"Lingzi, don't worry, you are Mommy's precious baby, and Mommy will never give you away to someone else," Liu Zi said firmly, looking into her daughter's eyes.
Having been discriminated against and disliked since childhood, and lacking parental love, Lingzi had very little sense of security. Liu Zi wanted to tell her as much as possible that she loved her and would not abandon her.
The others also overheard the mother and daughter's conversation and joined in to reassure Lingzi.
Liu Daqiang even waved his fist and told the child that his grandfather would drive away anyone who hurt him.
Even Qiqi ran over and hugged her sister's arm, telling her that she wouldn't let her leave.
After receiving a wave of care, Lingzi smiled again. Once her emotions subsided, she broke free from Liu Zi and wanted to sit down and chatter with her sister.
Just as the vehicles were passing through a mountain pass, a commotion suddenly came from the walkie-talkie.
Liu Daqiang slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop.
Liu Zi and the others were startled and asked what had happened.
"There's a giant panda!" Liu Daqiang put the walkie-talkie to his ear and listened to the location again.
"On the treetops in the southwest direction."
Liu Daqiang pointed, and everyone's eyes followed him.
"How come there are giant pandas here?" Xu Mei asked in surprise.
"It might be a Qinling giant panda, which is different from the species found in Sichuan Province." Liu Zi knew a little about it.
"Mom, it's so cute, all chubby!" Lingzi said, eager to try it out.
At this moment, the walkie-talkie crackled to life again, reminding everyone not to get out of the car, as the panda in the tree was a cub, and there might be an adult giant panda nearby.
The children shouted excitedly as soon as they heard there might be one more.
Suddenly, a sound that sounded like a sheep or a dog came from outside and echoed in the valley.
Over the walkie-talkie, Xu Qiang urged everyone to start the car and leave immediately. The red panda had spotted us and was frightened; there was no rule out the possibility of a giant panda attacking us.
Liu Zi had heard that wild giant pandas have almost no natural enemies in the wild.
Adult giant pandas are large in size, possess strong fighting ability and are resistant to falls and bites, enabling them to fight with other animals and protect themselves.
In addition, bamboo is the main food of giant pandas, making up 99% of their diet. This special diet gives them a certain advantage in life in the wild.
Liu Zi emphasized the dangers of giant pandas to the somewhat disappointed group. Liu's mother could hardly believe it; how could such a cute creature in the zoo be so dangerous?
It seems that pandas, like people, cannot be judged by their appearance!
Their destination was Shanshui Village, a small village nestled deep in the mountains, surrounded by water and with beautiful scenery.
Four cars arrived in the village at once, attracting everyone's attention. Even the village chief rushed to the village entrance in a panic.
Xu Qiang got out of the car carrying his things and greeted everyone with a smile.
"Qiangzi is back?"
"Uncle Qiangzi, have you struck it rich?"
"Uncle Qiangzi, you've returned home in glory!"
...
"Stop making noise!" The village chief interrupted everyone's questions with a single sentence.
"Qiangzi, what's wrong?"
"Uncle Village Chief, my comrades and I came to your village for a visit, is there anything serious going on?"
"Oh my goodness, did they come to visit our poor, remote village?"
"Yeah, what's so fun about it? It involves oil and cars; they really don't know how to manage money."
"This high-ranking official has such peculiar tastes! He has that money, why doesn't he just eat something nice and instead comes all this way to visit us!"
Xu Qiang listened to everyone's conversation, just smiled, and didn't say anything more.
Shanshui Village, nestled deep in the mountains, boasts beautiful scenery, but its inhabitants are extremely poor. With little arable land per capita, many struggle to feed themselves, and numerous villagers have left to seek a living elsewhere.
"Shut up!" the village chief shouted.
These gossipy people are really shameless.
"Have you finished working in the fields? What are you fussing about? It's already noon, hurry back and cook."
Xu Qiang pulled the village chief aside and handed him the things he was carrying: "Uncle Village Chief, there are a few packs of cigarettes, two packs of candy, and a hundred yuan here. We're going to play on the riverbank upstream, so please don't go there today!"
"Qiangzi, this is unnecessary, how can I take your money?" Buying some candy for the village children is understandable, giving money is fine.
"Village chief, just arrange for someone to send us some firewood and mugwort. Consider this money as payment for our purchases." Xu Qiang insisted that the village chief accept the money.
Seeing Xu Qiang's determination, the village chief sighed and accepted it.
Amidst the eager gazes of everyone around, the village chief pointed out a few households and arranged for them to deliver things to them later, for which they would of course be paid.
As for the remaining money, it will be kept as working capital for the brigade, and the accountant will directly record it in the books.
People might think that 100 yuan is a bit low, but it's 1999 now. Good pork in Beijing only costs 3 yuan, and even the pigs in Shanshui Village don't sell for 3 yuan.
There are still more than 30 households and more than 200 people living in the village. If this happens a few more times, every household will be able to get meat to eat at the end of the year.
The village chief dispersed the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion, and Xu Qiang led everyone to continue driving forward.
After turning another bend, a small riverbank formed by the river's erosion came into view.
The flowing water gurgled and shimmered, like a silver ribbon drifting through the mountains.
"So beautiful!" Liu Ling exclaimed.
Xu Qiang got out of the car first and told everyone to move their things to the trees by the riverbank, where it was shady and comfortable.
Although the July sun was scorching, the mountain breeze blowing under the trees made it feel cool and comfortable.
The villagers acted very quickly, and soon someone came over pushing a cart.
Xu Qiang offered cigarettes to the people, and they all greeted him happily.
Xu Qiang brought a lot of children with him this time, so he specifically asked the village chief to bring some mugwort to smother the mosquitoes.
Because there were women and children present, Zheng Weimin also brought several tents so that everyone could easily change clothes.
So everyone divided the work: the men started setting up tents, and the women started preparing lunch.
The children ran to the riverbank to play. The clear water sparkled in the sunlight. They splashed each other and playfully teased one another, their laughter never ceasing.
Seeing that the tents were all set up, Xu Qiang led Liu Daqiang and the others upstream. He wanted to find some stone slabs, because grilling meat on stone slabs is so delicious!
Although he had been away for decades, the area hadn't changed much, and Xu Qiang easily led the group to carry back two large granite slabs.
They carried it to the stream to wash it clean, and then brought it back.
This was also Liu Zi's first time grilling food like this, but she knew that granite had a high density and good heat resistance, and could withstand high temperatures without cracking, so that was fine.
Dry the stones, brush them with oil, and then place large pieces of pork belly directly on them. Soon, a sizzling sound will be heard.
The aroma was so enticing that it drew the children, who had just been playing happily, back to their homes.
"Wow, there's meat to eat!"
"It looks so delicious!"
...
The children huddled around the baking pan, unwilling to leave.
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