The grandfather and grandson walked on the road empty-handed. It was just dusk and the sky was not yet completely dark. Looking at the deserted village, Zhao felt a little uncomfortable.
After walking for a long time, we finally stopped in front of a house. If it weren't for the faint smell of food coming from inside, you would never have guessed that someone actually lived here.
This yard is even more dilapidated than those uninhabited yards, yet there are actually people living there.
Zhao went forward and knocked on the door. "Is anyone home? I'm a little thirsty. Can I have a drink of water?"
Zhao did not introduce herself, but pretended to be a stranger and stood outside the door stiffly.
Little Bell understood and pretended to be innocent and cute.
Soon, a cough was heard from inside, followed by a hoarse voice.
"Ahem, who is it? Sheng'er, you, you go and take a look!"
"Got it, grandma. It seems like you're here to ask for water. I'll go and give you some water first. Don't move, grandma. I'll come back and light the fire."
After a while, a little boy of seven or eight years old came out carrying a kettle and a bowl. He looked at the two unfamiliar faces at the door and examined them first.
Seeing that they were dressed very luxuriously, the little boy lowered his head unconsciously with a sense of inferiority and spoke in a lower voice.
"You, who are you? Do you want some water?"
Zhao nodded. "Yes, I was a little thirsty when I passed by here. I had already drunk all the water in my water bag, so..."
Little Bell stared at him, making the little boy feel a little shy.
He awkwardly held the broken bowl with a missing corner in his hand and hesitated, fearing that the other party would dislike it.
However, there were really no good bowls at home, so after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Okay, okay, but our bowl is broken, so be careful when you use it, don't cut your mouth."
As he said that, he poured water into the bowl and handed it over.
Zhao took it without saying a word and drank it all.
The little boy was obviously relieved and reached out to take the bowl, but unexpectedly, Zhao didn't give it to him. Instead, she looked at him with a distressed face and spoke.
"Xiao Hu, it's me, your Grandma Zhao! It was your grandma who just spoke, right? Is she sick? How is she? Is it serious?"
The little boy was obviously stunned when he heard the other party call out his name.
For a moment he couldn't react and figure out which Grandma Zhao it was.
Perhaps because she saw that he hadn't returned for a long time, the old lady who had been coughing before slowly moved out of the room, stood at the door, and leaned weakly against the door frame.
"Xiao Hu, are you still okay? But what happened?"
Zhao looked up and saw Lu like this, covering her mouth in disbelief.
"Sister Lu! Why are you like this?"
Hearing this name, the old lady at the door froze for a moment, then reacted and looked at Zhao with some disbelief.
"Zhao's sister? It's you? How is this possible?"
But, there is no one else who can be called this except the girl from the Zhao family.
Seeing that she recognized him, Zhao walked in in two or three steps and supported her. "Yes! Sister Lu, it's me! I'm back!"
Mrs. Lu was a little surprised and looked up at Mrs. Zhao, but her calm and lifeless eyes attracted Mrs. Zhao's attention.
Zhao waved her hand tentatively in front of Lu, and when she saw that Lu had no reaction, she understood what was going on and felt extremely bitter for a moment.
"Sister Lu, you, what's going on with you guys? Where are Xiaohu's parents? Why are there only the two of you, the grandparents?"
Xiaohu was a little surprised when he realized what was happening, but when he heard these words, he instantly calmed down again.
Zhao and Xiao Lingdang understood immediately, and for a moment they regretted asking that question.
Mrs. Lu chuckled a few times. "Xiao Hu's parents died on the road when they were fleeing that year. But it's okay. We are fine now, aren't we? Ahem. But you guys, how come you came back so well?"
Come on, Xiaohu, go get a stool for your Grandma Zhao, and sit down and chat. Don't just stand there stupidly at the door."
Xiaohu was still very well behaved. He brought two stools with legs of different heights. He felt a little embarrassed, but there was nothing else at home, and it was not good to let others stand, so he could only ask the two to sit down with a blushing face.
Zhao didn't care about these things. After a brief chat with Lu, she understood the general idea.
Their family was very poor before, but they were able to make ends meet because their son and daughter-in-law were willing to work.
But when they were fleeing, their family had little food to begin with, and more than half of it was stolen!
If their son and daughter-in-law had not saved all their food while starving and gave it to Lu and Xiaohu, the two of them would not have been able to hold on.
However, although they survived, they were too old and too young to make ends meet.
Mrs. Lu cried until she went blind again, leaving Xiaohu alone to make a living.
Every day they either dug wild vegetables or chopped firewood. Although they were not starving to death, they were still so hungry that they felt like they had not a pound of flesh on their bodies.
When Zhao heard this, she felt uncomfortable.
However, because they had to go to someone else's house, the Zhao family's grandparents and grandchildren did not stay long. They just left a message saying that they would come again tomorrow and left in a hurry.
After that, the two of them went to three or four families in a row. Almost every household was in the same situation, and they were all living a tight life.
But most of them were kind. Some families even couldn't afford to eat enough themselves but were still willing to entertain Zhao and her grandchildren.
Everyone's actions really touched Xiao Lingling.
After I got back, I added some more things to the things I had prepared before.
This time the family had an extra basket of eggs and a piece of cloth.
However, these are only temporary solutions. Xiao Lingling hopes to give them more ways to become self-reliant.
She racked her brains for a long time and finally came up with a solution.
She first prepared some high-yield grain seeds.
In fact, the south has gradually used it in the past three years, but most parts of the north have not started yet, so she just took it as a way to speed up.
In addition, she also copied down several methods of growing medicinal herbs that can be grown in the north.
This place is very close to the northern border, and there are constant wars of all sizes all year round. Various medicinal herbs for stopping bleeding can be grown here and supplied to the military camp.
Firstly, the people can use this to increase their income; secondly, the military camp can reduce the cost of purchasing from outside; thirdly, it is close and transportation is convenient, which is simply killing three birds with one stone.
Zhao was also very surprised to see her actions. This was much more practical and useful than giving gold and silver.
There is a saying that goes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
She still heard the specific meaning from her eldest grandson.
Because they were thinking about important matters, they both had a simple dinner and started discussing how to distribute things for the next day.
Perhaps because they were worried about something, the two of them woke up before dawn.
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