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

"Qingyue!"

"Han Zhibai!"

The two greeted each other with a smile.

Han Zhibai ran over, his eyes filled with smiles stayed on her, never moving away.

"What a coincidence, you are here too?"

Han Zhibai blurted out, "We are out hunting."

"Oh, what a coincidence." She saw that he was carrying a bow and arrow, but no prey. "Where is the prey?"

Han Zhibai raised his hand and scratched his head, not daring to look her in the eye, "We just came out not long ago."

Xia Qingyue nodded to show that she understood. At the same time, she explained her purpose, "Do you have any lactating ewes at home?"

He said without hesitation: "Yes!"

If not, he would go to the woods and hunt for them.

"Then can you sell me the ewe? When you go back, bring the sheep out. I'll wait for you at the crooked tree."

She didn't think about going to Han Zhibai's house.

For normal people, most people probably don’t like to have guests visiting them unexpectedly.

Unexpectedly, Han Zhibai looked at her blankly, with confusion in his eyes, and there seemed to be a fleeting flash of disappointment and sadness.

His tone softened, "Aren't you coming to my house?"

"Go home and check on the ewes."

Hearing that he invited her to his house, Xia Qingyue was stunned, and her heart in her chest beat faster for some reason, "Can, can I?"

"Sure!" he said quickly. "By the way, the fruits at my house are ripe, including peaches and plums. We can't eat so many, so they're all rotting in the ground. Do you like to eat these?"

Xia Qingyue's eyes sparkled, and she said with regret, "It's such a pity to let it rot in the ground. You can use honey or sugar to make canned fruit and jam!

Well, if the weather is good, it can be made into dried fruits.”

She felt extremely distressed because she wanted to eat the fruit but couldn't, and Han Zhibai had too much fruit that had rotted in the fields.

Han Zhibai didn't know what canned fruit and jam were. He tried to suppress his excitement and asked, "I don't know how to make those, Qingyue, can you come to my house and teach me how to make them?"

Xia Qingyue thought about it and wavered, "Sorry for bothering you then."

"Let's go." Han Zhibai smiled and turned to lead the way.

valley.

Walking into the valley from the wooden door connecting to the outside world, Xia Qingyue immediately saw the white mist lingering among the distant mountains opposite, with lush green lushly colored in between.

The higher the mountain, the thicker the fog. Halfway up the mountain, the lighter fog drifts gently and slowly with the wind, as if there are many white elves jumping and playing.

"Wow, it's so beautiful."

The air is also fresh and comfortable.

She couldn't imagine how healed her mood would be if she lived in such an environment and saw such beautiful scenery every day.

Han Zhibai also looked at the distant mountains. "It is very beautiful. If it is not raining and the sky is clear, the sky is blue and the clouds are white. The trees on the mountain are like green waves. It is a completely different scenery."

Walking outside the fence, Xia Qingyue saw a lot of fruits on the fruit trees. She ran to a nearby plum tree, where many fruits were hanging on its branches. They were much larger than the last time she came.

Han Zhibai raised his hand, stared at the tree, quickly picked a few good plums, plucked them and handed them to Xia Qingyue, "Try it."

"Thank you, then I'm welcome."

The plums were wet with rain, so she wiped them off with her sleeves. She took two bites, her eyes bright, "Mm, delicious, sweet and sour."

"This year there has been a lot of rain, so the fruits are not as big as before. Most of the fruits are small and not very sweet. For example, the fruits at the bottom of the tree are mostly sour and astringent."

Xia Qingyue picked one from the bottom and took a bite. She was immediately so sour that her facial features turned pale. "Sour, so sour."

Han Zhibai quickly picked a pink peach from the peach tree next to him and stuffed it into her hand, "Eat the peach quickly, the pink one is sweet."

These fruit trees were not sprayed with pesticides, but with organic fertilizers. It rained and the fruits were washed by rain, so she wiped them with her sleeves as usual and put them directly into her mouth. They made a crisp sound when she bit them, and tasted sweet and full of moisture.

“The peaches are delicious!”

"I'll pick more." Han Zhibai picked the good peaches.

Xia Qingyue was eating peaches when she saw a lot of fruits falling from the tree. Some were rotten, while others looked intact. "What a pity."

She looked at the fruits on the trees and said, "We can pick more and make canned fruits and jams later, so we can preserve them for a longer time and reduce waste."

"Qingyue, I'll go back and get some things to prepare the fruit. You go sit inside."

"Let's pick them together." She rolled up her sleeves and prepared to get to work.

Picking one by one was too slow, and she hadn't experienced picking fruits for a long time. Picking and harvesting was full of joy and satisfaction.

Hearing her say the word "we", Han Zhibai's mouth lifted up uncontrollably, "Okay, I'll go back and get my stuff."

He ran back and took the two little ones with him, letting them play under the eaves.

Han Zhibai brought over a few wooden barrels.

While picking peaches, Han Zhibai said, "There's a pear tree over there. We'll be able to eat pears in two months. Qingyue, do you like pears?"

“I’m not very picky about fruit.”

If she has to say there is a fruit she cannot accept, it is durian. She really can't eat it. She becomes uncomfortable when she smells the smell. It is also very expensive.

Is there durian in this world?

"There are two loquat trees in the backyard. Some of the fruits were knocked down by the rain, so there aren't many left. Many of them were eaten by birds and insects. I'll pick the rest later."

"There are loquats?" Xia Qingyue was stunned with shock.

Loquat is sweet and sour with soft flesh, and is one of her favorite fruits.

"Loquat has the effect of moistening the lungs. You can get some loquat leaves and boil them together to make a sauce. It is perfect to drink it with water when you have a sore throat and cough."

Han Zhibai is tall and strong. He tilts his head slightly and easily reaches the fruit at the top of the tree. He smiles and says, "In the past, at this time of year, my father would pick fresh loquats and loquat leaves to make loquat paste."

Xia Qingyue slowed down her movements. It was the first time she heard him mention his family on his own initiative.

There was a curiosity in her eyes, but a serious voice in her heart told her: This is Han Zhibai's private and family matter, don't ask rashly.

Some people’s personal affairs and family matters may be happy, loving memories, but not necessarily so for hers. Her memories of her grandmother are joyful and happy, like new buds in spring, full of vitality.

What matters about that family are old scars. Even after the wounds have healed, the scars left behind are still there. Every time I think of them, everything about them comes to my mind clearly again.

She didn't know to whom Han Zhibai's private and family affairs belonged.

With her eyes downcast, she silently picked the peach in her hand and put it into the barrel.

"Actually, I am an orphan without a father or a mother. My father picked me up and raised me."

Han Zhibai's words froze Xia Qingyue in place. She raised her head, her eyes were shocked, and her lips trembled slightly, "You..."