"Where are the repatriated refugees? When Lu Chuan and I went to the county town just now, we saw a lot of soldiers there. Are they almost here?"
"They'll be here soon, in just two or three days. The government escorted them all the way back, so the refugees' situation isn't too bad."
When I returned, I saw that the government officials had provided them with oxcarts to haul their goods, and some of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled also returned by cart.
"That's good. At least we don't have to carry our belongings back, which saves us a lot of effort."
"Try not to go down the mountain for now. Wait until the situation down below stabilizes before coming down. Be extra careful in everything you do," Yunhua advised worriedly.
"Okay, don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I definitely won't take any risks," Lu Chuan replied.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's unload the stuff first, we still need to get going."
Then Yunhua began to direct the two carriages behind him to move closer to the woods, and he also drove his own carriage into the woods.
Yunhua brought back three carriages this time, which were loaded with all kinds of saplings and flowers. They were quite full and looked like a lot.
After driving the carriage into the woods, the group began unloading the saplings and setting them aside temporarily.
After everyone else left, Lu Chuan and Yun Hua went to the small boat. Yun Hua said...
"This small boat can't carry much at once, so put the rest aside and hide it. Try to get it all up the mountain by tomorrow to avoid it being discovered by those who are being sent back."
"I know, leave these to me, don't worry," Lu Chuan said.
Then Lu Chuan took down the things he had prepared for Yunhua from the boat.
He handed it to Yunhua and said, "This bamboo basket contains food that can be stored for a longer time. This needs to be eaten within the next two days. Take a look in a bit."
Yunhua opened a bamboo basket, took out a cake, and immediately started eating it. "It's so delicious! I've been craving this for so long."
“When it’s more convenient in the future, I’ll make some food that can be stored and have someone bring it to you, or you can let me know in advance when you come to this area and I’ll make it for you to pick up,” Xu Han said with a smile.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll come back for a meal whenever it's convenient. Hahahaha."
"As long as you don't mind the trouble, you're welcome to come back for dinner anytime. Anyway, it's not me who's going through the hassle of traveling," Lu Chuan joked.
"Nothing is too much trouble for someone who can stutter. Hahahaha."
After chatting for a few more minutes, seeing that it was getting late, Yunhua suggested that she leave first.
Lu Chuan and Xu Han stood on the official road, watching Yun Hua's departing figure without saying a word. Only after she was out of sight did Lu Chuan pull Xu Han into the woods.
"Let's put these things into our space first. We'll have to put these chicks and ducklings on the boat for now," Xu Han said.
"Okay, can it all fit in this much space?"
"Yes, there's not much left in the space. It's still quite large."
After Xu Han finished speaking, she began to put things into her space. After she finished putting everything away, the two of them carried the bamboo baskets and walked towards the small boat.
It was getting late, and Xu Han and Lu Chuan didn't dare to linger, hurrying home.
By the time she got home, the sun had already set. As soon as Xu Han entered the courtyard, she heard Ze'er crying.
Seeing this, he quickly washed his hands and hurried inside.
"You're finally back. This child is so stubborn; she hasn't eaten much all day. She only ate a couple of bites when she was really hungry." Grandpa Zhao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xu Han return.
"Thank you for your trouble, let me do it," Xu Han said, taking Ze'er from Grandpa Zhao's arms.
Seeing this, Grandpa Zhao turned and left the courtyard. Xu Han quickly began to feed Ze'er milk.
While feeding Ze'er, she also took care of Mu'er.
"Was Mu'er a good girl at home today? Did she eat well?"
"Mu'er is very good and eats her fill. Her little brother is naughty and cries and won't eat."
“My little brother is being disobedient. If he doesn’t eat, he’ll go hungry,” Xu Han said, looking at her youngest son in her arms.
Once Ze'er started nursing, she immediately stopped crying, clutching her little toes with one hand while eating large mouthfuls of rice.
"You won't grow tall if you don't eat. Your little brother is naughty."
"Yes, Mu'er is the best. She ate well even when her mother wasn't home. I'll reward you with a little cookie later," Xu Han said to Mu'er with a smile.
"Okay, Mu'er, eat your food obediently."
"Mu'er, Daddy has chicks, ducklings, and goslings. Do you want to go take a look?" Xu Han asked Mu'er, thinking that children like these things.
"Yes, Mu'er will go find Father." With that, she ran out.
"Be careful, Father is in the backyard."
Lu Chuan had just arrived home and, without even having time to be close to his son, quickly headed to the backyard.
The chickens, ducklings, and goslings have been kept in bamboo baskets for many days. We need to take them out and let them air out as soon as possible.
Many chickens, ducks and geese were crammed together, and the space inside the bamboo basket was too small for them to move around freely.
In addition, after eating, drinking, and relieving themselves in the bamboo basket for so many days, the smell had become unbearable.
After arriving at the backyard, I first separated the chickens, ducks, and geese and put them in separate pens. Then I took out the stone troughs that I had used to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese before and prepared clean water and food for them.
After feeding Ze'er, Xu Han carried Ze'er to the backyard.
Upon arrival, they saw Mu'er happily feeding them, with Grandpa Zhao watching from the side.
"How many chickens, ducks, and geese are there? There should be quite a few. That should be enough for us to eat eggs in the future," Xu Han asked as she walked over.
"I just counted them, and there are quite a few. There are 34 chicks, 23 ducklings, and 19 goslings."
"But some of them don't seem to be in good spirits; I don't know if they'll recover later," Lu Chuan said.
“There are quite a few of these. We won’t be able to eat them all when they lay eggs. Can you tell how many of them are female?” Xu Han asked.
“Almost half of them are female. If they all survive, there will definitely be enough eggs to eat,” Lu Chuan explained.
"Then let's take good care of them for now, and whether they survive depends on them," Grandpa Zhao added.
"Does Mu'er like these little animals?" Xu Han asked Mu'er, who was standing to the side looking particularly happy.
"Mu'er likes it."
"Then you'll be in charge of feeding them from now on, okay?"
"Okay, let's raise them."
Xu Han was also very happy to hear that Mu'er really liked these small animals.
There are no other friends to play with in the deep mountains, so it would be nice if he could have some small animals to keep him company.
At least he's no longer all alone; small animals can be his good friends.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
