For a moment, the villagers who offered such greetings couldn't help but murmur to themselves: Hu Lanfang's complexion was rosy, and her steps were light; she looked healthier than them, so why did Old Man Gu still say she was unwell?
Watching the Gu Old Six family quickly walk past them, the villagers continued to lower their heads and trudge on, their heavy footsteps making it seem as if they could barely move.
"Mom, I'm hungry. I don't want to walk anymore."
At this moment, behind Gu Qingcheng, a little boy of about four years old plopped himself down on the ground.
"Xiao Shan, hurry up. It's getting dark. If you don't move, the wolves in the mountains will snatch you away later."
"Mom, I'd rather be snatched by wolves than keep walking. I'm so hungry, my legs have no strength."
Xiao Shan started to cry whimpering.
Gu Qingcheng felt pity for the child. She remembered that she had relatively sufficient supplies with her, but she dared not take them out to share with the child.
The entire village had over 300 people; she could save one family, but not everyone.
Moreover, if her strangeness were discovered by the villagers, they might not thank her but would instead burn her as a demon.
"Xiao Shan, can you really not walk anymore?"
At this time, the elder of this family stopped to coax the child.
"Grandma, I really can't walk anymore."
The child lifted his foot. His straw sandals were torn, and the soles of his feet were worn raw, with a large blister on the bottom.
Everyone looked at him with pity.
"Xiao Shan's mother, don't you still have brown sugar? Break off a piece for him to eat."
At this moment, Xiao Shan's grandmother said.
Xiao Shan's mother had a bitter expression. It wasn't that she was reluctant to give her child food; it was just that the small amount of brown sugar was to be saved for emergencies.
But seeing her child so weak, she had no choice but to stop and take out a piece of brown sugar from her bundle, putting it into Xiao Shan's mouth.
"Wow, Mom, the candy is so delicious."
Xiao Shan closed his eyes contentedly and wiggled his little feet.
Gu Qingcheng's heart ached as she watched. What kind of era was this? They couldn't even get enough to eat or keep warm. Compared to the peaceful era they had come from, the children of that generation were truly pampered and too fortunate.
Unlike people nowadays, who are concerned about whether food is organic or too high in fat and fear of getting fat.
If it weren't for the supermarket system she had, her family's fate would not have been any better than this child's.
Sighing, Gu Qingcheng stopped to rest. As Xiao Shan walked past her, she gently stroked his head and greeted him. While he wasn't paying attention, she slipped a few more pieces of brown sugar, remnants from her morning drink, into his pocket.
If Xiao Shan discovered it, he would surely think his mother had secretly put it in his pocket and wouldn't mention it.
The Gu Zhaobei family hurried forward. Their pace was more fortunate, and they caught up with the main group in the evening.
The campsite was still on a flat area by the riverbank, convenient for fetching water for washing and with level terrain.
Those who arrived earlier had already lit bonfires and set up stoves to cook dinner.
Dinner was the usual wild vegetables, with only salt added, and not a drop of oil.
These wild vegetables were barely palatable for adults, but the children's faces were bitter, and they didn't want to eat, yet they had no choice.
The Gu family also stopped to set up camp.
Hu Lanfang picked up stones to build a stove, while Gu Zhaobei took Gu Qingcheng to find wild vegetables. Many of the fresh wild vegetables had already been picked by the villagers, so they had to go a little deeper into the woods.
They carried bows and arrows and crossbows, so they were bold enough to venture further in. Ordinary villagers dared not go too deep, which meant that deeper in the woods, there were still large patches of wild vegetables that no one had picked.
"Qingcheng, Dad will teach you the varieties of wild vegetables. These can be eaten, but some are poisonous and look similar to the edible ones. Be careful not to pick the wrong ones; eating the wrong ones can be fatal."
"Okay, I'm watching carefully! I won't make a mistake."
Gu Qingcheng found picking wild vegetables quite interesting. She carried her basket and threw the picked vegetables into it from time to time.
"This is amaranth, this is goosefoot, and this is dandelion. The young shoots are edible. Here is wild lily. Only the bulbs of the lily can be eaten, but not too much. It's slightly toxic, and eating too much will cause stomach pain and diarrhea."
Gu Zhaobei knew a great deal about wild vegetables. As they walked through the woods, he introduced all the wild vegetables they encountered.
"Thistle, greater thistle, yam, wild onion, wild chives, lily, aster, reed root, cattail pollen, mint, Atractylodes, mugwort, prickly ash, Polygonatum, kudzu root, locust flower, locust bean, Phytolacca, Japanese knotweed, magnolia flower, Perilla seed, Perilla, thorny amaranth, green fruit, goosegrass, mallow, siler root, ash-leaved goosefoot, amaranth, wormwood, chicory, gorgon fruit, Asparagus, burdock seed, plantain seed, plantain herb, flaxseed, Euphorbia, small fennel, Imperata cylindrica root, wild beans, common lamb's quarters, Ficus pumila seed, Celosia argentea seed, shepherd's purse, ground cherry, False Erigeron, Chinese thoroughwax, common speedwell, great bindweed, Eucommia ulmoides bark, motherwort, wild chrysanthemum, scissors grass, Portulaca oleracea, shepherd's purse, cat's claw, dragon's head vegetable, Prunella vulgaris, Inula japonica, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Rehmannia glutinosa, snake string, chicken intestine, field chrysanthemum, Fructus Cannabis, Fructus Rubi, Chinese violet, Rubus idaeus, etc..."
"Dad, there are so many wild vegetables, and you remember them all clearly. I'm getting confused."
Finally, Gu Qingcheng quickly urged her father to stop.
If he continued, she would mix up what she had already remembered. Just these alone had cost her many brain cells.
But Gu Zhaobei looked at her with disappointment, as if he wished she would turn into steel, saying:
"Although there are many varieties of these wild vegetables, they can all be eaten. You have to remember them all. No bargaining allowed."
The memory of a medical student was indeed not to be underestimated. Gu Zhaobei's many years of outdoor activities had allowed him to memorize a large list of wild vegetables.
And now, this knowledge of wild vegetables was becoming one of the life-saving assets for his family.
Although his daughter had the supermarket system, it was ultimately an external force. What if this supermarket system disappeared as suddenly as it appeared?
At that time, only the knowledge he possessed could save them.
Time was of the essence. In this chaotic era, Gu Zhaobei was also afraid that something might happen to him and his wife, leaving his daughter to fend for herself.
He was anxious and wished he could pour all the knowledge in his mind into his daughter's.
"Okay, Dad, I'll remember. Don't worry."
Gu Qingcheng saw her father's eyes slightly bloodshot with anxiety. In them, she saw the profound love of an old father, and she couldn't help but shiver. She understood her father's deep affection for his daughter and dared not complain or be careless any longer.
Father and daughter picked wild vegetables while having an outdoor practical lesson. Their baskets were soon filled with plump wild vegetables of various varieties.
"We have enough wild vegetables for tonight and tomorrow morning. Dad, shall we go back?" Gu Qingcheng said.
"Alright."