The cave walls were not thick to begin with, and after being burned by a wildfire, they became even more brittle.
Ye Wenxue smashed a large hole in just a few blows, and the whistling wind blew in, dispersing the pungent, acrid smell that had been lingering in her nose.
Ye Wenxue didn't stop, and continued to hammer away until the entire cave was cleared, and light slowly shone in.
Looking out from the cave, the wildfire was still spreading in the distance, with continuous black smoke rising straight into the sky, obscuring the entire sky like dark clouds pressing down on a storm.
The valley affected by the wildfire still needed to be cleaned up, so Ye Wenxue didn't stay in the cave any longer and turned around to set up traps on the valley path again.
Then turn around to look at the only water source in the valley.
The spring was covered with dirty black ash. Ye Wenxue washed the spring by herself, replaced it with spiritual spring water, and then went to the vegetable garden.
Dazhuang was leading a few children to pick up the fallen stones, especially the pebbles that had fallen onto the vegetable garden.
The only problem was that the huge rocks in the very center were impossible to push or kick, so we left them alone for the time being.
Ye Wenxue first changed the cloth mask covering Yuanyuan's face, then carried her on her back, picked up a wooden stick and laboriously pried the large stone, pushing it away from the vegetable garden.
Dazhuang was the first to react, and following suit, he used a wooden stick to pry open the large stones one by one, clearing out the vegetable garden, chicken coop, duck coop, and other areas.
The children didn't utter a sound while working. Their expressions were neither happy nor sad, but rather a clear sense of relief at having survived.
After clearing away the stones, Dazhuang squatted in the vegetable garden and observed for a while. He said with heartache, "Half of the cabbages and radishes were crushed to death, but the other half can still be saved. Half of the wheat was also destroyed, and the chili peppers that Mom brought back... I'm afraid they can't be saved."
Ye Wenxue sighed, "It's alright, let's pick up everything that's still edible and have a good meal tonight."
Sanyuan and Siwang's eyes lit up. They no longer had time to be lost in thought or worry, and quickly began to sort through the smashed vegetables.
Shuangshuang picked up the dead rabbit and duck, took them to the spring, and processed them so they could cook two dishes that evening.
Dazhuang ran to the kitchen and came back with a worried look on his face: "Mom, the thatch on the kitchen roof was burned. Luckily, the bottom layer was made of mud bricks and didn't burn down, but we need to find some more thatch to put on top, otherwise the kitchen will leak when it rains."
But the surrounding mountains had all been scorched by wildfires, so where could one find thatch?
There were trivial matters everywhere, and Ye Wenxue's head was throbbing. She waved her hand and said, "Let's not talk about that. The quilts and clothes weren't burned, were they?"
Dazhuang shook his head: "It's been very hot these days, so we don't need thick quilts and clothes. They're all stored in the cellar and are perfectly fine. It's just that the thin quilt on the kang (heated brick bed) is covered in the smell of smoke."
In the past, Dazhuang wouldn't have minded the smell of smoke on the blanket; as long as he could sleep on it, that was fine.
But he's had a good time for a while now, and he doesn't want to go back to the way things were before.
Ye Wenxue then called out, "Come with me to put the thin blanket at the cave entrance to air out the smoke, and then go to the vegetable garden to save the vegetables that can still be saved."
Dazhuang responded and followed.
After a long day's work, the family cleared the smoke from the mud house, tended the surviving vegetables in the garden, cleaned up the ashes and smoldering trees around the house, and herded the chickens, ducks, sheep, and geese back home...
I was busy until evening before I finally had time to eat.
The wind had blown away most of the black smoke in the valley, making it possible to finally sleep.
After the wildfire, the once vibrant valley was reduced to scorched earth, with no greenery visible except for the remaining vegetable plots.
Ye Wenxue gathered up the partially burned branches under the cover of night, intending to burn them into charcoal for use in the winter.
She then carried a bucket of spiritual spring water and sprinkled it everywhere in the vegetable garden and on the cleared ground, causing the seeds buried deep in the ground to sprout and grow.
The whole family spent a full day and night cleaning up before they could barely restore the valley to its pre-fire state.
That morning, Ye Wenxue dug another hole in the valley to burn charcoal, and had Dazhuang take several children to pack their things. At noon, they went out to collect tree branches and the meat of animals that had been burned.
Dazhuang rushed over in a panic: "Mom, I just heard someone calling you on the path."
Sanyuan peeked out silently: "The voice sounds a bit like the bald guy from the bandit stronghold."
But the person shouting outside the valley and lake had an even hoarser voice than the bald man, as if he had been choked by smoke.
Ye Wenxue had only learned the theoretical skills of charcoal making and was lamenting why she hadn't watched more short videos of craftsmen in modern times when she heard Dazhuang's voice.
She crawled out of the cave, covered in dust and dirt, and was pulled onto the path by Dazhuang and Sanyuan. Upon closer listening, they indeed heard what sounded like the bald man's voice.
"Wait, Mother will go and check. Tell Siwang to stop digging up yams and kudzu roots and to pack up and collect the meat."
Dazhuang turned his head and glanced at Siwang, who was focused on digging the hole, and helplessly went to call for help.
After the valley was burned, it wasn't all bad—Siwang accidentally found some cooked yams, taro, and kudzu roots, and on a whim, he dug along the way, almost turning half of the valley upside down.
Mother had previously tacitly approved of Siwang's actions, and secretly told the rest of them that it would be good to let Siwang set aside a few plots of land to grow vegetables.
Unexpectedly, Siwang dug around in all directions without any clear direction, so he couldn't make a vegetable garden. He'll just have to use it to plant trees.
After tidying up briefly, Ye Wenxue followed the sound out of the valley alone. She hadn't gone far when she saw the bald man leading a group of his men, shouting wildly.
He looked as if he had been scorched by the wildfire; his arms were covered in charred flesh, and his face was full of exhaustion.
"Boss Ye!" The bald man was reminded by his underlings and only then did he see Ye Wenxue from a distance. He quickly rushed over, not daring to look her over, and cautiously asked, "Are you alright?"
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