The children got permission and all ran out in a hurry.
There is a small river ditch opposite the Xu family gate, formed by the spring water flowing down from the mountain.
The creek is not too big, an adult can cross it in one step, and the water is not too deep.
A few little ones were squatting on the rocks beside the ditch, playing with the water with their hands.
"Brother, look, there are some small shrimps in here, they are so small. Quick, help me catch them."
Xu Haiqing pointed to the clear river water and exclaimed.
Xu Haiyuan came over and knelt down to take a closer look. Sure enough, in the cracks between the rocks, there were several transparent river shrimps swimming in the water.
"Why are you catching such a small thing? To eat it?"
It’s true that his younger brother is a foodie, but such a small shrimp can’t even fit between his teeth. Isn’t it a bit too much?
"Brother, even if I love eating, I can't eat something so small, right? It's just fun to watch."
Xu Haiqing pouted, who do you think he is?
How can he eat such small shrimps and only a few of them?
The conversation between the two brothers made everyone laugh.
"Come on, let's go for a walk up the mountain. Didn't I say there are chestnut trees over there?
We don’t have this thing over there, let’s go over and see what it looks like.” Xu Haibo pointed to the woods in the distance and said.
Indeed, chestnuts do not exist in Fusong.
Everyone has usually eaten chestnuts, but never seen a chestnut tree, so they all got interested and walked up the mountain over there.
The mountains here are different from the mountains at home.
The mountain near my home is huge, and some mountains stretch for dozens of miles, so most of the mountains are flat and the slopes are relatively gentle.
The mountains here are small and each one is quite steep.
And this Shijiagou deserves its name, as the mountains are full of rocks.
Even in large fields, you can see a lot of stones.
The crops in that field should be quite tall by now, but the growth of the crops here is very ordinary. It seems that the soil fertility is not enough.
"No wonder our master said that when the Shijiagou was being shoveled, people could hear it being shoveled from one mountain to another.
Look at this mountain full of rocks.
The crops grown here are far worse than those grown there.
I don’t know why those people from my ancestors stayed in a place like this.
Since we've already traveled to the Northeast, why don't we go north again?" Xu Haitao muttered as he walked.
The children have all heard from family members where the ancestors of the old Xu family are and why they moved here.
But why did you choose such a place? Everyone doesn’t understand.
"Second brother, when the Qilu people invaded Guandong, one went by land, that is, they broke through Shanhaiguan and went outside the pass, and the other took a boat from the sea.
Generally speaking, if things go smoothly, it will take one day and one night.
On the sea route, most of them go to places like Dalian and Yingkou."
Xu Jinping has read relevant information and has some understanding of this.
“The ships at that time were not like the big ships now, they were just ordinary small fishing boats and the like.
If the wind is favorable, it can drift to the right place. If the wind is not in the right direction, it may drift somewhere, and some may drift to the Sea of Japan.
It would be good if they floated to the shore, but I don’t know how many people just died in the sea.”
The sea is unpredictable and no one can predict such things.
"Our ancestors were fishermen, how did they come here? It must have been by boat.
It's not something they can control if the boat drifts this way. It just depends on where it drifts.
Maybe our ancestors drifted to the vicinity of Dandong.
Then I found a place to stay and felt that I could live on and it was better than the fishing days before.
Then who will continue to move forward?”
Liao Province was the first stop for the Qilu people to break into Guandong. Anyone who could make a living here would not want to go further north.
Further north, there are high mountains, dense forests, and wild animals, which is too dangerous.
Although Shijiagou is not a wealthy place, it has a small population and its natural resources were probably rich enough back then.
In front is the Xiaoya River, which is actually quite nice to be surrounded by mountains and rivers.
The farming society is self-sufficient, and it is quite good to have such a piece of mountainous land.
Even though Xu Haitao is several years older than Xu Jinping, when it comes to the amount of ink in his stomach, even if the three of them are tied together, they still can't keep up with Xu Jinping.
Xu Haitao rolled his eyes helplessly, "Yeah, I can't help you, but you are right."
The people nearby listened to the conversation between the brother and sister and suppressed their laughter.
The whole family knows that Xu Haiyuan and Xu Jinping, these two monsters, love reading and dabble in no matter what kind of knowledge they have.
If anyone debates with them, he will lose miserably?
Xu Haitao is quite sensible. If he continues, he will offend the brother and sister.
It is estimated that everyone else is tied together, and they may not be able to compete with those two.
There is cultivated land at the bottom of the mountain, and as you go up, you will find forests. There are some pear trees and some hawthorn trees.
At this time, the fruits on the pear tree have not yet grown, and the hawthorn fruits are green and not very big yet.
There are no hawthorns in Fusong, only Shanlihong. The children compared them and found that there were some differences between the two plants.
"Oh, what a pity. It would be great if autumn comes. We can climb the trees and pick pears.
Didn’t grandma say that the pears from my hometown are delicious?
When you pick pears in autumn, you have to have someone underneath them with a sheet, otherwise the pears will break when touched."
Xu Haiqing looked at the green fruits on the pear tree and took a sip of saliva.
He really wanted to taste it, the sharp sour, flat-topped fragrant, flower-covered pear, and perfumed pear that grandma mentioned.
Also, grandma said that frozen pears are actually a special variety, called frozen pears.
You can't eat that kind of pear in autumn, it's sour and astringent and doesn't taste good at all.
After the winter freeze, the pear flesh is white and delicate, and the pear juice is sweet and sour, so delicious.
Xu Haiqing especially wanted to know how delicious those frozen pears would be?
What is the difference between frozen pears made from apple pears or flower-covered pears that are common today?
"Then wait until autumn and ask our dad to take you back again.
What else should I do? You can't live here until autumn."
Xu Jinping turned to look at her younger brother. This foodie had nothing in his mind but just thought about eating.
I'm convinced of this ability.
"Sister, I have to go to elementary school in the fall.
Besides, our parents are so busy in autumn. Do they have time to bring me back?
Yep, if I dare to say that, my butt will be beaten into eight pieces by them."
Xu Haiqing touched his butt and muttered with fear on his face.
Does his sister think he is stupid? He loves to eat, but he has brains and is not stupid.
"Then what are you talking about? You came back here to eat?" Xu Jinping glanced at her brother and hummed.
Xu Haiqing was just about to say something more when he heard his brothers shouting in front of him.
"Come and look, what is this? Why are there thorns all over the body? Is this a fruit?
How do you eat a fruit that is full of thorns?"
When Xu Haiqing heard this, he stopped arguing with his sister and ran forward.
On the hillside in front, there is a patch of trees that no one has ever seen before.
There are thorns on the tree, and there are many green hair balls growing on them. The hair balls are covered with thorns. What are these?
"This must be the chestnut that the aunt was talking about, right? I've read in a book that chestnut shells are full of thorns."
None of us have ever seen chestnuts on the tree, so we can only make a rough guess.