Chapter 236 Old Gou'er
Sumi said thoughtfully, "I think this kid has the potential to become someone important."
I was amused by her appearance: "Is it because Mancang is a clean person?"
Sumi said matter-of-factly, "Yes, my room is like a pigsty if no one cleans it."
After staying in the room for a while, I realized it was getting late and I should go home.
"Mancang, Aunt Cheng has to go home. The rabbits and chicks at home are still waiting for me."
Mancang looked disappointed when he heard I was leaving, but he still nodded understandingly.
When the child first arrived, he was happy, but he remained quite quiet.
Perhaps they knew I could only stay for a short while before leaving.
If you plan your departure in advance, the actual departure won't be so painful.
After saying goodbye to Sumi and Mancang, I drove home with peace of mind.
As long as I see that Mancang is doing well here, that's enough.
Time flies, and another month has passed. The weather has warmed up completely, and it's time for early spring farming again.
That day, I had just dug up two patches of damp earth when the satellite phone rang.
I thought it was Sumi calling, but it turned out to be the base elder from the White Town base on the other end of the line.
"Come visit us anytime, pick up some fresh vegetables, and let me tell you about what happened at the Baizhen base."
The matter of the Baizhen base can actually be discussed over the phone.
But I can't refuse fresh vegetables.
The weather has just warmed up, and I don't know when my homegrown vegetables will grow. Getting some fresh vegetables from the Baizhen base is just perfect.
Now, the Baizhen base is completely accessible to me; I can just step on the gas and drive straight to the base's central building.
I went upstairs and chatted with the base elder while drinking tea.
"The undercover agent we caught was one of the guards at the entrance to the refugee camp."
Before I could even ask, the base elder started talking about what had happened before.
"So what happened next?"
The base elder took a sip of tea and slowly replied, "Those who have done wrong have been driven away, and the other refugees are no longer kept in the refugee area. They have been arranged to live in empty houses at the base and have now fully integrated into the White Town base, becoming base residents."
When I heard that, I thought, "This is really good! Now that there are more people at the base, we can have more supplies in the future."
"Yes, cough cough cough, and the weather is getting warmer now, it will get better and better in the future, cough cough cough."
The base elder coughed as he spoke.
I asked with concern, "Do you have a cold?"
The base elder waved his hand: "It's not a cold. It's normal for old people to have some ailments."
Looking at the base elder's gray hair and hunched back, he really seemed to have aged a lot since we first met.
"Please take care of yourself. I'll bring you some throat-soothing drinks next time I come."
After sitting for a while, I said goodbye to the base elder and went to Brother Liu's house for a while.
Brother Liu and his wife were as hospitable as ever. After lunch, they took some fresh vegetables and then leisurely went home.
Another year has passed, the earth is warming up, spring is in full bloom, and we no longer have to stare at bags of dried vegetables while eating. Life is getting better and better.
Just as I was facing the loess soil with my back to the sky, sweat dripping into the earth.
I saw Sumi's familiar car down the hillside.
Not only Sumi got off the bus, but also Mancang.
Mancang was carrying a small package when he looked up and saw me standing on the hillside, patting my lower back.
"Aunt Cheng! I'm back to help you with the farming!"
He waved his arms and shouted loudly from the foot of the mountain.
I was so moved I almost burst into tears. Good thing, my child has become sensible and has finally come back to help me with the chores.
I brought two small stools and a tent from home.
The tent was set up at the edge of the field, and small stools were placed outside the tent.
Mancang and I bent over to plant the crops together, while Sumi either slept in the tent or sat on a small stool eating pure green plums from the tree.
As I sowed seeds in the field, I watched Sumi sitting on the edge of the field, shivering from the soreness, and suddenly I didn't feel so tired anymore.
Sumi stayed for two days and then left, while Mancang stayed.
With the help of Mancang and the agricultural machinery, all the corn and vegetables were planted in just a few days.
This is the fastest I've ever farmed.
After planting the crops, Sumi would take the harvest back to the warehouse.
I wanted Mancang to stay a few more days, but Sumi said her father missed Mancang so much that he was getting sick.
I don't know if it's because Sumi's little mouth is too exaggerated, or if her father really likes Mancang to this extent.
I wasn't sad when I saw Mancang off this time, because I suddenly realized that Mancang and I weren't far apart.
You can see the person you want to see anytime.
Mancang is gone, and the work is done, so I have to enjoy this wonderful time alone.
The fruit isn't ripe yet, so I've been searching all over the mountains for edible little things to substitute for it.
Finally, they found "Old Gou'er" on a small hillside.
I don't know what this thing is called elsewhere, but this is what we call it in our local dialect.
The fruit of Lao Piao is a small, green fruit that is pointed at both ends and round and bulging in the middle, about the size of a thumb.
Take it off, wipe it, and put it directly in your mouth to bite it. When you bite it open, you can hear a "pop" sound, a bursting sound.
Then a slightly sweet juice flows out, and when you chew it carefully, it is very crisp and has a refreshing aroma.
I loved eating this when I was a kid, and I never thought I'd still like it now.
I picked them all while they were still young.
I picked a whole bag full, and my hands were covered in white sap.
Before long, the white juice on my hands turned black.
This juice is difficult to wash off, and sometimes it can leave a black mark for several days.
However, I don't have this problem anymore, since I live alone and don't have to worry about being seen by others.
As I walked home, I took a small ladle out of my pocket and popped it into my mouth, making a crunching sound all the way. It was both delicious and thirst-quenching.
When I got home, I found that my pockets were empty.
The next day, I still craved that taste, but apart from that little hill, I couldn't find any other place to eat it.
But it doesn't matter, I can look for some other ones.
When I was a kid, I ate a lot of these unconventional snacks.
The most common and most frequently called sweet root is sweet root.
The seedlings are similar to mugwort, but much smaller, about the same size as dandelions.
The leaves are red, and when you gently dig up the base, the roots inside are also red.
Wash off the soil, put the root directly in your mouth and chew it. It has a slightly sweet taste and a unique aroma that belongs to sweet roots.
I've been so bored lately, all I do is feed the pigs and worry about getting food for myself.
I took two cloth bags, one for sweet root and the other for dandelion.
Although the vegetables in the garden are not yet edible, the wild vegetables have already grown quite large.
They also started living off the land they had been living off.
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