When they got up the next morning, Li Dazhu and Zhang Shuisheng had already discussed where to go, but the north road was blocked by the heavy water and could only go south. Continue to the direction of Yuxian, halfway to Zhanghe Town, and then southeast to Huaiyang. The road was long and difficult, Zhang Shuisheng was worried about Ye Hexiang and the unpredictable road ahead, he never slept peacefully all night, and his face was haggard. At the repeated insistence of her daughter Zhang Xing, she touched her face with hot water, shared the burden of Li Cui's family, put her youngest daughter Zhang Tao in a basket, took her eldest daughter, and continued to go south with Li Dazhu's family.

The news of the bursting of the embankment in Jinyang in Liuwan has spread, and the refugees on the riverbank are panicking, and there are not a few people who have the same idea as the Zhang and Li families. Qi Chongshan came over to talk to Zhang Shuisheng and the others. Zhang Xing had already told Zhang Shuisheng about the cake. The grace of a meal, Zhang Shuisheng's previous intersection with Qi Chongshan was openly flattering and secretly alienated, after all, it is difficult to know people and faces, but this will be a sincere relationship. He said his own plan, and then pointed to Li Dazhu's family and said: "This is my Dazhu brother, our two families are from the same village, and we plan to go to Huaiyang together." ”

Qi Chongshan looked Li Dazhu up and down a few times, nodded at him, and said with a smile: "My surname is Qi, my name is Chongshan, and I am also from Quantang Town. ”

Li Dazhu hurriedly said: "Brother Qi is polite, I don't know where Brother Qi's family is going?"

Qi Chongshan sighed and said, "My thoughts are similar to the two of you, I want to bypass Yuxian and continue south, but my mother-in-law feels that the road is too far, so I still want to try my luck in Yuxian first." ”

Zhang Shuisheng nodded and said, "Huaiyang is indeed far away, and my sister-in-law's worries are also reasonable." Qi Chongshan said: "How can I not know? The Huai River flood the year before last was not as big as this year, and many people starved to death. Li Dazhu sighed, and also sighed: "Huaishui every year, crying every year, this starvation is more than drowning, which year is not like this?"

The group said as they walked that Qi Chongshan was becoming more and more reluctant to go to Yuxian, and after confessing his guilt, he went to persuade his mother-in-law. He is older than Li Zhang, has a son and a daughter, the son is sixteen years old this year, named Qi Guangzhi, and the daughter is fourteen years old, named Qi Guangyi. His son Qi Guangzhi also said that Yu County could not go. The father and son finally persuaded the Qi An clan and decided to follow the Zhang and Li families to Huaiyang.

Zhang Xing followed her father's side, walking and watching. Although the avenue was muddy with the flow of people, the grass was still green on both sides of the riverbank. She knew in her heart that her family of three was now living on the help of the Li family, but this kind of help was always limited. If it reaches the point of lack of food, the Li family will not have enough to eat, and I am afraid that they will not be able to take care of their own family. She had to do some preparation.

It's just that she knows very few wild vegetables that can be eaten, only three or four common varieties such as purslane, wild vegetables, and wild leeks. However, I don't know whether it is a problem of geography or growing environment, and these kinds of wild vegetables are rarely seen on both sides of the riverbank. When it was time to rest at noon on this day, she found a small handful, washed it, and looked at the handful of wild vegetables in her hand, she was really frustrated.

Things are not as easy as they seem.

Li Hongshi had already seen everything about Zhang Xing, then smiled and said, "Girl, pick wild vegetables." ”

Zhang Xing couldn't help but shrink the small handful of wild vegetables in his hand behind his back, people are now eating and drinking for nothing for their family of three. Li Hongshi nodded and said approvingly: "It should be so, everyone has food now, and they haven't taken these things into their eyes, and when the grain in their hands is almost gone, these will become fragrant and sweet cakes that everyone grabs." He turned his head and called out to his daughter-in-law, "the stone." ”

Li Cuishi was boiling water, heard the shouting, wiped his hands and came over, "Mother, what's the matter?"

Li Hongshi smiled and took Zhang Xing and said, "I'll boil water, you take Xing'er and stones to find some wild vegetables, and while no one wants this yet, let's take the lead." After Li Cuishi was stunned for a moment, he nodded hurriedly, shouted to his son Shishi to come over, brought a small shovel, pulled a basket, and took Zhang Xing and Shishi to a small forest not far from the river bank.

Shi Zheng was talking to Qi Guangzhi about some interesting things about beating rabbits and touching birds, and when he was called to do something, he was full of displeasure, picked up a few branches and smoked indiscriminately, while squeezing his eyebrows at Zhang Xing, who was following Li Cui's family, and muttered in a low voice: "I can't starve you to death, what kind of wild vegetables are you looking for?" ”

Zhang Xing didn't hear it, and sped up a few steps to follow behind Li Cui's. In the end, it is a good woman from a peasant family, much stronger than her half-hanger, while teaching Zhang Xing to recognize wild vegetables, while picking, it will not be possible to pick a small half basket.

Zhang Xing has gained a lot and picked a lot. As she was putting a handful of vegetables into the basket, she suddenly felt a cold, slippery and greasy thing, and looked down to see that a snake with a thick thumb was raising its head and sneering at her.

"Ahh

The stone not far away pointed at Zhang Xing with a crooked smile and shouted: "Coward!"

Li Cuishi was so angry that he smoked, rushed over and grabbed his son's ear to lift him up, slapped his ass with the back of the little shovel, and said: "You can't do something decent? If you don't beat for a while, you'll have itchy skin, isn't it? Xing'er, she's as old as you, and everyone knows how to take care of your father and sister, so you will make trouble for your mother all day long! I'm really angry with me, how did I give birth to you?"

The stone "ouch ouch" screamed, not daring to touch his mother's tiger whiskers, only gritting his teeth and glaring at Zhang Xing.

Li Cui's hands were sore, so he threw his son aside, helped Zhang Xing up, and said, "Don't be afraid, it's a cauliflower snake, it's not poisonous." ”

The cauliflower snake is also a snake, Zhang Xing touched the sweat on her forehead.

Li Cui picked up the wild vegetables on the ground. The stone over there touched his buttocks, looked at it in the grass for a few times, suddenly bowed down, lifted a green snake up, swaggered in front of Zhang Xing, found a stone, knocked the snake's head deflated with a snap in front of Zhang Xing, and swayed to the river bank to let his grandmother Li Hongshi clean up.

Li Cuishi took Zhang Xing to wash wild vegetables, while teaching her which ones can be put and which ones can't, and what can be put must be dried in the season, how to preserve them, and so on. When they returned to the river bank after they were busy, Li Hong's snake soup was already stewed fragrantly, filled a bowl, and shouted to Zhang Xing with a smile: "Apricot girl, come and drink soup." ”

The stone drank loudly, and in his busy schedule, he didn't forget to fly Zhang Xing's big eyes.

Zhang Xing hurriedly waved her hand, "Grandma Li, I can't get used to this." ”