fetching grain requires the chief steward to open the granary doors! I had to search all over the place for a long time just to scrape this together from my own rations for you.”
Just like Manager Zhang had done earlier, Lin Sanniang opened the cloth sack and scooped a handful from the bottom to examine it closely. It was yellowish old rice, mixed with husks, grit, and a few bits of dried grass.
But the weight was correct.
Although Manager Zhang had a sharp tongue, she had given her nearly four catties of old rice, which was far better than unhusked grain.
Lin Sanniang hurriedly offered her thanks. Manager Zhang snatched away the cloth pouch containing the refined rice, her tone still lacking any warmth. “Next time you get your hands on any good stuff, come find me first! I won’t let you lose out!”
Lin Sanniang agreed repeatedly, finally letting a small smile break through. “I know. It’s because you have a kind heart that I came to find you.”
While Manager Zhang was somewhat greedy and had a harsh tongue, she was already a good person compared to the managers of other estates.
At the very least, as a fellow woman, Manager Zhang would not take advantage of her position to inflict another layer of suffering upon a woman who was already struggling.
Hearing these words, Manager Zhang’s expression finally softened a bit. Her tone remained gruff, but it carried a touch of genuine goodwill. “With your family’s situation, the eldest child isn’t capable of handling things yet, so everything relies on you. Take good care of your health. When the estate needs extra hands in a while, I will look for you again.”
Saying this, she added an extra warning, “It’s dangerous out there. Hide the rice securely before you go out. I’ll have the little maidservant leave the door unbolted for you.”
Lin Sanniang thanked her with all her heart. Standing just inside the side entrance, she divided and tucked the rice away, hiding a bit in her sleeves, her trouser legs, around her waist, and inside her basket. Only after thanking the maidservant who held the door did she step out through the side entrance.
The moment she stepped outside, she reverted to her sickly appearance, hunching her back, covering her mouth, and coughing as she scraped along the edge of the walls.
She first paid a visit to the home of her eldest sister, Lin Daniang.
Over the years, since Taoya’s father had passed away, her household lacked a man to anchor it and had faced no shortage of bullying. Fortunately, she lived close to Lin Daniang and frequently received her care.
The words Lin Sanniang had spoken to Manager Zhang weren’t entirely fabrications either. Her eldest sister, Lin Daniang, had indeed just given birth to a baby who was now only two months old.
Lin Daniang hadn’t recovered properly from her postpartum confinement and couldn’t leave the house, so she was completely unaware of Lin Sanniang’s illness.
Seeing Lin Sanniang’s sickly countenance now, Lin Daniang began to weep with anger once more. “Our second sister married thousands of miles away, and we won’t see her for the rest of our lives. If something happens to you now, wouldn’t I be the only one left in this world?”
Lin Sanniang quickly comforted her. “I’m already much better, already much better. Don’t cry. If you ruin your eyes from crying, what will happen to the baby?”
At the mention of the baby, Lin Daniang grew even more despairing. She looked at the monkey-like infant wrapped in swaddling clothes beside her, her heart aching terribly.
“I hate this body of mine. In times like these, even adults can barely survive, yet this little boy just had to be reincarnated into my womb.”
At the same time, she wept over the child’s poor fate, being born into such a destitute family that couldn’t even keep him fed.
Lin Sanniang looked around. Lin Daniang’s older children had all gone out to forage for food, so the house was empty. The doors and windows were firmly shut because Lin Daniang couldn’t be exposed to the wind. Only then did she feel safe enough to pull out the small cloth pouch from her basket.
“There is one catty of rice here. Simmer it into porridge for the baby to drink, and have some yourself.”
Lin Daniang’s household was also desperately short on food. Although her husband had a job with the security convoy, the convoy business was difficult to manage during a famine year like this. The starving refugees and migrants along the roads would raid the cargo the moment they grew desperate enough.
They had just lost a shipment at the beginning of the year. He had been away for a whole month, didn’t see a single copper coin in wages, and even took a knife wound.
Meanwhile, Lin Daniang’s older children were growing fast and ate even more, yet they hadn’t reached the age where they could work to support the family.
Lin Daniang’s family was not having an easy time either, yet they still secretly helped her out from time to time. Lin Sanniang kept all of this in her heart.
Right now, she still had three and a half catties of refined rice at home, which she could slowly trade for old grain. The two catties of white flour were far too eye-catching, so she didn’t dare take them out. She planned to trade them for some gray flour later, mix them together, and consume it themselves.
Now that her illness was cured and she could go out to work for others, she wanted to come visit her sister.
Weighing the grain in her hands, Lin Daniang felt a surge of joy. Although she had helped Lin Sanniang out of her own free will, Lin Sanniang had never taken her kindness for granted. Knowing how to return a favor, she had brought food to visit her during such a difficult time, causing all the grievances in Lin Daniang’s heart to vanish instantly.
Yet, as she thought of their deep sisterly bond while her own health remained poor, Lin Daniang’s eyes reddened once more.
“Dear sister, I won’t hide it from you. Ever since I gave birth to this little monkey, my body has grown weaker by the day. It’s not that I didn’t want to visit you and Taoya, but I truly cannot leave the house.”
Lin Daniang found it difficult to speak of. To this day, her lower body hadn’t seen a single day of cleanliness. The continuous trickling of blood left her feeling utterly terrified.
