Chapter 142

After the sun set, the patriarch called the village together.

"We're not moving, we're in the summer!" The patriarch stressed, "when it's not the hottest time, dig the cave and move everyone to live in it. If it's cool, there won't be so many people suffering from heatstroke all day long. The most important thing is that it's convenient to get water in the future. After summer, we can move back according to the situation."

As soon as the patriarch's words came out, everyone began to talk about them.

someone stood up and said, "the patriarch is able to live near the water. Of course, it is good. Digging a cave is a big project. It is not a matter of two shovel. It is necessary to prevent collapse and moisture-proof ventilation. Who has this experience and skills?"

Everyone looked at each other.

The clan leader said: "we have no experience in digging caves, but fortunately I know how to do it. We can have a try. If we do, we can have a better summer. Now that there is a plague in the village, the best way is to live in another place. Otherwise, there are so many flies and mosquitoes all day long that it is impossible to prevent them. "

They are afraid of flies and mosquitoes. In order to deal with them, they don't dare to sleep too much at night. Every time they cook, they have to be watched by the whole family. When they are ready, they eat them as soon as possible. They don't give the flies a chance to take advantage of them.

There are many advantages to living in a cave. The patriarch then said, "and I have a more important thing to talk about."

"What's the matter?" They asked in doubt.

The patriarch said with a smile: "thanks to Xu Qing's idea of living in the cave, we have a chance to grow food! We can only eat food until autumn at most. Have you ever thought about how to live in winter? If it doesn't rain all the time, we'll starve to death even if we have water. "

As soon as we heard of a kind of grain, everyone got excited and urged the patriarch to tell us what was going on.

The patriarch said, "if we dig a cave, there will be a lot of soil. Don't throw away the soil. Clear the stones and sundries inside and put them in bamboo baskets."

With that, the patriarch took a bamboo basket from Li Jingdi and explained to everyone, "for example, this kind of bamboo basket with large caliber is padded with a layer of grass mat to prevent soil leakage. After the soil is filled, it is planted with fast-growing grains such as sweet potato, potato and green vegetables. Sooner or later, it will be moved out to bask in the sun, watered, and then moved back to the cave at night. Do you think it is feasible?"

We are all good at growing grain. The patriarch just gave us a general idea, and we soon understood how to do it.

At this time, the villagers can not help but praise the idea in their hearts!

Why didn't they expect to grow vegetables in bamboo baskets before?!

Yes, absolutely!

The patriarch saw everyone whispering one by one and looked happy. He asked, "do you have sweet potato and potato seeds at home?"

Some people shook their heads in embarrassment.

"Can't you plant something else?" Someone asked.

The patriarch said: "you say, who cares what you want to grow? The question is, can your family's food last until then? As we all know, sweet potatoes and potatoes grow fast and can be sown repeatedly. The most important thing is to fill your stomach! In the past, we didn't like foreign potatoes. We can't get used to the food from outside, but now some of them are good. "

Everyone nodded and felt reasonable.

The patriarch then said, "I suggest that the cave where the bamboo baskets are put should be dug on the opposite side. I don't know how big the cave can be dug. No matter how big the cave is, it can't put too many bamboo baskets. Therefore, according to the population of each family, there are three bamboo baskets for men, two for women, and two for old people and children. Let's make a decision first."

People realized that for a long time, they would have to tighten their belts. Fortunately, they could still grow food. At least they would not die of hunger.

"Now that there are potatoes and sweet potatoes, you can cover them up and realize that they will sprout. When the time comes, people who don't have them will exchange food with others. But don't worry too much. " The patriarch said, "Xu Qing said that she has 100 Jin potatoes and 100 Jin sweet potatoes. When she returns to her hair, everyone can exchange them for food. Her family can't grow so much. Her family has a lot of miscellaneous food and less staple food. It's just the right time to exchange them with you."

"Really, that's great!"

"Fortunately, Xu Qing bought so many grains for making cakes before."

People happily tunnel, this time who will love that little grain, of course, is the grain is important!

"Patriarch, what's the price?"

The patriarch said, "Xu Qing said that a kilo of potatoes with buds will be exchanged for a kilo and a half of rice, and a kilo of sweet potatoes with buds will be exchanged for a kilo and a half of rice."

People can't help but feel happy when they hear that. The price is very affordable!

Although potatoes and sweet potatoes are coarse cereals, they usually sell at the same price as rice.

Xu Qing: This is a potato with buds. It has no dormancy period and can be planted directly. It's natural that it's more expensive. Even if you go to the seed shop, it's almost the same price.

The bamboo basket is so big that a jin of potatoes with buds can only grow two baskets, and it doesn't cost much food.

The patriarch said, "don't worry. In a few days, Xu Qing will bring the potatoes and sweet potatoes to the ancestral hall. You can exchange them with rice. Don't worry about planting too little. Let's plant it first. When we have time, we'll dig two more holes. Then we can plant more grain. What's more, we have to dig out the cave first! "We all know this, so when the patriarch finished, no one had a problem.

The next step is the division of labor. Men are responsible for digging holes and transporting soil, cutting trees and cutting wood to prevent collapse. Women are responsible for cleaning up the debris in the soil, cutting bamboo and weaving bamboo baskets and straw mats. They can also take out ready-made baskets or bamboo baskets at home.

When we have hope in life, we all work hard.

"The three Zhangs are back!"

When someone yelled in the village, many people immediately pointed out their heads.

"Zhang San's family is not on the run. How did they come back?"

"Go and have a look."

We are not all concerned about Zhang San's family, but we want to know what is going on outside after Zhang San has been out for so long.

Zhang San and his family appeared at the entrance of the village in disgrace. At the beginning, they did not dare to enter the village. They looked at each other for a long time. They did not dare to recognize each other until they saw their acquaintances.

The family came home crying, with nothing on them but two rags. The two children were so hungry that they couldn't even walk steadily.

Neighbors carrying water in the past, the patriarch also came.

"Zhang San, how did your family become like this? What happened? " Asked the patriarch, frowning.

Zhang sanputong knelt down in front of the patriarch. An old man wailed: "patriarch, we almost died! There are so many bandits outside! All my father-in-law's villages have been killed by mountain bandits! "

Everyone's heart thumped. Zhang San's father-in-law's family was only a hundred li away from them!