Liu Tong took Xu Ran away after lunch. It had only been a few days since Xu Ran had regained consciousness. He didn't think Ran would go up the mountain by himself. With so many beasts on the mountain, would he be able to survive an encounter with any of them?
Just by imagining those scenes, Liu Tong was terrified.
Xu Ran could tell he was worried, so he obediently trailed behind him. Xu Ran began to comfort Liu Tong only when they were alone.
"Don't worry, Tongtong. I'm prepared to deal with it. You should see how much Wu Mei and the others have helped us. We still have a lot of people to feed. I am obliged to do something in return. I'm not going deep into the mountain, and I'm just looking for food on the hill. Have faith in me. I still have to look after you. I'm not going to let anything happen to me.. "
Liu Tong's eyes almost went red when Xu Ran said something so promising. "Ran, it's all my fault," he hugged him and said.
He was patted on the back by Xu Ran "What exactly do you mean? I'm the head of the household. I earn it to my family to provide for them. I won't be going up the mountain alone in the future, dear. Okay, I'll bring you along with me in the future."
"Okay," Liu Tong nodded repeatedly, "Take me with you. I've learned to hunt with my dad, and I'm also familiar with the mountain."
"Alright. I'll go with you." Xu Ran held Liu Tong in his arms tightly and tried to comfort him.
Wu Mei was cleaning up the kitchen at the time. Behind the door, he found a half basket of potatoes. He called Xu An "Come on, Xu An. There's still a half basket of potatoes here, as you can see. Xu Ran has clearly dug a lot of potatoes today in the mountain. It's really a hard job for him."
Looking at the potatoes in the basket, Xu An realized that Xu Ran must be embarrassed to live and eat in their home, so he walked up the mountain alone to work. He paused for a moment before responding, "Let's just munch on the potatoes! Otherwise, Xu Ran would be uncomfortable in living here."
"Fine." Wu Mei agreed readily since his husband said so.
The bamboo was ready in no time. The foundation and construction of the house came next. And these days, Xu Ran was experimenting with different ways to cook potatoes. The potatoes were more popular than brown rice because they were tasty but not greasy.
The house was quickly built due to excellent early preparation work. No materials such as mud or wood were required, and the bamboo was light and tidy. The seven of them collaborated extremely well. In four or five days, the house's structure was completed.
Despite the fact that everything was done in a hurry, the structure was solid and sturdy. It also appeared to be pleasant.
The next step was to retrieve the tiles that Wu Mei had helped in finding. There was a special spot in the village where tiles could be made. The price was not cheap, with each piece costing twenty pence. As a result, Liu Tong's entire savings was spent on tiles.
Another ten days had gone by. It had also been twenty days since Xu Ran had arrived on this world. The house was completed in the end. They would be able to move into the new house once it had been furnished. Xu An helped in the construction of the bamboo bed. The majority of the items in the house were made of bamboo.
Xu Ran didn't build a stove specifically for cooking; instead, he constructed a fire pit out of four stones. His family used to cook in this kind of fire pit when he was a kid. In the winter, it was often easy for people to stay warm by simply sitting around. When cooking, they just needed to hang a jar on a hook. He just made something to lift the lid of the cooking pot.
It wasn't that Xu Ran didn't want to build a stove. They just didn't have any money at the moment, so they had to make do.
All of the tableware, with the exception of the pot, was made of wood. The wooden bowls and Xu An's craftsmanship were both excellent.
Liu Tong went to an elder in the village who knew about the auspicious days and picked a good day to move into the new house in the evening.
In addition to Wu Mei's and the other two families, Xu Ran summoned the village head's family and the elders, who had chosen the fortunate moving day for them. This elder belonged to Xu's clan as well. Grandad the Third was his nickname among the villagers.
Xu Ran did all the cooking on this particular day. The recipes included cordate houttuynia salad and other wild vegetables, despite the lack of potatoes.
He didn't take out the potatoes because he wanted to keep the situation under secrecy. Everyone in the village would tell the truth if the village head was aware of it.
Potatoes were Xu Ran's present way to feed his family. He didn't want to let them known to all.
Xu Zhen travelled to town that day to buy meat and wine. In addition, two large red "happiness" characters were painted on the wooden door of Xu Ran's new home.
And since that day, Xu Ran, who had been a fool for seven years, was no longer stupid. And the rumors about Xu Houcai's family, which had previously been suppressed in the village, began to resurface.
Xu Ran stood at the front door of his own house, gazing affectionately at his tall and strong spouse by his side, as well as his two wonderful children. Looking back over the month he'd been here, he finally felt like he'd found his feet.
The family of four people arrived to the hall on the night that Xu Ran and his family moved into their new home, each holding a wooden stool, to hold a family meeting, primarily about future plans.
Such as making money, eating and changing to another new house...
These were Xu Ran's current goals.
"Ahem..." Xu Ran coughed and then began to speak,
"Tongtong, Tangtang, and Guoguo, our family has moved out here, and while we will have a more difficult time at first, we will no longer be bullied. Are you all excited about this?"
"Very happy!" exclaimed the two children, Liu Tong wearing a soft smile on his face as well.
"That is, in fact, the case. Wu Mei and the other families continue to serve brown rice to us. We won't be able to grow our food this year, so we'll have to come up with other methods."
"What methods?" Liu Tong asked.
"Tongtong, you know. Chili is a popular dish among the locals, but I discovered that there is no chili patse available. Let's just get it done. Chilli is, in any case, plentiful on the mountain. We'll have a wonderful harvest as long as we spend some time on the mountain."
"What are we going to do with the chilli? It's something I'm totally unaware of!" 'How do you make chilli paste?' It was the first time Liu Tong had heard of it.
"You don't need to be worried about this. I'll take care of it. This is also not your task. You simply go hunting for wild animals to sell in town so that we can use the money to buy a few acres of wasteland and plant potatoes.
Tangtang and Guoguo, you two are going to pick chili and dig potatoes with me." Xu Ran arranged.
"Okay, Ran, we'll listen to you."
"We'll listen to dad."
The whole family were very supportive of Xu Ran's arrangement.
Xu Ran and his family travelled up the mountain the next day, and the back baskets, hoes, and sickles were all ready.
Liu Tong brought a bow as well. It had always been concealed on the mountain. That was why, when he had left the Xu Family with nothing, he was so straightforward.
Liu Tong also took some tinder with him. They didn't have to return home at noon because their family didn't keep any fowls. Chili season was in full swing in August. There were plenty of red and green chilies on the mountain. No one cared how much they pick because it was wild.
Xu Ran wanted to make a chilli paste that was similar to Lao Ganma chilli paste, which was very popular in his previous life. It was something he had always enjoyed eating. His own mother, on the other hand, had always believed that the paste needed more ingredients than just chilli. And what Xu Ran had eaten at the time was chilli paste made by his mother according to the instructions on the container of Lao Ganma chilli paste. He had learnt that from his mother, who had done it many times.
Xu Ran felt that cultivating a sense of transmigration and learning everything from a young age was extremely important for everyone.
Xu Ran instructed the two children to pick chili while he went in search of another item, black soybeans, which would enhance the taste of the chilli paste.
"Tangtang, Guoguo, don't rub your eyes with your hands after picking chillies; otherwise, your eyes will sting," Xu Ran told his two children, who were engrossed in their chilli picking.
"Oh, I got it, dad," Tangtang raised his head and replied.
Xu Ran knew that such obedient children should have no issues, so he went about his business quietly. Liu Tong, on the other hand, had already gone about his task for the day.
The black soybeans, unlike ordinary soybeans, were difficult to come by. Xu Ran searched for a long time but couldn't find any sign of black soybeans. He spotted a few soybean plants. He didn't let them go, instead plucking them all.
It was almost noon, and it was getting hotter and hotter. Xu Ran didn't even notice a black soybean stalk. Even though he took a lot of soybeans, he almost lost hope for them here. At this time, Liu Tong returned with a few pheasants and hares, two of which were still alive.
When the two children saw the living hares, they quickly left their work to play with them. The two adults smiled as they looked at each other, hot and sweaty "Are you exhausted? Come in and relax."
Xu Ran came over to Liu Tong and led him to a stone beside him, where they sat together. Liu Tong was not at all weary. He was used to working in this manner. He was happy to accept it because Xu Ran was eager to look after him.
Xu Ran handed Liu Tong a bamboo tube filled with water "First, drink some water. We'll eat roasted potatoes for lunch at noon, and then return home to prepare tasty meals in the evening."
"Alright, up to you."
Liu Tong had no objections. He had never had enough food in the Xu Family before. Sometimes, he even had nothing to eat at all and he was used to it.
At present, he felt very satisfied to have potatoes to eat.
Xu Ran motioned Liu Tong to take a seat and rest while he went in search of firewood for the cooking. The two children continued to interact and play with the hares.
The whole family was feeling good and happy at the moment, on the silent mountain. What a lovely scene!
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