Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 752 - 627: Climbing the Mountain Together

"On July 7, if you don’t pick hazelnuts, you’ll miss the pears." Every year during "End of Heat," various mountain goods and wild fruits gradually ripen and can be harvested.

Before the End of Heat, the brigade has a unified rule: no one is allowed to go up the mountain to pick hazelnuts or get pears to ensure these fruits are fully ripe and not harvested prematurely.

Now that the End of Heat has passed, in a few days, it will be Mother Zhang’s lunar birthday on July 20, and naturally, there won’t be mountain goods or wild fruits waiting for Zhang Guoqing and the others when they return.

In the past, during good years, some families could still gather two or three sacks of hazelnuts, along with other miscellaneous mountain goods and wild fruits. Besides selling them to the procurement station, every household had enough of these foods and snacks to get through the winter.

But nowadays, the outskirts of Daqing Mountain have been over-harvested in the past two or three years. It’s unlikely to be lush and full of fruits again without several years of recuperation.

Yet Xi Zi and the others don’t think that way.

After breakfast, they looked expectantly at Zhang Guoqing, the "capable person," eager to enter the depths of the mountainside. If not for the frequent howling of wolves, a few teenage boys would have gone into the mountains long ago.

Zhang Guoqing didn’t sleep all night last night, and he really didn’t want to take them up the mountain. But thinking about the dense hazelnuts in the mountain, the adorable bitter girl handful after handful, that patch of mountain grapes in the ravine, the clusters of oyster mushrooms under the oak trees, and the black fungus on the trees.

He really couldn’t bear to give up! There’s also another reason that made him uneasy. He didn’t believe the ten or so hunters in the brigade hadn’t noticed. They probably kept silent and planned to go up the mountain privately after harvesting the spring wheat.

If that’s the case, his family would go first to seize the opportunity, and see if those people could hold back? Taking advantage but acting innocent, do they really think Daqing Mountain is their backyard?

Zhang Guoqing was silent for a moment and then said to Xi Zi and Ziwen, "Xi Zi, go find your Uncle Qingshan; Ziwen, go find your Uncle Qingfeng, and be careful not to let anything slip. Ask them to take a day off, just say I need them for something. If they hesitate, tell them it can wait until later, there’s no rush."

Xi Zi and Ziwen exchanged a smile, "Little Uncle (Little Uncle), I know what to do."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and continued to instruct, "This time, tell outsiders your little aunt is taking you all up the mountain to gather herbs to prepare for the brigade’s clinic."

"Got it!" The two cousins grinned widely in agreement.

"Alright, go and take care of it. Don’t tell the younger siblings yet, stay calm." After Zhang Guoqing finished speaking, he waved them out.

Watching them leave, he then walked toward the main room, signaling silently to Zhou Jiao and Ping’an. The couple sneaked home, leaving their son behind.

Little Ping’an was thrilled. His dad was finally taking him up the mountain! So much meat, so many wild fruits! Thinking about it, Little Genius’s big eyes curved into crescent shapes with joy.

As soon as Zhou Jiao entered the house, she frowned slightly and whispered, "I slept a long time in the car, but not you. Can’t we go up the mountain tomorrow?"

Zhang Guoqing, having made up his mind, had no intention of changing it. He laughed, "How about coming inside and checking if your man can handle it?"

Zhou Jiao laughed and cursed, "You pervert!"

"Seems like you misunderstood. Rest assured, I’ll come back when I get tired. Hurry up and change into long sleeves and pants, and bring our son’s little bow and clothes."

Zhou Jiao nodded and quickly ran into the living room to prepare. With so many kids going, preparing antidote powder was essential. Besides snakes and insects, buzzing wasps were the scariest on the mountain. Especially in this season, mosquitoes were everywhere, causing big bumps that itch for days even with ointment.

When she came out, Zhou Jiao had already changed into old clothes, carrying a large black bag cross-body, with a bamboo basket on her back. This image made Zhang Guoqing burst into laughter.

"If you dare laugh, I’ll feed you a handful of medicine!"

Oh~ that’s a no-go! Zhang Guoqing quickly praised, "My wife is naturally beautiful, looks good no matter how she dresses. How are you so pretty?"

"Lying through your teeth!" Zhou Jiao shot him a sidelong glance with a smile.

Zhang Guoqing surveyed the surroundings, shouting, "Who said so? There’s a deadly temptation in a uniform show."

Seeing him sprint away after speaking, Zhou Jiao quickly chased him. This guy was doomed! His thoughts were getting dirtier, thinking about all sorts of nonsense every day!

The couple bickered as they entered the old courtyard, immediately pretending as if they hadn’t just been the same people. Once inside the main room, Zhang Qingshan and Zhang Qingfeng, the two brothers, had been waiting for a long time.

"Xiao Wu, are we going up the mountain? Do we need to bring anything?"

Upon hearing Zhang Qingshan’s question, Zhang Guoqing laughed, "Not far into the outskirts, there are plenty of mountain goods and wild fruits. We’re going to check them out today, and tonight you can arrange for our younger brothers."

Hearing this, Zhang Qingshan had an idea. This matter needed their three households to secretly harvest for a day or two first, then bring the villagers over to finish the job.

He led Qingfeng back to change clothes, bring their family’s sacks, and they hurried off, while Zhang Guoqing’s head ached!

Looking at the line-up of young guys and half-grown girls in the main room. Good grief! Twenty or nearly thirty people were here. All of them were grinning at him.

What could he say? Go ahead, all of you! Initially, he planned to go up the mountain for another day tomorrow, but seeing this chaos caused by these kids, there might be little left.

About thirty people were ready with precautions, and it was an hour later when they were fully prepared.

Such a large group going out would certainly attract attention. Especially during the summer vacation, families in the brigade sending children to school were relatively well-off and cherished their children. These elementary students didn’t work the fields, occasionally cutting pig grass or grazing cattle for work points.

If seen going up the mountain with so many people, especially with his little uncle among them, these little kids would surely follow along. This would not only expend their energy taking care of the kids but also mean all collected goods would have to be turned over.

Before Zhang Guoqing could arrange anything, Xi Zi, Tie Dan, and Ziwen, with their ulterior motives, instructed the younger siblings to act separately and gather at a designated spot on Daqing Mountain.

At this point, Zhou Jiao didn’t allow Ping’an to join his older brothers’ activities, but instead tied him with a sling on her chest, secretly handed him a pouch of sedative, and pointed to the small gourd hanging around his neck.

Ping’an, who initially felt embarrassed being held like a man, was now too distracted by the sight to care. His eyes lit up.

— Can he try it freely?

As they walked, Zhou Jiao whispered, "Remember the prerequisite."

Little Ping’an cheerfully nodded. Isn’t it about not exposing it unless in a crisis? Later, he’d let his dad avoid outsiders. This opportunity wasn’t frequent!

Zhou Jiao knew her son’s thoughts perfectly. She smiled, "Learning from books is ultimately hollow, later first identify some herbs with me, then have your dad teach you wilderness survival."

At this, Ping’an seriously nodded in agreement. He remembered his mom saying hunting was secondary; survival skills in the wild were crucial for safety. This was the real reason for this trip back to the hometown!