Zhang Xiu asked An Moxue, "Moxue, we're thinking of going to the county tomorrow, are you coming? Why don't you come with us?"
An Moxue shook her head and said, "No, I can't go tomorrow, I have something to do."
Liu Jie asked, "We don't have to work tomorrow. Is there anything else you need to do? Can we switch and do it the day after tomorrow?"
An Moxue said, "No, I can't. I have to escort the grain shipment to town tomorrow. I've already promised the village chief."
"Alright then, we were thinking of getting together to go to the county to buy some things and have a meal at a state-run restaurant while we're at it," Zhang Xiu said with a hint of regret.
"It seems I can't make it this time. I really can't go. Let's go together next time we have time," An Moxue replied.
"Alright, then we'll have to do it next time," Zhang Xiu said helplessly. "By the way, Mo Xue, does your work count as work points for going along to deliver the grain?"
"I guess so, but I don't know, I didn't ask."
"Then you have to get up very early?" Liu Jie asked.
“Yes, we have to get up at dawn. We set off at three o’clock,” An Moxue replied.
"So early?" Liu Jie asked her curiously.
"Yes, we'll leave at three, so we have to get up at two-thirty."
"It's so early, Mo Xue, you should wear more clothes so you don't catch a cold. It's cold outside, especially in the morning," Liu Jie reminded her.
"Thank you, Liu Jie, I will," An Moxue said, expressing her gratitude.
Liu Jie smiled shyly and asked her, "Mo Xue, have you prepared your winter clothes? It's very cold here in winter."
"I'm all set, except for the shoes. I'll just ask the aunties and sisters-in-law in the village who are good at making shoes to make some for me. There's no rush. I already have some cotton shoes. I've been wearing them for a year, and I'm worried they won't be warm enough. Besides, it's not as cold in Kyoto as it is here, so the shoes aren't very thick. It's not a big problem."
"It's good that you have a plan. If your shoes aren't warm, your feet will easily get frostbite in winter. If you get frostbite the first year, you're likely to get it again the following year. It's so painful. When it gets a little warm, your feet itch terribly. You'll wake up from a good night's sleep because of the itching. They'll be swollen like crazy. When it gets warm in the spring, you'll peel off layer after layer of skin before it heals. It's terrifying," Liu Jie said with a sigh.
An Moxue looked at her and asked curiously, "How do you know so much?"
“Ask around, all of us educated youth who came early have no experience. Who hasn’t had their feet frozen, or their hands? Some even had their ears frozen! That feeling is excruciating,” Zhang Xiu said.
"Didn't you get any medicine?" An Moxue asked.
"By the time you realize you've caught a chill, it's already very cold, and it's difficult to even go out. Some people, especially in their first year, don't have any decent warm clothes to wear, so there's no way they can go out. They only have one set of cotton-padded clothes, and they can't even borrow any. How can they go out? By the time they realize the chill is severe, they can only try some folk remedies that the locals talk about, like boiling eggplant vines in water to soak their feet, roasting carrots in the stove and rubbing them on their feet while they're still hot, or applying roasted hawthorn berries to the frostbite. These methods are somewhat effective for mild cases, but not for severe cases. They can only tough it out." Zhang Xiu's words were filled with bitterness, and Liu Jie nodded in agreement.
An Moxue had never experienced the cold, but from what they said, just thinking about it made her feel nauseous.
I'm thinking I need to find some good frostbite remedies on my social media tonight, and I also need to start making badger oil. It's always good to be prepared.
An Moxue kindly reminded them, "Then you should prepare more firewood. Burning more firewood will always make it much warmer."
Zhang Xiu said, "We plan to go to the county town tomorrow and then go up the mountain to chop firewood."
“How are you going to get to the county tomorrow? All the trucks are going to deliver grain, there are no trucks going to the county,” An Moxue kindly reminded her.
After An Moxue reminded them, the two of them remembered this. They looked at each other and Liu Jie said, "Oh no, we only remembered that there was a car going into the county tomorrow, but we forgot to deliver the grain. Now we can't go to the county town tomorrow."
Zhang Xiu then said to Liu Jie, "We can't go now. Let's go back in a bit and discuss it. Let's go up the mountain to chop firewood tomorrow."
Liu Jie said, "I think it's a good idea."
Having made a small misunderstanding, An Moxue asked curiously, "Didn't you guys notice before that all the village vehicles had to go when it was time to hand over the grain tax?"
After asking, they glanced at Zhang Xiu and then at Liu Jie. Both of them shook their heads. Liu Jie said, "I didn't notice. It's not like we need to do this anyway."
Having been in the countryside for so long, An Moxue had come to understand the lack of knowledge these educated youth had about the village. She was quite impressed. They had all gone to the countryside, yet they still acted like city people, putting on airs. She asked, "Who are you trying to impress?"
Is it to let you go back to the city, or to let you live a better life?
To thrive in an unfamiliar place, you must first learn to integrate into the local community and understand its customs, taboos, and social dynamics.
What's worse is that after they arrived, some of the educated youth made a mess of the village. After they were separated, they didn't reflect on their actions or think about how to get along better with the villagers. I'm speechless.
They have suffered countless hidden losses without even realizing it. I don't know if they are truly clever or truly foolish.
Fortunately, the village officials were quite fair. If it were another village, they would have suffered greatly, especially the girls, who would have had no way to ask for help and could only swallow their pain in silence.
The two decided to go back and discuss how to go up the mountain to chop firewood, so they didn't stay long and returned after a while.
After the two women left, An Moxue didn't go out again. She closed the door, went into her space, found the medical book that recorded prescriptions, and started searching for them while taking notes.
It wasn't until the alarm clock rang that she put down the book in her left hand and the pen in her right. Only then did she discover that there were so many ways to treat chilblains, with different treatments for different symptoms and different effective healing times.
In particular, people who have been exposed to cold for a long time should not immediately come into contact with excessively hot environments, as this may worsen frostbite. Scrubbing with snow is also not recommended. It is best to place the affected area in water at body temperature to slowly relieve the frostbite. Hot water is also not recommended. Alternatively, wrap the affected area in a cotton blanket and place it in a relatively warm environment.
Many common-sense practices in life that I've always followed have turned out to be incorrect.
An Moxue stood up, stretched her body repeatedly, which was a little sore from sitting for a long time, kicked her feet, and shook her arms. She felt much better now.
Once outside the space, he filled the stove pit with wood, lit a fire, took a small stool, sat in front of the stove, and teased the two little ones.
A knocking and shouting came from the gate. An Moxue went out to see who it was. It was Wu San from the militia company. When he saw An Moxue come out, he said to her, "An, I'm here to inform you that our militia company will assemble at the threshing ground at 2:30 a.m. tomorrow to collect torches and then go scout ahead. I'm letting you know so you won't be late. You can ride your bicycles."
An Moxue replied, "Thank you, Brother Wu. I will arrive on time tomorrow. Thank you for your trouble and for coming all the way to let me know."
Wu San smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a few steps and a few words. I'm leaving now."
Before An Moxue could reply, he turned and left after speaking. An Moxue smiled at his retreating figure, then turned and went back into the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com