Back then, Hezibao shared food and drink with villages like Xiangyang Village. Therefore, the large cellar specifically for storing grain was not located near Hezibao, but rather near the Third Primary School of Hongshan Town.
According to Li Sixin, the primary school and the cellar were actually one and the same. The primary school was originally the brigade's canteen, where people would gather to eat after work.
Later, the canteen was abandoned. In addition, the nearby villages needed to open schools, so the canteen was renovated and expanded into a two-story school building for teaching and educating students.
The cellar was dug out against the small hill behind the school. Even Li Sixin searched around the hill for more than ten minutes before finding the cellar entrance, which was completely covered by lush vegetation. The wooden door at the entrance looked intact, but with a gentle pull, it turned into wood chips.
"Haven't used it in twenty or thirty years. Haha."
After awkwardly saying something to smooth things over, Li Sixin quickly gathered the wood chips aside, tore away the vines blocking the cellar entrance, revealing a deep, dark, and narrow opening.
While waiting for the cellar to be ventilated, Li Sixin explained to Xu An, "This cellar was dug using this small hillside as a base. Half of it is underground, and the other half was created by hollowing out the hillside. Don't be fooled by the small passageway; it's actually quite spacious inside."
"I heard from the village elders that in the past, when the weather was too hot or too cold, some people would go into the cellar to cool off or keep warm. But after a few people fell asleep and passed out inside, the cellar entrance was sealed off, and no one was allowed to go in anymore. They were afraid that some reckless fools would sneak in, pass out, and no one would even notice."
While they were talking, Li Sixin made a makeshift torch from the dry branches and fallen leaves on the ground, borrowed a lighter from a teacher at the school, lit the torch, and cautiously ventured inside. After walking through a passage more than three meters long, he entered the cellar, where the torch still shone brightly.
"Mr. Xu, there's plenty of oxygen inside, you can come in!"
"Alright, coming!"
The entrance to the cave was very low, and Xu An, being of a height, had to squat to get in. After squatting for a few steps, he was exhausted and eventually had to revert to his primitive state, crawling in on his hands and feet. After crawling for about three to five meters, a huge, wide, and open cave suddenly appeared before him.
After years of exposure, the surface of the moist loess has become dry and hard, and a light tap with your finger can produce a deep echo.
It's mid-October now, and the outside temperature feels like about 15 degrees Celsius. But once inside, it's noticeably colder than outside.
"The cellar temperature is about this in winter. After it snows outside, when you go into the cellar, you'll feel that it's much warmer inside than outside," Li Sixin explained to Xu An simply. "It's warm in winter and cool in summer. As long as the entrance is sealed tightly, grain can be stored here for three to five months without any problem. It's even better than those cold storage rooms or refrigerators."
Xu An walked through the cellar and asked with satisfaction, "Are the cellars in other villages all like this?"
"They're pretty much the same, just a little different in size," Li Sixin said, then lightly tapped the wall with his right hand and asked casually, "Mr. Xu, what do you think of this cellar?"
“This cellar is indeed quite good. With some tidying up and a sturdy iron gate, it can be put into use,” Xu An nodded. “But let’s see the other cellars first before we talk about them together!”
After emerging from the cellar, Li Sixin gathered up some withered branches, leaves, and weeds to block the cellar entrance before returning to the tractor with Xu An and heading towards the cellars in other villages.
"Are we going straight there without notifying the other villages?"
“No need. These cellars have been abandoned for many years and have been unattended for a long time.” Li Sixin shook his head and said, “I will go and tell them after things are settled.”
Since the locals had already said so, Xu An naturally stopped talking, closed his eyes, leaned against the carriage, and enjoyed the bumpy ride.
This is the third time Xu An has come to Hezibao in less than two months. He has become quite resistant to the roads here, and not only has he gotten used to them, but he also finds the bumpy ride quite interesting.
"Village chief, is this pit deep enough?"
"That's about it, Lao Liu, get ready!"
Bang—Chirp—
Two loud sounds reached Xu An's ears in succession. Before he could open his eyes to see what had happened, he felt a few drops of cold liquid splash onto his face and slide down quickly due to gravity.
My nose twitched slightly, and a rich, refreshing grape scent entered my body through my nostrils. The juice that splashed on my face—was it grapes?
The moment Xu An opened his eyes, he saw a burly man wearing only a vest holding a thick, long stick. His large, bony fingers gripped the stick tightly, and he slammed it into the ground with a ferocious expression. The stick instantly sank a third into the ground, and a crystalline, slightly purple liquid splashed out, with two drops landing on Xu An's face.
I reached up and wiped the liquid that had splashed on my face, then brought it to my nose and took a gentle sniff; it was still that familiar, fresh grape scent.
What are they doing?
"What are you doing? Why does it smell like grapes?" Just as Xu An's curiosity was piqued, Li Sixin spoke up first and called for the tractor driver to stop.
"Hey! Secretary Li!" The village chief of Hua'an Village, who was leading the group, looked up when he heard Li Sixin's voice. He was halfway through his sentence when his eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at Xu An with surprise and said, "Boss Xu, you've come here again!"
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