"When will you enter the mountains?"

Old Liao nodded in the direction of the squad leader.

Li Gang, who was listening to the conversation between the two people silently, saw that their eyes were cast on him. Without thinking, he told them the plan he had planned long ago.

"We'll go after we finish planting your land. We'll also patrol the mountains and collect samples for the research institute. After that, we'll come back to your place to rest for a couple of days before we have to return to the barracks."

"Then squad leader, can I go with you?" Ningxia's eyes were full of hope.

She also wanted to go into the mountains to store some meat for Yan Hanyue to eat, but she could only wander around the foot of the mountain at most and did not dare to go deeper.

Li Gang smiled and said, "Yes, but it's better not to, because we are going deep into the mountains. You are fine, but it's a bit risky for you to take Lin Yi and Sang Sang with you."

Ningxia thought about this, feeling somewhat frustrated. Hunting wasn't like traveling, so she left with caution. Hunting meant challenging ferocious predators, and bringing two children with her was simply too risky.

"Lao Liao will draw you a blueprint later. You pick a good spot and we'll dig a vegetable cellar for you so you can get through the winter."

"Ah?" The topic changed so quickly that Ningxia couldn't react for a moment.

"Old Liao is from Baimingzhou in the north. He understands this. I'll dig a vegetable cellar for you so it will be more convenient for you."

Ningxia knew this. Before the beginning of the war, Qingniao State was not as cold as Baiming State, and almost no one built and used vegetable cellars here.

After the first sprouts, the temperature difference across the country is greatly reshuffled, and the vegetable cellar is really convenient.

Ningxia hadn't expected them to be so thoughtful about her, helping her with everything without asking for any reward. She simply believed that helping the residents of the forest area was their duty.

But how could there be such help? Why didn't they help Mu Yuanqing? It was just because of their friendship and affection with me.

Ningxia said solemnly: "Thank you, squad leader, thank you all!"

Li Gang smiled nonchalantly, "You're welcome. Helping the residents of the forest area is our duty."

The tone and content were exactly as she had expected. Ningxia burst out laughing, her eyebrows curved and her eyes full of warmth.

At night, Ningxia arranged for several people to go to bed before taking the brother and sister back to their room.

The weather is suitable now, and I originally planned to let Lin Yi sleep alone, after all, Sangsang is already nine years old.

Now that he was familiar with the environment, it shouldn't be a big problem for Lin Yi to have his own room. But now he could only move to the children's room after the squad leader and the others returned to the barracks.

The brothers and sisters hadn't even spoken a few words during the night when they heard overwhelming snoring outside the door.

The conversation stopped abruptly, the three of them smiled at each other, and then Lin Yi silently reached out and turned off the light. The three siblings adapted to this autumn 'lullaby' and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"Squad leader, are we going to plant seeds today?"

After eating the fish porridge cooked in Ningxia, it was not yet seven o'clock and Li Gang and his friends were ready to go to the fields again.

After hearing Ningxia ask this question, Lao Liao realized what Ningxia meant when she said she didn't know how to farm.

"We're just getting started. Today we'll plow the ground and plant the seeds tomorrow. We were supposed to spread some fertilizer and let the soil rest for a few days, but we don't have the conditions right now. We've already shortened the process a lot. You can't just plow the ground on the first day and plant the seeds the next day."

Ningxia smiled sheepishly, then stood up and grabbed a hoe from the stairwell. "I'll go with you today. I'll learn how to turn the soil for a while, and then I'll come back to cook when it's almost time."

"Then why don't you just come back and cook today? Just make do with the leftover porridge and stir-fried bok choy, and the few steamed buns from yesterday afternoon.

Otherwise, you'd have to till the soil and cook at the same time, which would be too tiring. Just till the soil as much as you can, or not tilling it at all is fine. We brothers will take care of it all."

Old Liao and the others thought so much of her that Ningxia had no way to express her gratitude and could only nod heavily.

The adults were busy with farm work these days, and even Lin Yi didn't stop working. This made Sangsang very happy.

No one cared about her reading, or her studying the pinyin she hadn't yet mastered. She just had to drink her Chinese medicine at every meal. Ningxia was too busy growing vegetables to care about anything else.

The little girl takes Maomao out to play every day. They stand on one ridge and sing a song, or sit on another ridge, raise their little face, puff out their cheeks and blow a dandelion. It's so comfortable!

"Are you... Sangsang?" Mu Yuanqing looked at the little girl playing happily in the water opposite him, and looked her up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

The sudden sound startled Sangsang and made her a little flustered. She stood up and walked to Maomao, pressing close to its warm body, trying to gain some sense of security.

She stared blankly at the woman opposite her. She didn't understand why there was a stranger near her home and why she knew her name was Sangsang.

There was a hint of vigilance in Sangsang's eyes, but the woman looked at her with softness and tenderness. She hesitated for a while and finally nodded slightly.

Mu Yuanqing smiled gently, "Don't be afraid, I just moved nearby, I know your sister."

After hearing her say this, Sangsang became less alert, but still did not take the initiative to talk.

"Why don't you go to the fields and help your sister farm?"

Seeing that she even knew about her family's farming business, Sangsang frowned and said, "Xia Xia doesn't allow me to talk to strangers."

Mu Yuanqing chuckled, his eyes full of kindness, "I'm not a stranger! I'm your sister's friend, just call me Aunt Qing."

Friends? Sangsang wondered, like she and Monkey Xiaopeng? That's what the picture books at home said, anyway.

"Aunt Qing's family also has a baby who is as cute as Sangsang. If you are bored, you can go and play with the baby."

Sangsang's eyes lit up for a moment, and then he shook his head firmly.

Mu Yuanqing didn't force him, believing there was plenty of time to go. She pulled a pomegranate nearly as big as Sangsang's head from her bag and tossed it over, landing safely in the grass at Sangsang's feet.

"This is for you. Take it home and share it with your brothers and sisters." After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Sangsang's reaction.

Sangsang looked at the not-so-tall figure, scratched her head in confusion, hesitated for a while, and finally put the big pomegranate on the ground into her pocket. She went home and asked Xia Xia before eating it.

Over there, a few people were busy working in the fields and no one noticed the little episode here.

Li Gang and the other three went to the river. Ningxia looked at the pomegranate in front of her and fell into deep thought. What did she mean by this? Was it simply a gesture of goodwill? Or was there some other motive?

Seeing Sangsang's curious eyes staring at the pomegranate, Ningxia sighed softly, picked up the pomegranate, split it in two, and handed half to her.

"Eat, share it with your brother. From now on, you can't go to the other side of the river without my permission, no matter what others say, understand?"

Sangsang looked at the bright red fruit, nodded repeatedly, took the pomegranate handed to her by Ningxia, and happily went to share it with her brother.

After five days of hard work, all the adults, except for the brother and sister and Yimao, were exhausted. Farming was truly exhausting and strenuous.

Lao Liao secretly said that this was much more tiring than training in the military camp.

Ningxia took a short nap, got up and cooked a table full of dishes before waking up Li Gang and others. He gobbled them up without saying anything.