"Sister Cuizhi, I'm lucky today. I dug up so many wild vegetables. You can take them back and make some soup for the two children."
Cuizhi looked down at the half basket of wild vegetables, tears streaming down her haggard cheeks.
"I also went up the mountain these days, but I only found very small vegetables. If you give me yours, what will you and your grandmother do?"
Qin Nian said: "My grandmother and I are both adults, we won't starve if we skip a meal. Besides, I have some food at home, so we won't starve."
Cuizhi was very hungry, and the children at home might be even hungrier. She did not refuse Qin Nian's kindness and took the basket.
"Sister Xiao Nian, thank you for your help. I'm afraid I won't be able to repay you in this lifetime..."
Qin Nian hurriedly stopped him: "Stop talking like that, it's just a few handfuls of wild vegetables, how can it be worth talking like that.
It's getting dark, the children are waiting for you at home, go back."
Cuizhi nodded, looked at Qin Nian again, picked up the bamboo basket, and slowly turned and left.
Qin Nian returned home, washed his hands, and put the table on the kang.
Ye Meizi helped prepare dinner and kept it warm in the pot. Qin Nian brought it out and ate it with Li Pozi.
"Xiao Nian, where is your backpack? Why can't I see it?"
In the past, when Qin Nian came back, she would carry the backpack into the house. After dinner, she would clean up the dishes while Mrs. Li would sit on the kang and pick vegetables.
Qin Nian stopped eating and looked up at Granny Li:
"Grandma, when I came back, I met Sister Cuizhi and I gave her the wild vegetables I dug.
There are a lot of wild vegetables here, but she can’t take them all, so I lent her the basket. She can return it in a few days.”
Mrs. Li nodded: "I was wondering why I didn't see the backpack."
Mrs. Li sighed, "Cuizhi's parents promised Cuizhi to Sun Dalei a few years ago for a betrothal gift of two taels of silver.
Sun Dalei has been lazy and gluttonous since he was young. If his parents hadn't saved up some silver, would he have been able to marry a wife?
It's a pity for Cuizhi."
Mrs. Li picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup: "Sun Dalei's parents are good people, but it's a pity that after Cuizhi got married, those two old guys ran to see the Black and White Impermanence.
Even if only one of them was left, Cuizhi's life wouldn't be so difficult."
Qin Nian lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked at Granny Li and said, "Grandma, let me tell you something.
Originally, I promised Cuizhi that I would not tell anyone. But now, I am stumped."
Granny Li chuckled: "Tell me what's bothering you. I'll help you make a decision."
Qin Nian's eyes were filled with helplessness:
"Grandma, a while ago, on the day when Qin Rongsheng and Li Dahua came, I was digging wild vegetables and couldn't walk anymore, so I went into a cave and lay down to rest.
Unexpectedly, Cuizhi and Dong Biao also went in——"
Qin Nian told Mrs. Li what happened that day.
Mrs. Li tapped the edge of the bowl with her chopsticks and said, "Silly girl, you should have said something when they came in.
If you say hello, they will leave, right? You don't have to feel embarrassed."
Qin Nian had a helpless smile on his face.
"Grandma, I was asleep. I didn't wake up when they went in, and they didn't think there was anyone in the cave."
Mrs. Li chuckled twice and said, "You didn't look at them on purpose, you just happened to see them, it's not your fault.
What's so difficult about this?"
Qin Nian repeated what Cuizhi had asked her to tell Dong Biao.
"Grandma, do you think I can pass on the message to Cuizhi? If I'm not careful, the matter will be exposed, and Li Erhui will say that I'm a pimp, right?"
"Oh, Cuizhi's request is not very good. She is not thoughtful enough."
Mrs. Li is not a fool. "No matter why Cuizhi is with Dong Biao, she has lost face and it is not a glorious thing.
You are a little girl, don't get involved in this. If you meet Cuizhi again and she asks you for help, you should clearly refuse.
Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."
"How do you deal with it?"
"When I see Dong Biao, I will remind him, but I won't reveal the truth."
Qin Nian believed that Mrs. Li had the ability to do this, so he put the matter aside.
Dawn arrived as promised.
In Geng Feng's backpack was a large wooden barrel that his family used to carry water, and in the barrel was lunch for two people.
Qin Nian gave the backpack to Cuizhi, and she took another one. It was not as big as the previous one, but fortunately it was enough.
Qin Nian left first, and Geng Feng followed. But for safety reasons, Geng Feng followed closely, not daring to let Qin Nian out of his sight.
Just like yesterday, the two of them started working. At noon, they went to the big tree and took out the honeycombs.
I still underestimated these big beehives. There were too many honey combs inside. The wooden barrel was full, but there were still three left.
"Take the other bucket up the mountain tomorrow and take out the honeycombs from the remaining hives."
After Geng Feng finished speaking, he came down from the tree. No matter whether it was yesterday or today, Geng Feng did not empty every beehive, leaving some for the bees.
Only in this way can we continue to have honey to eat next year.
Geng Feng carried the wooden barrel into the cave.
After observing for a while, I saw a concave area on the wall of the cave. I put the bucket on it and it was just the right width and length. It was truly a masterpiece of nature.
Geng Feng said to Qin Nian: "This groove is not small, it can hold six or seven wooden barrels side by side.
After finishing the work in the fields, we installed a wooden door on the cave. When the harvest comes in the fall, we can temporarily store the grain here and use it as a warehouse."
Geng Feng covered the barrel with a curtain and placed a stone on top. Just in case, he also used stones to block the barrel.
If a wild boar or other large animal came in, they would die of exhaustion and still not be able to reach the barrel. If a small animal like a squirrel that could climb a wall came in, it would not be able to overturn the barrel.
After finishing their work here, the two of them walked back. Qin Nian cut a bunch of leeks.
While Geng Feng was setting the table, she went to the Mimosa Fountain and washed the leeks.
Last night, Ye Meizi boiled a small pot of the remaining unsprouted potato seeds, mashed them up, mixed them with cooked millet rice, and added a large spoonful of honey.
I got up early today and rolled the millet and potato mash that I had mixed last night into small round cakes. I slowly fried them with lard, turning them over and over again.
When small bubbles appeared on both sides of the fried food, they were picked out and placed in a clay pot. They were covered with a clean cloth, put into a cloth bag, and brought to the mountain for Geng Feng and Qin Nian to eat.
Neither she nor Geng Zhenhai was willing to taste any of them.
Qin Nian scooped some soybean paste into a small clay bowl, ate millet and mashed potato pancakes, dipped leeks in soybean paste, and drank spiritual spring water.
The meal was fragrant and sweet. Both of them ate till they were full, smiling happily, and had more energy to work.
A week later, the field was plowed, ridges prepared, and planted.
During this period, Geng Feng and Qin Nian did heavy physical work every day, and Geng Feng became stronger.
Qin Nian's strength is much greater than before.
Not only did she drink the spiritual spring water every day, she also used it to bathe. Her skin became very white and delicate, and she became much more beautiful.
Geng Feng said, "Bring some tools up tomorrow and we'll build a door for the cave.
The land is finished, I am going to go hunting, and I can sleep here at night."
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