in2ebook Chapter 154: Lots of Joy on the Road
Chapter 154: Lots of Joy on the Road
Those who went out hunting returned to the temporary camp and started eating directly. The men were already starving.
Everyone was surprised to see so many pheasants, rabbits and pheasant eggs.
Hunter Gao ate a sip of wild vegetable soup and a bite of grilled cured fish, and did not forget to share his experience with everyone:
"It's the peak season for pheasants to lay eggs in the mountains now. Use a stick to pull down the grass and bushes while walking. There may be pheasant eggs among them."
After finishing the meal, we started to pack up and set off again. During the journey, we passed by a pine forest, and everyone collected some pine resin along the way.
They used the resin candles for a whole winter and found them easier and more convenient than oil lamps.
Although they were not idle this winter, they were still very tired after walking all day and pushing and carrying so many old things.
However, knowing that there might be pheasant eggs in the grass and bushes, even children would still think about picking up eggs while walking, even though they were so tired.
Shen Erya picked up four more eggs in the bushes, her face flushed with excitement: "I can have wild vegetable and egg soup tonight."
When Shen Youyou heard this, she sighed inwardly. Look, even if they picked up eggs, they didn’t even dare to dream of eating boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or steamed eggs.
At most, I would just think about it and drink some egg soup.
It's not that they were not good at searching for supplies, but that there were too many people. A lot of food could be consumed in one meal, not to mention the hundred or so pheasant eggs that everyone picked up. Even if there were another hundred or so, they would not be enough for each person to cook one.
Shen Dabao also happily added: "With so many of us, it's easy to catch pheasants. Once the chickens see us, they won't be able to find a way to escape."
Even a few little kids followed suit and said, "Brother Yuanbao, did you catch ten chickens?"
Without waiting for Shen Yuanbao to speak, Shen Luming blurted out: "Ding Ding, are you not serious about learning? Not counting the ones caught by Grandpa Gao and the others, we have caught thirteen."
When everyone heard this, they were so happy that they had already caught thirteen of them. It felt like the treatment they received after this trip was totally different from before the New Year.
Ding Ding was not at all silly: "But I counted and there were clearly ten!"
Shen Yuanbao held a pheasant egg in one hand, his face showing an expression that he didn't care about you little guys: "How did you calculate it?"
Ding Ding stretched out her fingers: Brother Dahu caught two, Brother Erzhuang caught two, Brother Dabao caught one, Sister Youyou caught one, Brother Erhu caught three, and Brother Yinzi caught one, that’s ten in total!
Shen Luming pointed at Aunt Mazi and said, "Aunt Mazi also caught one, and the second brother of the Guo family also caught two, so there are thirteen in total."
Then Ding Ding said, but I don’t have any extra fingers!
Shen Youyou was drinking water just now, and was amused by Ding Ding's words. She choked: Cough cough cough!
The funniest thing is, after Ding Ding finished speaking, several little kids nodded in the same way, with ten fingers in total!
Each of them has a cute and silly look on their face, and their bright black eyes are full of innocence.
Shen Yuanbao was also confused: "How about you take off your shoes and count your toes together?"
When Shen Luming heard this, he slapped his forehead with his little fleshy hand and said, "Dad, please teach them some divination. Oh, this is such a headache!"
The little theater of the kids really made Shen Youyou laugh! So interesting!
Shen Daya patted her sister on the back: "Why were you laughing while drinking water? It's okay now. Did you choke?"
Shen Youyou squatted on the ground, holding the water gourd and grinning foolishly. Mainly because she thought it was particularly funny that these little kids would get together for nothing and imitate adults to talk.
"Yoyo, hurry up, don't squat anymore, Third Uncle and the others are walking ahead!"
Daya helplessly pulled Shen Youyou up from the ground and dragged her forward with the team.
The little kids who had teased Shen Youyou like this had already stepped out with their short legs and walked to the front.
Because I have been walking in the mountains for so long and have lived here for so long.
Everyone has adapted to the uneven mountain roads that are covered with various weeds and branches. Even the little kids won't fall easily.
So when we can let the kids walk for a while, we let them walk as a form of exercise.
When they really can't walk, put them in a stroller and push them around, or just carry them on your back.
Fortunately, they made rubber shoes and rubber soles, otherwise my feet would probably be crippled if I had to wear straw sandals on the road.
After a stretch of road with a lot of grass, the trees in this area are relatively dense, and the grass is relatively sparse. Moreover, when pushing a cart, you have to turn around from time to time.
What they dislike most is this kind of dense forest, which is too difficult to walk in.
Moreover, this section is not only densely wooded, but also a sloped road, so everyone walked very carefully step by step.
Shen Zhiqiu took the lead and reminded, "Carry the kids on your backs, don't roll down, there are so many branches and they will bump into each other."
Hunter Gao and Li Quan took a few boys to walk on both sides respectively, and they also had to observe from time to time to see if there were any emergencies.
It was a downhill road with many trees and some uneven gravel. The difficult road would distract most men.
The more you have to be careful at times like this, because if a wild beast suddenly appears, not only will you be unable to protect your family, but you may also cause them irreversible losses.
Seeing the sun gradually setting, Shen Zhiqiu called out:
"Uncle Li, can you guys look for a water source? If there is one, we can start resting today. I think we can't go downhill at night."
"I understand, uncle!"
It took only an incense stick of time for Li Quan to go out and bring his men back, saying that he had found a water source.
What else is there to say? Everyone decided to rest near the new water source.
There is a small stream on the east side, and we checked and found no footprints or feces of large wild animals.
Shen Zhiqiu asked Li Quan to lead the way and called out to everyone: "Let's go, let's go over there to rest. We'll stop here today. While we have time, we can build a wooden frame on the tree so that we won't be afraid of wild animals coming."
Since they were on the road to escape famine, if they couldn't find a cave, they would cut bamboo or trees to build a frame, similar to a platform, because they didn't have enough time to build a tree house.
Sleeping on the wooden frame can, firstly, avoid snakes, insects, rats and ants; secondly, if any wild animals come, they will have a chance to react.
Hearing about the rest, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Leaving the comfortable cave and walking on the mountain road again to escape the famine was more or less exhausting.
Many women also started discussing changing everyone's meals in the evening. They caught a lot of pheasants and stewed them all, and also cooked two pots of egg soup.
The old ladies also said: "It's okay to eat the chicken, and keep the chicken feathers. Sew them into cotton-padded clothes and quilts. They are warmer than cotton."
Even though the weather is gradually getting warmer, it is still quite cold in the morning and at night, and the temperature difference in the mountains is quite large.
Shen Zhiqiu also spoke up immediately, asking them to steam more yam and kudzu root steamed bread, and it would be best if they could also make some dry food for tomorrow's journey.
The stream soon arrived. There was no cave here, but there was a stone wall.
Moreover, the stone wall is uphill 300 meters away from the stream, and there is a stone platform in front.
Just put the cart around the stone wall to make a semicircular protective fence, which is simply a natural shelter for them.
Even the wooden racks are saved, so everyone can cook and rest as soon as possible.