There's definitely not enough time to grow grain on the ten acres of land behind the yard.
But it's good to plant some cabbage and radishes to keep for the family to eat in the winter.
Li Lao Er and his brothers carried hoes and worked together to clear an acre of land in a single day.
Jiaren took his younger brothers up the mountain to chop firewood, dragged it home, and stacked it up. This was the key to keeping the family warm through the winter.
Wu Cuihua, however, would often hide away to slack off, but when it came time to eat, she was more enthusiastic than anyone else.
Although Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying are diligent, they can still do the work neatly even without Wu Cuihua's help.
But Old Mrs. Li looked down on this cunning and deceitful person and planned to properly discipline her second daughter-in-law after settling her down completely.
During the day, Jiaren and Jiayi, while chopping firewood, dug up a lot of wild vegetables on the back mountain.
The soil was knocked off the roots, and the plants were neatly arranged on a winnowing basket and placed in the sunniest spot to dry.
In winter, soaking it in water, then blanching it in hot water and dipping it in sauce makes a delicious dish.
On this day, Li Lao Er took a pheasant that Li Lao Si had hunted on the mountain the day before and went to the village chief's house to borrow a donkey cart.
I plan to go to the county to buy more grain to prepare for the winter.
The village chief set up the donkey cart for Li Lao Er, but refused to take the pheasant.
Li Lao Er insisted on giving it to him, and laughed.
"Uncle, this is a small token of our appreciation. Please keep it and eat it!" After saying that, he took a donkey cart to town to buy grain.
This time, Old Lady Li gave him five taels of silver, enough to buy several hundred catties of sorghum flour.
Add some fine flour, and you can make steamed buns or flatbreads that are very filling.
Jiayin is currently lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing with a rattle drum, trying her best to make her little hands obey her brain's commands.
Grandma Li directed several young boys to tidy up the storeroom, wash the earthenware jars, and then put in the grain to prevent rats from causing trouble.
Jiayin gazed at the rooftop, pondering going hunting in the back mountains with her father the next day.
I've accumulated dozens more eggs in the space, and dug up several hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes. I'll take them out whenever I get the chance.
She is still too young, and she needs help from others for even the simplest things, which is really inconvenient. She is eager to grow up quickly.
The little chubby arms, like lotus roots, swayed even more joyfully, and the rattle drum made a thumping sound along with them.
"Oh my, why is our Fu Niu'er so happy today?"
Grandma Li loved her granddaughter's cheerful appearance the most, and quickly hugged her in her arms.
Jiayin responded with two babbling sounds, beginning their daily routine of bonding time between grandmother and granddaughter.
Jiaren and the others huddled together, secretly touching the little girl's hands and feet, laughing happily...
The next morning, after having breakfast, Li Laosi slung his bow and arrows over his shoulder and prepared to continue hunting in the back mountains.
Hunt more pheasants and make chicken soup for Tao Hongying to nourish her body and increase her milk supply, so we won't have to worry about our daughter going hungry.
Jiayin was drinking milk when she heard Li Laosi talking to Li Laotai.
She quickly tilted her head back from Tao Hongying's chest and made two "ah ah" sounds at Li Laosi's back.
"Fourth brother, Fu Niu'er is calling you."
Grandma Li takes good care of her granddaughter and knows her best. Seeing this, she tried calling out to her, and sure enough, Jiayin waved excitedly.
When Li Laosi turned around, he saw his daughter reaching out her little hands, wanting a hug.
He was truly flattered and quickly took his daughter from his wife's arms, his arms stiffening, not daring to exert any force.
Tao Hongying chuckled and stood up to instruct Li Laosi, "You hold it like this."
Li Laosi adjusted his position, teased his daughter for a while, and reluctantly put her back into Tao Hongying's arms.
"I'll definitely find some wild eggs for my daughter today. A child this big can eat egg custard now, right?"
As he was speaking, he turned to leave, but Jiayin started yelling again and reached out for a hug.
Seeing that Li Laosi ignored her, she started crying loudly.
Li Laosi and Tao Hongying panicked and quickly checked if their daughter had wet herself.
While Jiayin was tugging at Li Laosi's sleeve, Li Laotai thought for a moment, then tapped her granddaughter's forehead and asked.
"Fu Niu'er, are you reluctant to leave your father?"
"Ah," Jiayin responded with only one sound.
Grandma Li blinked twice and asked again, "So you want to go up the mountain with Father?"
"Ah ah!" This time, Jiayin not only responded twice, but also danced joyfully with joy...
If there was anything else she didn't understand, Old Lady Li decisively instructed her son and daughter-in-law.
“Carry Fu Niu’er on your back, and you can go together.”
"No, Mom, what if we run into black bears or wolves on the mountain? And there are so many mosquitoes!"
Li Laosi was the first to object, and Tao Hongying also hesitated.
Grandma Li waved her hand, "Didn't Madam Sun give you a piece of fine gauze? Just wrap it up for Fu Niu'er. My granddaughter said she wants to go up the mountain, so I can't let her down."
Li Laosi and Tao Hongying were both amused and exasperated. After all, their daughter had only made a few "ah ah" sounds, and it was all just the old lady's guess, so it couldn't be taken seriously.
But they had no choice but to obey and get busy.
Zhao Yuru helped find fine yarn, while Wu Cuihua secretly pursed her lips, feeling very resentful, but dared not say anything.
The mountains behind Qingshui Village are covered with lush trees, but because of this, there are many wild animals, all of which are very clever. At the slightest sound, they will dart into the low bushes and disappear without a trace.
Even a master archer like Li Laosi, who never misses a shot, rarely managed to miss.
As the sun was about to reach its zenith, Tao Hongying found an open space, held Jiayin, and sat down to rest.
Jiayin's dark eyes darted around, and taking advantage of Tao Hongying's inattention, she threw out two stunned rabbits from her spatial storage.
These are the rabbits she keeps in her small courtyard. When she first returned to the village, a neighbor gave her a pair of rabbits to pass the time.
These rabbits were incredibly prolific; they became a pest in just a few months. So, let's lighten the load on our little yard today…
When Tao Hongying turned her head, she saw two bloody rabbits under the tree. Startled, she hurriedly shouted.
"Fourth brother, fourth brother, come quick!"
Hearing the call, Li Laosi thought something had happened and ran back quickly.
Seeing the plump, gray rabbit, Li Laosi was also surprised, "This... perhaps it's hot and the rabbit got confused?"
Jiayin chuckled to herself; her father had really come up with a good excuse!
This rabbit is big enough for the whole family to eat meat for two or three meals. Li Laosi happily put the rabbit into his basket.
The couple, no longer tired, continued wandering around the area, where they found seven or eight more rabbits that had been knocked unconscious, as well as two nests of eggs, totaling more than thirty.
When they finally came down the mountain, Li Laosi's basket was full, and he was carrying a pheasant with brightly colored tail feathers in his hand.
Not only that, Tao Hongying also discovered a large patch of red mushrooms in a clump of grass.
These mushrooms are incredibly tender whether stewed in soup or stir-fried, which delighted her.
The family of three returned home laden with their purchases, unloading them in the yard, much to the surprise of even Grandma Li.
"Did you get these from the back mountain?" Old Mrs. Li looked at the mushrooms, pheasants, and rabbits with disbelief.
Li Laosi nodded, and seeing that none of his family members had come, he secretly whispered in Li Laotai's ear.
"Mom, the rabbits we couldn't catch yesterday are now running into trees by themselves. These are the ones we found that died from the crashes."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Li instinctively looked at Jiayin.
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