After lunch, Lin Lishan saw that Zhou Jiao and her son had already gone to bed. She hurriedly washed their diapers, put on her bag with money and receipts, and sorted out her clothes.

After leaving the west wing and finding Xizi, Lin Lishan took Xizi to the kitchen. As soon as she came in, she saw Zhang's mother and others cleaning the kitchen.

"Sister, Jiaojiao and Ping'an are both asleep. I'll take Xizi out and come back before dinner. Do you think there's anything you need to take? I happen to have some receipts on hand, so you don't have to go out and get inconvenienced."

Mother Zhang put down the bowl in her hand, wiped her hands, and looked at Xizi following behind. "There's nothing to buy. I prepared it some time ago. I think it would be a good idea for you to take Xizi out and take a walk. Xizi, you follow your grandma. Don't go to those remote places where the rules are not good. Remember to remind her."

Xizi, carrying his new military bag, excitedly assured her loudly that he would bring grandma back safely.

Lin Lishan drove the car, looking at the roads on both sides from time to time, and drove along the dirt road to the north along the mountain.

Xizi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked around curiously and found that it was not the road to the county town at all. He pointed to the fork in the road not far away.

"Grandma, where are we going? I think you're driving in the wrong direction. I often go to my uncle's place. If you keep going straight on that avenue, you'll reach the county town."

Lin Lishan replied with a smile: "Grandma didn't plan to go to the county town in the first place. Look, Grandma is driving straight towards that big green mountain. Let's go along this mountain and see if there are any big villages and go in to buy things. The villages close to the mountains have mountain products and game. There are a lot of things in those places, and they will sell them if they have money. The villages next to the county town are too close to your village, so it's not convenient."

Xizi's eyes rolled around, and he understood in his heart that this was looking for wild animals. "Grandma, I know where it is. Go along the path ahead. There are several villages at the foot of the mountain, and people hunt there. My uncle told me that there are hunters in the north of the foot of Daqing Mountain. They hunt every year. Last year they killed several wild boars and sold them to the commune."

Lin Lishan followed Xizi's instructions and drove the car all the way to the entrance of the village and stopped under the big tree.

The villagers had not started work yet, and some villagers and children saw the car and gathered around to look at it. Some brave boys even went up and walked around the car, ready to climb onto it. They only stopped when they were taught a lesson by the adults around them.

Lin Lishan explained her purpose to the group. A kind-looking old lady happened to be passing by and was stopped by the villagers. Hearing that they were there to buy game and mountain products, the old lady looked at the two of them and took them home.

On the way, Lin Lishan learned from the elderly woman that the village's surplus produce was usually sold after the autumn harvest. Her family lived at the foot of the mountain, and her grandchildren often visited the area. They had plenty of produce at home, so they weren't in a rush to spend it, planning to sell it at the year-end market. She finally understood why the villagers always called out to her family when she mentioned buying mountain products and game.

The old woman lived in a remote area at the foot of a mountain. Outside her thatched house was a large stone courtyard, presumably built with high walls for safety. The yard was immaculately kept, with some wet wild animals hanging under the eaves. When they saw the old woman bringing guests, the whole family came out and looked at Lin Lishan curiously.

Lin Lishan smiled at them and listened to the old lady arranging for the family to pack out the stock.

After entering the main hall and sitting for a while, she bought all the family's autumn harvest, dried game, and some bacon. Seeing that even the children wore straw sandals, and the elderly's coats were washed white and covered in patches, Lin Lishan didn't bargain and generously paid the full amount, adding two kilograms of sugar coupons.

Unfortunately, the hens were reluctant to sell and were kept for laying eggs. Perhaps because of Lin Lishan's straightforward and generous nature, the old lady asked her daughter-in-law to help her find two old hens in the village.

Upon learning that she wanted to continue purchasing game, the old woman gave her a detailed introduction to which households in the surrounding villages still had stocks, and which other villages had experienced hunters.

Lin Lishan noticed that there was still half a steamed bun left on the kang table, so she gave up the idea of ​​asking for fine grains.

Farewell to this family. Lin Lishan drove slowly, looking at the thatched huts beside the path and the children in patched clothes, each as thin as a chicken. She sighed deeply. "These are families who live off the land, and life is so hard. I wonder what it's like in other villages?" No wonder Zhang's mother repeatedly warned Xizi not to take her to villages with bad rules.

There was a family in the next village where an old man and his eldest son also frequently hunted. Following the old man's description, I drove to that family's house. I kept asking around, visiting each house and collecting quite a few goodies.

Lin Lishan now understood a little better. The harvests from the mountain land were poor. The men in the village often went hunting to supplement their income, so every household had a stockpile of food, ready to sell at the market before the Lunar New Year to exchange for household goods.

The villagers were also very welcoming and sincere, and they didn't think the price was too high just because they drove here. Perhaps it had something to do with Lin Lishan wearing a military uniform; the people now have great respect for soldiers.

Driving the car, looking at the pile of mountain products and wild game bacon in the back, Lin Lishan decided to go home. With two old hens and 100 eggs, she could also give Jiaojiao some nourishment in the evening.

"Grandma, we have old hens at home, so you don't need to buy any. And my aunt's room also has a lot of eggs." Xizi looked at the pile of things at the back. Now he knew that grandma always bought things in piles, without missing anything.

Lin Lishan was driving and laughed out loud when she heard this. This kid is really patient. She had already noticed that he wanted to stop the first one from starting.

"The old hens at your home can still lay eggs, so keep them for you to eat. This old hen has been raised for two years. It's very nutritious to kill it and stew it into soup. Buy more eggs so you can eat them too. Grandma will also pack up those mountain products and game and send them to your aunt's second uncle. They are in the northwest, and you can't buy these good things there even if you have money. In addition to your second uncle, your aunt also has an eldest uncle and a young aunt, so all these relatives need to be prepared. Go out with grandma tomorrow. Xizi can help grandma with the accounts very quickly."

Xizi nodded, worried that she hadn't seen it while driving, and hurriedly said, "Okay, grandma, you take me with you tomorrow. I heard from my grandma and my mother that our family also collects mountain products from the village and sends them to the capital when my uncle comes back. You don't need to buy mountain products anymore, it's too much. My father even asked my mother to buy them secretly in the village. There's too much to eat."

Lin Lishan said with a smile: "Save the ones at your house and eat them slowly. When you go back, tell your father not to buy any more. Just say that grandma has already bought a lot. Your aunt has many elders, so it's not too much. The mountain products in Northeast China are famous throughout the country. They are more expensive outside the province and are hard to find in big cities. Save the extra ones and eat them slowly. You can also give them as gifts for the New Year or give them to your great-grandfather and others. So you don't have to worry about not being able to finish them."

After hearing this, Xizi secretly counted how many elders he had. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. When he grew up and became like his uncle, how much money would he have to spend? What would he have to do in the future to not have to worry about it?

Lin Lishan was driving and chatting with Xizi, thinking about buying more and sending them back as gifts.

These prices are really not expensive in the local area. During the holidays in big cities, the supply points for New Year's goods are limited, with items like melon seeds, black fungus, shiitake mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, chicken, and pork distributed on a household basis, and quality isn't guaranteed. Compounds get priority, but items like bacon are practically unavailable.

These wild game are meat dishes, and you can eat them regularly without meat coupons. It's definitely better than buying them at high prices in the city. I heard last time that the supply of eggs will be reduced next year, let alone meat?

After returning to Zhang's house, Zhang's mother brought her two daughters-in-law to help move into Zhou Jiao's room. Without saying a few words, they hurriedly went about their own business.

The men in the family were all working on the new foundation nearby, rushing to build a yard. Father Zhang had already been there with his son in the wee hours, preparing. They had no choice but to build the yard while the weather was good. If they waited any longer, the ground would freeze, making it impossible to move in in the spring.

At this time, Zhang's father and his son were busy digging the foundation with everyone, mixing the mud, and some people were supporting the large bricks far away. They were working hard. The women in the family boiled water and brought it over to help.

Zhou Jiao was woken up and faced the outside. She saw a pile of torn bags and several baskets in the small living room, and the sound of hens crowing.

"Mom, you're back! How come you're back so soon? I thought you wouldn't be back until at night. Where did you get all these things?" Zhou Jiao asked curiously.

Lin Lishan was outside, carrying the chicken coop and placing it under the eaves. She faintly heard Zhou Jiao's voice inside and hurried to the inner room, "You're awake. Hurry up and change Ping An's diaper and feed him, otherwise he will cry soon."

Zhou Jiao nodded, picked up Ping An and fed him, then took the diaper from her mother. "Mom, you came back pretty quickly. I thought you'd be back after dinner. Where did you go to collect so many things? They're hard to find right now."

She had wanted to wait until she was out of confinement to collect the supplies herself, but it seemed like there was no hope nearby and she had to go farther away.

Lin Lishan said with a cheerful smile, "I didn't expect to collect so much. I took Xizi and drove north along the Daqing Mountains. He told me there were hunters along the side roads, so I asked around and found them. Since everyone knew each other, we went from village to village. We'll go again tomorrow. The people at the foot of the mountains have a lot of goods in stock. I just can't bear to sell my old hens. Winter is almost here, and I want to keep them for eggs."

Zhou Jiao quickly gave a thumbs-up. It was truly remarkable that she'd thought of this, even understanding that hens wouldn't lay eggs in the middle of winter. It seemed she hadn't even considered this.

"Prepare some more mountain products. They last longer than wild game. Giving them as gifts during New Year's greetings is more elegant than bringing cakes."

"Yes, that's what I thought. Everything I bought today will be mailed to your second uncle tomorrow. Then I'll buy something else and mail it to Beijing. These mountain products like mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms are all good and inexpensive. The dried pheasants and rabbits, as well as the bacon, are all good. Your grandfather likes to eat them. If you keep them at home, they'll last until summer."

Zhou Jiao nodded. "You should buy some. Wild game is hard to come by, and you might not be able to buy this much tomorrow. Xizi and I happened to meet a hunting family today, and ordinary families don't have that much meat. You should prepare more meat. If you are lucky, you may come across a village slaughtering pigs, so you can buy some more meat to take back. Now that the meat coupons are issued in the city, the villages can't just slaughter pigs casually. Don't worry about running out of wild products. I'll send it to you when I finish eating."

"Then I'll focus on delivering meat tomorrow. You can eat the donkey-hide gelatin in the pot first. I'll stew an old hen for you as a midnight snack. I bought two pots yesterday, you can take turns. Don't put desserts and greasy things in the same pot."