Breakfast was rather simple, at least in Yan Qingqing's opinion. It consisted of brown rice porridge and coarse flour flatbread, but this was already considered a standard meal in the Li family.
Yan Qingqing resignedly soaked the coarse flour pancake in her rice, at least that way her throat wouldn't be so sore.
While eating, Yan Qingqing was thinking about how she had to make money quickly, as there were six or seven mouths to feed at home, and she couldn't afford to be pretentious.
Yan Qingqing finished her meal quickly. She originally planned to take Li Xinniang and Li Yueniang to the mountain, but Li Xiangkang insisted on coming along, saying that he was afraid Yan Qingqing would get tired and that he would help her carry the basket.
If we're talking about who's been closest to Yan Qingqing in the family lately, it's definitely Li Xiangkang. Firstly, he's young and at the age where he's very attached to his mother, and secondly, Li Xiangkang has a sweet tongue and knows how to coax people.
Yan Qingqing thought that having more people to watch the fun would also be a good opportunity to get to know the children better, so she readily agreed.
The mountain behind Canghe Village doesn't have a name either; it's just behind the village, so the villagers call it the back mountain.
Yan Qingqing and her friends set off into the mountains early, carrying baskets on their backs, taking advantage of the daylight.
Yan Qingqing and her group encountered many villagers along the way.
Since we all live in the same village and see each other all the time, it's natural to greet each other.
Some people were laughing at Yan Qingqing's family, after all, when Li Chengye passed the imperial examination, Old Mrs. Li and Zhao Yumei showed off to the villagers quite a bit.
Of course, there were also people who sympathized with Yan Qingqing, feeling that it was not easy for her, a woman and a widow, to raise six or seven children.
Yan Qingqing didn't care about other people's opinions, walking calmly along the road, looking at the vibrant road on both sides, simple and elegant. In the distance, the mountain peaks were shrouded in clouds, mist flowed through the valleys, and the green forests swayed in the wind, a truly beautiful sight.
At this moment, Yan Qingqing felt that if she had no worries about food and clothing, retiring here would be a good choice.
Just as Yan Qingqing was enjoying the scenery, Aunt Wang came running over from the opposite side, carrying a large carp and beaming with joy. Aunt Wang lived very close to Yan Qingqing's house, and she had even helped Yan Qingqing when she had argued with Old Mrs. Li last time.
Aunt Wang's cheerful steps, as if she had found a rare treasure, brought Yan Qingqing back to reality.
Yan Qingqing asked with a smile, "Auntie, this carp is quite big."
Aunt Wang was so happy that she didn't see Yan Qingqing and her family.
When Yan Qingqing spoke, Aunt Wang immediately felt a little embarrassed and said, "It's Xiang Ping's mother. Oh, it's all thanks to you that my fifth son caught a big fish."
"I always feel embarrassed about it. I know this fishing method was your idea, and it's not exactly ethical for us to do it, but the kids in the family are so greedy, I have no choice."
Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "Auntie, you're exaggerating. There's no need to be embarrassed. This river belongs to everyone, so whoever catches the fish in it keeps them."
Aunt Wang was pleased to hear this from Yan Qingqing.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before going about their own business.
The man who lived with Aunt Wang was named Wang Fugui. The couple were both in their forties, which would be considered a good age in modern times, but in ancient times they would be considered old.
Wang Fugui's family has five sons, and they are not well-off. His youngest son, Wu Gang, is already sixteen years old, but he has not yet gotten married because his family is poor.
In the past, when Yan Qingqing was bullied by Old Madam Li and Zhao Yumei, she would secretly hide away and wipe her tears a few times. Aunt Wang saw her do this twice and even secretly gave the original owner a coarse flour pancake once.
Generally speaking, the folk customs of Canghe Village are quite simple and honest. With that in mind, Yan Qingqing and the others soon arrived at the mountain.
The hillsides near Canghe Village have been almost completely flattened by the villagers, and there is nothing of value to be found there.
So Yan Qingqing decided to go deep into the mountains.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was about to walk into the deep mountains, Li Xin's mother reminded her, "Mother, let's not go in. Father fell down the hillside because he went into the deep mountains."
In order to support Li Chengye's education, Old Mrs. Li forced Li Erniu and Li Sanniu to find ways to earn money every day. Li Erniu was a more honest person and thought that he could hunt animals on rainy days. Who would have thought that he would slip and fall down the hillside.
Although Old Master Li arranged for a doctor to be called, Li Erniu's injuries were too severe. The Li family simply couldn't afford the treatment. Li Erniu passed away after lying in bed for more than ten days.
Yan Qingqing said Li Erniu deserved it; he disregarded the lives of his wife and children for his elder brother. In the end, he died without even a kind word from Old Madam Li.
If this were in modern times, he would definitely be a mama's boy and a brother-supporting demon.
However, seeing the three children looking heartbroken when they mentioned Li Erniu, Yan Qingqing didn't say anything more.
Yan Qingqing is a very goal-oriented person. Since she has come up the mountain, she must gain something from it.
So he said, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. I won't be as stupid as your father and risk my life."
After saying that, she took the lead and walked into the mountains. In fact, Yan Qingqing was not reckless. She had carefully observed the surroundings and did not find any large animal footprints or droppings.
Besides, she's only walking a little further in; she won't actually go deep into the mountains.
Seeing Yan Qingqing's serious expression, the children realized that their father hadn't really considered their needs much when he was alive. Their mother was risking her life to go deep into the mountains so that their lives could be better.
Li Xin's mother and the others quickly followed Yan Qingqing's steps.
Yan Qingqing noticed that the surrounding trees were becoming increasingly lush, and knew she couldn't go any further.
So he said to the others, "Let's search around here and see if we can find anything. But don't go too far."
The group nodded in agreement, and Yan Qingqing began searching the vicinity carefully.
She found chicken leg mushrooms and several other edible mushrooms in a patch of grass.
These days, because most people lack knowledge about fungi, they generally believe that they are poisonous, and most people would not dare to eat them even if they saw them.
In her past life, Yan Qingqing's favorite food was mushrooms, which were delicious whether used in soups or hot pot.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing quickly picked all the edible mushrooms she saw and put them into her basket.
In addition, Yan Qingqing also found a nest of bird eggs in the grass. She counted them and there were seven in total, which made Yan Qingqing very happy.
Their family is so poor right now that they don't even have a chicken, let alone eggs.
Yan Qingqing happily and carefully placed the bird eggs into her basket.
Just as Yan Qingqing was about to look around to see if she could find anything else, Li Xiangkang excitedly waved the things he had caught in front of her, showing them off like a treasure, and said to her, "Mom, look what I caught!"
Yan Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine when she saw what Li Xiangkang was holding. Goosebumps rose all over her body.
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