Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the families had already woken up.

The dilapidated house was drafty, with cold winds seeping in through the cracks in the walls, making one's bones ache. Several women lit a fire early in the morning, took out some of the grain they had been allocated the day before, and cooked a pot of coarse rice porridge. Although it was a bit thin, drinking it hot finally warmed their stomachs and made their complexions look better.

Several families had just finished eating breakfast together, and before they could even clear the dishes, they heard footsteps outside.

The man who arrived was Tian Dasheng, the son of the village chief he had met yesterday. Dressed in a patched-up tuxedo, he stood outside the courtyard and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone! Each family must send a representative to the village meeting to discuss your resettlement!"

Jiang Xing put down his bowl. Shen Dehou looked around. The families discussed and decided that each family's head man would go. Since Jiang Xing was in charge in the Jiang family, he and his third uncle would go together.

Although Tian Dasheng said it was for discussion, they would only know the specifics after they went there.

"The rest of you stay put, guard the food and luggage, and don't wander around," Shen Dehou instructed, turning around. Everyone nodded in agreement.

The village chief's wife, Shen, replied, "Go ahead without worry. We'll take care of things at home."

Jiang Xing and his group followed Tian Dasheng for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Not long after they left, some villagers from Maocao Village began to gather outside the earthen wall.

Most of the villagers were women and idle men, who stood outside the wall craning their necks to look inside, as if they were looking at some rare object.

The women in the courtyard exchanged glances but remained silent, continuing with their work.

A woman carrying a vegetable basket glanced into the courtyard, clicked her tongue twice, and said to her companion, "Look at these people, they're all skin and bones, their faces are sunken. They must have suffered so much. They must have walked over a thousand miles from the north to get here. They're so pitiful."

The woman next to her, who was eating sunflower seeds, didn't seem to care. She spat the shells all over the ground, rolled her eyes, and said, "Why are you meddling in all this? These days, who has an easy life? There are plenty of pitiful people out there. Can you possibly pity them all? Just mind your own business."

Then a mean-looking old woman pursed her lips and looked at the people in the courtyard with disdain. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people inside to hear: "The harvest was already bad. There were only so many wild vegetables to eat on the mountain, not even enough for us villagers. Now, dozens of mouths have suddenly appeared. From now on, we won't even have a chance to dig for wild vegetables. Why should we?"

These words were truly harsh. The women clenched their fists, took a deep breath, and ultimately held back. They were newcomers, barely established themselves, and it wasn't worth getting into a fight.

They could endure it, but Chen Sumei couldn't.

Chen Sumei was proud and had never suffered such humiliation back in her hometown. Now that she was being ridiculed like this to her face, how could she swallow this insult?

She abruptly stood up, walked a few steps to the wall, and shouted at the mean-spirited old woman, "What's it to you? We were sent here by the imperial court. After changing our household registration, we are now residents of Maocao Village. The things on this mountain are naturally grown; whoever digs them up first owns them. It's none of anyone else's business to interfere!"

The old woman, not expecting the people inside to dare talk back, paused for a moment, then spat fiercely on the ground, put her hands on her hips, and said in a shrill voice, "We're not even sure if you're from Thatch Village! The village is having a meeting today to discuss this matter. Let me tell you, if we're not happy about it, you'll have to pack your bags and get out of the village. Don't even think about staying on our land!"

Chen Sumei was speechless with embarrassment. She opened her mouth to retort, but found that she couldn't find any words to refute.

She subconsciously glanced back at the crowd behind her, but no one stood up to speak for her.

Zhang pursed her lips, her face pale. Hu also looked troubled. It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but what the other person said was right. The village meeting today was about to discuss this matter. If they were really driven away, where could they go?