Chapter 154: Group Picnic in the Compound (Part 2)
Yingtaogou is a small village in the suburbs. There is a large area of ownerless wild cherry trees on the small hill next to the village. There is a unique pastoral atmosphere here.
The houses are all built on higher ground, close together in groups of three or two, and cats and dogs are running around on the neatly planned ridges.
The vegetables grown in Yingtaogou Village are fresh and of good quality. The team leader is also a smart man. He cooperates with the vegetable market in the city and supplies agricultural products such as vegetables, fruits and melons to the market in the name of the collective.
In recent years, the pockets of every household have become fatter. Last year, the main roads in the village were repaired. Large trucks brought in truckloads of gravel, and the roads were made of cement.
The small river beach is outside the village. If you cross a small path and go around to the foot of the mountain, you will see a large river beach.
This river beach is also ownerless, and anyone can enter it by default, but of course you can't set fire to the mountain.
People often come here to dig wild vegetables. When there are more people, those who are smart enough will "exchange" some vegetables and slaughtered chickens and ducks with the villagers when passing by Cherry Valley.
Now every family in the city has a fixed number of chickens they raise, based on the number of people living there. Families with many people in the village will also keep some and wait for people to come and exchange them.
It's a win-win situation. Everyone reached an agreement tacitly and did not ask each other's names when exchanging things.
If someone breaks the rules, they will be blacklisted next time. No one is willing to give up a good opportunity to make money.
"Watch the road carefully, Tiger Head, and don't look around."
Zhang Dazui held his grandson's hand and walked together. The path was very steep and it was easy to slip. If you were not careful, you would fall out.
Diao Yulian asked worriedly, "Jiabao, do you want me to hold you?"
"No, I want to go by myself."
Wu Jiabao tilted his head and grabbed his mother's hand. None of the other kids wanted to be hugged, so it would be too embarrassing for him to agree.
His father said that he was also the little man of the Wu family, and a man should be independent and strong.
"Xiaotong, come and put on your rubber shoes."
Gao Xiulan waited for Xiaotong to change her shoes, packed the two pairs of cloth shoes in a convenient bag, and threw them into the basket.
Seeing Song Chenlie alone, she reached out and held his hand.
"Walk slower."
Lin Xiaotong and Xia Yue followed behind, while Jin Qiaofeng and Yang Shujuan stayed at the back, chatting.
The two of them actually get along well. Jin Qiaofeng sometimes speaks without thinking, and Yang Shujuan is too introverted.
But when it came to Jin Qiaofeng's business ability, the two of them started talking. It just so happened that both children were still single, so once they started talking, they couldn't stop.
The group went down the path and found a shallow beach at the foot of the mountain, with water celery growing on the edge.
At a glance, there is a vast green area. The flat ground near the hillside is covered with shepherd's purse, purslane, and wild onions.
"Oh my goodness, that's great, so much water celery."
Zhang Dazui rushed down first, and when he reached the shore, he immediately plucked a handful of water celery, put it close to his nose to smell it, and pinched the roots with his hands.
He nodded and said, "They are quite tender. The water quality here is good, and the wild vegetables grow cleanly without any unpleasant smell."
Gao Xiu also reached down and plucked a handful of water celery.
"The water quality here is good, there are no leeches at all. I don't even dare to eat the water celery in the stinking ditch."
Water celery, as its name suggests, can survive in water. However, the roots of water celery grown in sewers harbor many parasites and are difficult to clean.
Some people try to save time and don’t blanch the food, which makes them feel uncomfortable after eating.
The quality of wild vegetables grown in places with clean water like this is naturally considered to be above average.
Yu Afen put down the backpack and said, "For such a large area, a place with mountains and water would be better."
Generally speaking, villagers living near mountains and water have slightly better conditions.
Diao Yulian also joined the army of people picking wild vegetables: "Of course, there are good things in this mountain all year round."
When you feel hungry, you can go up the mountain to have a bite. There are a lot of wild game on the mountain, but it is not so easy to catch them.
In spring, wild vegetables grow most luxuriantly, and vegetables like gray vegetables, water celery, shepherd's purse, purslane, plantain, and toon are everywhere.
After the rainy season, mushrooms, wood ears and ground vegetables will appear on the mountains.
In autumn, you can go up the mountain to pick chestnuts and wild dates.
In winter, you can dig bamboo shoots, and if you are lucky, you can even catch a rabbit.
In short, there are treasures everywhere in the mountains, and down-to-earth people can live a fulfilling life.
Jin Qiaofeng came over and said, "The air is really good, but there has been little rain in recent years, so the grain harvest is a big problem."
"It's too difficult to rely solely on the weather for food. Now we can't even raise more chickens and ducks. I wonder when we can release them?"
Yang Shujuan's family conditions were not good, and she had to work in the fields before she met her husband.
Of course, they knew that after working hard in the fields for a year, if there was a heavy rain or a drought, there would be no harvest, and all the hard work throughout the year would be in vain.
So if you had a job in the city at that time, things would be very different. With a job, you would have a city hukou and could eat commercial grain.
Lin Xiaotong and Xia Yue helped pick a basket of water celery and squatted on the ground to dig wild onions, one shovel on the left and one on the right.
Hu Tou and Wu Jiabao ran to the downstream of the river in rain boots, stepped into the water, bent down to pick up stones in the water, and skipped them in their hands.
The stones you choose for skipping stones are very important. Flat stones or tiles are best. There are only stones in this area.
"Look at me, I throw the farthest."
“Hey—”
Hu Tou picked up a piece of stone, gathered his strength, and threw it onto the water. The stone flew across the water quickly, stirring up a series of splashes.
"Who's afraid of who? Look at me."
Wu Jiabao chose his favorite piece, picked it up, blew on it, and threw it with all his strength. The stone bounced a few times and fell into the water.
"I told you you couldn't do it, now it's your turn."
Hu Tou pushed Song Chenlie who was standing next to him. Song Chenlie picked up a piece of stone, threw it diagonally into the water, and it bounced directly to the other side.
“Wow wow wow!”
Hu Tou and Wu Jiabao screamed excitedly after seeing it.
The adults couldn't help laughing when they saw the three children's faces turning red from laughing.
Lin Xiaotong felt a pain in her waist, so she stood up, stretched her arms, and shook her head.
I stood up and squatted by the water, watching the children playing games. The water was very clear and there were snails underneath.
Stand up and walk downstream. There is a slope here, and the stones on the side form a ditch.
Because of the terrain difference, the water flow is relatively fast, and there are some small fish the size of thumb swimming around in it.
I picked up a wooden stick at the foot of the mountain and hit the water with it to make a splash.
While poking, he accidentally hit a big rock and the stick got stuck.
With a strong pull and push, the stick broke and the stone was pried open.
Lin Xiaotong lost her balance and accidentally fell into a squat position.
Before she could recover from the shock, she stood up, patted her butt, and poked her head out of the water, unable to help but exclaim.
"Mom, come and see, fish, there are fish!"
Gao Xiulan was listening to Yang Shujuan talking about the troubles of the Xia family when she suddenly heard her daughter Xiaotong scream.
He lifted his butt, put down the basket, took two steps at a time and went straight downstream.
"What's wrong? Let me see, hey! There really is a fish."
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