Ling Weidong jumped down from the tree, glanced at the villagers whose faces were beaming with joy,

"Okay, we have plenty of time this year, so we can collect them slowly."

But after paying the grain tax, will they go hunting in the mountains? I think I heard Old Han mention it, saying they're going again this year?

Gu Jianjun hugged the tree and shook it for a while, causing the hazelnuts on it to fall down with a crackling sound. Only after most of them had fallen did he speak.

"What, you still want to go?"

"Tsk tsk, we got a lot of meat last year, I wonder if we'll have a good New Year this year?"

Upon hearing this, everyone recalled the wild boar battle at the end of last year and couldn't help but look at the protagonist, Jian Dan. Their first thought was, "She can't be so reckless this year, can she?"

Mingzhu, ever the quick-witted one, simply blurted out the question.

Are you going too?

Those eyes were clearly saying, "Try it again?"

He was surrounded by those strange looks, and for a moment he was speechless.

"What do you mean by this? Last year's wild boars were really not my fault. They came to us on their own. I didn't provoke them."

It's understandable that the others' mouths twitch, but the fact that most of them died at your hands is undeniable.

“You’re right, it’s probably mostly men going into the mountains to hunt this year,”

The second half of the sentence was left unsaid, but it meant that if a man goes, you shouldn't go.

A simple sigh.

"Don't worry, I still value my life. After the fight last time, the external injuries weren't serious, but it definitely drained my energy. I'm not going to go looking for trouble like that. Wouldn't it be better for me to stay home and rest instead?"

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief; that was good, that was good.

Although sometimes last-minute changes can't keep up with the plan, she has this awareness, and that's better than anything else. What they're afraid of is that she'll rush ahead like she did last year.

The boys looked at each other.

"Are you going hunting with me?"

Needless to say, Li Guang and Chen Jing weren't brought along. Yuan Ye frowned, thinking of...

"Didn't the village raise a lot of pigs this year? Didn't you take a share of the slaughtering?"

Raising pigs in the village was a very important job, and it was done by a few respected old women. The educated youth had no chance to do it, not even to cut pig feed.

"How many were left? With so many people in the village, how much do you think they'll get?"

"That's true. Even if we manage to buy some in the end, it won't be much."

Hey, why haven't I run into any wild boars this year?

It seems like it's been a long time since I've had any meat. Now that you mention it, my mouth feels tasteless.

Even if the group of people were all well-off, the commune was only so big, and they could only slaughter one pig a day, or at most two. They couldn't always buy meat.

Gu Jianjun slapped him across the face.

"That's true, now that you mention it, I'm craving pork stew."

Seeing that the scene of picking wild produce had turned into a contest of who could be the most greedy, Lin Dongfang facepalmed.

"We're getting off topic. If you want to eat meat, you have to do the work first. After you finish the work, we'll go upstairs to take a look."

Following their gaze, the group instantly understood. Li Guang, ever quick-witted, scurried over to ask Jian Dan.

"Sister Jian, did you bring those seasonings?"

Several boys turned away simultaneously, unable to see anything.

Jian Dan was still thinking about their earlier conversation about eating meat when she was suddenly asked this question. She paused for a moment, looked at her current position, and spoke with certainty.

"You want grilled fish?"

Li Guang rubbed his hands together and scratched his head.

"Hehe, umm,"

The backs of the boys seemed to suggest a cover-up.

Li Guang quickly expressed his sincerity.

"Sister Jane, you don't have to do anything. You can just wait to eat what's served to you."

Just as Jian was about to say something, upon hearing this, she immediately nodded.

"Okay, okay, I'll provide the seasonings, plenty of them."

Mingzhu and Tan Yajun both pointed at her.

"You, you get all excited when it comes to food."

Since they had this plan, the group silently tied up the sacks. Gu Jianjun, along with Yuan Ye, Lin Dongfang, and Ling Weidong, were not to be outdone and carried two sacks down the mountain.

This is the usual routine, and the villagers all do it this way. Once the containers are almost full, they are sent down the mountain in batches. Otherwise, if they are all piled up together, it would be a considerable burden for everyone. It is better to relieve the pressure by sending them down in batches.

After a while, the villagers took a break in twos and threes and explored the surrounding area. Several educated youths also quietly slipped out from one side, found a path, and headed straight for their base.

The child held in Li Guang's arms thought that an adult was playing with him, and he giggled happily in the breeze.

Day after day, year after year.

After paying the grain tax, I was tidying up the cabbages in the backyard when I suddenly realized, "Huh?"

It seems like it's been a long time since I've seen Cheng Chao, but I know he must have something important to do, so I'm not worried.

However, they paid more attention to their neighbors. Although they hadn't officially met them yet, they had secretly sent them food and cotton-padded clothes long ago.

Cheng Jia didn't know what was going on. She simply guessed whether someone was spying on her or what.

Why is it that every time I run into her, I react like I'm seeing a hedgehog, either hiding immediately or turning around and running away?

However, she didn't dwell on it. If it wasn't a political issue, it was just a matter of male pride. In any case, for her, not meeting in person was actually more convenient.

Just when everyone thought this was the start of the hibernation period, Liu Weimin, with a bitter face, brought back two more people. Even the villagers who rarely went out knew about this kind of chaos in recent years, so it wasn't surprising.

What worries Liu Weimin is that there is a grown man and a child. The man is covered in injuries and is still unconscious.

As for the child, he is said to be three years old, but he cannot speak yet. He has a pair of bright black eyes, and his face is so pale that you can almost see the veins. He has small arms and legs, and he knows how to protect the man, but he doesn't utter a sound.

When the oxcart returned, Jian Dan was tending to the sunflowers planted against the wall. Watching the oxcart slowly make its way back, she even waved to the old man.

"Third Master, you're back!"

The girl's clear voice not only made Liu Sanye and Liu Weimin turn around, but also made the unconscious man in the car squint his eyes from an angle that no one noticed, as if a vibrant and excited shadow had flashed before his eyes.

The three-year-old stared blankly at the older sister waving and smiling in the sunset, pursing his lips tightly. Was she feeling more comfortable with all the sunlight on her side?

"Hey, you're back! What are you doing? Finished tidying up the yard? If you want to pickle sauerkraut, go find your aunt."

To my shame, this is my fourth winter here, and I've watched others pickle sauerkraut three times. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I taught her step by step, but she still hasn't learned how. Her mind always moves faster than her hands.

So she gave up and simply went to Sun Xiang for help every time.

I caught a glimpse of a shadow on the car out of the corner of my eye and casually asked,

"Uncle, is someone else here?"