Children in the city really don't know this. After all, they don't have many opportunities to eat fruit, and they are reluctant to eat it, so how could they have the chance to freeze it?
Tan Yajun had only heard about it from the villagers before she arrived, and then she learned about another famous fruit in the area – frozen pears.
"Really, really, let's see if we can find any pears. Frozen pears are especially delicious, especially when it's snowing heavily outside and the house is warm, and you're eating a cool, frozen pear—that feeling is just wonderful!"
Speaking of this, Jian Dan's eyes lit up. She knew about it and had even eaten it before, but it wasn't available at the base.
When it comes to food, Jian Dan still feels that Li Yan is more compatible. Just like now, before anyone else has said anything, she has already rushed out to find pear trees.
The four or five days of hiking up the mountain went smoothly.
They harvested a lot of mountain products, and the villagers returned with full loads every day. Liu Weimin found it all too unexpectedly smooth.
"It's one thing not to have encountered wild boars or anything, but how come we haven't even run into a pheasant or a rabbit this year?"
There are indeed wild animals in these mountains. Besides the wild boars that frighten the villagers, they have also heard wolves howling.
However, there are also quite a few small animals. Apart from the special circumstances last year, the villagers are not entirely useless in the mountains. In addition to digging for wild vegetables, they are occasionally lucky enough to hunt small animals that can be eaten, such as wild rabbits, pheasants, wild goats, and even some snakes.
Life is tough.
These little things have always been owned by whoever hits them. Even though everything has become collective in the last two years, these conventions have not been broken. They are the kind of things that are not reported unless the people complain.
Of course, this also became a rare opportunity for the villagers to have a good meal.
Throughout the year, the only time villagers can openly eat meat is when they slaughter a pig before the New Year, allowing the whole family to satisfy their cravings and enjoy some oily meat.
At other times, if you want to eat meat, you have to be brave, since not everyone dares to go into these mountains.
If you don't have the guts or the skill, but still want to eat meat, then you'll have to rely on luck. When a wild boar comes down from the mountain and you're lucky enough to kill it, that's also an opportunity.
However, every time wild boars come down from the mountain, they not only damage crops and houses, but also cause casualties. After all, if you think about it carefully, how many people in this ordinary little village, apart from professional hunters, would dare to directly confront wild boars?
Liu Weimin had a love-hate relationship with this precious treasure.
So he was just venting his frustrations; he didn't dare hope they would come true, because a single misstep could cost lives.
With his year-end harvest season almost over, he could finally relax.
"Let's distribute the grain these next couple of days and have a peaceful New Year."
Liu Aiguo nodded, watching the villagers busily engaged in their work.
"This year's harvest is not bad, and with these things we picked up on the mountain, the villagers should have a much better winter."
"Yes, it's good to not go hungry. Things will get better eventually."
"ah!"
"Help!"
Everything went smoothly until the very end when something unexpected happened.
Liu Weimin's heart leaped into his throat, almost catching his breath. Forgetting what he was holding, he rushed inside, with Liu Aiguo following behind with a sigh.
"What's going on now?"
"What happened?"
The villagers nearby also gathered around.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Not far from where the villagers were having a group activity, Chen Hongli and Wang Hongmei were facing each other, but their postures were somewhat strange.
Chen Hongli sat on the ground with her legs curled up, hugging her right foot and howling.
Wang Hongmei was on the opposite side, her back pressed tightly against the tree trunk, still inching backward, her hands and feet trembling. She could only move an inch or two at a time. When she saw the person approaching, she was on the verge of tears.
"Quickly! There's a snake! There's a snake!"
"A snake? Where is it?"
The men in front immediately went over, carrying snake-sweeping sticks, and began searching the ground repeatedly until they had searched the entire area, but they still couldn't find any sign of the snake.
"Wang Zhiqing, are you sure you're not mistaken? Where's the snake?"
The grass was cut, so the snake wasn't startled.
The villagers didn't have a good impression of the two troublesome female educated youths, but since human lives were at stake, they couldn't really ignore them.
"Can you get up? Can you walk?"
Liu Weimin frowned deeply as soon as he saw the person who had been in trouble.
"What happened?"
"Village chief, village chief, I've been bitten by a snake, I need to go to the hospital."
Chen Hongli usually only ever took advantage of others and wanted to live a comfortable life, but she never imagined she would lose her life here. In just a short while, her mind had gone through hundreds of thoughts.
"Village chief, please, I need to go to the hospital. I'm still young, I don't want to die here like this."
Even if Liu Weimin was unwilling, he had to give way first.
"Someone come here and take a look at the wound."
They've all lived in this mountain area for years. They may not have medical skills, but living in this forest, they're familiar with snakes and can identify them in the most basic way. This is a basic life skill.
The two women who were nearby had already started to lift up her trouser legs, but Chen Hongli herself was so frightened that she closed her eyes first.
"Huh? This is a non-venomous snake. It's alright, just two small holes. I can just wipe it with some ash when I get back."
"Exactly, it was screaming so pitifully, I thought it was a poisonous snake."
"Impossible!" Chen Hongli was the one who couldn't accept it the most, and immediately became hysterical.
"Impossible! You must be mistaken. It's a venomous snake, a venomous snake! Village chief, village chief, please send someone to the hospital! It's definitely a venomous snake. I... I'm starting to feel dizzy..."
A few people stood on the periphery, nodded upon hearing this, and indeed felt a bit dizzy, their speech becoming somewhat incoherent.
Li Yan pouted.
"How come she's so unlucky? We've come so many times and nothing's happened, but she's only come a few times and she's already been bitten by a snake?"
Liu Weimin was also puzzled by this.
“Chen, did we tell you to tuck your trousers in properly and beat the grass with a stick before going up the mountain?”
Chen Hongli stammered and remained silent. Wang Hongmei, who had just slowly approached, couldn't help but...
"Why else? To get a bite of meat!"
I was chasing you just fine, and you had to catch up, making such a commotion. Otherwise, would you have scared the snake? Humph! Take this pheasant back and use it to plug those two holes for you!"
Only then did everyone notice that something seemed to be wriggling restlessly under Chen Hongli's curled-up legs. The aunt who had been treating her injury quickly pulled it out, and the sudden "fluttering" startled the people nearby, who then began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Oh dear, I was wondering why you scared the snake while trying to catch a pheasant?"
Chen Hongli's expression changed, and she finally accepted that it was indeed not a poisonous snake. She stopped arguing about going to the hospital and just stared intently at the pheasant, afraid that it might not come back to her.
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