We were almost at the foot of the mountain, and the originally rugged road began to become flat.

Zhao Luochuan and Zhao Fangyu stood on both sides of the cart, one on the left and one on the right, controlling the direction of the vehicle with their hands.

The joy on Yang Donghu's face was too obvious, and he did not hide it at all. Zhao Luochuan missed him so much during the days they were apart that he loosened his hand that was holding the cart and took three or two steps to Yang Donghu's side.

If this was at home with no one around, Zhao Luochuan would definitely hold the man in his arms and give him a good hug, but now Zhao Fangchu was watching next to him, and there was a man following him. Zhao Luochuan didn't want to embarrass Yang Donghu in front of others, so he just gently pulled his hand down and quickly let go.

"Why are you two sitting here?"

Just that one tug made Yang Donghu feel an inexplicable throbbing in his heart. He suppressed his chaotic emotions and tilted the backpack halfway to let Zhao Luochuan see: "The large reed leaves behind the house have been picked, and the small ones are useless for making rice dumplings. Fang Chu and I went up the mountain to find some bamboo shoots to make rice dumplings. There are still some fresh and tender bamboo shoots, so we thought we would pickle them when we go back."

The backpack looked quite heavy. When Zhao Luochuan left, Yang Donghu had not fully recovered from the cold he caught, but now he felt relieved to see that his cheeks were rosy and his face was normal.

"Why don't you wait for me to come back? These bamboo shoots are so heavy." As he spoke, he put the two people's backpacks on the cart. The road to home was not far, but Zhao Luochuan still asked the two to sit on the cart and rest. He and Zhao Fangyu pulled the cart down the mountain together.

Except for the hibernation season, there are a lot of prey in the mountains at other times. If you are a little brave and walk a few more steps into the mountains, you can fill the cart.

This time, most of the birds were pheasants, with their claws tied to the cart with ropes. The most eye-catching ones were two wild geese with long necks.

At the back of the cart was tied up with a deer-like animal that was crying. Yang Donghu looked at it unfamiliarly and didn't recognize what it was. However, the sound it made sounded like a dog barking.

Later I learned from Zhao Luochuan that this thing is called a muntjac.

After the flowers fell, the fruits began to grow. If you smelled carefully, you could smell the fragrance. In front of the cart, there were several small packages wrapped in oak leaves. Zhao Fangchu opened them out of curiosity and found that there were several round plums with purple skin inside.

He exclaimed in surprise. There were fruit trees in the village. Peach and pear trees were common and were mostly planted in front of and behind houses. There were also dates and persimmons. Plum trees were not common but tasted good.

There are trees on the mountain, but they don't grow on the edge, and it's dangerous to go inside. Plums are only eaten for a few days a year. If Zhao Luochuan can find some when he goes up the mountain, he will bring some back. But if he doesn't find any or it's not time to go down the mountain yet, the plums will be ripe and rotten in the ground when he goes to look for them later.

Zhao Fangchu couldn't wait to pick one up and put it in his mouth, not caring whether it was clean or not. When the plum is fully ripe, it is purple-red. Except for the sour skin, it will be sweet when you tear open the skin and eat it.

There was still a green color on the surface, and it was still hard when pinched. The sour taste filled his entire mouth. Zhao Fangchu didn't mind the sourness, so he picked up one called Yang Donghu to taste it.

Yang Donghu couldn't stand the sourness. After taking just one bite, he felt his teeth were shaking. His eyes narrowed and he sucked his lips, unwilling to eat any more.

Zhao Luochuan heard the noise and turned back to smile at them. "It's just a little cooked. Let's go back and let it sit for a few days so it won't be sour anymore. There are also chicken mushrooms wrapped in the leaves next to it. We brought back a lot of pheasant eggs this time, so let's save one for Auntie to stew and make soup for us."

It was cold in winter, and Zhu Cuilan cooked all kinds of soups and rice. The chicken stewed with dried chicken mushrooms in the New Year's Eve dinner was so fragrant that it made people dizzy. Yang Donghu was always thinking about it.

All the chickens at home were kept for laying eggs, and Zhu Cuilan was reluctant to eat them easily. Although they had meat all the time and had a big meal every three to five days, they ate very little chicken.

When the leaves were opened, a unique fragrance of chicken mushrooms was emitted, and Yang Donghu's eyes were full of joy just by looking at it.

The two men pulled the cart much faster than the two boys walked down the mountain by themselves. When they arrived home, Zhu Cuilan and Aunt Zhang had just parked the cart.

When Zhu Cuilan saw the two brothers who had gone out were brought back by the man she had not seen for a few days, she was extremely happy. The festival was approaching, and it was a joy to see the whole family reunited together.

There are many customs during festivals. Zhu Cuilan went to the town and brought back a jar of realgar wine in addition to buying glutinous rice. She also bought two packets of realgar powder to sprinkle in the house.

The fifth day of the fifth month is an unlucky day. According to tradition, the five poisonous creatures should be driven away. Tomorrow, all of these should be scattered under the cupboard to ward off harm. She asked Yang Donghu to take one of the packets of realgar back and wait for tomorrow to scatter it.

Children often suffer from various diseases, so the adults in the family will buy colorful silk threads from the town and weave them into bracelets for the children to wear on their wrists to ward off evil spirits.

The five-colored rope is not just for children, it is suitable for people of all ages. Zhao Fangchu is not yet engaged at home, so he is still a child. Although Yang Donghu is married, he is not in good health, so it is good to wear a bracelet to ward off bad luck.

After Zhu Cuilan finished weaving the colorful ropes, she gave them to her two brothers at home, and warned them not to wear them until after dark.

The glutinous rice for making zongzi needs to be soaked the night before. The reed leaves and bamboo shoots should be boiled in hot water and then soaked in cold water. This way they will not break easily when you make zongzi the next day.

Aunt Zhang has children making noises at home, and she also has to prepare dry food for the summer harvest. She and Yinchun are the only ones at home and can't handle it, so she put all the glutinous rice and red dates with Zhu Cuilan to soak together, and bring Yinchun with her to make dumplings tomorrow morning. Zhu Cuilan's family has more people and more strength, so they can make dumplings faster.

Zhu Cuilan naturally agreed to do something that was no big deal for the neighbors, and she prepared everything after dinner before turning off the lights and going to bed.

In the evening, Zhao Luochuan held Yang Donghu in his arms and put a bracelet on him. Yang Donghu's figure was a little rounder than last year, but it was still a little rough to touch. Except for a little flesh on his face, he didn't look fat anywhere else, and his wrist was as thin as a stick.

"It's been so long and I haven't gained any weight. What's the point of staying this thin?"

Yang Donghu shook the knot in his hand. The colorful rope was bright, and his arm looked very white and tender in the candlelight. He paused for a moment, then thought of something and his ears flushed. "You said we've been together for so long, and there's still no news. I heard people say it's difficult for men to have children, and the rounder the body, the easier it is. What do you think, will I..."

"What could be the problem?" Zhao Luochuan lowered his head to smell the pleasant aroma of soap nuts on Yang Donghu's body: "Will I be unable to have children?"

Yang Donghu lowered his head, feeling a little unsure, and hummed softly.

Ever since Yunqiao gave birth to a child, Zhu Cuilan sometimes unintentionally mentioned this matter in front of Yang Donghu. Zhao Luochuan also often mentioned the matter of having a child before. Even if he didn't say it, he definitely wanted it from the bottom of his heart.

Let’s not talk about those who are far away, let’s just talk about those who are close. Zhao Fangchu was brought up in pampered condition, so he has a good physical foundation. Even if he is a boy who has difficulty conceiving, as long as he doesn’t get seriously ill later and takes care of himself slowly, his chances of having a child are much greater than Yang Donghu’s.