There were more and more people along the way, and soon they arrived at the open space in front of the ancestral hall.

The village chief sat in front of the ancestral hall while frowning and smoking.

Many people ran to ask: “Village chief, why did you call everyone here?”

The village chief lowered his head and said: “Go, go, I’ll talk about it later when everyone is here.”

Everyone was idle and bored and began to gossip. The most talked about was the drought this year. Several families in poor conditions in the village had long since run out of food, and could only survive by looking for wild vegetables in the back mountains.

Everyone sighed. Their life was so miserable.

Seeing that the open space was densely packed with people, the village chief shouted: “Are everyone here?”

Everyone responded in a mixed manner: “We’re here.”

“Village chief, if you have something to say, just say it. We have to go back to cook.”

The village chief puffed his pipe a few times and said, “Quiet, quiet!”

“Next, what I want to say is very important, please don’t make any noise.”

The crowd fell silent, and the village chief climbed onto a stool and waved his hand: “My fellow villagers, this year’s drought has reached this point, and life is difficult for everyone.”

“What I want to tell everyone is that this drought is not something that will end this year. I’m afraid there will be 2 more years!”

The crowd immediately went crazy: “2 more years? We don’t know if we can survive this year, but there will be another drought next year. Our whole family will starve to death.”

“I’m afraid the village chief is talking nonsense. I have lived for decades but have never seen a severe drought for three consecutive years.”

Someone shouted: “Village chief, you said there will be another 2 years of drought. How did you know?”

The village chief picked up the tobacco pole and knocked it hard a few times: “How do I know? My ancestors told me in a dream!”

“Believe it or not!”

Last night, Gu Laoer showed him the Book of Heaven. It clearly stated that there was a three-year drought in the five northern counties. He was also knowledgeable about the paper on which the Book of Heaven was written. He had never seen that kind of paper. It was strong and light in texture. It was dense and didn’t look like something from Daying.

He and Gu Zhang have agreed that this Book of Heaven cannot be exposed. If the government finds out about it, they will be arrested and imprisoned immediately.

It can only be said to be a dream entrusted to us by our ancestors.

“Quiet, quiet, I haven’t finished speaking yet!” the village chief shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Yesterday, my distant nephew came over and told me the news that this drought is not only affecting our county but also affecting the five surrounding counties!”

“What, so many places were affected?”

“Is this true or not?”

Few people know this news, mainly because transportation in this era was underdeveloped, let alone communication tools.

Those with some knowledge immediately thought in their minds that if the affected area was large, the food shortage would be huge. Even if food can be transported from the south, the price of food will probably rise!

They have to go and stock up on food quickly.

The village chief stood on a stool and shouted at the top of his lungs: “This is our current situation. Our village is relatively wealthy, but most families can barely feed themselves. I heard that several families in the next village have already fled to famine.”

“I called everyone here today to tell you that my family and Gu Zhang’s family have agreed to leave and go to the south.”

“Everyone who wants to go can go with us together. By then, we can look for each other along the way. Otherwise, if your food is gone, you will get so hungry that you won’t even have the strength to go on the road.”

After the village chief finished speaking, everyone could no longer hold back, and some shouted: “I won’t leave. Our ancestors have been living here for generations. And I can’t leave here, family has no place to live outside!”

“That’s right, it’s dangerous to escape from famine. My grandfather escaped from famine before. 4 of the 8 members of his family died on the road.”

The old man said stubbornly: “I won’t leave, I’ll die at home.”