The forest plot where Sheng Xiping and his team were working was quite large, and the second round of tending to the young trees would probably take about ten days.

At this time, medicinal herbs such as Gastrodia elata and Ganoderma lucidum have already passed their seasonal period, and it is not yet time to graze on mountains or collect pine nuts.

Those who used to be good at hiking have basically stopped going up the mountain.

Sheng Xiping gave up the idea of ​​going into the woods and spent most of his lunch break chatting with Zhou Qinglan.

Sun Yunpeng and his men, however, were still unwilling to give up and went into the woods with their guns to shoot birds.

Sheng Xiping never cared about these things. He had already said that as long as no one pointed a gun at people, it was fine.

I take the commuter bus to the work site in the morning and take a one-hour break at noon.

I left the woods before 5 p.m. and then took the commuter bus back.

Every day is like this, very regular and mundane, but these young people together don't feel lonely or bored.

"Hey, Xiping's back from work? Are you taking your girlfriend home for dinner?"

Look at these two kids standing together, they look so well-matched.

That evening, Sheng Xiping and his companions got off the commuter bus and headed home. On the way, they encountered several older women.

They were from the same forest farm and knew each other well. As soon as they saw Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan, they greeted each other with smiles.

"Aunt Guo, Aunt Li, are you out for a stroll after dinner?"

Since the other person took the initiative to speak, Sheng Xiping couldn't very well not respond, so he could only smile and nod in agreement.

"No, your sister-in-law is cooking at home. It's too hot inside, so we came out to cool off."

Not all women are as diligent and capable as Zhang Shuzhen.

The two women in front of you are the notoriously lazy women in the forest farm.

He doesn't like washing clothes or cooking; all he does all day is wander around and visit other people's homes.

The eldest son of the Guo family works at the forest farm, and his wife is quite capable.

This made things even more convenient for Granny Guo. She could go out right after eating and wouldn't come home until the food was ready.

He has a daughter named Guo Lingzhen, who is two years older than Sheng Xiping.

Because of her mother's unreliability, she couldn't find a husband in Qianchuan Forest Farm. In the end, through an introduction, she married into Shuguang Forest Farm.

Shuguang Forest Farm is located between Qianchuan Forest Farm and Kaifeng Forest Farm.

It's not as convenient to travel as Kaifeng Forest Farm, which is closer to Songjiang River, nor as convenient to do side business as Qianchuan Forest Farm, which is closer to the nature reserve.

Caught in the middle, neither here nor there, the lives of the staff and their families are not as good as those of other forest farms.

Generally, it is the girls from Shuguang Forest Farm who marry into Kaifeng or Qianchuan, and very few girls from Qianchuan Forest Farm marry into Shuguang.

Guo Lingzhen was at her wit's end; she had finally found a husband.

"Oh, then you two chat, aunties."

We've both worked all day and are exhausted. Let's go home and eat first.

Sheng Xiping, a young man, had nothing to say to two old women, so he nodded politely and led Zhou Qinglan away.

"Oh dear, young master Sheng, I suddenly remembered something."

My eldest daughter-in-law told me that there seem to be black bears in the woods.

When Granny Li saw Sheng Xiping about to leave, she quickly waved to him.

"It's halfway down the second branch line, isn't that area where they just logged two years ago? The old cowherds in the forest are growing quite well."

She and a few others went to gather pig feed when they heard a bear calling out.

These days, with a shortage of non-staple foods, getting meat is incredibly difficult.

People have to rack their brains to find ways to overcome stuttering.

For example, you could raise some chickens to lay eggs, or even raise a couple of pigs.

Every household on the other side of the alkali field has its own plot of land. Diligent families raise two pigs, waiting to slaughter one and sell the other to the supply and marketing cooperative at the New Year.

Anyway, the mountains and fields are full of wild vegetables. Women and children can just pick some in the morning and mix them with some bean pods, bean chaff, corn kernels and such, and that's enough to raise them.

Selling one head will make you money, and you can keep the other one for the New Year. That's pretty good.

In contrast, there are fewer pig farmers in the forest area.

One problem is that everyone's living space is cramped, and there's no room to put a pigsty.

Another point is that the forest farm does not allow small plots of wasteland to be cultivated, nor does it allow private plots; everything depends on the supply of grain.

There's not enough food for people, so what are we going to use to feed the pigs?

Of course, it's not like no one takes care of them at all.

Families like the Li family, who live in slightly more remote areas and have larger yards, will also keep two animals.

These days, policies change every three to five days. They might say you can raise livestock today, but tomorrow they might issue a decree saying you can't.

Rural areas are a bit better, but forest farms are more strictly managed.

Sheng Liancheng is a cadre, so it's really not worth it for him to have to write a self-criticism and be criticized for a pig or two.

In addition, the Sheng family's place was not large, and Sheng Xiping could hunt and occasionally add some meat to the family's diet. Therefore, the Sheng family did not raise pigs.

"Well, your aunt knows you're capable, you can even fight a black bear."

"Look, the old lady already told you where there are bears. Go hunt some when you have time, and just give her a leg afterwards."

Old Mrs. Li glanced to the side, then whispered to Sheng Xiping.

"There are black bears in that forest halfway up the second branch road?"

"That can't be right. That area isn't far from our forest farm, and there are always internal combustion engines and tractors running around there, making a rumbling noise. How could there possibly be any black bears there?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiping was taken aback and asked with great confusion.

"Auntie, did your sister-in-law see it with her own eyes?"

"What are you saying, kid? What would happen if your sister-in-law saw this? She'd be pounced on by a bear!"

They heard something amiss from afar, sensing wild animals nearby, and quickly ran back.

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