Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

With the wheat harvested and new houses completed, Heisonggou Village suddenly seemed to relax, and everyone could finally take a breather.

In July, although the daytime heat is still intense, there is a slight coolness in the mornings and evenings.

Apart from some late autumn crops that need tending, most of the work in the fields has temporarily come to an end.

The village was filled with a long-lost, contented, and leisurely atmosphere.

Lin Shengli also had a rare moment of leisure. After moving into his new home, he thoroughly reorganized the clinic and pharmacy, categorizing and arranging all kinds of herbs, medicines, and medical equipment in an orderly manner.

The room was bright and clean, and his own small bedroom was simply and comfortably furnished. Most importantly, with a completely private space, it was more convenient and safer to enter and leave the cave to cultivate and organize supplies.

That morning, the sun was shining brightly. Lin Shengli was flipping through a medical book he had acquired in Beijing when he heard Li Kuiyong's loud voice outside: "Shengli! Incubating eggs inside? Come out for a stroll!"

Lin Shengli smiled, put down his book, and went outside. He saw Li Kuiyong, Jiang Yuanchao, and Wei Min gathered in the courtyard.

"What's wrong? Everyone's so free?" Lin Shengli leaned against the door frame and laughed.

"We're finally getting some free time!" Li Kuiyong stretched. "There's not much work to do in the fields. Captain Hu said we should all take a break these few days. We've been in the village for so long, and apart from the fields where we work and this youth settlement, we haven't really explored the village properly. How about we become 'village wanderers' today?"

Jiang Yuanchao chimed in, "That's right, Shengli, you know everyone in the village well, so why don't you show us around and let us get acquainted with the surroundings?"

Lin Shengli glanced at the sky and nodded: "Alright, I'm free anyway. Let's go, I'll show you around, let you get to know the mountains and rivers of our Heisonggou Village, and let you meet the villagers."

The group chatted and laughed as they left the courtyard of the educated youth settlement.

The two newly built dormitories and Lin Shengli's small courtyard next to them looked exceptionally new in the sunlight, with the mud walls still damp and the thatched roofs gleaming with a soft golden hue.

Several children from the village were spinning tops and playing hopscotch in the courtyard. When they saw them come out, they all looked over curiously. One of the bolder ones shouted, "Dr. Lin! Going out to play?"

"Hey, let's go for a walk!" Lin Shengli replied with a smile, taking out a few fruit candies from his pocket and distributing them to the children, which drew cheers. Since he moved here, children often came to the educated youth settlement to play out of curiosity, and the children all liked this kind "Doctor Lin" who often gave them candy.

Walking on the dirt road in the village, villagers who were finishing work or strolling around would often pass by and greet Lin Shengli warmly.

"Dr. Lin, are you settling into your new house?"

"Shengli, come over for lunch! Your auntie made some green beans!"

"Lin, the educated youth, are you showing the other educated youth around the area?"

Lin Shengli responded to each of them and introduced them to Li Kuiyong and the others: "This is Uncle Wang, whose basket weaving skills are unparalleled. That's Aunt Zhao from the west end, whose pickled cabbage is the best in our village. And the one who just passed by is Accountant Hu, whose abacus is incredibly fast. You'll be dealing with him a lot when you get things in the future..."

Li Kuiyong and his companions looked around curiously, experiencing the rural atmosphere that was so different from the city.

The low mud-brick houses, the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, the chickens and ducks strolling leisurely, the stray dogs lying at the door with their tongues lolling out, and the mixed smells of firewood, soil, livestock, and plants in the air—everything seemed so real and fresh.

They first went to the threshing ground in the center of the village.

The huge threshing ground was now empty, with only the golden stacks of wheat straw and a few piles of dried bean stalks at the edge, a testament to the busy work that had taken place not long ago.

Several elderly people sat under a large tree by the threshing ground, enjoying the cool shade and chatting while smoking their pipes. They all smiled and nodded when they saw Lin Shengli and his group.

"Third Grandpa, are you enjoying the cool air?" Lin Shengli walked over and greeted him.

Grandpa Hu squinted and puffed on his pipe: "It's Shengli and you guys. You kids have been busy ever since you came to the village. Now you finally have some time to wander around the village and get familiar with it."

Lin Shengli introduced to Li Kuiyong and the others: "This is Grandpa Hu San, the oldest man in our village. He's a walking encyclopedia, a walking encyclopedia of old stories, and there's nothing he doesn't know about the village's affairs, big or small."

Li Kuiyong and the others quickly greeted him. Grandpa Hu looked at these neatly dressed young men whose faces still bore the marks of city life and sighed, "They're all good kids. They've come to this poor place to suffer. If they have any difficulties, they should tell Shengli or the villagers. Don't gossip."

After a brief chat, Lin Shengli led them to the small river at the east end of the village.

The river water is crystal clear and flows slowly, with lush aquatic plants and willows growing on both banks.

Several women were beating clothes on the stone slabs by the river, their laughter and chatter carrying far along with the rhythmic thumping of the clothes.

"We wash clothes and bathe in this river in the summer," Lin Shengli said, pointing to the water. "The water is cold, and it's a bit stinging when you first go in, but you get used to it. But it's best to come in a group so you can look out for each other."

After leaving the riverbank, they walked a little further behind the village. Near the foot of the mountain, there was a row of livestock sheds, from which came the snorting and chewing sounds of animals, and the air was filled with a faint smell of animal manure mixed with hay.

Li Kuiyong sniffed: "This smell...it's quite invigorating, this is the real taste of the countryside!"

Wei Min pointed to the distant, more secluded forest and asked, "Shengli, is that the back mountain? I heard from Uncle Laopao and the others that the forest there is very deep, and there are wolves and wild boars?"

Lin Shengli nodded, his expression becoming slightly more serious: "Yes, that's the back mountain. We usually gather firewood, pick mushrooms, and collect mountain products on the outer perimeter. Don't venture deep into the forest without a local guide; the terrain is complex, and there are definitely wild animals." The warning in his tone was obvious. Everyone here comes from the city and longs for this mountain, but the mountain won't tolerate anyone who underestimates it.

Li Kuiyong and the others looked serious upon hearing Lin Shengli's words and nodded in agreement.

After wandering around for a while, we returned to the village, and the sun was already almost directly overhead.

When I passed by Hu Laopao's yard, I saw Hu Laopao sitting under the eaves, holding a hunting knife, carefully polishing the parts of a crossbow he had made himself, with a bundle of sharpened arrow shafts at his feet.

"Uncle Laopao, busy?" Lin Shengli called out to him.

Old Hu looked up, saw them, and smiled: "It's Shengli! Taking the comrades for a stroll? I've been sitting here doing nothing, so I'm tidying up our tools."

The "tools of the trade" he was referring to were, of course, hunting equipment.

Lin Shengli's eyes lit up, and he led the group into the courtyard.

"Uncle Lao Pao, this is some really good stuff."

He crouched down, looking at the well-made, powerful crossbow. This was no toy; it was a real weapon capable of killing wild animals.

Old Hu proudly weighed the crossbow in his hand: "This is a craft passed down from my ancestors, with some improvements. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's the off-season for farming now. When autumn comes, the pheasants, rabbits, and roe deer in the mountains will be plump, and we'll need them to supplement our income."

Upon hearing "pheasants and rabbits," Li Kuiyong almost drooled. Although Lin Shengli had hunted pheasants and rabbits just a few days ago, these days everyone is already starving.

He quickly stepped forward: "Uncle Laopao, your cooking is amazing! When you go into the mountains, could you take us with you? We'd like to learn how to cook and improve our meals as educated youth!"

Jiang Yuanchao and Wei Min also looked on with anticipation. Although Zhang Jianguo was somewhat hesitant about hunting, he couldn't help but swallow hard when he thought of the meat.

Hu Laopao laughed heartily: "You guys, don't underestimate this mountain forest. Just the other day when we were building houses, I saw that only Shengli and Kuitong could come into the mountains with me. As for Yuanchao and you two, you're too weak. Don't even think about going into the mountains."

Upon hearing Hu Laopao's words, Jiang Yuanchao and his companion immediately stopped smiling. They had been busy with farm work for some time and were exhausted, but they took Hu Laopao's advice to heart.

Seeing their serious expressions, Hu Laopao said, "Hunting is not a game. You have to know the rules of the mountains, follow instructions, and not run around recklessly. You also can't just use guns or crossbows. When I have time, I'll teach you how to identify traps and set snares. You can set a snare at the foot of this mountain regularly. Maybe you can catch a pheasant or a rabbit, but it all depends on luck."

"Absolutely! We promise to obey!" Li Kuiyong patted his chest.

Lin Shengli also laughed and said, "Uncle Laopao, from now on, we'll have to rely on your guidance for the 'meat supply' at our educated youth settlement. You see, we can't learn for nothing. If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know."

Old Hu waved his hand: "You're being too polite. You've all done a great job treating patients in the village and working hard."

The atmosphere immediately warmed up, and Lin Shengli seized the opportunity to ask, "Uncle Laopao, I have something else I'd like to ask you. I'd like to grow some commonly used medicinal herbs in my clinic, some of which require specific seeds or seedlings. You've been traveling around the mountains for many years and have a wide range of knowledge; could you perhaps keep an eye out for some? For example, seeds or seedlings of ginseng, astragalus, schisandra, and eleutherococcus senticosus—these are all authentic medicinal herbs from Northeast China?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Laopao sized up Lin Shengli a few times, his eyes filled with even more admiration: "Good job, Shengli, you've thought long-term! Growing your own herbs is great! It's easier and more reliable than relying entirely on going into the mountains to collect them. As someone who's always in the mountains, I actually have the seeds you mentioned. Wait here, I'll go get them for you." He got up and went into the house, rummaged around for a while, and came out with a few dirty little cloth bags.

Lin Shengli was overjoyed and carefully accepted the seeds: "Thank you so much, Uncle Laopao! These are a great help! I'll try to see if they sprout, and even if they don't, it's still a token of your appreciation."

He then took the opportunity to ask about other specialties of Northeast China, such as seeds or kernels of hazelnuts, pine nuts, hawthorns, and wild grapes.

Old Hu, as expected of a forest expert, knew the area like the back of his hand, telling him which species were easy to collect, which seasons they were found in, and which places they were commonly found in.

"Hazelnuts and pine nuts will have to wait until autumn, then the mountains will be full of them, you won't be able to pick them all. Wild hawthorns and wild grapes are also easy to find, you can eat the fruit and bury the pits in the soil and they might sprout. You just have to watch out for rats and birds..." Old Hu said excitedly, "If you really want to plant them, I'll take you to the back slope of the village tomorrow, there are a few wild pear and fuzzy cherry trees, they don't taste very good, but they produce a lot of fruit, you can get some branches and try planting them."

The two men chatted more and more enthusiastically, from medicinal herbs to mountain products, and then from mountain products to interesting anecdotes and taboos about hunting in the mountains. Li Kuiyong and his companions listened with great interest, gaining a more concrete and mysterious understanding of this seemingly peaceful mountain forest.

At noon, Lin Shengli declined Hu Laopao's invitation to stay for lunch and, carrying the harvested seeds and a head full of information, returned to the educated youth settlement with Li Kuiyong and the others.

In the afternoon, Lin Shengli couldn't wait to enter the cave space. He carefully sowed the seeds he had obtained from Hu Laopao, as well as some other common medicinal herb seeds that he had exchanged at the commune market a few days earlier or "casually" collected from the mountains, in the planned medicinal garden area. He then carefully watered them with spiritual spring water.

As for the fruit trees and nut seeds that are special to Northeast China, he hasn't planted them yet, because the area for planting ordinary grains and vegetables in the cave space is already quite large, and he needs to plan the land use. However, he has already decided that after this batch of grains is harvested, he will open up a special "economic forest" area to try planting these more valuable specialties.

While grain is essential, planting several crops is generally enough.

The following days, the real off-season for farming allowed the entire Heisonggou village to relax.

The educated youth settlement became the new bustling center of the village. The young people in the village liked to come to the educated youth settlement to chat with Li Kuiyong and the others, hoping to gain some knowledge of the outside world.

The happiest people were the children. The brand-new, spacious courtyard of the educated youth settlement became their perfect playground. Every day from morning till night, there were teenagers playing here.

The boys spun tops, rolled hoops, and played "siege" games in the open space; the girls jumped rope, threw beanbags, and played jacks, their laughter and shouts filling the air.