During times of famine: I have a spiritual spring space

Chapter 16 Is that what you call a bed?

Zhuang Lihui first had Master Wang's men carry 6 bags of cement and 6 bags of quicklime to where Chen Jian'an parked his oxcart, and then they would deliver the rest there.

The furniture store brought over two bed components; I can assemble them myself when I get home.

"Brother Hui, are you really going to build a house?"

Watching cement and lime being loaded onto the oxcart, Chen Jian'an couldn't help but ask.

Zhuang Lihui shook his head: "It's not building a house, just some simple renovations. We'll lay a layer of cement on the floor and paint the interior walls white. Come on, there are a few bags of stuff over there."

However, the old ox was unhappy about pulling so much and refused to move.

There was nothing Zhuang Lihui could do but reward it with two more handfuls of corn.

"Can we go now?" Zhuang Lihui slapped the bull's head impatiently.

The old ox mooed and began to walk slowly.

Zhuang Lihui and Chen Jianan did not ride in the oxcart, but followed on foot.

They arrived at the place where Zhuang Lihui had hidden the corn cobs in advance, a total of 5 bags of corn cobs, and quickly loaded them onto the oxcart.

In Chen Jian'an's view, these were all gifts from some important person to Brother Hui, including the cement and lime loaded on the truck, since they couldn't buy cement themselves.

How generous!

With these 5 bags of corn, it should be enough for Hui Ge and Li Ming to eat until the New Year, right?

Only those who have experienced famine understand the true value of those five bags of corn. Let alone five bags, even one bag would inspire people to risk their lives for you.

"Okay! Let's go back!"

On the way back, there were uphill sections, and Zhuang Lihui and Chen Jianan even helped push the car from behind.

Back in the village, everyone—from Lao Niu to Zhuang Lihui and Chen Jian'an—was exhausted.

Zhuang Liming walked out and stared blankly at the cartload of things.

"What are you standing there for? Come and unload the truck," Zhuang Lihui shouted, then beckoned Chen Jian'an to come inside and rest, and gave him a cup of water mixed with spiritual spring water.

Without wasting any words, Zhuang Liming immediately unloaded the items from the oxcart one by one, discovering corn cobs, cement, lime, and some wooden planks, among other things.

"Brother Hui, did you put sugar in this water?" Chen Jian'an asked in surprise after drinking the water.

It tastes great, and it made me feel much better. I feel like I can walk a few more miles now.

"I added a little," Zhuang Lihui readily admitted, saving himself the trouble of explaining.

Then, Zhuang Lihui filled another bucket halfway with water, poured in two ladles of spiritual spring water, held it to the old ox's mouth, and patted its head: "Drink!"

Once the old ox starts drinking, it can't stop.

That half-bucket of water wasn't nearly enough to drink, and even after finishing it, they continued to watch Zhuang Lihui. The spiritual spring held a greater attraction for animals, allowing them to better appreciate its benefits.

Zhuang Lihui had no choice but to bring it another half bucket.

After resting for a while, Chen Jian'an also came out to help unload the cart. After unloading, he still had to return the oxcart! After all, he was the one who lent it out, and he would be responsible if there were any problems.

"Brother, did that person give you this corn?" Zhuang Liming asked in a low voice.

Zhuang Lihui nodded: "Otherwise, how could I conjure it up for you? And that cement, I don't have the ability to get my hands on it either. That's a bed, don't throw it around, be careful."

Chen Jian'an remained silent, thinking to himself: Just as I expected!

You could probably guess it.

"Don't we already have a bed at home?"

Zhuang Lihui: "That's what you call a bed?"

Chen Jian'an: "..."

The bed he slept on was the same, with large mud bricks piled up at both ends and then a few wooden planks laid on top. How come it's not called a bed?

Zhuang Lihui opened a bag of corn cobs, poured out half of it, and handed the other half to Chen Jian'an: "Jian'an, take this half bag of corn back first, and come back to return the oxcart later."

"Ah! My family has plenty of food, Brother Hui, you should keep it!" Chen Jianan waved his hand repeatedly.

Zhuang Lihui glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? Just take it. I'll need your help to dredge sand and stuff later."

There's no shortage of food?

These days, who dares to say such a thing? Which family can afford to eat their fill? You can fool outsiders with this, but don't fool yourself too.

Chen Jian'an was moved and nodded heavily. Then he picked up the half-bag of corn, slung it over his shoulder, and walked quickly home.

"Brother, why do you need so much cement?" Zhuang Liming finally dragged the last bag of cement off the oxcart.

"Lay the floor in the house and whitewash the walls," Zhuang Lihui explained briefly, then instructed, "Pour out that half bag of corn and take it to your second uncle. When you come back, wash the other four bags of corn."

"Okay, got it."

Zhuang Lihui did not assemble the wooden bed immediately, but decided to wait until the house was renovated before doing so, and decided to put up with the old bed for another two or three days.

……

When Chen Jian'an returned home, his family was astonished to see that he had brought back another half-sack of corn cobs.

Seeing his family's stunned expressions, Chen Jian'an felt smug: Let's see if you dare to say I brought food to Brother Hui again.

"Mom, hurry up and get me something to eat, I'm starving. This afternoon I have to go help Hui Ge dredge sand. He got some bags of cement and lime from someone, planning to renovate the house," Chen Jian'an shouted.

His family knew he had borrowed an oxcart from the production team, and they were initially a little upset. They thought it was Zhuang Lihui who wanted to use it, so why didn't he borrow it himself? If there was a problem with the oxcart, they would be held responsible.

But now, all those feelings of dissatisfaction vanished instantly.

They wouldn't object to having this half-sack of corn cobs, let alone asking them to borrow an oxcart from the production team, or even asking them to pull the oxcart themselves. Food is so precious these days.

"Okay! Mom will make you something to eat right away."

The family was overjoyed. They took the corn out of the bag and exclaimed in amazement, "How was this corn grown? We can't grow such good corn!"

"Let's keep two ears for seed!" Chen Jian'an's grandmother said.

They can be planted in their own vegetable garden. Each household can reserve a small plot of land as their own vegetable garden, which belongs to them, and the produce does not need to be handed over to the state.

Others share the same idea.

It would be such a waste not to save the seeds from such good corn.

……

After Zhuang Liming finished dealing with things at home, he was about to take the half-bag of corn to his second uncle's house when his older brother suddenly called him to stop.

"Wait, this candy was also a gift from Uncle Wang. Take some and give it to Shitou and Xiaohua." Zhuang Lihui took out a bag of candy and tossed it to Zhuang Liming.

Zhuang Liming tore open the packaging, filled a bag, and went out.

He arrived at his second uncle's house and found that his second uncle had not returned yet. Only his second aunt was cooking corn porridge, with Shitou and Xiaohua standing by. They were probably hungry.

"Second Brother *2"

The two little ones saw Zhuang Liming and immediately ran over, each grabbing one of his legs.

"Liming's here? Have you eaten?" Auntie's attitude was completely different this time, with a big smile on her face.

"Not yet! My brother went out this morning and brought back some more food, cement, and lime. He plans to renovate the house in the next couple of days. He asked me to bring this half-bag of corn to you, Auntie."

"Oh my! Why are you giving me corn? You should keep some for yourselves too." Auntie was even happier when she heard this.

Zhuang Liming: "There's still some at home!"

"Okay, then consider it a loan from your second aunt. Need to repair the house? I'll talk to your second uncle and ask him to come and help too."