Seeing how protective he was of the rope, Yan Zheng couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Let me borrow your rope and tie it to this tree so that if the water from above washes down tomorrow, it won't be washed into the river again."
Yan Jing'an then reluctantly untied his climbing rope from his waist.
It was indeed difficult for him; he valued this rope more than his own life and carried it with him wherever he went.
"This was given to me by my master. If he knew it was used to tie up a horse-drawn carriage, he'd probably jump out of his coffin."
Yan Zheng said, "Then why don't you go upstairs and get a rope?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Jing'an immediately and obediently handed over the belt.
Are you kidding me? If he goes up there again, his legs will be ruined.
Yan Zheng comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, there's no one else here, your master won't know."
After the carriage was secured, the three of them returned to the cave together. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they could hear the anxious cries of a deer inside. Jiang Xi's heart melted at the sound, and she quickly went over to pet its head.
Seeing that the food on the ground hadn't been touched much, Jiang Xi guessed what was going on. The deer was still the same as before, barely eating the food left behind. Feeling sorry for it, Jiang Xi took out a sweet potato from her backpack and fed it.
After calming the deer down, Yan Zheng took charge of cooking, while Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an started tidying up.
The first thing to pack is dried goods. There's no need to worry about the meat hanging on the roof beams, since it's hung high enough that it won't be affected by water entering the cave. However, she needs to pack and take over the dried wood ear mushrooms, dried vegetables, and wild mushrooms that Jiang Xi had previously dried on the ground and shelves.
The seeds of fruits and vegetables collected earlier are also of utmost importance. If they are soaked, all the work done in the fall will be for nothing, and we will have to eat bean sprouts again next winter.
So Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an took all the baskets off the shelf, filled them with dried goods, and then covered them with wooden lids woven from vines. They tied the lids tightly with fiber rope to prevent them from spilling out during the journey.
Although the quantity of goods may not seem like much, there was a considerable amount sorted out. Two baskets were filled with dried wood ear mushrooms alone, not to mention the dried wild mushrooms and dried radish greens.
Yan Zheng was preparing the rice at the stove. Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an were arguing for a long time about how to pack the food.
In no time, the cave was filled with packed items: ropes, baskets, and even a basket of dried wood ear mushrooms had been spilled.
The fighting only subsided briefly when Yan Zheng announced it was time to eat.
Thinking to save time for dinner, Yan Zheng specially cooked a clay pot of cured pork ribs. He also added soaked wood ear mushrooms and wild mushrooms, as well as bean sprouts that Jiang Xi had sprouted before leaving. Before taking it out of the pot, he sprinkled on a lot of pepper and cooked a whole pot.
I steamed another pot of root and yam rice.
The aroma of meat mingled with the fragrance of mushrooms, filling the cave.
They hadn't had a proper meal in two days, and all three of them were starving. Yan Zheng brought the food to the table, and Jiang Xi immediately stopped arguing with Yan Jing'an and obediently washed her hands and ate.
Yan Jing'an saw this and quickly took out a bowl and put it on the table.
A bite of pork ribs, a bite of wild mushrooms, plus the spiciness of pepper. The pork ribs are simmered over low heat, the broth is rich and flavorful, so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue.
Even Jiang Xi had an extra bowl of sweet potato rice.
After finishing their meal, Yan Jing'an cleaned up the dishes, and Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi began packing their personal belongings. The main task was to pack all the clothes and finished rattan fiber from the boxes, to be transported away tomorrow afternoon.
By the time the three of them had finished packing, it was already past midnight.
The moon was bright and the stars were few, so tomorrow was expected to be another sunny day. The road would be easier to travel on. Yan Zheng told him to get some rest early and set off early tomorrow morning. They would need to tidy up the place a bit after they arrived.
After two hard days, the three of them finally got a good night's sleep and slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, while Jiang Xi was cooking red date and yam porridge, Yan Zheng and Yan Jing'an started loading the things they had packed the day before onto the car.
Jiang Xi took some pickled radish greens from the jar. When the porridge was ready, the hot red date porridge with radish greens was a great treat for the two of them, who had been busy with physical labor all morning. They each ate two large bowls.
The truck was parked at the foot of the mountain, so moving things took some time. We had started working at dawn, but we didn't finish loading the truck until the sun was high in the sky.
When they set off, Xiao Lu pulled the cart in front, while Yan Zheng and Yan Jing'an helped push it from the side.
This trip yielded two baskets of dried black fungus, three baskets of wild mushrooms, and one basket of dried radish greens. The rest consisted of seeds and Chinese medicinal herbs collected in the summer.
Since it was all dry goods, Jiang Xi figured the journey would be relatively easy. She arranged for one person to carry a basket filled with blankets, Yan Zheng to carry a jar of meat, Yan Jing'an to carry a jar of pickled radish greens, and Jiang Xi herself to carry a jar of lard.
The road was a bit steep, and if all the pottery were loaded onto the cart, it would be bumpy and could easily tip over and break. So she came up with this idea: to carry it on her back in a basket, so it wouldn't be as easy to bump into it.
Along the way, the path first led to the lakeside, then to the canyon, and then to the mountain ridge. Except for the last part, which might be a bit strenuous and require manpower to carry things up, the rest of the path was relatively gentle, and the deer didn't seem to have much trouble walking.
Around noon, the group finally arrived at the stone house.
Yan Zheng instructed, "Put everything in the northwest corner of the yard first."
There weren't many things in the room, and the entire room was well-preserved, posing no risk of collapse.
After moving the items inside, Yan Zheng sealed the windows and doors again with wooden boards and nails to prevent the dry food from being contaminated by other small animals.
Jiang Xi said, "We'll put the jarred meat and lard in the pottery kiln house first, so it's convenient to eat them in the next few days. Also, the temperature there is high, so these jars won't freeze easily, and they won't break from the temperature change."
Upon hearing this, Yan Jing'an grabbed the basket on her back and said, "I'll go."
After everything was put away, Yan Zheng and Yan Jing'an nailed the windows shut and then nailed a sturdier wooden board to serve as a door.
This delayed them for another hour or two, and in the late afternoon, the three of them took the deer back again.
There wasn't much dried goods left, except for the cellar where they stored potatoes. The entrance to the cellar was deliberately raised by more than ten centimeters.
The ice had already reached the doorway, and the cellar would probably be flooded in a few more days. Yan Zheng felt he couldn't wait any longer and had to take all the potatoes and radishes away in the next day or two.
So in the afternoon, another truckload was loaded, totaling five baskets of root potatoes.
There was room to put more things in the car, but considering Xiao Lu's strength and the fact that it was getting cold, Jiang Xi decided to move those over first. In addition, everyone carried their own bedding and clothes over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com