Don't disturb my farming Chapter 56: Lan Guo's Day
Lan Guo, male, 51 years old, remarried after being widowed, his partner is Xue Hua, and they have a son and a daughter.
As an adult male in the tribe, Lan Guo was not one of the strong ones. Although his height was fine and he was at the same altitude as Hong Ye and the others, his physique was not as strong as A Shan... The reason was that when he was young, he ran out of the tribe to play and was attacked by a wild beast. One of his hind legs was bitten, and after so many years, he still walked with a limp.
Physical disability is not a big problem for the Snow Wolf Man. He can handle the work of an adult, and the tribe will not regard him as a burden. The tribe members who can survive are precious. Watching the tribe members die just because of a small flaw is something that the Snow Wolf Man cannot understand.
For example, Lan Guo, he used to live a pretty good life in the tribe. When he was young, his leg was injured and he couldn't jump around like other cubs. He often sat alone to think, and his intelligence gradually became higher than his peers... He had a flexible mind and could think. Such adult males were also charming. After he turned 30, he won the love of a female warrior in the tribe, and the two became partners and had a cub.
Eleven years ago, my partner responded to the call of the king to join the war, saying with a smile that he would bring back the spoils to buy more sugar and salt for the tribe, but he never came back. When the news came back, all the Snow Wolf warriors had been wiped out...
Lan Guo was devastated and became depressed. At his worst, he refused to speak for a year. The tribe members understood his pain and took care of him and his cubs. They moved several times over the years, from the center of the grassland to the southwestern border.
The day when Lan Guo woke up from his grief was the night when fried fish and green vegetables appeared in the tribe's dinner. Lan Guo took the fried fish assigned by the chief and ate it in a dull manner. When he grabbed the barbecue, his cub handed him the half-bitten fried fish and looked at him eagerly.
"Dad, this is delicious."
Lan Guo stared at the cub's caring face in a daze, and suddenly her heart ached.
The partner is gone...but the cub is still there.
He couldn't be lost any more, he slowly pulled his heart out of the pain, he and his tribesmen searched for wild vegetables carefully in between grazing, his tribesmen only knew that wild vegetables were delicious, but he understood that eating only meat would make the body unhealthy, for the sake of his tribesmen and his cubs, he had to make up for the responsibilities he had neglected for so many years, little by little.
Since the grilled fish and wild vegetables appeared in the dinner, many changes have taken place in the tribe. The unpalatable black beans have become crispy and delicious bean sprouts. There are many pottery in the tribe, and everyone can eat with pottery bowls. Niu Jiao and his people have made mud bricks for building houses and built warm kangs. Lan Guo found that behind all this is the efforts of the cub Ayun. He felt even more ashamed. It was because an adult like him did not take responsibility that Ayun, as a cub, had to stand up! How should he face Ayun, who was just a cub and had also lost his relatives!
Lan Guo remained silent and did the tasks assigned to him silently and wholeheartedly. From being devastated to getting back on his feet, he won the attention of Xue Hua, who also lost her partner. Before the coming of winter last year, Xue Hua reached out to him.
When he decided to raise their cubs together with Xuehua, Ayun persuaded the tribe members to allocate houses to those who were in a relationship - this made Lan Guo feel even more guilty. Even though he understood that this unique house belonged to him and Xuehua, he did not have the face to occupy it. So he always kept the cubs who had lost their parents in the tribe at home. He could only feel at ease when he saw Yangmao and the others playing with his own cubs on the kang.
Lan Guo, who worked silently, never showed off and never said a word, but Ayun noticed that he never complained about the hard work. So before the winter this year, Ayun asked him to lead the work team together with Qingcao and Dashui. Lan Guo was a little uneasy about this arrangement. He didn't think that he, who had selfishly abandoned his tribal responsibilities and immersed himself in sadness, could do what Ayun asked. But... he did open his mouth to refuse. He couldn't escape again and be irresponsible to the tribe again.
Lan Guo gritted her teeth and accepted the arrangement. Every day in the following days was a challenge for her... Each work team had twelve to thirteen people. After dividing the teams, Ayun no longer arranged each person's job in detail. Instead, he gave the team leaders a rough outline of the work to be done within a day or a few days, and let the team leaders arrange it themselves. The team leaders were not only Ayun's mouthpieces, but were also responsible for the staffing and work details of their own teams.
When he was only responsible for his own work, he just had to concentrate on doing his work quietly. But now that he has to be responsible for the work arrangements for so many people, Lan Guo's heart is trembling... He has always felt guilty and wanted to compensate his tribesmen. It is too difficult for him to arrange work for them!
Among the three work teams, Dashui's approach was to divide the staff into small groups and have them work separately. If there was a group with unfinished work, other groups would come to help. Qingcao's approach was to simply and roughly have everyone work together and tackle things one by one. After secretly observing their arrangements, Lan Guo discovered... he couldn't copy them. Dashui and Qingcao had different personalities from him. Anyway, he would never be able to motivate others like Dashui and Qingcao.
After struggling awkwardly for a while, Lan Guo discovered that Ayun's way of dividing the work scope of the work teams was a bit strange - except for the work that required all members to be mobilized, Ayun assigned very different tasks to the three work teams. Dashui's work team was more responsible for more fragmented work, such as assisting the caracals in killing sheep and pigs, helping the gray dwarves to carry heavy objects and make mud molds, helping Thrall and the grassroots chiefs to make culture tanks and breeding base materials, grinding wheat flour and soy milk, clearing snow from the tribe and cleaning, and other trivial tasks; Qingcao's work team was assigned to transport coal and ore, collect guano humus, steam and smash the bones brought back by the soldiers, and other time-consuming and labor-intensive but much simpler and brainless tasks; his own work team would check for gaps when the two teams were too busy, or directly assist them in their work.
Lan Guo began to think about why Ayun arranged these three work teams. After observing for several days, he slowly discovered that Ayun seemed to divide the work teams according to personality and ability. The Dashui team consisted of more careful and patient tribesmen, while the Qingcao team consisted of more reckless tribesmen. And what about his own work team? Lan Guo thought carefully about the fourteen people in his team, including himself, and found out unwillingly that the people in his team were either only good at doing things, or careless and without any physical advantages, or lazy and complaining...
This hurtful fact made Lan Guo unable to sleep for two nights. It turned out that Ayun had no confidence in him, so he didn't expect him to be able to handle things on his own, right...
His friend Xuehua asked him what happened with concern, but Lan Guo couldn't tell Xuehua who was assigned to the flood team...
Fortunately, he recovered from his depression after only two days. After all... Ayun arranged for him to lead the thirteen tribesmen, which was also a kind of trust. He had a "black history of irresponsibility" before, and this time he must not let down the expectations of the tribesmen at all costs.
It's the second month of winter and the snow is heavier than last month. I had swept away the snow the day before, but when I woke up and opened the door today, the snow was piled up to my waist again.
"Wow... There's so much snow again." Lan Guo moved open the wooden door of her home that was tied with animal skins and wooden boards, looked at the waist-high snow, sealed the wooden door again, turned around and walked to the big stove at the head of the kang, bent down and took out the bean sprouts and the pickles and salted radish slices that had been cut the night before from the ceramic basin in front of the stove, and scattered them into the iron pot on the stove.
After the gray dwarves' vertical furnace produced molten iron, each family was allocated an iron pot that conducted heat better and lasted longer than a clay pot. The frozen broth in the iron pot that Lan Guo had put on the stove early in the morning had melted and boiled, and the bean sprouts and pickled radishes thrown in were gradually swallowed up by the gurgling soup.
He opened the rattan cupboard, took out the ceramic bowls, and lined them up in front of the stove. Then he went to wake up the people who were sleeping crowded together on the kang. In addition to his partner and two cubs, Yangmao and his three cubs were also crowded in his home: "Snowflake, wake up, Yangmao, get up and eat..."
The young couple and their five cubs gulped down a large pot of soup, put on their cold-proof sweaters, woolen trousers, and animal skin clothes, and then put on the fingerless wool gloves newly made by the caracals, and the whole family went out to work together - Yang Yang had to take care of the bean sprout room, and the cubs had to go and meet up with Qingyan to take care of the livestock; with such a heavy snow, Lan Guo's team and Xue Hua's team had to clear the snow in the tribe first, and also clean up the crowded places in the tribe to prevent people from falling and getting hurt... mainly because of the human Sal, he couldn't stand falling.
Before that, Lan Guo had another important thing to do. He carried a snow shovel and went to the room at the back of the dormitory where the goblins lived. He cleared the snow at the door and moved the door open to go in. Sure enough, the goblins, who were afraid of cold, were shivering in such weather even if they slept on the kang and wrapped in animal skin blankets, and could not get up.
Ayun didn't arrange for Lan Guo to take care of the goblins (actually, he forgot), but Lan Guo himself knew the importance of the goblins and came to see them every morning... If it weren't for the stone mill made by the goblins, so many people in the tribe wouldn't be able to eat the soft and delicate steamed cakes we have now.
He added coal to the stove and checked whether there was enough coal, then lifted the pot onto the stove and cooked the bean sprouts, pickles and radishes prepared in each room with a kang. He also checked whether the ventilation holes in the house were blocked by the goblins (they had blocked them before, luckily they were discovered early). Only then did he call the goblins to eat some hot soup to warm their bodies. The goblins could not go out to work, but they did not sit idle. They stayed in the house every day and did some manual work within their ability, such as weaving some rattan and bark tools, and processing small mechanical parts for the gray dwarves.
On the way back, Lan Guo went to see the three houses where the gray dwarves lived. The gray dwarves were not as afraid of the cold as the goblins, so they were drinking soup with the doors open. Charles was very energetic and waved to Lan Guo.
As for the caracals, these little guys don't require much worry... When Lan Guo passed by their house, he saw Qiuqiu standing by the stove and baking steamed buns that were left over from the previous day for the caracal cubs.
There are too many people in the tribe now and it is inconvenient for them to gather together to eat. The weather is getting colder, so Xiao Yun asked everyone to live in a certain room. Food is distributed to each room every day according to the number of people... The ingredients for breakfast were delivered by Dahe Niujiao and others who were responsible for all the food supplies the night before. If any room has leftovers from lunch or dinner, they can keep them and eat them slowly.
Lan Guo walked to the square in front of the tribe. Not long after, the tribesmen in the team arrived. There was no need for distribution. After the flood team was gathered, everyone picked up shovels and brooms made of reed stalks and gave priority to clearing snow from the buildings and roads in the tribe.
"Hey yo, hey yo!"
The gray dwarves came out of the collective bedroom area, and the strong ones walked in front, shoveling the chest-high snow as they walked. Seeing the snow wolf work team clearing the snow on the roof from afar, Baru waved and shouted, "Flood! The sewer pipe in the room to the right of where we live is frozen!"
"I understand. I'll ask someone to take care of it later." Dashui waved his hand.
"Hey yo, hey yo!" The gray dwarves shouted while shoveling snow, and walked away towards the industrial area.
Qingyan, wrapped up like a fur ball, struggled to dig out of the dormitory area by digging through the snow, followed by a line of yawning snow wolf cubs. Passing by the square, Qingyan looked around and found Dashui, and shouted at the top of his voice: "When you grind the wheat flour later, don't forget to grind the acorns as well, otherwise the pigs will starve."
"I know, I know. Come and get it before noon." Dashui waved his hand.
"Dashui, get some clean snow to boil water. We don't have enough water." The number one cook, Dahe, came over holding a bundle of cabbage.
"I know, I know..." Dashui waved his hand weakly.
"Big water, big water—"
Lan Guo picked a few lighter tribesmen and was walking towards the greenhouse area. He turned back and glanced at Dashui silently... Dashui was very popular now, and he felt a little envious and a little sympathetic...
The roof of the greenhouse area is not as resistant to pressure as the tile roof, so the accumulated snow must be cleared in time. The ladder made by the gray dwarf was placed on the wall, and the relatively light Lan Guo climbed to the roof. He had just swept a few times with the broom with the extended handle when he saw Qingcao leading the team out.
In order to make it easier for Qingcao's team to move in the snow, Ayun asked the gray dwarves to build them a dozen sleds with iron frames and wooden boards. These sleds were connected in a chain, and Qingcao's team only needed to pick one person to turn into a wolf to drag the whole team. When Lan Guo looked , Qingcao and his group were playing rock-paper-scissors together. The loser took off his clothes and turned into a wolf.
A huge snow wolf was pulling a long team of sleds across the snowfield. Lan Guo had found this scene very exciting many times. If he wanted to participate, he would even turn into a wolf... Unfortunately, all the sleds had to be used to run into the forest and shovel the guano humus layer pressed under the snow. Others couldn't play even if they wanted to.
The loser of the game took off his clothes and handed them to the others. He then transformed himself into a wolf. Qingcao put the rattan grass belt on the sled on the tribe members and tied them up. He excitedly jumped on the sled first, raising his arms and shouting, "Hurry up and get on. Let's go!"
“Ahhh—”
Amid the roar of the grass, the sled team sped away...
Lan Guo once again showed a slightly envious expression, and it was hard to tell whether she was envious of Qingcao or of the jobs assigned to them.
The work of the day officially began when the snow in the tribe was cleared and piled under the tribe. Lan Guo met with Da Shui and after listening to Da Shui's introduction of the work in the tribe today, he divided his team into two groups, one to help the cubs clean the pig sty and the cattle and sheep pens, and the other to grind wheat flour, soybeans, and acorns.
After eating the soft wheat steamed buns, no one would want to eat wheat cakes anymore. Although pushing the mill is boring, no one would complain... Those who grind soy milk can drink the first pot of hot soy milk cooked in the river!
The four hand-pushed stone mills in the mill were hastily built by the goblins before they could no longer leave the house. Two of them were used to grind wheat flour, one to grind soybean milk, and one to grind acorns for pigs. One tenth of the soybean milk was kept for the tribe to drink, one tenth was made into tofu pudding and other dishes, and the rest was made into dried tofu. The gypsum for tofu pudding and the brine blocks for tofu were placed by the river, and the soybean milk could be cooked immediately.
"Let's make a few pots of tofu pudding first so that everyone can change the taste at noon?" Dahe, who was cooking soy milk, came to the mill and asked.
"Okay, okay!" Everyone, sweating profusely , nodded in unison.
"There's no wild garlic left. Only salt and vinegar."
“It’s okay, it’s okay!”
Daha happily went to order tofu pudding.
“...Wait, the green dragon hasn’t left yet. If the tofu pudding is gone, there may not be enough to share!” Dashui suddenly remembered something and hurried to chase Daha.
"Ah? The green dragon hasn't left yet?"
Lan Guo looked at the others in shock. Most of them were as confused as he was. Only two people living in dormitory number one nodded with bitter faces: "No, they stayed in the mobile home."
The mobile home is diagonally opposite Room No. 1, so it must be true... Lan Guo didn't know what expression to make. Why didn't Ayun send the green dragon away this time? It would be so dangerous if it stayed in the tribe!
Lan Guo looked outside worriedly, only to see...A Yun popping his head out of the mobile home. His eyes lit up when he saw him: "Lan Guo, come here."
Lan Guo quickly looked over there. Ayun looked relaxed, with a natural smile on his face. He didn't look like he was mad at the green dragon, so he ran over with questions in his mind.
The mobile home is where everyone stays when they rest. It has specially made door frames, door hinges and wooden doors that can be opened and closed. Lan Guo ran to Ayun and immediately looked inside the door behind Ayun - and then his expression froze.
The green dragon was indeed inside, sitting between the desks and chairs that were usually empty. Overnight, this green dragon who never looked at anyone and always had his chin up in the air, actually became... as exhausted as if he had been cutting alfalfa day and night for five days. His head was drooping, his face was pale, and his hands on the table seemed to be trembling slightly. His eyes, which always glowed with greedy green light, had lost their spirit, and he stared blankly at the empty table...
"Blue fruit?" Xiao Yun was surprised.
"Yes." Lan Guo quickly looked away.
Xiao Yun turned sideways and faced the listless green dragon. He spread his hands, his manner polite but respectful, his tone warm but grateful: "Our tribe's old friend, the honorable Green Dragon Lord, helped us research a suitable moldboard plow structure diagram. To express our gratitude, we should prepare the most sumptuous banquet for you as a thank you... Go to the tool warehouse to get the bark fishing net (made by the goblins) and the steel chisel and hammer, break the ice and catch some fish, big fish."
"..." Lan Guo couldn't help but glance into the room. The exhausted green dragon was barely raising his face and pulling out a labored dry laugh... Swallowing his saliva, Lan Guo suppressed the doubts in his heart and nodded, "Okay."
I had broken the ice to catch fish last year, so Lan Guo was no stranger to it...but the fish in the river had a strong earthy smell, so they had to be heavily salted and fried with animal fat to be delicious. There wasn't that much oil in the tribe, so we seldom went fishing.
He called for help, took his tools and headed straight to the river. Along the way, Lan Guo couldn't help but wonder: I didn't see any big movement in the tribe last night, and I didn't see many more things in the tribe when I woke up in the morning. What did Ah Yun ask the green dragon to do to make him like that? !
The water level in the river was not high and the ice was very thick at this season. He chose a piece of ice and used a steel chisel to chisel a circle as big as his palms. Soon, large and small river fish gathered under the ice. He dragged a few nets to catch them and picked out a dozen of the fattest ones to bring back to the tribe. Ayun did not let the river get involved and ran out to deal with the river fish himself.
Xiao Yun quickly killed the fish, removed the scales, fish line and gills, brushed it with salt and piled it in a basin to marinate. When he turned around, he saw that Lan Guo, who was usually not close to him and was like a transparent person, was actually sticking behind him.
"Blue fruit?"
Lan Guo seemed to be hesitant to speak, and after some hesitation, she said, "Ayun... that... I don't know whether I should say it..."
Xiao Yun's body trembled, his eyes widened. What the hell, he actually heard such a line from the Snow Wolf?! Was he staying up late in the wrong posture?!
After pinching his thigh to make sure he was still awake, Xiao Yun perked up: "Lan Guo, what do you want to say? Just say it. It's okay."
Usually, when such lines come out, it means that the author wants to say it, so you can just agree with it. Sure enough, Lan Guo's eyes became firm, and he met Xiao Yun's gaze seriously: "Ayun, that green dragon is very dangerous. You are facing him alone and forcing him. What if he attacks you? Next time... don't be alone with him."
Xiao Yun... Xiao Yun's jaw dropped uncontrollably, and he looked at Lan Guo as if he was meeting this person for the first time.
Lan Guo didn't care about anything else and thought that Ayun was unwilling to listen to his advice: "Or you... let Hongye accompany you. If you do this, we will be very worried that you will be hurt by the green dragon."
Xiao Yun... Xiao Yun raised his hand to support his chin, staring at Lan Guo with a green light gradually appearing in his eyes - Xuehua's partner, taciturn, hardworking, and cautious with everyone, this is Xiao Yun's impression of Lan Guo.
Even a fool like Niu Jiao would complain that the work he assigned to him was too much and too tiring, but Lan Guo never complained.
In other words, Xiao Yun had been harassing the entire clan for more than a year, but he had never heard Lan Guo say more than 100 words... It cannot be said that he deliberately rejected or disliked him, anyway, Lan Guo just didn't want to get close to him; when he was assigned to lead the work team, and when he discussed work, this guy always had only three fixed sentence patterns: "OK, OK, yes" - no wonder Xiao Yun classified him as "obedient but stupid", a person who was tasteless and a pity to throw away, and who was used to make up the numbers because there was no one else to choose.
Lan Guo noticed that Xiao Yun's eyes were not right, and she became nervous: "A-A Yun?"
"Hehehe o(*￣︶￣*)o..." Xiao Yun raised his hand and placed it on Lan Guo's lean and strong arm, showing eight big white teeth, "I know, Lan Guo, thank you for worrying about me."
"..." Lan Guo didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling...
