The two of them arrived home, unloaded all their belongings on the ground, and then the rest of the family, except for the children, went out to work.
Because Tingting and Jianjun always managed to bring back so many wild vegetables, they were arranged to go up the mountain every day.
"Uncle, Aunt, you're back! The children are very happy."
After all, the two of them could bring back a lot of wild fruits and chestnuts to satisfy their cravings. Seeing that their family had not yet returned, they decided to cook dinner for their family and then start drying wild vegetables, which were all foods that could be eaten during the winter.
Tingting started by filling the pot with water and washing the sweet potatoes and potatoes. Although the family had food, they were all very frugal these days, and no one could guarantee what would happen tomorrow.
After Tingting finished cooking, she first distributed sweet potatoes and potatoes to the children, and then distributed her and Jianjun's portions to the children as well.
After the two of them finished eating, they felt bad seeing the children looking pale and thin. Suddenly, they remembered that they had found a lot of wild bird eggs, cooked a lot of them, and left a lot for their families. The children ate very happily.
After the two of them finished doing this, Jianjun washed all the wild vegetables they had picked over the past few days with water and then blanched them in a pot.
Tingting went inside and laid out all the mats in the house in the yard, and put the wild vegetables she had picked on the mountain to dry. The younger children also started to help.
The kids these days are very capable. They can earn work points on a regular basis. When the workers come back from work, they see Jianjun and a few other kids drying wild vegetables, which cover the whole yard. The younger kids are picking wild vegetables.
"Jianjun, you've collected a lot! I don't think anyone in our village has found this many. You two are amazing."
"Mom, we went a little further in today. Luckily, we didn't find any animal tracks, but we saw a lot of wild fruits and vegetables, and quite a few wild bird eggs."
"You went inside. Don't go in there next time, or you won't be able to escape if you encounter any animals."
"I know, Second Brother. There are quite a few people in the family. Look how thin the children are. Take advantage of any opportunity to go and gather more. The grain we get each time is never enough."
“We can manage, but the children can’t suffer. I was thinking of stocking up on some so I can send some to my younger sister later.”
The family members' eyes welled up with tears when they thought about how the child couldn't sleep at night and cried for food.
Although Jianjun and Tingting could never finish eating all the things in their spatial storage in their lifetime, they couldn't explain taking them out, since money is a powerful motivator.
Even though his parents' fingers were of different lengths, he could only secretly eat by himself. But he was happy to be able to feed his family with his own hands when he went up the mountain.
After the two finished tidying up and had eaten dinner at home, they were both exhausted from the day and were ready to rest and go to sleep.
Tingting said to Jianjun, "We've been going up the mountain every day lately, so we can prepare more things and catch more fish in the river. When we have time, we can go to the city to sell them. These are all good things, so let's get some for our little sister too."
“Wife, we’ll do as you say. When we distribute the grain in the fall, after deducting the public grain we pay, we still won’t have enough to eat.”
"With these things, at least my family can have enough to eat, and they won't have to suffer like they did when we first arrived."
Things will get better soon. It's already mid-1961. After these three years, it won't be so difficult anymore. This is in the Northeast region, so it's already quite good.
"Honey, what's the situation with our parents now?" Tingting asked.
“Our father and mother fled here during the famine years ago. Things were much harder back then than they are now. There was no other way.”
“At that time, our father was not married. In order to have a way to survive, he came here to escape famine. Our mother also came here to escape famine. In the end, the two of them got married.”
"We had no choice but to come from the south at such a young age. The land here is fertile, and this is our hope for life."
"I don't know how my grandparents and maternal grandparents are doing these past few years. We used to keep in touch, but now, in these difficult times, every family is struggling to get enough to eat. Even if we're worried, we have to feed our own children first."
"Then let's pick more wild vegetables on the mountain and see if we can send them to my little sister, as well as her grandparents and maternal grandparents."
Jianjun nodded, and the two prepared to rest.
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