Return to 83: Start by changing your surname

Chapter 3 The mysterious opportunity in the cave

Every year after the Grain Rain and before the White Dew, people living near the forest area will go into the mountains in small groups to dig for rare wild ginseng.Some mountaineers who specialize in ginseng picking support their family's livelihood by picking ginseng every year.

It's just that going into the mountains to collect ginseng is hard and dangerous, so most ginseng collectors go to the mountains in groups of a few or a dozen people. This form of ginseng harvesting is called a gang.But there are also people who go into the mountains to collect ginseng alone, and they are called single sticks.

If there is any profit from joining a gang, the final profit will not be too big due to the large number of people, but safety will be more guaranteed after entering the mountains.If there is a harvest with a single stick, the harvest will definitely be more, but the probability of danger is also very high.

In the Changbai Mountain area, it is not uncommon for people to disappear or lose their lives due to gathering ginseng or hunting every year!

Liu Shanhe, who grew up in a forest area, has just finished junior high school. In the eyes of many villagers in the village, he is still a minor.I definitely wouldn't want to take him with me on something as risky as going into the mountains to collect ginseng.

Looking at the groups of ginseng pickers disappearing at the end of the village, Liu Shanhe also understood the villagers' approach of not taking him with them.But he knows one thing more clearly, that is, from now on, he must be able to learn to support himself.

Although grandpa Mu Xingye had left him an 'inheritance' of as much as five thousand before his death.But Liu Shanhe didn't want to spend the money, and he knew that the consequences would be serious if he wasted nothing.It is urgent to learn to support yourself.

Even though Liu Shanhe is only 15 years old, because of his life experience, he is different from other people of the same age in the village.He has experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships in the world, and his mind is more mature than his body.Knowing that from now on, he will have no one to rely on!

Since he could not become a member of the "gang", Liu Shanhe decided to be a one-man gangster.Compared with farming, he has been going into the mountains with his grandfather who is a senior "old leader" all year round. He feels that it is easier to make money by picking ginseng than farming.

When making the decision, Liu Shanhe also said helplessly: "Although the old man has always hoped that I could be admitted to a technical secondary school or high school. But I failed the exam this time. I am afraid that I will not have the opportunity to continue studying in the future. Moreover, I also I won’t dislike reading.

Moreover, the old man also said before he passed away that from now on I will learn to take care of myself and find ways to make money to support myself.Although he left me a lot of money, I really don’t want to use that money now! "

While other villagers in the village were not paying attention, Mu Shanhe boldly went into the mountains with his ginseng-picking tools and the semi-automatic rifle his grandfather had used before his death.Carrying more guns also emboldens him. Although he can shoot, his marksmanship is not accurate.

But what Liu Shanhe didn't expect was that when he went into the mountains with his grandfather in the past, he would always see his grandfather digging wild ginseng.Even if the year is different, at least there is a harvest.On the other hand, he went into the mountains and found nothing in a few days.

"Hey, do you want to be like grandpa and go to worship the mountain god first? Forget it, let's go to the mountain god cave to spend the night tonight, and then go to the nearby mountains tomorrow. If we haven't found it yet, we can only go back to the village first. .”

For Liu Shanhe, who was only 15 years old and had just left school, he actually didn't understand why his grandfather had to go to the Mountain God Cave to worship the so-called mountain god every time he went to the mountains.This behavior seemed somewhat superstitious to him.

But Liu Shanhe also knew that many ginseng pickers, herb pickers or hunters who traveled to the mountains all year round would follow the rules passed down from ancient times.That is to respect the mountains, offer sacrifices to the mountain gods for protection, and allow them to gain something.

When he arrived at Laohu Rock, which the villagers called, and the "Mountain God Cave" that Liu Shanhe and his grandfather talked about, he was somewhat moved by the scene, but he didn't feel any fear.In his early years, he and his grandfather would stay in this cave several times a year.

After entering the cave, following his grandfather's tireless instructions every year, Liu Shanhe used incense and candles to worship the so-called mountain god in the cave as usual.Even though he couldn't see the statue in the cave, he still nodded respectfully to the raised cliff like his grandfather.

After he was done, he went outside the cave to collect dry firewood and lit a bonfire. He held on to the semi-automatic rifle he had brought and covered himself with the bearskin quilt that his grandfather had sewn for him before his death. After a hard day's work, he quickly fell asleep until he felt cool the next day. Only then did he gradually wake up.But what was unexpected was that Mu Shanhe woke up in a hazy state and looked at the missing tent roof, his eyes instantly became confused and sharp.Like a conditioned reflex, the whole person rolled directly to the burnt bonfire.

When he saw clearly what he was holding tightly in his hand, Mu Shanhe said in confusion: "I'm holding a straw! This is a gun, not a stick. Wait, what's going on with this gun? I have a double-layered tent with Where’s the sleeping bag?”

Feeling that the situation was a bit strange, Mu Shanhe forcibly ordered himself to calm down.After calming down and carefully examining his surroundings, he muttered again: "This is Tiger Rock, it should be right! But why do these things look so familiar?"

The custom-made tent that was set up before going to bed last night was gone, replaced by a bearskin quilt spread on the ground.The custom-made machete he had on hand last night was gone and replaced with the Type [-] semi-automatic rifle he was equally familiar with.

Mu Shanhe, who gradually calmed down, patted his cheek hard, and even said: "It hurts, so it's probably not a dream. This gun is not a fire stick, but a real rifle. Wait, this gun? This quilt?" "

When he saw the gun butt, there were knife marks and five-pointed stars, as well as the familiar bearskin quilt and simple backpack.Combined with the scene of the past that he recalled while sleeping last night, the two scenes quickly merged together.

If the reminiscence of the scene appeared in my mind when I fell asleep last night, the real scene was actually before my eyes at this moment.After pondering for a while, he said with a trembling voice: "I won't be reborn, right? Will something like this happen to me?"

The notches on the gun were specially made by the old man. There were fifteen in total, indicating that he had killed fifteen bears.The five-pointed star was specially carved on this rifle when Liu Shanhe was bored in the mountains when he was a child.

Holding the slightly cold rifle and pointing the muzzle downward, Mu Shanhe went outside the cave again and looked at the surrounding environment.Although the environment looked as pristine and silent as yesterday, he quickly noticed the difference.

The Tiger Rock where he stayed last night was covered with vines.But now, no vines can be seen on the rock wall above the cave.Moreover, the access road to Laohu Rock was covered with weeds and shrubs yesterday, but now it is exceptionally clean.

"Just taking a nap and switching time and space. What on earth is going on?"

I touched my pocket out of habit, preparing to take out the cigarettes I occasionally smoked when I entered the mountain, but found that the clothes I was wearing were not the familiar high-end jackets at all.There was a wry smile on the corner of his mouth, but he was slightly excited inside.

Although he didn't understand what caused him to be reborn from the next life back to when he was 15 years old, he was still happy that his surname was Liu at this time.Somehow, he felt that his rebirth was directly related to the imaginary mountain god in the cave.

Thinking of this, Mu Shanhe returned to the cave, put his rifle in front of his simple backpack, skillfully took out the incense candle from the bag, lit it again and offered sacrifices again.Just as he knelt down and nodded respectfully, a strange scene happened again.

Mu Shanhe's body remained in the posture of kneeling and licking his head, as if he had instantly become a vegetative state. He could not raise his head or stand up for a long time.If there were people around him at this moment, they might also feel that Mu Shanhe's posture looked weird at this moment.

It was not until ten minutes later that everything returned to normal, Mu Shanhe, looking at the cliff that seemed unchanged, said with respect and awe: "Please rest assured, Lord Mountain God, Shanhe will live up to the opportunity given by you in this life!"

Mu Shanhe, who made a solemn promise, finally understood why he was reborn from the next life and returned to the present.But no matter what, he knew one thing in his heart, that is, in this life, he would definitely take a life path that he had never walked in his previous life.

In addition, he is probably inextricably linked to all things in the mountains, rivers and jungles of this place.
(End of this chapter)