Chapter 63

Ha ha, I changed my name again. Everyone says this name is the best. Please continue to support me as you always have!

Kudzu vines grow on every mountain and are indispensable in today's rural areas, mainly used for tying things, such as when cutting firewood in the mountains, you can cut a couple of vines to use as ropes. In spring, some people pinch the tender leaves from the vines to feed pigs, and others, when suffering from severe toothaches, dig up a few pieces of kudzu roots to hold in their mouths.

This thing, which even pigs don't like to eat now, later seemed to be developed into many health foods.

After walking not far, there was a large patch of kudzu at the foot of the mountain. Feng Yiping, who was walking behind, held back the two people in front, "Wait a moment."

The two turned around, "What now?" Feng Hongbing was very impatient.

Feng Yiping didn't say anything. He picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them onto the kudzu, "Let's hit it a few times. I'm afraid there might be snakes inside."

This made even Feng Haitao laugh, "That would be great. We can catch them and make soup."

Feng Hongbing flicked the spring knife in his hand—the only sharp tool in their luggage—and looked at Feng Yiping, "Yiping, why do I find you getting more and more timid?"

Feng Yiping didn't argue but still followed them. He was naturally afraid of snakes. Every time he took his son to the zoo, he always stayed far away from the snake exhibits. In animal documentaries, as soon as he saw pythons, he would change the channel.

To put it simply, if he faced a tiger, he might muster the courage to touch its butt, but if he saw a snake, he would only run away.

He remembered that once, when his son was five, he wanted to buy a fake snake toy. Feng Yiping refused, even though it was made of plastic and looked very realistic. His son loved it so much that he cried and threw a tantrum. Zhang Yan, who knew the situation, watched the commotion from the side. In the end, Feng Yiping had to negotiate with his son, "Dad is really afraid of these things, so we won't buy this one. How about we buy something else?"

His son immediately stopped crying and laughing, shouting to find Zhang Yan, "Mom, mom, dad is afraid of snakes." This drew laughter from many people, including the shop assistants.

However, although Feng Hongbing and Feng Haitao spoke lightly, when they approached the kudzu, they both kicked it a few times to make sure there were no snakes. Seeing no movement, they bent down to cut the vines.

They pulled out quite a few and finally cut two that were about ten meters long, neither too old nor too young. Feng Haitao skillfully connected the two, making a rope over thirty meters long, which was enough.

These fresh kudzu vines had thorns that could sting, so Feng Haitao wrapped his pants around his waist and tied the kudzu to his pants. He slid into the water from the edge of the field, dragging a long tail behind him, and swam to the other side amidst everyone's laughter.

The water was indeed swift, but Feng Haitao swam with ease, reaching the other side in a few minutes. He didn't need to cross again and found a large rock on the other side to tie the kudzu. He waved to the others.

Feng Hongbing was the second to enter the water, with his backpack and clothes tied to his back. He swam to the other side along the kudzu and soon reached the other side easily. He stayed on that side while Feng Haitao swam to the middle of the river, holding the kudzu. Feng Wen, who was a weaker swimmer, swam alone without his backpack or clothes. When he reached the middle of the river, Feng Haitao helped him a few times. Then, the other two who could swim were also assisted by Feng Haitao.

After that, Feng Haitao and Feng Hongbing took turns bringing everyone's clothes, backpacks, and shoes to the other side. Finally, the two of them each held one hand and brought Feng Yiping and another person who couldn't swim across the river.

Feng Yiping was the last one. These few minutes were short, but he was lying on his back, sandwiched between the two, unable to move his hands, and only flailing his feet in the water, which was more like splashing. He couldn't swim at all.

The river was indeed swift, and they were often pushed off course. At such times, Feng Haitao would grab the kudzu. As for the water splashing on Feng Yiping's face and the few mouthfuls he accidentally swallowed, there was no time to worry about it.

When they finally crossed the river and stood on solid ground, Feng Yiping felt relieved. Everyone looked at each other and laughed.

Feng Wen said to Feng Yiping, "I told you it was unnecessary. See, nothing happened to anyone."

Feng Haitao said, "It was useful. Compared to before, it was much easier today."

Feng Hongbing also said, "Yes, even though it was just a few pulls, it saved a lot of effort. I think we can do this in the future."

With their agreement, there was no need for Feng Yiping to argue with Feng Wen. He put on his clothes and saw a few adults in the nearby fields, wearing straw raincoats and hats, working in the fields. They must have seen the scene by the river but didn't come to help.

Feng Yiping couldn't help but sigh. In today's rural areas, not only are the children carefree and fearless, but the adults are also very relaxed and don't worry about accidents.

These rural children are truly raised in a free and easy way.

The house had been unoccupied for nearly half a year, and the windows were tightly shut, making it very stuffy. The weather was also hot and humid. As soon as they entered the house, they were drenched in sweat. Dust had seeped into every corner, and there was a thin layer on the table and the stove.

The rain leakage wasn't too bad, with only two severe spots in the kitchen and the main room. The one in the main room had been leaking for a long time, creating a small pit on the ground with water accumulated inside.

Feng Yiping particularly checked the granary built in the kitchen. The granary was built in the corner of the kitchen with a funnel-like opening at the bottom, where a wooden board was inserted. When needed, a sack was placed under the funnel, and the board was removed to let the grain flow out.

Fortunately, the granary hadn't leaked, and there were no rat holes.

The granary had always been the most important place in the house. If Feng Yiping had a fixation on the house, then Feng Zhenchang, who grew up during the special period after the founding of the country, had a deep fixation on food. He often went hungry during his growth years.

Since the house was built when Feng Yiping was in third grade, the granary had always been full of grain. Every autumn, after harvesting, they only processed one basket of rice to eat a few fresh meals, mainly porridge.

The rice from the newly harvested grain, when cooked, tasted similar to old grain, but the porridge made from fresh rice was distinctly different from that made from old grain. Only the rice milled from the newly harvested grain in the first month had a unique fragrance, a natural or harvest flavor. This flavor was something Feng Yiping couldn't find even in the expensive Northeast rice he bought later.

After eating this basket of new rice, the dried grain was added to the granary. The rice they ate afterward was from the old grain stored at the bottom of the granary. Year after year, they ate the grain harvested the previous year, and the next year, they ate the grain harvested that year.

Feng Yiping's second uncle, who had been a stonemason and didn't farm much, was puzzled and once asked Feng Zhenchang, "Why do you arrange it this way, always eating old grain? Why not sell the surplus from this year's harvest?"

Feng Zhenchang, smoking at the time, said, "We work hard all year, and the biggest reward is this granary full of grain. With the current low grain prices, I'm unwilling to sell it."

Mei Qiuping told her brother not to say more. She knew the reason. Some things can't be measured by money. The granary, with three to four thousand pounds of grain, was worth less than two thousand yuan, not enough for a good meal for many people.

But it was the greatest achievement of a farmer's hard work. Looking at the full granary, Feng Zhenchang not only felt a sense of accomplishment but also felt more grounded and motivated.

So, when Feng Yiping came back this time, the most important thing was to check the granary. If the granary was fine, then everything was fine.

Thank you all for your support! Thank you to the book friend Luoma for the tip!

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