She has good stuff, but there's no rush. It would be better to go back and quietly add it to her meal.
Chen Jianguo and the others have been cooking together these past few days. They couldn't find a large iron pot, but they managed to get a small one instead. It had a small chip on the side, but it was already very good for them.
Several people had already taken the grain to the village office early in the morning and ground it into cornmeal with a stone mill, making it easy to cook porridge.
We were going up the mountain this time, and after the meeting last night, the three of us discussed that if we were to bring anything, we could only steam dry rations.
Chen Jianguo definitely wouldn't do that; he was in charge of carrying water.
Li Yan had cooked at home before, but she lacked confidence in herself. When she asked Lin Zhaodi if she could cook, she quickly gave up her seat and helped out by tending the fire.
The three of them were indulging in a luxury. They had been drinking porridge for the past few days, but this time it was pure dry food, without any other ingredients mixed in. Although it was a bit rough, it was a rare treat—dry food, solid grain.
Before setting off in the morning, we listened to a simple lesson, and everyone ate their fill.
Now that their baskets were filled with dry rations, the three of them walked much more briskly.
They weren't as physically strong as Jian Dan, but they all carried an extra sack. Just like Jian Dan said, what if you find a lot of good stuff but have nothing to put it in? That would be such a waste. Once you have it, you'll always find a way to get it back.
Filled with anticipation, the group was also a little apprehensive. Not to mention how much stuff was on the mountain, just the number of people who came up the mountain was enough to fill an entire hillside. They wondered how much stuff so many people would bring back.
Most villagers also carry baskets on their backs. The men's equipment is basically burlap sacks, carrying poles, and ropes. It's simple and straightforward. When the time comes, they just tie the mouth of the sack, hang it on both sides of the carrying pole, and that's it.
The equipment carried by the aunties and grandmas was quite varied. Baskets were the basics, but there were also small baskets, hampers, winnowing baskets, knives, and some even carried cloths and headscarves. Basically, any equipment that could be used to carry things could be seen.
The men's main task is to climb the trees and knock things down, while the women pack them into bags and baskets. Finally, the men carry the larger items down, and the women carry the smaller ones. This is basically the process.
It's neither far nor near.
It's quite far inland than where everyone usually hangs out, but it's still a long way from the deep mountains that are easy to enter. It's also not in the same direction as when we were digging for wild yams last time; this one is more towards the northeast.
The villagers were not idle along the way; they collected anything they could eat or use.
Occasionally, you can see a few wild fruits, and every now and then there are fallen branches or broken branches from strong winds. These are all carefully broken off and sorted out, and put into the basket. These will be used as firewood in the winter. No one will mind whether there is too much or too little, too big or too small.
Several educated youths were also happily collecting things.
"Wow, there's so much stuff on the mountain! We haven't even gotten to our destination yet, and I've already collected so much firewood."
Simple and unconventional, he simply threw what he found into his basket, and when he couldn't fit it all in, he smuggled it into the base. After all, these things take up space, and no one can tell.
When they arrived at their destination, almost no one came empty-handed; everyone had some kind of reward.
Liu Weimin led his men on a tour and returned with smiles on their faces. They never expected that, despite the drought, the harvest of mountain products would be so good. The villagers were in luck; they would be able to get through the winter.
"Come on, listen to me. As usual, the men are in charge of getting it down, and the women are in charge of picking it up from below."
As usual, after returning home, each family only needs to hand over a few kilograms to the village, which will be distributed to a few elderly people in the village, and the rest will be theirs.
I hope everyone will do the same as in previous years: don't fight or grab, but also don't waste food. Fellow villagers, whether we can survive this winter depends on today.
Are you all ready?
"Ready!"
The deafening shout sent a flock of small birds fluttering away.
"Alright, let's get started!"
The closest trees are a few hazelnut trees.
The women skillfully cleared the space under the trees, while the men used long poles to vigorously knock down the tree canopy, causing ripe or soon-to-be-ripe hazelnuts to fall and cover the ground instantly.
Fewer and fewer fruits fell as they were knocked down, and they quickly climbed up, using the same movements as before. The closer the fruit was, the more effective it was. Soon, the tree was almost completely clean.
Then the man moved the battlefield, and it was the women's turn. They squatted on the ground, laid the bag opening on the ground, and used their hands or tools to scoop the bag into it. Once the bag was full, they stood it upright and used small winnowing baskets or small baskets that they had brought with them to fill the ground and then pour the contents back into the bag. They repeated this action hundreds of times.
She managed to smuggle one out using a simple basket on her back. It was a small winnowing basket she got from Uncle Liu's house. It was very small and could hold very little, but she was fast. She managed to smuggle some more out of the bag she had already put in, and even so, the bag was quickly filled.
Li Yan and the others were not to be outdone. Chen Jianguo followed the men's team, and the two of them picked up the portions for the three of them. They were not very skilled, but the two of them reacted quickly, one picking up the bag and the other holding it up, and their movements were not slow.
The harvest here is almost complete, and the chestnut trees over there have also been knocked down. From a distance, the ground is covered with a fluffy carpet.
However, you have to be careful when you get close, as the thorns on the outside of chestnuts are quite sharp. They protect the chestnuts on the tree, but they can easily pierce the skin.
If you crush a mature chestnut with your foot a few times, the burrs will come off, but it takes a lot of time. Also, many chestnuts are not fully ripe yet, so it is even more difficult. So everyone brings the chestnuts back with the burrs on them and puts them in the yard to dry in the sun. Once they are dry, they can be easily crushed. Besides, the burrs that come off can also be used to make firewood, right?
I've seen them briefly, but I've never actually handled one myself. My movements while holding the winnowing basket were a bit clumsy, after all, it's a weapon.
Li Yan and Lin Zhaodi were in the same boat. Looking at it this way, it was more convenient to work together. One person held the bag, another person used tools to scoop the contents into the winnowing basket, and another person used the short winnowing basket to pack the bags. It took up more manpower, but it was also the most convenient.
"Once we get it back, we'll spread it out in your yard. With this sunny weather, the outer layer will be completely dry in a few days, and then it will open with just a light step."
Fearing they wouldn't know how to handle it, the auntie next to them specifically spoke to them about it.
Not only Li Yan and her group, but the villagers were also filled with excitement.
In this year, after paying the grain tax, there wasn't much left to take in. These things were life-saving. They had guessed that since it wasn't raining, things on the mountain wouldn't be any better. But who knew these trees were so resilient? They managed to survive and even bear fruit.
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