I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

The next day, before dawn, the yard was already bustling with activity.

Yan Jiefang knew that in recent years, every morning at this time, some of the poorer families in the courtyard would go out of the city to dig for wild vegetables.

The only family that was supposedly impoverished in the elderly care group, the Jia family, had never been visited.

That family, supposedly living in poverty, were all plump and healthy, a rare sight in the entire Nanluoguxiang area!

Urged by Yan Bugui and his wife, Yan Jiecheng and the others got up reluctantly.

A dim kerosene lamp was luxuriously lit in the room.

Yan Jiefang stood silently by the table, his face blank.

This wasn't their first time going out of town to dig for wild vegetables. The tools were readily available; Yang Ruihua had prepared them last night and piled them in two baskets by the door.

"Hurry up and eat, then we'll leave town with Aunt Cao and the others. It'll be good to have company on the road."

Yan Bugui pointed to the breakfast on the table and urged them on.

Breakfast, of course, is still the same old multigrain steamed buns and cornmeal porridge.

Today, Yan Bugui seemed to have a change of heart, as the mixed grain steamed buns he made were noticeably larger than they had been the previous two days.

As for the purpose, it goes without saying.

Yan Jiefang held his cornbread in his palm and squeezed it tightly. The hollow cornbread shrank inward and became noticeably smaller.

He put the cornbread in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and made a swallowing motion.

Actually, I had already put this trashy steamed bun in a corner of my personal space, where several steamed buns had already piled up.

These are all the meals he's received these past two days.

What he actually swallowed was a steamed bun.

Yan Jiekuang noticed his actions and looked somewhat surprised.

Can you really eat coarse grain steamed buns like this?

Although he was very surprised, he wouldn't say it out loud.

He had already noticed that his second brother had changed a lot in the past two days, and seemed like a completely different person.

Just like yesterday and the day before, he gave himself a steamed bun each at noon.

My second brother wasn't this generous before; it was already a good thing if he didn't scheme against me!

He was pleased with his second brother's changes, but didn't want to annoy him by talking too much.

After finishing his porridge, Yan Jiefang went to the dark courtyard to wait.

Actually, he was secretly eating the big meat buns while hiding from everyone; he didn't want to mistreat himself.

A number of residents who were about to go dig for wild vegetables had already gathered near the front gate of the yard.

Some residents are also inviting friends and family to go out together. This is not a very safe time. It is less likely to have an accident if you go out with a group of people.

After lingering for a while, Yan Jiecheng finally put down his chopsticks under Yan Bugui's urging.

Yan Jiefang and the other man each carried a basket on their backs and went out with Lao San.

Yan Jiedi is too young, walks slowly, and is easy to get lost, so we won't be going for now.

Before leaving, Yan Jiecheng put a few nitrite-soaked pickled radishes, which his second brother Yan Jiefang wouldn't eat, into his mouth.

The main point is that it's foolish not to take advantage of a good deal!

By the third crowing of the rooster, almost everyone in the courtyard had finally gathered, and they all walked together toward Dongzhimen.

To Yan Jiefang's slight surprise, He Yushui was also in the middle of the group.

Sha Zhu's salary is not low; it's more than enough to support him and his sister. They don't need to dig for wild vegetables at all.

Jia Dongxu isn't dead yet!

Is He Yuzhu already handing over his salary?

The day before yesterday, when he came home from school, he saw Qin Huairu taking his "leftovers".

As expected of a bloodsucking white lotus!

...

The streetlights in the alley were dim and yellow, with only one lamp every long distance, plunging most of the alley into darkness.

Even the streetlights on the main roads are sparse, and many are broken.

Although Yan Jiefang had some memories of this period, seeing it with his own eyes still felt fresh.

As the group continued to move forward, more and more other groups gradually joined together, eventually forming large streams of people.

The facts are clear: during this period, even in the 49 cities, there were still a large number of poor people who couldn't get enough to eat.

At that time, the urban area of ​​the 49th city was very small. After walking for twenty or thirty minutes following the flow of people, the people in the courtyard came out of Dongzhimen, crossed the moat, and arrived outside the city.

Because of the lack of development, many areas outside the city are wastelands, where wild vegetables grow in abundance.

Of course, the most abundant thing was various kinds of wild grass.

Once they arrived, the people dispersed and went off to find places to dig for wild vegetables.

It was around 5 a.m., and the sky was beginning to lighten. Even without streetlights outside the city, the roads were still barely visible.

Although there are many wild vegetables outside the moat, they are not a good place because they are close to the city and many people are digging for them.

Except for a few who were unwilling to go too far, the group in the courtyard continued along the road.

As the distance grew farther and farther, and the sky grew brighter and brighter, there were fewer and fewer people around.

After walking for another twenty or thirty minutes, the brothers finally arrived near Zuojiazhuang.

At this time, the area outside Zuojiazhuang was all wasteland, field ridges, riverbanks, abandoned burial mounds, and abandoned farmland. No one cared about it, and there were plenty of wild vegetables. It was perfect to dig them up at the crack of dawn.

Naturally, there are also many people who come here.

In particular, the slope of the Xiba River north of Zuojiazhuang is an absolute treasure trove for digging wild vegetables.

The river here is moist and the soil is fertile. It stretches for two or three miles and is twenty or thirty meters wide, from the moat of Dongzhimen all the way to the edge of Jing'anzhuang. Shepherd's purse, bitter lettuce, dandelion, and purslane grow in patches. People squat down to dig them up day and night. Everyone is scrambling to get them.

The three Yan brothers were all young men who originally wanted to grab a good spot, but when they saw the situation, they were all dumbfounded.

Several other decent spots nearby were also overcrowded.

Finally, on the advice of their neighbor, Aunt Cao, the group went to the wasteland meadow in the northwest.

In this day and age, many people still don't want to break taboos, and they generally won't come to such places unless they are extremely hungry.

The cemetery was overgrown with weeds, and the wild vegetables grew thick and lush, mostly untouched.

The three greeted the other neighbors, each picked up a small shovel they had brought back from the steel mill, and immediately rushed over.

Before his time travel, Qin Shou barely recognized any wild vegetables, but Yan Jiefang had visited many times and was naturally familiar with them.

According to Yan Jiefang's recollection, he was quite adept at digging up wild vegetables.

Before long, they had dug up more than half a basket of various wild vegetables.

Of course, these wild vegetables are still fluffy, so there isn't much when they are compacted.

With his shrewdness, he naturally wouldn't let the three brothers fool him. Every time he went back, even if the wild vegetables were compacted, he would still pick and choose.

In Yan Jiefang's memory, he was also extremely annoyed by Yan Bugui's various strange remarks.

But the other party was a parent, and given his limited knowledge, there was nothing he could do.

What else can we do but endure it?

Even as a time traveler, he could only obediently come here to dig for wild vegetables, not wanting to ruin his reputation.

As time went by, everyone dug up more and more wild vegetables.

By morning, when the sun was high in the sky, everyone had finished digging.

But none of the three brothers wanted to go home too early.

After all, once they get back, they'll definitely be assigned other tasks, or they'll have to keep digging for wild vegetables.

Everyone's smart enough to dawdle; it's not like anyone can't do something like that.

Why don't you go back and have lunch before coming back?

The three brothers put the basket aside and sat on some collapsed stone tablets to rest.

As for the others in the courtyard, they had already returned in groups.

Yan Jiecheng, carrying his two younger brothers on his back, secretly took out a steamed bun made from two different types of dough and chewed it slowly.

Yan Jiefang took out a textbook to study.

Yan Jiekuang looked into the distance, sighed, and felt lost about his future.