Chapter 251: Running Out of Food

Two hundred and fifty-one, breaking the grain.

"What do you mean by breaking the grain?"

"It means there's no food."

"No food?" The faces of the people listening changed.

"Right, no food," Hei Tou replied with a bitter smile, "All the food we brought is almost gone. Yesterday, everyone had some millet porridge for dinner, and the pots are scraped clean. From today on, everyone will be hungry."

"How can there be no food? We brought two full large sacks!"

"Yes, two sacks, but how many people are there? Almost two hundred! We've been eating for a month, and the grain is naturally gone."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" someone accused.

"I've been trying to say it, but everyone is so happy these days, and the grain is still there, so I couldn't bring myself to say it. Yesterday, after dinner, I scraped the pots, and there was really nothing left. If I don't say it now, we'll really starve to death." Hei Tou's voice was choked with emotion.

The others' faces also became heavy.

"Can we go to the village to buy some?" someone suggested.

"Buy? With what money? You've used up all the money you brought from home, haven't you? Even if you haven't, how much is left? And with so many people, can you buy enough food even if you sell all your belongings?" Hei Tou shook his head.

Everyone fell silent.

"What should we do then? Are we just going to starve?"

"What else can we do? We'll try to hunt some pheasants and rabbits, and dig up some wild vegetables. That's probably all we can do."

Someone's eyes lit up. "Is there anything to eat in the mountains?"

"Maybe, but not much. This mountain isn't very big, and there are many people who come here to dig wild vegetables and collect firewood. There probably isn't much left."

"Let's go and see!" Someone stood up.

"Let's go, let's go together!"

Immediately, several people stood up and walked towards the mountains.

Hei Tou looked at them and sighed.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Let's go too. We'll also go into the mountains to find some food."

"Okay."

The Master and Hei Tou also walked towards the mountains.

As the sky gradually darkened, the people who went into the mountains returned one after another.

"How was it? Did you find anything?"

"Nothing! We dug up a few wild herbs, not enough to even fill a tooth cavity."

"Yeah, we couldn't find anything either. We went to the stream, but we didn't even see a fish."

"It seems we really have to starve."

"What's going on? Why is it so difficult to find food in the mountains now? Didn't people say before that the mountains are full of treasures and you won't starve even if you enter them empty-handed?"

"That's just talk. Nowadays, there are so many people, and the mountains have been searched many times. There isn't much left."

"What should we do then? We can't really starve, can we?"

"I don't know, maybe we can ask the villagers for some."

"Ask? How can we ask? Can you speak their language?"

"Even if you can, people don't have much food themselves. Besides, they are afraid of us. Who would give us food?"

"Then what should we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die."

"Why don't we go back? We can't stay here anymore."

"Go back? How do we go back? It took us so long to get here. We don't have money for the return journey, and we don't have food. Even if we had money and food, can you walk back?"

"Then we're just stuck here waiting for death?"

"I don't know."

A wave of despair spread among the crowd. They had thought that coming here would lead them to a good life, but they hadn't expected to face such a situation.

Just then, a group of people walked over.

"Master, everyone is hungry, what should we do?" someone asked.

The Master's face was also full of worry.

"Alas, I didn't expect things to turn out like this either. I thought that after a month, the local government would have made arrangements, but I didn't expect..." The Master sighed deeply.

"Master, what should we do now?"

"Let's go to the village. Let's see if we can borrow some food from them."

"Borrow? Can they lend it?"

"We have to try. We can't just sit here and wait."

The Master decided to go to the village to borrow food.

Hei Tou also thought this was the only way.

The Master took a few people and walked towards the village.

"Master, are we going to the village?"

"Yes."

"Can we borrow food?"

"I don't know, but we have to try. Everyone is about to starve to death, we can't just sit here and do nothing."

They arrived at the village.

The villagers were very wary of them. They didn't dare to approach them.

The Master went to the village head's house.

The village head was a thin, dark-skinned old man.

"What are you doing here?" The village head looked at them with suspicion.

"Village head, we are the people who came here from outside. We are out of food, so we came to borrow some food from you." The Master explained his purpose.

The village head frowned when he heard that they were out of food.

"Out of food? Then what are you going to do?"

"We want to borrow some from you."

The village head thought for a moment.

"How much do you want to borrow?"

"Can you lend us enough for a few days for everyone?"

The village head hesitated. There were so many people, and they didn't have much food themselves. If they lent it out, they would also have problems.

"How can I lend you so much food? We don't have much food ourselves. If we lend it to you, what will we eat?"

"Village head, we will definitely repay you in the future. We will also pay you interest." The Master promised.

The village head shook his head. "It's not about repaying. We don't have that much food ourselves."

"Village head, please help us. If you don't help us, we will really starve to death."

The village head looked at the pleading faces of the Master and the others and felt a little sympathetic.

"Well then, I can lend you a little bit. How much do you think is enough for a few days?"

The Master thought for a moment. There were almost two hundred people, and if they ate, they would eat a lot. A few days' worth would require a lot of food.

"Village head, can you lend us a few sacks of food?"

The village head's eyes widened. "A few sacks? Are you crazy? We don't have that much food even in our entire village! Even if we did, we wouldn't lend it to you!"

"Village head, please help us. We are really out of options."

The village head shook his head. "I can't help you. We don't have that much food."

"Then how much can you lend us?"

The village head thought for a moment. "I can lend you a hundred jin of grain. That's the most I can do."

A hundred jin of grain? How was that enough for two hundred people for a few days? It wasn't even enough for one meal!

The Master was very disappointed.

"Village head, can you lend us a little more? A hundred jin is not enough for so many people."

"No more. A hundred jin is already the most I can do."

The Master knew that the village head was telling the truth. They were a poor village, and they really didn't have much food.

"Okay, thank you, Village head."

The Master thanked the village head.

The village head had someone measure out a hundred jin of grain for them.

Holding the hundred jin of grain, the Master and the others walked back with heavy hearts.

"Master, how much did you borrow?"

"A hundred jin."

"A hundred jin? How is that enough?"

"Yes, Village head said that's all they have."

Everyone was even more disappointed. A hundred jin of grain wasn't even enough for one meal for everyone.

When they returned to the open space, everyone saw the hundred jin of grain and their faces showed despair.

"Master, what should we do now?"

"I don't know either." The Master's heart was also full of despair.

"Master, why don't we go back? We can't stay here anymore."

"Go back? How do we go back? We don't have money for the return journey, and we don't have food."

"Then we're just going to starve to death here?"

"I don't know."

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded, "Master, I have an idea."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was Hei Tou.

"Hei Tou, what idea do you have?" The Master asked.

"Master, let's go back. We can't stay here anymore."

"Go back? How do we go back? We don't have money, and we don't have food."

"Master, I know a road. We can go back by that road. That road doesn't require money, and it's not far. We can walk back."

"What road?"

"It's a mountain path. It's very rugged, but we can walk back."

"Is it dangerous?"

"It's a bit dangerous, but compared to starving to death here, it's much better."

The Master thought for a moment.

"Okay, let's go back by that road. We can't stay here anymore."

"Okay."

The Master decided to lead everyone back.

"Master, when do we leave?"

"Let's leave tomorrow morning. We have to prepare."

"Prepare what?"

"Prepare some food and water. Although it's not much, it's better than nothing."

"Okay."

Everyone began to prepare.

The hundred jin of grain was distributed, and everyone only got a small handful.

They also boiled some water and filled their water bottles.

The next morning, before dawn, the Master led everyone and set off on the journey back.

They followed the mountain path that Hei Tou mentioned. The path was indeed very rugged and difficult to walk on.

Some people were injured, and some people were exhausted.

But no one gave up. They all knew that this was their only chance to survive.

After walking for a day and a night, they finally walked out of the mountains.

Looking at the road ahead, everyone couldn't help but cheer.

They were finally out!

Although they were very tired, everyone was very excited.

"Master, where are we now?"

"We're out of the mountains. We're almost home."

"Great!"

Everyone was very happy.

They continued walking.

After walking for a while, they encountered a small river.

"Master, what should we do? The river is so wide, we can't cross it."

The Master looked at the river and frowned.

"Don't worry, there must be a way."

Just then, a boat came from upstream.

"Boatman, can you take us across the river?"

The boatman looked at them and hesitated.

"There are so many people, I can't take you all at once."

"Boatman, can you take a few of us first, and then come back to pick up the others?"

"Well, okay then. But it will cost money."

"How much?"

"Ten yuan per person."

Ten yuan per person? There were almost two hundred people! That would be two thousand yuan! They didn't have that much money.

"Boatman, can it be cheaper? We don't have that much money."

"No, it can't be cheaper. If you don't have money, then don't cross."

The boatman's attitude was very firm.

The Master was very anxious.

"Boatman, please, can you make it cheaper? We are all poor people, we really don't have that much money."

"No, it can't be cheaper." The boatman shook his head.

The Master was very disappointed.

Just then, Hei Tou walked over.

"Master, let's go to the next village. Maybe there's a bridge there, or maybe there's someone who can take us across the river for free."

The Master thought for a moment. "Okay, let's go to the next village."

They continued walking along the river.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the next village.

There was a bridge in the village.

"Great, there's a bridge! We can cross the river!"

Everyone was very happy.

They crossed the bridge and continued walking.

After walking for a while, they saw a car coming from the opposite direction.

"Master, look, it's a car!"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Yes, it's a car. Maybe we can take the car."

They stopped the car.

"Master, where are you going?" The driver asked.

"We're going back to our hometown. Can you take us?"

The driver looked at them. There were so many people, and the car was not big.

"There are so many of you, my car can't fit you all."

"Master, can you take a few of us first?"

"No, I can't take so many people. You'll have to find another way."

The driver refused.

The Master was very disappointed.

Just then, Hei Tou walked over.

"Master, don't worry, there must be a way."

They continued walking.

After walking for a while, they came to a fork in the road.

"Master, which way do we go?"

The Master looked at the two roads and hesitated. He didn't know which way to go.

Just then, an old man came from the opposite direction.

"Old man, may I ask which way leads to the city?" The Master asked.

The old man looked at them.

"Are you going to the city?"

"Yes."

"You're going the wrong way. You should go this way." The old man pointed to one of the roads.

"Thank you, old man."

The Master thanked the old man.

They followed the road that the old man pointed out.

After walking for a while, they saw a bus stop.

"Master, look, it's a bus stop! Maybe we can take the bus."

Everyone was very happy.

They waited at the bus stop.

After a while, a bus came.

"Master, where are you going?" The driver asked.

"We're going to the city. Can you take us?"

The driver looked at them.

"There are so many of you, I can't take you all. And you don't have tickets."

"Master, can you take a few of us first? We can buy tickets."

"No, I can't take so many people. You'll have to find another way."

The driver refused.

The Master was very disappointed.

Just then, Hei Tou walked over.

"Master, don't worry, there must be a way."

They continued walking.

After walking for a while, they saw a train station.

"Master, look, it's a train station! We can take the train!"

Everyone was very happy.

They went to the train station.

"Master, where are you going?" The station staff asked.

"We're going to the city. Can we buy tickets?"

The staff looked at them.

"There are so many of you, and you don't have identity cards. You can't buy tickets."

"We don't have identity cards, but we can prove that we are from outside."

"No, you must have identity cards to buy tickets."

The staff refused.

The Master was very disappointed.

Just then, Hei Tou walked over.

"Master, don't worry, there must be a way."

They continued walking.

After walking for a while, they saw a highway.

"Master, look, it's a highway! We can hitchhike!"

Everyone was very happy.

They stood by the highway and tried to hitchhike.

However, no car stopped for them.

Some drivers were scared of them, and some drivers didn't have space.

After a while, they were all very tired.

"Master, we can't hitchhike. No car will stop."

The Master was also very tired.

"Let's rest for a while."

They sat by the highway to rest.

Just then, a police car came.

"What are you doing here?" The police officer asked.

"Officer, we are the people who came here from outside. We are out of food and money, and we want to go back to our hometown."

The police officer looked at them.

"Where are you from?"

"We are from [a certain place]."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes, we are."

The police officer looked at them suspiciously.

"Okay, get in the car. I'll take you to the police station."

The Master and the others got in the police car.

The police officer took them to the police station.

At the police station, the police officers asked them about their situation.

After understanding their situation, the police officers contacted the local government.

The local government sent someone to pick them up and arrange for them to return to their hometown.

They were finally able to return to their hometown.

Although they suffered a lot during this time, they were finally able to go home.

After returning to their hometown, the Master and the others were very grateful to the local government and the police officers.

They decided to work hard to earn money and live a good life.

They also decided to share their experience with others and warn them not to easily believe rumors and go to unknown places.

This experience made them deeply realize the importance of staying grounded and not blindly following trends.

They also learned that home is the best place, and no matter how good the outside world is, it cannot compare to home.

This experience also made them more united and helped them understand the importance of mutual help.

From then on, the Master and the others lived a peaceful and happy life in their hometown.

They worked hard, supported each other, and helped each other.

Their lives got better and better.

They also often told their children and grandchildren about this experience, so that they would not easily believe rumors and would cherish the happy life they have now.

This experience became a precious memory for them.

Although it was a painful experience, it also taught them a lot.

It made them stronger and more mature.

It also made them appreciate life more.

They knew that life was not easy, and they had to work hard to live a good life.

They also knew that home was the most important thing, and no matter what, they had to go home.

This experience also made them more grateful.

They were grateful to the local government and the police officers for their help.

They were also grateful to the villagers and the boatman for their help.

Although some people did not help them, they still felt grateful for the help they received.

They knew that without the help of these people, they would not have been able to return to their hometown.

This experience also made them more united.

They were all from the same place, and they had experienced the same difficulties.

This made them more united and more willing to help each other.

They knew that only by uniting together could they overcome difficulties.

This experience also made them understand the importance of mutual help.

They helped each other on the way back, and they supported each other.

This made them feel the warmth of human nature and the power of mutual help.

They knew that only by helping each other could they live a better life.

This experience also made them understand the importance of staying grounded.

They had been deceived by rumors and had gone to an unknown place, which had caused them to suffer a lot.

This made them understand that they should not easily believe rumors and should stay grounded.

They knew that only by staying grounded could they live a stable life.

This experience also made them understand the importance of cherishing the present.

They had experienced hunger and despair, which made them understand how precious the present life is.

They knew that they should cherish the present and live every day well.

This experience also made them more mature.

They had experienced many difficulties, which had made them more mature and stronger.

They knew that they should not be afraid of difficulties and should face challenges bravely.

This experience also made them appreciate life more.

They had experienced hunger and despair, which had made them appreciate life more.

They knew that life was precious, and they should live every day well.

This experience also made them more grateful.

They were grateful for everything they had.

They were grateful for their family, their friends, and their hometown.

They were also grateful for the help they received from strangers.

They knew that they should be grateful for everything and should live a good life.

This experience also made them more united.

They were all from the same place, and they had experienced the same difficulties.

This made them more united and more willing to help each other.

They knew that only by uniting together could they overcome difficulties.

This experience also made them understand the importance of mutual help.

They helped each other on the way back, and they supported each other.

This made them feel the warmth of human nature and the power of mutual help.

They knew that only by helping each other could they live a better life.

This experience also made them understand the importance of staying grounded.

They had been deceived by rumors and had gone to an unknown place, which had caused them to suffer a lot.

This made them understand that they should not easily believe rumors and should stay grounded.

They knew that only by staying grounded could they live a stable life.

This experience also made them understand the importance of cherishing the present.

They had experienced hunger and despair, which had made them understand how precious the present life is.

They knew that they should cherish the present and live every day well.

This experience also made them more mature.

They had experienced many difficulties, which had made them more mature and stronger.

They knew that they should not be afraid of difficulties and should face challenges bravely.

This experience also made them appreciate life more.

They had experienced hunger and despair, which had made them appreciate life more.

They knew that life was precious, and they should live every day well.

This experience also made them more grateful.

They were grateful for everything they had.

They were grateful for their family, their friends, and their hometown.

They were also grateful for the help they received from strangers.

They knew that they should be grateful for everything and should live a good life.