Chen Jianguo, who was carrying Li Yan, was also surprised for a moment, but being a man, he was confident and quickly regained his composure.
However, the expressions of utter despair on Li Yan and Lin Zhaodi's faces were quite amusing.
“We’ve never had any educated youth come to our village before. Jian is the first one. It just so happens to be the autumn harvest this year, and the harvest is unusual.”
When it comes to this, the villagers have a lot to say.
"That's right. We spent the whole summer fetching water and irrigating the fields. Later, the water in that little river got all muddy, and we had to scoop it out little by little with ladles."
"We hope next year will be a good year. We old farmers rely on God for our livelihood."
"Yes, next year will definitely be a good year. Look at this heavy snow, it started so early this year. How much snow will fall throughout the winter? When it melts in the spring, it will all melt into our own fields, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
“My dad mends baskets and weaves ropes at home, and my mom makes shoes for us.”
"Yeah, my family is the same. The old man and woman are never idle. I told them it was still early, that it wasn't even the dead of winter yet, and they gave me a lecture, saying I didn't know how to calculate."
"My mom said the same thing to me, saying that I should do it whenever I have time, since I'll have to do it sooner or later, and who knows if there will be other work in between."
“My husband is already thinking about it. In a few days, he’ll have someone check the tools in the village. He’ll fix what needs fixing and sharpen what needs sharpening.”
"This is the important matter. Several of those sickles are chipped. I don't know if we can get new tools this year, otherwise it will be very difficult to work next year."
"Speaking of sickles, back in the summer, some hoes were already broken. I reckon several hoes are broken now, and there aren't many rakes with broken teeth either. As for the pickaxe, the handle is loose too; it almost hit me on the head the other day."
"Now that you mention it, there's quite a lot of work to be done."
“That’s what you can see. There’s also work that you can’t see. The other day, after it snowed, I saw that the house over there on the west side almost collapsed. Now that it’s thawed in the spring, things might get messy. Some people will have to repair their houses first.”
"Sigh, and you're talking about others. My thatched house, if I had gone up there that afternoon, it might have collapsed. Luckily I went up there early."
Gossip about this family and that family can actually help them integrate into the village.
The cheerful Li Yan joined in the conversation with the others.
"Uncle, your lives are so rich and varied!"
"Haha, that's how it is in the countryside. When things get busy, there's always a lot to do."
“I saw some kids playing in the snow the other day, they were so happy, I was envious.”
“Our kids are all tough. They usually help with chores around the house, and they don’t have much to do. Winter is when they’re happiest.”
But the thought of his mischievous son's cotton shoes with his toes showing made him unable to laugh.
"Sigh, I always get handsy and groped every winter, it just flares up as soon as winter comes."
"Your son's feet are frozen too? Mine are too. Last night, his mom made him soak his feet in hot water, and he kept complaining that they were itchy."
Li Yan imagined how frozen she was in less than a day. If it were really like theirs, with occasional pain and itching, she would shiver.
"Uncle, we used to have a neighbor who served in the army in a cold place. He said there was a folk remedy in the local village: apply frozen potatoes to frostbite. Is there such a thing here?"
"Frozen potatoes? I don't recall ever hearing anyone try that."
"Ah, that might be a local custom. If there are no taboos, Uncle, why don't you give it a try? It's just a potato, it's not a big deal, it won't break even if you don't use it properly, right?"
"That's true. I'll freeze two when I get back. They'll be perfectly frozen in less than a night."
To be honest, you outsiders are more knowledgeable and have seen more of the world.
Li Yan quickly waved her hand.
"No way, it was just a coincidence. I overheard it from my neighbor's place, and I figured it would be great if it could be useful to everyone, but we'll have to try it to see if it works."
Freeze the potatoes completely, then bring them indoors to thaw. Cut them open, and you'll get the thawed juice, right? Just apply that juice, but it's best not to touch them afterward; just let them air dry. Apply it four or five times a day. Apparently, for lightly frozen potatoes, you'll see results in three or four days.
Several villagers listened attentively. This thing, to be honest, isn't really an illness. Not only children, but almost everyone among them has been frostbitten. They can't possibly take their children to the commune or county hospital, but when winter comes, almost everyone deeply understands that itchy, heart-wrenching feeling. Their only solution is to soak in hot water, but over the years, they've never heard of anyone curing their frostbite by soaking in hot water.
Listening to Li Yan's explanation, which sounded very reasonable, and noting that she had mentioned freezing two, I immediately added a few more to my list in my mind. I'll go back and apply them to my family members to see if they get better.
The others were also thinking to themselves that while they might not have much else, they certainly had plenty of potatoes. Although they were meant to be a staple food, those few potatoes wouldn't be a problem.
If we can really cure this problem, even if it's just a few, or even dozens, it would be worth it.
By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Li Yan had already struck up a lively conversation with several villagers who were working as laborers. Although it wasn't quite as simple as she had been, her goodwill towards them had increased considerably.
This kid is a real workhorse!
I admire their simplicity.
As expected, Liu Weimin had already arrived with his men. It seemed that quite some time had passed, as a dozen or so people were pacing back and forth at the foot of the mountain, glancing up at the top every now and then. If they weren't afraid of getting lost, they would have already gone to meet them.
"Village chief, why don't we go up and try to find them again? It's been so long, and we still haven't seen them. Those people up there shouldn't be taking this long, right?"
Once one of them spoke up, the others immediately became anxious.
"Yes, village chief, there are only a few roads leading up there. They can't just come out through the side paths with the wounded. At worst, we can split up and meet them. Surely one of us will be able to meet them, right?"
Liu Weimin was also a bit annoyed. Every day, even though we're supposed to be hibernating, why are they still causing trouble? Can't they just let him have some peace and quiet?
He spun around in place several more times, compacting the snow on the ground, coughed twice, looked up at the anxious men, and sighed inwardly.
"Then you..."
Several people gathered around, and one of them, turning around to face the mountain, happened to spot a few dark dots and immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"They're back! They're back! Go and meet them!"
He started running forward as soon as he finished speaking, and the others suddenly turned around. Their hearts sank.
"Oh, I'm finally back."
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