Li Lanzhen went straight to the east side after she came out. She thought it must not be the west side where the water flow was rapid, but rather that they had fished it out of the river on the east side.
When I ran to the river to the east, sure enough, it was bustling with activity.
Along the edge of the flood, men, women, and children lined up in a row, some holding wooden sticks, some holding ropes, and others holding farm tools, all trying to retrieve the carcasses of animals that had floated ashore.
She searched for a while and then saw Hai Minghai and his eldest grandson, Yi Nan. She walked over and slapped Hai Minghai on the shoulder. "Eldest son, you're so forgetful! You can't eat dead animals, have I told you? How can you eat things that have been soaked in the flood? They'll have germs. You can't eat them. Come home with me now."
They started to walk away, and someone standing next to them began to make sarcastic remarks.
"Hehe, Auntie, don't scare us like this. You're not trying to trick us into going back so your relatives can secretly fish for food, are you? You're really vicious. You have food and wine at home but you're stopping us from finding food."
Li Lanzhen didn't even need to look up to know that it was Han Yanyan, the divorced woman who was still causing trouble even after returning to her parents' home.
He simply wouldn't tolerate her. "It's none of your business. This is our family's affair. Get out of here."
Han Minghai was an honest man. In the village, he was the most obedient to his parents, hardworking, and filial.
Now, Mother says that we can't eat the small animals that drowned in the flood, so we can't eat them. Reluctantly, she put down the fat rabbit she was holding and pulled her son back home.
Han Yinan saw Gou Dan and quickly ran over to him, saying, "Gou Dan, my grandma said you can't eat this. It's been soaked in floodwaters and there are germs in it. People will get sick if they eat it."
Upon hearing this, Gou Dan also dropped what he was holding, took a few reluctant steps, and glanced at a rabbit that had become plump from being soaked on the ground. He thought to himself that it would be good if this rabbit could be eaten, and he would take it home to nourish his grandmother.
However, in the village, he asked Li Lanzhen if he could take him and his grandmother with him when they fled the famine. Li Lanzhen agreed without hesitation. From that day on, Gou Dan had a thought in his mind: he must follow Li Lanzhen and do whatever she said.
From that day on, he believed Li Lanzhen's words very much, because he was a smart little boy. With Grandma Li Lanzhen by his side, their days of fleeing famine were a little easier.
Seeing Ma Dazui, Han Dazhong, and the others retrieving animals from the floodwaters, Li Lanzhen chimed in, "You can't eat this. Anything that's been in the floodwaters carries germs; eating it will make you sick."
They looked back at the things they had salvaged, unsure whether to throw them away or take them home.
In the end, they chose to believe Li Lanzhen and abandoned the small animals they had fished out of their hands.
Han Dazhong came with his children and grandchildren. They had salvaged quite a few animals, including rabbits, pheasants, and a small wild boar. After they threw these things down, the people around them rushed over and started grabbing them.
Li Lanzhen shouted loudly, "Fellow villagers, you can't eat this. Animals that have been soaked in the floodwaters carry germs; you'll get sick if you eat them."
The others glared at her and said, "Are you full? We're running out of food. If we don't catch these animals to eat, what will we eat? Are you going to give us food?"
Upon hearing this, Li Lanzhen stopped trying to dissuade them, realizing they were starting to argue unreasonably. "Anyway," she thought, "I've already told you, this isn't edible. If you insist on eating it, don't complain about any problems. I told you so."
Seeing Zhang Deshui and the others also fishing ahead, he turned to Hai Minghai and said, "Boss, go tell your father-in-law's family not to fish anymore, it's not safe to eat."
Han Minghai went and immediately called his father-in-law back.
Li Lanzhen kept shouting throughout the journey that animals that died in the flood should not be eaten.
The village chief heard what she said, but he kept his hands in his pockets, thinking the same thing as the other villagers: Of course Li Lanzhen's family has food and grain.
Jin Fulai's young master has given you so much grain, why don't you share it with us? That sounds nice, but it's full of germs.
What are bacteria? All I know is that when I'm hungry, I eat these things—small animals that roam the mountains and drowned. What's wrong with eating them? And those germs can even get inside their bodies.
Li Lanzhen felt very sad seeing that she hadn't managed to persuade many people to come back. She knew that in ancient times, especially during times of famine and food shortages, people would inevitably have a sense of wishful thinking when they saw such things.
But she had already said that she was powerless to do anything about it. She couldn't possibly drag these people home one by one and stop them from going to the flood to retrieve the carcasses of these small animals.
The words spoken by the people of Hanjia Village, as well as Han Yanyan's slightly provocative remarks, have taken root in their hearts.
If they stayed here, initially, the people of Hanjiacun ate only coconuts stored in the caves below and the meat of their prey. But in the end, when everyone had nothing to eat, Li Lanzhen understood very well what would happen: their home would be taken away.
Thinking about this, I felt an intense urge to leave; I couldn't wait any longer.
Li Lanzhen returned home, and one by one, her in-laws returned as well. Except for Xue Laohu, who had gone to scout ahead with Xue Bao and Han Mingjiang and had not yet returned, everyone else had come back.
Han Shunde looked at Li Lanzhen and said, "My dear in-law, you really can't eat those little animals from the flood, or you'll get sick!"
Li Lanzhen nodded. "Yes, it's true. After the flood, there are many toxins in the water. We don't know when the small animals died, and they were soaked in the flood, so their bodies cannot be eaten. Eating them will make people sick. Minor illnesses include headaches, fever, stomach aches, and diarrhea, while serious illnesses can lead to plague, which can be fatal."
Everyone was a little scared when they heard this. Gou Dan also heard Li Lanzhen's words and remembered them well. He knew that nothing soaked in the flood could be eaten, so he turned around and went back to tell his grandmother.
Gou Dan's shack was right behind Li Lanzhen's house, right next to it, and it even saved the trouble of building a wall; Han Minghai and the others helped build it.
Thinking of this, Li Lanzhen's heart clenched again. If the villagers didn't listen and ate these small animals, and really got the plague, then the whole village would be wiped out and they would all die here.
It seems we'll have to discuss this properly once Mr. Xue returns. If all else fails, we can try walking along this ridge deeper into the mountains, or cross the floodwaters to the east and see if we can reach the other side.
Li Lanzhen knew that both methods were difficult, and the heavy rain continued.
"Mother, we're back." Just as she was thinking, she heard Han Mingjiang's voice.
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