"You bet! I was telling your grandpa yesterday that this isn't a good sign. But it doesn't look too bad. We'll see how it goes in the summer. If there's less rain in the summer, we'll have to start making preparations."
Everyone has experienced famine years, so we all know what's going on. Luckily, the old man is a good man and has planted grain in the mountains. Over the years, he has saved up a lot of grain, so he is not afraid of famine years.
Qian Xiao nodded. No wonder people say that old people are wise. Look, she hadn't even thought of a way to remind them, and the elders in the family already knew what was going on. Thinking about what would happen in the next three years, Qian Xiao sighed.
The old lady slapped her granddaughter: "Why are you sighing, you little thing? Didn't you say you wanted to go out for a walk? Hurry up and wear more clothes before you go out. You can check on Wudan and Liudan. Call them back when it's almost time. It would be terrible if they got sick."
"Why did my second aunt let them go out to play in this weather?"
"A bunch of kids said they were going out to catch birds. Anyway, there wasn't much snow this year and it wasn't dangerous. If they wanted to go, they could. Those two boys can't be kept in their cages anyway."
"Tell me, your second uncle was such a sensible child. As soon as he could walk, he was thinking about helping with chores around the house. How come his two kids are like those big monkeys?"
"Perhaps... he takes after my second aunt?"
"Come on, we've watched your second aunt grow up. She was just as honest and simple as your second uncle when she was little. I never expected her to be so talkative now. I think those two little devils are just like your third uncle. Your third uncle was just as mischievous when he was a kid."
"Go out and get some fresh air. You've been cooped up at home all the time, you're getting stupid." Her eldest granddaughter used to wish she could live in the mountains all the time, but now she wishes she could live on the kang (a heated brick bed). Why can't she find a balance?
The snow wasn't heavy this year, so going out for a walk was fine. She was getting restless staying indoors all the time, so she went straight out the door, put on her cotton-padded coat and shoes, and headed out. Qian Xiao knew exactly where all the village children were playing, so she went straight to find her two younger brothers.
My third uncle's younger brother is still small. When he gets a little older, he probably won't be able to stay home and will want to go out and play.
When Qian Xiao arrived, he saw several boys lying in the snow, not feeling cold at all. They were holding a rope with the other end tied to a short stick, which supported a large, tattered wooden basin. He didn't know whose it was.
Qian Xiao stood a little further away. Walking in the snow made noise, and it disturbed the people catching birds. Several sparrows were almost at the bottom of the basin pecking at the grain.
As long as the bird enters the large wooden tub, pulling the rope will cause the small wooden stick to fall over, and the tub will overturn, trapping the bird inside. These birds are a rare source of meat for the children during the dead of winter.
After waiting for quite a while, only two birds entered the wooden basin. The boy holding the rope pulled hard, and the entire basin was brought down. Several boys who had just been lying on the snow jumped up and cheered, scaring away the birds that had slowly gathered.
The boys were too busy having fun to notice that there was a small hole in the edge of the covered basin. A small bird that had been trapped inside popped out, flapped its wings, and flew away.
Qian Xiao quickly reminded him, "Hurry, that basin has a hole, if we don't go over now, the last bird will fly away."
Without even looking to see who spoke, the boys all looked at the large basin and saw the bird with its little head sticking out. They swarmed over, some blocking the hole, others working together to lift the wooden basin to catch the bird.
It took a lot of effort to get the small bird out. Qian Xiao looked at the bird, which was still quite small even with the feathers on, and thought that after removing the feathers, it would be enough for a meal.
Five Eggs and Six Eggs turned to Qian Xiao and asked, "Big Sister, what brings you here? Big Sister, can we get some meat down the mountain to eat?"
Qian Xiao glanced at the mountain not far away. The trees at the foot of the mountain were sparse, and the ground was covered with snow. Besides, she hadn't come out to hunt and hadn't brought any household chores: "It probably won't work. Aren't you guys catching birds?"
"Oh dear, it was so hard to catch! We've been out for ages and only caught one, and it's not enough for us to eat!"
The boys stared at the tiny bird, swallowed hard, wanting to eat it but it was too small for anyone to eat, and what would happen to the rest of the group?
Qian Xiao glanced around at the group of boys; they were all from the same family and had a good relationship with them.
"Alright, come with me. We can gather some firewood along the way. I remember there's a rabbit hole not far away. I wonder if there are any rabbits in there now?"
At the foot of the mountain, the trees were sparse and the snow was a bit thicker, but it wasn't as thick as in previous years; a few children could still walk without any problem. Further in, the trees became denser, the snow on the ground was less, and walking became easier.
Following her memory, Qian Xiao found the rabbit hole. She had visited this rabbit hole last year, but she had caught the big ones and released the small ones. She didn't know if there were any rabbits left there.
Qian Xiao took the dry grass and twigs that the boys had picked up, felt her pockets, and realized, oh no, she hadn't taken out any matches either. Liu Dan took out a matchbox with two matches left from his pocket.
"Big sister, is this what you're looking for?"
"Oh right, wait, why did you bring matches with you? Didn't I tell you we can't play with fire outside?"
Liu Dan scratched his head and chuckled, "I was thinking that if we caught a bird, we'd roast it and eat it. If they take it home, we probably won't even get to eat it ourselves."
No other family is like ours, where the good food is shared equally among the children. In other families, the best food is given to the most favored child, while the other children can only watch.
Qian Xiao tapped his younger brother on the head: "You're so smart. We've agreed that when you light a fire, you should stay away from the woodpile and the woods. If you set the woodpile or the woods on fire, you'll be in for a world of hurt."
"Big sister, you've said it so many times, we all remember it."
"Okay, you're not allowed to imitate what I did today, remember that? Otherwise I won't catch rabbits for you to eat." She trusted her own younger brother, but she still gave the remaining children a second instruction.
"Remember, Sister Erdan, we will all be obedient and no one will say or imitate us."
Qian Xiao was very satisfied with the boys' attitude and led them to other cave entrances: "You all keep a close watch on them. If the rabbits escape, we won't have anything to eat."
The boys nodded obediently. Qian Xiao lit the dry grass in her hand, mixed it with thin sticks, and let it smoke. When it was almost done, she placed it at one of the cave entrances and told Wu Dan and Liu Dan to keep watch. She went to guard the other cave entrance that was not blocked.
We'll know if there are rabbits here soon enough. A few minutes later, Qian Xiao heard the sound of something running. The sound wasn't loud, so it must be not close to him.
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