Rebirth of an Old Farmer: Escape from Famine with Children and Grandchildren

In the following days, the ancient temple was peaceful, with meat curing, wood cutting, hunting, everything going on in an orderly manner.

In the blink of an eye, the Double Ninth Festival arrived, and the refugees in Darong Village welcomed the festival in this isolated ancient temple.

Although it was just the beginning of autumn, the mountains were already freezing cold. Coupled with the continuous drizzle, everyone gathered around the fire to keep warm and were reluctant to go out.

But today was different. The village chief ordered the improvement of the food, and everyone's spirits were lifted.

The rabbit meat that has been marinated for a long time is mixed with the minced meat of two freshly slaughtered rabbits and steamed into a pot with a fragrant aroma.

Zhu Xiuqin added two spoonfuls of rabbit fat and mixed it with wild vegetables to create an attractive dish.

Hunters such as Zhang Daniu were also busy. They dug out bird nests and got dozens of bird eggs, and accidentally captured two golden pheasants.

Everyone was busy cooking. Because there were so many people, they simply stewed a big pot of delicious chicken soup to warm up this stormy day.

When the lid of the pot was lifted, a rich aroma of chicken suddenly rushed out and went straight into my nose.

It was as if there was a faucet in everyone's mouth, and saliva could not be stopped from flowing.

The rabbit meat is tender and has a unique smoky flavor after being marinated. The aroma explodes in your mouth as soon as your teeth touch it. The toughness makes you want to eat it more and more.

Accompanied by the fresh and delicious wild vegetable rice, everyone devoured it in no time and enjoyed it very much.

The dishes fried with rabbit oil are so fragrant that you want to swallow your tongue. After eating vegetarian food for half a month, this time you can finally taste some oily food. Even the old people are humming with pleasure.

Zhu Xiuqin distributed the remaining chicken soup in bowls, so that everyone could taste a few pieces of tender chicken meat. Although it was not much, the deliciousness of the pheasant was truly unforgettable.

Sun Wan deliberately slowed down her tasting speed when drinking, savoring every bit of sweetness.

"It has to be chicken from the mountains. It tastes much better than chicken raised at home!"

"It's just too clever and hard to catch." Zhang Daniu shook his head regretfully.

Everyone was comforting each other with words, saying that it was a rare opportunity to have this meal.

You know, in the days before the escape, there was no such enjoyment of mountains and seas of meat!

After having a good meal and a good drink, I felt full and looked at the continuous rain outside, and I felt a little more confident.

Unfortunately, Sun Wan and her friends searched the area around the ancient temple thoroughly but couldn't find any dogwood, so they had to pull out some weeds at random. The village chief led the worship of the ancestors.

As the raindrops dripped, the villagers of Darong Village prayed devoutly to the heaven and earth, remembering their ancestors and mourning their deceased relatives.

After three bows, the crying began to spread, from suppressed sobbing to loud crying.

This time, the village chief did not stop him. His eyes were red as he looked up at the compassionate Buddha.

Sun Wan was worried about her third son.

That boy is the most eccentric and caring one. He ran away to his fiancée's house. It is hard to predict whether it is a blessing or a curse.

After pondering for a moment, Sun Wan stuck the weeds in her hand into the soil and decided not to think about it anymore.

The afterglow of Double Ninth Festival quietly faded away amid the sobs of the villagers.

Time passes without a trace in the mountains. In the blink of an eye, the people of Darong Village welcomed late autumn in the ancient temple.

Some of the surrounding trees have lost their leaves, while others are still green and standing tall.

The weather turned cooler. Fortunately, most of the rabbit skins tanned earlier were successful. In addition, Zhang Daniu and his group captured a new batch of wild rabbits. Almost all the rabbits on half of the mountain were killed. Now everyone has at least two rabbit skin coats, and the cold winter is no longer so scary.

The rain finally stopped at the end of October.

The village chief and Sun Wan led some villagers to try to get out of the mountain, but they turned back before reaching the top.

"The rain was so heavy and lasted so long that landslides were severe. The creeks became wide rivers. It was difficult to cross them even with nothing, let alone with food and supplies."

"Wait a little longer, at least until the river recedes a little."

The village chief's words forced everyone to stay for another half a month.

However, a new problem arose.

"We've already used up more than half of the looted food. Even though we can barely fill the gap with game, it's still a drop in the bucket."

"If we delay for another half a month, I'm afraid that by the time we set out, we'll only have enough food to get out of this mountain gate."

Sun Wan secretly calculated the remaining food supplies in her mind, adding the part that she could try to replenish from the mysterious space, and she couldn't help but feel worried.

Upon hearing this, the village chief frowned and after a long moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke, "Madam Sun, perhaps you could discuss this with Miss Mori Yue?"

Sun Wan immediately understood the village chief's intention.

It is true that there is a shortage of food, but there is clearly still a lot of grain hidden in the cellar of the ancient temple!

However, Sun Wan inexplicably felt reluctant to use the food.

She pursed her lips and said, "Okay, I'll go talk to Miss Moriyue."

When I found Senyue, she was drinking tea and appreciating bamboo in the bamboo pavilion in the back mountain.

The tea set is simple and unpretentious, but it exudes a natural charm and the tea fragrance is long-lasting. Even Sun Wan, who doesn't know much about tea, can tell that it is of high quality.

All of this was done by Sen Yue and taken out from the cellar.

Seeing Sun Wanzhi, Sen Yue smiled: "Mrs. Sun."

"Are we about to set off?"

Sun Wan shook her head: "The mountain path is steep and the water is turbulent. We will have to postpone it for another half a month."

Sen Yue nodded and suddenly asked, "Mrs. Sun, did you come to see me specifically for something urgent?"

Sun Wan hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "Miss Senyue, could you please tell me who originally owned the grain in the cellar?"

Sen Yue showed no surprise, as if he had anticipated this question. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, "It was hidden by my ancestors."

She fiddled with her teacup absentmindedly and recounted the past: "My great-grandfather was once an official in the imperial court. He had a keen insight into the fickleness of the world. When he was over fifty, he retired to the mountains and built an ancient temple here.

“According to his legacy, future generations must replace the grain reserves in the cellar every three years to prepare for emergencies.

"Unfortunately, I am the only one who will inherit this family honor."

Sun Wan had long guessed that Sen Yue was living alone and secluded from the world, and that something must have happened at home. Now that she heard it with her own ears, she still felt sympathy.

Sen Yue, however, seemed quite indifferent: "Madam Sun, I understand your intentions. Since I've told you where the cellar is, the dry food naturally belongs to you.

"It's just a small reward for being such a burden to me."

Speaking of this, a hint of self-mockery flashed in Sen Yue's eyes: "Madam Sun, you are kind-hearted. If it were someone else, they wouldn't even ask me. I'm afraid they would have taken the food for themselves long ago.

"You are such nice people."

Sen Yue repeated in a low voice, and Sun Wan inexplicably felt a chill creep up her spine.

Fortunately, Mori Yue didn't say much, but instead stared at the bamboo forest, lost in thought.

Looking at her cold profile, Sun Wan noticed something unusual.

Since Sen Yue woke up, he seemed to be getting more and more elusive.

Although they live under the same roof, they seldom meet each other. Sen Yue is always elusive and his whereabouts remain a mystery.

Su Guiying was even more frightened when she saw Sen Yue, and even had to separate herself from Sun Wan when she rested at night.

Sun Wan stopped disturbing Sen Yue, turned around and left, and brought the news back to the village chief.

The village chief finally felt relieved.

Once these grains are obtained, we will have a supply of food for the next month.

Half a month passed in a flash, and the river water finally receded a lot.