The vegetables they had planted in Ningxia were beginning to sprout, and the plate of chives Xiaojie had brought back was incredibly fresh and green, a delight to the eyes.
"Sister Xia Xia, what are we going out for today?" Lin Yi, carrying a backpack, took the sickle handed to him by Ningxia.
"Go collect that patch of lavender. Old Liao said it can be used as medicine. Let's dry it and store it. Once Lieyangyue arrives, we'll go to the trading point and see if we can exchange it for supplies."
Lin Yi walked into the house and took out his crossbow, "Can I take this with me?" Li Gang and the others had taught him a lot in the past few days, and Lin Yi had improved a lot. He always wanted to take it out and shoot.
Ningxia acquiesced, and the three siblings went out again. After enjoying the stunning views of the vast fields of lavender, Ningxia Lin Yi began to harvest the lavender, while Sangsang was responsible for stacking the harvested lavender together, waiting for Maomao to transport it back home.
Ningxia sat on the edge of a field, watching nonchalantly as Lin Yi and Sangsang practiced with their crossbows not far away. She looked down at the lavender fields before her, now completely ravaged. Then she looked up at the sky. The heavy rains were just a few days away. By then, apart from the tall trees and the greenery deep in the forest, the basin before them would be barren.
The heavy rain before the Sun Moon would drive the already mature seeds deep into the ground, quietly lying in wait. Once the Sun Moon was over, they would take root and sprout again, thriving and proliferating. Even plants were struggling so hard. Ningxia looked at the still frail brother and sister not far away and sighed quietly, hoping only that they would be safe.
At dawn, Ningxia asked Lin Yi to keep an eye on the yard and went out again.
After Li Gang and his companions left, Ningxia fell into anxiety and wandered around for several days without getting a good rest.
Lin Yi squatted in the yard and carefully turned over the lavender in the middle of the yard, and then turned over the patchouli beside it.
Yes, Patchouli. Every year before the scorching sun month, vast swathes of summer-relief Chinese medicinal herbs sprout in the mountains, as if to warn people. But unfortunately, in Ningxia, only Patchouli and wild chrysanthemum are commonly known.
Yesterday, before she finished harvesting, she found a patch of cassava at the foot of the mountain and didn't rush back. She walked in and found a large patch of patchouli. She didn't care about being tired and brought all the cassava back from Ningxia.
She no longer allowed Lin Yi and Sangsang to go out, so Ningxia would take two pancakes and Maomao out every day, running around. They would return home in the evening with only one pancake in their hand and they never came back empty-handed.
Half of the 40-square-meter yard was covered in lavender and patchouli, while the other half was filled with fresh grass brought back from Ningxia, waiting to be dried and stored as food for Maomao Lieyangyue.
Ningxia was so tired from showing off, but Maomao was so happy that she went out every day to enjoy the freest wind and the freshest grass.
"Sister Xia Xia!"
"Xia Xia!"
The brother and sister in the yard hurried to greet them.
The sun had been setting for a while, but the redness on Ningxia's face from the sun had not yet faded.
The three siblings led Maomao into the yard and took off the luggage bag on its back. Only then did Lin Yi take Maomao back to its nest.
"Xia Xia, drink!"
Ningxia took the sugar water handed to her by Sangsang, smiled, and drank it obediently.
These days, she has been eating dry biscuits when she goes out. The brother and sister are really worried about her. They give her a cup of sugar water every day when she comes back, and they get angry if she doesn't drink it.
She hugged Sangsang, who was fanning her, and asked, "Did you listen to your brother at home today?"
Sangsang obediently put down her fan and nestled in Ningxia's arms, squeezing her arms with the same force as a kitten kneading her breast. "I'm listening!"
"Really? Why did you not like it when I heard your brother ask you to write pinyin last night, and you even got angry at him?"
Sangsang paused, and Ningxia watched her eyes roll back and forth. Then, as if nothing had happened, she continued to massage Ningxia's arm. "No! I was just turning over the rags yesterday and got tired. I wanted to rest for a while, but my brother wouldn't let me, so I got angry."
Ningxia saw that she was a little brat, lying without thinking. Was she tired from turning the grass? Her brother would rather die than let her get tired at all. Ningxia pinched Sangsang's face and said suspiciously, deliberately teasing her, "Really?"
Hearing Ningxia's distrust, Sangsang raised his head, pulled out a mouthful of rice, and chuckled twice, "Xia Xia! I ate a lot of meat today!"
Seeing the little girl change the subject abruptly, Ning Xia raised the corner of her lips and said as she wished, "Really?"
Ningxia got home relatively early today, and she rose, ready to cook a good meal for the siblings. Lin Yi's cooking skills had improved dramatically during her absence. The stove in the yard had been dismantled and unused, so Ningxia moved her cooking into the kitchen, moving the old gas canister to the attic for careful storage. She used firewood she'd scavenged from outside.
There were two piles of firewood in the kitchen where the refrigerator used to be. One pile was chopped and neatly stacked, and the other pile was some flammable small branches used to start a fire.
Ningxia had been busy outside these days, so Lin Yi hadn't been idle either. He took Sangsang to collect firewood and pick some wild vegetables near the house. Although he was only thirteen years old, after trying a few times, he was able to chop wood quite well.
Seeing Ningxia enter the house, the brother and sister hurried to follow, bumping into each other as they entered. Lin Yi hurried to check if Sangsang had been hit, but the little girl was like a little top, swinging her two thin arms back and forth several times, hitting Lin Yi hard.
Lin Yi was puzzled. He lowered his head and met his sister's eyes. Sangsang glared at him with her lips curled up, "Bad brother! You're a snitch!"
Lin Yi's face was full of questions, but Sangsang ignored him, stomping her feet vigorously and walking forward. Lin Yi scratched his head, not understanding but not curious either.
Ningxia took down the few pieces of bacon from the beam, cut off a small piece, and hung it back up. There was still a lot of rice left from the brother and sister's lunch, so Ningxia decided to make some bacon fried rice. After a few days of eating multi-grain cakes, she was craving it.
The scorching sun month is coming soon, and Ningxia wants to keep the brother and sister as healthy as possible, so the rice they steam recently is not made of pure grains, but a quarter of rice is mixed in, so the taste is not too rough.
On the table sat a handful of wild vegetables that Lin Yi had picked that morning, their roots still clinging to dirt. As the weather grew hotter, the seasonal vegetables began to age. Ningxia handed the handful to Lin Yi, who, without needing to be told, tacitly took them aside and began washing them.
Ningxia cut the palm-sized pieces of bacon into small dices and put them into the pan to fry the oil. The aroma of meat filled the whole kitchen. The slightly browned meat particles mixed with the distinct grains of rice were shiny and very tempting.
Ningxia mixed the chopped wild vegetables and chopped green onions together and stir-fried them, swallowing her saliva uncontrollably.
The steaming fried rice with diced meat was placed on the table. There were no other dishes. The three of them each held a big bowl and ate it with relish, feeling full of happiness while chewing.
After dinner, before it was completely dark, Ningxia once again counted the things she had.
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