Zheng Changhe added in a loud voice, "We have to manage the bamboo on that mountain, otherwise this situation will never change. In the fall, when everyone gathers more acorns, they'll need more baskets and hampers. Won't they all come to cut bamboo then? If the whole village starts cutting, it'll be a huge problem. We need to do what we do with the acorn trees and plant more nearby. Only then will the bamboo groves grow bigger each year. I mentioned it to the village chief the other day, and he agreed."
Qingmu nodded eagerly. "Just cutting and not planting is no good. We also can't just let the bamboo shoots grow wild. We have to thin them out where they get too dense, otherwise they'll be too crowded to grow properly."
The men dug, sweat pouring down like rain, while Mrs. Yang sorted the soybeans that had been moved aside. She urged Juhua to hurry home, saying it was noon and the sun was vicious.
