Chapter 5 Mountain Forest, Winter Bamboo Shoots, Persimmons
Zhao Xueer looked at the sparse bamboo forest in front of her, knowing that people these days would not even let go of the bamboos when they were hungry.
Fortunately, what she wanted to dig was winter bamboo shoots, which were in the ground. At this time, many people still didn't know about bamboo shoots. They were not like in later generations, which could be seen everywhere in the vegetable market when the season came.
Putting down the bamboo basket, Zhao Xueer took out the sickle and gently turned the soil along the chopped bamboo roots. She did not dare to use too much force, for fear that if there were bamboo shoots underground, she would destroy them if she used force.
.
After digging and digging, a sharp tip came out, and Zhao Xueer felt happy, indeed there were winter bamboo shoots.
She carefully dug out the winter bamboo shoots, holding the winter bamboo shoots in her hand, and patted the soil above, as if she had seen a treasure. She carefully put the winter bamboo shoots into the bamboo basket, and she continued to dig out the winter bamboo shoots with great enthusiasm.
One smile spreads widely.
At the end of the digging, Zhao Xueer counted about a dozen bamboo shoots. This bamboo forest was not big, but she had dug them all.
Carrying the bamboo basket and picking up the sticks, she climbed towards the top of the mountain, trying to find if there was anything else she could eat.
This mountain is a more remote mountain. The road up the mountain is full of rocks. Even if it is covered with snow, you can still see the sharp corners of the rocks. Zhao Xueer put the stick into the bamboo basket and climbed up the mountain with her hands and feet.
Suddenly a rock became loose. Her hand holding the rock slipped and the rock fell from her side.
Feeling panicked, Zhao Xueer climbed more carefully, thinking about her younger brothers and sisters at home, and her courage suddenly grew.
When she finally climbed up the mountain, she immediately saw the chestnut tree in front of her. The leaves were sparsely fallen, and all the chestnuts on the tree had long since fallen off. She walked forward, took out the stick from the bamboo basket, and rummaged through the piles under the tree.
Snow, trying to find if there are any intact chestnuts that can be used to satisfy my hunger.
The broken shell was dug out of the snow. It was empty inside and the fruit was long gone.
Zhao Xueer guessed that the shells might have been left by squirrels, and that some other chestnuts might have been picked by someone. Although it was a pity that she couldn't pick up some chestnuts. She didn't lose heart and continued to go deep into the forest.
Going further ahead, the snow on the ground is obviously thicker, and a touch of orange is not far ahead.
Zhao Xueer used the stick to speed up. On the cliff, a persimmon tree stood facing the wind, round and slim, with heavy persimmons hanging on the treetop.
There is still a little snow on the persimmon trees, and the white snow makes the orange color even more conspicuous.
Zhao Xueer nervously put down the backpack on her back and rubbed her eyes, fearing that the scene in front of her was like a dream, but the bright orange persimmons still hung on the tree unmoving.
She looked regretfully at the persimmons that had fallen and smashed on the ground, and used a stick to test whether the rocks on the cliff side were tight. After that, she climbed up the tree to pick the persimmons.
Because the persimmon skin is thin and fragile, Zhao Xueer was extremely careful. After picking a persimmon, she went down and gently put it into the bamboo basket. She repeated this process about ten times before she finished picking the persimmons.
Zhao Xueer looked at the sky and saw that it was almost noon and she should go back.
On the way back, Zhao Xueer also grabbed some dead leaves from the ground and placed them on top of the bamboo basket to cover the contents inside.
You still have to be careful in everything. If someone sees what's inside, you might be in trouble.
Probably because she returned home with a full load, Zhao Xueer's pace seemed to be much lighter when she returned home.
…
In Yushu Village, almost no one walks around outside. Everyone spends the winter with their cats at home.
It was noon, and there was no smoke coming out of any house. Most of the people were making wild vegetable soup, and now all the wild vegetables in the fields had been dug up.
Zhao Xueer came back from the mountains. She was glad that her home was behind the village, not far from the back mountain, so she didn't have to pass through the village.
When she left, she asked Tian'er to lock the courtyard door. Now she came back and knocked gently on the courtyard door.
Zhao Tian'er in the room jumped up from the stool, "It should be my sister who is back."
As soon as he opened the courtyard door, Zhao Tian'er saw his sister standing outside the courtyard door. He took the stick from Zhao Xue'er's hand and said, "Sister, Tian'er will help you get it."
Zhao Xueer didn't stop him, and let her brother take the stick away, watching him place the stick in the corner of the yard.
Then she walked into the yard, turned around, bolted the door, and whispered to her brother, "Sister found something good."
Zhao Tian'er's eyes lit up, and he knew not to let others know, so he followed his sister back to the room obediently.
In the room, Yun Xiaotang was lying on the bed bored.
As soon as he heard the door open, he looked over and saw Zhao Xueer placing the bamboo basket on the ground, peeling off a layer of dead leaves on it, and taking out a few heavy persimmons.
"Chun'er, Tian'er, this is the fruit my sister picked on the mountain. This one is called persimmon, and it's so sweet."
Zhao Xueer felt sorry for her younger brothers and sisters who had never eaten anything good and had probably never even seen a persimmon since they had been staying in the village. At any rate, she herself lived a good life in the following years.
At that time, although Tong Rongguang had no feelings for her, he did not deprive her of food and clothing.
After wiping the persimmons with a handkerchief, Zhao Xueer gave each of her younger siblings a persimmon, "You can't eat too many persimmons. You can only eat one persimmon a day. Now, my sister will make winter bamboo shoot soup for you. You guys should stay in your room."
After saying that, Zhao Xueer turned around, picked up the bamboo basket and was about to go out, when suddenly the corner of her clothes was grabbed by a small hand.
Yun Xiaotang held the persimmon in one hand and grabbed her sister's clothes with the other, handing the persimmon to her, "Sister, you also eat the persimmon -"
Zhao Tianer also quickly handed the persimmon in his hand to Zhao Xueer, "Yes, sister, you also eat persimmons, let's eat together."
Seeing how sensible her younger siblings were, Zhao Xueer reached out and rubbed the hair of the two little guys respectively.
"Sister doesn't want to eat it. I ate it on the mountain before. There are still some persimmons. I will keep them for you to eat later."
In the room, the three sisters, brother and sister are particularly warm.
After a few words with her siblings, Zhao Xueer hid the food she found and took two winter bamboo shoots to the kitchen.
Breaking open the leaves of the winter bamboo shoots and throwing them into the earthen stove, Zhao Xueer felt a little regretful that there was no meat at the moment, otherwise she would have fried meat with winter bamboo shoots, which would have been extremely delicious.
Thinking of this, she raised her head and patted her forehead. What were she thinking about? It would be nice to have something to eat now.
When the famine years are over, I will find a way to get some meat for my younger brothers and sisters to eat.
Inside the house, Yun Xiaotang ate the persimmon in her hand. This was probably the sweetest persimmon she had ever eaten in her life.
It is the persimmon that my sister picked with so much hard work.
Looking at Zhao Tian'er who was still licking his fingers after eating the persimmon, Yun Xiaotang stopped.
"Brother, let me give this to you."
Zhao Tian'er stopped licking his fingers, looked at his sister who was holding a persimmon in both hands and handed it to him, and quickly shook his head.
"No, sister, you can eat it, but my brother can't. He just ate a big one."
Yun Xiaotang sighed in her heart, her sister was reborn, she wore books, and the only real child among the three of them was her brother Zhao Tian'er.
Looking at Zhao Tian'er's appearance, she couldn't help but think that in the 21st century, a little boy like him was still playing around at home, and he was the little ancestor of the family.
How can anyone be as sensible as Zhao Tian'er, who knows how to take care of his sister and how to be considerate of her sister.
"Brother, you eat! Chun'er is still young and can't eat, so you can eat."
Chapter completed!