Seeing that the atmosphere had settled, the man spoke slowly.
"My name is Son. I assure you, we will not take your food for free. Among us are many women who know how to grow straw mushrooms; they can help improve everyone's meals."
At the mention of straw mushrooms, a buzz of discussion immediately went through the crowd.
With the drought, there were no vegetables to eat. They had been gnawing on corn cakes every day to the point they had forgotten what straw mushrooms even tasted like.
Seeing that the people's attitude had softened and they were huddled together discussing mushrooms, the man let out a faint, inaudible snort. His goal achieved, he said no more and stepped back behind the village chief.
The village chief saw that the time was right and said, "Everyone, contribute what you can from your homes. We are not taking things from these people for free, are we?"
The crowd hesitated for a moment, but some, unable to resist their craving, nodded in agreement.
I glanced at Fatty Bang, signaling that I was leaving first.
Fatty Bang didn't want to stay long either and left with me.
Fatty Bang was puzzled. "It's strange. If they know how to grow straw mushrooms, logically, they shouldn't be this hungry."
"That stuff can't fill your belly like grain can. Eating it once in a while is fine, but you definitely can't survive on it every day."
Fatty Bang slapped the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly. "You're right. I forgot about that."
Fatty Bang's consideration had merit. I thought this matter was certainly not that simple.
"If the village asks for a grain contribution, I'll contribute. But I won't take their mushrooms."
Fatty Bang looked a bit troubled. I knew his family's situation. The origins of that group's things were unclear; he wouldn't dare let his children eat them.
"Don't worry. If they ask for a contribution, I'll give it for you. I'll think of a reason. I still have vegetables on the trellis behind my house, and I'll bring you some grain tonight."
There was no need for formalities between Fatty Bang and me. He agreed without hesitation.
My grandfather and I couldn't eat all this grain anyway, and there was still a lot stored in the warehouse.
I planned to clear some land in that space in a few days to plant wheat.
Fatty Bang was a trustworthy person, and I was willing to lend him a hand.
As for how long I could help, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. It was best to take things one day at a time.
The next day, the village chief, along with a few men from the outsider group, went from house to house collecting the donated grain.
They also asked for some corn stalks, rice straw, peanut shells, and soybean stalks.
It seemed that group of people really did know how to grow those things.
I hadn't had time to bring my corn stalks back then, so when Fatty Bang went to collect them, I gave them all to him.
I directly gave some cornmeal for both my household and Fatty Bang's.
The village chief was still holding a grudge about me talking back to him last time, so he didn't give me a pleasant look. He took the things and left, which saved me the trouble of explaining.
The outsiders all worked in silence and were rarely seen wandering around the village.
The skinny, dark-skinned children also didn't play much with the village kids.
I heard from Van, Fatty Bang's little sister, that those children ignored everyone. When they looked at people, their faces were gloomy and very scary. She didn't dare let her younger brother play with them.
These children... no, this whole group of people... really had a problem.
Compared to their strangeness, what benefit had the village chief received to make him keep them here?
I rubbed my eyes, not wanting to think about these things anymore. As long as the people I cared about were safe, I would deal with other matters as they came.
Fatty Bang's cow gave birth to a calf, and he brought it over to me.
I knew his intention and didn't want to say much.
The young goats I had been raising in the backyard for the past few months had grown quite a bit; they could be good company for this calf.
The goats and chickens raised in the space were all fat and well-fed.
The pasture in there had favorable weather, the grass grew green and tender, and the area was spacious, perfect for raising goats.
I pitied the goats in the yard.
I planned to move them to the other side of the village in a few days to let them run around; keeping them cooped up all the time wasn't good.
Banh Nep was also being quite a handful at home, constantly wanting me to take him out to play.
Speaking of Banh Nep, he was quite interesting. The little guy loved meat; with white rice, he could eat several large bowls. He looked fierce, and for his small body, his appetite was impressive.
He loved strawberries and tomatoes; perhaps he liked anything red.
Before I knew Banh Nep liked strawberries, I had given a lot to Fatty Bang. When I got home, I wondered why Banh Nep was no longer clinging to me.
As soon as he saw me, his dark, glossy eyes looked at me with grievance, shimmering with moisture as if tears would fall the next second.
When I went to pick him up, he turned his butt to me, refusing to pay me any mind.
This behavior couldn't help but remind me of Khang; he acts exactly like Banh Nep when he feels wronged.
In a village with blocked-off information, no one knew anything about the situation outside. We didn't know what the outside world had become because of this drought, nor if the higher-ups had any measures to deal with the situation.
The stream on the cliff had solved the village's urgent need for water, but the fields yielded no harvest. How much surplus food could farmers who were used to favorable weather possibly have in reserve?
In the space, although most of the time it was sunny with a gentle breeze, there was a division of day and night, sun and rain. The temperature was always mild and pleasant.
Ever since that group of people started growing straw mushrooms, the villagers would occasionally stop by the cultural center to check on the news, and there were fewer prying eyes on my house.
More than half a month passed in what could be considered peace.
Early in the morning, I cooked some soy milk to drink as a light meal.
Grandfather went with Fatty Bang to the cliff to fetch water. They also had to put on a show for others to see, to avoid troublesome gossip.
After Grandfather left, I locked the door carefully and entered the space.
A few days ago, I had planned to plant some things in here; I didn't want to let myself be too idle.
Although life here was peaceful, it was also somewhat boring. It couldn't compare to the life in the city with the internet and nightlife.
Even though I never really cared for those things, I felt that being too idle makes it easy for the mind to wander.