Chapter 56: Draw the Sword to Protect Father
Ding Xiaodie squatted on the side to help her father pick sweet potatoes. She suddenly found that the sweet potatoes were actually planted quite shallowly, which was completely in line with the method of shallow tillage of dryland crops, cutting off the capillaries on the soil surface, inhibiting soil moisture evaporation, and enhancing drought resistance.
Although the servants of Mr. Lu may have just planted them casually at the time, they did not expect that they would inadvertently form such a scientific model.
So these sweet potatoes are still alive and well, and not only that, each one is bigger than the other.
She wondered if she buried the sweet potato roots again, would new sweet potatoes grow?
This idea kept lingering in her mind, but she had no experience in farming, so it was difficult to say it out loud.
But in the end, when his father was resting, he quietly told him what was in his mind.
After listening to this, Ding Gui said, "What if this method works? Wouldn't that mean we can save someone again?"
He grabbed a handful of soil and held it in his palm. The mud was still a little damp. If it was dug flat and left to dry in the sun for a few hours, even the moisture would evaporate.
"No, we have to try. We have to save seeds no matter how hungry we are. Besides, everyone has so many sweet potatoes now, there is no need to eat those roots." Ding Gui looked at his daughter inquiringly, only to see the little girl nod affirmatively.
He immediately got up and went to find Village Chief Lai Fu and told him his idea.
After hearing this, Lai Fu thought it was unlikely. After all, the weather was too dry and the chances of survival were slim. But on second thought, he felt that Ding Gui was right. Since the roots could not be eaten for the time being and it happened to be the season, why not give it a try?
"Stop." Lai Fu pondered for a moment and told everyone to stop. He then picked up a piece of sweet potato root and told everyone, "Don't flatten the hole you dig for each sweet potato. Just pick a piece of root and plant it there. With that little bit of damp soil, I hope another sweet potato will grow. If Ding Gui hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought of this. Let's do it!"
When they heard that it was Ding Gui who proposed it, most people actually expressed their agreement. After all, Ding Gui is indeed not the same as before these days, and the suggestions he put forward are very practical.
But there were also people who felt uncomfortable when they heard that it was his suggestion, such as Ding De, the second son of the Ding family.
I don’t know why, but once there is a conflict between brothers, they hate each other more than enemies.
Ding De is in this situation now. He just dislikes Ding Gui and wants to find fault with him so much that he can drive him out of this refugee group before he feels relieved.
In his own words, Ding Gui is the most cowardly, incompetent and stupid of the three brothers in the Ding family. Why is he the one who is responsible for all the big and small things in the village now? Look how capable he is and even gives advice.
What do you call Ding Gui? He pretends to be an elephant by putting onions in a pig's nose.
"I disagree." Ding De straightened his back, holding the hoe in his hand. "Ding Gui wasn't very good at farming when he was in the village before, but now he insists on planting the roots back home. It's a waste to plant in this land without any water. Why doesn't he just take it back and use it as a meal? In my opinion, he's just pretending to know what he doesn't know."
Seeing that the two Ding brothers were about to fight again, some busybodies also joined in the fire: "I also think this is unreliable."
"That's right, Ding De is right. We can take this root home and cook it and eat it. It's better than eating the bark, right? But if we plant it back, wouldn't that be like throwing it away for nothing?"
Seeing that some people were expressing their opposition, some of those who had agreed before began to be tempted!
After all, the most important thing right now is to survive. Even though there are some sweet potatoes now, they cannot be wasted!
Seeing that there were quite a few people supporting him, Ding De wanted to make a few more sarcastic remarks: "Third brother, if you don't understand something in the future, don't pretend to know it. With your brain, what can you know? Don't embarrass the Ding family."
Seeing that someone was supporting the second brother, Ding Rong naturally chose to side with him and said in a deep voice, "Third brother, your second brother is right. Don't embarrass the Ding family for no reason in the future."
Ding Gui was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He couldn't bear it any longer and laughed: "Big brother and second brother didn't bring shame to the Ding family. You guys have brought shame to yourselves."
"What did you say?"
"Old Third, how dare you curse?"
The eldest and second eldest sons of the Ding family were so angry that they saw that Ding Gui dared to embarrass them in front of everyone that they immediately took up their hoes and went forward to beat him.
"Let's see who dares."
At this critical moment, Ding Xiaodie turned around and saw Guardian Geng not far away. She quickly ran over and pulled out the knife from his waist. Her small figure stood in front of her father, with the tip of the knife pointing at the two ferocious men who were about to pounce on her.
Although she was thin and the knife in her hand was of no use at all, the fact that she knew how to use the knife to protect her father at such a young age really scared Ding Rong and Ding De so much that they stopped in their tracks.
This meal gave Village Chief Lai Fu and Guardian Geng some time.
The two men rushed forward and each took away their hoes!
"What do you two want to do? Ding Rong and Ding De, are you blind or blind in heart? Open your dog eyes and see clearly. That's your own brother. Do you really want to pick up a hoe and kill someone? I tell you, if this happens again, both of you will get out. We don't want you to join the Aozi Village famine refugee group. Anyway, you have thought about leaving before."
Lai Fu was so angry that he threw the two men's hoes to the ground and said, "We can't dig this sweet potato field anymore. We have to ask Master Lu to know whether you two are qualified to eat it."
Ding Rong and Ding De were stunned. They originally wanted to teach Ding Gui a lesson, but they didn't expect that they had pushed themselves into a trap. What should they do now? They immediately knelt on the ground and begged Village Chief Lai Fu!
Guard Geng squatted down, stretched out his hand and said gently: "Xiao Die, give me back the knife."
Ding Xiaodie's hand holding the knife was shaking a little. To others, she was nervous and scared, but in fact, she didn't expect the knife to be so heavy, and her little arm, like a dry branch, could hardly support it.
Only then did she return the knife to Guardian Geng with both hands.
Seeing her actions of protecting her father at such a young age, coupled with her trembling little hands and tense face, it felt like she had to bear everything she shouldn't have to bear at such a young age. Guardian Geng extended his big hand and stroked her head with great appreciation: "Don't be afraid, it's okay!"
For the first time, a slight smile appeared on that serious and stiff face.
This little girl is indeed not simple.
At this time, Ding Guicai hurriedly hugged his daughter in his arms. His eyes were wet and his body was shaking.
It was not because he was angry, but because he was afraid. When Xiaodie suddenly stood in front of him, his mind went blank for a moment. If Ding Rong and Ding De really hit him with a hoe at that time, what would happen to Xiaodie?
Whenever he thinks about it now, he feels a pang of pain in his heart. That feeling of fear may never be erased in his lifetime.
(End of this chapter)
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