Chapter 101: Joining the Xu Family Village (Second Update)
ted on the west side. It's past its flowering season now and has produced quite a few fruits. On the east side there's a paulownia tree with a wide canopy and lush foliage. It shows no signs of being...This evening, the village was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Every household was piled high with acorns. Even the poorest households had at least two or three hundred pounds, and those with larger populations could have as many as five or six hundred pounds. Of course, after processing, peeling and removing the core, there would be no more than half left. Even so, the villagers were very content. It was like finding a pie falling from the sky – they were happy to get something for nothing.
This evening's meal, they dared to eat with gusto. The steamed buns made from acorn flour, while not as palatable as other grains, were a welcome change from the previous bitter and unappetizing kind that even pigs wouldn't touch. Now, this flavor was a delightful surprise. Not to mention, there was also an acorn tofu dish, which could even be called delicious.
After a good meal, everyone was too busy to rest, not even stopping to listen to the story of Journey to the West. With the moonlight bright and the fire burning merrily, they all busied themselves shelling walnuts. Hundreds of pounds of them! Shelling them was certainly a huge task, and it had to be done quickly. The grinding afterwards was also a hassle. They had fled their homes and hadn't brought a millstone with them, so they could only use a mortar and pestle, slowly crushing the nuts. It was slow going, but there was no other way.
On the contrary, some people saw the ingenuity of that small trailer and went to Xu Huaiyi to learn how to make it.
There are these small trailers, and when it's time to leave, they can carry more stuff on the road.
Seeing this, others also came over to take a look.
Xu Huaiyi is always generous when it comes to sharing his knowledge, so he readily taught the villagers how to make durable and sturdy items, emphasizing methods that save effort.
The villagers learned with earnestness, and upon returning home, they eagerly sought out materials. That night, few people went to bed early; everyone was so busy that they only lay down when they were too exhausted to continue.
The snoring at night is louder than usual.
Xu Huaiyi couldn't sleep soundly. He got up and walked around as usual, the villagers all lived in the courtyard, surrounded by stone walls on all sides. It should be much safer this way, but he still couldn't fully rest his mind.
Especially thinking about the two things hidden in the RV, thinking that this place was once stained with blood and killing, even after years, he still treated it calmly, but these things couldn't be told to the villagers, otherwise they would definitely cause panic, so he could only bear it alone.
The next day, before dawn, some villagers were so eager that they went up the mountain. They were as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood. Some were so tired that they couldn't even lift their legs and wanted to rest for half a day. However, they were urged by their families and seeing the hardworking ones setting an example, they could only grit their teeth and continue picking acorns with a wilted spirit.
But obviously, today every household isn't as anxious and eager as yesterday.
This is what it means to have food and not worry.
Xu Huaiyi simply didn't go, giving himself a day off. But it wasn't like he did nothing. He soaked acorns all night yesterday. After drying them, he still had to shell and grind them into powder. These small tasks are extremely time-consuming.
When Xu, the village head, arrived, he saw Xu Huaiyi sitting on a mat, leisurely pushing a small stone mill, as if it were a toy.
Gu Xiaoyu shelled the walnuts, he ground them, the two of them worked together very tacitly.
Gu Huanxi was smashing walnuts, calculating how to get the kernels out. She planned to use them with jujubes and eggs, add some flour, and bake them into cookies. They would be delicious and light for the journey. Otherwise, when they left, there were too many heavy things to carry. The mule couldn't handle it.
"Village head, didn't you go either"
"Yes, I'm getting old. My legs can't keep up anymore. Let me rest for a while and see how I feel this afternoon..."
The two of them exchanged pleasantries, but in their hearts, they both knew the truth. Because neither of their families lacked food, even if they didn't gather acorns, they could safely make it to the capital city. So there was truly no need to go through such hardship and suffering.
"You have a pretty good little millstone here..."
"Oh, it's alright. Just something to get by with on the road." The stone mill was brought out from the RV, only about twenty centimeters in size, very convenient to use, just can't grind too much stuff.
"The little cart you taught everyone to make yesterday night is pretty useful. I see they are all using it today, saving some effort. Their shoulders and waist feel much better now."
"I'm just rambling. I can't take care of much, at most maybe carrying an extra hundred or eighty pounds on the road. If it's too heavy, I can't pull it."
"That's great! It worked!" said Xu, the village head.
One hundred and eighty catties, you should eat sparingly. It's enough for one person to eat for several months.
Xu Huaiyi smiled nonchalantly and changed the subject, "Uncle Village Head, as everyone is collecting nuts like this, there won't be any left on the mountain in two days. However, I reckon we should have enough to eat..."
Xu, the village head, nodded in agreement. It's more than enough to eat; there will even be some left over.
"Look, after we've finished beating the acorns, shouldn't we organize some people to hunt a few wild boars to satisfy our cravings Eating only acorn flour won't build any strength."
Xu Chang was stunned for a moment, then after coming to his senses, excitedly said, "That's great! This is a good idea. We have a lot of people, so we're not afraid even if we encounter wild pigs. Let's do it that way!"
Two people were discussing how to hunt wild boars when a young boy ran up to them, shouting, “Village chief, someone is looking for you…”
"Who is it"
"Unfamiliar..."
If a child is unknown, then they are not from their Xujia Village.
Village head Xu's face grew grave as he sought advice from Xu Huaiyi, "Could it be those refugees following behind us I don't know what they want. Should we go meet them"
Xu Huaiyi pondered for a moment and said, "Since they've come looking for us, it's best to meet them. We need to hear what they have in mind so we can respond accordingly."
Xu Cun Chang frowned and left.
Xu Huaiyi muttered to himself, "Could it be that someone else is selling their daughter again"
This time, he was wrong. The other party's appetite was far greater than selling their daughter.
In a quarter of an hour, Village Chief Xu came back. His face didn't look good. Seeing this, Xu Huaiyi knew the other party hadn't said anything good.
As expected, Village Head Xu blurted out, "Damn those refugees! They want to join our village and march with us They sound sweet when they talk, saying they'll listen to us, do any work we give them, and even rush to the front lines if there's danger. I wouldn't believe it if you paid me. They're just eyeing our grain stores and trying to take advantage of us!"
After scolding him, he still couldn't understand and said, "You followed us for seven or eight days before, why are you now unable to hold it in and having these shameless thoughts"
Xu Huaiyi nodded knowingly, “Because they saw us going back and forth carrying acorns, knowing that we have a way to process them for consumption. They were naturally moved. There are oak trees all over the mountains, of course they could go pick them too, but deep down, they feared us and didn't dare openly fight us, so they proposed this agreement with Xujiacun. As long as you agree here, they won’t have to worry about anything else.”
Xu Cunzhang frowned, "So, was that just a test"
Xu Huaiyi said, "That's about right. You just refused, didn't you"
"The village head immediately replied, "We definitely have to refuse! Who knows what kind of people they are If they get into our village, they'll cause trouble. Who would be responsible for that"
Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi thoughtfully said, "Then we should be more careful in the future."
Xu Chuang's face changed, "They dare to turn their backs on us"
Xu Huaiyi gave a meaningful reminder, "On the surface, they dare not, because their strength doesn't match ours. Even if they resent us in their hearts, they won't seek their own destruction. But behind the scenes, who knows what underhanded tactics they might employ"d in response, but still recorded this heavy debt of gratitude. "Doctor Jiao, are you really willing to print the medical books into volumes for all doctors to study"Gu Huan nodded, "Dr. Jiao's charac...