Farming Beneath the Changbai Mountains

Jinghan and her sister were sitting in the room, and her sister Jingya chatted with her. The mother's voice came from outside: "Dad, how far have you traveled? Why are you coming back now? Well, I have gained a lot today. There are pheasants, rabbits, and roe deer. This is great. , In addition to eating at home, the roe deer can also be sold for two yuan." Mr. Xue was very happy.

"Everyone near our village was beaten. I ran all the way to fight back. Is the food ready? I'm really hungry." Jinghan's father said.

"The boss is back. The food is ready. Let's eat quickly. It's time to be hungry today." Jinghan's grandma felt very distressed when she saw her son coming back, and hurriedly started to eat. "Second daughter-in-law, what are you doing here? Hurry up and bring the children over to eat. First daughter-in-law, please call Jinghan and Jingya out too. I think Jinghan is fine. Let's eat together. Still lively.”

"Hey, mother, I'm going to call you right away." Ms. Xue entered the room, "Jingya, Jinghan, we're going to the ground to eat. Jingya, please help my sister, she's getting better."

Jingya got off the ground first, then reached out to support Jinghan and helped her put on her shoes. Both of them came to the east room, where there were two tables, one on the kang and one on the floor. There was an old man sitting on the kang, who must be Jinghan's grandfather, and the old lady was also on the kang. There is also a woman, who is in her late twenties, not ugly, but her expression always makes her feel as if someone owes her money. This is the second aunt. There was also a man, probably in his thirties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and an upturned corner of his mouth that made people feel like he was smiling even if he didn't speak. This is Jinghan’s father, Xu Zhixin.

There were two other people, Jinghan's fifth uncle and little aunt. The little aunt looked in bad health, her face was a little pale and bloodless.

At this table on the floor, there are sisters Jinghan and two boys. They are the sons of the second uncle's family.

On the table was a small pot of stewed dried shredded beans and a plate of mustard pickles, cut into pieces. The staple food is corn tortillas. In front of Jinghan, there is a small pot of chicken soup.

"Okay, let's all eat. Boss and daughter-in-law, you can sit wherever you like. Eat quickly." The old lady said, "Jinghan, drink the chicken soup. You are very ill and need to take good care of yourself." repair."

Jinghan took out a small bowl in a small bowl, and asked her sister to help carry the rest to the table on the kang, "Master, milk, you guys also have some to drink, and my sister-in-law, she is weak, I'm fine." , It’ll be fine in two days. “As a new arrival, although I have some memories of the original owner, it’s better to be careful with some things. The family seems quite friendly, so it would be right to please the old man properly.

Grandma put the chicken soup in front of my sister-in-law, "Huixin, you can drink some too. This is your niece's filial piety. This girl Jinghan has been good friends with you since she was a child, so it's not in vain that you love her." After I came out, my health was not good, I had some minor problems every three days, and everyone was used to it.

"Mom, eldest brother came back with a lot of food today. Can we make something delicious tomorrow?" Second Aunt Wei looked at the chicken soup and said.

"Eat, eat, eat, you know how to eat. We still have the fifth child in our family who has not yet mentioned his wife. This fall, the fifth child will have to take the provincial examination. What does nothing cost money? If you have eaten, what can you exchange for money?" The old lady said blankly. The daughter-in-law glanced at her, and then said to her eldest son: "Boss, sell the roe deer tomorrow, and keep the rabbit and chicken. It's almost Qingming Festival, and the third and fourth sons must come back and make some food by then. We haven't had anything for a while. It’s a bit oily, so it’s time to get something to eat.”

"Hey, mother, I understand. It's time to make a shed on the mountain. I have to ask Lao Wu to help me build the shed in two days. Thanks to last year, the pillars were smashed. I just need to nail the top Just go ahead." Xu Zhixin took a bite of the pancake and then said.

"Boss, I'll go with you in two days. There's a lot of work in spring, so we have to hurry up. In addition to farming, we also need to plant, and the corn roots in the ground should also be dug up." The old man also came out. Sounded.

Jinghan drank the chicken soup silently, and then ate some pancakes. The corn pancakes were so thick that it made her throat ache a bit. I swallowed the pancake hard, and then quickly ate some shredded beans. The original owner was just an eight-year-old girl who didn't understand many things. In her memory, she only had these people in her family, and the rest was not clear. Jinghan just listened to her father's words and found out that this place is where ginseng is grown. Ginseng is called Bangchui in local dialect. Listening to this, ginseng cultivation has begun. Which dynasty is this? Looking at the clothes, it doesn’t look like the Qing Dynasty. Could it be the Ming Dynasty? This issue needs to be studied slowly. Looking at the food this family eats, you can tell that life is not going well. In the memory of the original owner, there are still two uncles, one is teaching in the town, and the other is an apprentice in a pharmacy in the county. They must be living a good life, right? How strange.

Before the meal was finished, there was a sound outside. Wenchang ran out and took a look, "Master, grandma, it's Uncle Lin's here."

Three people came in from outside, an adult leading two children. The older one is about ten years old and the younger one is five or six years old. They are both boys. "Uncle Xu, Auntie, I've been out for the past few days and haven't been at home. I don't know that your Jinghan got seriously ill in order to save my Ziwen. No, I just came back and came to see Jinghan." The man was still carrying something in his hand and put it on the kang. "Uncle, this is my heartfelt wish, don't take it too little. If it weren't for Jinghan, our family Ziwen might have been washed away by the water. As a result, Jinghan got sick. Ziwen, why don't you go over and thank you. Sister Jinghan.”

The little boy came to Jinghan and said, "Sister, thank you. I made you sick." The little boy scratched his head in embarrassment.

Jinghan touched his little head and said, "Don't ever go to the river in the future." In fact, Jinghan thought about it now, and it was quite dangerous. I am just an eight-year-old girl, just a little taller than other children of the same age. The water in the river is not very deep, it only reaches Jinghan's thighs, but for a five-year-old child, it is as deep as her waist. At that time, Jinghan saw two little guys running into the water, staggering, so she didn't care about anything, went straight into the water, and pulled the two people out.

The older boy next to him also spoke, "Sister Jinghan, I'm sorry, Ziwen is too naughty. Thank you for saving him." This boy has a handsome face and a gentle manner.

In Jinghan's memory, there really is this person. His name is Lin Zixuan, and he is Lin Ziwen's brother. I have been close friends with Jinghan's brother since I was a child. The two of them have always been together, and now they are studying together. "Brother Zixuan, you're welcome. This is what I should do. It's because my body is a little weak that I have a fever." Jinghan said with a smile.

Lin Zixuan was startled, feeling that the girl in front of him was a little different. In the past, Xu Jinghan was a very wild little girl. She was a tomboy who followed them up the mountains and down the river all day long. How else could she dare to go into the water to save people? It’s not like Hu Jin has come up again. But the way he looks now, he is very quiet, probably because he has just recovered from a serious illness. Zixuan didn't care, but felt very guilty. If it weren't for her younger brother, how could Jinghan be sick? "By the way, Wenhan has been in town for a few days, why aren't you back yet?"

Jinghan really didn't know about this, so she couldn't answer it, so she just looked at her sister to the side. Jingya heard the conversation between the two people on the side and said, "It's time to come back. The day after tomorrow is Qingming Festival. Fourth uncle and the others are also coming back, maybe together."

Zixuan nodded and said nothing more. Jingya and Jinghan have two different personalities. Jingya has been quiet since she was a child and never plays with them. But Jinghan is different. She follows Wenhan and Zixuan all day long, and when they walk away, they can never pull her away. So when Zixuan faced Jinghan, he felt very cordial. "Jinghan, when you are well, I will take you to dig out the bird's nest. This is the time when the bird lays its eggs."

"Brother Zixuan, let's not dig out bird eggs. Those birds are quite pitiful. If we dig out the eggs, they won't have any chicks anymore." Going up the tree to dig out birds was something we often did when we were children in our previous lives, but , and when I got older, I rarely did that anymore. Although she has some memories of the original owner, they are not complete and she still doesn't know much about the original owner's character. So I didn't dare to agree to anything easily. I could only pretend to understand it for a while before saying anything.

Zixuan was stunned again. If he said this before, Jinghan would jump up with joy. What happened? Looking at Jinghan doubtfully.

Jinghan saw Zixuan's inquiring eyes, and her heart trembled. Could it be that she had exposed a flaw? No, no one else said anything. After thinking about it, he said: "Brother Zixuan, I am eight years old now, so naturally I can't play like crazy all day long like before. Mom said, it's time for me to learn some needlework or something." That was an explanation.

Ms. Xue next to her laughed when she heard this: "You girl, you don't want to listen to me no matter what I say to you, but now you are willing to do it. Well, let's learn to do it with your sister tomorrow. Come on, you’re eight years old, it’s time to learn needlework.”

The doubts in Zixuan's heart were temporarily put aside. Yes, as a girl gets older, it is inevitable that she will be different from when she was a child. "It's good to learn more. You can always use it in the future."

It happened that Lin Zixuan's father and Mr. Xu had finished chatting and were about to take their children home. "Uncle Xu, it's getting late. It's time to go to bed. We'll go back now. We still have to work tomorrow. The sheds are all empty these days." It's time to do it. People are busy in spring, okay, no need to send them off. "Zixuan, Ziwen, let's go." After that, the father and son left, and Xu Zhixin followed them outside the gate.

After the guests left, Mr. Xue and Mr. Wei cleared the table, and then everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Jinghan lived in the same room as Jingya. Jinghan slept a lot during the day and couldn't sleep, so she rolled back and forth. Jingya heard it and said, "Little sister, go to bed quickly, we have to get up early tomorrow."