Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 388 Going Down the Mountain and Turning Over Thirteen Skins
Sunday, May 1984, 5.

In the morning, around seven o'clock, the three people from Dongshan had just finished their meal when Xu Ning and Wang Hu took their axes and chopped the pile of firewood outside the cellar door and stacked them in a row along the wall. In the past half month, the two of them chopped firewood almost whenever they had free time, and the stacked firewood was enough for Ma Liu to burn for three months.

After going into the house to drink some water and chat with Ma Liu, the two put the bedding and other things on the sled. Ma Liu taught Xu Ning wholeheartedly these days, which made Xu Ning go from having no idea how to start beekeeping to having a vague understanding of it and then being able to talk about it fluently...

But you have to know that Xu Ning only studied for half a month, and he does not have much practical experience, so it does not mean that he has learned everything, because beekeeping itself is not a matter of one day or one night. From catching wild queen bees to domesticating, breeding... and producing honey, there are many steps in between.

The steps are fixed, but what Ma Liu taught him was valuable experience, which cannot be bought with money.

In autumn, Xu Ning will have to come to Dongshan to learn from Ma Liu how to raise overwintering bees, such as keeping warm, feeding, etc.

Xu Ning and Wang Hu pulled the sled down the mountain. Everywhere they looked was green. After a light rain a few days ago, wild grasses and trees in the mountains had sprouted branches and had grown six or seven centimeters in just a few days. There was a light snow the night before yesterday, and they were surprised to see the mountain covered with snow when they woke up in the morning. However, the layer of snow on the sunny side of the ground melted away just after noon, and only some snow remained in the shade.

Although Xu Ning did not go hiking during this period, he and Wang Hu often wandered around Dongshan and hunted thirteen greyhounds with air rifles. Half of the meat was eaten by the three of them, and there were seven greyhounds left. Fearing that the meat would go bad, Ma Liu stored it in the cellar. When the two of them left, Ma Liu took it up again.

Originally, Xu Ning thought that so many things should be enough to eat, but the three of them had big appetites, so they finished eating in the past two days. Fortunately, Ma Liu had stored a lot of dried wild vegetables and potatoes, as well as millet, cornmeal, and corn grits, and the three of them also picked a lot of wild vegetables in Dongshan, otherwise they would have gone hungry.

Before leaving, Xu Ning took a look and saw that there was not much food left in the cellar. He was going to go to the street as soon as he got down the mountain. There were many things to do, such as finding Lao Qian to order a construction team for the terrazzo floor and inquiring about the prices of bear bile and various leathers.

I'll go to the agricultural machinery station to see if there's a suitable tractor. I'll also do some shopping, including buying various seeds, coarse salt for my mom to make sauce, and some food and seasoning for Ma Liu...

At this moment, a group of people were squatting in the shade of the backyard of Old Xu's house, holding hoes, shovels, and pickaxes in their hands. Among them, Xu Feng was the laziest. She went to the toilet every six or seven minutes, or went into the house to drink some water. Liu Lizhen was so angry that she pointed at her forehead and told her to get out...

However, Xu Feng was a clingy little girl. The more she was told to get lost, the more she acted like a naughty girl. She shamelessly threw herself at Liu Lizhen and made jokes. Her nasty look made Liu Lizhen laugh and cry. Words cannot describe it.

Wang Biao, Liu Tianen and Li Mantang worked very hard, using hoes to dig the soil and shovels to turn the land. In one and a half days, the three of them had turned over more than half of the three acres of land in the backyard.

Why did they work so hard? The reason was that Liu Lizhen promised them that as long as they worked hard, she would give them air guns to play with after Xu Ning came back, and she would allow them to go to the mountains to shoot birds...

Of course, even without rewards, Wang Biao, Liu Tianen and Li Mantang would still work hard, but their enthusiasm would not be as high as it is now.

Before Liu Lizhen and the others went into the house to cook, Wang Biao made a solemn promise, patting his chest and saying, "Auntie! Don't worry! We will definitely finish the rest of the land before tonight!"

Liu Tianen and Li Mantang also grinned and nodded in agreement.

In the outer room, Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao and others were preparing lunch. They cleared out all the cabbages and radishes in the vegetable cellar. The day before yesterday, Yang Shuhua fried radish and tofu meatballs. The meatballs were soaked in sauerkraut and absorbed the broth. They were so delicious!

Liu Lizhen was thinking of making some cabbage-stuffed dumplings in the afternoon, so she prepared a simple meal at noon.

Xu Ning has not been at home these days, and the quality of the Xu family's meals has obviously declined.

It’s not that they were all revolving around Xu Ning, but that there were suddenly two fewer people at home and everything they ate tasted bland.

Although Xu Ning was not at home, Li Fuqiang basically came over every day. Sometimes he would have eaten at Old Xu's house when he came back. If he came back late, he would finish his meal at home first, then come over for a walk, chat with Xu Laonian and others before going home to sleep.

Li Fuqiang originally wanted to go to Dongshan to give Xu Ning some food, but was stopped by Xu Laonian, who said: "They took a lot of food when they left, so it must be enough to eat! If not, they will go down the mountain."

There is nothing wrong with what he said. In fact, Xu Laonian has been bored these days when he returns home. He can usually still joke with Xu Ning to relieve his boredom, but now he doesn't have the energy to compete with Wang Erli as before. He always feels that something is missing, but if you ask him what it is, Xu Laonian can't tell you.

Liu Lizhen actually missed her old son very much, but she never said it, just like Xu Ning went to Wangxing and went to the city to hang out, always saying: I don't miss him! If he doesn't come back, I will be angry. It's better if he doesn't come back, I can worry less.

But she couldn't fool her own family. Liu Daming saw through her and joked, "Even though their mother doesn't miss them, I, as their uncle, miss my nephews! These two nephews haven't been home for a long time. I even dreamed about them the night before last. They said..."

Liu Lizhen asked anxiously, "What are you talking about?"

"Hahaha, I'm just teasing you, sis."

"piss off!"

This caused everyone in the room to laugh, and Liu Lizhen couldn't help laughing.

Everyone has a different way of expressing emotions. Some people are not good at speaking and cannot express themselves, while others are quick to speak and can express themselves. However, if there are many children in a family, the children who are quick to speak will definitely be more popular, while the children who are not good at speaking will be less popular.

There is a saying that goes: adapt to local conditions, innovate according to the times, and vary according to people.

This is about developing local resources, reforming educational resources, etc., but it can also be reflected in the issue of educating children, because some parents like to compare their own children with other children. If there are many children in a family, they like to compare the eldest with the third child.

In fact, every child has a different personality. We should analyze specific problems based on the specific situation, rather than blindly compare them. We should discover the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and then teach them in accordance with their aptitude. This is the correct way of education.

Both the Xu family and the Wang family have done a good job in this regard. Now, even Li Fuqiang, after being influenced by the Xu family, gives Jin Yumantang an encouraging education. Although he has never mentioned the two children, he must like one more and be more satisfied with him in his heart.

On May 5, Xu Long came back and stayed for a day, because at that time the Labor Day was a one-day holiday, which was not adjusted to 1 days until 1.

Seeing Xu Long coming back, Liu Lizhen prepared a lot of dishes and called everyone to her home to have fun. However, Li Fuqiang always felt that something was missing when he was eating, because when he was eating before, it was Xu Ning who sat next to him, and now suddenly there were two people missing, and it felt different.

But Li Fuqiang didn't say anything. How could he say this in public? It would make him uncomfortable. After returning home, Li Fuqiang secretly told Yang Shuhua about it. Yang Shuhua said, "We call each other uncle and aunt because we are brothers, so it's normal."

Li Fuqiang nodded: "You know what, I really miss my brothers. Hey... These days, when I close my eyes, I think, if it weren't for my brothers, how could our family become like this? Look at Mantang, he is much more cheerful than before, and our daughter is smiling all day long, which makes me feel comfortable."

"Well, my son loves to laugh more than before..."

Now the couple has saved a lot of money. They have saved 104 yuan from selling the little black bear. In addition to the money Sun Jiye got from buying bear heads, jackal meat and leopard bones, Yang Shuhua must have at least yuan in her pocket. How long has it been? More than half a year!
At this moment, in the outer room, since everyone was plowing the soil at Old Xu's house, they all had lunch here.

Liu Lizhen prepared sauerkraut stewed with pork slices and vermicelli, and it would be enough to eat if she fried two more dishes and added some pickles. Just as she instructed Liu Daming to go to the woodshed to get firewood, Liu Daming was about to step out of the door when he saw two people outside the fence.

The two looked a bit disheveled. When they came down from Dongshan, they were still wearing cotton hats. It was a bit hot all the way, so they took off the cotton hats. The hair on the top of their heads was like a chicken coop, and their clothes were dirty, with the cuffs rubbed black and shiny...

"Oh my god! Sister, look who's back?"

Liu Lizhen stood up and looked around, and saw that her husband and nephew had squatted down and continued to add firewood to the stove. There was no excitement on her face, but she was a little happy in her heart.

As soon as they entered the door, Dahuang at the door and the dogs in the kennel jumped out, barking at Xu Ning and Wang Hu, and then turned to humming to please.

Xu Ning pointed at the dogs and shushed them twice, telling them to stop barking and that he would visit them later.

In fact, he missed these dogs a lot, after all, he hadn't seen them for half a month.

Xu Ning walked in and shouted, "Mom! I'm back!"

Liu Lizhen stood up calmly and said with a curled lip, "Just come back if you want to. Why are you shouting?"

"Hey, let me take a look... Hey, Mom, why are you thinner? Are you thinking about me?"

Liu Lizhen turned her head to the side, pushed him away, and said, "Get lost, who misses you?"

"Brother! I miss you! Haha!"

Xu Feng ran out of the west room, scurried towards Xu Ning, and stuck to him like a toad.

"I don't want you."

"Oh, second brother..."

"Hahaha, I miss it! I miss it too much! Okay, I'm covered in dirt, get off quickly." "I don't mind you." Xu Feng chattered, which was very pleasing.

Wang Shujuan poured water into the basin and said, "You two should wash first and change clothes later."

"Eh."

"Thank you sister-in-law!"

Liu Lizhen said with a smile: "Huzi is very polite now."

"Of course, Auntie, I learned this from my second brother."

"Come on, I don't know him yet?"

"Ha ha……"

While Xu Ning was washing up, Han Fengjiao asked, "Er Ning, how are you two doing in your studies?"

"It's OK. We both wrote down our experiences and steps in a notebook."

"That's a good method!" Liu Daming said with a smile.

After finishing the trip to Dongshan, Wang Hu unloaded the things on the sled. Han Fengjiao pointed to a bloodstained cloth bag and asked, "What is this?"

Wang Hu picked it up and said with a smile: "Six greyhounds, and thirteen skins!"

"You two used air rifles to fight?"

"Well, my second brother said that we have to earn back the money we spent on the air rifle."

Liu Daming opened the cloth bag, picked up a skinned greyhound, turned around and said, "Sister, can we do it tonight?"

"Just fix it, why keep it?"

"Who of you fights more?" Wang Shujuan asked.

"That must be my second brother. My second brother played nine cards and I played four cards... If my second brother played alone, I estimate he could play sixteen cards. I fired three shots but they went in vain, and the three greyhounds ran away."

"Not bad, I've made progress. At first, it wasn't easy to use the air gun, but I'll be fine after getting used to it."

At this time, Wang Biao and others came into the room, and when they saw Xu Ning, they hurriedly flattered him, which made Xu Ning scratch the back of his head.

Han Fengjiao smiled and said, "The three of them want to play with air guns."

Liu Lizhen continued, "Let's play after they have their day off. Biao, didn't you pat your chest and promise Auntie that you would definitely finish turning the land tonight?"

"Auntie! I still say the same thing, I promise to complete the task!"

"Hahaha……"

Wang Biao acted funny and made everyone laugh.

Xu Ning warned: "There's nothing wrong with playing with air guns, but you can't point the muzzle at people. Air guns can also be harmful, understand?"

"I know, second brother, don't worry!" Wang Biao promised solemnly.

Then, Wang Biao turned around and called out to Liu Tianen and Li Mantang, "Let's go! Turn the soil!"
-
Xu Ning and Wang Hu changed their clothes and prepared to have lunch. Liu Lizhen didn't want to prepare too many dishes, but her son came back, so she steamed a pot of egg cake, and also had sauerkraut stewed with vermicelli, meatballs with sauce, fish balls and radish soup, and fried bear bacon...

Eating at home is so delicious. It’s not that Ma Liu’s cooking is bad, but the conditions there are limited, so the food he makes is not as tasty as what you’d find in a big pot.

"I have to go to the street in a couple of days. Is there anything I want to buy?"

Liu Lizhen said: "Buy a few more bags of coarse salt. It will be time to make the sauce in a few days. Buy some vegetable seeds."

"Okay, I'll ask Feng to write it down later and I'll buy it accordingly."

The afternoon is leisure time. Xu Ning sits at the end of the kang, leaning against the kang piano cabinet and chatting with Liu Daming who is sitting on the edge of the kang drinking tea. He has been running in the mountains for three consecutive days, but the harvest is not great. He only picked some wild vegetables. Now the prickly ash shoots are growing well, and the monkey leg vegetable, mountain celery and water celery are all out. Now is the time to eat wild vegetables!
“The mushrooms haven’t come out yet?”

Liu Daming took a sip of tea and shook his head: "It rained that day, and we didn't go into the mountains until three days later. When we got to the den, there was nothing there. It was a wasted trip."

Xu Ning frowned: "No, my uncle Ma has left his nest in Dongshan and even picked up a handful of fungus from a fallen tree."

The fungus that comes out now is called spring fungus, and the one that comes out in autumn is called autumn fungus. The same goes for mushrooms, which also come out in spring and autumn, usually after the rain.

The main reason is that the current temperature is very awkward. My head is freezing in the morning and evening, and it's still a bit hot at noon. I basically wear a cotton jacket for a while in the morning and then take it off. I don't feel cold even if I wear autumn clothes or thin sweaters at noon...

"That may be because the nest I went to is out of stock. I'll go to another nest tomorrow to have a look."

"Row."

Liu Daming asked: "Why did you go to the street?"

"Take a day off tomorrow and go the next day. Is there anything Uncle wants to buy?"

"There's nothing to buy, and I don't have any place to spend money at home. Hey, you said before that Tianen and Huang Xiaomei get along well?"

Xu Ning stood up with a smile and said, "What's the matter, uncle? Do you want to find a wife for Tian En?"

"Oh, I just want to ask... I know they usually get along well, but I saw Huang Liguo that day, and he told me that Tianen and Xiaomei were holding hands."

Wang Hu was stunned and said, "Holding hands? Uncle, then you have to punish him! Tian En is in a premature love relationship, I told him not to hang out with Biao..."

"Hahaha, why would I cut him? If he can find a wife on his own, I wouldn't have to bother looking for a matchmaker."

"Uncle, you are open-minded. Just hold hands. What did Huang Liguo say?"

"Just told me, nothing else."

Xu Ning nodded: "Then just pretend you don't know about this."

"Well, your uncle said the same thing. Then how do you get to the street?"

Xu Ning said, "Let's go with my elder brother in the old Lin car in the morning, and we'll talk about it when we come back."

"If it doesn't work, I'll go borrow one?"

"No, we are busy working now. We should stop working when the forest becomes denser."

(End of this chapter)