Chapter 130: Breaking Ground / Stir-Fried Wild Garlic with Cured Pork

When the children gathered again, Wang Yunzhuang and Xu Wenbo were fascinated. Familiar with Shen An, Xu Wenbo, particularly outgoing, approached Shen An and asked, "Shen An, do all of you read and write?"

Shen An's eyes curved into a smile as he nodded, "Our sister-in-law taught us. She even made a book for me called 'The Thousand Character Classic.' That’s what we're learning now. Do you want to learn with us? The book is in the big cave; I can show it to you later."

Xu Wenbo's eyes lit up with joy, "Sure, Yunzhuang has a book too. It's the one he always carries with him in that bag. We can lend it to you to see."

Being close cousins, Xu Wenbo's offer wasn't surprising. Wang Yunzhuang, standing beside them, smiled and nodded in agreement.

Hearing about Wang Yunzhuang's book, Shen An’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Considering the bag that Yunzhuang carried every day, Shen An guessed it must contain at least three or four volumes and expressed his gratitude.

He deeply understood the value of having a book. If not for his sister-in-law, he might have never learned to read or had access to books in his lifetime.

Then, Wang Yunzhuang inquired about Shen An’s progress with 'The Thousand Character Classic,' asking how many characters he could write. Not only Shen An, but also Hu Zi and a few others joined the conversation, creating a lively atmosphere.

As they spoke, sunlight broke through the clouds. Shen Ning first noticed the shadows on the ground and realized the change. Looking up, she discovered that the clouds above the valley had finally thinned, revealing the sun.

"The sun is out!"

Everyone lifted their gaze, and for the first time, they grasped the sheer height of the mountains surrounding the gorge, eliciting amazed exclamations.

Sang Luo and others, heading back to the big cave, also noticed the change and looked up at the valley's peak. Realizing it was nearing noon, they hurried back to prepare food, emphasizing the need for the men to start their journey soon.

……

Meals were had standing in the cave, with a large amount of people present. Food was served in ceramic pots, arranged on an empty shelf near the relatively brighter outer part of the cave, serving as an improvised table.

The food was a collective effort from each household. Before settling into their respective caves, with many tasks at hand and primarily focused on transporting grain collectively, everyone ate communal meals. No one asked the Xu family for their contribution, but the elderly Mrs. Xu, always conscientious, proactively borrowed some grains from Sang Luo and contributed her family's share.

Lunch included a special dish of snake soup, which left the three Xu cousins quite shaken. They opted for some Zi Yunying and mustard greens instead, keeping a safe distance.

The other children were more adaptable, having endured hardships. Meat was a luxury they wouldn't pass up.

They were mindful that their fathers and uncles would soon spend days in the mountains transporting grain, an incredibly exhausting task. Carrying heavy grain with little rest was daunting, even more so than their tiring journey carrying only light belongings.

Understanding of their elders' hardship, none of the children reached for the meat, choosing to eat their vegetables outside the cave instead.

Caring for each other, the elders encouraged the children to eat a bit of everything, not forgetting the Xu siblings and calling out to Wang Yunzhuang and others, “Won’t you try some? It's really delicious.”

At the mention of snake, Xu Wenbin paled and nervously took a few more steps back.

Seeing her fear but reluctant to move further, Shen Ning went to her side for comfort, explaining, “Don't worry, all meat is similar, the difference is just seeing it or not. And remember, in dire times, even a few grains of rice can save lives.”

She recalled times when her family struggled to find enough food to eat.

Xu Wenbin wasn't aware of Shen Ning's family ever facing food scarcity, but she had heard about severe famines and uprisings in the north, where many died of starvation, and some turned to banditry out of sheer desperation.

She nodded, “I understand, it's just a matter of getting used to it. I should adapt in time.”

Reassured by her improved demeanor, Shen Ning smiled and continued her meal. For Xu Wenbin, it was her first time trying Zi Yunying; without overthinking, she found it surprisingly tasty. The joy of consuming wild greens they had gathered themselves added to the flavor.

After lunch, it was time for Shen Lie and the others to depart.

Surveying the valley, Shen Lie noted that apart from unpredictable snakes, the sealed entrances made it impervious to other wild animals. He told Sang Luo, “This trip, we first need to meet with Xu Zhanggui to transport his family's grain to the first storage location. If chaos escalates outside, it won't be easy for them to safely deliver grain to the agreed spot. This journey's duration will depend on the amount of grain Xu family has prepared – whether it's a single trip or requires two. We might be gone for 11-14 days, depending on the circumstances.”

This was already much faster since only the able-bodied went, leaving the elderly, women, and children behind. If they were all together, the trip would take two to three times longer. And if the Xu family’s grain was plentiful, it might require up to four trips.

They were also advised, "Be careful on your own. After Jingzhe, snakes and insects emerge from hibernation. At night, secure the cave doors and don't forget to sprinkle snake-repelling powder at the entrance. Try to stay within the valley for activities."

Sang Luo nodded in agreement, "Okay, don't worry about us. You need to be careful. Besides wild animals, people may be hiding in the mountains due to the conscription and grain levy. Be vigilant and don't get caught off-guard."

Shen Lian smiled and nodded, picking up the food and water prepared by Sang Luo. He reminded Shen An and Shen Ning to behave before signaling everyone to leave, including the less agile Wei Qinghe.

This time, Shen Lian sealed the valley entrance with two layers of stones, adding an inner layer near the pathway. They meticulously filled the gaps with similar rocks and sealed the crevices with mud and sand.

With this double sealing, it became much harder for any sounds to travel outside.

After the men had left, Sang Luo and the other women didn't rest either. With half of the hoes taken by the men as weapons, they picked up the remaining farm tools – hoes, small pointed hoes, and sickles – and headed to the valley's inner side to weed.

Shuan Zhu followed the team carrying grain, but older children like Tie Zhu and Chen Ershan stayed behind. Along with a group of younger kids, their collective strength in weeding and grass cutting was not to be underestimated.

Ten adults and seventeen children worked together: some dug out weeds with hoes, others used sickles for a clean cut, and those without tools simply pulled out the grass. Sang Luo had selected a lush area under a tree. They weren’t preparing it for cultivation, just clearing the grass to prevent snakes from hiding. The task was completed in about an hour.

The children were quite cheerful, but the adults had other serious matters to discuss.

Agricultural work!

After the Jingzhe period, farming couldn’t be delayed. Now, half a month past Jingzhe, the valley was still covered in weeds. Time was tight for each family to start preparing their land without missing the farming season.

Chen Lao Tai Tai and Lu Lao Tai Tai were skilled in farming, as were Zhou Cunzheng's wife and Gan Shi, who managed their households. Knowing what needed to be done, they all came together to discuss and first inspect the soil quality.

After examining the path that had been cleared, the soil quality was found to be excellent. This land, left untouched for years, was enriched with decomposed leaves that had turned into moist black soil, even better than what they had back in Shili Village.

The only problem was the abundance of stones in the area, making the soil shallow. Some stones were buried in mud, others protruded from the ground. Clearing the deep-rooted grass and these stones would be challenging for starting a farm. If they planned to grow rice, they would need more soil, which meant they had to find a way to bring in more from outside.

Sang Luo, who had recently cleared some new land at home, immediately realized the magnitude of the task ahead.

Gan Shi asked the elder women, "How should we go about cultivating this land?"

Her question wasn't literal; she was inquiring about the division of land and whether the cultivation would be a collective effort or if each family would cultivate their own plot.

Chen Lao Tai Tai pondered and then firmly decided, "We'll cultivate it together, then divide it afterward!"

She felt the limited land was too precious to use for mere gardening. They needed to clear it all swiftly for planting crops.

Since most of the families' primary laborers were currently occupied with grain transportation, it wasn't practical to separate tasks; unity was essential for efficiency.

Everyone concurred with this approach, including Wang Chun Niang, who was usually more particular, but she didn’t voice any objections this time.

The children were involved in the arduous task of land clearing, which was more challenging than cleaning under the trees because it required removing all roots and stones. The adults led the way with the heavier tools, while the children followed, using smaller tools to remove stones and any remaining roots.

For the Xu family cousins, it was their first time undertaking such work. Acknowledging the importance of this land to everyone and that their family would also benefit, they rolled up their sleeves and joined in, working tirelessly without complaint. By the end of the day, they were all exhausted, with sore hands and aching backs, collapsing as soon as they returned to the main cave.

Dinner that night consisted of steamed white rice, two large clay pots of stir-fried wild vegetables cleared that afternoon, and sliced smoked meat from game hunted earlier on their journey. Wild garlic found in the fields added flavor to the meat.

The aroma from the cooking had already enticed the children, making their mouths water. Despite their earlier exhaustion, they eagerly gathered around the wooden rack at the cave entrance where the food was being served, forgetting their aches and pains.

Suddenly, a distinct grumble came from someone's stomach.

A-Luo looked around to find several children rubbing their bellies.

She couldn't help but smile; the work had indeed been hard. Now, everyone must be hungry. She stopped them from just standing around and began organizing everyone to wash hands and get ready for the meal.

Old Mrs. Xu, enticed by the aroma of stir-fried pork with wild garlic, couldn't help but feel her appetite stirred. After nine days of dry rations on the road, and only occasionally preparing hot meals or roasting meat, nothing compared to a dish cooked with a proper stove and seasonings, especially wild garlic, which was appetizing just by its smell.

She raised a concern to A-Luo, "When we cook here, the smell won’t travel outside, will it?"

A-Luo looked up and shook her head, "It shouldn’t. Our valley is deep and narrow, surrounded by lots of trees on both sides. The smell will dissipate before it rises up."

The spread of scent relies on air movement and can be obstructed and absorbed by barriers like trees. The valley’s conditions provide good protection.

Old Mrs. Xu also looked upwards, noticing the towering mountains around them. She agreed with A-Luo, feeling relieved and happily ready for the meal.

After a full afternoon of physical labor, three pots of delicious dishes, including fresh vegetables and fragrant stir-fried pork with wild garlic, were more than welcome. Not just for A-Luo and the village children, but even for the usually light-eaters of the Xu family, who heartily finished large bowls of food.

Impressive!

If it weren't for the fact that they were seeking refuge and needed to conserve food, unsure of how long they would need to hide in the mountains, everyone would have loved a second serving. The need to save food and the fact that eating too much for dinner wasn’t advisable, were the only things holding them back.