Xiaoman's hut is 100 meters away from her home, and it takes several minutes to go up and down the cliff.
Jiang Zhi went over and saw that it was indeed better than her own.
The shed, built against the rock, has three rooms, with a tiled roof fixed high on the stone wall and a low eave resting on the stone slab wall, so airtight that not even a breath of wind can be heard.
At this moment, Grandma Xiaoman was sweeping the dust in the shed with her great-granddaughter Nini using a broom made of tree branches.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Xiaoman was chopping at a wooden stick with a knife.
"Uncle Chang Geng!" Jiang Zhi called out, stepping onto the newly paved stone path and entering the shed.
Xiaoman put down his wood-chopping knife and said somewhat awkwardly, "Errui's mother, please sit down!"
Jiang Zhi didn't stand on ceremony with him. She sat down on a broken wooden stake next to her and asked directly, "Uncle Chang Geng, the food and lodging here are quite good. Why didn't you go up the mountain a few days ago?"
This is something she has never been able to understand.
The mere mention of going up the mountain caused Xiaoman's face to wrinkle, and he sighed deeply: "Back then, all I could think about was the lack of food. Going up the mountain would only give me ten or fifteen days more to live, but it would still be a dead end."
"If we don't leave, the refugees might stop bothering us because they see we're old, young, and disabled with no food."
Grandma Xiaoman, standing nearby, exposed his lie: "Errui's mother, don't believe this. It's all because when we left the village, those people saw that my family was a burden, so they all avoided us."
Nephews and grandnephews are usually very affectionate, but when it comes to important matters, not a single person will even ask about them.
"I'm an old man who's been proud my whole life. Now that I'm being looked down upon, I'll die trying to prove them wrong."
Having his past exposed, Grandpa Xiaoman scolded with a dark face: "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. Who's going to hold a grudge? Even if I'm old, I'll still stand tall and not bother others."
I think his aunt made a good point: how the higher-ups deal with things is their business; people still need to farm.
"Then let's go up the mountain and wait it out. If we run out of food, we'll eat grass roots and tree bark. If things go well during the fighting, Xiaoman and Nini won't have to be fleeing outside."
Jiang Zhi laughed. This was another stubborn one, a stubborn old donkey who would risk his whole family's lives.
She somewhat understood what the old man meant.
Xiaomanye will be strong his whole life.
Having lost his son and daughter-in-law at a young age, he raised his two grandchildren on his own.
Just when they were about to enjoy a life surrounded by great-grandchildren, their eldest grandson fell and became paralyzed, and their granddaughter-in-law remarried.
Such an unexpected turn of events would be enough to knock someone down, but Xiaomanye persevered.
However, when faced with famine and the need to flee with his paralyzed grandson, he could not accomplish his mission on his own.
The blow of being rejected and abandoned by others was too great, and the old man lost all hope of survival, preparing to give up entirely.
It was the simple questioning I asked Xiaoman when I went to his house that made Xiaoman feel warm and gave him a way out.
This gave the stubborn old man, who never gave up in his life, the motivation to go up the mountain again and give it another shot.
At her great-grandmother's prompting, Xiao Nini brought Jiang Zhi a bowl of water and called out, "Grandma Jiang!"
Jiang Zhi's lips twitched, but she forced a smile as she accepted the gift, adding cheerfully, "Good girl, Nini!"
Grandpa Xiaoman tapped his wood-chopping knife on the ground and said, "Auntie, how's the shed coming along? If you need help, let Xiaoman go and help for a couple of days!"
Jiang Zhi was quite surprised: "Isn't this inappropriate? Your family needs people to do the work too!"
Nowadays, no one in the family has any free time. Although Xiaoman's family has a good shed, they also have a lot of things to do. Moreover, Xiaoman is the only one in the family who can walk properly, so how could we take her away?
Grandma Xiaoman's hands were busy, even while she was twisting hemp thread during the few words she spoke: "Aunt Xiaoman, my family didn't have much contact with you before. We only knew you were a shrew and liked to get angry with people, but we didn't know you were also a kind-hearted person."
On the second morning after we went up the mountain, you were the only one who sent Errui to check if we had eaten. Sigh! Getting old makes you seem unpleasant…
"We don't have any land or fields right now, and my family isn't in a hurry to work, so I'll have Xiaoman do some work for you for a few days."
At this point, Xiaoman raised her hand and wiped the corner of her eye.
True friendship is revealed in times of crisis.
People usually say that Jiang abused the child, but the child still grew up.
Many children from farming families die young, and if the aunt is truly wicked, the child will not survive.
Jiang Zhi felt a little ashamed. It was because of the fire at the foot of the mountain that Xu Errui came to inquire about the news, not specifically to ask if there was food to eat.
However, Xiaoman is really good at talking. The original owner of the body who was being unreasonable was easily fooled by a simple "you like to get angry with people".
Jiang Zhi didn't try to be brave and explained her family's difficulties: "To be honest, Uncle Chang Geng, the shed we live in is not enough. We are planning to build another one. It's almost March now, and if it rains, I'm afraid the thatched roof won't hold up."
The male-oriented novels don't write about these trivial details of life at all, which makes her not very familiar with the situation here. She still needs to ask the original people in the fictional world.
Hearing Jiang Zhi's concerns, Xiao Man frowned as he touched the wood-chopping knife in his hand and said, "It should have rained much earlier at this time of year. You need to hurry up with building the house. After a drought that lasted for several months in winter, once it rains, it will definitely last for half a month."
If there's not enough bark, have Xiaoman and Errui take some from my house. Make sure it's thick enough; you have two people at home who might get damp.
Jiang Zhi quickly expressed her gratitude, saying that it would be best if there was extra bark to cover the roof.
She had another question that needed answering: "Lord Chang Geng, what if those refugees come up the mountain?"
Since the village caught fire on the first night, sparks have been seen flashing on several nights in the following days.
She didn't ask Errui to go back to the village to check the situation. If it was burned, it was burned. Taking a look wouldn't solve the problem. She was only worried about the refugees going up the mountain.
It's manageable if it's just the three of them; if they can throw stones at each other, they can just run into the woods.
It's inconvenient for Xiaoman's family, so asking her question was also a way of reminding her.
Xiaoman's face scrunched up in a bitter expression, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp light: "I had Xiaoman call you here to talk about this."
There's only one road from the village to this mountain. I'm planning to close it off. From now on, only our two families will know how to get there. Migrants won't be able to get up, and the villagers won't be able to either.
If you need to go back to the village to get anything, do it now, because it will be difficult to do so again later.
Xiaoman's and Jiangzhi's sheds are on the same road. Xiaoman's grandfather has spent his whole life burning charcoal on this mountain and knows every blade of grass and tree like the back of his hand. He knows exactly where the most difficult path is.
This involves tampering with the road, dividing the mountain into two separate properties, and effectively trapping both families inside.
Everyone has their own way of dealing with danger.
Knowing that his family was powerless to resist the refugees, Xiaomanye secluded himself, enduring the lack of food and clothing.
Jiang Zhi stared wide-eyed in surprise. There's a saying that goes, "Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure."
To put it bluntly: an old monster, a cunning old man!
Hiding away in the deep mountains and forests—this method is as reliable as a rock!
Grandpa Xiaoman has four generations living under one roof. Years of hard work have made him look old, like a modern person in their seventies or eighties, but he is actually only in his sixties.
Although physical strength may have waned, wisdom in life remains abundant.
With such a stubborn old man around, Jiang Zhi immediately felt much more relaxed.
However, as she sat in the shed talking, she could occasionally hear suppressed coughing sounds coming from the dark corners, which must have been from the paralyzed young man.
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