An orphan girl from a farming family: Everyday farming in the mountains during natural disasters

In early April, the temperature rises and it is sunny every day.

Taking advantage of the good weather, Xia Qingyue took out the things that needed to be dried in the sun.

Considering that the temperature was acceptable and she only needed to wear a thin shirt during the day, she sorted out the empty husks and bad ones from the rice, picked out the good ones, soaked them in water overnight, and the next morning white buds emerged and were evenly spread on the precious land.

A few days later, the rice seedlings grew out, and at this time they looked very much like weeds.

The wild grass in the sinkhole is like leeks. After one crop is cut, there will be another crop left. We can cut it to feed chickens and ducks.

With the Qingming Festival approaching, Xia Qingyue prepared some offerings to worship the original owner's family of three, including meat, dried fruits, snacks, and a few side dishes.

She knelt and bowed three times, muttering to herself: I don't know if what I've prepared suits your taste. If you like it, eat more. My financial resources are limited at the moment, so I can't buy paper money. When I have the means in the future, I will definitely double the amount.

There were a few cabbages, a few radishes and two pumpkins left in the cellar. She thought for a moment, then put them into a backpack and carried them out.

Sometimes she hadn’t been out for half a year and wanted to visit the Li family.

Heihei seemed to have a premonition. When he saw her action, he circled around her with a big smile on his face and his tail swinging in the wind.

"Let's go, Heihei."

In fact, she was a little excited. It had been such a long time since she went out, and she wondered what was going on outside.

She gently opened the cave door and looked out.

Very good, the weeds grew, although not as tall as before, but it grew to her waist and blocked the traces of her passing through the cave entrance.

The mountains and forests are full of vitality, with green grass and green buds on the trees. In the distance, there is misty smoke in the mountains and forests, making it like a fairyland on earth.

She squinted her eyes, took deep breaths of the fresh air, and admired the beautiful scenery along the way.

As I walked down, I saw a lot of fresh wild vegetables with water droplets on them. I couldn't help but pick them as I walked, stopping here and there. Soon I had two baskets.

Before she went out, she was mentally prepared to meet a lot of people on the road, because with the passing of winter and the coming of spring, the mountain products grew and the animals became active.

However, when we approached the entrance of the Li family shelter, we only saw a few people carrying baskets and looking for mountain products.

I met half as many people as I did when I went out before.

"Why is it so strange? It shouldn't be like this, right?"

Full of questions, she found the entrance to the cave and knocked on it several times.

After waiting for a while, no one responded. Just as she was about to knock again, the cave door suddenly opened.

Such a big move startled Xia Qingyue, and she subconsciously pulled out the machete on the belt around her waist.

Heihei rushed to her side, taking a protective posture, but without baring his teeth or roaring.

"Qingyue, it's me, come in!" Li Benfu's trembling voice was filled with excitement and joy.

After confirming that it was Li Benfu himself, Xia Qingyue smiled and said, "Uncle!"

At the same time, she slipped inside, with Hei Hei following behind her.

Li Benfu closed the cave door and said, "Qingyue, I didn't expect you to come today. I was so excited."

Xia Qingyue faced the inside of the cave. As soon as she came in, she found something wrong. There were fewer things in the cave and it was very quiet.

"Come on, Qingyue, let's go inside."

The two men and the dog walked around the bend and came to the open-air cave.

This place has changed even more. The previously cultivated land has been trampled flat, and most of the household items in the poultry pen have disappeared. Only the cave that has been carved out has a bed, two stools, and a small round table.

Li Benfu trotted into the cave and carried out a table and stools, and asked Xia Qingyue to sit down.

After sitting down, she asked in confusion: "Uncle, what is going on?"

"Qingyue, Yuzhen and the others are at the foot of the mountain. Now that the situation outside is stable, the King of Yue not only sent people to get rid of Guan Jianshan's group, but also arranged for the refugees to go down the mountain, provided money and manpower to repair houses, and distributed land and grain. They can receive disaster relief grain every day!"

"What?" Xia Qingyue was shocked.

"Qingyue, come with us down the mountain. We have secured a piece of land for you. Once you come down and show your household registration, we can start repairing the land!

Yuzhen and her friends left the mountain in February, and now the house is almost finished." Li Benfu's dark face flushed with excitement, and the smile on his face was like a blooming flower.

After being surprised, Xia Qingyue calmed down. It turned out that so many things had happened on the mountain in the past few months.

She realized belatedly that Li Benfu was still in the cave and had been waiting for her there for two whole months!

Touched, she asked, "Uncle, did the King of Yue become the emperor and end the war?"

“The war is not over yet. The King of Yue led his troops northwards. Half a month ago, he won a victory and captured Chuzhou and Qinzhou. I heard that he will head westwards next.

Not only has our village returned to its former peace, but the town has too. The King of Yue seems to have reached some kind of deal with the Southern Jin Kingdom. It is said that a lot of commercial goods are being shipped in from the sea. Soon the streets will be restored to their former state, and we can buy and sell things!"

Hearing this, her eyes lit up, and the next moment, the light gradually dimmed. Li Benfu said "it will be restored soon", which means it is not ready yet.

The future is full of infinite possibilities. It’s not that she is pessimistic, but the world has not yet truly settled down and nothing can be predicted.

"Qingyue, what's the matter? Do you want to go down the mountain?" Li Benfu asked cautiously, his eyes full of anticipation.

She told the truth: "Uncle, I don't really want to go down the mountain at the moment."

Li Benfu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's okay, since you think so, it means you have concerns.

This incident happened quite suddenly. We were out dumping snow and walking around to get some fresh air when we happened to meet a group of refugees passing by. They said they heard the news from the soldiers and that the soldiers had occupied the mountain stronghold.

At first we didn't believe it, but later we met a few soldiers who explained it in more detail and with solid evidence. Wei Kang couldn't resist his curiosity and suggested going to the village to take a look and find out.

Then one night, we quietly ran to the stronghold and saw that it was indeed guarded by soldiers.

The next day, a few of us went down the mountain to the back of the village to secretly check the situation. We saw many people coming and going in the village, building houses.

After several days of inquiries, and after living in the village for a while and getting along with those people every day, we were sure that it was not a rumor trap. "

"Qingyue, do you want to go down the mountain and take a look?"

Xia Qingyue was thinking the same thing, so she decided to go and check out the situation. She nodded.

"Can we go down the mountain early tomorrow morning?"

"Okay, I'll just clean up here today and won't move these things downstairs." Li Benfu looked around the cave, his eyes filled with deep reluctance.

"By the way, uncle, when I came here, I saw some people on the mountain. Are there still some people who haven't come down the mountain yet?"

"As far as I know, after hearing the news, many refugees came down the mountain happily, because after all, someone was building houses for them, giving them food and crops to grow.

The person you saw must have come up the mountain to look for wild vegetables and medicinal herbs."

After understanding the basic situation, Xia Qingyue took out the cabbage, radish and pumpkin from the backpack.

At first, Li Benfu said no and asked her to keep it for herself. The two argued for a while, and then she pretended to be angry, and he happily accepted it.

The two agreed to meet tomorrow, and Xia Qingyue went back.

At night, Xia Qingyue tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She was thinking that if Datong Town really resumed commodity trade, she would have to stock up more supplies during this period.

You need money to buy things, so she thought about what valuable things she had in her hand.

A few pearls, two dried ginsengs, and a little medicinal spices.

There are too many things to buy, and even if I exchange them for money, it may not be enough.

The war is not over yet, and medicinal materials, like food, are the most valuable things at the moment.

"Yes, I can find more herbs in the mountains!"