As May approached, both families became busy again.
Corn seedlings need to be transplanted, cotton seedlings need to be transplanted, and the wheat in the terraced fields hasn't been harvested yet, so it can't be planted here; it can only be planted on the hillside.
Several people climbed up and down the burned hillside, digging holes and burying seedlings.
Fortunately, there were only a few dozen cotton seedlings and a slightly larger number of corn seedlings, so all the seedlings were planted in three days.
After a rain, the tender seedlings with plump bulbs adapted to the new environment without even wilting their leaves. Grandpa Xiaoman exclaimed in admiration, "We'll raise seedlings this way from now on. Although it adds a couple more steps, it saves on seeds and doesn't damage the seedlings. It's really a good thing!"
In addition, sweet potato seedlings should also be planted.
This is much more convenient. Anyway, it's a vine plant, and the seedlings in the nursery are getting more and more from being cut. So, they're stuffed into any gaps on the mountainside.
This time, the main strategy is to plant widely but harvest little – harvest as much as possible.
As time went by, the beans and sorghum grew, and all sorts of vegetables also grew.
The two families added tender vegetable leaves to their porridge, and generously added a couple of drops of oil to their stir-fried soup. The most difficult days when they first arrived at the mountain gradually passed by.
If it weren't for the refugees passing by on the official road at the foot of the mountain, and the messengers with small flags on their backs running around, it would seem as if things had returned to normal, indicating that the area was still in chaos.
By the end of May, the rains started to increase, with a nightly downpour every night, leaving the mountains and forests damp everywhere.
Moreover, the weather in the mountains is unpredictable, with a single cloud often bringing torrential rain.
Now, Jiangzhi is harvesting more and more herbs, and the rooms he lives in are filled with grass roots, tree bark, flowers, and fruits, and the smell is so strong it's almost overwhelming.
She then built a stilted wooden pavilion next to it to store medicine packets, making it convenient to dry the medicine on rainy days.
The mountains in summer are a treasure trove, with endless medicinal herbs and berries to pick.
Various thorny vines bear red fruits; when eaten fresh, they are called "thorn puffs," and when dried and used in medicine, they are called "raspberries."
Besides its sweet and sour taste, it also has the effects of benefiting the kidneys and strengthening essence, nourishing the liver and improving eyesight, and reducing urination.
Jiang Zhi picked some wild raspberries and took them back. Everyone ate them until their mouths were stained purplish-red. The rest were blanched in boiling water for two minutes, then taken out, drained, and dried in the sun.
Xu Errui's problem of frequent urination at night also needs to be addressed, and these dried raspberries can be eaten slowly.
In addition, Jiang Zhi found some mantis egg cases to boil in water for Xu Errui.
About the size of a thumb, grayish-brown in color, it looks like a loofah sponge firmly stuck to a branch. It looks like a plant, but it is actually the dried egg case of a mantis, a mantis family insect. In local dialect, it is also called "walking dog".
Image from the internet
Mantis egg case has the effects of strengthening essence and reducing urination, tonifying the kidney and boosting yang. In rural areas, when there is a child wetting the bed, the elderly will find a few to boil into water for the child to drink.
Now, paired with raspberries, it's perfect for Xu Errui to take.
With more food available on the mountain, even the rabbits and pheasants no longer focused solely on damaging the crops, and no longer kept a close watch on them. Grandpa Xiaoman could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The small green-skinned mountain pears are full of fibrous bits when you eat them, the hard peaches are crisp and sweet, and the green-skinned walnuts are getting bigger every day.
Although the number of wild fruits that no one cared for was not large, and they were hidden in various mountains and forests, Jiang Zhi and his two companions still managed to find them while running all over the mountains.
Qiaoyun and Nini were in for a treat, eating all kinds of fruits to their hearts' content every day. When they couldn't eat anymore, they would throw them into the rabbit pen.
The rabbits have grown up now, eating wild grass, bean leaves, and fresh sweet potato vines. Their fur is shiny and they've started plucking their own fur to build a nest and prepare to have babies.
The rooster lived up to expectations and became a father.
After Jiang Zhi's family had eaten and drunk their fill and grew fat, their feathers drooped, their eyes became dull, and they started jumping around trying to brood.
Jiang Zhi was overjoyed. She quickly built a straw chicken coop in the corner of the house, and then put all five of her own eggs, plus the eggs given by Xiaoman's grandmother, into it. The hen couldn't wait to lie down and stay still.
Qiaoyun is now nine months pregnant and nearing her due date. Her feet are swollen and her back aches. Even having Xu Errui massage her back every day is unbearable.
Jiang Zhi was also anxious. Giving birth is like passing through the gates of hell. The conditions were so difficult. Even though she had tried her best to take care of Qiaoyun's food and drink, and Xiaoman's grandmother said that the baby's condition was very good, she was still very worried.
During this month, someone would always stay at home with Qiaoyun, but accidents still inevitably happened.
As June arrived, a torrential downpour struck that night!
The thunderstorm in the mountains was heavy, with each clap of thunder like a swinging sledgehammer, crashing down on our heads, as if a demon undergoing tribulation was hiding in the mountains.
The bright lightning tore through the dark clouds, so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.
A strong wind and heavy rain lashed down relentlessly. The bark roof, which had withstood the continuous rain, finally succumbed to the combined wind and rain and began to leak.
The first room was where Qiaoyun and her husband lived.
The wildfire burned the thatched roof. Although Xiaomanye repaired it, the location was right in the wind, and the surrounding trees had been burned, so there was no windbreak. Now, a corner of the roof was torn off by a strong wind.
When there's wind, there's rain, as if it's on purpose, like rainwater being poured into a basin specifically through the gap.
Jiang Zhi quickly told Qiao Yun to carry the bedding to her room. Although it was also leaking, it was better to catch the water in basins and buckets than to stand in the rain.
Xu Errui braved the wind to climb onto the roof to make repairs, but Jiang Zhi stopped him: "Are you crazy? If someone is on the roof, and the wind blows them and the roof away, someone will die."
They quickly pulled Xu Errui down, and could only use wooden sticks to support the roof to prevent the walls from collapsing due to rainwater.
In the emergency, Jiang Zhi braved the wind and stood on the edge of the cliff, shouting several times towards Xiao Man's family below. After receiving a response and knowing that they were all safe, she returned to her own house.
There is a problem, really. It's pitch black now, and she doesn't dare to go down the cliff.
Qiaoyun was heavy-set and soon leaned against the wall to doze off. Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui dared not sleep.
They could only use the flashes of lightning to repeatedly check the surrounding hillside to avoid being wiped out by landslides and flash floods.
The wind and rain raged all night, the cracking of tree branches breaking, mixed with a rumbling sound coming from somewhere, making people uneasy.
Finally, dawn broke. The wind and rain hadn't completely stopped, but they were gradually weakening. Occasionally, thunder would rumble overhead. This night was finally coming to an end.
But after a tense night, Qiaoyun suddenly felt a stomachache, went to the toilet twice, and even wanted to go out in the rain to squat in the toilet.
Jiang Zhi's heart skipped a beat; it was exactly what she feared.
Although she did not study medicine, she had learned the basic knowledge of various disciplines.
When the fetus descends into the pelvis, it compresses the rectum, creating the urge to defecate. Pregnant women may not realize this and habitually use the toilet, which could lead to them giving birth in the bathroom during contractions.
There's a chamber pot in the house now, and Qiaoyun still wants to go to the outhouse; she's probably about to give birth.
She quickly helped Qiaoyun lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and then asked Xu Errui to go to the stove to boil some water in the rain to boil scissors and cotton thread.
They even opened the cotton cloth bag they had prepared beforehand, which contained old cloth that had been cleaned and repeatedly ironed and sun-dried.
After putting everything away, Jiang Zhi went down the cliff to find Xiaoman's grandmother to take over for her.
I'm about to help my daughter-in-law give birth.
I'm just a theorist; even though I know all the necessary procedures, I've never actually given birth or delivered a baby myself.
The thought of the bloody scene that was about to unfold filled her with panic.
But as soon as she stepped off the cliff, Jiang Zhi was stunned by what she saw.
What was once a trickle of water flowing from a crevice in the rocks below the cliff has now become the raging Yellow River.
With a deafening roar, muddy water carrying sand and gravel tumbled down the hillside, carving a trough in the slope. Water overflowed onto the road and then flowed down the cliff.
Oh no! This is Xiaoman's house, the water is going to get in!
Jiang Zhi was anxious and carefully waded through the water to get to Xiao Man's house. The sight that greeted her made her frown.
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