On the twelfth day, the wildfire was completely extinguished, and the mountains and forests were shrouded in mist and rain all day long, with the towering peaks appearing and disappearing intermittently.

The rain still hadn't stopped, and thin streams of water were flowing all over the hillside.

The flow of the mountain spring next to us has also increased.

Xu Errui enlarged the pit for soaking the oak trees and built a pool by lining the edges with stones and yellow mud, which could hold more water.

Jiang Zhi also dug deeper eaves gutters around the house because the rain had been going on for too long, causing dampness inside and making the base of the walls wet.

She was somewhat worried that the kang, a product of northern China, might not be suitable for her environment.

In the rainy south, even though the charcoal shed was originally located in a place where water wouldn't accumulate, she still felt that water would pool under the kang (heated brick bed).

Despite her concerns, Jiang Zhi still thought the kang (heated brick bed) was a good idea.

These past few days have been rainy and humid, so clothes washed in one day will still look the same the next.

Everyone is used to drying clothes in this cold and damp weather, and they hang them for ten days or half a month until they smell sour.

Or you can dry them in a charcoal brazier, so that when you wear them, you'll smell like smoke all over.

Now that we have a kang (heated brick bed), the fire used to cook breakfast every day can heat the kang, and then we can just throw our wet clothes on the kang mat and let them dry in a day.

Now, we put all the things that need to be kept dry on the kang (a heated brick bed), and only move them down at night when we need to sleep.

The biggest beneficiary is Xiaoman's family. Their shed is against the mountain wall, and with the heavy rains, water is flowing into the mountain wall inside their house.

If it were before, living there would be like being in a water dungeon.

Now that there's a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and a fire wall, Xu Dazhu not only doesn't feel cold on the kang, but also stays dry. He doesn't even have to worry about changing the mattress covers that need to be washed frequently.

The two families are not too worried about food right now. Starch porridge is the most filling food, and they also have dried meat to eat from time to time. They should be able to get through the spring famine.

During this period, the two families also made many different kinds of Qinggang kudzu root powder.

Qinggang jelly, Qinggang vermicelli, and Qinggang flour pancakes and steamed buns all taste good and can be stored.

In the rain, everyone stayed indoors.

Grandma Xiaoman is busy spinning yarn and weaving cloth every day.

Grandpa Xiaoman is always busy, either grinding various powders with a stone mill, making basins and stools out of wood, or repairing hoes and roads.

At this time, they were also using old rattan to weave rattan shoes for the two families, which could be worn directly on rainy days to prevent slipping.

On sunny days, wear them over your shoes to reduce wear and tear on the soles.

Xiaoman is repairing the rabbit enclosure.

The little rabbit is getting bigger, so Nini can't hold it every day; it needs to be kept in its enclosure.

Wild rabbits love to dig holes and gnaw on things, and they can also jump high, so Xiaoman finds more stones to build a nest.

On the kang (heated brick bed), Nini was playing with Xu Dazhu.

She found some oak fruits at home, first roasted them in the fire pit until they were charred, then scooped out the pulp and stuffed it into Xu Dazhu's mouth as he lay there: "Father, this smells so good, you eat it."

She thought the fragrant, roasted fruit was a good thing, and she couldn't bear to eat it herself, so she gave it to her father first.

Xu Dazhu didn't refuse food as usual; now he wanted to survive. Aunt Jiang said that herbal medicine could help him stand up.

Moreover, after eating kudzu root and meat soup for several days in a row, he felt much more comfortable in his stiff body.

Aunt Jiang also said that we need to eat first, and people need to gain some weight so that they can withstand the effects of the herbs.

So, no matter how the oak nuts were cooked, he would eat them as long as Nini gave them to him.

In Nini's memory, "Dad" only knew how to close his eyes and sleep all day without moving. Now that "Dad" wants to eat his own food, she is extremely happy.

Nini felt like she had found a new toy that could open its mouth, which was even more fun than the little rabbits.

So, without anyone noticing, Nini kept peeling oak berries, and Xu Dazhu kept eating them.

It wasn't until Xiaoman finished spinning a spindle and turned around that she saw the broken green fruit shells and flesh that Nini had smashed, and Xu Dazhu chewing with foam all over his mouth. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"Good heavens, this is going to kill people!"

Xiaoman's shout instantly startled the other two.

Seeing the ground covered in husks, Xiaoman and her grandfather panicked, wondering how many green fruits Xu Dazhu had eaten: "How many did he eat?!"

Nini, who had caused the trouble, burst into tears: "Daddy wants food!"

Her little hands were already pricked by the hard oak shells while she was peeling them for her father, and blood was still oozing from them.

Xu Dazhu wanted to speak and explain, but he rarely chewed hard food for such a long time, and his cheeks were already sore, his saliva was dripping, and he was so tired that he could not even move his tongue.

Seeing his "almost dying" appearance, Xiaoman's grandmother was so anxious that she sat down on the ground, unable to cry, and just held Xu Dazhu's hand and gasped for breath.

Xiaoman ran out of the house, stood on the eaves, and shouted to the sky, "Errui, Aunt Jiang, come and save me!"

Jiang Zhi was cleaning the houttuynia cordata that Er Rui had dug up at home when she heard the shouting and commotion below. She quickly put down what she was doing and went down the cliff with Xu Er Rui.

Upon entering the courtyard, I saw a scene of chaos.

After figuring out what had happened, Xu Errui quietly approached Jiang Zhi and whispered, "Mother, is Qingguo going to poison someone?"

Although my family has been eating oak powder for so long without any problems, the impression that oak fruit is poisonous is ingrained in my mind since childhood.

Is it possible that the powder is not poisonous, but the fruit is?

Now that Dazhu has eaten so much, will something bad happen to him?

Jiang Zhi shook her head: "Qinggangzi won't kill you, but eating too much will make you feel unwell!"

Grandma and Grandpa Xiaoman knew that burning green fruit wouldn't kill anyone, but Xu Dazhu was unable to say a word and was just panting with his tongue sticking out, which frightened them.

One of them suggested vomiting, while the other reached down and tried to make Xu Dazhu vomit.

Jiang Zhi didn't say anything at first. Grandpa Xiaoman was an old man, and he should have this much common sense. She couldn't always be the smart one to step forward and act clever.

It was clear that the two elderly people were completely at a loss, but she still managed to say, "Don't be nervous, Nini gave Dazhu some cooked green plums that were soft and tender. They're not poisonous. He just ate too many at once, and he'll be fine after drinking more water!"

The fruit flesh that Nini could peel was definitely half-burnt. It wasn't poisonous, but it might be astringent. The numbing sensation was just a bit scary.

Xu Dazhu was speechless and could only nod to indicate that he was alright.

"Are you really alright?" Xiaoman asked Jiang Zhi with trembling hands, still worried.

He knew it wasn't poisonous, but he wanted to verify it again to give his anxious heart a reason to calm down.

"Everything will be fine! Don't worry, just don't eat the next two meals yet, you need to empty your bowels first!"

The fruit of the oak tree has astringent and antidiarrheal effects; if Xu Dazhu eats too much, he may suffer from constipation or diarrhea.

This matter is neither a major nor a minor one. For a paralyzed patient, diarrhea and constipation are the most common symptoms, and the addition of food stagnation makes it relatively serious.

Three-year-old Nini stood beside him, silently weeping as she clenched her fingers. Only then did she realize that she shouldn't have given her father the oak seeds.

Jiang Zhi squatted down and touched her face, then checked her pricked finger: "Nini, don't be afraid, Daddy is fine, he's just tired from eating."

Nini pouted, forcing back tears, and asked, "Is Daddy not sick?"

"If you don't get sick, your dad can still play with you! Does your finger still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore!"

Jiang Zhi led her aside, took some cooled boiled water from the kettle on the fire pit, and washed the soot off Nini's hands.

While washing, she said, "From now on, when Nini feeds Dad, she has to tell Great-Grandma, Great-Grandpa, and Uncle first. She can't secretly feed him herself."

Nini nodded repeatedly.

Grandma Xiaoman knew that her great-granddaughter Nini meant well by wanting to give her father something to eat, and when she saw that Nini was frightened, she quickly hugged her and comforted her.

Nini felt wronged and frightened, so she hugged her great-grandmother who was comforting her and cried again.

Jiang Zhi walked out of the thatched shed and found a few wild grasses that had not yet sprouted new leaves in the cracks of the stones by the yard. She pulled them up by the roots and cleaned the soil and old leaves off the roots and stems.

He turned and handed it to Xiaoman, saying, "Dazhu will have bloating if he eats too many oak fruits. Crush these roots and boil them in water for him to drink. That will make him feel better!"