novelraw Chapter 56 Chopping wood is a form of physical exercise.
Chapter 56 Chopping wood is a form of physical exercise.
"Why are you back so late? Who did you have lunch at?" Tong Jiahui was already anxious. When she saw her two daughters, one big and one small, return, she hurriedly asked what had happened.
"We ate at Aunt Cheng's house. We went to Uncle Zhang's house first. Aunt Miao made a pair of shoes for each of us and also bought you a blue headscarf. Let me show you!" Tong Yuheng hurriedly took the two baskets off the back seat.
"Aunt Miao asked me to bring these back, and Aunt Cheng asked me to bring these back. Aunt Cheng brought some braised pork, dried mushrooms, and wood ear fungus."
"Mom, let me tell you, Aunt Cheng's mentally challenged brother drank poison thinking it was soda and almost died..."
Tong Yuqi began to recount the thrilling events that had occurred that day, and Tong Jiahui also became worried.
"Yuheng, did you induce vomiting in that child? How is he now? Is he still hospitalized in the county?"
"Xiao Jun is alright now, don't worry. Xiao Qi, why are you making fun of Xiao Jun? Children don't know danger; it's the adults who weren't careful. Xiao Jun isn't a silly little brother!"
"Alright, I'll teach him to be smarter from now on. Neither of his older brothers knew there was poison in the soda bottle; Aunt Cheng is too careless."
"Yes, Aunt Cheng was too careless in this matter. You all need to remember, don't pick up things to eat casually, and don't eat anything given to you by villagers."
"Okay, Mom, we'll be careful! Big sister, what are we doing this afternoon?"
Xiao Wu Yu Han asked, having just finished browsing the market that morning, she hadn't had enough fun and didn't know what else to do. This place wasn't like Yan City, where you could go ice skating, read in the library, or play with friends.
Before coming here, they were repeatedly told that because they needed to keep in close contact with their maternal grandfather's family, they should not get too close to the people in the village.
"You'll all come with me to gather firewood in the woods a few miles away! From now on, our family will be getting used to rural life!"
"Okay! Big sister, do you have a machete?" Yuyao also noticed this.
There were some dry branches in the woodshed, which she assumed were left by the previous inhabitants. She was even planning to ask when they would be gathering some firewood.
"Yes, I've prepared two. I'll go to the village secretary's house and the brigade leader's house to borrow one each. We'll chop firewood, and Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi will organize and bundle it."
Tong Yuheng quickly arranged the tasks, emphasizing that everyone should have something to do and no one should be idle.
Tong Jiahui stayed home, closing the door to prepare ingredients for tomorrow's New Year's Eve dinner. She had grown accustomed to staying home and tending to the stove these days, not working.
No more writing reports, making bulletin boards, or posting slogans; life is quite easy now. She knows this is only temporary; spring plowing is heavy physical labor.
She wasn't worried about herself; if she couldn't do it all, she'd just do less. But she was worried about her elderly father, who was already sixty years old and, in addition to being supervised in his labor, also had to undergo regular criticism and education.
Five miles away from Chenjiatun is a fairly wide river, and the fields on the west side of the river belong to their brigade.
A large portion of this area consists of low-yield river valley land, which is flooded every year, resulting in meager harvests. However, this land is not subject to grain tax and belongs to the brigade collectively. The government does not provide seeds for planting; the brigade must purchase the seeds itself.
If the upstream area releases water, this place will be completely flooded, and there will be no harvest. But the production team will plant some corn, beans, or other crops every year, no matter how much, to supplement the harvest.
Every year during the lean season, we distribute these to everyone; they're very useful and can last for several days.
Within this vast flood-prone area, there is a large, unchecked forest, mostly poplar, willow, and elm trees, with some locust trees as well. Because no one manages or prunes it, the branches have grown wildly and unruly.
The trees here don't grow very tall, and there's not much good timber for making furniture. They're all knotted and scarred, so they're only good for firewood.
Villagers from nearby areas can come here to cut tree branches and twigs for firewood, and anyone who finds dead tree roots can dig them up and take them back; there are no restrictions.
Everyone consciously refrained from digging up the living tree roots, only cutting branches or sawing off the crowns to take back for firewood. This was so the trees could regrow the following year; perhaps this is the villagers' most basic and simple manifestation of environmental awareness.
In late autumn, after the village harvests its crops, every household goes to gather firewood, preparing enough for the winter. They cut the wood into strips of equal length, dry them, and stack them up for later use.
The temperature here drops to nearly -20 degrees Celsius in the coldest winters, and it snows frequently. It's too strenuous to chop firewood after it snows.
But Tong Yuheng had no choice. Her family had just arrived, and she hadn't had enough time to gather enough firewood for their needs. Besides, she wanted to send some to her grandfather and grandparents!
The seven girls lined up from oldest to youngest, led by Tong Yuheng, and ran towards the grove of trees five miles away. The four older girls carried baskets, machetes, and ropes, while the three younger girls followed closely behind.
"Are you going to chop firewood? It's getting late. Go after the New Year!" Chen Sanyuan's wife, who lived closest to their house, greeted them when she saw them.
"It's alright, Auntie, we'll be right back!" the children replied. They had already gotten to know the families living nearby.
"The snow over there is thick and untouched by anyone, it's hard to walk on! Why don't you take some firewood from my house for a few days first, and then go and chop firewood after the New Year when it gets warmer? You can pay me back then, right?" Chen Sanyuan's wife said sincerely.
"Thank you, Aunt Sanyuan. We won't take the firewood from your house. We also got some coal, which will be enough to power the stove."
I just took them to see the place. They'd been cooped up at home for the past two days, chopping wood was their way of getting exercise.
Tong Yuheng expressed his gratitude and continued leading his sisters towards the riverbank. The snow in the wild woods was quite thick, but gathering firewood wasn't too difficult.
The branches were all dry and brittle from the frost; some could even be broken. Several large branches were hacked away with knives, and soon a pile of branches lay at the ground.
"Pay attention to the rhythm of your breathing, coordinate your knife-wielding movements with your breathing..." Tong Yuheng instructed them to practice their breathing techniques while chopping wood.
Yu Han, Yu Xuan, and Yu Qi were responsible for gathering the cut branches and bundling them into bundles that they could carry on their backs.
In less than an hour, their wood-chopping task for the day was completed. They each picked out the weight they could carry and carried the firewood home.
Tong Yuheng's bundle was the largest, weighing over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg), but she had an excellent physique. Having used so much spiritual spring water to transform her body, she didn't feel tired at all carrying these bundles.
The sisters also improved their physical condition and became more capable of carrying heavy loads because of using the spiritual spring water.
Xiao Qi carried over 50 jin of firewood on her back. If Tong Yuheng hadn't been worried that the weight would stunt her growth, she would have carried an even 70-jin bundle.
The last bundle was snatched away by Xiao Liu Yu Xuan, and Xiao Qi picked up the smallest one. Pouting, she followed her sister home.