Spring scenery in the fields

Chapter 229 Hugging Leaves

In fact, the villagers all knew clearly what kind of life she had lived in the past, but no one tried to persuade her, saying, "Don't hold on to the past. Her leg is broken, and she has suffered all she could. Just let it go."

Even Shen Zhong wouldn't say much unless Li Chunhong turned a blind eye and didn't care about anything.

Ji Wenhe looked outside the yard and saw Niu Guilan's house in front of his left: "I don't think I saw Aunt Niu at the door of Aunt Miao's house."

It was impossible for her not to be present for such a big event.

"I went out early in the morning. I don't know what to do. I'm going to Zhaojia Village or Zhangjia Village."

"When she has nothing to do at home, she likes to run around with her silk net. There is nothing to do in our village, so she can't stay here."

Li Chunhong sometimes envied her because she could chat with everyone.

"Aunt Niu is very outgoing."

"What is a self-familiar person?"

Ji Wenhe explained: "It means I can chat with anyone."

Then he stood up and said, "Aunt Li, I'll go back first."

"Would you like to sit still for a while?" She stood up.

"No, I still have a lot of things to do at home. I'll leave first, Aunt Li."

Li Chunhong walked her to the door: "Hey, take care."

The people gathered in front of Miao Zhaodi's house gradually dispersed, and everyone was talking about their family matters.

Ji Wenhe came to Lan Qiuhua's house and said, "Xiaoya, let me use your rake."

"Sister-in-law, take it." Shen Suya poked her head out from the house, "What do you want the rake for?"

"Hug the leaves."

"I have a straw basket at home, you can use it."

"Okay, tell Aunt Lan when she comes back."

"Hey."

Ji Wenhe went up the mountain with a rake in one hand and a basket in the other.

After the beginning of autumn, the leaves start to fall. It would be a pity if we don’t pick them up and use them for firewood.

I just came out and saw Zheng Liutao collecting grass at the foot of the mountain, and then I remembered it.

Put the grass basket at the foot of the mountain, walk to the top and pull the grass down.

The yard was filled with branches and there was no extra space.

The grass can only be piled outside and finally covered with thatch so it won’t get all wet when it rains.

After going back and forth several times, Ji Wenhe took a rake to the place where there were a lot of fallen leaves.

There are also a lot of fallen leaves on the hilltop at the easternmost end of the field, but it’s a bit far to run back and forth.

After thinking about it, I decided to go over there with the basket.

When passing by a cemetery, look to the side.

Some tombstones have wooden plaques with names written on them, while others have no plaques and are overgrown with weeds.

There are also some crooked wooden signs. I guess there is no one left to take care of them.

When we arrived at the easternmost end, Shen Rongshan told us that we could go to Zhaojia Village from here.

But no one would climb over the mountain because they didn't know what they would encounter.

Especially after the rain, there is an eerie feeling in the mountains.

Ji Wenhe took the rake and looked around carefully to avoid touching the snake.

In the shed.

Lan Qiuhua came out of Miao Zhaodi's house and said, "Wenshan, where is your sister-in-law? Why can't I see her?"

"My sister-in-law is gathering grass by the creek."

She looked over: "No one."

I looked to the west and south again, but still couldn't see her.

Shen Wenshan stood up, looked around, and pointed to the east: "My sister-in-law is there."

"Why did she run over there? There's a cemetery there, she's not afraid."

There was no one in the fields, and she only dared to walk past the cemetery during the day when there were people around.

After waiting for a while, Lan Qiuhua saw her coming back with a straw basket and was waiting for her at the foot of the mountain behind the house.

Ji Wenhe said from a distance: "Aunt Lan, can I borrow your straw basket and rake to rake the grass?"

"You can use it. My family doesn't need it right now. You are so brave. There is no one in the fields. How dare you come to the cemetery?"

"What's there to be afraid of in broad daylight? There are no ghosts."

"Oh! You don't know." He walked up to her and lowered his voice, "Many people in the village have seen will-o'-the-wisp in the cemetery."

"That place is so spooky. Not only did we see it, but the older generation also saw it. They said it was incarnated by ghosts."

"We told our children not to go near the cemetery unless necessary, and we only dared to pass by the cemetery when there were people in the fields."

Science is not well developed now, and people don’t know that will-o’-the-wisp is actually phosphorus fire, a kind of phosphide produced by the decay of debris that spontaneously combusts in the air.

Ji Wenhe smiled and explained: "Aunt Lan, there is nothing to be afraid of will-o'-the-wisp. I once met an old wandering man who said that will-o'-the-wisp was formed by the decay of corpses."

"If you see will-o'-the-wisp, it means there are a lot of rotting corpses around, not necessarily human corpses."

"If a lot of wild animals die in the mountains, will-o'-the-wisp will appear. It's not as mysterious as everyone says. There's no need to be afraid."

Lan Qiuhua asked, not quite understanding, "Why do the will-o'-the-wisps follow people?"

She frowned and pretended to recall: "This old man also said that it seems that because the will-o'-the-wisp is very light, it will follow the wind."

"Just like when I run past you, there will be a gust of wind, and the will-o'-the-wisp will follow the wind. That's probably what he meant. I don't quite understand what he said."

"Then why do will-o'-the-wisps appear on cloudy or rainy days?"

She rubbed her arms and continued.

"I have seen it several times after it rained, and so have the villagers. Why does it only appear after it rains?"

Ji Wenhe frowned and recalled: "It seems that it is because... the rotting corpses touch water, which turns into ghost fire. Many tombs leak rainwater, and then ghost fire appears."

"Anyway, there's no need to be afraid of the will-o'-the-wisp. It's not a ghost or anything like that."

"If it is really a ghost, we can live well in the village, so there is no need to be afraid. Just don't go there on rainy days."

She dared to pass by the cemetery and go to the cemetery during the day, but not at night.

Because I watched a lot of ghost movies when I was a child, I was afraid that a ghost would suddenly appear behind me.

Although I know it is fake, I still can't help but feel scared.

Lan Qiuhua was skeptical: "I don't know if what the old man said is true."

Ji Wenhe smiled and said, "I believe it. There's no need for him to lie to me. If you're scared, just don't go there on a rainy day."

"Aunt Lan, I'm leaving first. I have to go again later."

"Oh." Regardless of whether what she said was true or not, I wasn't so scared after hearing her explanation.

In one morning, a large haystack was built.

Ji Wenhe brushed off the grass debris on his body and came to the shed: "Wenshan, what are we going to eat for lunch?"

Shen Wenshan, who was tying his silk brocade, replied without even looking up: "All is fine."

He is not picky about food and eats whatever is available.

"Okay, I'll do it."

I picked a cabbage from the field and looked at the pumpkins that were not even as big as a basketball. I planned to pick them all after they turned yellow in a few days.

Steamed pumpkin is the best. It can also be made into pumpkin cakes or pumpkin porridge.

I fried some spicy and sour cabbage and brown rice porridge, and when the meal was ready, I called him to come up and eat.

There are usually not many people coming at noon, but the people who come in the morning and afternoon are all from nearby villages.

After dinner, Ji Wenhe took a walk around the wasteland.

The experimental field was covered with new thatch. When we used branches to pull it apart, we found that no insects had emerged. It seemed that we had to sow sorghum instead.