Tang Baozhu could tell from the faces of the new male educated youth that they were barely holding on. They probably felt that if a woman like her could climb up the mountain, it would be too embarrassing for them to not be able to.
The group headed directly towards the back mountain of the educated youth settlement, taking a different path from the villagers. After all, the mountain was so big, so they would naturally go whichever was closer.
After walking for more than ten minutes, we occasionally saw one or two villagers on the mountain. They were carrying large and small bags home. I don’t know if the commune will accept mountain produce. Otherwise, how could they possibly eat all of this?
"Baozhu, you've just arrived and might not be familiar with the area yet. Come with us for a bit. We've been here for so many years, we must know some things that others don't. Don't worry, we won't let you leave empty-handed."
"Okay, I'll go with you guys. I'll just get some food for myself, enough for winter snacks."
Zhao Jun and the others shared the same thought, and since their bodies were still aching terribly, they weren't planning on taking much back.
"Don't worry, there are several big trees there, and plenty of mountain produce. We should all be able to return with a full load."
Li Feifei wanted to lead the way, but Zhang Jianguo wouldn't let her go first. After all, this wasn't a route they went on often. It was precisely because few people went there that it was easy to avoid being discovered. He was worried about potential dangers on the road, so Zhang Jianguo took Li Feifei's place and led the way himself.
Li Feifei didn't refuse, and the fact that her boyfriend was so considerate made her feel sweeter than if she had eaten honey, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
Tang Baozhu didn't see the heartwarming scene ahead. She was walking slowly behind, following the people in front of her, her eyes constantly scanning the side, looking for ginseng. She hadn't forgotten that this had always been her goal.
Following the people in front, we walked for about an hour before reaching a small valley with many tall pine trees.
Tang Baozhu always felt that these trees were not wild. They were so neatly arranged in rows that they looked like they had been planted. However, even if they had been planted, it must have been decades ago, since these trees were so big that they could not have been planted in recent years.
"Everyone can cut some thinner branches on the side, then knock down the pine nuts, and bring them back to the educated youth settlement to shell them."
"That's true. It tastes good, but it's hard to peel and quite troublesome."
"Alright, everyone find a tree and pick your own fruit."
Tang Baozhu walked a little further in, intending to see how big the small valley was. After walking around for a while, she found it to be about three or four acres in size. There was a small cave inside, which looked like it had been inhabited, but it was now dilapidated.
Li Feifei and the others probably discovered this a long time ago, since they had known about this place for a long time. They just found it strange that so many mountain products were grown instead of grains.
If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. I found a tree that wasn't too tall, even though they were all quite tall. It's like a tall person finding a short one.
I cut a long stick from the side and started knocking the pine cones off the tree with a series of crackling sounds, like a shower of flowers falling from the sky. In an instant, many of them fell down.
I hit one spot and ran away. There was no way around it; the head really hurt a bit. I didn't have any experience at first, and I felt like I was about to get a bump on my head.
After knocking for more than ten minutes, when I felt that almost all the pine cones on the tree had fallen, I stopped.
Fortunately, I am quite strong. If I were like other people, I probably would have to rest after only a minute or two of tapping.
He tossed the stick aside, squatted down next to the pine cone, peeled one, tasted it, and thought it was just so-so.
Looking at the huge pile of pine cones on the ground, I felt that the sack I brought was not enough. If I peeled them one by one, there would be enough, but it would be a waste of time.
I figured no one else knew about this place except the people from the educated youth settlement. If we couldn't finish packing, we could just come back next time.
They filled two sacks, then their baskets were also full. Looking at what was left on the ground, there was still about half left. They had no choice but to come back.
If you cut a stick to make a carrying pole, you can carry it all back at once.
"Feifei, Zheng He, my bag is already full, I can't fit any more. I plan to come back again after I get back. Are you guys in that much time?"
Li Feifei didn't expect Baozhu to be so quick. They finished so quickly because they were already skilled. It seems that Baozhu is indeed quite capable.
"Okay, everyone's almost done. Let's take them back for lunch first, and then come back this afternoon."
Only a few new male educated youths remained. Their sacks were almost full, so Zhang Jianguo and Wang Tielin knocked some more down from the tree to help them fill the sacks. Then everyone prepared to go back together.
The group, each carrying a shoulder pole, headed back to the educated youth settlement. Tang Baozhu felt that although it didn't feel heavy, her shoulders were too delicate and her skin too tender, causing her a lot of pain from the chafing. She wondered if her shoulders would get blisters.
When they got to the front, they secretly stopped and took a soft piece of leather to put on their shoulders, thinking it would make them feel better.
When everyone returned to the educated youth settlement, they were all exhausted and panting heavily. Tang Baozhu, in order to appear no different from the others, also pretended to be out of breath.
Xu Man and Liu Lili had already gotten up. When they saw everyone carrying back several sacks, they asked curiously, "What's in your sacks? You all look so tired and sweaty."
Tang Baozhu didn't want to talk because her shoulder was burning with pain; she knew without even looking that it was definitely chafed raw.
She hurried inside to get some ointment to apply; the ointment was prepared by Physician Zhang and wouldn't leave a scar.
"These are pine cones we picked from the mountain, to have as a snack in the winter. They were so tired that they didn't have the energy to talk."
Zhang Jianguo felt fortunate that he had stayed here for four years and had become more accustomed to it; otherwise, he might not have wanted to speak either. He saw that Feifei was already sitting there, not wanting to say a word. There was nothing he could do; if Feifei didn't want to talk, then he would have to do it himself.
"Comrade Zhang Jianguo, are you going again this afternoon? If you are, we'll go with you. Although we may not have the strength to bring back so many, it would be good even if we only bring back a basketful."
"Comrade Xu, you're too kind. Of course we can go together. We're going there this afternoon anyway, so it'll be good to have company."
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