Making chopsticks is absolutely embarrassing to Er Gouzi. For him who is accustomed to grasping with his hands, two bamboo sticks are not enough to make trouble.

Li Ji didn't like to use it no matter how he tried to persuade him. Li Ji couldn't grasp it with his hands, so he simply fed Er Gouzi with chopsticks.

Er Gouzi took a bite of a steamed bun with mixed noodles. The noodles were very soft. This is the craftsmanship of Li Changfa's wife in the east, but her seniority is a bit lower. They are called Fourth Grandpa Li Ji and Uncle Er Gouzi. Li Ji is not a person who likes to take advantage of him, so he usually has few contacts, and he will not catch up with someone who is five or six years older than him.

Er Gouzi likes to eat steamed buns with mixed noodles, biting a steamed bun, opening his mouth and waiting for Li Ji to feed him. After spending this afternoon together, Li Ji had actually noticed that Er Gouzi didn't want to be as wild and untamable as others said, but was a little more vigilant.

But I'm familiar with Li Ji, and it can be said that he obeyed Li Ji's words. Just as soon as I came here, the child arched up and looked around vigilantly, as he really planned to bite at any time.

Li Ji's comment on this is that Er Gouzi is worthy of his name and short-term caregivers, but his thinking remains at the lost five-year-old. In fact, as long as you teach it well, you will definitely be able to return to normal.

Thinking well, Li Ji started to worry after a meal, not because of other things, but because these Er Gouzi really love to eat. Li Ji belongs to the age of still pulling high, eating three steamed buns is considered too much, well Er Gouzi ate eight.

If he didn't look at Li Ji's eyes on his stomach, he might still be able to eat two of them.

Li Changfa's wife was kind and made a half catty of steamed buns. A total of 20 were delivered. It was supposed to be two or three days' worth, but according to Er Gouzi's meal, it would be enough for breakfast tomorrow.

Er Gouzi tilted his head to look at him, unable to find enough words to express his doubts, he only knew that Li Ji was in a bad mood now.

Looking up and seeing his elder nephew look at himself this way, Li Ji wanted to cry without tears. Calculating in my heart, Er Gouzi's food is definitely not enough at home. If you can't send Er Gouzi away, you have to find a way to earn a copper plate in exchange for food.

Thinking of this, Li Ji's intestines are almost regretful. In fact, he has land, four acres of land. If he planted potatoes and sweet potatoes this winter, it would be enough to eat. It's just that Li Ji is young and eager to enjoy it, just like Eat some fine grains. This area is not suitable for middle paddy fields, so all the rice grown in the field is stick rice, which is replaced with fine rice grains when harvesting.

It's too late to regret it now. Li Ji wants to replace all the rice he saves at home with stick noodles, a little more. Can think about it but can't bear it. If you are used to eating rice, you will definitely not be used to eating stick rice.

Li Ji gritted his teeth and looked at the tendon flesh that Er Gouzi could still see through his clothes, thinking that he should have the strength of his arms. The two young men were afraid of starving to death?

I thought of it here, I burned the kang and made the bed. There is only one thick quilt in the house, but fortunately, it is enough for two people to cover one. There are two patches on the quilt, which is actually a new quilt.

Lying on the bed, it was so dark that Er Gouzi finally took off his clothes as he wished. The two of them were very close in the bed. Er Gouzi smelled the smell of Li Ji's body, and seemed very uncomfortable.

"Oh, go to bed, in two days we will go up the mountain to chop wood, and then we will go to the east charcoal kiln to burn the charcoal and then go to the village to sell it."

There is a charcoal kiln in the village, but every family basically just burns the charcoal they need to use at home. Very few people burn charcoal to sell, because the charcoal is dirty, almost can't tell the face after a day, but if there is a little surplus of food and The copper plate is not willing to do this job. That is to say, Li Ji, who has no food, would think of buying charcoal to make money.

Er Gouzi didn't understand Li Ji's meaning. Waiting for Li Ji's breathing to gradually become evenly balanced, Er Gouzi pulled the quilt on his body and closed his eyes when he was sure that there was no danger.

The next morning, Li Ji got up early and stewed some cabbage, and heated up the remaining nine steamed buns. Li Ji ate two steamed buns, and the remaining seven steamed buns and Er Gouzi ate with a pot of cabbage. He was clean, and when the dishes were clean, he looked at Li Ji with a touch of expression, his expression still unfinished.

Li Ji swallowed, he was such a big Buddha invited there.

"Are you still hungry? I'll do more for you at noon. You're still ill and take more rest these two days. In a few days, we will have to work. Only by working can we earn food. We are running out of food. We have to make our own."

Li Ji seemed to understand, nodded.

A few days later, Er Gouzi was very agile. He got up early in the morning and was ready to go up the mountain. There was only a hatchet at home. Li Ji went to the neighbor's second brother's house to borrow a hand for Er Gouzi and pushed the broken wheelbarrow at home. All the way up the mountain, Li Ji could feel that the atmosphere in Er Gouzi's body became tense, and those eyes kept patrolling the surroundings.

Remembering that Li Er Gouzi grew up on the mountain, Li Ji asked what do you eat on the mountain?

After thinking about it, Er Gouzi understood what Li Ji meant, and said vaguely: "Meat, fruit, and grass. The grass is bitter and unpalatable."

Er Gouzi's vague words made Li Ji open his mind. What he thought was that Er Gouzi was drinking blood and ruining hair, and the wild grass was filling his hunger. Li Ji himself was not old, and he was an elder, and he felt very distressed. .

"It won't happen in the future. Let's work hard to earn more copper. Let's eat mixed noodle buns every day. In the coming year, we will farm the land so that we can afford white noodles and steam the white noodles buns."

The land here is barren, and it is better to grow wheat than potatoes and sweet potatoes. Therefore, I buy noodles from outside. The corn he planted this year was only because the manure he had diligently picked up to make the land more fertile.

Er Gouzi didn't care whether he understood or not, so he just nodded. In this way, Li Ji thinks Er Gouzi is quite cute.

I went up the mountain and chopped firewood for the whole morning. Although Er Gouzi ate a lot, his strength was really enough. He chopped branches very fast, and soon the firewood was piled up high. There are many trees in the mountains, but there is no reason for arbitrarily felling. There are not many charcoals that are burnt only by cutting the branches, and they are not good in appearance. They are generally used for home use. To buy, you need to choose carefully and watch some trees cut back.

The wheelbarrow was not big, and it was quickly filled with a full cart. It takes an hour to go up and down the mountain. Li Ji has been resting at home for a while. Suddenly, such intense labor makes him a little overwhelmed. On the other hand, Er Gouzi is a breeze. It doesn't mean to be tired at all.

In the end, I eat more and do more work.

On the second trip, Li Ji didn't follow him at all, so he might as well cut more firewood on the mountain.

In short, I really cut a lot of work in the morning, and only half of the charcoal kiln was put in at noon. There are two charcoal kilns in the village. It takes at least two or three days to burn good charcoal once. Of course, if you use it for your own household, you can burn it in a day and a half.

Li Ji temporarily occupied one. At noon, he cooked a pot of mixed rice porridge with pickled vegetables. Er Gouzi was very satisfied. In the afternoon, something happened when he was chopping wood.

When I was chopping wood, I came across a yellow leather. The yellow leather is worth a lot of money. If you take a complete one, you can sell it for five bucks, which is enough for Li Ergou for two months.

But this thing is so slippery that it is impossible to make a complete piece of skin. It can only be hacked to death, and the remnant skin can be purchased for two dollars.

Li Ji stared at Huang Pizi with his eyes, squeezed the hatchet in his hand, looked at the little guy who was holding a pit and gnawing at it, and slowly passed by with light steps.

Raise the hatchet in his hand and wait for it to be lethal when it relaxes.

At this time, the shoulder was slapped, Li Ji turned around, and Er Gouzi handed over a handful of nuts: "Here you are."

Huangpi turned back and ran away.

Li Ji was furious: "Do you have any eyesight to see!"

Er Gouzi was originally immature, but of course he couldn't figure out why Li Ji was angry, with grievances on his face, and asked Li Ji what's wrong with his eyes.

Faced with Er Gouzi's ignorance, Li Ji couldn't really be as knowledgeable as him. He just felt sorry for the two pennies, and only after a few days of selling charcoal could he earn it back.

"Okay, let's continue cutting down trees." Li Ji kept brainwashing himself, this is a child, this is a child, he brought it back by himself, he deserves it.

Li Ji still didn't forget to mumble: "I'm blind."

Er Gouzi still stubbornly gave the nuts in his hand to Li Ji. Li Ji glanced at them. They were all mountain things, and they took them and put them in their pockets.

The two continued to cut the tree, and seeing that Li Ji was not so angry, Er Gouzi cautiously asked, "What's the matter?"

Knowing that Er Gouzi didn't understand people, Li Ji said in a spirit of venting: "That yellow leather is worth a lot of money. You are bothered and ran away. That is to say, you have no life."

"Skin? You want skin?"

Startled by Er Gouzi's words, Li Ji nodded: "Yes, yes, what's the matter?"

"I have." Er Gouzi said with certainty.

Er Gouzi grew up in the mountains. He has a high degree of credibility when he said this. Li Ji's eyes lit up and he put down his hatchet: "You have it? Where are you?"

Er Gouzi pointed to the depths of the jungle: "Let's go." Er Gouzi's grasp of language is not very accurate, so he can only say as concisely as possible.

Even the hunters in the village will not easily walk in the depths of the jungle, because there are large beasts inside, and there are not enough weapons to protect themselves to improve the food for the beasts. But then think about it, since Er Gouzi survived after staying in the mountains for more than ten years without being found, it can explain two things.

The depths of the first forest were not as terrible as imagined, and the second Er Gouzi must have a way to protect themselves.

Look at the endless woods in front of me, and feel the soreness on my body again. Li Ji is greedy, because he is a lazy person in his bones, he belongs to the kind that is unprofitable and cannot afford to eat early. Just like he can get up and down a few miles to pick up manure fields every day to eat rice, just like now in order to earn a few more coppers. Take Er Gouzi up the mountain to cut trees.

This premise is the premise that there is no second way. If there is a second better way, Li Ji is willing to take risks.

Li Ji nodded, parked the wheelbarrow in the bushes, covered it with weeds, inserted two branches as markers on the side of the road, and clenched the hatchet in his hand: "I'll follow you to see."

With some joy, Er Gouzi looked up at the sky, as if recognizing directions, then took Li Ji's hand and walked into the depths of the jungle. 

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