Daily life of female supporting actresses in the 1970s

Jiang Yanqiu rolled her eyes at him and cursed in her heart: You are the one digging a hole in the ground!

But he replied, "I'm digging yams. Do you want to join me? There are still plenty over there."

As she spoke, she pointed to the yam vines on the other side.

Lin Shaoyang looked at his watch and said helplessly, "It's almost dark. Without the right tools, I don't have enough time to dig one. I'll come back another day. How long will it take you to dig one?"

Jiang Yanqiu looked up at the sky. The sun had already set, so she said, "It should be about time."

In fact, she was not sure because there were still some long branches that had not been dug out, and she was embarrassed to let everyone wait, so she picked up the yam that had been partially dug out, shook it gently, and tried to pull it out or break it off directly.

But she overestimated her strength and didn't move at all.

Seeing this, Lin Shaoyang couldn't help laughing. He walked over to help shake it a few times, then said to her, "Try digging a few more times. It should be almost at the bottom. It would be a pity if it broke."

Originally, he wanted to help dig the ground, but when he thought about how Jiang Yanqiu had refused him help before, he gave up the idea.

Jiang Yanqiu continued to dig hard, but after only a few digs, she had broken all the yams.

Fortunately, the few yams that were dug out have begun to become thinner and are almost at the bottom.

Jiang Yanqiu took out the yam that was almost as tall as herself from the pit.

Lin Shaoyang helped him pick up the pieces and said, "You're amazing! These three weigh about 70 to 80 kilograms."

Gu Qingshi, who was not far away, saw this and asked curiously, "Why are you digging this tree root?"

Lin Shaoyang explained, "This isn't a tree root, it's wild yam. It's very delicious and can be used as medicine. The floods of 1969 almost wiped out the wheat harvest. By May, everyone was out of food, and the grain stores were out of food. During that time, whenever we had free time, we would go to the mountains to dig up yams and bring them back for food. Next time, we'll get off work early and come here to dig some."

Jiang Yanqiu responded with a smile: "If you like it, I'll share some with you. I can't finish all this food by myself, and it might go bad if I keep it for too long."

The total weight of these yams is estimated to be 70 to 80 kilograms. Some of the forked parts are even thicker than her arms. It takes her a long time to eat them all by herself. Now that the weather is hot, she is afraid that they will not be able to be kept.

Lin Shaoyang didn't refuse and agreed, saying, "Thank you, I'll pay you later. There are still quite a few trees here. Dig them up when winter is approaching and store them in the vegetable cellar. They can be preserved for a long time. Wild fruits are not as easy to spoil as cultivated ones. They can be kept in the vegetable cellar for a long time."

Jiang Yanqiu refused to accept the money and said, "No need to pay. The help you have given me during this period of time is far more valuable than these yams. How can I have the nerve to accept money?"

Jiang Yanqiu quickly broke off some yams and put them in her sack, then picked out a few thicker ones and gave them to Lin Shaoyang and the others.

It's impossible to confiscate the money and ask her to carry it back.

She broke off two more pieces and put them aside, intending to give them to Zhao Lanlan and the others later.

Previously, someone accompanied her to cut reed stalks and was scared by a blind bear.

I have to express my feelings anyway, since these yams are not worth much.

Jiang Yanqiu and Lin Shaoyang filled the dug pit together.

Lin Shaoyang picked up the sack and tried to feel the weight, estimating it to be about twenty pounds.

He took out five yuan and handed it to Jiang Yanqiu, saying, "The yams grown in the commune are usually around eight cents per pound, but the wild ones taste better and have certain medicinal properties, so they are a little more expensive. I have about twenty pounds here. Can I give you five yuan?"

Jiang Yanqiu asked in surprise, "So expensive? Potatoes are only a few cents a pound!"

Lin Shaoyang shook his head and said, "Wild yams are different from potatoes. If you take wild yams to the commune to sell, the price might be higher."

In fact, what he was talking about was the black market transaction, because the people at the purchasing station always tried their best to lower the price, and even wanted to buy pigs with cabbage.

After Jiang Yanqiu understood the implication of Lin Shaoyang's words, she quickly said, "Forget it! I won't take the money, otherwise I will be embarrassed to ask you for help in the future."

"Okay." Lin Shaoyang did not continue to persuade her, thinking that he could give Jiang Yanqiu some prey next time they went hunting.

Several people came to the place where they separated to wait for Zhao Lanlan, but after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of her.

As the sky gradually darkened, Jiang Yanqiu began to worry: "Could he be lost?"

Lin Shaoyang comforted her, "That shouldn't happen. Although this place seems far away, we can still hear her shouting. Let's wait a little longer. If she doesn't come, we can go look for her again."

He also knew that Zhao Lanlan had her own secret base for picking mushrooms, and it was not convenient to bring other people there, so he could only wait a while.

On the other side, Zhao Lanlan watched the sky gradually darken and confirmed that the time was almost up.

She put down the two sacks of mushrooms and went to look for Gu Qingqing. She carefully left marks along the way, just in case.

She felt that Gu Qingqing had hit a ghost wall and had been going around in circles. Finally, she walked out of the circle and went in the opposite direction.

On the way there, Zhao Lanlan deliberately fell and rolled down a small slope, making herself look very embarrassed.

Gu Qingqing was really panicked at this time. Her space could not be entered. If she was asked to spend a night in the dark in this desolate mountain, it would almost cost her life.

She was most afraid of the dark. When she was young in her previous life, she was kidnapped by her father's mistress, who wanted her mother to adopt their illegitimate child.

However, her father disagreed, so the other party abandoned her in the mountains to fend for herself. She stayed in the mountains alone for one night before being found.

Even though nothing happened, I was still terrified, and I’m still feeling the same now.

The more panicked she was, the more likely she was to make mistakes, and she unconsciously walked in the opposite direction of the village.

Finally, the disheveled Zhao Lanlan found the panicked Gu Qingqing and said in surprise, "Qingqing, is it really you?"

The moment Gu Qingqing saw Zhao Lanlan, she immediately put aside her usual aloof attitude, cried out "Wow", hugged Zhao Lanlan and burst into tears.

Zhao Lanlan gently comforted her, and after she had vented her emotions a little, she said softly, "Okay, let's go back quickly. I'll carry you on my back, otherwise it will be completely dark and we will really get lost."

Gu Qingqing would not starve because she had space, but after traveling through this primeval forest for a whole day, she was exhausted.

However, she did not accept Zhao Lanlan's kindness, but chose to walk back with her supporting each other.

On the way back, Gu Qingqing told Zhao Lanlan everything that had happened to her, including her inner fear, but she only said that she got lost while chasing pheasants and didn't say anything else.