Yan Daqiang looked around, found a machete, and followed. He knew there was no danger; with so many people, they were outnumbered and the wild boars and beasts weren't stupid—they would definitely avoid him.
Everyone takes turns going into the mountains to cut down trees every day. There is no bamboo here, so we can only use wood instead. So, two or three people cut down a tree, and then two or three people carry the tree to the village committee.
Tang Jianjun found more than a dozen carpenters whose task was to cut the wood into stakes of the same length and thickness. These stakes had to be sanded smooth, otherwise they would puncture the plastic film.
In just over ten days, all the ditches along the farmland were filled with tree stumps according to the drawings provided by Yan Daqiang. Because they were worried that the plastic sheeting was too worn out, the tree stumps were planted relatively close together.
The women weren't idle at home either; they started twisting jute into ropes, which they would need later.
The post office staff finally brought the parcel slip. Uncle San's oxcart had been requisitioned again. This time, Uncle San was heartbroken because it was for working for the village, so he wouldn't get any income this time.
Although he was said to have no income, there was actually some hidden income. At least Uncle San didn't have to go into the mountains to cut timber, make the wooden stakes, or even go down into the ground to plant the stakes. He was just expected to raise cattle well and then drive a cart to do some manual labor.
All the plastic film was transported back. Yan Daqiang didn't expect his brother unit to be so helpful; most of the plastic film they transported was brand new, eight-layered.
Only a few are four or five layers new, and there are quite a few of them, which is enough for the land in Mushroom Village.
Many hands make light work; in just three days, all the crops were covered with plastic sheeting and tightly tied with rope. The extra plastic sheeting couldn't be wasted; the village treasured it and stored it in their warehouse.
Then, the prepared mounds of soil were used to firmly press the plastic sheeting together, preventing even a wisp of wind from getting in. At intervals, a hinged door was made, allowing people to pass through by simply flipping up the plastic sheeting.
The villagers tried to enter the plastic film enclosure from the outside and then come out from the inside. They could clearly feel the cold; the temperature difference between the two sides of the film was at least five or six degrees.
No one expected that such a thin film would have such a big effect; it was like putting a warm coat on the crops. For the first time, I truly realized the importance of education. It's a pity there's no school in the village.
Looking at the vast expanse of white plastic sheeting, the village chief was overwhelmed with gratitude. He raised his hand to salute Yan Daqiang, but Yan Daqiang laughed and pulled the old village chief's hand away, saying, "You're not a soldier, why are you saluting?"
The old village chief laughed too, realizing that even he couldn't stand up straight enough to properly salute.
Looking at this land, we hope that the Earth God will be kind this year and ensure a good harvest after spring, so that at least the villagers of Mushroom Village will not go hungry.
Looking at the devout expressions of the village chief and the villagers, Yan Daqiang thought of what his mother had said about the piece of land halfway up the mountain. He couldn't go see it this year, otherwise his younger brother and the others would worry.
Counting the days, today is already the 20th of the lunar month. Looking at the gloomy weather, I guess the real cold wave will arrive in a few days, and I feel a little anxious.
Why don't we go to town today and see if there are any trains running in the next few days? We should head back early, otherwise we might not be able to leave if the railway is frozen.
After getting the bicycle from Yan Xiaoqiang, he headed to town. When he arrived at the train station, he was glad he had come in time, because the last train was the day after tomorrow. He quickly showed his military officer ID and bought a sleeper ticket.
Back home, Yan Daqiang told his grandmother, "Mom, luckily I went to the train station today. The last train is the day after tomorrow. If I had missed it, I wouldn't have been able to get back on time and I would have been punished."
Hearing that her eldest son would be going back the day after tomorrow, Grandma Yan felt very reluctant to let him go. She didn't want him to leave so early, but she couldn't let him get punished either. Her expression was very conflicted.
Seeing his mother's conflicted expression, Yan Daqiang smiled. It's good to have his mother around. It's a pity that the time they spent together was too short. The conditions aren't right yet, otherwise he would have let his mother go back with him.
When Yan Xiaoqiang heard that his older brother would be leaving the day after tomorrow, he felt inexplicably relieved. He always felt that his older brother was like a scout, and nothing in the family could escape his eyes.
Now that he was finally leaving, the family could finally relax a bit. Yan Daqiang looked at his younger brother's visibly relieved expression and felt a little embarrassed, but also a little heartbroken.
He pulled Yan Xiaoqiang to his room. Yan Xiaoqiang was a little nervous. His older brother was too cunning; he couldn't handle him.
Yan Daqiang closed the door, looked at his younger brother, and said in a low voice, "Qiangzi, don't worry, I'm your brother, and I'll always stand by your side."
Yan Xiaoqiang nodded. He absolutely believed his older brother's words because his brother had never lied to him.
Yan Daqiang became serious: "Qiangzi, I know Nannan has a secret. I don't want to know what it is, but I'm telling you, you all have to be careful. People's hearts are unpredictable."
Yan Xiaoqiang glanced at Yan Daqiang: "Brother, don't worry, we will definitely protect Nannan. Be careful on your way back this time. I've asked Cuihua to prepare plenty of food and drink, just in case something goes wrong on the road."
Yan Xiaoqiang's answer clearly pleased Yan Daqiang. His younger brother either accepted his guess or still considered him his elder brother. He patted Yan Xiaoqiang on the shoulder: "Then from now on, let your older brother take the blame for anything."
Yan Xiaoqiang touched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. After all, Nan Nan's secret was too frightening; he absolutely couldn't tell anyone except his mother and wife.
As for Southeast, his son is sensible. If he finds out, he will only help patch up the hole and will never betray Nan Nan.
Grandma Yan carried Yan Xiaonan into her room and asked her to bring out white rice, white flour, pork, roe deer meat, rabbit meat, and pheasant, so that she could make more food for Daqiang to take away.
He repeatedly called out to Xuemei and Cuihua, telling them to cook more delicious food for Daqiang to take on the journey, since the train ride back would take several months.
Xuemei was startled to see the large pile of things on the floor. She had been living in this room for the past few days; where had her grandmother hidden all these things?
Looking around, it was such a small area. I cleaned the space under the kang (heated brick bed) regularly, so there was absolutely no way to hide anything there. There wasn't enough room to hide so many things in the kang.
Grandma Yan saw the confusion in Xue Mei's eyes and regretted taking too much. "Oh dear," she thought, "this is the first time I've done something so foolish."
Cuihua was quick-witted; she picked up the things on the ground and left, saying to Xuemei as she went, "Xuemei, you're in charge of cooking today, I'll assist you."
Xuemei was pulled away by Cuihua. Grandma Yan breathed a sigh of relief, glanced outside suspiciously, and said to Yan Xiaonan, "My dear, you can't do that again."
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