When they returned to the tent area they had set up on the mountaintop, the people there already knew that Li Mai had saved Sanmao's life.
More and more people are looking at Limai, and their gazes are becoming increasingly intense.
In a family, someone who knows medicine is definitely someone that other families respect.
The Zhao women were squatting at the tent entrance, soaking and picking wild vegetables. When they saw them return, they all stood up.
Zhou Quan also asked Zhou Zhang to put the chair outside, and he sat down outside to rest. After the clan leader and the others came up, they went back and brought their own small stools to gather around Zhou Quan and start discussing matters.
Li Mai went over and greeted Zhao Shi, asked what they wanted for lunch, and then went into the tent to see Zhu Zhu.
"Sister-in-law, we're running low on water!" Zhou Tao whispered to Li Mai.
Li Mai nodded and hummed in agreement. "That should be enough for cooking and drinking today. We'll go find more water tomorrow; the river water probably won't be enough today."
Zhou Tao nodded.
Just then, Old Man Zhou came in. Li Mai told him to kill the pheasant, and she would stew it for dinner that evening.
Old Man Zhou responded and went to kill him.
After killing the chicken, it needs to be scalded and its feathers plucked. Water needs to be boiled. Li Mai asked Zhou Tao to heat some water for Old Man Zhou first. After the water is heated, it will be time to make lunch.
After giving these instructions, Li Mai went over to pick vegetables with Zhao.
Zhao said she planned to cook porridge for lunch, blanch the vegetables, and then eat them as a cold dish.
Li Mai thought for a moment, "Mom, then I'll go knead some dough and make a few pancakes!"
Zhao nodded, "Okay, make it if you want to eat it."
People around also brought out their kitchen utensils that had been soaked in water, including pots and pans, from their homes. Several stoves were also set up in the open space outside, and everyone was cooking.
Soon, many people saw Old Man Zhou killing the chicken. They were very envious. Out of more than forty families, only three families had caught a pheasant. The Zhou family was one of them, and it was said that it was his wife, Li Mai, who caught it.
Then I think about how this wife not only knows how to hunt pheasants, but also has medical skills, and this morning she even recognized edible ground ivy. She's truly enviable.
The women who had heard that Zhao and his family had picked wild vegetables had initially scoffed at them for being so poor that they would eat anything. Now they realized they were short-sighted, and they decided to go pick wild vegetables that afternoon as well.
First, check if anyone experienced any adverse reactions from the food they ate at noon. If not, it means that the wild lily is indeed edible.
The men didn't concern themselves with cooking; instead, they gathered together to discuss how to build houses there, and how everyone would live during the construction period. They couldn't all live in a few tents forever, could they?
This tent has no door or windows. It's been alright for the past few days, but in a few more days, as we enter August, the nights will start to get cold. Adults will be fine, but children definitely won't be able to stand it.
"Xiaoquan, what do you think we should do?" the clan chief asked Zhou Quan. He always felt that Zhou Quan was smart and knowledgeable, and no matter what he did, he seemed to have a plan in mind.
With Zhou Quan's involvement, Zhou's father has withdrawn from the Zhou family, and Zhou Quan now represents the entire family.
Zhou Quan thought for a moment and said, "The best way is to apply for government assistance. If we can get the kind of tents used in military camps, that would be even better."
“If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to cut down trees and build a wooden house ourselves. But that will cost money. We’ll also have to buy planks to line the inside and outside of the house, to keep it from the wind and rain, and we’ll have to live there for at least three to five months.”
After Zhou Quan finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Given everyone's current impoverished state, who can afford to go through all this trouble, building new houses, which also requires money? This year's crops are basically gone, and whether people can even have enough to eat is a problem.
The clan chief nodded. "That makes sense. So, whether we can survive is now a question."
He was truly exhausted. He had been the clan leader for over a decade and thought he could finally enjoy his retirement. He thought he would pass away in a few more years and the entire clan would be free from worry. But now, with this situation, he felt he might ruin his reputation in his later years.
He even wondered if he should elect a new clan leader as soon as possible.
Once the clan chief is chosen from the next generation, elders can be chosen from among the current generation. At that point, the current generation can be free from these mundane affairs.
Originally, he had selfish motives and wanted to elect his eldest son as the next clan leader. However, now that he was faced with this situation, he felt that his eldest son was not capable enough to shoulder this responsibility.
Now that he sees Zhou Quan standing up and getting better, he is interested in choosing him, but he has to wait until he meets with the town magistrate before making a decision.
While he can still move, he will help Zhou Quan suppress these people. Once Zhou Quan has won over the masses this time, he will be able to completely hand over this task.
"There's another way. If the government approves the location of our new village, we should start building it as soon as possible. As for the autumn harvest, let's put that aside. There's basically nothing left in the fields. Everyone's land is in the western gully. In that case, we'll have nothing left."
"As for what everyone will eat in the future, we'll figure that out together. We can't let our people starve to death. As for where to stay, there are five villages within two miles of our village. Villagers, check if you have any relatives in these five villages. If you do, go and borrow a room from your relatives for two months to get through this difficult time."
"As for the men, they have to come back to the village every day, and the whole village works together to build the new village," the old clan chief said, stroking his beard.
The elders exchanged glances. "But clan leader, where will the money for building the new village come from?"
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