After being fed for a period of time, Zhan Chunlan gained a little weight, and even the space in the box changed from a small box to a slightly larger one, with the side length increasing from 30cm to 40cm.
Could the size of this space be related to my physical condition? Was my body too weak before to handle a large space? Now that my body is a little better, the space seems larger too?
Whether it's true or false, we can only be sure once my body has recovered better.
Over the weekend, Zhan Chunlan was bored at home. Recalling the various plots of novels she had read before, she went out.
She's going to the mountains to wreak havoc, dig up ginseng, kill wild boars, and collect treasures!
First stop, Nanshan.
This is the closest mountain to her family compound. It is said that it used to be a private garden of a wealthy person. There used to be a villa halfway up the mountain, and the water in the pond was all fresh water drawn from the mountain.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was converted into a park. A few years ago, it was vandalized, but nowadays, many elderly people still climb the mountain to fetch spring water to take home and drink.
It only takes Zhan Chunlan half an hour to walk to the foot of Nanshan Mountain.
Looking at the lush green Nanshan Mountain, Zhan Chunlan always had a strange feeling.
She climbed along the mountain path, observing as she went, but even halfway up the mountain, she couldn't see anything wrong.
Looking at the park's dilapidated state, she thought for a moment and went in anyway. Having temporarily solved her food problem, she felt that even the "desolation" was a kind of "beautiful scenery" that she could appreciate.
The once vermilion gate has been eroded by time and no longer possesses its former grandeur. There is a large hole in the door panel, and there are traces of chisels and axe cuts around the hole.
Upon entering, none of the houses in the courtyard were intact; the main room, side rooms, windows, and doors were all broken.
Even the roof tiles, whether due to long-term neglect or human damage, have collapsed in one corner.
Overgrown weeds filled the center of the courtyard, and a faint sadness lingered in Zhan Chunlan's heart.
Only the pond, which was specially fed with fresh water, remains intact, but the lotus flowers and small fish in the pond have disappeared, leaving only lush weeds that thrive unrestrainedly.
Zhan Chunlan wandered around for a while, then went out and continued up the mountain.
Along the way, she would encounter several elderly people carrying small water buckets. They would exchange a few words with her as they came to climb the mountain, and then part ways.
Standing on the mountaintop, she could see half of Jiangcheng. Looking down at the low houses, the Ningjiang River flowing through the city, and the hardworking people, she felt a sense of upward striving, even without the awe of the skyscrapers of her previous life.
Suddenly, she realized that something was wrong with the mountain.
The plants along the way were mostly short, with almost no tall trees, probably because they had been cut down for firewood.
Many hillsides have been reclaimed into sloping farmland, mostly in relatively flat areas, but there are also several particularly steep plots, with an estimated slope of seventy or eighty degrees.
It's even more obvious when you're standing on the mountaintop.
The mountain looks like it's had its head shaved, and it's covered in a lot of "psoriasis".
Zhan Chunlan looked on, feeling both heartache and helplessness, but mostly a sense of powerlessness.
She couldn't change anything; she was just a nobody struggling to survive among the masses.
I don't recognize her ginseng; it seems Jiangcheng doesn't produce ginseng.
Wild boar? How could it possibly be her turn?
Treasure? The whole mountain is barren, what treasure could there be?
Down the mountain!
She went to her second stop, Songshan.
Songshan is quite far from Nanshan; it took her an hour to get there by bus.
The mountain was not originally within the city, but as the city expanded, it eventually became part of the city.
However, this mountain is just a simple mountain; there are no villas on it, nor is there a spring at the summit.
However, there is a well at the foot of the mountain.
Unlike the wells in the north, which are dug deep and require ropes to be lowered, the wells in Jiangcheng are not like those in the north.
The wells here are shallow, with the opening resembling a rectangular prism placed on the ground, surrounded by stone slabs, leaving only the front open. The wells are generally shallow; if they are deeper, stone steps are built so people can walk down.
When pedestrians are thirsty, they can simply pick a leaf from a tree, fold it into a small container, and scoop up water to drink.
Of course, people from the surrounding area also come here to fetch water.
Even though some people have moved into apartment buildings and have access to tap water, many still find well water sweeter and will travel far to fetch water from here.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhan Chunlan directly observed Songshan from below.
Very well, just like in Nanshan, there are almost no mature trees, and what's left are either weeds and shrubs or "immature" trees. She turned around and went home.
She didn't find any ginseng or wild boar, not even a single pheasant feather, what a waste of her travel expenses!
It was almost time to get off work when I got home.
She went to cook without stopping; when will this grueling life ever end?
The rice was steamed sweet potato rice, with more sweet potato than rice; it was still three dishes and a soup: stir-fried potatoes with pickled radish, stir-fried shredded radish, stir-fried pickled chili peppers, and cabbage and tofu soup.
They were all appetizing dishes, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough food to fill my stomach.
As Zhan Chunlan was mixing rice with chili flakes, Zhan Hongyu said, "Dad, Mom, Zhan Chunlan has been wandering around outside all day, which is why I didn't get to eat lunch."
Upon hearing that her beloved son had been hungry all day, Xu Lixia immediately asked, "You haven't been home all day, what have you been doing?"
Zhan Chunlan quietly rolled her eyes: "Going hiking."
"You're a young lady, why don't you stay home and clean the house or do laundry on the weekend? What are you doing climbing mountains? Didn't you see enough of what's up there when you were a kid?" Xu Lixia said, holding a rice bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, as she swung the bowl at her.
Zhan Chunlan nimbly dodged, feigning indignation: "It wasn't my job to cook and do laundry today. Whoever is supposed to do it should do it. What does it have to do with me if I don't have food to eat?" She then glared fiercely at Zhan Hongyu.
"Then where have you been, Zhan Chunyun? You're about to be sent to the countryside, and instead of staying home and doing housework, you're wandering around everywhere. When you get to the countryside, you'll have to do everything yourself, and then you'll be all alone," Xu Lixia immediately turned her gun on Zhan Chunyun.
"Why do you care what I do when I go out? I'm leaving in a few days anyway. I'll be living a hard life in the countryside. What's wrong with letting me have a few comfortable days during this time?" Zhan Chunyun thought about her plan. This time, she was determined to succeed.
"Alright, everyone eat properly." Zhan Zhiqiang made the final decision, extinguishing the flames directly.
"I'm done eating, you all take your time. Second sister, I've already cooked for you today, you can wash the dishes yourself." After saying that, Zhan Chunlan prepared to wash up; she had been walking all day and was a little tired.
"Zhan Chunlan, what's wrong with you washing the dishes for your second sister? I'm about to go to the countryside to live a hard life, can't you feel sorry for me?" Zhan Chunyun was a little annoyed when she saw her leave after washing the dishes.
"Second sister, you only experienced hardship after going to the countryside, but I've been experiencing hardship since I was five years old. Please have some sympathy for me." Zhan Chunlan went into the house without turning her head. Did she think everyone hadn't had a hard life? In this day and age, who isn't living a hard life?
"Alright, do what you're supposed to do. You're too lazy to help others, and you're just being lazy." Although Zhan Zhiqiang's voice wasn't loud, no one in the room dared to disobey him.
After dinner, many people would go to the courtyard to listen to the radio and chat.
Today, as soon as we gathered together, we heard a commotion upstairs.
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