Lin Man agreed to Zheng Gang's request, but on the condition that Zheng Gang would keep the others under control. It was a very risky step for Lin Man to take, and she only hoped that Zheng Gang's character and management ability would not disappoint her.
Zheng Gang wanted to go to the valley in person to take a look. He had a few young men under his command, who were the ones who helped subdue the Eight Evils three days ago. These people were also the key to his ability to manage the survivors now. He took two of them with Lin Man, as well as an old lady who was still in relatively strong health and a middle-aged woman.
The latter two were prepared for the vegetable garden. Zheng Gang heard that it was Grandma Wu who was taking care of the vegetable garden now, and the two grandsons were just helping out. Mother Lin and Lin Man could basically not help either, so he wanted to find help for Grandma Wu. After all, the vegetable garden was her hope and could not be neglected.
These two men are both quite strong, and they are dull and honest people. They are good at working. They have worked in plantations before, and Lin Man thinks they are good people.
Lin Man also brought some daily necessities with him.
Mattresses, washbasins, pots and pans and the like were of course taken from those deserted houses. Zheng Gang and his team also served as free labor. Although everyone was weak and had no energy, each of them could share some of the burden with Lin Man by taking one or two items.
Lin Man also carried two rather thick and sturdy pillars. She planned to build a house in the valley. The walls could be plastered with mud, but wood was still needed.
It took the group more than three hours to reach the valley, until it was almost dark. The last section of the road was rugged and difficult to walk on, as they had to go around some rock piles and earth mounds. Moreover, the entrance to the valley was very narrow, which is why the valley is so well hidden.
Seeing the puddles and vegetable plots, the five exhausted people seemed to be revived instantly. Without saying anything, they picked up the boiled water that Grandma Wu had boiled for them and then cooled it down, and drank it with relish.
At Lin Man's signal, Grandma Wu quickly boiled another pot of water, picked two handfuls of wild vegetables and put them into the pot, and added the insects dug from the ground by her grandchildren. After digging out the insects, she first killed and dried them, then washed them, roasted them over the fire, and finally crushed them in a clean stone nest to get rough insect meal, which was added to the wild vegetable soup and was quite fragrant.
As for the taste, it is no different from earthworm powder.
But in the eyes of the five people, it was already very good food.
They also have to dig insects to fill their stomachs now, but they basically just chew them and eat them directly, then dry them, wash them, roast them, and finally mash them and cook them into soup. This is a very particular way of eating them.
Especially that big pot of green vegetable leaves, which makes people's eyes glow green.
Zheng Gang had previously said that these wild vegetables would be left for those who needed them most, but he and the four people who came with him were actually in the better condition among the survivors, otherwise they would not have been able to walk this mountain road.
He looked at the vegetable patch and saw that after all the picking, there were not many larger wild vegetables left.
"I won't eat it," he said.
"Brother Gang, if you don't eat something, what will happen if you collapse? There are so many people for you to take care of." Lin Man poured a box of vegetable soup for Brother Gang.
This is her family's stainless steel lunch box. Grandma Wu also has a bowl, but there is nothing else to hold the soup. The remaining three people who don't have bowls just eat directly from the pot.
Zheng Gang felt like he had slapped himself in the face, but with a bowl of juicy green vegetable soup in front of him, and since he was indeed extremely hungry, he used his only good hand to hold the chopsticks and started eating.
The whole pot of soup was divided up completely. In fact, each person's portion was only enough to fill a stomach, but the five of them were very satisfied. They felt warm and full, and full of energy.
The old lady and the middle-aged woman went to help Grandma Wu with the work in the vegetable garden. Grandma Wu was very happy to have these two people help her and discussed with them about burning manure.
Here, Lin Man discussed with Zheng Gang how to let other people drink the water.
According to Lin Man's idea, she certainly didn't want everyone to come to this valley. Those people might not want to come because they had nowhere to live. The base didn't have anything they needed, but at least the houses were ready.
But asking people to carry water back one bucket at a time is not a good idea. It's such a long way, and it will take a whole day to go back and forth. Nowadays, people are not well fed and lack strength. Few people can handle this hard job.
"From the very beginning, this matter must have rules. Only by following the rules can chaos be avoided." Zheng Gang's mind was clear. After eating something, he regained his composure and strength. "Everyone is more obedient to me now. Xiaoman, if you don't mind, I will tell everyone that you discovered this valley. To help everyone overcome the difficulties, I am willing to share its resources with everyone. But for the sake of the long-term, you should work with me to manage this place. No one can come in casually. Anyone who wants water or vegetables must follow the rules."
"Ten people were divided into groups, and each group was given a sign or something. Every day, one person from each group would come with the sign to collect water. To collect vegetables, certain conditions had to be met, such as if someone in the group was starving. Only after verification and approval could they receive a portion of wild vegetables. The reason was that there were too few wild vegetables to feed everyone daily."
Lin Man's eyes lit up slightly.
Zheng Gang's idea, first of all, pointed out that it was Lin Man who discovered the valley and shared it with everyone out of kindness. The nature of the matter was determined, and he praised Lin Man and gave her enough face.
Secondly, Zheng Gang's involvement in valley management embodies his authority. As he says, people obey and trust him. Zheng Gang's presence serves as a stabilizing force, signaling to everyone that this "sharing of resources" is long-term and stable. Don't underestimate this reassurance; it effectively stabilizes people's hearts.
Thirdly, the rule of collecting water in groups of ten according to the signs not only divides people into small groups for easier management, but also allows them to get water on their own, reducing the pressure of delivering and distributing water.
Anyway, there was food to be found all over the mountain, so the ten of us took turns looking for it in the valley. When we returned, we could also bring back enough water for the day, which was very convenient.
As for the last point of applying for wild vegetables, it is like a survival guarantee. When you are about to starve to death, you can still get some wild vegetables. It is a way out.
She looked at Zheng Gang's calm expression. She thought that he could come up with this idea. This man not only had a quick mind but also had high emotional intelligence.
"But in this way, this valley feels a bit like my private property," said Lin Man.
Zheng Gang looked at this small valley. He had actually been here before, but there was nothing in it before, and it was dry. He didn't expect it to become like this now. If Lin Man didn't take the initiative to bring them here, people would not have discovered this place for at least three to five days, and by then, there would probably be few people left in the base.
He said: "As long as you are sincere in your willingness to help people, it doesn't matter."
Lin Man smiled and said, "Brother Gang trusts me, and I won't let you down. I agree with Brother Gang's idea, especially the one about receiving food. Anyone who has made a contribution to the valley can also receive food."
"What contribution?"
"I don't know if it's because the soil in this valley is moist, but it's currently quite suitable for planting. If anyone finds wild vegetable seedlings, sweet potatoes, or something like that that can be planted, they can exchange them for the vegetables."
She decided to go to some corners and transplant the wild vegetables, sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes and other things grown in the space. When people found them, some people might eat them directly, but there would always be some people who would bring them to the valley.
She seemed to see a scene of a bumper harvest with many kinds of crops growing in the valley.
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