Chapter 130: Clearing the Land / Wild Garlic Stir-fried with Cured Meat

When the children gathered again, Wang Yunzheng and Xu Wenbo were very curious. They were familiar with Shen An, and Xu Wenbo, being particularly outgoing, sidled up to Shen An and asked, “Xiao An, do you all know how to read and write?”

Shen An’s eyes curved into a smile as he nodded. “My sister-in-law taught me. She even made me a book called the ‘Thousand Word Classic’. We’re currently learning from it. Would you like to join us? The book is in the big cave; you can look at it together later.”

Xu Wenbo’s eyes lit up with a smile. “Great! Yunzheng also brought some books. He’s been carrying them in that bundle he always has with him. We can lend them to you as well.”

The two cousins had been close since childhood, so Xu Wenbo’s offer was not surprising. Wang Yunzheng, standing by, also smiled and nodded in agreement.

Shen An’s eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing that Wang Yunzheng also had books. Thinking of the small bundle Wang Yunzheng carried daily, Shen An estimated there must be at least three or four volumes. He was thrilled and thanked them repeatedly.

He knew well how hard it was to get a book. Without his sister-in-law, he might never have learned to read or touch a book in his life.

Then Wang Yunzheng asked how far he had progressed with the ‘Thousand Word Classic’ and how many words he could write. Not only Shen An but also Huzi and several other children gathered around, chattering excitedly.

As they were talking, sunlight began to filter through. Shen Ning noticed the shadows on the ground first and looked up to see the clouds above Yun Valley thinning, revealing the sun.

“The sun is out!”

Everyone looked up, finally seeing how high the mountains surrounding the valley were. They all exclaimed in awe.

Sang Luo and a few others, returning to the big cave, noticed this as well. Looking up at the mountain peaks, they realized it was almost noon. They hurried back to prepare food so the men could set off early.

…

The meal was eaten standing in the cave. With so many people, the dishes were served in pottery bowls, placed on an empty shelf near the brighter side of the cave, serving as a makeshift table.

The grain had been pooled from each family. Before moving into their respective new homes, everyone was busy with collective tasks like transporting grain, which meant they had to eat communal meals. Although no one from the five families asked for their share from Mrs. Xu, she, being particular, borrowed some grain from Sang Luo and contributed her family’s share.

The lunch menu included a dish of snake soup, which scared Xu family’s cousins so much that they backed away, taking only some milkvetch and mustard greens.

The other children, having endured hardships, didn’t mind at all. Meat was a precious commodity, not to be wasted.

But they understood that their fathers or uncles would soon be carrying grain through the mountains for over ten days, a grueling task. Even carrying a small load for a short distance had left them exhausted, let alone such a heavy burden with little rest.

Understanding their elders’ hard work, the children, despite being tempted by the aroma, refrained from eating the meat, opting for vegetables instead and heading outside the cave.

While the children showed consideration for their elders, the elders reciprocated. They urged the children to eat a bit, not forgetting the Xu siblings. “Are you sure you don’t want to try a little? It’s very tasty.”

Xu Wenyan’s face turned pale at the offer, and she cautiously moved two steps further away.

Seeing her fear yet reluctance to stray too far, Shen Ning went over to comfort her, saying, “Don’t be scared. Think about it; all the meats we usually eat are the same. It’s just a matter of seeing it or not seeing it. When people have nothing to eat, anything, even a few grains of rice, can be life-saving.”

She recalled the times when her family had no food.

Xu Wenyan had heard about the famine and chaos in the north from her father and brother, where many starved, and some turned to banditry out of desperation.

She nodded, “I understand. It’s just that I’m not used to it yet. I’ll get better with time.”

Seeing Xu Wenyan’s face brighten, Shen Ning smiled and continued eating. Xu Wenyan, trying milkvetch for the first time, found it delicious as long as she didn’t overthink. The wild vegetable, especially since she had gathered it herself, tasted particularly good.

After lunch, Shen Lie and the others had to leave.

Looking at the valley, Shen Lie remarked to Sang Luo, “We need to meet with Shopkeeper Xu first and deliver Xu family’s grain to the first storage point. If the situation outside worsens, it will be difficult for Shopkeeper Xu to deliver the grain safely. This trip might take a while, depending on how much grain Xu’s family has. It could be one or two trips, taking eleven to fourteen days.”

The young and strong men would be faster without the elderly, women, and children. But even so, they expected several more trips to transport the remaining grain, possibly even four if Xu’s family had a large stock.

He instructed them again, “Be careful here. After the Awakening of Insects, snakes and insects come out of their holes. If you sleep at night, make sure to close the cave door tightly. Don’t forget to sprinkle snake-repelling powder at the cave entrance. If you need to move around, try to stay within the valley.”

Sang Luo nodded. “Alright, don’t worry about us. You all should take care of yourselves. Besides guarding against wild animals, with the conscription and gathering of supplies, there might also be people hiding in the mountains. Be cautious not to let anyone follow you unnoticed.”

Shen Lie smiled and nodded, taking the water and provisions prepared by Sang Luo. He reminded Shen An and Shen Ning to behave themselves, then bid farewell to everyone. Naturally, Wei Qinghe and others who weren’t as agile also accompanied him.

This time, Shen Lie sealed off two sections at the entrance of the valley with stones, leaving only one entrance sealed on the inner side. At the outer periphery of the passage, they carefully searched for stones of suitable size and similar rock quality, meticulously filling gaps with mud and sand. Only then did they consider the work complete.

With these double barriers, it became even more difficult for sound to travel outside.

Once everyone had left, Sang Luo and the others didn’t rest. Many of the hoes had been taken by the men as weapons, but the women carried the remaining farming tools left behind—hoes, small picks, sickles—forming a lively group as they headed into the inner valley to weed.

Although the team responsible for transporting grain had departed, large children like Tie Zhu and Chen Ershan stayed behind. Along with a group of smaller children, their combined strength of seventeen kids wasn’t to be underestimated. When it came to tasks like digging, weeding, and harvesting, they weren’t much slower than the adults.

Ten adults and seventeen children—those with hoes dug deep, those with sickles cut low. For those without either tool, they pulled out weeds by hand. Sang Luo chose the most lush area under the tree to clear. It wasn’t cultivated yet, but merely clearing the grass was sufficient to keep snakes away. They finished in just one hour.

The children were quite cheerful. As for the adults, another matter required discussion: farming!

With the Awakening of Insects behind them, the fields couldn’t rest. It had already been half a month, yet looking across the valley, weeds still covered the ground. To avoid missing the planting season, time was tight for each family to clear their land.

Both Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Lu were skilled farmers, while the wives of Zhou Village and the Gan family were also competent household managers. They gathered together to discuss the soil quality first.

After examining the paths cleared in the valley, the soil quality was beyond reproach. This land hadn’t been touched for years; layers of fallen leaves had turned into mud, making the soil moist and rich. It was even better than the land in their own Shili Village.

The only issue was the abundance of stones in this area, resulting in thin soil cover. Some stones were buried under mud, while others protruded from the ground. Clearing these roots and stones for cultivation was challenging. Moreover, if they intended to plant rice, additional soil would need to be brought in from outside.

Sang Luo, who had only started cultivating a small plot of land at home last year, immediately recognized this as a major undertaking.

Mrs. Gan asked the elderly women, “How should we develop this land?”

This wasn’t just a literal question but rather how to divide the land for joint development or to let each family cultivate their own plot.

Mrs. Chen pondered and said firmly, “Let’s develop it together and then divide it afterward!”

With such a small amount of land, to be honest, it was hard for her to part with it, but it had to be opened first to grow food!

Most of the main laborers were still outside fetching grain. How could we divide it first? It’s better to work together first.

Everyone agreed. Even Wang Chunniang, who had always been calculating, didn’t dare say a word now.

As for clearing the land, of course, the children were also involved. This was more difficult than clearing the area under the tree because both roots and stones couldn’t be left behind. With the adults clearing the land ahead, the children followed behind, finding suitable tools to chip away at the stones and clean out any remaining roots.

The three Xu cousins were doing this kind of work for the first time, but they knew the land was essential to everyone and that their family would also have a share in the land once it was opened. They rolled up their sleeves and learned from the village children, working diligently. By the end of the day, when they returned to the big cave, they were all sore and exhausted, lying flat on their mats.

In the evening, they steamed white rice and stir-fried two large pottery bowls of wild vegetables cleared in the afternoon. They also sliced the cured meat hunted on the way and stir-fried it with wild garlic found in the field.

The dishes were still in the pots, but the aroma had already made the children drool. Their hands, feet, and waist no longer ached, and they couldn’t wait to gather around the wooden rack where the dishes were placed at the mouth of the cave.

Suddenly, someone’s stomach grumbled audibly.

Sang Luo followed the sound and saw several children rubbing their stomachs.

She couldn’t help but smile. The work was indeed tough, and now they were all hungry. She didn’t let them stand idle, but organized them to wash up and prepare for dinner.

Mrs. Xu smelled the wild garlic and meat stir-fry, finding it incredibly fragrant. After nine days of dry rations, although they occasionally made some hot food or grilled meat on the road, nothing could compare to the flavor of having pots, a stove, and seasonings. Besides, wild garlic itself was appetizing.

She thought of something and asked Sang Luo, “When we cook here in the future, we shouldn’t let the smell spread outside, right?”

Sang Luo looked up and shook her head. “It shouldn’t. Our valley is deep and narrow enough, with plenty of trees on both sides of the mountain. The smell should dissipate before it reaches up.”

The spread of the scent depended on the flow of air, which would also be hindered by obstacles and absorbed by trees. The various conditions within Yun Valley were very conducive to masking scents.

Looking around, Mrs. Xu also thought the surrounding peaks were high. Sang Luo’s explanation made sense. Without any further concerns, she happily started dinner!

After an entire afternoon of physical labor and three pottery bowls of good food, with wild vegetables and fragrant stir-fried meat with wild garlic, not to mention Sang Luo, the dozen or so village children, even the four Xu family members who usually had small appetites, were all working hard to eat a large bowl.

“Tsk!”

If they weren’t mindful of this being a refuge, although they had stored grain, they didn’t know how long they would have to hide in the mountains. To save as much as possible, especially since the dinner wasn’t very delicious and filled them up too much, everyone present was counting their portions. Who wouldn’t want another bowl!