The seeds began to sprout and the weeds began to grow taller. It seemed that in just a rain, not only did all the snow melt, but even the plants seemed to have turned a noticeably greener hue. The whole world seemed to have been washed clean, emerging from the dull winter with new vitality.
It's like this storm brought the whole spring.
Sparrows chirped on the big camphor tree in the village. When the villagers came out of their rooms in the early morning to prepare for work, their eyes lit up involuntarily when they saw this scene. Even the heavy feeling left by the group of robbers who attacked their village a few days ago seemed to fade a little because of the green all over the mountain.
Especially for the more than one hundred people who had just come from Yunhai City, when they saw the changes on the mountain, it was like they saw new hope.
Sun Tiantian crawled out of her tent, stretched, rubbed her stiff neck, felt the fresh air outside, smelled the fragrance of grass and trees, and felt a little lighter.
"The weather is good now. It just rained, and the ground is wet. We don't need to water too much, otherwise we have to go to the river to fetch water. After breakfast, we will go for a walk in the fields and try to plant the land allocated to us by the village today. We will go to the mountains to open up wasteland tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Then we can plant more food and don't have to worry about this year." Sun Guangsheng said vaguely to his family while brushing his teeth.
Although Sun Guangsheng had never farmed in the countryside, he didn't know when to sow.
But as soon as he got the land, Sun Guangsheng carefully asked the village chief Zhao Xingguo when to sow, when to apply fertilizer, and what to plant.
The temperature is just right for growing cucumbers, pumpkins, taro and corn.
These seeds are not difficult to find in the countryside. Sun Guangsheng had taken advantage of the past two days to use his wife's two gold rings and a pair of gold earrings to exchange for a week's worth of food for their family, some seeds, a few farm tools and a few baskets.
In addition to gold and silver jewelry, they also brought banknotes this time, just to try whether these banknotes can still be used in the village. Although he did not hold out much hope, Sun Guangsheng was really reluctant to just throw them away like waste paper. After all, this money was the result of his hard work over the years, and it was suddenly said that it was useless and could only be treated as waste paper. Sun Guangsheng still found it a little hard to accept.
So he hid the few banknotes he brought with him at the bottom of his treasure box. This was also Sun Guangsheng's last remembrance of the past.
Sun Guangsheng frowned, finished brushing his teeth, and wiped his face with a towel.
His wife, Jiang Meijuan, had already cooked breakfast and lunch. They had already agreed last night to stay in the fields until lunchtime to avoid wasting any time. After all, the villagers had already planted their vegetables, fruits, and grains, and they had already fallen behind. They couldn't afford to waste any more time and miss out on spring planting.
While drinking the porridge in the bowl, Sun Tiantian opened a bag of pickled mustard greens and put it into a small bowl beside her.
Having not had enough to eat for several days, Sun Tiantian did not dare to waste the bag of pickled mustard greens. She poured some water into the plastic packaging, washed the packaging of the pickled mustard greens, and poured it into her bowl. Sun Tiantian ate the salty and spicy water, paired with the porridge full of rice fragrance, with relish.
Sun Guangsheng felt a little sad. His daughter never ate these packaged snacks before, thinking they were unhygienic and tasted bad. Now seeing this, Sun Guangsheng couldn't hide his heartache. He used to work diligently just to make his family live a good life, but now...
The family of four had to save even the pickled mustard greens and eat them for several days.
"Oh..." Sun Guangsheng lowered his head, speechless, feeling particularly uncomfortable.
Jiang Meijuan had been with her husband for over 20 years, and she knew what he was thinking. She felt ashamed that she couldn't provide a good life for her wife and children.
But how can I blame my husband for this?
In the face of such a natural disaster, not to mention one Sun Guangsheng, even ten Sun Guangshengs would be of no use.
Not wanting to make her husband so discouraged, Jiang Meijuan looked up at Sun Guangsheng and smiled, saying, "You're already so old, don't sigh in front of the younger generation. Isn't that a bad lesson for the children? Don't you just dislike eating pickled mustard greens? Tiantian won't come with us to farm later. Look, behind where we live, there are vast jungles. There are so many mountains, there must be a lot of wild vegetables on the mountains. Plus, the temperature has risen these past few days, and it has rained heavily. Maybe we can even pick some spring bamboo shoots and mushrooms in the mountains."
"Yesterday, when I was washing clothes by the river, I heard someone from their village say they were planning to go up the mountain to see if they could get some spring bamboo shoots and fern... Because of the natural disaster, that guy didn't have much food in his bowl... Tiantian, how about we go and have a look? If we don't find anything, or if we get tired, we can just come back and rest." You can't spoil your son. These days, no one knows what will happen next. Only when you have strength can you protect yourself.
But Jiang Meijuan was still a little reluctant to let her daughter suffer in the sun.
"Bamboo shoots and wild vegetables?! Yes! I'll carry a basket up the mountain in a moment!" Sun Tiantian, who had been eating so much white rice that she had acid reflux these days, suddenly brightened up when she heard that there were bamboo shoots, mushrooms and wild vegetables on the mountain. "Don't worry, Mom. Even if I don't find any wild vegetables later, I will chop some firewood and bring it back. Then you, Dad and my brother won't have to go up the mountain anymore!"
Sun Tiantian's eyes were shining, as if she had found a treasure. The old lady who lived in the same tent with Sun Tiantian's family had already had breakfast with her eldest grandson in another tent.
Hearing Sun Tiantian's words, the old lady smiled and said, "The temperature has risen quickly this year, and the plants in the mountains are growing fast. When I was young, I lived in the countryside. My family was poor, and I often went to the mountains to look for wild vegetables. Things like dandelions, wild leeks, shepherd's purse, purslane, spring bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc.... Last night I thought about going up the mountain with my grandson to have a look. Although I don't have much strength, I still recognize these common wild vegetables. Little girl, do you want to go with us later? It's just that I, an old lady, have difficulty walking, so I might walk slowly."
The more the old lady spoke, the more she longed for it. Sun Tiantian was almost crying, as if she had never eaten anything delicious in her entire life.
When Sun Tiantian thought of the fried eggs with spring bamboo shoots and stewed chicken with mushrooms that she had eaten in the hotel, she seemed to smell the fragrance spreading from her nose.
"Grandma Zhou, you've already helped me a lot by teaching me to recognize wild vegetables. What's more, finding wild vegetables is a meticulous job in itself. Grandma Zhou, please don't dislike me for being slow in finding them." Sun Tiantian's sweet words made Grandma Zhou laugh.
When Sun Guangsheng and his wife saw this scene, the smiles on their faces never stopped.
Since Yunhai City is relatively developed, there are a lot of people in the military and public security systems throughout the city. Therefore, even if the entire Yunhai City has been in chaos for the past two months, it has not been as chaotic as Ningyong County where people were killed and eaten in the streets.
However, there were constant incidents of looting, smashing, burning, and stealing throughout the city. Several times, people came to their house and wanted to steal their food. Fortunately, the Sun family's security door was quite strong, and these people left the Sun family cursing after they couldn't knock it open.
It was precisely because of this heavy mood that the couple felt that bringing their two children to Wanxi Village was the right move.
At least, although the people here seemed very vigilant and did not like the people who came from the city to divide the land, no one openly targeted them, robbed them, or stole their food. Instead, the villagers saw that several families could not make ends meet, so they lent them some food and asked them to return it to the village after they had food in the second half of this year.
It can truly be said that one has done the utmost.
The guys living in the threshing ground also looked very satisfied. Several of them had even started discussing how to cut down some trees from the mountain to build houses after finishing planting the crops. In the past week or so, they had also seen many people in the village burning red bricks and using wood to build houses.
Sun Guangsheng thought to himself that he also had to work hard and get up early to move into the house with his daughter and son.
There are still many people over there who are planning to go up the mountain to pick some wild vegetables today. Everyone doesn't have much food, and there is still a long time from spring planting to harvest. They have to go to the mountain to dig some wild vegetables and mix them with their meals.
In the past, there was no opportunity to pick wild vegetables in the city, and it was extremely difficult to get some wild vegetables to take home to fill your stomach.
Nowadays, with the mountains and plains covered in green, we can always dig some back.
Compared to the people in the threshing ground who want to dig more wild vegetables, the women in Wanxi Village are also thinking about the wild game in the mountains. They don’t want to eat the likes of dandelion and purslane. It rained so heavily yesterday, and the temperature was just right, so they still like the wild ferns, spring bamboo shoots and wild mushrooms in the mountains. Maybe if they are lucky, they can even pick up one or two pheasant eggs.
The weather was so cold before, and there were really not many people in the village who still had chickens at home. Even if they raised some chicks, it would depend on whether the people in the village could provide them.
The chickens in these people's homes don't hatch eggs as early as the chickens in Qin Suyun's home. The chickens in these people's homes haven't started hatching eggs yet. What's more, even if they really hatched eggs, they can't feed so many people at once.
The hatched chicks are first supplied to the families or relatives with whom the family has the best relationship. Only after these people have provided for them will the chicks be sold to other people in the village.
So even the villagers haven't tasted eggs for a long time.
Tang Miaomiao and Qin Suyun had a good relationship. She found Qin Suyun as soon as possible in the morning and asked her if she wanted to go to the mountains to pick some mushrooms and wild vegetables.
Tang Miaomiao looked at Qin Suyun with a smile and said, "It rained so hard yesterday, there must be a lot of mushrooms on the mountain today. Our area has a good environment, so if we look for them, we should be able to have a good harvest. Will you come with me later? I've been bored at home these days and I want to go out for a walk. I might as well take this opportunity to go for a walk in the mountains."
"Okay. I'll go up the mountain with you later. I don't know which mushrooms on the mountain are poisonous and which are not. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to help me identify them then." Although she has a rural household registration and grew up in the countryside, she doesn't know many varieties of mushrooms. She can only barely recognize the seven or eight common mushrooms.
"No problem, leave it to me! When I was in Tangjia Village, I often went to the mountains to pick mushrooms and spring bamboo shoots. I basically know all the mushrooms on our mountain. Just carry the basket and go up the mountain with me!" Tang Miaomiao had been confined at home for so many days due to heavy snow and rain. She had long wanted to go up the mountain for a few laps, but she had never had the chance, so she had to wait until now.
The two agreed to go up the mountain after breakfast and bring some food with them to avoid being hungry in the mountains at noon.
There was a lot of food at home. Qin Suyun thought about it and packed out two portions of spring rolls she had made yesterday, waiting to take them with her when she went up the mountain.
Qin Suyun was a little worried about the little squirrel at home that had just grown fur and had not yet opened its eyes. She didn't know if the little squirrel would be hungry after being in the mountains for such a long time.
Normally, it would only take her one or two hours to go up the mountain to chop firewood, but today it looked like it would take at least three to five hours.
Qin Suyun frowned slightly, and decided to feed the baby once when she went out, and again when she came back.
There is a lot of work to do at home now, and she is the only one doing the work, so she really can't leave.
If it weren't for the unpredictable world and people's hearts, she would actually really like to find two people to come home to help so that she can have a rest on weekdays.
…………
The morning passed quickly, and it was suddenly the time agreed upon by Qin Suyun and Tang Miaomiao. She picked up a backpack, took a sickle and a hoe, put spring rolls and a water bottle in it, and told the dogs at home to look after the house. Then she prepared to go out with her things on her back.
However, unexpectedly, when it was time to leave, Dahei followed him barking.
Tang Miaomiao was filled with amazement. "How come your dogs are so smart? They knew you were going up the mountain, and they actually followed you! Our previous dogs only knew how to wag their tails when we came home on weekdays and catch mice at night. But they've never tried to follow me when I go up the mountain."
"Dahei was trained in the army before. Although he didn't become a military dog in the end, he looks much smarter than ordinary dogs." Qin Suyun naturally couldn't tell the story of Yu Lu, so she could only find another way of saying it.
"No wonder it's so smart!" Tang Miaomiao nodded with a smile and said, "My mother-in-law said a few days ago that your dog is so smart. When it gives birth to puppies, she will definitely ask you to replace it with another one. You must not refuse when the time comes."
"Hehehe, as long as our dogs like your family, it doesn't matter if you pick two or three, we can even give them to you for free." There are so many dogs in the family, and Xiaoqi and Xiaowu will definitely give birth to more puppies in the future.
Qin Suyun reached out and touched Dahei's head, smiled and said a few words to Tang Miaomiao, then the two of them carried the backpacks and walked towards the road leading to the back mountain. Dahei followed them silently, wagging his tail from time to time to show his good mood.
Wanxi Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, especially the mountains at the back which are the tallest. One mountain is connected to another, which looks quite spectacular.
Taking advantage of the good weather today, Tang Miaomiao and Qin Suyun were not the only ones who wanted to go up the mountain. As soon as they went up the mountain, they met two or three groups of people at the intersection. Most of these people were disaster victims who had come from Yunhai City before. They were carrying backpacks on their backs, intending to use these backpacks to carry wild vegetables and the like.
Qin Suyun just nodded slightly to the people who went up the mountain with them, as a greeting, and then followed Tang Miaomiao to leave here and walk deeper into the mountains.
But as she walked, Qin Suyun's brows slightly furrowed...
The entire mountain looked green and full of vitality, but Qin Suyun always felt that something was wrong. Even the chirping of insects and birds on the branches could not divert her attention.
She felt that the plants seemed to be growing too fast!
It's as if it suddenly rose overnight!
It was as if it was just a storm, and the plants here were completely different from what I had seen before.
Qin Suyun was thinking about something, and as she walked, her pace gradually slowed down.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you walking slower and slower? Are you tired? Do you need a rest?" Tang Miaomiao looked at Qin Suyun with some confusion, thinking that she was unwell, having just come out of the village and walked for less than 20 minutes.
Qin Suyun shook her head, indicating that she was not feeling unwell. She pointed to a small, crooked sapling nearby and said, "I remember when I went up the mountain to chop firewood a few days ago, this sapling was only as tall as my thighs. Now you see, it seems to be taller than me. Isn't it growing too fast?"
In just two days, it grew to half a person's height. She had never seen a plant grow so fast before.
Looking at it carefully, Qin Suyun seemed to feel that not only this small tree, but even the weeds on the ground had grown a lot taller.
"Hey! What did I think you were talking about? Spring is here, so naturally these plants will grow faster. It's not surprising that they change every day... Besides, last year there was a severe drought, heavy snow, and an earthquake. These plants must have been suppressed for a long time, just like us. Now that the weather is just right and the rain is just right, aren't they growing faster? What's so strange about that?"
Tang Miaomiao saw the direction Qin Fengyun pointed and didn't think much about it. She even tried to persuade him, "When we were digging bamboo shoots in the mountains before, the bamboos would grow more than a meter tall after just two rains. Compared to those bamboos, these saplings grow much slower."
"Besides, if these saplings don't grow faster, we won't have enough firewood to burn. Fast growth is a good thing, and you don't have to worry too much. Besides, you haven't been to the mountain for two days." Tang Miaomiao turned her head and looked at Qin Suyun nonchalantly, even jokingly saying, "Suyun, don't let these recent events make you nervous. A lot of things have happened recently, but we have survived them all... After the crops are harvested this spring, life will definitely return to normal in the future."
"The country is there. Even if those big cities were destroyed by the earthquake, they would definitely be rebuilt in a few years. Right now, the country simply can't spare enough manpower, so it seems that the whole world has been in chaos recently."
No matter how these natural disasters occurred, they are just natural disasters after all. As long as these natural disasters are over, the whole world will be able to return to its original state.
This is also what most people think in their hearts.
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to believe what she said, Qin Suyun frowned and said no more, but she paid more attention to the surrounding environment.
But the time is short after all, and the growth rate of these plants is not like the magic beans in fairy tales, which grow to the clouds at a speed visible to the naked eye when planted on the ground. Instead, they spread at a growth rate several times faster than usual.
This growth rate was clearly abnormal, but the others didn't seem to care. They watched as a few villagers passed by, laughing and discussing which mountain they would go to and which road to take...
Qin Suyun pursed her lips and thought to herself: I just hope I'm just thinking too much.
Dahei looked at his master, then looked at the sapling next to him, wagged his tail, and continued to follow Qin Suyun.
In their area, most wild mushrooms tend to grow in densely wooded areas, especially under fluffy dead leaves and on fallen trees. The two of them walked along, carefully inspecting the area and finding quite a bounty.
Especially Qin Suyun, with Dahei's help, she gained even more.
"Why is your dog so smart?" Tang Miaomiao looked at Qin Suyun with envy.
They had been looking for mushrooms in the mountains before, but many of these mushrooms liked to grow in inconspicuous corners, which made them very difficult to find and extremely demanding on the eyesight. Unless they encountered large areas of mushrooms, it would not be easy to find them.
However, just as the two of them were diligently searching for mushrooms in the jungle, Dahei, who was standing nearby, saw what his owner was looking for, and he barked to help search around.
A dog's nose is much stronger than a human's. After that, Dahei helped Qin Suyun find a lot of mushrooms with almost no effort, and Tang Miaomiao also picked a lot together.
These mushrooms were newly grown, juicy and looked extremely delicious. In just over an hour, the bamboo baskets behind them were mostly full.
This is much better than what they expected when they came.
"I originally thought that it would take at least three to five hours to pick so many mushrooms, but now we have picked so many in just over an hour. I feel that we can go down the mountain before noon. Let's go to the bamboo forest and dig some spring bamboo shoots." Tang Miaomiao said with great enthusiasm.
Qin Suyun stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I didn't expect we could collect so much when we went up the mountain."
She had originally thought that it would be good if she could get two or three kilograms in three to five hours, but now this small backpack must weigh at least ten kilograms, which is much more than she had imagined.
"There are a lot of mushrooms here. Let's continue walking inside. We will definitely see more later." Tang Miaomiao was so excited by these harvests that she thought she must fill up the entire backpack today.
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