Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 513: How to divide the shares of the ginseng? I won’t go

Kang is very important in rural Northeast China. It is a unique craft. Some people think that it is not difficult to build a kang, but it is not. If you don’t know how to build a kang, the kang will emit smoke and become congested as soon as it is lit, or the head of the kang will be hot, but the end of the kang will be cold...

Why is it called "pankang"? It has to be coiled up to form a smoke channel, so it is called "pankang".

A kang made by a skilled craftsman will not get clogged even if it is burned for 10 years. It is also extremely fire-resistant, has good smoke-permeability and can retain heat for a very long time.

When setting up the kang, you also need to build a stove. The two are connected. Only when the stove is easy to burn and the kang is well built, the house will be warm.

Old Wei learned the skill of making a kang from his father, and it has been nearly 20 years now. He knows to stack two kang stone slabs at the head of the kang, because this is where the fire enters. If two more kang stone slabs are not placed, the head of the kang is likely to be burned through...

Xu Ning expressed his idea. He wanted to dig four holes, 20 centimeters deep, under the edge of the kang to store slippers.

This proposal made Lao Wei very happy. He had been making kangs for so many years, but this was the first time someone had proposed this idea. However, it was difficult for Wang Zhongcai because they had to polish the floor, which would be quite difficult.

Wang Zhongcai said, "I've seen several families in the city doing this. Don't worry, I have a way, and it's not that troublesome."

There are two types of kangs: the south kang and the north kang. Both the Xu and Wang families have the north kang because the stove is on the north side. So wouldn't the north kang be next to the north outer wall? No, there is a corridor in between, so it won't be cold in winter.

Making a kang is a dirty job. After laying the red bricks and making the flue, the kang stone slabs are arranged neatly and then smoothed with yellow mud mixed with straw. The kang is then completed, but it still needs subsequent maintenance. For example, the kang that has just been built cannot be used for smoking immediately. It takes two or three days to wait until the yellow mud is dry before it can be turned on.

And you can't use strong fire to smoke, you can only use low fire to burn for about 20 minutes. This is to see if the flue is unobstructed and whether the kang edge and kang board are leaking smoke...

Three days later, the kangs in Xu's and Wang's families were both ready. Wang Zhongcai and three other people were cleaning the floor while warming the kangs on the stove. Xu Ning went into the house to take a look, and when he didn't see any smoke escaping, he felt relieved.

"Hey, Erning, why didn't you buy the kang tiles? The kang is finished, and there is a layer of red bricks exposed outside, which is so shabby, and it doesn't match our terrazzo floor."

Xu Ning was stunned. Since he built the house, he really hadn't thought about the kang tiles. He just asked, "Is there anyone selling kang tiles in our street?"

"There are definitely none on the street. The bricks and tiles made by those brick factories are usable, but ceramic tiles are not. But there are ceramic tiles for sale in the city. One square meter seems to be 3 yuan. There are expensive ones and cheap ones. A boss told me about it before. Otherwise, I'll ask for you?"

Xu Ning said: "How much do these kangs in my house cost? Can 200 yuan be enough?"

"It won't cost 200. It's not that big. This room is 7 square meters. Even if it's 25 yuan, three rooms will cost 75 yuan."

"Then I'll go ask my mom and second aunt. If they agree, I'll call the city directly. My brother works in the city, so he should know where they can be bought."

"Okay, the tiles are available in white and floral patterns. I suggest you buy the white ones, which look bright and spacious. Don't buy anything fancy. If you are sure you want to buy it, ask about the tile size first. I will help you calculate how many tiles you need."

"Okay, I'll go first then."

Xu Ning went out, rode his donkey upside down and returned home. He talked to Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao. They were very happy to hear that tiles could be installed on the edge of the kang, but they also had doubts. What if the tiles broke when the kang was heated?

Ceramic tiles are all fired in kilns, so their fire resistance is definitely very high. The only difference is the heat resistance temperature, so there is no need to worry about this.

Then Xu Ning went to the village headquarters and called Xu Long. After talking about the tiles, he asked about how Wang Biao, Liu Tianen and Huang Lin were doing in the repair shop. Xu Long said that the three of them were very honest, and probably because they were not familiar with Lao Jin, they didn't dare to make trouble...

Two days later, Xu Long called back and said that the tiles came in several sizes, including small long and square tiles, as well as large 40*40 tiles.

When Xu Ning answered the phone, Wang Zhongcai was listening beside him. He picked up a pen and did some calculations, and the total area was 35 square meters. Because Xu Ning wanted to lay a layer of 25-centimeter-high tiles on the three walls next to the kang, he bought 25*25 square white tiles and 6*20 long strips of tiles. The Xu family spent a total of 120 yuan, while the Wang family spent 160...

The bricks Xu Ning wanted to buy were all expensive. For example, one square meter of square white ceramic tiles required 16 bricks. Assuming a brick costs 3 yuan, one square meter would cost 4 yuan. Add to that the cheaper long tiles, and the total cost would be 8 yuan, which is quite reasonable. But Liu Lizhen thought it was too expensive. She felt that ceramic tiles were not a big deal. One brick cost as much as two eggs. Isn't that bullshit?

Xu Ning explained that the tiles they bought were good ones and could be used for at least 30 years. Only then did Liu Lizhen understand...

After the tiles were delivered to the new house, Xu Ning gave the money to the delivery driver, who issued him a receipt for 280 yuan.

Although Wang Zhongcai and others had already laid stones in the house and poured stones, quartz and glass of different colors into the patterns surrounded by iron wire, they had not yet poured the slurry, so Xu Ning came into the house and told him, and everyone unloaded the tiles onto the kangs in each room.

The east room, which was being constructed by Wang Zhongcai, was tiled first. Before tiling, water needed to be poured on the tiles so that they could be firmly affixed. Yu Kaihe, Lao Zhang and Lao Wei, who had the best tile-laying skills, were responsible for tiling, while the others continued to build the courtyard wall.

The current courtyard wall has been covered, and the tiles will be laid on the top of the wall, and the courtyard wall will be completed.

Time passed slowly, and by the end of July, the courtyard walls and gatehouses of the two families had been built, and the tiles inside the house had been laid. After they finished laying the foundation of the lower house, the foresters went to work.

Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao came over to take a look. When they saw the new house being built, the terrazzo floor with a polished shape, and the bright white bricks, they were very excited and cheered like little girls. It was obvious that they were very curious...

Xu Feng was very bored during this period. She found that after Wang Biao and Liu Tianen left, she had basically no other entertainment except jumping rubber rope all day long. The most she could do was toss pockets with Jiang Qiuer and others. If Sun Lianfang and others joined in, they could even jump rope.

When bored, Xu Feng could only pass the time by reading books, or studying unfamiliar questions with Jin Yumantang, or reading the text carefully.

With three days left at the end of July, Xu Laonian stayed up for three more nights at the forest farm to complete the financial settlement including wages.

Lao Jiang and Da Laba went to the supply and marketing cooperative on the street and bought a radio with a recording function, as well as three boxes of tapes. The radio was very cheap because someone bought it from the supply and marketing cooperative, but found out it didn't work before he got home to use it. So the radio was a second-hand product and was sent to the city to be repaired, whereupon they found out that a part inside was broken.

The radio was bought with the help of Xu Ning. He only had to tell Lao Qian and Lao Qian helped him find this repaired but cheap radio.

After Jiang Qiuer got the radio, she went to school with Xu Feng and others. Although it was summer vacation, there were teachers on duty in the school. The teachers helped them record foreign language courses. When they returned home, they started to learn the oral courses on the radio.

You definitely won’t understand it at the beginning, but now the courses are simple and easy to understand, for example, the human voice says: nod yes, shake head no, come is come, go is go.

Basically, every word has a translation, and the course starts with the simplest letters...

Xu Feng and others found this foreign language class quite novel. They were willing to show off to Xu Ning what they learned every day. However, Xu Ning's words "get.out", which means "get out", confused Xu Feng. He chased Xu Ning to ask what he meant. He said bluntly "get out", but Xu Feng still pestered him.

It was already August, and Xu Ning was worried about the unfinished lower house and shed, and the unpaved front yard. Why? Because he had to take Xu Laonian, Wang Erli, Liu Daming and others to Wanye to carry the hammer. There was no man at home, so how could he think of asking people to help with the work?

It had been drizzling for the first two days. Except for Zhang Jinbao and Wang Zhongcai who could work in the house, everyone else stayed at home for a few days. Wang Erli took this opportunity to check the dimensions of each site. Not long after he got home, he heard that Xu Ning was preparing to go to Wanye...

The sky gradually darkened. After everyone left, Xu Ning kept Li Fuqiang, Liu Daming and others in the house to drink tea.

Wang Erli saw that only his family was left in the house, so he asked, "Erning, what are you going to do in Wanye?"

Xu Ning took a sip of tea and said, "Lift the hammer..."

Everyone in the room was stunned. Liu Daming reacted most violently. He jumped up and said excitedly, "Lift the hammer? Do you know where the hammer is?"

Xu Laonian pulled his brother-in-law's arm and sat down, saying calmly: "He doesn't know where the mallet is, why would he go to lift it? Sit down and listen, I want to help us make money..."

After saying this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and then Xu Ning said, "I was originally planning to leave for Wanye on the ninth day of the seventh month, but I looked at the almanac and saw that August 8 is the Ghost Festival. We definitely can't run around, and we have to burn paper..."

The ninth day of the seventh month is August 8th in the Gregorian calendar, which is exactly one week away from the eleventh day, which is July 5th. Xu Ning can afford to wait, after all, he wants to build the lower house and the shed before leaving. By then, there will be no one at home to help build the house, and Liu Lizhen and others can slow down.

Wang Erli looked up and asked, "Are all the people in the room leaving now?"

Xu Ning nodded: "All the masters will go, and we will have a share when the time comes, according to the shares..."

Xu Laonian turned around and said with a smile: "Why, you don't want to go?"

Wang Erli did not answer, but just glanced at the people in the room and thought about it in his mind.

"I won't go. It's fine as long as Huzi comes with me."

Xu Laonian glared at him and said, "No! What are you thinking about if you don't participate in this money-making job? Isn't it embarrassing to follow my old son to make money?"

Liu Daming advised, "Yes, second brother! What Erning meant was that we should share some of the money. I am your uncle and I am not afraid of losing face, so what are you afraid of?"

"Get out of the way! Do you know how to chat?" Xu Laonian glared at his brother-in-law and pushed him. Liu Daming smiled timidly.

Xu Ning frowned and looked around, then he understood why Wang Erli didn't want to go. Apart from Xu Laonian who was Xu Ning's biological father, the rest, Liu Daming, Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei, each sent one person. If Wang Erli and Wang Hu went at the same time, wouldn't his family have to split the money?

Wang Erli said with a smile: "All of us old men have left, so we won't build the house anymore? Someone has to stay at home to look after it."

"You are such a fucking impossible person!" Xu Laonian cursed angrily.

Xu Ning said: "Uncle, the house is almost finished now..."

Before he could finish, Wang Erli shook his head and said, "The house is almost built, but you are getting married soon, so you must hurry up and get everything done. Besides, your father-in-law, Jinbao, and Wang Zhongcai are all working at home, so how can we leave no one at home? Don't persuade me, just take Huzi with you."

Xu Laonian curled his lips and said unhappily: "It's okay if you don't go! It's up to you whether you want to go or not!"

Wang Erli ignored him, looked up at Xu Ning and asked, "Do you know where Wanye has the hammer?"

"Of course I know. An old man told me before, but I have no idea how many mallets I can get. Maybe I can fill a basket, or maybe I will come back empty-handed..."

Xu Ning didn't tell the truth about this. In his previous life, he and Guan Lei entered the Cang Gang and walked into the mountains for several days. On the way, they carried two lamp stands (three-grade leaves). Moreover, in the subsequent internal strife of the Cang Gang, he and Guan Lei were injured because of an old pickle. There were too many things in the old pickle...

Xu Laonian said with a smile: "Don't even mention a whole basket, even two 30-year-old ginsengs will do."

There is nothing wrong with selecting ginseng by year, because pharmaceutical companies mainly consider the year when they purchase ginseng.

At this time, Liu Lizhen lifted the door curtain and said, "Don't just wish for good things. There are two 30-year-old ones. It would be great if you can get one back!"

Xu Lao pursed his lips and said, "Look, we are having a great time, but you keep throwing cold water on us."

"I'm telling you, follow my old son into the mountains, but you can't do anything naughty. If you dare not listen to my old son and walk around blindly, I will kill you when you come back! Do you believe it?"

Liu Daming said with a smile: "Sister, don't worry, my brother-in-law will definitely be obedient."

"You are the one I am most worried about, and you are still acting like a fool. Don't be so stubborn, you two. You are no match for my old son in mountain affairs. Do you understand?"

Xu Laonian said cheerfully: "Yeah, I know!"

Wang Erli pinched his cigarette and asked, "Erning, how are you going to divide the sticks?"

"Let's divide it according to the previous method." Xu Ning said casually.

Wang Erli shook his head: "I don't think so. If you want to go hunting in the mountains, you can split into two groups. It's okay for them to split into one group, because they all use guns to shoot animals. But you are the one who leads the way into the mountains to carry ginseng. You are the only one who knows how to carry ginseng. At most, they can help out and carry some luggage and dry food..."

He paused and said, "So I think you should get three shares, and everyone else should get one share each."

Hearing this, Li Fuqiang clapped his hands and said, "That's right! I was discussing this with Hu Zi and Lei Zi today. The three of us don't know shit. We followed you into the mountains to carry the hammers. That means we're going to share the money. The three of us originally agreed that we don't want to share the shares after this trip. Just give us some running errand fees when the time comes."

Guan Lei and Wang Hu nodded, and Wang Erli waved his hand and said, "No, that won't work. You are not only brothers, but also members of a hunting gang. Erning cannot go into the mountains to collect ginseng by himself, so they follow him. First, they help carry some dry food and cook, and second, they help him look after the livestock in the mountains. If anything happens, they can take care of each other."

(End of this chapter)