Nanshan Village is located north of the Daqing Dynasty. It has four distinct seasons and only one crop is grown, mainly corn and millet.
After hoeing the fields in the summer, there's not much farm work to do, so the farmers are quite idle.
Diligent villagers would go into the mountains to pick mushrooms and dig for medicinal herbs.
Relying on her memory, Chen Qingqing walked three or four miles before arriving at the gully of Nanshan Village.
In early July, the trees on the mountain are lush and green.
Halfway up the mountain, Chen Qingqing led Chen Han to search in the woods for a while. There were many common medicinal herbs in the mountains, but they couldn't be sold for money right now, so she only took a look.
She was looking for ginseng; if she could find one now, her family's predicament could be resolved.
The higher we climbed, the steeper the path became, and the darkness all around made it seem rather eerie.
Chen Qingqing knew that ginseng preferred cool and humid climates and was highly resistant to cold.
She bent down and dug into the soil, discovering that it was loose, rich in humus, and had excellent water permeability. The deep soil layer was particularly suitable for ginseng growth, and she was confident that she could find ginseng.
Chen Han struggled to keep up behind, his fear deepening as he watched the increasingly dense forest grow. His face turned pale with fright.
"Sister, I heard Dad say there are wolves in these deep mountains. Let's not go any further, I'm scared."
Looking at the sweat on Chen Han's forehead, Chen Qingqing realized she had been careless. Chen Han was only eight years old, and it was already quite impressive that he could keep up with her for so long.
Forget it, there's no time to dig for ginseng, I'll do it myself another day!
"Don't be afraid, there's nothing in these mountains. Let's head back now."
Chen Han finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Sis, I know where to find wild vegetables. I'll take you to dig some!"
"OK,"
On the way back, we passed through a valley.
Chen Han pointed and said, "Sister, go into this ditch, there are lots of wild celery inside."
"Let's go and take a look."
After passing through a thicket of thorns, they found plenty of wild vegetables. The two picked some, but found nothing else.
The setting sun shines through the village, bathing it in a golden glow.
Lin was starting a fire to cook when she saw the two of them return looking exhausted. She smiled and asked, "How was it? Did you find any wild vegetables?"
Chen Han smiled broadly, "Mother, my sister and I dug up a lot of wild celery, enough for dinner."
"Okay, Mom will cook you wild vegetable porridge tonight."
Chen Han was quite happy. Compared to the half-bowl of porridge he ate before the family split up, he was already very content to be able to eat a full bowl.
"Okay, I love wild vegetable porridge the most. Just thinking about it makes me feel salty."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Zhanshan walked in from outside the gate, looking dejected.
Madam Lin hurried to greet him, "Husband, you're back. Is there any work to do today?"
"Hey~~ Don't even mention it."
Chen Zhanshan found a stool and sat down.
"After waiting all day at the dock, an employer finally came, but who knew he was so picky, only looking for young and strong people, and wouldn't hire someone my age."
"They say older people become lazy and slack off when they work, that's utter nonsense! I've worked the fields for half my life and I've never been lazy. It's infuriating!"
A bitter look flashed in Lin's eyes. "Don't rush, take your time, you'll find work eventually."
Chen Zhanshan shook his head and sighed, "There are hundreds or even thousands of people looking for work at the docks. Some of them can't find work for ten days or half a month. Even if they can find work, the wages they are paid are only enough to buy two steamed buns. They can't even fill their own stomachs, let alone support a family."
After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment, and then continued, "Honey, I want to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
"While I was waiting for work at the dock today, I heard someone say that foreign laborers can make a lot of money, and I'd like to give it a try."
"Go to foreign lands? Are you crazy?!" Lin was shocked. "My husband, don't be foolish. Many people have risked going to foreign lands in the past, but they all disappeared without a trace. It is said that those people became tools for others to make money in foreign lands and were tortured to the point of wishing they were dead. I would rather starve to death than let you go."
Chen Qingqing frowned upon hearing this; the side story's work was nothing more than dealing with some illegal laborers.
Being tricked into the side story means enduring the torment of cold and hunger, and even if you are seriously ill, you will be whipped. You have to work day and night, and even a moment of slackness can lead to your death.
She looked serious. "Dad, those are all lies. You can't take that risk. Trust me, I will definitely find a way to make money."
Chen Zhanshan felt terrible. He didn't want his family to suffer, but what could he do in this kind of year? Everyone was thinking about making money to support their families, but money wasn't so easy to earn!
He forced a smile. "Qing'er, I'll think about this. If I really can't make any money, I'd rather be a laborer than watch you go to your death."
"Father, please believe me. If I can't earn money before our food runs out, even if you marry Butcher Li, I won't let you go to the outskirts to work as a laborer."
Chen Zhanshan sighed, "Good girl, let's not talk about this anymore. As the saying goes, even a blind sparrow won't starve. I'll go to town again tomorrow. I don't believe I can't find work."
"Sigh... that's the right way to think. Alright, I'll go make dinner." Madam Lin breathed a sigh of relief and got up to get busy.
Chen Qingqing lowered her eyes and remained silent. The road ahead was long and arduous; this poor reborn person had nothing.
It seems she must go up the mountain to find ginseng to solve her current predicament, but if ginseng were so easy to dig up, would she even have a chance?
......
It got dark.
Chen Family Old House
Sun kept craning her neck to look into her mother-in-law's room.
Chen Zhancai had already crawled into bed, but seeing that Sun Shi still hadn't gotten into bed, he hurriedly pulled off the covers, "Wife, it's getting late, what are you doing standing on the floor? Hurry up and get into bed!"
Sun rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Get lost! I'm not in the mood to play with you today. Go to sleep!"
"What's wrong, honey? I haven't visited you for days. Are you closing your doors to visitors today?"
"Look at you, all you think about is doing that kind of thing. Can't you think about anything else?"
Chen Zhanliang was taken aback. "All I do all day is work. I don't even think about this when I'm lying in bed at night. What do you want me to think about? You won't even let me think about other people's wives?"
"Be serious, I'm talking to you about serious matters."
With a serious expression, Madam Sun sat down next to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Zhanliang, you saw what happened today. That butcher Li looks like a demon, and his words and actions are no different from those of a live animal. Anyone who gets involved with a person like that will either die or be skinned alive."
“Wife, you’re right. That butcher Li has a face full of scars, he’s scary to look at. If you mess with someone like that, you’re sure to suffer.”
"So, your old mother is really a scoundrel. She actually married her own granddaughter off to that kind of person so that her third son could go to school. Isn't that just pushing Qingya into a fire pit?" Sun said indignantly.
......
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