After walking for another hour and a half, we would enter the village in another half hour. This was the outer edge of the mountain, and the villagers usually stayed in this area when they went up the mountain.
Not far away, you could see several women chopping firewood. They were cutting small tree trunks, the largest of which were only as thick as a hand. The large tree trunks were left for the men to come and haul home when they had time.
The women cut the thin tree branches into sections, each no more than two meters long, and piled them all neatly together. Then they tied them into bundles with vines. They could tie eight bundles in a morning and carry them back in four loads.
This method was learned from Song Zhuiyan. In the past, everyone would carry a bundle or a basket back. Song Zhuiyan was from the south, and people from his area would carry firewood back by hand.
First, you cut the firewood and tie it into a bundle. Then, you pick up a thick stick to use as a carrying pole, inserting both ends into the middle of the bundled firewood. You can carry the firewood by squatting down. If you get tired halfway, you can put the two bundles of firewood down straight and hold onto the carrying pole with your hands.
Those who are physically strong and powerful don't need to stop along the way. They can carry loads on both shoulders. When one shoulder gets tired, they switch to the other, alternating between left and right, and carry the loads all the way home.
"Auntie Agen is out chopping firewood. Are you going back yet? Let's go together." Song Tan greeted the middle-aged woman closest to them in a cheerful voice.
Her voice was loud, and the echoes in the mountains were strong; her shout reverberated throughout the entire valley.
"Hahaha, I, Hu Hansan, am back again!" Song Tantan was in a great mood. He thought he would be back soon after leaving, but he never expected that he would be gone for almost a year and spend the New Year away from home.
She didn't feel much while she was outside, but as she got closer to the village, she realized how much she missed the environment and the people there. She couldn't help but burst into laughter, and hearing her own echo was incredibly satisfying.
"Tantan, take it easy and mind your image." Song Zhuiyan walked over and reminded her in a low voice, "There are outsiders here, be more reserved, this is too inappropriate."
Liu Chengyu and his three guards stared in astonishment at Song Tantan, who was laughing heartily with her hands on her hips. If they hadn't already learned from the villagers that Song Zhuiyan and Song Tantan were both women, they really wouldn't have been able to tell how these two resembled women at all; they were practically mountain kings.
He was practically brandishing a knife and shouting in a gruff voice, "This road is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!"
But the villagers were already used to it. Not only Song Tantan, but also Song Zhuiyan and Ye Moxun did whatever they wanted. No one knew what unexpected things they would suddenly do. Of the four people in these two families, only Zhong Qingyi was somewhat normal, but he would occasionally be led astray.
"Tantan, you're back! Is Xun back too? Why were you gone for so long? What were you doing?" Aunt Agen was the wife of the Lin family. She was a slightly plump woman of medium height, and her face was full of wrinkles when she smiled.
There was no other way. In previous years, when people fled from disasters, it was a miracle if they could even keep their lives. There was no beauty to speak of. Most of the middle-aged people in the village had wrinkled faces, and they looked like they had been through a lot.
Although things have improved in recent years, and everyone has enough to eat and wear, and no longer lives in fear, it is still very tiring. So much land has been reclaimed, and if we don't work hard to cultivate it, we will run out of food. We can't buy anything in the village. Hunting is a dangerous job and not a long-term solution, so we can only hunt occasionally to improve our meals.
However, with meat and grain, the body will improve and some weight will be gained. The skin will not be able to take care of itself, but no one cares. Everyone is the same, and no one has the right to complain about anyone else.
We don't compare ourselves to people like Zhu Yu, Liu Mei, and the Zhang Qingyu sisters. Their status is different. They look down on the former, and as for the latter, they have some respect for their former status, but secretly look down on them.
But we've digressed. Back to Song Tantan and the others, several women who were chopping wood gathered around, chattering incessantly, forgetting all about tying up the firewood.
"So much stuff! It must be so tiring to carry all that stuff from so far away."
"What did you bring? Do you have salt? My family has only eaten salt every two days since last year. The husband keeps saying that he can't muster any energy without salt."
"I'm out of salt too, and I'm really worried about it."
"Yes, they're with my aunt's husband. Let's go back first, and then we'll divide the things up when we get to the village. Everyone will get a share." Song Tantan said with an expression that said, "Don't worry, everyone."
"Then let's hurry back to the village, take two bundles of firewood back first, and we can come back to tie the rest later." Aunt Agen moved nimbly, and before she finished speaking, she had already picked up a carrying pole and gone to carry firewood.
Seeing this, the other women didn't say anything more and turned to gather their own firewood. The group then marched into the village in a grand procession.
As soon as they reached the village entrance, Aunt Agen shouted at the top of her lungs, "Young Master Zhong and the others are back! They brought back salt!"
Aunt Agen is really in good health. She ran such a long way to carry firewood, and she still had the strength to shout so loudly that her shout echoed several times, and the whole village heard the news very quickly.
Before long, Lin Fuhai came out with his men to greet them. He looked at Zhong Qingyi with delight and asked, "You really brought salt this time?"
"I brought it. I'll go back first, and then have everyone come to my house. I brought quite a lot; it should last at least two years." Zhong Qingyi grinned, carrying so much stuff without even panting; her physical fitness was top-notch.
Lin Fuhai was extremely envious. He thought that even at his peak in his youth, he didn't have Zhong Qingyi's stamina. It was true that a trained fighter was different from an ordinary farmer.
Liu Chengyu and the others followed silently behind like porters. No one cared what they were carrying, and after they put the things down, no one asked them if they wanted a drink of water. They just stayed around Zhong Qingyi and the other three.
"Young master, this..." The guard felt extremely aggrieved and indignant.
"Forget it, let's go back." Nobody had time to pay attention to them. There was no need to stay and seek attention. It was better to go back and cook some meat.
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