Wild vegetables could grow in large patches overnight in the mountains after rain, but there weren't many people heading up. Only a few villagers were seen here and there, along with some playful children.
First, the mountain roads were difficult to walk on after rain; second, the villagers of Lake West Village cultivated all kinds of vegetables in their own courtyards. At this time of year, they didn't lack for food, not the best, but it filled their stomachs.
Wild vegetables were so unpalatable that they were only eaten when there was nothing else available.
The original Lu Xiaomiao's family was different from the people in the old house; they were honest, especially her father, who was warm-hearted and righteous. After his death, who wouldn't sigh at the impermanence of life when they saw the Jiang sisters?
Today was no different, as people still lamented their situation.
- Poor girls almost got sold by the Jiang family to the Zhang family as daughter-in-law. What kind of family is the Zhang family! She would've lost a layer of skin marrying into that family.
- Such pitiful mother and daughters.
- Will that wound on her forehead heal? Will it disfigure her? What a waste of a pretty face. It's all the Jiang family's evil deeds!
- Even injured, they still need to dig up wild vegetables for food.
- If only your father were alive, you wouldn't have to suffer like this.
Lu Jingzhi followed Jiang Tanyue. Whatever Jiang Tanyue called out, aunt or uncle, she would also call out the same.
With her tail-like appearance following behind her sister, she seemed to resemble the original Lu Xiaomiao.
Walking far from the villagers, the sisters didn't compete with them for wild vegetables. Mrs. Liu, a villager, looked at the well-behaved sisters and sincerely smiled at them, calling out, "Xiaohua, Xiaomiao, don't go too far. There are wolves in the deep mountains. Let's just wander around the edge of the mountains."
The sisters agreed.
Moving further away where no one was around, Lu Jingzhi dropped her smile, habitually pinching her fingertips, "I really want to slap someone."
Jiang Tanyue: "It's better not to."
Lu Jingzhi: "Just to vent my mouth itch – look at each of them, so foul-mouthed, insisting on bringing up people's scars, time and time again telling the girls, 'Your father's dead, your mother and daughters are miserable, you can only eat wild vegetables to survive, the Jiang family doesn't behave like humans, but you can't do anything about it because they are your grandparents, your elders, right?'"
Breaking the wooden stick she used for probing the ground, Lu Jingzhi ground her teeth, "I'm still so angry."
"This isn't your life experience, so why be angry?"
Lu Jingzhi was surprised: "In your previous life..." She covered her mouth, and her bright eyes roamed around. Seeing no one in the mountain, she relaxed and continued, "Did you eat vegetarian food and pray?"
"No." Jiang Tanyue's eyebrows were light, and she didn't have such a good temper in her previous life.
Lu Jingzhi shrugged, "Even reading novels requires sincerity, let alone 'personal experiences.' Now it's inconvenient, but once it's convenient, I'll definitely strike back to soothe my little heart."
They began digging up wild vegetables.
"Sister, do you know which wild vegetables can be eaten?" Lu Jingzhi was troubled.
After doomsday, there had been mutations in flora and fauna. The most things she had ever done were fighting zombies and mutated plants. She could hardly recognize them.
Before the doomsday, she was just a high school student. When it came to wild vegetables, she had eaten them at restaurants, priced at eighty-eight for a plate.
Asking her to recognize wild vegetables was like scaling the blue sky.
Jiang Tanyue was well prepared and handed her a bunch of samples, "Just find these."
Soon, the baskets were filled.
Jiang Tanyue spoke, "This body was starving to the point of fainting, but not because it couldn't wake up, but because she was determined to die – from the moment her father died and faced with the 'well-meaning lament' from the villagers, she couldn't hold on any longer."
Lu Jingzhi stared, "Isn't this being manipulated into killing oneself? I should've retorted just now!"