After drying for two days on the cleared slope, on a windless midday, the withered grass and melon vines were burned.

Several large piles of dry grass burned, billowing black smoke that shot straight into the sky, visible from a great distance even under a clear sky.

On another hillside, the bearded man, now recovered from his injuries, was picking wild berries when he saw the thick smoke and his expression changed.

He stuffed a handful of firethorn berries into his mouth, chewing them until his face twitched.

Firethorn, also known as red thorn, is used in military rations and as a water fork. Its roots and fruits are used medicinally, and its leaves can clear heat and detoxify. It is also used externally to treat boils and carbuncles.

Although these wild fruits can fill your stomach, they become sour and astringent if you eat too many, and your teeth make a rattling sound when you bite into them. They are nowhere near as delicious as wheat flour.

There are migrants coming and going in the village now, and several families want to settle down in Xujia Village.

However, Zhang Juntou, the head of the medical shed, said that he would have to return to his hometown according to his household registration in the future, and that even if he stayed there now, it would only be temporary.

Thinking about the dozen or so taels of silver he owed back home, the bearded man became increasingly angry. If he wanted to go back, he would have to find the money first.

He spat out the crumbs in his mouth and walked over to the disheveled man who was digging for grass roots, saying, "Hey! Brother Hu, look over there!"

The disheveled man looked in the direction the bearded man was pointing, and immediately saw the black smoke in the sky. His eyes blazed with fury: "Damn it, we're out here fleeing famine and we don't dare go back, but these people are doing just fine, with food and shelter."

After he and the bearded man got lost and wandered into the mountains, they were beaten. He then harbored a deep hatred for that family and was determined to get revenge.

However, Li Laoshi was a coward, spending his days hiding in the village looking for herbs to pass the time. The man who fell into the trap among his companions was also a coward, and the day after being released from the mountain, he ran away with his family.

Having the same enemy, these two have now become inseparable brothers!

The bearded man squatted down and whispered, "Boss Hu, did you see those bags of flour? With the current prices, you can sell them for five taels of silver. I heard they also have oil... If we had this grain, we could move to another village and get through this winter much better."

He counted on his fingers, slowly recounting the information he had gathered from the handyman at the clinic.

Although it is said that refugees should return to their hometowns, since the outbreak of war, bandits have been rampant, and local officials have been replaced by new county magistrates. They are too busy to take care of the countryside, so it is not safe to return home or on the way.

Even if I want to go back, I need to grab some flour and eat a few good meals first. If I have some strength, I won't be afraid of others taking it from me.

Jiang Zhi had come to the village several times to exchange grain, and the migrants had all noticed; it was impossible to hide it from them.

However, the bearded man was quickly given a cold shower by the disheveled man: "What are you thinking! It's such a long way, you'll be exhausted just climbing up, how will you have the strength to snatch it?"

Besides, there's that ruthless little brat.

Mentioning Xiaoman only made the two of them feel a headache, especially his beard, whose head still hadn't scabbed over from the blood hole.

The most vicious are the most wicked.

The bearded man's face darkened. He threw away the firethorn berries in his hand and said fiercely, "We were just caught off guard that night."

I refuse to believe that two grown men can't handle a little kid.

The disheveled man touched his still-aching head and calmed down: "It doesn't matter if we try. Anyway, we were beaten up. The medical tent won't stand up for us, so we'll find a way to get justice for ourselves."

The two agreed on the idea and immediately began discussing how to get up the mountain.

At this moment, Jiang Zhi and the others were still burning dry grass on the hillside.

Although there was no wind and the surrounding area was still green with leaves and grass, I wasn't too worried about it causing a wildfire.

But after experiencing that night of wildfire, no one wanted to go through it again. For safety reasons, both families sent everyone who could walk to the fields.

Several people burned weeds while loosening the soil and clearing away the grass roots.

After the hillside is burned, the various kinds of manure that have been composting all summer are put into the fields, and after a rain, winter wheat can be sown.

Nini came to the field this time too.

Chunfeng had already heard about the fire from Xu Dazhu.

"If Aunt Jiang hadn't led people to the terraced fields that night and set off a fire, not only would the houses of both families have been lost, but they would have been burned to death."

Chunfeng knew about wildfires, and now that they needed to burn dry grass, she brought her daughter along so that she could learn how to survive in the mountains from a young age.

However, little Nini didn't care about starting a fire at this moment. Instead, she ran to the edge of the field, climbed up a pile of rocks, and picked firethorn berries and bright yellow wild chrysanthemums growing among the rocks.

wild chrysanthemum

She loved the red berries and yellow flowers, and kept tugging at them with her little hands, throwing them down. After picking one, she would call out, "Qiqi, let's go."

Then, her body moved!

It turned out that what was under her feet wasn't a stone, but Peppa Pig.

The wild boar had food at this moment, and let Nini climb up its back to a high place, while it obediently lowered its head to pick up the fruit that was thrown down.

So, Nini picked the fruit, and the little wild boar ate it; the two worked together seamlessly.

Outside the village, Xiaoman lay on the edge of a rocky cliff, looking down at the village clinic, watching the guards practicing their fighting techniques.

This was just ordinary training in the army, but Xiaoman's eyes lit up.

Because they were worried that the refugees would sneak up and retaliate, they arranged for him not to work in the fields, but to patrol the mountains and set traps.

But Xiaoman's favorite thing was to hit people. Every day she would come to the edge of the cliff and imitate the soldiers' arm-breaking and grappling techniques.

They practiced "arm twisting and throwing" and "arm blocking and pressing down" until they were drenched in sweat and their stomachs were growling with hunger before they finally stopped to rest. They took out a bamboo tube filled with water and some vegetable cakes from a small basket next to them and ate them.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content and resting for a while, Xiaoman got up again to practice her fists and feet. She continued practicing until half a day had passed. Seeing that the sun was setting and it was time to go home, Xiaoman reluctantly picked up her wooden stick and ran off in a flash.

In the evening, Jiang Zhi washed her hands and face with the cold spring water, and Qiaoyun brought dinner to the table: "Mother, are we learning to read today?"

She's now addicted to being praised!

Jiang Zhi shook her head: "I won't study today. Tomorrow I'm going to pick firethorn berries and wild chrysanthemums. You can help Sister Chunfeng and the others sort sweet potatoes."

The sweet potatoes have been dug up and are now temporarily placed in a cool, sheltered spot on the hillside near Xiaoman's house. Sweet potatoes of different sizes and those with wounds need to be separated.

Qiaoyun was a little disappointed to hear that she wouldn't be learning to read, but since the family was busy with autumn planting, the training would probably be suspended for a few days.

Just then, Xu Errui came into the room, wiped his water-drenched hands directly on his clothes, and grinned as he looked at the dishes and soup on the table: "Ha! It's radish and bamboo shoot soup again today!"

As he spoke, he reached out and took Xiao Caixia into his arms.

Now that we have wild boar jerky, I slice a few pieces every day to make soup. With some meat and oil, even plain boiled vegetables taste delicious.

Besides the broth, there are also scrambled eggs with scallions, vegetable pancakes, and sweet potato and corn porridge.

The family of three is well-fed and nutritious. Qiaoyun has plenty of breast milk, and her three-month-old daughter, Caixia, is chubby and well-behaved, rarely crying or fussing. Everyone who sees her wants to hold her.

While serving rice to Xu Errui, Qiaoyun said, "Errui, tomorrow when you have some free time, cut some branches and weave a chicken coop! I counted today, and another chick has gone missing. Two chickens have gone missing in the last half month."

Upon hearing that another chicken had been lost, Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui both became serious.

Jiang Zhi asked, "Have you checked the woods where the chickens usually go? Could there be a snake?"

The chickens here are all truly free-range. The largest adult roosters weigh only about five pounds, and the chicks hatched in the summer are only a little over half a pound now. Losing two of them would be a huge loss.