After a while, he was also very annoyed...

"Uncle, do you have any extra coarse salt blocks at home? Can I buy some from you? We've run out of ours and are in need."

Seeing that his expression seemed to have eased, Hua Shi asked tentatively.

There was no way. Salt, oil and other things were locked tightly in the cabinet by Li, and she couldn't get them even if she wanted to.

Seasonings are scarce, and if I can't get anything else, I have to at least exchange some salt for it, otherwise it will be difficult to catch that wild boar...

Xie Tie brought the pot she had chosen over and stood up straight. When he heard her question, he answered without thinking, "Yes, you hold the pot first, I'll get it for you outside."

He agreed readily, picked up the pot and stuffed it directly into Hua Shi's hand, then walked straight out.

Hua Shi carried the pot and followed him.

The yard is small and there is no small kitchen. The stove is built directly under the eaves of the yard and can be seen when you walk out of the side room.

Xie Tie walked towards the wooden cabinet next to the stove, tiptoed up to look inside, and dug out a large bag of coarse salt from the top of the cabinet.

"Uncle, why do you have so much salt at home?"

Hua Shi looked at the white bag filled with coarse salt grains, and her pupils couldn't help but dilate a little.

But after hearing her question, Xie Tie let out a muffled laugh, as if he was amused by her words.

"Don't you know?" Xie Tie turned his head, looked at her and asked back.

Hua Shi was confused by his attitude and asked blankly, "Know what?"

"Next to our village, on that mountain, next to Linhai Mountain... there's a large salt lake. It's very close to us. That's where all the salt comes from."

Xie Tie put his hands on his hips, recalling the memories in his mind and speaking thoughtfully.

"I find it strange. How could your family be short of salt?"

After he finished explaining what he said, he thought about it again and felt a little strange, so he asked this question.

Hua Shi blinked her confused eyes.

salt lake?

Is there a salt lake next to Linhai Mountain?

This was the first time she had heard of it, and no one had ever mentioned it to her before.

"Is that salt lake very big?" Hua Shi couldn't help but ask curiously.

"It's huge! I heard it's like the sea. Otherwise, why is the mountain called Linhai Mountain? That's how it got its name."

Xie Tie recalled and continued, "I've been there a few times. It's too close to the mountains and forests, and the roads are a bit difficult to walk on. But we don't go there many times a year. One trip would give us enough salt to last for five or six years."

Hua Shi's eyes widened a little, "So many?"

"That's right. There's no one there. Every three or four years, the villagers go there together. Because they have to go through the mountains and forests and walk on the mountain trails, it's dangerous. It's safer to go with a dozen people."

Seeing that she looked like she knew nothing but was staring with curiosity, Xie Tie couldn't help but say a few more words.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. How much do you want? I'll get you a bag."

Xie Tie waved his hand and got back to the topic.

"How much does this salt cost?" Hua Shi came back to his senses and asked.

Xie Tie replied, "It's not worth much. A dou costs fifteen coins outside. I can give you a dou for ten coins. It's up to you how much you want."

One dou is 20 jin, and 20 jin costs 10 wen, which is really not bad...

"How much is in this big bag of yours?" Hua Shi looked at the bag of salt in his hand, thought for a moment, and asked.

"It's nearly 40 pounds. Do you want it all?"

When Xie Tie heard her ask this, he guessed her purpose.

"Okay, give them all to me." Hua Shi nodded in response.

I'm afraid I can't finish all the wild boar meat at once, so I salt it and make it into dried meat. It can be stored for a longer time and I can eat it slowly...

She didn't plan to sell the wild boar meat. She was in need of food and drink right now, so she wanted to keep the meat. She had been hungry for a long time, so she just wanted this little bit of meat...

…

Coming out of Xie Tie's yard, Hua Shi carried a bag of salt in one hand and a pot handle and a heavy iron knife in the other. He quickened his pace and headed back towards the Hua family's yard.

Before she left, she asked the price of the knives, which was twenty cents a piece. Seeing that she still had enough money, she bought an extra iron knife.

Uncle Xie Tie saw her staring at the ginger pieces on the stove, and realized that she wanted them, so he gave her two pieces.

He also told her that because his wife was in poor health and needed to drink ginger soup frequently, he planted a large area of ​​ginger in the backyard.

Around April and May this year, we harvested several baskets. We didn't grow any other vegetables, only ginger.

I accidentally planted too much and still can't finish eating it. When I saw her looking at it, I gave her two pieces.

Hua Shi also really wanted ginger.

When she first saw the ginger pieces, she thought she was seeing things, but she didn't expect it to be real.

She happened to dislike the fishy smell of wild boar meat, so she used some ginger to remove the fishy smell...

Hua Shi was immersed in his own thoughts, but he did not forget to quicken his pace, stepping on the heavy snow and quickly returning to Hua's house.

Because she was afraid that Li and Hua Ciyuan would come back suddenly, she wanted to take advantage of Li's absence to renovate her house.

This process was bound to cause some noise, and Li's absence was just perfect...

"Bang--"

The half-open gate of the courtyard was pushed open by Hua Shi from the outside. The courtyard was quiet and there was no movement.

She thought there was no one in the yard, but as soon as she opened the door, she saw four people sitting under the eaves.

The four of them sat in a row on low stools, each of them with droopy heads, dusty faces, and decadent expressions on their faces.

Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open, the four of them reflexively raised their heads and looked towards Hua Shi who was standing outside the door frame.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hanashi asked hesitantly, holding his breath and listening intently.

I didn't hear Li's noisy voice, so what's wrong with these four people who look so lifeless...?

“Woo…”

After seeing Hua Shi's familiar figure, Hua Li's mouth suddenly drooped and she sobbed and cried...

…