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

Xia Qingyue smacked her lips, savoring the taste of the wild sweet potato bubbles. She squatted down and pulled apart the vines of the wild sweet potato bubbles with her hands.

There were several slightly reddish sweet potato bubbles between the vines under her hands, larger than peanuts. Looking sideways from the angle from which the vines were peeled, there were more in front and behind.

I picked two slightly red ones, wiped them a few times with my hands, and put them in my mouth to taste them. They were not dirty, but I wouldn't get sick if I ate them.

It is 70% sweet and 30% sour, and the flesh is soft, but there is not much juice. It tastes okay.

It is such a rare thing to have wild fruits to eat in this situation, so I am not picky about anything.

She put down her basket and started picking wild sweet potatoes. She picked them along the stream, from the east end to the west end, trying to pick the red and big ones, leaving the small, unripe ones unpicked.

There is still a little water under the ground near the stream, so the green plants in this area are in a slightly better condition than elsewhere, with fewer of them being dried up or killed by the sun.

Sweet potato bubbles are a relatively drought-resistant plant. Now is the time to eat them. She estimated that within two days, they would basically be gone outside, unless there were a lot of new ones, but they would soon be picked by others.

Thinking of this, Xia Qingyue wanted to pick more to take home, perhaps rabbits would also like to eat this.

I picked for about half an hour and got half a basket of vegetables.

Xia Qingyue ate while feeding Heihei.

The man and the dog were eating happily when they heard some movement behind them. Heihei stood up suddenly and looked at the woods behind them.

Xia Qingyue immediately put away her happy mood and became alert, wondering if someone was coming. She picked up the basket and left quickly.

As she walked, she looked around and found that there was no suitable place to hide. The grass and trees were dry and dead, and there was no big rock to block her body.

She quickened her pace, fearing that running would attract the attention of the people behind her.

Even though he didn't make any noise and walked very fast, he still couldn't get rid of the person behind him, and he could hear footsteps from behind.

The footsteps became heavier and heavier, striking her heart.

Xia Qingyue reached into the cloth bag and slowly turned around.

I saw several children around twelve or thirteen years old on the opposite side, three boys and four girls. One of the boys was carrying a girl of seven or eight years old with her eyes closed.

They were all dressed in rags, dirty, and looked disheveled and haggard.

There was a look of contemplation in Xia Qingyue's eyes.

The boy carrying the girl on his back cried with red eyes:

"Sister, we are fleeing from the village at the foot of the mountain. We got separated from our family by accident on the way. We have been hungry for two days. Do you have any food? Please lend us some. My little sister fainted from hunger!"

The other children also pleaded pitifully:

"Sister, please, save our little sister!"

Xia Qingyue glanced towards the stream, "There are wild sweet potatoes there, go pick them yourself."

After saying that, she turned and left.

These children look very pitiful, but there are so many poor people in the mountains. Should she take the initiative to help every one she sees and meets?

Helping means telling outsiders the truth, letting them know how much you have to eat and how much you are capable of.

In troubled times where people’s hearts are unpredictable, knowing the truth is like walking outside without clothes, which is dangerous and fatal.

"Little sister, if you hold on a little longer, I'll pick some wild sweet potato chips for you to eat right away." The boy ran over with the girl on his back and knelt by the stream to look for sweet potato chips.

The rest of the children stood where they were, staring at Xia Qingyue and her dark back as they walked away.

"Cough." The boy by the stream coughed lightly and gave a look to the children.

One of the thin girls chased after Xia Qingyue, and the rest of the children came to the stream and looked for sweet potato bubbles with the boy.

Not long after walking, Xia Qingyue heard footsteps behind her. She frowned, turned around, and saw that the person who was catching up with her was a skinny little girl who was as tall as her chin.

Moving my eyes, I saw that the children found the sweet potato bubbles and happily fed them to their little sister who had fainted from hunger.

The scene was warm and joyful.

The skinny girl held the patched and dirty hem of her clothes, and said timidly, "Sister, thank you, I...

We are from Taohua Village at the foot of the mountain. We fled to the mountain with our parents. We accidentally got separated two days ago. Today, we finally met you. Only you are willing to help us."

"I didn't help much." Xia Qingyue said in a light voice. Seeing the other party's lips move slightly, it was obvious that he had something else to say.

"Sister, you must have also fled to the mountains to escape famine, right?

People in our village heard that there was a cave in the middle of a river in the mountains and that there was a wooden house built there. We planned to take refuge and settle there.

But we got separated suddenly, and we didn't know where that place was. Sister, do you know? I heard from the adults that the river over there is very wide and long, and there is flat land outside the cave, and there are many eucalyptus trees nearby. "

After hearing those details, Xia Qingyue's heart skipped a beat. Isn't this where the Li family lives?

She pretended to be surprised, but didn't show it on her face. "Really? How do you know where it is? Is it safe there?"

Perhaps after chatting, the girl became a little bolder and looked directly into Xia Qingyue's eyes with a smile.

"We heard it from the people in the mountains. They live there and say there are wooden houses, rivers and fish there. They have specially selected people to take turns on duty, so there is no need to worry about ferocious beasts or people coming to steal things.

Sister, do you know where we can go to meet our family? "

She blinked her watery eyes and pleaded in a sad voice.

"This is the first time I've heard of that place, so I don't know its exact location." Xia Qingyue looked distressed.

The girl showed disappointment in her eyes, but soon she smiled again, her eyes were charming and smart, "It's okay, sister, why don't you go to that place with us? There are many people there, it's safe."

There is no safety in numbers.

Xia Qingyue suppressed the emotion in her eyes and laughed, "I have to go back and discuss it with my family. I can't make the decision."

"Then sister, go and discuss it with your family. We will wait for you here."

Xia Qingyue nodded and was about to turn around and leave when Heihei stuck close to her legs, staring ahead with a fierce look.

A few more people came over, exhausted. They were very happy to see Xia Qingyue and the others.

A man in his fifties with a short white beard asked in a vigorous voice:

"Girl, we are from Meilin County. I wonder if you know where there is a river in the mountains. There are caves there. I heard there are wooden houses there to accommodate refugees."

Seeing that the visitor was heading towards the cave where the Li family lived, Xia Qingyue became more and more convinced that something was fishy. She was worried about the Li family's situation.

"Grandpa, you are going there too. We are going there too!" said the skinny girl happily.

"That's great. You guys go first." Xia Qingyue said goodbye with a smile.

The skinny girl chased after him, "Sister, aren't you and your family coming with us?"

"We discussed it afterwards. If we decide to go, we can ask around if we meet someone on the mountain. It should be easy to find them. Your situation is more urgent, so you should go over there and reunite with your family first!"

The skinny girl moved her mouth slightly and wanted to say something, but when she saw the boys by the stream approaching, her mouth closed instantly.