HLnovel Chapter 790 Hare
Chapter 790 Hare
Hope in the Age of Famine
In late autumn of 1959, the cold wind swept through Wangjia Village with withered yellow leaves. The leaves of the old locust tree at the entrance of the village had almost fallen off, leaving only bare branches swaying in the wind, as if telling the bleakness and hardship of the village. Zhao Dazhu stood in front of the production team's warehouse with a frown on his face. The warehouse was empty. At this time of year in previous years, the granary should be full of newly harvested grain, but this year, due to drought and insect pests, grain production has dropped sharply, and the rations distributed to each household are pitifully small. He sighed, turned and walked towards his home, thinking about how to spend the next few days. When he pushed open the wooden door of his house, a faint smell of wild vegetable soup hit him. His wife Li Xiulan was busy in front of the stove, cooking the only wild vegetables and cornmeal in the pot. The three children sat at the table, looking at their mother eagerly, and the youngest daughter Xiaofang cried with hunger. "Don't cry, dear, there will be food soon." Li Xiulan suppressed her heartache and coaxed her daughter softly. Seeing her husband coming back, she raised her head, her eyes full of worry: "Dazhu, what should we do? There is only so much food left, and in the days to come..." Zhao Dazhu walked to his wife and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, there will always be a way. Tomorrow I will take everyone to the mountains to look for it. Maybe we can dig some wild vegetables and fruits, and then see if there is a place to hunt." The next morning, before dawn, Zhao Dazhu knocked on the doors of every household in the village. The villagers took farm tools and bamboo baskets and followed him into the mountains. The mountain road was rugged and difficult to walk, but everyone's steps were firm. Along the way, everyone carefully searched every corner, and finally found a large area of wild shepherd's purse on a shady hillside. "Everyone hurry up and dig, move quickly!" Zhao Dazhu gave an order, and the villagers immediately started. After a while, the bamboo baskets were filled with tender green wild shepherd's purse. Just as everyone was about to return, the sharp-eyed Wang Erhu suddenly shouted, "Brother Dazhu, there is a hare over there!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a hare foraging in the grass. Zhao Dazhu signaled everyone to be quiet and approach slowly. He picked up the slingshot in his hand, aimed at the hare, and with a "pop", the slingshot accurately shot the hare's hind leg. After the hare was injured, it wanted to escape, but was surrounded by the villagers with quick eyes and hands, and was finally caught. "Great! There is meat to eat tonight!" The villagers cheered, with long-lost smiles on their faces. Back in the village, Zhao Dazhu distributed the hare to each household. Although each household did not get much meat, it was already a rare delicacy for the hungry villagers. However, wild vegetables and occasional prey are not a long-term solution after all. As the weather got colder and colder, wild vegetables became less and less, and the villagers' lives fell into trouble again. Zhao Dazhu looked at the villagers' increasingly thin faces and felt anxious. He decided to hold a production team meeting to discuss countermeasures with everyone. At the meeting, everyone talked and discussed very heatedly. Some people suggested going to a farther place to find food, and some people suggested exchanging old things at home for food, but neither was feasible. At this time, Mr. Li, an old scholar in the village, spoke up: "I heard that there is something called 'Guanyin soil'. During famine, some people will eat this to satisfy their hunger." "Guanyin soil? Can it be eaten?" The villagers expressed doubts. Mr. Li sighed: "I just heard that this thing is indigestible. Eating too much will cause abdominal distension, constipation, and even life-threatening. But when there is really no other way, it may be able to relieve hunger for a while." Zhao Dazhu pondered for a while and said: "We can't eat this unless it is absolutely necessary. I will think of a way. I will go to the town tomorrow to see if I can find a way." The next day, Zhao Dazhu set off for the town early. The town was also full of signs of famine. The streets were deserted and most of the shops were closed. The few grain stores were crowded with people coming to buy grain, but there was little grain left in the store and the price was ridiculously high. Zhao Dazhu touched the little money in his pocket and shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to return disappointed, he suddenly heard someone say, "The wild chestnuts in the back mountain should be ripe, but it's hard to pick and dangerous." Zhao Dazhu's eyes lit up and he immediately walked towards the back mountain. The road in the back mountain was steeper and full of thorns, but Zhao Dazhu didn't care so much. He climbed up with his hands and feet and finally found a wild chestnut forest. The wild chestnuts were covered with thorns, making it very difficult to pick, but Zhao Dazhu didn't back down. He found a long bamboo pole and hit the branches hard, and the chestnuts fell one after another. His hands and face were scratched by the thorns, but he didn't feel it. After filling two sacks of chestnuts, Zhao Dazhu hurried down the mountain. Back in the village, the villagers were excited to see so many chestnuts. Everyone sat together, peeling chestnuts and discussing how to eat them. Some suggested cooking them, some suggested frying them, and finally decided to cook some for immediate consumption and dry some for storage. Days passed, and the villagers struggled to make ends meet with wild vegetables, occasional prey and wild chestnuts. Zhao Dazhu still led everyone to find food every day. He encouraged everyone: "As long as we are united, there will be no obstacles that we cannot overcome!" Finally, with everyone's persistence and hard work, spring came. Zhao Dazhu led the villagers to reclaim wasteland and planted drought-resistant crops such as corn and sweet potatoes. Everyone took good care of these crops and looked forward to a good harvest in the fall. During those difficult years of famine, the villagers of Wangjia Village supported each other and worked together. Although life was difficult, they never gave up hope. They used their wisdom and sweat to find opportunities in adversity and finally waited for the dawn. Many years later, whenever people talked about that period of time, they would be filled with emotion. The days when they struggled together to have enough food have become the most unforgettable memories in their hearts. At this moment, he suddenly remembered a secret decree left by the late emperor. It was given to him by the late emperor before his death, saying that it should not be opened unless it is absolutely necessary. Xuan Ling took out the secret decree with trembling hands, unfolded it, and saw that it was written on it: If there are treacherous people in power in the court, the "Blood Droplet" can be activated. Xuan Ling knew that the "Blood Droplet" was a mysterious team secretly cultivated by the late emperor, specifically responsible for eradicating forces that threaten the imperial power. He immediately summoned Leng Wuhen, the leader of the "Blood Droplet". Leng Wuhen was dressed in black, with his face masked, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. Xuan Ling handed the secret decree to Leng Wuhen: "I order you to secretly investigate the evidence of Nalanbo's crimes. If necessary, you can kill first and report later!"