Chapter 34: Going to the Mountains to Get Spawn

Xia Ning’an went to the kitchen and took 20 eggs, putting them in a pot to boil. She was preparing to make five-spice tea eggs for them to take on the road.

After the eggs were cooked, she used a spoon to crack the shells one by one and put them in a pot with rock sugar, dark soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, fennel, and tea leaves. She simmered them over low heat.

She used another pot to make pancakes. Xia Ning’an made 20 sugar pancakes, 20 bean paste pancakes, and 20 meat-filled pancakes. She packed them in a basket and wrapped them in oiled paper.

She also made three large jars of mushroom meat sauce for them using oyster mushrooms. This sauce could be mixed with noodles, rice, or put in steamed buns, all delicious.

She also packed six jars of chili sauce, 30 salted duck eggs, a bag of apples, and a bag of oranges for them.

Lu Zecheng quietly accompanied Xia Ning’an, watching her prepare things for his comrades. His heart was filled with warmth and emotion.

After everything was ready, Lu Zecheng woke up Lei Ziqi and the other two.

The three of them tidied up their clothes and took the baskets Lu Zecheng handed them.

“Chenzi, we’ll wait for you at the army camp. The things in the bag are from your brothers. We came in a hurry, so we just bought them at the supply and marketing cooperative. Take good care of your injuries. We’re leaving.”

Lu Zecheng saluted them, and they returned the salute.

Everything was unspoken.

Lu Zecheng opened the bag his comrades had brought. Inside were two cans of milk powder, two cans of orange juice, a piece of pork, a bag of brown sugar, 20 jin of rice, 20 jin of strong flour, a bag of chicken cakes, and 5 jin of noodles.

These were all things that were difficult to buy in the countryside. It seemed they had specifically bought them to help Lu Zecheng recover.

That night, Xia Changhai returned home and told Xia Ning’an that the village had collected orders for 1,500 jin of spawn. Xia Ning’an said she knew and planned to go to the mountains to get the spawn tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

The next morning, after breakfast, Xia Ning’an put on her backpack and prepared to go up the mountain. Lu Zecheng also changed his clothes and prepared to go with her. Xia Ning’an asked him to stay home and rest, but he refused. They had to go to the mountains together. She would find a way to send him away when they got to the hot spring.

There were many mountain goods in the mountains at this time. Many people went up the mountain to collect mountain goods after the autumn harvest.

“Lu family boy, are your eyes healed?” An auntie from the village met them at the foot of the mountain. She was surprised to see Lu Zecheng.

“Auntie, my eyes can see now. An’an bought imported medicine for me in the provincial capital and cured them.” Lu Zecheng replied.

He knew he would be surrounded by villagers when he went out this time. He was mentally prepared.

“Oh, that Xia family girl is really amazing. That imported medicine must have cost a lot of money. She’s really willing to spend it on you.” The auntie said enviously and sourly.

“Auntie, no matter how expensive the medicine is, can it be as important as someone? It’s worth it to cure Zecheng Ge, no matter how expensive the medicine is.”

Xia Ning’an said as she pulled Lu Zecheng towards a small path. There were more mountain goods in less crowded places, and there were fewer people talking. She just didn’t like the aunties and grandmothers in the village. They gossiped faster than the internet in her previous life. She was sure that when they went down the mountain, everyone in the village would know about Lu Zecheng’s recovery.

There were no more mountain goods to collect near the foot of the mountain. The children in the village had already searched the area thoroughly. Children these days didn’t have much fun. At this time of year, older children would basically be collecting mountain goods on the mountainside. People in this era were very hardworking. Only a few people were lazy. They were all busy filling their stomachs.

Most of the men in the village were chopping wood on the mountain today. They walked around and headed towards the hot spring.

Along the way, they saw many wild fruits, but they gave up, thinking about the 1,500 jin of spawn they needed to get today. They could only remember the location and come back to collect them in the afternoon.

They walked quickly, reaching the hot spring area in less than an hour. Xia Ning’an was about to find an excuse to act alone when…

“Shh… An’an, don’t move.”

Lu Zecheng whispered in Xia Ning’an’s ear and pointed to the right. Xia Ning’an saw a roe deer lowering its head to eat. She gestured to him, indicating that he should wait for her at the hot spring.

Lu Zecheng waited for Xia Ning’an to quietly retreat, picked up a stick from the ground, and held it in his hand.

Xia Ning’an quickly left Lu Zecheng and went to the hot spring. She took out 1,500 jin of spawn from the space and then took out the spawn she had already harvested and arranged it to look like it had just been harvested.

After a while, Lu Zecheng came over carrying the roe deer.

Lu Zecheng saw the two large bags on the ground. It would be difficult for them to carry them back, and his leg injury hadn’t fully healed yet. Xia Ning’an took out a machete from the space, cut some branches and vines, and Lu Zecheng made a raft. They put the bags on the raft, and it would be much easier to pull it down the mountain.

This method proved to be very effective. On their way down the mountain, they saw the walnuts and hazelnuts they had seen earlier. They picked all the ripe ones into their backpacks.

They also saw a hawthorn tree along the way. They could make candied haws and eat hawthorn strips when they got back. Xia Ning’an picked up all the intact hawthorns under the tree. She could use them to make snacks when she had nothing to do in winter. The winters in the north were so long. It would be good to research some snacks at home during the winter, otherwise, they would be eating cabbage, radishes, and potatoes all day long for months.

They should take advantage of the time before it snowed and go to the mountains a few more times to stock up on mountain goods. It would be nice to roast chestnuts by the fire in winter.

Now that the grain harvest was over, the village would organize villagers to collect mountain goods after the mushrooms were planted. They would have to hand in a certain amount of mountain goods, and the rest would be theirs. They also needed to prepare firewood before winter. Otherwise, the roads would be blocked by heavy snow in winter, and it would be minus 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. People would freeze to death. In the original owner’s memory, people froze to death every winter, and some people even had their ears and hands frostbitten.

Xia Ning’an was like a little hamster. She wanted to collect everything she saw. As she collected, she realized that she had too much. The raft was full. Lu Zecheng didn’t complain about the weight. He just watched her busily putting things on the raft. Even though it was heavy, he still looked at her with affection.

When they were almost at the foot of the mountain, Xia Ning’an told Lu Zecheng to wait there while she went back to call her second brother to help carry the things.

She ran back home quickly, called her second brother, and rode her tricycle to the foot of the mountain.

The three of them made two trips and finally transported everything back home.

Looking at the yard full of spoils, Xia Ning’an felt very satisfied.

“Zecheng Ge, you go rest first. Second Brother and I will sort out the things we collected.”

“I’m not tired. I’ll help you.”

“No, you’re still a patient. You have to rest. Otherwise, I won’t take you to the mountains next time.” Xia Ning’an insisted that he rest.

“Then you two go ahead and tidy up. I’ll rest for a while and then skin the roe deer.”

Lu Zecheng could only compromise. He was afraid that Xia Ning’an wouldn’t take him out next time. Besides, his legs were indeed a little sore from walking too much. He had to rest and not push himself. He found a wheelchair and sat down next to them, watching them work and chatting with them.

In the afternoon, Xia Ning’an asked her second brother to take the spawn to the village committee. Then, she asked him to take two buckets of Farm Spring Water there and tell the team leader that everyone who was growing mushrooms should take some water home. They should mix it with well water and use it to water the spawn when they planted it. This was a nutrient solution that would help the spawn grow better.