After I Became a Refugee Fleeing Famine

One day, Shen Youran transmigrated into the famine years of the Great Xing Dynasty.

Looking at the farmlands, ravaged by years of drought and yielding no harvest, he gritted his teeth and joined the refugees, bringing his grandmother and young brother along.

In the end, the thirteen families who had kept one another warm along the way settled in Jiling County, Jiazhou. At the foot of Shuang'er Mountain, they built a small village.

Determined not to let the transmigrators down, Shen Youran put all his energy into planning the new village's development. First, he would solve the problem of food and clothing, then lead the whole village toward a comfortable life.

"What's a comfortable life?" asked Jiang Tianxu, who had just been discharged from the army and sent home.

"It means every household has a donkey and a cart, everyone can eat their fill and stay warm, and there's money saved for emergencies. The elderly without family are cared for, and children can go to school and learn to read..."

Jiang Tianxu listened quietly, imagining the world Shen Youran described.

Shen Youran turned and smiled. "Brother Xu, will you come help us?"

Looking at the young man before him, who seemed to glow, Jiang Tianxu nodded solemnly.

As the days passed, the village dug wells and ponds, built chicken coops and a mill, and eventually even opened a school.

The food stall in town also became a proper shop...

Year after year, the little village of Tongxin finally put down roots on this land.

Reading Guide

1. No husband-and-wife or childbirth setting!

2. Everyday family life, with a warm and healing feel!

3. No golden finger! They won't get rich overnight!

4. A touch of ensemble cast.

5. The refugee journey is not shown in detail. The story opens after they have already completed it.

My next novel will be a farming story in the same setting, Smoke Rising in the Mountain Hollow. Here's the blurb:

In the third year of Qixing, the war was over.

Two people followed the group returning to Qinzhou, keeping some distance behind them.

A tall, sturdy man pushed a wheelbarrow carrying two rolled-up bedding sets and a pile of pots, bowls, and other belongings.

A slender young man sat beside him, one leg slightly bent.

The men walking ahead kept glancing back, then turning around to whisper.

"Squad Leader Liu... is he really taking that man home?"

The man beside him curled his lip. "What squad leader? He was dismissed because of that man!"

"Tsk. Speaking of which, I wonder what he sees in him," the first man continued. "He threw away a fine future, and now that man can barely even walk, but he still treats him like a treasure."

Someone winked, then began making crude remarks. "Song Zhu is so fair and delicate. What do you think he's after?"

The men burst into laughter. More people turned around to stare at the pair behind them, their gazes full of every sort of implication.

Under those looks, Song Zhu lowered his already bowed head even further. His hand, resting at his side, kept picking at the ankle of his right leg.

The cart suddenly stopped.

Liu Qingfeng bent down and offered Song Zhu a bamboo flask, his voice as gentle as if soothing a child. "A Jun, have a drink of water."

Song Zhu didn't move. After a long while, he raised his reddened eyes. Tears welled in them, ready to fall.

"Am I... only holding you back now?"

"You're not holding me back."

Liu Qingfeng crouched down and looked up at him. Then he took Song Zhu's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry. When we get there, I'll take you up the mountain. No one there knows us. We'll never have to hear those comments or endure those stares again."

"From now on, it'll just be the two of us. We'll make a good life together, all right?"

A tear fell onto the back of Liu Qingfeng's hand.

Song Zhu hurriedly wiped at his eyes, but the tears only kept coming. After a long while, he finally answered in a muffled voice.

"...All right."

Only then did Liu Qingfeng smile. He wiped the corner of Song Zhu's eye with a rough fingertip, but his touch was gentle.

"Good boy."

Theme: Work hard and persevere; the greater your ability, the greater your responsibility.