Chapter 711: Fleeing Famine 16
Geng Dalin plopped down on the field ridge, looked at the field mouse in the basket, then at the packed sack of grains, and murmured, "Oh my, so much grain, how did this field mouse gather it all?"
"Field mice are smart indeed."
Yuan Chun directed Geng Dalin to dig another field mouse nest, this time the mouse they dug out was even bigger than the last one, but it hadn’t hidden as much grain.
Still over thirty pounds.
Then, under Yuan Chun’s sharp eye, Geng Dalin and Sun Chunfeng consecutively dug out five field mouse nests, extracting over one hundred and thirty pounds of rice.
Along with the rice dug out earlier, there was a full two hundred pounds.
Looking at the six large bags all filled with grain, the members of the Geng family were very pleased.
Geng Dalin and Sun Chunfeng dragged the grain to the entrance of the brigade office, using a grinder to mill the grains.
The husks were also ground finely into a powder.
Geng Dalin said to Yuan Chun, "Mom, although we’ve gotten so much grain from the field mouse nests, there will come a day when it’s all gone. I was thinking that from now on, we should cook two pots of rice, one pot of white rice for you and the kids, and another pot of mixed grain rice, with the white rice mixed with husks, for Chunfeng and me. We’re strong enough to eat more coarse grains, and it will save a lot of food."
Sun Chunfeng laughed beside him, "Mom, you should listen to Dalin. Chunfeng and I will eat more coarse grains, which will save more fine grains for you and the kids."
Yuan Chun glanced at the bag of husks, saying, "Let’s keep these husks for now. Tomorrow I’ll go to the county to see if there’s anyone selling chicks. We’ll buy a few to raise; the kids are growing and can’t just eat rice alone. We need some eggs to supplement their nutrition."
"Mom, everyone’s so hungry they’re fleeing to beg. How could anyone still have chicks to sell?" Geng Dalin said confusedly.
Yuan Chun slapped him on the back of the head, "You think everyone is like us farmers, who would starve to death if we didn’t flee?"
"Our village people, without food, staying means a dead end, so they flee. But city people have jobs, even if food is scarce, they won’t starve to death; they just get less, enough to not go hungry or starve."
"Besides, people with jobs can’t just leave whenever they want."
Yuan Chun scooped out a gourd full of water, washed her face, then called the kids and Geng Dalin’s family to come wash, "You’re all covered in sweat and stink, today you should wash well, don’t worry about not having water to drink. As long as I’m here, you won’t lack water."
If they don’t wash, they’d smell the sour odor even while eating, how could she live and dine together with them?
Geng Dalin’s face drooped, "Mom, water is precious, I won’t wash, let the kids and Chunfeng wash."
Yuan Chun pushed him, scolding, "Go wash now, or tonight you won’t eat if you don’t wash off that sour stink."
Geng Dalin hurriedly replied, "Mom, I’ll wash, don’t be mad."
Yuan Chun prepared two buckets of water for everyone to wash thoroughly inside and out; it’s not that she’s unwilling to use more water, it’s just that they begrudged using any.
They shared a bucket of water to rinse once, then another to clean thoroughly, and they were unwilling to waste the remaining water, saving it to wash their feet and hands tomorrow.
Yuan Chun frowned in disdain, but she understood their reluctance to waste water during a drought.