Li Lanzhen walked around the grove of trees, trying to see how many trees there were in total.
Then, observe whether these trees are suitable for building a temporary shelter on them.
The children saw her circling the tree and gathered around.
They chattered excitedly, reporting their new discoveries in the canyon to her.
Su Chen watched Li Lanzhen pacing back and forth, staring at the tree, and asked her...
"Grandma Lanzhen, do you want to know how many trees there are in total?"
Li Lanzhen looked at the clever child and smiled.
"Su Chen, do you already know how many trees there are here?"
Su Chen said proudly, his head held high.
"Yes, Grandma, there are 11 trees here, and they are all very big. The smallest tree is so big that it takes three of us, including my brother Yinan and my brother Gou Dan, holding hands to encircle it."
Do you think the trees here are big?
Li Lanzhen was very grateful to this thoughtful child.
"Really? This tree is really big. Thank you, Xiao Su Chen, for helping Grandma so much. Now Grandma doesn't have to count them anymore."
Han Yinan asked Li Lanzhen.
"Grandma, are you looking at these trees because you want us to live in them temporarily?"
"Yes, my grandson is so smart, he guessed exactly what Grandma wanted to do right away!"
Su Chen and Han Yinan were both happy to receive praise from Li Lanzhen and giggled.
Shi Tou praised Li Lanzhen as he looked at the tall tree.
"Grandma Lanzhen, you are so clever. We live in the trees. It's safe and clean."
"Just lay a plank in this tree hollow, then cover it with a thick layer of thatch, and you can sleep there."
Sanwang circled the tree and said.
"Grandma Lanzhen, the trees here are big. If we build it properly, four adults can live in one tree without any problem. If it's for children, six or seven can sleep in it without any problem."
Li Lanzhen burst into laughter.
These children are so cute and clever. They wanted to see the trees and plan their accommodations, and they solved all the problems they wanted to solve.
“Alright, children, sit down and discuss how to build a wooden house in these trees. Once the houses and yards are built, we’ll move in.”
When the children heard about the task Li Lanzhen had given them, they all sat in a circle under the big tree.
Then, they started chattering and discussing how to build a house in the tree and settle down temporarily.
During the meal, both Han Shunde's and Xue Laohu's groups returned.
A group of children surrounded Xue Laohu and his group.
Because the six or seven people who went out were carrying meat on their shoulders and in their hands!
Two people carried a wild boar down. The boar wasn't very big; it probably weighed over 80 kilograms.
The others were carrying pheasants and rabbits in their hands and hanging from their waists, and there were quite a few of them.
The basket on his back was also heavy; it must have contained wild eggs or something else.
Li Lanzhen greeted them with a smile as they returned.
"You've had quite a haul! You've already caught so much prey so soon after arriving today."
Han Mingjiang put down his basket, took off the wild rabbits and pheasants hanging from his waist, and said to Li Lanzhen with a silly grin.
"Mother, this place is truly a treasure trove. There are plenty of wild animals on the mountain, but we need to hurry up and build the house and yard. We don't have much time to go hunting in the mountains right now."
"It's alright. Every now and then, a few of us can go hunting in the mountains to improve our lives."
Han Mingjiang frowned as he watched, looking as if he were about to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Li Lanzhen comforted him.
Compared to them, Han Shunde's group was covered in dust and sweat.
Li Lanzhen estimated that they had walked a long way, so she called out to Han Shunde and the others.
"Brother Han, you've worked hard. Quickly drink some water and wash up, then we can start eating."
After everyone had finished eating, the children and women cleaned up the pots and pans.
No one left the woods; they stayed there, talking amongst themselves.
Li Lanzhen inquired about their survey of the surrounding area.
Han Shunde spoke first.
"This canyon is too long; we didn't reach the end."
I wonder if this canyon will eventually end and connect to another exit?
If there's an open road or valley, that would be troublesome; we're probably not very safe here.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said.
"Because large groups of people may pass by or come in at any time."
Perhaps some refugees, unwilling to return to their hometowns, share our sentiments and choose to settle temporarily in a nearby mountain area; perhaps that's how they might find their way here.
Everyone frowned upon hearing his words.
At this moment, Shanxing stood up and said.
"No, at the end of this canyon, there are still mountains! And they are even higher than these mountains. So, the only way to enter this canyon is through the mountain pass on the south side and the cave we came in through on the east side. There are no other exits or entrances!"
This is the result of my grandfather's year-long exploration. He told me that this canyon is very safe, surrounded by cliffs, and ordinary people cannot enter unless they are highly skilled in martial arts!
Upon hearing Shanxing's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Shunde clapped his hands happily upon hearing this.
"That's great! That's wonderful!"
As you go north through the canyon, it gets narrower and narrower. There is arable land, but it is not fertile.
There are also peach trees about a kilometer away.
The trees were laden with fuzzy peaches the size of a child's fist; it must have been a large peach orchard.
Han Zhaoxiong said with a bitter face, "Those peaches are awful! They're really bitter!"
Li Lanzhen was overjoyed. Could this be the paradise on earth?
It doesn't matter if the peaches don't taste good. I'll go and check on them myself someday. I'm not worried about the quality. I'll transplant a few peach trees into the space, and once I've improved the peach varieties, I can transplant them out again for grafting.
In less than two years, they will be able to enjoy high-quality peaches.
Han Shunde continued speaking.
"The land in this part of the canyon is relatively fertile and suitable for cultivation. Further north, the land is barren and mostly sandy, but it should be suitable for growing sweet potatoes, potatoes, and various beans and other grains."
Moreover, this river flowing through the reed marshes extends northwards, providing convenient access to crops for planting and irrigation.
Someone asked him, "Have we found a place to build a house and yard?"
Han Shunde said with a smile.
"If we were to build a house and yard, our suggestion would be to do so on the land between this plot and the peach orchard to the north."
This way, it's more convenient for us to farm here and return home, or to go north to farm, and the soil there is more solid, so building a foundation there should be more stable.
Li Lanzhen still trusted Han Shengde and his team's judgment.
They are all skilled workers in the countryside, and they have a good eye for land and can find a suitable place to build a house and yard.
After they finished speaking, Xue Laohu continued by talking about their survey of the surrounding mountains.
"We've only explored this part of the mountains to the west for most of the day, because we came from the mountains to the east yesterday, so we didn't choose to go to that side of the mountains."
In the mountains to the west, the largest wild animals we found were wild boars, and there were quite a few of them, but the most common were small animals like pheasants and rabbits.
There are ferocious beasts on Nanshan Mountain; large animals such as wolves, tigers, and leopards should be present.
That's all we've seen so far. We'll continue to patrol the mountain and check on things, and we'll let everyone know as soon as we find any problems.
Normally, when people go up the mountain, they shouldn't go beyond the mountainside, and they should go in groups. Children are best not to go yet; we should wait until we've lived here for a while and understand the situation in the surrounding mountains before they go.
The adults in each family gave their children serious instructions.
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