The village's cow and sow were entrusted to the old shepherd for management.
Li Lanzhen's family doesn't have any ready-made enclosures for the wild boars and cattle.
Zhang Deshui found a recessed spot in the mountainside 200 meters away from Li Lanzhen's cave, where the area in front was quite large.
He wanted to dig this recessed mountain hollow a few meters further in to turn it into a cave.
Outside the cave, tree trunks were used to build a circle, forming an enclosure.
Wild boars and buffalo are kept in caves at night or when it rains.
The area outside is where wild boars and bison usually roam.
Everyone thought this was a good idea, so they got right to it. Except for Xue Nizi and a few others who made lunch, everyone else grabbed shovels and baskets and started working.
Several young men from the village came to help. With many hands making light work, the cave and the free-range enclosure were completed in two hours.
The outer enclosures were divided into two sections, one for wild boars and the other for bison.
Since there was no way to get inside the cave for the time being, it was divided into an inside and an outside section.
Li Erhan, Li Xishui, and Li Guangyang, the three of them, found two stone slabs and started chiseling them out to make a feeding trough for the wild boar.
Da Niu took several children up the mountain to cut pig feed and cow feed.
From that day on, the children's work included cutting pig feed, chopping grass for cattle, and herding cattle.
Li Lanzhen watched the children standing outside the enclosure, their eager eyes fixed on the wild boars and bison. She felt that the way the children looked at the wild boars and bison was as if they were looking at braised pork or braised beef.
During dinner that evening, Li Lanzhen learned that the village had also found a smaller cave to house the wild buffalo and wild boar, and that the village had assigned the old shepherd to manage the wild boar and buffalo.
She quickly changed her mind and asked Han Minghai.
"Boss, are there any bachelors in the village, or anyone whose family is struggling financially? I'd like to ask them to take care of our wild boars and bison."
When Xue Nizi heard Li Lanzhen say that she was going to hire someone to take care of the wild boars and bison in the house, she didn't finish her meal. She was about to speak when she choked and coughed twice. She hurriedly said...
"Mom, hiring people would mean paying them wages, which is not cost-effective. There are so many of us, we can all manage the wild boars and bison together. Besides, these wild boars and bison are not wild at all, they are just like domesticated animals, so they are easy to manage!"
The children quickly chimed in, "Grandma, we can do things like cutting pig feed and herding cattle, we don't need to spend money to hire someone!"
Li Lanzhen looked around at everyone—adults and children alike—and none of them agreed with his suggestion.
She said slowly, "Our family may seem large, but everyone has their own responsibilities and tasks."
Managing wild boars and bison requires constant supervision by one person, who must also regularly observe them: how much they eat, what they like to eat, and whether they are sick.
Only in this way can we raise them well, breed more wild boars and bison, and have more meat to eat.
Perhaps, in a few days, wild sheep, pheasants, rabbits, ducks, and geese will be kept in captivity at home.
We can't possibly manage that.
Moreover, I don't want my family to be too overworked.
"The journey of fleeing famine has taken a toll on my health; I need to rest and recuperate."
Everyone agreed, saying that the children were too young to be entrusted with managing wild boars and bison, but they could be good helpers.
Li Erhan put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, nodded and said, "That makes sense. Lanzhen is right. We all have our own things to do. To manage wild boars and bison, someone has to keep an eye on them all the time. If we take turns, we can't manage them well. If they get sick or die, we'll all be heartbroken!"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt in their hearts that Li Lanzhen's method was correct.
Xue Ni chuckled, "Mother, you're so clever! We didn't even think of that; we were just trying to save some money!"
Mrs. Wu glared at her silly daughter, who was always so carefree and eccentric, never thinking things through and just saying whatever came to mind.
Xue Nizi saw her mother glare at her, then chuckled and looked at Wu Shi with a smile.
Han Minghai then said, "We don't have a suitable person in Hanjiacun, but there is a suitable family in Lujiazhuang."
His name is Lu Changmin, he's about my age, and he only has one ten-year-old daughter.
They encountered bandits on the road. His wife was killed by the bandits while protecting their daughter, and his parents were also killed while protecting him. His left leg was also slashed several times by the bandits, and he hadn't been properly seen by a doctor until they arrived at Forget-Worry Valley. Aunt Wu gathered herbs on the mountain and changed his dressings every day, and his leg finally healed.
Li Lanzhen looked at Wu Shi and said, "She is also a pitiful person. She was stabbed three times in the leg. When she arrived at Forget-Worry Valley, her daughter knew that I knew the Seven Yellow Techniques, so she knelt in front of me, crying and begging me to save her father, otherwise she would have no relatives left."
When I went to check, the wounds were festering. I usually just sprinkled some wood ash on them, but they were so strong that they managed to hold on until they reached the Land of Forgetfulness.
I changed his dressings every day. The external wounds healed, but his leg is now lame.
Li Xishui continued, "Oh, I know that family too. It wasn't easy for them either. The little girl was pushing her father around in a wheelbarrow the whole time."
Fortunately, everyone reached out to help him push.
The wheelbarrow couldn't go any further up the mountain, so her father used a cane, and her daughter carried all the household chores on his back.
Ye sighed and said, "It's truly remarkable that the two of them have found happiness just by reaching this Valley of Forgetfulness!"
Zhang Deshui also said, "It's not easy. His land is right across from ours. Lu Changming crawls and kneels in the field to plant sweet potato seedlings, potatoes, and some vegetables. His daughter is also a hard-working person. After finishing in the field, she goes up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and goes home to cook."
The women of Lujiazhuang say the little girl is skillful and diligent; she kept the cave spotless and took good care of her father.
After hearing this, Li Lanzhen felt both sorry for the little girl and happy for her.
Once you arrive at Forget-Worry Valley, even if your father's legs are bad and he's lame, as long as he's still there, you have a home.
She looked around at everyone and said, "Then let's hire him. What do you all think, should we pay him silver or grain?"
Xue Laohu said, "It's better to give them grain. We're short of grain right now, and we can't buy anything with silver."
Han Yuemei whispered, "Mother, can we give Lu Huahua some clothes or cloth?"
Li Lanzhen turned to look at her daughter.
"Are you familiar with Lu Huahua?"
Han Yuemei nodded and then shook her head, her eyes slightly red.
“Mother, on their way to escape famine, they lost almost all their clothes and blankets, and they didn’t even have a pot. It was the old village chief who gave them a clay pot to cook in.”
Now, Huahua and her father are using straw mats for bedding and coverings.
That day, a group of us kids went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, and her pants... her pants got torn..."
Han Yuemei didn't continue speaking, and the other women's eyes also reddened.
What can a child do without a mother? And in fact, many families in the Valley of Forgetfulness are in this situation.
Li Lanzhen patted her daughter's head and said softly.
"So what did you do?"
Linglong quickly ran over, lay down on Li Lanzhen's knees, and looked up at her, saying, "Grandma, don't scold Auntie. Auntie gave Huahua a piece of her old clothes and a pair of old pants that she couldn't wear anymore."
Seeing the look of worry on Linglong's face, as if she was concerned that he would scold Han Yuemei, Li Lianzhen picked her up and placed her on his lap.
"Grandma won't blame your aunt. Your aunt is a kind girl, she did the right thing."
Although we are from a poor family, we will help others when we can and be kind people.
Linglong hummed in agreement, nodded, and leaned against Li Lanzhen's chest, lost in thought.
Ye said, "Lanzhen, let's find those two to raise pigs and cattle for us."
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