It's Lunar New Year's Eve again. This time, Grandpa Xiaoman is going to bring Dazhu and Chunfeng down the mountain so that the families can celebrate the New Year together in the village.

Thirty days later, I fed the chickens early in the afternoon, planning to leave Peppa and Little Bear to watch the house for the night, and then come up the mountain to feed them again the next day.

Jiang Zhi went up the mountain to wash and chop the sweet potatoes, then boiled them in a large pot of water. She mixed in cornmeal, chopped fresh vegetable leaves, added a pinch of salt, and carefully mashed the sweet potato pieces. After the pig feed cooled down, she banged on the basin to call the wild boar to come and eat.

"Peppa, you ate slop!"

This is the wild boar's favorite cooked food. As soon as it heard the sound of the pot and called for food, Peppa screamed at the top of her lungs and came running over like the wind.

There was no need to shout a second time; it plunged headfirst into the feeding trough, submerging half of the pig's head, and devoured it with its big mouth, splashing juice everywhere with a "thump thump thump".

Jiang Zhi was so frightened by his ravenous appearance that she quickly stepped back and jokingly scolded, "You eat your fill every day, yet you still look this hungry."

Chunfeng feeds it every day, but she never sees it eat its fill.

Peppa ignored it completely, raised her head to breathe, and then dived back to the bottom of the basin to scoop out the dry food. After a series of "plop! plop" bubbles, there was another "bang bang bang"!

Jiang Zhi shook her head and asked Chunfeng, who was feeding the two sows, "Chunfeng, when do you usually feed them again after you've finished feeding them?"

Chunfeng tossed a basket of vegetable leaves to the sows, saying, "Feed them once a day. They usually forage for food on the mountain. These past few months, they've been eating fallen oak leaves, so they're not hungry when they come back."

Peppa's second batch of kittens has now been born and is two months old, a total of ten kittens, some spotted and some black.

Thirteen pigs of all sizes roared through the mountains every day, never returning until feeding time.

This is one of the advantages of raising pigs on the mountain. Starting in October, the ripe oak fruits fall to the ground and there are more than enough to eat.

The pigs, large and small, go out to forage for food on their own, and when they come back, they only eat some salted vegetable porridge.

When spring arrives and the oak trees in the forest sprout and become inedible, the pigs will have plenty of tender grass to eat freely, without needing to trouble Chunfeng to cut it back.

The most important thing is that Peppa Pig is there. The entire mountain where Laoyun Cliff is located is its territory. If any wild boar crosses the boundary, there will be a fight.

Despite being plump and strong, Peppa Pig isn't afraid of other wild boar herds, but she often comes back injured.

Now, whenever they find Peppa injured, the people on the mountain dare not let their guard down. Chunfeng lures her closer with food, takes the opportunity to check her over, and applies medicine. Once the injury heals, she'll be a hero again.

"Peppa, keep a close watch on the house tonight, don't let anyone in to steal the chickens!" Jiang Zhi squatted down and said to the wild boar that was engrossed in eating.

A dozen or so chickens on the mountain automatically roost on the high branches of trees at night and don't come down until dawn. Apart from being stolen by people, the animals can't be harmed.

"Mmm!" the wild boar replied perfunctorily amidst its busy schedule.

"I'll cook you a good meal tomorrow night!" Jiang Zhi coaxed, arranging work compensation for Peiqi.

"Mmm!" Peppa has already started licking the bowl.

After feeding all the animals in the house, no one else was allowed to stay that night.

Xiaoman and Qianniu had already carried Xu Dazhu down the mountain. Jiangzhi and Chunfeng locked the doors of both houses and followed them down the mountain to celebrate the New Year.

This is the fourth family reunion dinner since the war, and each year brings a different feeling.

This year, both the Ma Guan and Huang families have received their New Year's allowances and red envelopes, and the two families are spending the holiday at Qingquan Bay.

The Jiang family, Xiaoman family, and Tian family celebrated the New Year together at Sishuitang.

A bonfire was lit in the courtyard, warming the entire yard.

Several dining tables were set up nearby, and everyone sat separately.

Honghui, who was just eight days shy of his one-year-old birthday, stood in the wooden sedan chair, drooling over the sumptuous feast laid out on the table. He couldn't speak much yet, so he could only point at the chicken leg and quack!

Beside him, two-year-old Tian Xiaosi was playing with a porcelain bird that could be blown when filled with water; it was Hui Ge's toy.

Today, Tao'er's mother, Tian Tao, Tan Shi, Qiaoyun, and Chunfeng cooked the meal together.

He Xiang, Da Xiang, and Xiao Xiang were setting out the bowls and chopsticks. These girls were about the same age and chattered together. They were classmates and had a lot in common.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Caixia was too young to do anything, so she squatted by the fire watching Xiaoman's grandmother pop popcorn.

Tian Xiaoquan was missing; it turned out he had been summoned by Xia Xiucai, along with Shi Houzi.

Although this was somewhat contrary to the meaning of family reunion, considering Crazy Brother's unconventional ways, neither the Tian nor Shi families said anything and happily let the two go to spend the New Year with their teacher.

Grandpa Xiaoman sat down with Tian Gui and Xu Dazhu and chatted about everyday things, including Dazhu's health.

Now Xu Dazhu can sit or stand well, and can even walk a few steps with crutches.

Grandpa Xiaoman sighed, "It's been seven years since I was injured. I've finally made it through."

Tian Gui said, "Dazhu, you should come down the mountain! Everyone in the village can look after each other, and it will be more convenient if anything happens."

When the house was being renovated, it was said that Dazhu and his wife could move down the mountain. Now, more than a year later, Dazhu has recovered a lot and can return to the village.

Moreover, Tian Gui was also afraid that after his daughter married Xiao Man, people would say that she couldn't tolerate her disabled brother and sister-in-law.

Xu Dazhu smiled and said, "I know Uncle Tian is doing this for our own good, but I can't work down the mountain because of my health. It would only cause trouble for everyone. So I want to stay on the mountain for another two years. It's more convenient to take medicine there, and I can also raise piglets for another two years."

He was telling the truth; although living in the mountains makes travel inconvenient, it has more advantages.

Jiang Zhi taught Chunfeng the medicinal herbs that Xu Dazhu could use. Every day, she would either crush them and apply them externally, or stew them in soup or meat, treating the herbs like vegetables.

The herbs vary from season to season, nourishing the liver and kidneys, strengthening muscles and bones, and promoting blood circulation. His recovery from his back injury is inseparable from those fresh medicinal herbs.

Xu Dazhu couldn't live without the medicine from the mountain, and he also didn't want people to see him sitting on the ground or sometimes crawling while he was working.

He was injured, which made him even more proud.

Seeing that Xiaoman's grandfather remained silent, Tian Gui knew that the family had already discussed it, so he didn't try to persuade him further. The group then started talking about next year's crops again.

Errui, Xiaoman, and Qianniu were setting off firecrackers outside. Among them was Nini, who chased after them, shouting that she wanted to set one off herself.

As the family reunion dinner began, firecrackers exploded with a "boom boom" sound!

Compared to the bustling Sishuitang, Lianhua's house was rather quiet and deserted.

When Da Xiang and Xiao Xiang returned to Sishuitang for the New Year's Eve reunion, there were only the couple and their one-year-old Nan Nan at home. There were still three or four dishes on the table.

Last year there was still Mother-in-law Qin and Old Man Li, but this year...

Xu Genqing looked at the bowl of radish stewed chicken and had no appetite, so he put down his chopsticks.

Lianhua served him some food: "Brother Qing, Mother and Uncle Li have settled down in Jincheng Prefecture, so don't worry!"

Just before the Lunar New Year, Li Laoshi asked someone to write a letter on his behalf, which was sent from the post station to Sishuitang, saying that he had arrived in Jincheng Prefecture and had even asked the Nie family to rent a house for him, so everyone could rest assured.

He didn't mention anything else, and Jiang Zhi didn't know if his business had taken off, but there was no use in worrying about such things.

At this time of family reunion, Xu Genqing was naturally worried about how his mother was doing outside. Hearing Lianhua's comforting words, he sighed and said, "It's good that Mother is spending the New Year away from home. At least she's not being controlled by anyone and can enjoy herself for a while."

Lianhua didn't understand, so Xu Genqing didn't explain. He picked up his daughter Nannan and said, "Come on, Nannan, what do you want to eat? Daddy will feed you. Don't worry about people saying you're greedy!"