Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Lin Heng was startled by Xiulan's voice. He turned his head and looked over there with a look of shock: "This yam is too big!"

Yam Lingling is the appearance of the dried yam flower, a large white bunch that can be seen from a distance.

What they saw were yam hanging from the top of the tree. They were at least one or two meters long, and there were so many of them that it was a bit scary.

"This yam must be big enough. Let's go and take a look." Xiulan said and walked over first.

Soon they arrived under the tree and saw a dry yam vine as thick as an index finger.

"It's definitely a super big yam." Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and smiled.

Lin Heng nodded and said, "Indeed, let's see if it's easy to dig it up next."

This place is a big slope, and it might be easier to dig if we follow the slope.

"Let's give it a try. I think this is something special." Xiulan said confidently.

Lin Heng nodded. Of course he would give it a try with such a big yam, but he only brought a hoe with him today, so it would probably be difficult to dig.

He dug down along the root of the yam and was soon shocked.

Normally, the first few dozen centimeters of ordinary yam are very thin, but this yam was only dug thirty centimeters deep and was already as thick as a wrist.

"This must be a Chinese yam. Maybe it weighs more than 20 kilograms." Lin Heng said in shock.

"Then let's dig it carefully, and try to dig it out completely." Xiulan said.

Generally, a yam weighs only five or six pounds. A large one weighs more than ten or twenty pounds, and you may not find one for several years.

Lin Heng looked at his watch, hoping to dig it out before dark, there were less than four hours left.

He first simply dug a trench along the direction of the yam's growth, and then started digging from the outside, removing the soil bit by bit.

When he got tired of digging, Xiulan would wipe his sweat, and then she would dig for a while herself, and the two of them would take turns digging.

Soon a two-meter-deep pit was dug. The yam was now as thick as a forearm and looked like a python.

The two of them had no purpose, they just wanted to dig it out intact. Fortunately, there were few stones where the yam grew, so it was not particularly difficult to dig it out.

"It's forked, and there are six of them."

After digging two and a half meters, Lin Heng looked at the yam and turned his head and said.

"The fork is not thin. Should we continue digging?" Xiulan asked.

"Dig it, you must dig it all out." Lin Heng nodded. Now he wanted to dig out a whole yam and take a look.

First it expanded to both sides, and then dug deeper. In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk. A red color appeared on the ridge on one side, but the outline of the sun could not be seen due to the thick clouds.

Lin Heng and Xiu Lan had already dug a ditch that was three meters and three meters deep, but the thickest taproot still did not reach the bottom.

"We have to give up. We can't dig anymore below." Lin Heng sat down and looked at Xiulan and said.

Both of their clothes were soaked with sweat, and now they were dishevelled and looked like two beggars.

"Forget it, forget it. This yam is too ridiculous." Xiulan waved her hands. Now there was still the thickness of her wrist below. She didn't know how long it would take to dig.

Immediately, the two began to dig out the yams, trying to take out as much as possible.

Finally, a huge yam with a length of three meters and six branches at the bottom was dug out.

"Although we didn't dig out all of it, this should be at least 20 kilograms, right?"

Lin Heng grinned as he held the yam, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, he didn't have a mobile phone to take a picture as a souvenir.

Xiulan took it and mentioned it, then nodded and said, "Even if there isn't, it won't be much different."

After saying that, she put the yam down, cut it into small pieces with a knife and put them into a bag.

Then the two of them dusted themselves off, carried their things and went home.

It was already dark when they reached the road. Xiulan was a little scared and held Lin Heng's hand.

When they returned to Hongfeng Mountain, Lin's father and mother were shocked to see them like this.

"Did you step into the pile of dirt?" Father Lin asked in shock.

"Why are the clothes so dirty?" Lin's mother was also surprised, and she held the three children back from hugging them, otherwise the clothes would get dirty and would be difficult to wash.

Lin Heng put down the backpack, took out the bag of yam and said, "Weigh it, we dug a yam."

"Is this one?" Father Lin was a little shocked when he opened the bag.

"We dug to a depth of three meters and three meters," said Xiulan with a smile.

Lin Heng added: "And we haven't finished digging yet. Do you think this yam is big?"

"That's probably a bit too much." Father Lin was shocked and went to get a beam scale to weigh it.

"19 jin, this yam is awesome!!"

After the weighing, Lin's father cheered.

"No wonder you came back so late, amazing!" Lin's mother said in shock.

Their parents’ words made the two of them happy. They fetched water to wash their faces, had a simple dinner here, and then took the children back home.

After returning home, they boiled water, took a bath, and went to bed with the children.

Although their bodies were sore from digging yams, they were in a good mood.

After the children fell asleep, the two of them finished the things they had not finished during the day.

The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, they took their children and set off to their eldest and third uncles' homes.

His eldest brother's family and mother were also there, but his father chose to stay here.

The group of people walked for nearly an hour before they arrived at the door of my eldest uncle and third uncle's house. The dog tied in front of the door barked twice, and then stuck out its tongue to welcome them.

"You are finally here!" Lu Honghai walked out of the house and said with a smile.

"Yes, if you don't come soon, we will finish all the meat." Third uncle Lu Honggang also laughed.

The eldest aunt came over and held Lin's mother and everyone else and said, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside." Even Lin Heng's grandmother walked to the door and wanted to come out to greet them. Lin Heng hurried over and held her back and said, "Grandma, you don't have to come out. It's cold outside!"

"Okay... okay, my dear grandsons, you finally came up. Your eldest uncle and third uncle have hunted muntjacs and wild hogs, and are waiting for you to come up and eat them." The old man said with a smile, holding Lin Heng's hand with his skinny, branch-like hand.

She liked Lin Heng more than her own grandson, not only because Lin Heng often listened to her, but the main reason was that he knew that it was with Lin Heng's help that her eldest son was able to get married.

"I know. I also got you a pair of boots so you can wear them warmly in winter." Lin Heng took the boots that Xiulan was carrying and showed them to her.

They are here to have fun, so they don't need to bring any gifts. This is just a small token of my appreciation.

Lin Yue also took out the things he bought and handed them to his grandmother, saying, "Grandma, I also bought you a cotton-padded jacket to keep you warm."

Both grandchildren received gifts, which made the old man so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He said that he didn't need to wear such good clothes as he was old, and he laughed happily all the time.

We entered the house and sat around the stove, chatting animatedly. My aunt had already gone to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Uncle, you guys have hunted a lot of prey recently!"

Lin Heng looked at the smoked meat on the stove and smiled. Not only were there wild boars and badgers in the stove, but there were also four slaughtered golden roosters hanging on the wall.

"I changed my gun recently and got a double-barreled shotgun. It's more powerful than the previous one." Lu Honghai said with a smile. He used to use a homemade gun not because he liked it, but because double-barreled shotguns were too expensive and he couldn't afford them. Now that he has money, he bought one.

Lu Honggang also laughed and said, "I used it twice, and it really works. I shot down the badger with one shot."

"No wonder, I said you guys are so good this year." Lin Heng suddenly realized.

Lu Honghai smiled and said, "You have almost finished your work now, right? When are we going to go hunting together?"

Lin Heng nodded: "It's fine during this time. I'm going to Sanchagou. Do you have any good places?"

"As for a good place... the place behind us by the medicinal tree is also okay. There are muntjacs calling there every day. I have set a trap but haven't caught any yet." Lu Honggang thought for a moment and looked up. Last year, after seeing Lin Heng set traps and catch a lot of prey, he came back and started setting traps as well, but the effect was not very good.

"Okay, let's try it another day. I think there are always people fighting over there in Sanchagou, so it may not be very effective." After Lin Yue finished speaking, he looked at Lin Heng.

"I'm fine with anything." Lin Heng spread his hands and smiled.

Lu Honghai said: "Then it's settled. You guys come up tomorrow and we'll go hunting in Yaoshu Yazi."

Lin Heng nodded in agreement without objection, and then went on to talk about how he and Xiulan had dug up 20 kilograms of yam yesterday, and boasted about it a lot.

After chatting for a while, Lin Heng sat down by the stove and chatted with his grandmother. His grandmother habitually took out a piece of rock candy and gave it to him to eat.

Although he was no longer at the age where he liked sweets, he still put it in his mouth with a smile.

Because there were so many people present, she gave one to each child, and then chatted with Lin Heng about some family matters. Lin Heng listened silently and responded from time to time.

The children had already run out to get their toys, and his third uncle was surrounded by the children and asked to use wood to carve a sword, and he couldn't get away for a while.

His third uncle really doted on the children. He smiled and cut a wooden sword for each of them. Although it was not very delicate, the children were very happy and started to chop the dry wormwood with the wooden swords.

The meal was ready quickly. There were more than ten dishes, boiled pork legs, and a lot of fried meat. A large round table was set up and a group of people sat around it and happily ate.

The boar meat they hunted was not very big, and it was okay to feed, but it was not as delicious as badger meat. However, the fried pork intestines and sour radish were very delicious.

In addition to these, golden roosters are also stewed and fried. The stewed ones can be eaten by children and the elderly, while the fried ones are for adults.

The meal lasted an hour. Lin Heng and his elder brother were both a little tipsy, and it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

After playing around the fire for a while, everyone got up and went home. On the way back, they took some wild boar meat, badger meat and tofu, as his uncle's family had just made tofu.

It was almost four o'clock when they got home. They lit the fire in the fireplace and drank some tea. Xiulan washed the hawthorns she had picked up yesterday. She didn't plan to do anything with them this time. She just washed them and put them there for the children to chew on.

After washing the hawthorns, Xiulan sat down in front of the fireplace, looking at Lin Heng while warming herself by the fire and saying, "I'm going to soak 20 kilograms of soybeans and make them into five-spice dried tofu."

"Wait for me to come back and I can help you then." Lin Heng poured her a cup of honey black tea and handed it to her.

Five-spice dried tofu is an authentic dish to go with alcohol. Few people don’t like it, and they make some at the end of every year.

Xiulan shook her head and said, "It's okay. When you have time, we'll make some more. I'll soak the tofu and ask my parents to help make it. You can eat it when you come back from hunting."

"That's fine, you sit here and I'll make some." Lin Heng put down his tea, took the scale and went upstairs, and scooped out twenty kilograms of soybeans from the big cabinet.

Just take it down and pour it into a wooden basin and soak it.

While soaking the soybeans, Lin Heng sorted out his hunting tools. He didn't plan to bring a hunting rifle for hunting tomorrow, so he would just take his compound bow, which he felt more comfortable with.

If he really needs to use a hunting rifle, his elder brother and uncle both have them, so he can just take it and use it.

Xiulan specially made sesame buns for dinner, and ate some at night, and gave the rest to Lin Heng to take hunting. The next morning, Lin Heng got up early, made breakfast, ate it, and took his equipment, Xiongba, and called his eldest brother to go to his eldest uncle and third uncle's house.

The two of them walked quickly and reached the top in half an hour. The eldest uncle and the third uncle were already prepared, and the three of them walked towards the Yaoshu Yazi without stopping for long.

Lu Hong said as he walked along the beach: "We can explore freely this time. Don't worry about where to stay. Your third uncle and I have built a wooden house over there."

"Wooden houses are good. Not only are they warm, but they can also protect against wild animals." Lin Yue nodded.

Lin Heng said: "Uncle, third uncle, if you want hunting dogs, you can find a time to catch them. This year's litter is almost two months old."

"That's fine. I'll go down when I have time." Lu Honghai nodded.

They walked slowly towards the deep mountains while chatting, and when they reached the deep part, everyone separated from each other and formed a fan shape to start searching on their own.

Xiongba hadn't gone out hunting for a long time, and was running around very fast. Lin Heng could only hold him up with a rope. Running like this would consume his energy too quickly, and he would not be able to run anymore when he really encountered prey.

There were many traces of various animals in the forest, but it was difficult to track them. Before they knew it, they had arrived at Yaoshu Yazi. There were several large medicinal trees with a diameter of 50 cm in this place, so it was called Yaoshu Yazi.

The cabin was built nearby. It was a square house simply surrounded by oak trees, covering an area of ​​about 20 square meters. The top was covered with tarpaulin, and the gaps between the wood around it were blocked with mud.

Although it looks ugly, it is very warm and comfortable to live in. Putting down the rice and other food they brought, they dispersed to hunt. Not long after walking, Lin Heng heard the call of the yellow muntjac.

But this guy was too clever, and seemed to have discovered them, and kept moving away. Lin Heng had no choice but to search for other things, and what made him feel incredible was that he only shot two squirrels when it was dark.

The first day passed like this, and when Lin Heng returned to the camp, he found that they had not gained anything, which made him feel balanced.

After the failure on the first day, everyone got up early on the second day and started searching. Lin Heng didn't know what others had found, but he heard two gunshots at noon.

By the afternoon, Xiongba finally made a discovery. After Lin Heng followed the traces for a while, he found the cave.

"It's really this thing. Looks like I'm lucky this time!"

Lin Heng smiled as he looked at some subtle traces. (End of this chapter)