Spring scenery in the fields

"I washed the clothes very clean and kept them in the box. You can wash them again tomorrow. They have a smell after being kept for a long time."

"Hey, I understand Aunt Lan."

She was worried about not having enough clothes to change into when the weather got warmer. There wasn't much money at home, so it was difficult to ask for new clothes.

Ji Wenhe put the clothes back into the bedroom. When he came out, he didn't see anyone. He walked to the door and found that she had already left the yard and walked down the mountain.

Shen Rongshan came out of the kitchen: "Aunt Lan has gone home."

They came in a hurry and left in a hurry. He didn't listen to what the two said in the house.

Following him into the kitchen: "Aunt Lan sent me some clothes."

"I was thinking of going to the market in a few days to buy some cloth to make clothes for you. Do you know how to make clothes?"

Ji Wenhe hurriedly shook his head: "I don't know how, mother never taught me."

As far as I can remember, the original owner really didn't know how to make clothes. She had too much work to do at home to have the time to learn embroidery and make clothes.

"Aunt Lan gave me three sets of clothes. Don't bother with the cloth. Save the money to buy seeds. The grass in the wasteland will grow again."

The grass grew very fast, and it took several days to pick up the pebbles from the ground.

Shen Rongshan thought for a moment and replied, "After the grain is sold, I'll buy you some cloth to make clothes."

Ji Wenhe smiled and said softly, "Okay, Brother Shen, can I go to town with you?"

"The town is too far and walking is tiring. I'll buy whatever you want for you."

"I'm not going to buy anything. I just want to look around the shop and get some work to do."

She asked the villagers who knew how to make lace and embroider and asked them to bring back purses to embroider.

"It's been so long, the town should be peaceful now. I want to go take a look. I'm not afraid of getting tired and I can walk a long way."

Ji Wenhe was eager to make money, but if he didn't go to the town to take a look, he didn't know what he could do.

"Brother Shen, just let me go. I can walk a long way and won't cause you any trouble."

Shen Rongshan lowered his eyes and looked at the hands holding his arms. He raised his eyes and saw her looking at him eagerly. She was silent for a moment and said, "Okay."

"Thank you, Brother Shen."

He smiled happily and turned to go behind the stove.

"Can I start the fire?"

"Well, it's alright."

Ji Wenhe grabbed a handful of straw and put it under the stove, then picked up the flint.

She asked about it and learned that tinderboxes are very expensive and most people use flint instead.

After the fire is lit, break off small branches and add them to the bottom of the pot.

I have been here for almost a month. Life is hard, but there is hope.

"Brother Shen, when will the vegetables in the field be planted?"

It's almost mid-March now.

"From the end of the month to the beginning of next month, the weather has not yet fully warmed up. Some vegetables cannot tolerate cold weather, so if they are planted too early, they will not grow well."

Pour the washed brown rice into the pot, add fresh wild vegetables and cook together, then cover the pot.

Shen Rongshan wiped his hands and said, "I'll do the cooking, you come over here."

Ji Wenhe stood up and moved a small stool to sit not far from the stove: "I will go to the market to buy seeds in a few days. We only have three acres of dry land, so we can't grow many kinds of vegetables."

"Well, plant some things that can be preserved for a long time, such as pumpkins, beans, winter melons, cucumbers, and cabbages."

He didn't plan to plant anything in the yard, so the harvest would be poor and the seeds would be wasted.

The wasteland cannot be used for cultivation for the time being. Let’s wait for a year and then plant vegetables next year.

In the past few days, several people went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and bamboo shoots. The leftover bamboo shoots were cut into slices and dried.

There are many mushrooms in the mountains, most of which I don’t recognize. I heard that people have died from eating them.

There were not enough fungus for everyone to grab, so some people started wandering around the foot of the mountain before dawn.

Shen Wenshan and Shen Yuanshan got up early and went to the mountains to look for it, carrying baskets on their backs.

However, everyone only dared to wander around halfway up the mountain and did not dare to go deep into the mountains. Only those who were brave enough dared to go. In just a few days, all the bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, and fungus... were picked cleanly.

The mountains are rich in resources and there are not enough for everyone to pick, let alone the plains.

Ji Wenhe sometimes wondered, if the villagers didn’t live in the mountains, what would they eat during famine years?

It's market day.

As the sky brightened, Shen Rongshan got up, put on his clothes, came to the cave entrance, and called softly, "Are you up?"

"Ah."

I opened my eyes drowsily, remembered that I had to get up early to go to the market today, and suddenly threw off the quilt and sat up.

"Brother Shen, I'm awake."

"Well, I'm going to cook."

He went to town alone and never had breakfast. He couldn't bring her with him today because he was worried that she wouldn't have enough energy if she didn't eat enough.

Ji Wenhe was still wearing the jacket. The dress was too thin for spring and summer, but it was too cold to wear now.

Her hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. There was no mirror, so she could only look at herself in a basin.

After I finished cleaning up, I went to the kitchen and saw him getting up from behind the stove.

"There's hot water in the pot. The rice will be ready in a moment."

I have to get up early today, so I made some extra last night and can eat it right after heating it up.

He scooped a ladle of hot water and poured it into the basin: "You wash first."

Ji Wenhe nodded, and after washing up, he put the hot meal on the table and went to wash up himself.

"Brother Shen, is anyone else in the village going to town? Should we follow them or go on our own?"

Shen Rongshan looked at her back and asked, "Do you want to go with the villagers, or go separately?"

He used to be alone. Some people walked slowly, so if he was traveling with others, he would have to slow down and wait for them.

"No, let's just go along with the two of us."

Ji Wenhe thought the same as him. He didn't want to wait for anyone, but he was also afraid that his pace would make others wait impatiently.

After dinner, Shen Rongshan carried a basket with two pheasants in it. They had been caught the day before and were waiting to be sold at the market today.

"Are you really not going to leave any pheasants?"

"Well, don't keep them. Sell them for money. Didn't you set a trap? When we catch them, we can keep one for ourselves to eat."

The two brothers also decided not to stay.

Ji Wenhe heard from them that Shen Rongshan was very good at hunting, and he could often have a good feast when he was at home.

It was not yet completely light, so I walked on the small path in the village, looking around.

Some families were going to the market, and had already gotten up, when they heard noises coming from inside the house.

When passing behind the headman's house, I made up my mind to build a house made of blue bricks and tiles in the future.

After leaving the village, walk forward along the road for about ten meters and then turn right.

Shen Rongshan took big steps and walked very fast, so Ji Wenhe had to jog to keep up with him.

"Snapped!"

A clear voice sounded behind him. Ji Wenhe turned around and saw a donkey cart coming quickly.

The cart was full of people, both men and women, carrying baskets on their backs and slung over their shoulders, as they passed by them.

Shen Rongshan stopped and waited for her: "There is no donkey cart in our village, but there is one in the next village. People from other villages can't take it to the market."

"Ah."

He's said that before.

Ji Wenhe quickly followed him. At first, he was still looking around, but after walking for about an hour, he was sweating.

She now understood why the villagers only went to the market once every half a month or a month. It was too tiring to walk there, and it took a whole day to go back and forth.

Shen Rongshan turned around, looked at the sweat on her forehead, and frowned slightly: "I'll take you home."