"Yes! It will be much easier then. Besides, the river is getting lower and lower. The water level has been dropping even faster these past few days. I estimate it won't last long before the stream in front of our house is dry."
“This stream is water flowing down from the waterfall. The water flows to both sides. There’s no water here, but the water over there shouldn’t dry up anytime soon, right? After all, the river over there is much wider than this one,” Xu Han asked.
"They probably won't last much longer over there either. Look, the water flowing down the waterfall is much less than before!" Lu Chuan replied.
"Yes! When I go to get water now, I can feel that the water flow is weaker than before! It used to fill up as soon as I put it in, but now I have to wait a while," Xu Han said with a reluctant expression.
"There's nothing we can do about it; the situation down the mountain is probably even worse."
Before they knew it, the two had brought up the topic again. There was nothing they could do about it; that's just how life is!
It's not just Lu Chuan and Xu Han who frequently bring up this topic; other ordinary people probably talk about it every day, and they always bring it up in their daily conversations, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
It was three days later when all the onions were harvested. It wasn't that Xu Han had planted a lot, but because in the past two days, in addition to harvesting onions, she also had to wash clothes and other items that needed washing.
Some cotton quilts and fabrics were also taken out to be sterilized and aired out in the sun to prevent them from getting moldy.
That morning, Xu Han got up very early. There was nothing to do in the fields today, except for the usual watering of the vegetables.
Lu Chuan took the dogs hunting in the mountains, while Xu Han left the courtyard alone with a basket on her back.
Because it hasn't rained for a long time, every step I take kicks up a thick layer of dust. If I bring my dogs out with me, the dust is so thick that it's hard to breathe.
It was because the dogs were too noisy and couldn't be stopped. Fortunately, Lu Chuan took all the noisy dogs away. Normally, the dogs that stay with Xu Han are always Black Spot with Rice Ball or Tangyuan.
A person and a dog walked one after the other, wandering aimlessly in the nearby valley.
There should be plenty of wild fruits to eat at this time of year, but due to the drought, more and more weeds and shrubs have withered and turned yellow. After wandering around, I still came up empty-handed.
There were hardly any weeds left on the ground where the grazing was taking place; only some sturdy trees or drought-resistant plants were still thriving.
Lu Chuan told me that the small animals in the mountains are becoming increasingly difficult to catch, and their numbers have decreased significantly. Some of these animals, lacking food, are forced to move to other areas in search of new opportunities.
Seeing that the sun was almost directly overhead, Xu Han stopped dawdling and stopped looking for things.
It's so hot! I feel short of breath and have chest tightness after just a few steps. I'd better go home and stay indoors!
She couldn't just sit idle at home, so Xu Han started cooking and preparing food again these past few days.
It's already mid-June in the blink of an eye, and Lu Chuan and Xu Han got up early this morning.
Getting up so early is definitely to get to work before it gets too hot!
Xu Han carried her basket on her back and went to the cornfield. Her main task for the day was to pick corn.
They didn't plant much corn, and the two of them finished harvesting it all in one morning.
In the afternoon, Lu Chuan was in charge of cutting down the corn stalks and piling them up to feed the corn.
Xu Han picked up a sickle and started harvesting beans. Since she had planted relatively few, she could finish harvesting them all by herself before dark, so she wouldn't have to thresh the beans at night.
The two of them did their own thing and eventually stopped communicating. When they got tired, they would sit down to rest, drink some water, and eat some fruit to replenish their energy.
After resting, they continued working. By the time Lu Chuan finished processing all the corn stalks, Xu Han had almost finished as well.
The two of them carried the soybeans home together and spread them out to dry. They didn't need to worry about rain and not being able to collect them in time. There was no rain for a long time, and even the dew had dried up.
So you can just leave them to dry in the yard at night.
Before it got dark, Xu Han went to the waterfall to fetch the water needed for watering that day. Seeing that it was getting late and fearing they might encounter some large animals, Lu Chuan went with Xu Han.
By the time the two finished watering all the vegetables, it was already past seven in the evening. The sky was gradually darkening, and after returning home, they began preparing dinner.
It had been a long time since I'd had noodles, so Xu Han made some beef and offal noodles for dinner tonight, adding dried sweet potato leaves and serving it with pickled cucumbers. It tasted really good.
"After harvesting the corn and soybeans, there's nothing much to do at home. With the weather so hot, are you still going hunting?" Xu Han asked.
"Hmm! I'd like to go for a few more days. There are big trees in the mountains to block out the sun, so it won't be as hot. Anyway, there's nothing to do at home, so I might as well take the dogs out for a walk! They can catch their own food and save some food for the family!" Lu Chuan said while eating.
"Okay, the drought is severe recently, and many large animals will inevitably come this way because they can't find food. Be careful."
"We need to be extra careful. There should be a drought in the north as well, and large animals will inevitably migrate south. Don't wander around at home. If you need to go out, wait for me to come back, and we'll go together," Lu Chuan said after a moment's thought.
“I understand. There’s nothing to pick in the mountains, so I’ll stay near home and not go far.”
"When you're not going out, keep the gate closed. Even if you have to go out, take Blackie with you. Hunting dogs are always much more alert than us. If anything happens, you can hide in time."
"I understand, I promise I'll behave and won't run around," Xu Han assured him.
When Lu Chuan saw that Xu Han had said this herself, he didn't say anything more. Xu Han was a person with her own ideas, and she must know what she should and shouldn't do.
But then he thought again and said, "It's not just about preventing large animals from coming here, but more importantly, people. Sometimes, the human heart is more terrifying than wild beasts."
"Who can argue with that! Luckily, we don't need to flee the famine; the things that happen on the way to flee are even more terrifying."
Xu Han suddenly thought of things recorded in history. People's hearts are really terrible during times of famine. They will do anything to survive. How many people exchanged their own children to eat?
Actually, it's quite good to stay hidden in the deep mountains instead of fleeing famine. As long as you survive the drought and floods, you can hide in these mountains during times of war, have food and drink, and enjoy life. Working at sunrise and resting at sunset seems pretty good.
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