Li Weimin, seeing him finally speak, let out a sigh of relief and sank to the ground as if drained, muttering, "You scared the hell out of me, you bastard."
Gu Xingdong's tense expression also softened considerably.
"Heh heh," Wang Dazhu grinned weakly. "My mother once told me I was destined to turn misfortune into fortune, that surviving great disasters meant greater blessings."
Li Weimin raised his hand, intending to hit him on the head, but seeing his pathetic state, he relented. "If you keep acting so recklessly, nine lives won't be enough for you to get into trouble."
Gu Xingdong roughly examined Wang Dazhu's wound and straightened up. "You're too badly hurt. I'll have someone send you back to the rear immediately."
Upon hearing he was to be sent away, Wang Dazhu struggled to get up. "Battalion Commander, I can still walk."
However, as he moved, the tourniquet Gu Xingdong had just applied immediately began to bleed profusely again.
"Don't push yourself," Gu Xingdong pressed his shoulder down, saying bluntly, "This way, you'll only slow us down."
Wang Dazhu looked somewhat unwilling.
Li Weimin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Listen to our Battalion Commander. There's no need to rush to show off. Once your wounds heal, we brothers can coordinate again."
Soon, Gu Xingdong called two men to escort Wang Dazhu back.
After Wang Dazhu's departure, Gu Xingdong gathered everyone else and redeployed them, revising the marching plan.
...
Chen Lishu stared out the window for a while, then got up, dressed, and went out. Just as she stepped out, Zhang Qin emerged from her own room. The two exchanged smiles and headed to the kitchen together to prepare breakfast.
Li Xiulan had slept quite late the previous night and woke up a bit late this morning. When she went to the kitchen, she saw her sisters-in-law chatting and laughing while cooking. She sighed inwardly but quickly concealed the disappointment in her eyes, walking in as if nothing were amiss.
"Mom," Chen Lishu called out as she looked up and saw her enter.
Li Xiulan nodded. "Your father heard the承包合同 (contract) was approved. He said after breakfast, he'll take your eldest brother and the others to check out the mountain. The matter of collecting grain isn't urgent, so we can put it aside for now."
Hearing her words, Chen Lishu felt a warmth in her heart. After all, the issue of infertility was a significant concern for most elders. Now, not only did Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufou treat her normally, but they were also thinking of her well-being. She was deeply grateful for their understanding.
Chen Lishu smiled. "Actually, I already spoke with Uncle Hu Si yesterday and was planning to go check out the mountain today."
Liu Yuemin, yawning, came in from outside and overheard their conversation. She immediately chimed in, "Mom, Third Sister-in-law, why didn't you say anything about going to the mountain earlier? Xingmin already arranged with my eldest brother and the others to go to town to sell grain early this morning. My eldest brother and the others don't understand anything, so they'll definitely need someone to supervise."
Li Xiulan said, "Since it's already arranged, Xingmin shouldn't go. Anyway, your father, your eldest brother, and Xingye are here, so he's not essential."
Upon hearing that Gu Xingmin didn't have to go, Liu Yuemin's face brightened again.
Without money or benefits, why should the whole family stop earning to help Chen Lishu for free? Gu Xingmin had earned nearly a thousand yuan during this period and had promised her he'd buy her a bracelet in town in a couple of days.
Soon, breakfast was ready. After eating, Gu Xingye hitched the horse carriage, and the family walked towards the foot of the mountain.
The winter mountains were draped in a mysterious veil of snow, with tall, gray-white trees serving as the only adornments.
When they arrived, Chen Mantun, Hu Si'er, and another forest ranger from the village, Lin Dazhong, were talking about something. Seeing them approach with the horse carriage, they stopped and walked over.
"Uncle Si, Uncle Lin, you're more familiar with the mountain. Please lead us up and give us a general overview of the situation."
In response to Chen Lishu's request, Hu Si'er and Lin Dazhong nodded and started leading the way. "Go around this section, and there's a gentle slope ahead. It's easier to go up from there."
Qingshan's altitude was not too high, only six to seven hundred meters. The mountain roads were not easy to navigate in the snow, and it took the group nearly an hour to reach the summit.
Standing on the mountaintop, the view suddenly opened up considerably.
The southern slope, being closer to the village and having been logged, showed large cleared areas resembling a dog's chew marks. In contrast, the northern slope was almost entirely covered by trees.
After reviewing the overall landscape and listening to the detailed introductions from Hu Si'er and Lin Dazhong, Chen Lishu gained a general understanding of the entire mountainous area.
"To make it convenient to get up the mountain, the road needs to be built first," Gu Shoufou said as they descended after a tour.
Chen Lishu had the same idea. "I'll start recruiting people when we get back. We'll get it done now, so it will be convenient for everyone to work in the spring."
This mountain land contract had used up almost all her cash. Apart from the inventory in her various shops, she was left with less than two thousand yuan.
Her usable liquid capital was limited, and land reclamation would require not only labor but also significant follow-up investment.
She planned to postpone projects with large capital investment and slow returns, adopting a strategy of "supporting the long-term with the short-term" and "supporting the mountains with the mountains."
First, they would level the cleared areas that villagers had previously logged, and then plant crops with short maturity periods and quick returns, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beets, which were not particularly demanding in terms of growth environment. Alternatively, they could intercrop the fruit trees with dandelions, evening primrose, and burdock root, which were common medicinal herbs in the north and had low environmental requirements.
Chen Lishu shared her ideas with everyone, and they were immediately met with approval.
"Your father is a skilled farmer. He has the most experience in this regard, and his technique for growing melons is top-notch," Hu Si'er said with a smile, giving a thumbs-up.
Lin Dazhong added, "Yes, I remember the village planted melons for two years. Mantun put in the most effort, and the village earned a lot from the harvest that year. Unfortunately, the following year, there was frequent rainfall, and transportation was inconvenient. They watched good melons rot in the fields. After that, the village dared not risk planting anything else."
Chen Mantun smiled sheepishly upon hearing their praise. "It's all just guesswork."
Chen Lishu didn't know about this; she was probably too young back then to remember.
"Dad, I'll set aside a plot of land next year to plant melons and hire you as a technical consultant for my mountain land."
Chen Mantun became even more embarrassed. "What 'hiring'? Why would I need to be hired to help my own daughter?"
Just as they were planning how to develop the land, the commune secretary and two other staff members arrived at the Qingshan Village Brigade Headquarters.
Zhang Changhe, Sun Yuzhu, and two other village committee members were holding a meeting to discuss road construction in the spring.
"We'll start after the New Year, so we need to hurry and bring back the stone materials now. Fortunately, these things are not expensive before the end of the year. Tomorrow..."
As Zhang Changhe was speaking, he looked up and saw Commune Secretary Wang entering with two staff members. He was momentarily stunned, then quickly stood up to greet him. "Secretary Wang, what brings you here?"