Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 367: Asking the old head for blessing
The people in the forest area attach great importance to the Laobatou Festival. Who is this Laobatou? It is not Hei Xiazi, but a man named Sun Liang.

He lived in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and belonged to the older generation of refugees who went to Guandong. His ancestral home was in Laiyang. March 3th of the lunar calendar was the birthday of the old leader Sun Liang, and was later designated as a memorial festival by people in the Changbai Mountain area.

There is a folk song that goes: On March 16th, after lighting the lanterns, we offer sacrifices to the head of the family. The head of the family blesses us, and we can release the mountain quickly and get enough sticks. There will be good weather, a good harvest and longevity.

He went into the mountains to collect ginseng in order to cure his mother's illness. In the mountains, he met his fellow villager Zhang Lu, with whom he went out to collect ginseng every day. Later, a few days before they decided to return to their hometown in Laiyang, they got separated in the mountains.

Sun Liang decided to find Zhang Lu and go home together, but failed. Later, Sun Liang starved to death by the Cricket River.

Before his death, Sun Liang left a suicide poem: I live in Laiyang and my surname is Sun. I crossed the ocean to dig ginseng, but lost my brother on the way. I went upstream along the Cricket River to look for him. I ate nothing but crickets in three days and I will not be satisfied until I find my brother.

This poem is still well-known to many people in the mountainous areas today. The story of Sun Liang not fearing danger and willing to die in order to find Zhang Lu has been widely circulated by later generations, so the old leader Sun Liang has also been regarded as the "ancestor of carrying ginseng".

The old foreman Sun Liang is in the business of carrying ginseng and occupies a pivotal position in the ginseng culture. He is also regarded as the "saint of the industry" by the mountain people who carry ginseng.

There are rumors that the old leader Sun Liang saved Nurhaci, who built a temple for him, made a statue of him and named him the mountain god after he ascended the throne. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi went hunting in Changbai Mountain, in order not to forget the kindness of the old leader to his grandfather, he put a yellow jacket on the statue of the old leader.

It is not clear whether this story is true or not, anyway, there is a person named Sun Liang, so the mountain people call the mountain god "Lao Baotou". In addition to the meaning of big cat or black blind cat, it is more of a respect for Sun Liang, and they pray for him to bless the mountain people to obtain mountain wealth, have a good harvest and live a long life.

Some people may ask, why is the mountain god respected in the Northeast a native of Laiyang? Well, there is a unique reason for the cultural integration, because there have been many people who came to Guandong in every dynasty. They came from all over the country, and then merged with the shamans to form today's unique culture.

It is not just Sun Liang who is respected as the old leader, but he is a representative because he is the most famous mountain runner in that era. There were also many unknown people who stayed in the mountains, so modern mountain runners will have awe.

Sun Liang's main job was to carry ginseng into the mountains. The mountain folks liked to call digging ginseng "carrying ginseng" or "releasing ginseng", because ginseng has been called a magical herb since ancient times and has the effect of replenishing qi and calming the mind. Some people were afraid that the ginseng would hear the noise and run away, so it could not be called digging, but "carrying", which means carrying away.

There are many kinds of ginseng, such as ginseng, American ginseng, codonopsis, pseudoginseng, red ginseng, etc.

There are many types of ginseng, which are now roughly divided into three types: wild ginseng, garden ginseng, and forest ginseng.

It is further divided into Lao Chi Zi, Fei Zi, Niao Zi... Ginseng is also divided into leaves, including Ba Zhang, San Hua, Er Jia Zi, etc., which I will not go into details.

Xu Ning has been thinking about the goods in the nest of old pickled ginseng, but he has to wait until June or July to transport the ginseng, so he can't be impatient.

The next day, Xu Feng and the others had a short holiday that lasted for three days, so she begged Xu Ning to take them for a walk in the mountains. Originally, Xu Ning wanted to go bird hunting with an air gun, so he didn't refuse.

Today, Li Fuqiang followed the car, and only Wang Biao, Wang Hu, Liu Tianen, Jin Yumantang, and Xu Feng followed. He and Wang Hu carried the 56-and-a-half and the old jue-barreled rifle, while Wang Biao and Liu Tianen held the two air rifles.

After looking around at the edge of the mountain, Xu Ning saw a few birds. However, he couldn't recognize all the species of birds because there were hundreds of species of birds here, including white wagtails, hoopoes, yellow-bellied tits, white-browed flycatchers, red-tailed shrikes, etc.

Of course, the most common ones are sparrows. They fly back to the Northeast early, coming back in February or March, and do not fly away until November or December.

They shot more than ten birds at the edge of the mountain, almost all of them were shot by Xu Ning. Guan Lei and Wang Hu also shot two or three. The remaining lead bullets were used up by Xu Feng, Wang Biao and others.

In fact, this was the reason why Xu Feng begged Xu Ning to go into the mountains. She also wanted to play with the air gun, but if she tried it at home, she would be scolded by Liu Lizhen. But when she followed Xu Ning out, there were not so many rules, and Xu Ning would agree to whatever she wanted to do.

They played until noon and used up all their lead bullets. At Xu Ning's call, the group returned home dragging two bundles of firewood.

Liu Lizhen was very happy to see the children helping with the work, and she steamed two pots of buns for them at noon.

In the afternoon, Xu Ning, Wang Hu, Wang Biao and Liu Tianen went to Taiping, one to deliver Bingchuanzi to the old Hu family, and the other to look for Zhang Guifang.

After arriving at Taipingtun, they went straight to Dalaba's house. At that moment, Huang Lin was chopping firewood in the yard, and Zhang Guifang was washing dishes and pots in the outer room. When they saw the four people coming in, they immediately greeted them warmly. After welcoming them into the house, she made a pot of tea for them.

"Brother, pour your own tea."

"Hey, sister-in-law, I came here for something."

Zhang Guifang said with a smile: "Whatever it is, just tell me. As long as my sister-in-law can do it, I will definitely do it."

Xu Ning waved his hands and said, "I'm not asking you for help. This is what happened. Last night, my parents said that we'll have a festival in two days, and they want you to come to my house for dinner that evening."

"Ah! Well, that's fine! But your brother hasn't come back yet..."

"Why bother with him? Hu Zhibin is taking care of him in the street. He won't be cold or hungry. If he comes back, you three should go over. If he doesn't come back, you should go over even more. Otherwise, what's the point of you and your mother staying at home?"

"Okay! I'll go over early in the afternoon and help out."

"Well, that's it. Biao, Tian'en, you two stay here with Huang Lin to chop the firewood in the courtyard."

"Oh, no need. Forget it. Let them go out and play. Huang Lin has been working all afternoon. It's time for him to take a break."

Wang Biao said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, it's nothing. We are both strong and will be done in a short while."

"It's okay to go out and play after you finish your work." Liu Tianen said.

Xu Ning and Wang Hu walked towards the outer room. Zhang Guifang said, "Brother, are you two leaving now?"

"Well, we have to go to Old Hu's house and deliver the glacier that Hu Zhiyong left in the mountains."

"Okay, then sister-in-law won't keep you here."

"Don't send me off. Just do your thing."

After the two of them left, Xu Ning and Wang Hu went to Lao Hu's house. There were a few children playing with glass balls in the front yard of his house. Liu Shu'e, who was sitting in the east room knitting a sweater, heard the children calling her. She turned around and saw that it was Xu Ning and Wang Hu. She quickly dropped her knitting needles and wool balls, ran out of the house with a smile on her face, "Erning, Huzi, you two come in quickly!"

Xu Ning smiled and nodded: "I found the glacier that Brother Yong threw into the mountains last time, and I want to send it back to you."

"Oh my god! Erning, how could you be so thoughtful? Your uncle and I have completely forgotten about it!"

Liu Shu'e finished speaking with a smile and called the children over to say hello. Xu Ning and Wang Hu looked at the children and nodded.

"Go to the garrison and call your grandfather back, and tell him that your uncle Xu is here."

"Hey!" the half-grown child responded and ran out of the yard with a group of children.

"Erning Huzi, come in quickly! Your uncle will be back soon. Did you go into the mountains last time? How was it?"

Xu Ning walked into the outer room and said, "We saw a trail of bear tracks and chased it for several rounds. We almost hit the mountain. It was a bit weird. We didn't continue chasing it..."

"Hey, that black bear is pretty spooky, isn't it? Today, Lao Han, Lan Guodong and a few others also went to the mountain to look for it. I wonder how it turned out."

Xu Ning sat on the edge of the kang and said, "It's a waste of time to look for it. The bear must have gone far away."

"Ah, you two sit down first, I'll go get some tea."

"Sister-in-law, don't worry. I just finished drinking at my brother's house." "It's okay. Have some more drinks. Does Huzi smoke?"

Wang Hu shook his head: "I don't smoke, sister-in-law."

"You two are great, you don't smoke or drink. Your uncle still wants to have a drink with you."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Huzi, can you drink less?"

While Liu Shu'e was making tea, Lao Hu hurried into the courtyard, strode into the outer room, and asked, "Is Erning still here?"

"No, sir. I'm staying in the house."

Xu Ning lifted the door curtain and looked at Lao Hu, who laughed: "Haha, good! Did you find the glacier that Zhiyong threw in the mountains?"

"Yeah, it's leaning against the wall."

Old Hu smiled and nodded: "You are really considerate. When I came back from the street, I told your sister-in-law that you are very thorough in your work outside."

"Hahaha, sir, please stop praising me. I tend to get cocky when I'm praised."

Old Hu said, "Come on! Why don't capable people show off? If you don't come, I'm thinking of going to Qing'an to look for you tomorrow. What do you think? Are you free around noon after tomorrow? Bring Zhiyong back tomorrow evening. Your brother Bin called today and the doctor said Zhiyong is fine. He'll just have to stay in bed at the hospital. It's better to bring him home."

"I was thinking of inviting your family to come over for a meal at noon, and then invite Guoxing's family, Old Han, Lan Guodong... wouldn't it be more lively with more people?"

Xu Ning did not refuse and nodded: "Okay, to be honest with you, sir, if you ask us to come over at night, I definitely won't have time."

Old Hu took the tea tray handed over by Liu Shu'e and said, "I've thought about it. The forest farm will have a lunch party at noon, and we won't have a holiday until the afternoon. We will definitely have a party when your father comes back in the evening, so you should be able to spare some time at noon."

"Uncle Hu, you are very thoughtful. You have arranged everything clearly."

Old Hu handed teacups to Xu Ning and Wang Hu, and said with a smile, "It was just a random arrangement. To be honest, I was a bit confused that day, and my mind was in a mess. Fortunately, Dayong returned home safely, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to explain to my eldest brother."

"Why think so much? Now we have settled down and are safe. Hey, uncle, will my brother Bin come back later?"

"Yes! He went to the county compound for a stroll this morning and then came back. If he hadn't come back, I wouldn't be able to entertain him alone."

Lao Hu asked in a low voice: "Did you find the black bear in the mountains?"

"No..." Xu Ning repeated what he had said to Liu Shu'e.

"Ah!" Old Hu sighed and said, "This is fate. I was thinking that if you could kill that black bear, then you could show it to Dayong, and he wouldn't be in such a bad situation."

Lao Hu said, "Erning, I'm not putting pressure on you, I'm just saying it casually."

"I know that Brother Yong must be feeling uncomfortable after breaking two fingers. If he also has scars on his face, he will have mental problems if he doesn't get them fixed properly."

Old Hu slapped his thigh and said, "Yes! Director Zhou told your brother Bin that day that it would be best to kill the black bear so that Dayong can vent his anger, otherwise he will easily get sick."

Xu Ning asked: "Brother Yong, did you describe what the bear looked like?"

"I heard from someone that one of its ears was drooping and there was a scar on its eyelid. It was a brown bear! It must have weighed more than 600 kilograms."

Wang Hu said excitedly: "Second brother, you really got it right, this is it!"

"What?" Old Hu was stunned.

Xu Ning explained: "The brown bear that injured Brother Yong was the same one that killed Li Shan on the 29th of the year! At that time, we, Taihe, and Yongzi villages all went to the mountain to track it down, but we didn't even touch any fur."

"Ah, I remember this now... It's really weird. You better be careful when you run back up the mountain."

"OK."

After chatting for a while at Old Hu's house, Xu Ning and Wang Hu got up and left. Before leaving the courtyard, Old Hu reminded them that they must come over later, otherwise he would go to Qing'an to invite them personally.

Xu Ning did not go to Da Laba's house to find Wang Biao and Liu Tianen, but went home directly with Wang Hu. Wang Biao and Liu Tianen were not children, so there was no need to worry about them.

It was just after three o'clock when Xu Ning got home. He went into the lower house and found two deer leg bones and antlers from the sack. He then split them with an axe and used a knife to trim the shape of them into a chisel about 1 cm wide and 15 cm long.

This is a tool for lifting ginseng, called a deer bone chisel. A hole needs to be drilled in the deer antler and tied to the tail of the deer bone chisel with a red rope. Xu Ning is not sure what the specific meaning is. Anyway, he has seen Lao Jindouzi's tools in his previous life. There are six deer bone chisels of different sizes and thicknesses. In addition, there are red ropes, red cloth, copper wire, scissors, a small cloth shed, and so on.

Xu Ning used to be in Lao Jindouzi's gang, serving as a waist stick, that is, the person who was in the middle position searching for the hammer when pressing the mountain. He certainly didn't have as much experience as Lao Jindouzi, but he knew a little bit.

"Second brother, this thing is the chisel used to lift ginseng?"

"Well, make a few more. When we go to offer sacrifices later, let the old headman help to bless them."

"Okay, so let's go find Bangchui this year?"

"Lift it! Lift the mallet. Let's talk about it in June. Prepare everything you need first. Don't wait until the time comes and be caught off guard."

"Yeah." Wang Hu nodded, but couldn't help asking, "Are you all going then?"

Xu Ning whispered, "Just our family members will go. Don't tell anyone about this, especially your uncle. Got it?"

"OK."

It’s not that Xu Ning was on guard against Xu Laonian, but Xu Laonian liked to brag outside ever since Xu Ning strangled Old Leopard to death.

Xu Laonian was having a great time in the forest farm. Whenever he met someone, he would mention that his old son had strangled a leopard to death. His expression was unpredictable and he was completely different from the Xu Laonian at home.

Before Xu Laonian came back, even though he hadn't finished making the deer bone chisel, Xu Ning had asked Wang Hu to put it away. Xu Laonian couldn't see it, otherwise he would yell at him the next day, and the first thing he would say to everyone he met was: Do you know what my son is doing at home? Deer bone chisel! This guy is going to pick ginseng.

Xu Feng secretly told Xu Ning that Xu Laonian was moving towards the direction of the loudspeaker, but he pretended to be a decent person at home and was very proud outside!
Imagine there are three children in a family, and the eldest is driving for the second-in-command of the Forestry Bureau. His future is bright.

The second brother went hunting in the mountains all day long and was known as Little Xu Pao in Qing'an. He found a new way and made a name for himself in his own small world.

The third child studies very well in the class and is usually among the top five in every exam. As a father, how can I not be proud?

Not to mention Xu Laonian, even Liu Lizhen sometimes can't help showing off. When she goes to the grocery store, she can chat with Aunt Zhao and Aunt Bai for a while. She is mainly enjoying the praise and compliments from others. Who doesn't like this feeling?

A woman as shy as Yang Shuhua would blush and look up to listen when she heard others praising Li Fuqiang for being a better person and taking care of his family. After listening, she would also say: “Ah, my Qiangzi was also very good before, but his family had problems before, and he felt aggrieved…”

(End of this chapter)