Chapter 73 - 73

Chapter 73 Harvest from the MountainAfter the grain was distributed, everyone went up the mountain again.At this time of year, there are plenty of mountain produce available. Gathering more can help reduce the consumption of food at home during the winter months.Whether they were villagers or educated youth, everyone went up the mountain, making it very lively.Yun Ting didn't stand out. On the first day of the hike, she went with the group, and only gradually dispersed once they reached the top.Hazel mushrooms are quite common in the mountains during this season. They have a delicious flavor and are the top choice for chicken stew with mushrooms. Even if you don't want to kill a chicken, the taste of hazel mushrooms alone is still excellent.Yun Ting picked them all the way, and as she walked, she drifted away from the crowd.With no one following her, she relied on herSupernatural Ability to sense and subsequently found the mushrooms, wild cherries, and hawthorns."Huh... wild grapes..."She picked one and popped it into her mouth. It tasted sweet and sour. Thankfully, this could be used to make wine.I happily accepted them all, and put the extras into my storage space.Following his senses, Yun Ting arrived at a thick, tall oak tree. Inside a hollow in the tree were a pair of monkey head mushrooms, shaped much like monkey heads, as large as millstones, and weighing tens of kilograms. Monkey head mushrooms usually grow in pairs and are a very precious type of fungus.This was the first time Yun Ting had seen the actual product; she had only seen pictures before.We've picked quite a few hazelnuts; they'll be a nice snack during the winter, and we'll also send some home.She does want to eat chicken stewed with chestnuts, but walnuts and chestnuts are not common in the mountains here. Last year she found one tree deep in the mountains, but there weren't many. If she really can't find any, she'll go up the mountain herself another day to pick them.The wild walnuts at this time were not as big as those in later generations; they were a size smaller, and the kernels were quite thick. However, in this era of scarcity, being able to collect a bagful and roast them at home was a rare treat for the children.She had collected quite a bit in her storage space, and her basket was almost full. She planned to catch a wild rabbit before heading down the mountain.The thought had barely crossed her mind when a wild rabbit crashed right in front of her, knocking her unconscious.Yun Ting: "…"What kind of incredible luck does she have?They picked up the rabbit, tied its legs to a vine, put it in their basket, covered the basket with leaves, and then went down the mountain.On the way down the mountain, I also picked up a bundle of firewood to take back with me.We haven't stocked up on enough firewood this year! Thinking about the winter weather here, it's truly freezing.I met Little Tiger on the way and gave him a handful of wild cherries."Thank you, Sister Yun..." He didn't seem very enthusiastic, even though he was usually all smiles when he saw her." Little Tiger, what's wrong?" Yun Ting asked, puzzled." Xiao Jun's grandma is sick," Little Tiger sighed softly." Who is Xiao Jun? Is he your friend? I've never seen him before?"" Xiao Jun usually cuts pig feed to earn work points, or he helps with chores at home. He lives with his grandmother.""Oh! Don't be sad, this is not something a little kid like you should worry about. I'll go talk to the Brigade Leader."Yun Ting first went back to the courtyard, tidied up the things in the basket, and laid out the things that needed to be dried to air them out. Only after she finished did she go to the brigade office to find the brigade leader.If we didn't know, that's fine. But now that we do, we should at least tell the Brigade Leader. From what Little Tiger said, Xiao Jun only has his grandmother left at home, and the village should help take care of her if she's in trouble."Captain Uncle…" Yun Ting knocked on the door and peeked inside.Only the Brigade Leader and Accountant were in the brigade office at the moment. As soon as she spoke, they both looked towards the door." Uncle Accountant is here too! Hehe..."Accountant's name was Li Deming, and hesmiled and nodded at Yun Ting."Hey girl, what's up?" Brigade Leader asked her.Yun Ting walked in, pulled up a chair without ceremony, and began to explain her purpose: "I ran into Little Tiger on the street just now. He seemed unhappy, so I casually asked him about it. He said that his friend Xiao Jun's grandma was sick. Upon further inquiry, I learned thatXiao Jun only had himself and his grandma at home. So, I thought I would come and talk to you about whether you should go and check on the situation?"Upon hearing this, Brigade Leader and Li Deming's expressions turned serious. They exchanged a glance and said, "Let's go take a look now."Yun Ting thought about it and, since she had nothing else to do at the moment, decided to go and take a look.She followed the Brigade Leader andAccountant toward the west end of the village. From a distance, she could see the low, sloping mud-brick house.Brigade Leader pushed open the creaking wooden door. The woodpile in the yard wasn't stacked properly yet, and a few thin branches were tumbling around in the wind. " Aunt Yao? Is she home?" he called out, but there was no answer from inside, only a faint cough, barely audible."He's inside!" A childish voice came from inside, probably Xiao Jun.Li Accountant lifted the curtain, and a gust of cold air mixed with a faint smell of medicine wafted out. Yun Ting followed her in, her eyes first blurred by the darkness of the room—the window paper was thickly pasted, blocking out the sunlight, and she could only vaguely see a person huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed).A little child, about five or six years old, stood by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket that was too big for him to walk on. His little hand was clutching his grandmother's thin, withered wrist that was sticking out of the quilt. Hearing the noise, he timidly looked up, his face red from the cold and tears still clinging to his eyelashes.The old man, called Aunt Yao, struggled to open his eyes. His cloudy eyes rolled around, and when he saw the person who had come, he tried to sit up, but a violent cough pressed down on his chest. "Brigade Leader..." His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper, and he had to catch his breath after each word.Yun Ting then realized that she had met Aunt Yao before, but she didn't know about her family situation.The old woman's cheekbones were prominently protruding, but her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red. Under the thin blanket, her body seemed to have shrunk even more since the last time he saw her. Accountant Li walked to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and looked at the old woman, sighing, "Auntie, are you cold? Why didn't you say so sooner?"Xiao Jun timidly moved closer to his grandmother and whispered, "Grandma said...it's nothing...I coughed all night last night..." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes reddened again. He gently patted his grandmother's back with his little hand, imitating her movements perfectly, yet revealing a maturity beyond his years.Yun Ting felt uneasy seeing this. She reached out and touched Xiao Jun's head, finding it ice-cold. She asked softly, "Are you cold when you sleep at night?"Xiao Jun nodded, then quickly shook his head, glancing at his grandmother, afraid she would worry.The Brigade Leader told the old man that the team's barefoot doctor would come and take a look later, and that the team would help as much as they could. The old man nodded repeatedly, his cough punctuated by sobs.The wind was still howling outside the window, and the air inside the room was cold and heavy."I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything with me. I'll bring it to you in a bit.""I...cough...I can't...cough." Aunt Yao was coughing so badly that she couldn't even speak properly, which was heartbreaking to hear." Xiao Jun, is there any hot water? Let Grandma have some," Yun Ting asked."Yes, here it is." Xiao Jun carefully brought over a chipped earthenware pot.Yun Ting quickly took it, and Xiao Jun ran to get another bowl. Yun Ting poured out some hot water and gave it to Grandma Yao to drink.Grandma Yao calmed down a bit and smiled at Yun Ting.