Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 374 Chapter 373 Pine Tower
Tang Gang was in front, and Tang Zhitong was behind. At first, the two brothers chatted for a few words, but then they just immersed themselves in driving.

This time when entering the mountains, Tang Gang was no longer as cautious as he was last time and strode forward with a wooden stick.

Tang Gang's behavior made Tang Zhitong sigh. The people who know the situation in the mountains best are definitely the locals. The reason why Tang Gang is so confident and has no worries about snakes and other wild beasts on the road is that the matter is probably not as "organized hunting" as he said. So simple.

"Euclidean, your body is good, you are not tired." When it was approaching noon, Tang Gang finally said to take a rest.

"Hehe, you are young and have good physical fitness." Although Tang Zhitong is not tired from work and study these days, he has made great efforts in discussing life skills with classmate Xiao Wang. However, he cannot tell Tang Gang this, even if he is his own Neither can my eldest brother.

"Let's have some food, and we'll be on our way again later." Tang Gang tied the hunting dog to a tree, then put down all the scattered things on his body, rubbed his hands on his clothes, took out the nest directly, and handed it to Tang Zhitong and Tang Zhitong. .

"Thank you, brother." What else can Tang Zhitong say? He's not unclean, he won't get sick after eating, just do as the Romans do.

The steamed buns were a bit dry and I didn't order any soup, so it was a bit hard to eat, but it didn't stop the two brothers from chatting.

"Brother, are there no pine towers on the pine trees on the top of the mountain?" Tang Zhitong stretched out his arm and drew a circle around himself and asked.

"They've all been picked. It's only half a day's journey from the forest farm to here. We have to walk further inside. I'll take you to the spot to see where there are pine cones. Then we'll see if we can catch anything tomorrow. We'll go pick the pine cones the day after tomorrow. It will take at least two days to go back with the pine cone on your back." Tang Gang answered Tang Zhitong's question and made some arrangements.

"Let's split it up." Tang Zhitong took the kettle and poured it into the kettle with a cheat device. After drinking, he wiped his mouth and handed it to Tang Gang.

After Tang Gang finished drinking, he rinsed the kettle and filled it full.

"Okay. Where should we sleep tonight?" When he was cleaning up in the morning, Tang Zhitong didn't find anything like a tent. Seeing that the sun had begun to move west, he asked.

"Don't worry, the water is clean." Tang Gang let the two hunting dogs lick the water downstream and drank while he rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands and face, and then drank the water with his hands.

The two packed up their things and set off again. After walking for more than half an hour, Tang Zhitong heard the sound of running water, followed by the sound of dogs barking.

"Brother, where are we going next?" Tang Zhitong struck a match, lit two cigarettes, and then threw the match into the river. The flames went out and flowed down the river.

"Drink the water. There are mountains and rivers ahead. I'll take some more." After the meal, Tang Gang held the kettle and gave it to Tang Zhitong to drink.

After hearing this, Tang Gang stopped trying to persuade him and just finished it in one go.

"Hurry forward, there is a couple's room over there, let's live in it." Tang Gang pointed in the direction just now.

"It's okay, put this guy away, we are the common people picking pine cones. Let's go forward to get the water." Tang Gang waved his hand, pointed forward, and took the lead to walk forward.

"Okay, then let's walk further in." Tang Zhitong heard a different meaning from Tang Gang's words. All the pine cones in half a day's journey have been picked. If you want to get the pine cones, you can only go further. Then "Organization I'm afraid "hunting" is almost the same as raiding, right?

"It's probably the people nearby." Tang Gang was relatively calm and shouted at the top of his lungs after speaking.

Tang Zhitong naturally listened to his elder brother and followed behind him to the small river. The water was not big, but it fell from a height and hit the rocks, making a crisp sound of jade beads rolling around.

"I'm full!" Tang Zhitong shook his head, just to let Tang Gang drink water now, he used the cheating device.

"Go forward and see how many people are picking and see how many are left." Tang Gang said, smoking a cigarette and pointing to the direction where the sound came from another group of people just now.

"You haven't drunk much? Drink some more." Tang Gang was packing his bag just now and didn't pay attention to his brother's behavior. He took the kettle and was worried that Tang Zhitong didn't drink enough.

The voice was so penetrating that Tang Zhitong didn't understand a word of what he was shouting.

"Is there anything going on?" Tang Zhitong saw the dog barking and immediately hugged Wu Liuban to him.

After a while, someone from the front shouted in response, but Tang Zhitong still didn't understand.

Tang Zhitong followed suit and tasted it twice. Not to mention, it tasted good.

Being near the water, there was no need to worry about catching fire. Tang Zhitong took out his cigarette and gave Tanggang one.

"The opposite ovary? Is there a house in this deep mountain and old forest?" Tang Zhitong was stunned and asked.

"It's different from the house at home. It's relatively simple, but it can keep warm. It's a small shack for hunters and mountain collectors to rest temporarily. You'll know when you see it." Tang Gang happily explained to Tang Zhitong.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it. It's my first time sleeping outdoors." Tang Zhitong replied cheerfully. In fact, this was not his first time sleeping outdoors. The first time he slept outdoors was in the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, sleeping on a pile of firewood.

"When we get to the opposite room, we can have a hot meal. There is a stove over there." After Tang Gang finished speaking, he held the cigarette butt with two fingers and took a careful puff. When the cigarette butt was about to burn to his fingers, he flicked the cigarette butt. Got to the ground and poured some water on it.

Tang Zhitong still followed his example. There were many things he didn't understand when he went into the mountains, so he would never go wrong if he followed his example.

The two brothers set off again. After walking a short distance, they met the visitor head-on.

Because he didn't know them, Tang Gang didn't speak to them. He nodded and said hello. He led Tang Zhitong to the side and chose to give up the easy path down the mountain and wait for them to pass before moving forward.

Tang Zhitong just watched the strong men carrying sacks down the mountain. When they met, Tang Zhitong could smell the fragrance of pine coming from the sacks.

The two brothers continued to walk forward for another two hours. During this period, people occasionally carried sacks down the mountain. Tang Gang always gave way to the road.

Finally, there was the sound of heavy objects falling from the front, and there was also the sound of people talking.

"There are pine cone pickers in front of you." After Tang Gang heard the noise, he said to Tang Zhitong, and then shouted twice at the top of his lungs.

This time, Tang Zhitong understood, and Tang Gang shouted "borrowed it".

When he arrived, Tang Zhitong saw scattered villagers, all dressed very simply. Some were packing tools, while others were picking up pine cones on the ground with sacks.

"They are going down the mountain." Tang Gang took a look and said very experiencedly.

"I think it's early enough for us to set off. They've been picking for a long time. How early can we get up?" Tang Zhitong said with emotion.

"They are closer to here and set out at three or four o'clock in the morning. It will be dark when they get home from the mountain." Tang Gang speculated based on experience.

"It's not easy." Tang Zhitong shook his head. "Let's go." Tang Gang had no intention of coming forward to say hello, and led Tang Zhitong towards the opposite ovary and continued on his way.

But this time, Tang Gang was slower, looking up and looking around as he walked.

"Brother, what are you looking for?" Tang Zhitong followed Tang Gang's gaze and found nothing.

"Pine cone, look to see if it has been plucked." After saying that, Tang Gang pointed to the treetop, trying to let Tang Zhitong see, "Did you see that? The one on the treetop was not completely plucked."

"I didn't see it." Tang Zhitong looked carefully, didn't see it, and gave up.

"It's really not easy to find. Wait a little longer. When we get to the place where there is a pine cone, I will point it out to you." After Tang Gang finished speaking, he continued on his way.

Not far after walking out, Tang Gang smiled and said, "Hey, look what this is, there is a pine cone."

"Where is it?" Tang Zhitong searched hard and saw everything, but found nothing because the weeds, fallen leaves, and soil on the ground were all the same to him.

"Here it is." Tang Gang took two quick steps, bent down to pick it up, and handed it to Tang Zhitong.

"Ouch! So big?" Tang Zhitong was surprised and ate pine nuts himself, but this was the first time he saw a pine cone. It was very different from the small, cute, brown, dry pine cone on TV.

"This is a small size. The big one is as big as a palm." Tang Gang laughed happily when he saw that his brother had never seen anything like the one on the market.

"It's not quite what I imagined." Tang Zhitong held it in his hand. The thing was sticky, with green skin, and the smell was the same as the one in the sack carried by the villagers just now.

"What did you imagine?" Tang Gang asked as he led Tang Zhitong forward.

"The size of an egg, brown and shriveled." Tang Zhitong recalled based on the way the little squirrel hugged the pine cone in the movies he saw.

"That's also called a pine cone, but it's not grown on the same tree. The pine nuts we eat are from red pine cones, just the one in your hand." Tang Gang answered with a smile after hearing his brother's description.

"I've learned a lot." Tang Zhitong sighed. This was indeed the first time he saw a real pine cone. Looking at the pine cone in his hand, Tang Zhitong asked again: "How to deal with this pine cone? Just peel off the skin?"

"It has to be sun-dried. After it's dried, beat it with a pole, then sift it, and the pine nuts will come out. The skin is still green now, so it's quite difficult to peel it off." Tang Gang looked back at Tang Zhitong and explained.

Tang Zhitong was speechless by Tang Gang's words. He was so careless that he even promised Lu Jian a hundred kilograms of pine nuts! I didn’t expect the harvest span to be so long, I have to dry it! And my space is kept fresh, where can I dry it? ? It’s really killing me!
"Then we are going to carry this thing when we go back?" Tang Zhitong asked without interest.

"Yes, carry it back to dry. You don't think the ones you knocked down are pine nuts, right?" Tang Gang heard the difference in his brother's mood and turned around and asked in surprise.

"Oh, I thought the pine cones I pulled from the tree were dried. I dug out the pine nuts under the tree and carried them directly down." Tang Zhitong sighed, it was all the squirrels' fault!

"Hahaha, if you wait another two months, the ones hanging on the trees may not be able to dry in the sun, and you won't be able to go into the mountains to pick pine cones after it snows. Plus, there will be disasters like squirrels and birds. What you are talking about is just It will bring good luck in the coming year, but it will take a lot of time and effort,” Tang Gang said.

"I overestimated this matter. Can this kind of green food be eaten?" Tang Zhitong was helpless and could only find a way to remedy it.

"It's edible. In fact, the pine nuts inside are already ripe. It's just a hassle to pick them out. If you don't want to wait, you can eat them over a fire or boil them directly." Seeing his brother's gloominess, Tang Gang gave a pertinent reply.

"Can you eat it?! As long as you can eat it, it's good if you can eat it." After hearing Tang Gang's words, Tang Zhitong felt relieved and planned to go back and ask him how to eat it, a practical way.

The two brothers walked for more than two hours, and there were gradually more pine cones on the road.

From Tang Gang's mouth, Tang Zhitong learned a lot.

Not every pine tree can form a pine cone, only those that are old can. Wild pine trees like those in forest farms generally need to be more than thirty or fifty years old before they can bear fruit.

Pine trees that are thirty to fifty years old. Tang Zhitong looked for the pine tower in the direction pointed by Tang Gang. This time he saw it, hanging high on the treetops.

"Brother, this tree is too tall, let's not pick it." Tang Zhitong's tree climbing skills are limited to climbing. The thinner and shorter ones like Sijiucheng are just fine, but for thick pine trees like the forest farm, which start at 20 meters, We can only stop.

"What?" Tang Gang had an expression like "You're telling me this even if you've already taken off your pants", and then said: "Don't worry, I won't let you get on, I'll pick them off."

"It's dangerous if you pick it." Tang Zhitong immediately shook his head. He had space, so he could just pick it. The reason why he said not to pick it was because he was afraid of an accident at Tangshan Iron and Steel.

"It's okay, I've been crawling since I was a child. Besides, we don't rely on this to make a living. We only pick what we can. We don't force anything that is too high or too far. Safety comes first." Tang Gang had an expression that he was used to, and he didn't accept it at all. Tang Zhitong's suggestion.

"Alas..." Tang Zhitong opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to persuade him. If he had known it was so dangerous, he wouldn't have said anything about picking pine nuts. He said that going into the mountains to see the scenery was better than picking pine nuts!
"See, there's the opposite room in front of you." Tang Gang pointed to a small wooden house with low eaves in front and introduced it to Tang Zhitong.

"It's quite beautiful. I can take a break." Tang Zhitong regained his energy and walked on the mountain road for a day. He would be fooling people if he said he wasn't tired.

"Come on, there is a bed inside, where you can lie down and rest." Tang Gang walked forward with long strides.

"Brother, why is it called a pair of houses?" Tang Zhitong asked, looking at the strange-looking house.

"The pair is a hunting tool for catching squirrels, yellow squirrels, and martens without damaging the fur. This house was built to provide a resting place for hunters and miners, so it was named after a pair. The ovary." Tang Gang walked to the house, took off the wooden stick on the door, and the door opened.

"This house is not locked?" Tang Zhitong was a little surprised.

"It's not locked. Anyone who passes by can stay here. In the past, there was rice and noodles here, and you could chop some firewood to cook. It's probably gone now." Tang Gang said as he pushed the door open and entered.

Tang Zhitong followed closely and entered the door. It didn't look high from the outside, but there was a cave inside. It was a semi-underground structure that went down, with a stove and a fire pit. Because it was built on the sunny side, the inside of the house was not humid.

"Okay, you rest for a while, I'll go get some water and chop some firewood." Tang Gang put down his bag, picked up the ax and bucket and headed out.

"Let's share it. I don't know where the water is. Let me chop wood. It will be faster." Tang Zhitong also put down his bag and reached out to ask Tang Gang for an axe.

"That's okay. Just find some dead trees and dead branches around, and don't go too far." Tang Gang thought about it, so he didn't refuse, but he still gave the instruction.

"Okay, don't worry." Tang Zhitong followed Tang Gang out of the opposite room door, closed the door, and looked around, looking for dead branches and broken trees.

(End of this chapter)