Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Daily Work
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The rolling hills were soaked by rain, and the trees growing wildly in the forest had long been stripped of their vitality by the scorching sun. Dead branches were scattered on the ground, and rotten leaves were mixed with slippery mud. The once vibrant forest was in a mess, like a swamp full of dangers.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
Axes collided with wood, and more than a dozen shirtless men fought wits and courage with the bare trees in the woods. From time to time, a loud shout was heard, and a loud noise echoed, and another big tree fell to the ground.
The thick tree trunk was splashed with mud, and four or five men swarmed forward. They worked together to move the tree to the edge of the hillside, and then with just a light push, the intact tree rolled down the slope along the smooth and soft ground.
Using the most primitive tools and the simplest methods, on his first day at work, Gu Mengran chopped trees in the woods with others in the rain, and he chopped for most of the day.
Tired! He truly experienced what it meant to sweat like rain. Even though he was wearing a raincoat, Gu Mengran's clothes were soaked, not by the rain, but by the sweat.
The right hand holding the axe was sore. Gu Mengran repeated the action mechanically and could hardly lift his arm. If there weren't people everywhere in the woods, he really wanted to take out a chainsaw from the space and cut it off in a few strokes.
No wonder there is a shortage of manpower. These jobs... are too labor-intensive.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
The sharp axe continued to chop, and after dozens of hits, the bowl-thick tree was about to fall. Gu Mengran stood up with the axe in his hand, and imitated the others, shouting at the top of his voice: "Make way, make way, the tree is falling!"
He raised his leg and kicked the tree hard, and the tree fell to the ground. Others came to help and used the natural slide to send the tree down the hillside.
The rain was getting heavier, and Gu Mengran's face was wet, and he couldn't tell whether it was sweat or rain. He stood there for a while and was about to climb another tree when a hand suddenly came to his shoulder.
"It's almost time, Xiao Gu, let's go downstairs to eat."
Gu Mengran turned around and saw a middle-aged man in his forties standing behind him with his bare chest. The man was a little bald and had a stubble on his face, which made him look a little vicissitudes of life, but he often had a smile on his face, giving people a simple and easy-going feeling.
"Brother Luo, are you eating so early?" Gu Mengran smiled at him politely, raised his hand to check the time. It was just past four in the afternoon.
Although I had eaten some dry food on the mountain at noon and was already hungry, I got off work at four in the afternoon... wasn't it a bit too early?
As if he had guessed what he was thinking, Luo Yuan grinned and nudged him lightly with his elbow, "What are you thinking about? We have to carry the tree back down after going down, running back and forth. It will be good if we can have dinner at six or seven o'clock."
Gu Mengran touched his nose angrily, "It seems so."
There was no rush to go down the mountain. Gu Mengran looked back and around, and saw Liang Zhao walking down the slope with the others, so he followed Luo Yuan down the mountain.
The mountain road was slippery and difficult to walk on. A thick layer of mud covered the ground, and the shoes became much heavier. For fear of rolling down like the trees, Gu Mengran walked very slowly and carefully, and was soon left behind by the others.
Luo Yuan was a kind-hearted man. He was the one who gave Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran instructions when they were chopping trees in the morning. Now that they were going down the mountain, he didn't think they were dawdling. He patiently walked in front to lead the way, and from time to time he turned back to tell him and Liang Zhao where to step.
When they reached the gentler slope, Gu Mengran breathed a sigh of relief, followed Luo Yuan's steps, and hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you so much, Brother Luo. The old saying is true, it's easier to go up a mountain than to go down."
"That's right. Mountain roads are the hardest to walk on when it rains." Luo Yuan laughed, "I fell hard when I first got here. Fortunately, there was a tree stump that stopped me, otherwise I would have rolled down the mountain."
Just arrived? Gu Mengran looked at him in surprise, "Brother Luo is not a local?"
"Local? Haven't you figured it out yet?" Luo Yuan asked him back.
Gu Mengran blinked blankly, "What did you see?"
Luo Yuan shook his head helplessly. "Like you, I used to be a boatman in Huangjiang. We used to be colleagues on the same river. Otherwise, why would I be hanging around you two kids?"
So that's how it is, Gu Mengran suddenly realized.
When I first arrived, I thought the enthusiastic villagers would take care of me, but I didn’t expect that the care came from my former colleagues.
Gu Mengran had always thought that Luo Yuan was from the same village, so he behaved very well the whole day and didn't dare to ask any questions. This local suddenly became half of his own, and Gu Mengran couldn't help but smiled and said, "I was wondering why Brother Luo looked so friendly, so we are in the same business! How long have you been here? Is it the bulk carrier at the dock?"
"You kid." Luo Yuan gave him a meaningful look and grinned, "Yes, the bulk carrier at the tourist pier is ours. We... arrived more than ten days earlier than you. When you first arrived, we had already decided to stay and started working."
Luo Yuan was shirtless. Gu Mengran glanced at his upper body inconspicuously. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and his tone became cautious: "Brother Luo, I heard...someone on your ship was infected with chickenpox? Now..."
"Well, if you want to ask, just ask. Why are you hesitating? Do you think it's strange that I don't have any scars on my body?" Luo Yuan waved his hand disapprovingly. "Five of us on the boat, four were infected. I was the only one who escaped by luck."
"It was a dangerous situation. They were very ill and almost lost their lives. Fortunately, we arrived at Fengjin Lake and they were willing to take us in and find a doctor for us in time."
When talking about the past, Luo Yuan's smile gradually disappeared, and a hint of sadness appeared on his brows.
"Good fortune will come to those who are lucky." Gu Mengran subconsciously reached out to pat his shoulder, but halfway through he realized that the other person was not wearing a shirt. He withdrew his hand awkwardly and smiled dryly, "So are the rest of you in the village now?"
Luo Yuan said, "They just recovered from a serious illness and need to rest. Brother Duan arranged some easy work for them so that they wouldn't be exposed to the rain."
Gu Mengran: "What about the future? Do you plan to live here for a long time?"
"There's no choice!" Luo Yuan spread his hands. "We have nothing to eat or drink, and the boat is out of fuel. Where can we go if we leave here? It's a mess outside, so we might as well stay here."
Luo Yuan started talking, "But Shijin Village is really not bad. It is close to the mountains and rivers and has plenty of food and drink. The villagers are warm and honest. They took us in when we were in trouble and didn't bully us because we are outsiders."
After Gu Mengran finished asking his questions, Luo Yuan, who had been answering questions, asked his first question: "I heard that you don't want to stay here? Can I ask why?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling, I just don't know the situation here, so I can't make a rash decision." After hesitating for a moment, Gu Mengran chose a more conservative answer.
As soon as these words came out, Luo Yuan's eyes lit up immediately. "If you have any questions, just ask me. I am half a local, and I know the basic situation of the village."
"real?"
"Boy, can I still fool you?"
Gu Mengran pursed his lips and chuckled, slowly wiped the rain off his face, and said casually: "Thank you, Brother Luo, there is nothing to ask for now. Anyway, we will come here to work every day in the future, so let's see."
"What's the matter, kid? If you have any doubts, just ask. We are all sailors. Don't you trust me?" Luo Yuan seemed a little anxious and raised his elbow to bump Gu Mengran.
Gu Mengran smiled and said, "I will definitely do that next time."
Being too curious will lead to a trap. Gu Mengran was sure that no matter what he asked, Luo Yuan would give him an answer immediately. And then... as long as he took the opportunity, he would be given an invitation that he could not refuse.
They are still family. Luo Yuan probably has no bad intentions. It’s just that his heart is more inclined towards Shijin Village, and he has become a lobbyist for the villagers.
But from another perspective, this village should not be too bad. It took less than a month to win the hearts of the people. There should be no malicious intent, but just a simple lack of manpower.
After the chat, the three of them quickly came to the foot of the hillside where the trees were piled, rolled up their sleeves and joined the main group, walking on the bumpy muddy path, running back and forth countless times.
There is a drying yard at the east end of the village. It is very large, as big as a football field.
The villagers built a huge canopy with bamboo poles and tarpaulin on the top. The trees soaked by rain were transported here, dried out and then chopped down, eventually turning into firewood.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes dug out of the mud will be washed with rainwater first, and then distributed to the elderly and women in the village for peeling and slicing depending on the situation.
Finally, they will smoke it in their respective homes, place it on a wire grill, and smoke it with firewood together with raw fish until the moisture is completely removed for long-term storage.
Luo Yuan stopped pretending, knowing that Gu Mengran had seen through his intentions, he introduced them directly and openly. After carrying the tree, he saw that it was still early, so he took Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao to walk around the village again and again.
Gu Mengran knew that he was showing the goodness of the village in a more intuitive way, because it was indeed good enough.
Food, fuel, tools... The villagers did not lie down and pin their hopes on others, nor did they slack off because of their comfortable lives. Instead, they stockpiled supplies as much as possible.
It has to be said that their backbone was prepared for a rainy day and was very foresighted.
Gu Mengran was already exhausted, and after walking around the village for a few more laps, he was so tired that he could hardly lift his legs. But this trip was not without gain. It was almost time for dinner, and almost everyone was in the village. How many people were there in Shijin Village... Gu Mengran had a rough idea in his mind.
There were seventeen people who went up the mountain to cut trees, all of them were men, either young people or middle-aged people with relatively strong bodies. There were about thirty or forty people who dug potatoes and sweet potatoes on the mountain, both men and women, and most of them were young people.
There were no more than ten people fishing in the lake, including men, women, young and old.
Finally, there are the people who stayed in the village. It is roughly estimated that there are no more than a hundred people, and most of them are the elderly, the weak, women and children.
Where have the young and middle-aged people in the village gone?
Although he couldn't ask, it didn't stop Gu Mengran from being curious.
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