Chapter 18 Abandoning Wife and Children...
The sudden shock was too great for Mia to understand immediately.
Faced with Ren Qingsong's sincere gaze, she shook her head blankly, her mind filled with countless questions that needed to be answered.
"But I remember many people saying that once a daughter is married, she is like water spilled from a cup, and no family will ever think about her after she is married."
What Miya didn't say was that this kind of thing wasn't just something people talked about; it was also something she had personally experienced.
At this moment, she was like a person trapped in a quagmire, only wanting to grasp the only chance of survival.
"Third Brother, you are a good person."
"I can do laundry, cook, farm, I can do anything, please don't send me away, okay?"
In the end, Miya's voice seemed to come from a deep valley, distant and melancholic, making one's heart ache just listening to it.
This time, however, Ren Qingsong genuinely wanted to break free from Miya's outdated thinking and clarify the relationship between the two of them. He didn't want to drag things out any longer, as this would be bad for both of them.
He straightened up, pressed his hands firmly against Miya's shoulders, and laid bare his true thoughts to the nearly collapsing Miya.
“I won’t send you away, your mother won’t send you away, and none of the Ren family will send you away. From the day we saved you, you have been a member of the Ren family.”
“It’s a new era now. If you want to get married, your third brother will find you a suitable partner so you can live a happy and peaceful life.”
“If you don’t want to get married, your third brother will also help you strengthen your ability to support yourself on your own.”
"Just like the train attendants, department store saleswomen, and medical staff in military hospitals you've ever seen, they are all girls who earn money through their own abilities and don't depend on men for a living."
"Miya, you can do it too."
Ren Qingsong's last words were low but full of power.
Miya couldn't help but recall the train attendants she met on the train after she possessed the body, and the saleswomen she encountered while shopping. They were all girls, openly showing their faces in public, and no one would cast strange glances at them.
She vaguely realized that this new world was completely different from what she had imagined, and everything was so full of hope.
Even for girls like them, the future is full of endless possibilities.
Miya was lost in her own thoughts and couldn't wake up. Ren Qingsong saw the confusion and struggle hidden in Miya's eyes, let go of her hand, and casually picked up the hat next to him.
"Miya, I'm going to work. Think carefully about what I told you."
After saying that, he walked straight out without even eating breakfast.
Miya was completely unaware that she was immersed in her own little world, which was on the verge of collapse and then being rebuilt, and she couldn't extricate herself from it.
Ren Qingsong walked all the way to the camp, completely forgetting about having breakfast, and kept thinking about how to solve the problem with Miya.
Even during training, he was completely out of sorts.
He shouted at the increasingly loose formation of the training team: "Everyone, add five kilometers to the training!"
Before he could finish speaking, cries of pain erupted from the group. Ren Qingsong warned again, "Say another word, and you'll have to go another five kilometers!"
Now, all that could be heard in the entire group was the sound of synchronized footsteps.
Lin Jun, who had been at the back of the group, immediately quickened his pace and ran to his friend's side, looking Ren Qingsong up and down with a look of doubt in his eyes.
"Qingsong, what's wrong with you this morning? You seem a little absent-minded."
Ren Qingsong doesn't usually talk about his family's private matters with outsiders.
Especially since it concerns Miya's identity, if people find out, they might use it to make a fuss, and Miya can't withstand such turmoil.
However, he had spoken to Miya several times, but Miya still couldn't accept the new ideas.
Considering that Lin Jun was, after all, an instructor who was in charge of the soldiers' ideological and political work, perhaps he had some good ideas.
Ren Qingsong remained expressionless as he pondered inwardly. After a long silence, the question he uttered almost startled Lin Jun so much that he slipped and fell.
"Junzi, do you know what the final settlement was for the wife from Commander Zhang's hometown?"
Lin Jun's nerves tensed up immediately. He looked around frantically, afraid that Ren Qingsong's offensive words to his superiors would be overheard by outsiders.
Even after realizing that no one was eavesdropping, she still couldn't relax.
He lowered his voice, almost squeezing it out between his teeth, "Qingsong, do you know what the consequences will be if Commander Zhang's men hear these words?"
"Don't worry, there are no outsiders here."
Before asking the question, Ren Qingsong had already carefully examined the breathing sounds around him.
Hearing this, Lin Jun relaxed slightly, but his eyes remained wary. "Why are you asking this?"
"I suddenly remembered that similar things happened in my hometown, and I wondered how those women would live in the future."
Lin Jun felt uneasy about what he heard, but some things were beyond their control.
There's a nationwide trend of sweeping away feudal remnants, and child brides are a top priority. Those who haven't been married or had any relations with their parents are fine; they can be rescued and given a new life.
However, those illiterate women who were already married and even had children were forced into arranged marriages and abandoned by feudal ignorance, and their situation was miserable.
The child bride from Commander Zhang's hometown was neither the first nor the only one.
Especially before the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was the wives from these hometowns who helped take care of their parents. Now, they can be kicked aside with just a few words.
On the surface, everyone keeps quiet about this trend, but only those who abandon their wives who have shared hardship truly know what they are thinking.
Lin Jun thought for a long time and felt that there was nothing he couldn't say; Commander Zhang had already done it.
"I heard that Commander Zhang and his childhood sweetheart from his hometown have divorced and reported it, but in reality, his childhood sweetheart is still living in the same house, taking care of Commander Zhang's parents and their child. As for the woman who is now living with Commander Zhang in the army, she was introduced to him by someone after he came to the city."
Upon hearing "divorced but not separated," Ren Qingsong's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.
"How could Commander Zhang's ex-wife agree to such an absurd proposal?"
"It's simply that they lack the foundation for survival and the mindset to survive."
"Isn't there any way to pull them out of this mess?"
Ren Qingsong seemed to see Miya continuing to be stubbornly unrepentant, and his tone of voice couldn't help but become a little harsher.
Lin Jun was surprised by his friend's sudden and intense reaction, and then shared his own simple thoughts.
"Ultimately, the problem lies in the inadequate work done to liberate women. Now we have a commune system, where everyone can survive as long as they work, but the stubborn ideas that are deeply rooted in women and men are hard to eradicate."
"The best way is through compulsory education, arming herself with knowledge, so that she will truly stand up when she realizes that she has more rights than she thinks."
Upon hearing this, Ren Qingsong's eyes shone brightly.
"You're right! People who are ignorant should read more books."
Ren Qingsong himself only learned his knowledge after joining the army, and was subsequently promoted to his current position.
His most pressing thought now is to apply to the leadership to open a school. As soon as the training exercise ended, he went straight to Zhou Qiang's office.
Before he could even speak, Zhou Qiang on the other side preemptively assigned him the task.
"Qingsong, you've come at the right time. There's an urgent mission here that requires you to lead a team."
Ren Qingsong immediately suppressed his personal thoughts, took the mission information handed to him by the team leader, and quickly scanned it.
Then he saluted Zhou Qiang and said, "Mission accomplished!"
"The mission is urgent. You and your men must assemble immediately and depart. The vehicle is already waiting for you."
Zhou Qiang waved his hand to urge him on, showing great confidence in his favorite general, Ren Qingsong.
But Ren Qingsong did not leave immediately for the first time; instead, he stood still.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Qiang looked up and asked, puzzled.
Ren Qingsong recalled Miya's appearance when he left home that morning, and couldn't help but feel worried. "Commander, I'm a little worried about my sister."
“Military families have to get used to it. Don’t worry, I’ll have your sister-in-law talk to Miya and make sure Miya is fine.”
Only then did Ren Qingsong feel relieved and turn to leave.
Zhou Qiang sat in his office, watching the door slowly close, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"It's different when family comes. Even Qingsong, that stubborn and unyielding rock, knows to think about his girlfriend. That's good, because only those who care will try their best to come back."
*
When Zhou Qiang returned home at noon, he told his wife about Ren Qingsong's mission while they were eating.
"Qingsong has an urgent mission and has already set off. He hasn't had time to tell Miya yet. Go up and tell her to calm her down and prevent any trouble."
Liu Limei glared at her husband with dissatisfaction, "Since you knew it was Miya's first time, why didn't you let Qingsong explain things clearly before leaving?"
"Hindsight is 20/20!"
Zhou Qiang was furious at his wife's words, but he couldn't say anything in front of his children, so he could only suppress his anger.
"Remember to do what I'm told."
Before he could finish speaking, he hurriedly left, afraid that his wife would find fault with him again.
Erni couldn't help but smile as she watched her parents interact.
Da Ni, standing to the side, was somewhat stunned. She hadn't expected that after leaving her hometown and grandmother, her mother had changed so much that she almost didn't recognize her anymore.
As for the eldest child, his mind was only on food and play. He hurriedly finished his meal and headed straight for the gate.
"Mom! I'm going to play with Gou Dan."
"Don't go near the water! Don't play with fire! If your clothes get dirty or torn, I'll teach you a lesson."
Inside the house, Liu Limei put down her chopsticks, still worried about Miya being home alone.
"Erni, wash the dishes and chopsticks. Dani and I are going up the mountain to check on Miya."
*
Liu Limei and Dani climbed the mountain, but before they reached the top, Liu Limei noticed that Miya's yard looked unusual and sturdy.
With children helping her both inside and outside the house, it was her first time going up the mountain, and the sheer awe-inspiring sight of the stone-built wall was palpable.
"That's great! Miya's yard doesn't look like she's afraid of anyone trespassing."
Liu Limei looked around curiously and unexpectedly discovered the vegetable garden that had been roughly tended by Miya before.
She had previously thought that her husband said maintaining a house on the mountaintop would be expensive and laborious, but if there were such a large yard and a vegetable garden, she wouldn't mind.
"Let's turn our yard into a vegetable garden sometime, so we can have a change of pace."
“We can use the green bean and pumpkin seeds we brought from our hometown,” Dani chimed in from the side.
After enjoying the scenery outside the courtyard for a while, the two began to call out Miya's name.
"Miya?"
"Miya?"
"Miya!"
Liu Limei kept calling Miya's name, but received no response. Instinctively, she gave a gentle push, and the courtyard gate immediately collapsed against the wall.
In an instant, countless terrifying thoughts flashed through her mind.
The next second, his legs moved incredibly fast, and he ran towards the stairs.
As I passed the bottom of the stairs, I was startled by the pheasants and rabbits that were placed to the side.
Da Ni, confused, ran quickly to catch up, her eyes filled with anxiety.
The two ran to the stairwell and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Miya sitting safely on the stool.
Hearing the noise from outside, Miya slowly turned her head. Her neck was already sore from maintaining the same posture all morning, and she could faintly hear a clicking sound coming from her neck as she turned her head.
The bright light shining from outside blinded her, and it took her a while to see who it was.
"Sister-in-law, Dani, what brings you here?"
Liu Limei felt that something was off about the honey sprouts in front of her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Miya, are you alright? We called you from outside the yard just now, but didn't hear a response, so we were a little worried."
Miya habitually pulled up the corners of her mouth and placed her hands on the table, trying to use the momentum to stand up and greet the guests.
Her numb legs were completely out of control, and the soreness made her facial features crease together.
"Sorry, sister-in-law, I've been sitting for a while and my legs are a little numb."
Upon hearing this, Liu Limei and Da Ni immediately stepped through the door and gently comforted her, "No need to get up, your sister-in-law just wanted to talk to you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed the red date and corn porridge on the table that had already cooled down.
Liu Limei subconsciously assumed that Miya was waiting for Ren Qingsong to come back for lunch, and that the wait had been too long and the food had gotten cold.
As for the fire pit that had long since died out and the frigid temperature inside the house, she subconsciously ignored it.
She raised her hand and touched the bowl; the icy touch sent a shiver down her spine.
Liu Limei immediately said with a face full of self-reproach, "I'm sorry, Miya, it's all because your Brother Zhou was unfair. He only told me after we finished eating that Qingsong had gone on an emergency mission and wasn't in the military camp. We couldn't have lunch together with him."
"Wh...what?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely give him a good beating when I get back. Next time I send Qingsong on a mission, I'll make sure to let him have time to say goodbye to his family."
Liu Limei mistakenly thought that Miya was having trouble processing what she was seeing her brother go on a mission for the first time, so she immediately spoke up to comfort her.
"That's how it is for us military dependents; we need to get used to being home alone, or even supporting the whole family."
"I'm worried about leaving a young girl like you alone on the mountaintop. How about you stay at your sister-in-law's house for the next few days while Qingsong is away on a mission?"
At this moment, Miya subconsciously mistook Ren Qingsong's mission as an escape from what happened that morning.
She was in a state of turmoil, yet she also felt that escaping might be a good thing for her, but a hidden worry lingered in her heart.
Miya urgently needs to figure things out herself. She has limited help from outsiders and is too embarrassed to tell them about her private affairs.
She tried to force a smile, shook her head, and whispered, "No need, sister-in-law, the house is very safe."
Looking at Miya's appearance, how could Liu Limei not feel at ease?
After a quick thought, she immediately changed her approach, "How about this, let Da Ni stay at your house for a few days, and she'll go home when Qing Song returns."
This time, Miya couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Otherwise, she felt that other ways to reassure Sister Liu would be more troublesome for her than living with Da Ni.
"Thank you for your trouble, Dani."
Da Ni smiled and nodded, feeling incredibly excited about the rare opportunity to stay at a friend's house.
Liu Limei saw through her daughter's little scheme and teased, "It's not trouble at all. I bet Da Ni is so happy she'll be grinning from ear to ear."
Upon hearing this, Da Ni immediately stopped smiling and gave her mother an embarrassed look, as if she had been exposed.
Liu Limei smiled and shook her head, thinking: Dani is not young, and she doesn't have many relaxing days at home. It's a rare opportunity for her to relax and have fun for a few days.
After finishing her business, she immediately picked up the unburnt firewood from the fire pit.
"This porridge has gone cold. Let's heat it up before eating it."
"I can do it myself." Miya quickly got up, wanting to do it herself.
Liu Limei and her daughter didn't give her that chance; they started a fire and helped heat up the red date and corn porridge.
Miya sat helplessly beside the flickering flames, suddenly remembering what Ren Qingsong had said before he left.
She was most familiar with her third brother here, followed by Sister Liu's family.
With questions lingering in his mind, and after much hesitation, he finally voiced his doubts to Sister Liu.
"Sister-in-law, what are feudal remnants and oppression?"
The sudden words made Liu Limei and Da Ni stop what they were doing. Liu Limei pondered for a while, put down the firewood she was holding, and said with a blank look in her eyes:
"My sister-in-law doesn't know exactly what these fancy-looking things are."
"My sister-in-law only knows that since the People's Liberation Army came, our lives have improved. Everyone has land to cultivate, hope, and something to look forward to."
Miya noticed the glint in Liu Limei's eyes, and the image involuntarily appeared in her mind following her description.
“In the past, all the land belonged to the landlords, and every household was a tenant farmer. They couldn’t even feed themselves with the land they cultivated. This was oppression, and the landlords needed to be overthrown.”
At this point, Liu Limei's mood unconsciously brightened.
She then went on to describe what she perceived as products that needed to be overthrown, as seen on the radio, in newspapers, and in the mouths of intellectuals.
"Besides landlords, there's also feudal superstition. Nowadays, it's not allowed to believe in gods or Buddhas. If you're caught, you'll be arrested and imprisoned."
Upon hearing this, Miya's eyes widened in shock, while the tension in her heart eased slightly.
In this way, no one should find out that she is possessed by a wandering ghost, right?
"Anything else?" Miya asked eagerly.
"There's also infanticide, arranged marriages, and buying wives..."
Here, Miya finally heard the answer she wanted.
Just as Ren Qingsong said, this world is indeed a remnant of feudalism, and child brides are not allowed to exist.
But what if they've already gotten married and had children?
Miya spoke her mind directly, and Liu Limei's face immediately showed a pitiful expression.
Even Da Ni showed a sad expression, as if she had thought of something.
"Sister-in-law, is it difficult to answer my question?"
Liu Limei bit her lip, then smiled faintly, "There's nothing wrong with saying it."
“Now, in our hometown, all the child brides, except for one or two men with a conscience, have divorced by publishing their divorce papers in the newspapers on the grounds that arranged marriages and child brides are a product of feudalism.”
"divorce!"
"Divorce is just a nice way of putting it; to put it bluntly, it means being dumped."
Thinking of her relatives' experiences back home, Liu Limei's tone became tinged with sadness: "When rural women are divorced, their husbands don't want them, and they can't go back to their parents' homes. There's only one path they can take."
"What's infuriating is that this kind of reason for divorce is actually accepted, and you have nowhere to turn for justice!"
Liu Limei felt a burning hatred for those who abandoned their wives and children, wishing she could tear them apart and make them suffer the same deep sorrow and pain.
Before Lao Zhou brought her to the family compound, some people in the village said she was going to be abandoned.
She was lucky; Old Zhou had a conscience and brought his wife and daughter over. But what about the others who were in similar circumstances?
After hearing what Liu Limei said, Miya felt her heart turn ice-cold, her whole body turned cold, and even her breath felt cold.
She could easily imagine what would happen to those who were divorced.
Even though it's supposed to be a new era, why does it still sound like women have such a difficult path forward?
"Isn't there anyone who can uphold justice? Can a wife be divorced even if she doesn't violate any of the seven grounds for divorce?"
Liu Limei shook her head, not answering Miya's question.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Some things are beyond our control."
"Oh, right! I saw some pheasants and rabbits under the stairs when I went upstairs just now. It's getting cool now, so we can't leave them outside for too long. Da Ni and I will help you deal with them."
The way of changing the subject wasn't very clever, but Miya still followed Liu Limei's words to shift her thoughts.
She suddenly remembered that when Ren Qingsong returned home that morning, he seemed to smell of blood on him, and the wild game must have been caught during his morning exercise.
"Thank you, sister-in-law, Dani."
With the help of the two, Miya quickly cleaned and skinned the three pheasants and five rabbits, rubbed them with salt, and hung them to air dry for later consumption.
They took out only one wild rabbit, cut it in half and gave it to each of them as a thank you gift for their help.
Liu Limei accepted the gifts with embarrassment and left with Da Ni, planning to go up the mountain to spend the night with Miya later.
Miya stayed at home, pondering Ren Qingsong's words while rubbing the skin of the wild rabbit with wood ash.
Five rabbit pelts together should be enough to make two gloves, which will be much more comfortable for Third Brother to wear in winter.
As for the pheasant feathers, the prettiest ones were given to the eldest son to play shuttlecock, and the rest were tied to wooden sticks to make feather dusters for cleaning.
In Miya's hands, the pheasants and rabbits were used to their fullest potential, with absolutely no waste.
After finishing these tasks, it was already evening.
After dinner, Miya sat at the door of her house waiting for Dani to appear.
Upon hearing any noise, they immediately turned on their flashlights, stood on tiptoe, and craned their necks to look towards the intersection.
"Da Ni? Is that you?"
“It’s me,” Dani’s voice rang out, and Miya’s heart immediately settled back into her stomach.
When Da Ni saw the flashlight illuminating the yard, she unconsciously quickened her pace, tightened the door bolt, and hurried toward Mi Ya.
Miya came downstairs to greet her, asking in confusion, "Did you come alone?"
"No, my father brought me here and left only after he saw me enter the gate."
"That's good."
"Hurry up, let's go up."
Dani excitedly grabbed Miya's hand and ran upstairs.
Firstly, I didn't want to waste the flashlight batteries, and secondly, I was excited about staying away from home for the first time and couldn't wait to lie down with Miya and chat.
Miya followed and led Dani into her room.
Late at night, the two girls lay in bed and talked for most of the night, mostly Da Ni recounting her life in her village.
His words subtly revealed the difficulty in dealing with his grandmother's and uncles' families, as well as his excitement about the whole family heading to the family compound.
As expected, the two of them overslept because they went to bed too late.
The two got out of bed, looked at each other and smiled.
Despite Miya's repeated urging, Dani stayed home and ate a bowl of corn and red date porridge before returning home.
After explaining that he would be going up the mountain with Miya to pick wild vegetables, he would meet up with Miya, accompanied by his two little tails.
"Erni, Dawa, you two are here too," Miya greeted them warmly.
The eldest child jumped up and waved excitedly, "Sister Miya, let's find pheasants together!"
Ever since the last time my eldest son ate the wild pheasant that he and his older sister caught in the mountains, he has been longing to go hunting for wild game in the mountains.
Upon hearing that her older sister was going to the mountain with Miya to pick wild vegetables, she ignored her friends' calls and focused solely on going up the mountain to search for treasure.
"That depends on you."
"Don't worry, Sister Miya, I'm quick and agile. I've even learned how to set traps, so I'm sure I can catch them!"
Da Wa had no idea what a white lie was, and shamelessly accepted Mi Ya's praise.
Da Ni, standing behind him, rolled her eyes repeatedly as she listened to her brother's ridiculous words.
She had no interest in playing with her younger brother, so she took a big step forward and led the way.
Seeing this, Miya immediately followed behind.
Da Ni pushed her younger brother in front, while she walked at the back to prevent any accidents.
In search of fresher wild vegetables, the group continued forward and soon came to a place with a meadow in the middle and trees all around.
The eldest child followed along the way, but didn't see a single animal, and his frustration was clearly written all over his face.
He thought to himself: How come there isn't a single wild animal in such a big forest?
Pheasants and rabbits: You have to ask someone about this. They woke up the chickens and rabbits early in the morning and even took away my brothers and sisters. Why didn't they run away and wait for someone to come and catch them?
Miya and her two companions had no expectations of catching wild animals, but upon seeing the tender wild vegetables, they immediately squatted down and began picking them.
While picking the fruit, Da Ni talked to Mi Ya.
"Miya, is that little vegetable patch near your house yours?"
"It seems to be a vegetable garden left by the previous residents. I just pulled some weeds and didn't touch anything else."
Miya also remembered the vegetable garden she had neglected and realized she should hurry up and tidy it up.
"Your house is in a really good location. We don't even have much space to grow a vegetable garden."
Miya thought of Da Ni's yard and nodded in agreement.
In mountainous areas, where there is limited space for building houses, people often have to give up their yards in order to build houses that are nestled against the mountainside. This is difficult for Chinese people who are used to farming to accept.
After mentioning that the farmland area was small, Da Ni began to talk about what she would plant in the yard.
For people who are constantly hungry, food that can fill their stomachs is the first choice, but the yard is too small, so Da Ni's family decided to intercrop crops.
Plant sweet potatoes under the corn, and green beans on both sides. You can also use the corn stalks to climb, making the most of a vegetable garden.
As Miya listened, she admired Sister Liu's ingenious ideas, and she began to feel a little tempted.
Just as the two were talking animatedly about the varieties they were growing, the older child, who was playing nearby, suddenly let out a delighted scream.
"Bird's nest!"
The three of them immediately looked toward the source of the sound.
The eldest child was seen jumping around under a tree, pointing at a branch on the tree, making excited, almost inaudible noises.
Erni was annoyed by what she heard and said coldly, "If you raise your voice any louder, the birds will be scared away with their babies."
Upon hearing this, the eldest child immediately covered his mouth with both hands.
Then she gave her second sister a look, her short legs gripping the tree trunk tightly as she continued to climb upwards.
Erni reluctantly put down what she was holding and moved closer to her younger brother.
Under Miya's astonished gaze, Erni and Dawa skillfully cooperated and captured all the bird eggs on the tree.
In the following period, the two continued their efforts and obtained a total of twenty bird eggs.
They even gave two to Miya, which surprised and delighted me so much I didn't know what to say.
Before parting, Da Wa waved goodbye to Mi Ya with reluctance, "Sister Mi Ya, remember to call me next time we go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables."
Hearing this, Miya smiled helplessly and nodded, "Okay, I'll call you."
After returning home, Miya simply mixed wild vegetables, bird eggs, and sorghum flour and cooked them for a meal.
Then he went downstairs to retrieve the hoe that was placed on the first floor. After Ren Qingsong's processing, the originally rusty hoe shone with a sharp, cold light.
"It looks good."
Miya blew a breath onto the blade of the hoe, praised it, and walked towards the vegetable garden next to the yard with her tools.
The vegetable garden, which had just been cleared, has sprouted many new shoots of wild grass again after only a few days.
The weather is just starting to warm up, and the weeds are already growing so vigorously. I wonder how wildly they will grow in the vegetable garden by summer.
With worries about the future, Miya skillfully wielded her hoe, clearing away all the wild vegetables growing under the main vegetables.
At the same time, they also loosened the soil in the vegetable garden to help it grow stronger.
In just one afternoon, Miya cleared out the entire original vegetable garden.
Because the vegetables in the field are the result of the seeds that have formed over the past few years, which have been blown to the ground and grown by the wind, the vegetables in the field are very sparse.
Miya couldn't help but think about what she could plant next to it.
The next day, she went down the mountain with Da Ni to seek help from Liu Limei, who had experience in this field.
"Oh! Miya, you've asked the perfect question."
Liu Limei slapped her thigh excitedly, moved the stool she was sitting on, and began to enthusiastically share the experience she had just learned from the locals.
"Miya, let me tell you, the South is different from the North. Right now, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, which is perfect for planting a season of potatoes. Not only is it suitable for the climate of Mianning in the Southwest, but it's also easy to grow in the mountains, and the potatoes taste great."
"In another half month, we can start planting melons, beans, peppers, eggplants, and the like."
At this point, Liu Limei's passionate emotions began to wane.
She sighed deeply, feeling a pang of sadness, and said, "Before I came, I brought all the vegetable seeds from home, but now I have nowhere to use them."
"Can't we plant crops on all these mountains and land?" Miya asked, puzzled.
Liu Limei shook her head dejectedly, "Good land is all used for building houses. Trying to farm is almost like clearing wasteland. So you're really lucky to find a vegetable garden next to your house."
"Does this mean that if we're going to clear land, we won't be able to plant anything?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Limei felt as if she had been struck by something.
yes!
It's just clearing land, isn't it? She's cleared land in the village before.
What's a little land clearing if you're just trying to get enough to eat?
Liu Limei was suddenly awakened, and excitedly stood up, pacing back and forth in the room.
“Miya, you’re right. Even if it means clearing wasteland, I’m going to farm this land.”
“I’ll go talk to the other families who want to farm. If there are many people, we can also go to the quartermaster to express our needs. Miya, you stay home and play with Dani and the others. I’ll tell you the results of our discussion when I get back.”
Before she finished speaking, Liu Limei's hurried figure had already rushed out of the house.
Miya and Dani ran so fast they only caught a glimpse of her back, and they couldn't help but smile at each other.
After lunch, Miya visited Dani's house again and not only heard about the land reclamation and farming, but also another piece of good news.
"I heard from the quartermaster that a celebration will be held to mark the arrival of the third batch of family members in the family compound."
"Celebrating your move-in?" Miya asked, puzzled.
Liu Limei raised her chin, quite pleased with Miya's flattering question.
"I heard that it was because the families of the first two groups of residents were taking turns hosting dinners to celebrate their new homes. It's not only expensive and time-consuming for each family to host their own dinners, but it's also a bit unreasonable for those who come to eat to bring a gift."
"Over time, the number of families from both mountains adds up to a considerable sum."
Upon hearing this, Miya and the others understood the reason behind it.
"The military is a place that values thrift and frugality. So this time, the logistics department is directly responsible for organizing a collective celebration, which will not only be lively but also give each family a chance to get to know each other."
After saying that, Liu Limei couldn't help but admire the quartermaster's foresight. Originally, her family was also preparing a housewarming banquet these days to invite Lao Zhou's soldiers to their home for dinner.
However, Ren Qingsong had an urgent mission and it was postponed for a few days; otherwise, their family would probably have run into trouble.
Thinking of this, Liu Limei's gaze towards Miya softened even more.
Miya thought about the population living in the entire mountain family compound and realized that the logistics staff alone would probably be too busy to handle everything.
"For group activities, is there anything we family members need to do?"
"If you need help washing and chopping vegetables, those who are skilled can also cook. The quartermaster said that family members can use their skills."
"Of course, the men can't be idle either. Those who don't have to work tomorrow can go hunting together to prepare meat and vegetables for the celebration."
Upon hearing the word "meat," everyone present's eyes lit up in unison.
Even though Miya had eaten meat several times after arriving, her craving for meat was still ingrained in her bones.
After hearing the description, Mia and the others were all looking forward to the celebration the day after tomorrow.
Time flies, and the day to celebrate the arrival of the third batch of family members arrived as scheduled.
Early in the morning, Miya and Dani were sleeping on the mountaintop, and they could hear all sorts of noises coming from down below.
Thinking of the wild boar that the team had hunted on the mountain yesterday, the two of them unconsciously quickened their washing and grooming movements.
As for breakfast, I imagine other families are the same as them, they simply don't want to eat it, saving their stomachs for the big meal at noon.
Miya and Dani went down the mountain to meet up, and the five of them headed to the square together.
Even before you get close, you can see rows of large iron pots placed in the square, reflecting a striking sheen of oil under the sunlight.
On the cutting board next to it, a freshly cooked wild boar, cut in half, was laid out, looking so delicious it made one's mouth water.
As Miya swallowed her saliva, some children were already shouting excitedly.
"Rush!"
The author's note: Keeping, hunting, and consuming wild animals is prohibited!
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