Maotou pointed to the vast space and said to Chen Xiaobei with a smile, "How about it? I didn't lie to you, it's enough to store all your cabbages, right?"
Chen Xiaobei recalled his past life, when in winter he would dig pits under cliffs to store sweet potatoes and other root vegetables, which would last through the winter. As for cabbages, he seemed to remember that they had a special cellar dug at home. Later, the village became concerned about the risk of people suffocating from lack of oxygen in cellars that had been used for a long time, so cellars were gradually abandoned. However, a low-temperature environment that doesn't freeze is beneficial for preserving vegetables, especially the high carbon dioxide environment in a cellar, which is even more conducive to vegetable preservation. He thought about how in his past life, there were many nitrogen storage and constant temperature warehouses, which worked on the same principle. This cave was essentially a natural constant temperature warehouse.
At that moment, Maotou walked to a corner, fiddled with something, and actually lit an oil lamp. Then he turned around and beckoned Chen Xiaobei. As Xiaobei walked closer, he noticed a rack made of several wooden sticks in front of Maotou. Various wild game were hanging from it, tied with thin ropes. He could see wild chickens and wild rabbits, and sometimes various birds. What surprised him the most was an animal that was difficult to identify as a pig or a wolf, because it looked very thin and had fangs.
"This is a wild boar piglet. I don't know what happened to its parents. When I found it, I kindly gave it some water." "I originally intended to save its life, but when I came back three days later and saw the little thing still in the nest, on the verge of starving to death, I knew its parents had abandoned it, so I had to reluctantly prepare it like this." [Sudan Novel Network] "Oh, and here's some of this for you to eat." As Maotou said this, he reached for a cloth bag next to the wooden rack. A layer of dust could be faintly seen on the bag, and it fell off as it was shaken, indicating that the bag had not been moved for a long time. Maotou reached inside and fumbled for a moment, pulling out a handful of dried fruits. They looked very much like dried red dates. "These are very sweet, try some."
Chen Xiaobei took the red dates, wiped them, and put them in his mouth. At this moment, he suddenly thought of the time he met Qin Gang. He hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked, "Old man, have you ever hunted on Qingniu Mountain?"
Upon hearing his question, Maotou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and stroked his beard as he looked at him, "Xiaobei Village Chief, just say what you want to say. It's just the two of us here." Chen Xiaobei hesitated for a moment before finally smiling and saying, "Old man, to be honest, a few days ago when I went to Qingniu Mountain, I encountered a few people. They live on the mountain all year round and rarely come down to interact with us." Hearing this, Maotou looked at Chen Xiaobei with surprise. Then he said, "You, you've seen Brother Qin and them." Maotou had seen Qin Gang, which meant he wasn't the only one who knew Qin Gang's secret. "Yes, I encountered them by chance in Húlu Valley."
After hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Maotou also sighed slightly, "I've known Brother Qin and them for over ten years. Those people are truly pitiful. They were forced to hide in Qingniu Mountain to escape the pursuit of the imperial court, and who knew that this hiding would last a lifetime." "Although they now live a carefree life, detached from worldly affairs, what will happen when they are truly too old to move and need someone to serve them tea and water? How can one tiger cub take care of so many of them?"
Listening to Maotou's worries, Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly, "In a few more years, when Huzai grows up, he should get married." Maotou didn't follow up on Chen Xiaobei's words. Instead, he picked a wild chicken and a snake from the rack and handed them to Chen Xiaobei, "I'll give these to you. You must keep a close eye on them when you bring people to store the cabbage. These are the treasures of this old man." Chen Xiaobei repeatedly waved his hands and handed the items back, "I am already very grateful that you showed me this place. How can I accept your things?" "Please rest assured, when I bring people to store the cabbage, I will definitely keep a close eye on them. Anyone who dares to touch them, I will break their hands!"
Maotou naturally knew that Chen Xiaobei was joking. However, with such a promise, he felt much more at ease. Chen Xiaobei followed Maotou around and walked out of the cave. Outside the cave, there was a small platform, about two meters square, enough for people to stand on, and then ropes could be extended downwards from here. However, the height was about six to seven zhang. Transporting cabbage up this distance would indeed be a bit strenuous. But there was no other way. Winter was approaching. Although the weather in Chen Dachun's area was warmer, no one could guarantee that there would be no snow in winter. If it snowed heavily, wouldn't all the cabbage freeze? Therefore, they had to start bringing people up to transport cabbage starting tomorrow. They also had to start making kimchi and other preparations simultaneously, using multiple approaches to try and digest the cabbage inventory.
Upon returning to the village, Chen Xiaobei shared his idea with the village guard captain, Chen Dayong, and suggested bringing more people tomorrow to store cabbage in the cave. Chen Dayong nodded, "Brother Xiaobei, what you said is not a problem. But there's something else I need to tell you. Xiaowen also came to find me just now, saying that he will be marrying Mudan in a few days and wants to find some people to help. How should we arrange this?"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei frowned slightly. He hadn't considered this matter. It made sense; Chen Xiaowen was going to get married in three or four days. After a brief consideration, Chen Xiaobei decided to seek help from Liu Rumei. Liu Rumei had over twenty people working for her. Although they were burning charcoal, once the wood was piled into the furnace, they wouldn't need so many people and could free up some labor for him. They could be accompanied by a few villagers who were familiar with the village situation to help Chen Xiaowen with the wedding preparations, while more villagers could come here to help him transport cabbage upwards. After all, lifting things upwards was a physically demanding task that required many people to take turns. Of course, Chen Xiaobei's offer was also high; fifty copper coins a day, which was much more lucrative than helping Chen Xiaowen with his wedding.
Chen Xiaobei went to see Liu Rumei and explained his intentions. Liu Rumei smiled, "Brother Xiaobei, as the saying goes, brothers help each other, and father and son fight together. Since it's about your vegetable patch, I think it's better to let Ziming and Ziliang bring their people to help you with that. As for the wedding arrangements, the men don't understand such things, so Hongyu sister and I will take a few people to help out."
Alright, Liu Rumei had a point. A strong laborer was worth fifty copper coins a day. Ziming and Ziliang were strong laborers, and he didn't have to pay their wages. It was a win-win situation.