Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 528: Li San, the Lifting Hammer, Goes on a Hunger Strike
August 1984, 8, the 14th day of the seventh lunar month.

Suitable for: hunting, getting married, moving, Pudu...

Taboo: marriage, engagement, burial, funeral...

The weather is clear and sunny, today is an auspicious day.

Yang Shuhua baked 10 kilograms of fried cakes last night, Wu Qiuxia put the pickles from the pickle jar into five cans this morning, and Han Fengjiao got up at around four o'clock to knead the dough and steamed a pot of corn and flour mixed steamed buns.

In addition, Liu Lizhen packed two pots of 10 kilograms of rice and one pot of 10 kilograms of noodles, and put soybean oil into the marching water bottle.

After the group got up early and had lunch, it was already past 6 o'clock. At this moment, everyone was loading their luggage into the back compartment, putting the hard ones at the bottom and the soft ones at the top.

In addition, Wang Erli found two torn mattresses and placed them in the carriage. Since the journey was long, it would inevitably be bumpy, and putting a layer of mattresses would make the ride more comfortable and less painful.

Xu Laonian carried the 56 and a half and got into the passenger seat. Liu Daming took the initiative to go to the back compartment, followed by Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei and Wang Hu. The three of them drove Liu Daming out of the car and asked him to sit in the passenger seat. Liu Daming didn't want to argue, but the three of them pushed him down. Xu Ning was sitting in the driver's seat. After seeing Liu Daming get in the car, he waved to Liu Lizhen and others who were standing at the door.

Liu Lizhen and others were a little nervous. Going to Wanye to carry the hammer was not right next to their home. It was more than 1000 kilometers round trip, and there was no phone. They didn't know how to contact each other if anything happened, and they must be worried.

Xu Ning turned around without saying goodbye, and Liu Lizhen and the others did not say discouraging words like "go home if you can't pick any". The men went out to earn money, and the women just took care of the home, and everything was self-evident.

Just as he was about to drive away, he saw Meng Ziyan and Liu Fenfang running over. Meng Ziyan handed him the bag and said, "Small salted fish and fried fish!"

Xu Ning took it and nodded: "Let's go."

Meng Ziyan took two steps back and wanted to raise her arm to wave, but she paused and just smiled and nodded.

The people from the Xu family gang who went to Wanye to carry the hammer included Xu Ning, Xu Laonian, Liu Daming, Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu and Guan Lei, a total of six people. According to the rule of going into the mountains to carry the hammer, one person goes and two returns.

What does "single going and double returning" mean? It means 5 people go and 6 people return. Bangchui is also considered a person. In ancient times, bangchui was called ginseng doll, or a person who became a spirit.

However, the Xu Family Gang is not a formal ginseng gang, but is composed of relatives and friends. Besides, the rules are set by this group of ginseng carriers. Given Xu Ning's quality, he would not take it too seriously.

The car slowly drove towards the east entrance of the village, and after driving out of the village, it rushed towards Lingdong Village...

Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao and others entered the house, leaving only Wang Erli and Xu Long in the house. They chatted for a while, and then Meng Quezi and others came, and then they had dinner.

"Oh, they've been busy enough for us. When you told me they were going out, I felt a little upset..."

"Not very well. I haven't slept well since last night." Wu Qiuxia said.

Yang Shuhua didn't sleep well either, but she didn't say anything. She just listened to Meng Quezi saying, "My eldest brother and the others are also trying to make money. Don't think about it."

The old ladies all nodded, and Wang Zhongcai said, "Aunt, the floor will be polished in five or six days, and we need to find someone to buy putty."

Xu Long said, "I will go to the city with Brother Bao tomorrow and buy it back. Brother Cai, thank you for your help."

"Don't be polite, I used to be a bricklayer, this job can be done in two or three days."

While everyone was chatting, a man flashed out from the gate and greeted, "Uncle Xu, are you home?"

"Hey, Li Feng is here!" Liu Lizhen ran to the outer room and called out as she walked out, "Feng, come in quickly."

Li Feng walked into the yard with a smile and saw the dogs lying listlessly in front of their kennels. He asked, "What's wrong with these dogs? They look so listless."

"Isn't Erning out? They are unhappy because he is not with them. When will you come back?"

"Ah, he left today. I just got home a little while ago. Auntie, these are cigarettes for my Uncle Xu."

Li Feng handed the two packs of Yingchun cigarettes tucked under his arm to Liu Lizhen. She looked down and said, "Why are you buying cigarettes? This isn't a festival."

"Oh, if it weren't for my Uncle Xu and Er Ning, my dad would have passed away. It's what he deserves! I'll put it on the counter."

Li Feng lifted the door curtain and entered the room. Seeing many people inside, he greeted each of them with a smile and casually placed the cigarette on the counter.

Meng Quezi asked, "How did you get back?"

"Li Tielin went to the street clinic to pick him up. I wanted to ask him to stay for dinner, but he insisted that he had something urgent to do, so I didn't keep him."

Liu Lizhen said, "He said he was pulling wood for someone's yard. Erning invited him to dinner yesterday, but he didn't eat. Let's call him over for dinner someday when he's free."

Wang Erli said: "Sister-in-law, he will come over tomorrow. Erning told me."

"Ah, then tomorrow, Feng will have a drink with him."

Li Feng smiled and said, "Okay."

Wu Qiuxia asked, "How is your father?"

"He's paralyzed. He just lay down on the kang after I fixed him up this morning. He hasn't eaten for two days. I don't know what he's thinking."

Li Fengxia said, "You don't want to eat? Oh my god, don't let this be a hunger strike."

"He won't eat even if I feed him. I can't do anything about it." Li Feng was somewhat helpless. "Doctor Zhou said his pelvis was broken and there was a small amount of bleeding inside. Only 300% of his body can be recovered if he has surgery. The surgery will cost more than 500 yuan. If we add the cost of going to the provincial capital, it will probably cost at least yuan."

Liu Lizhen shook her head and said, "There's really no other way. Your father is old, his bones are broken and he doesn't want to grow. Who will take care of him at home?"

"My sister-in-law only takes care of me by preparing meals, heating the kang, washing clothes, etc. It is me who goes back to change her diaper..."

Meng Quezi, Wang Erli and others looked at each other and whispered: Li Feng is really good, he acts like a son, no matter how Li San treats him, he is very filial.

Li Feng said, "I don't have much ability, I will serve you as long as I can. Uncle, I have something else to do today."

"You said."

"My ancestral grave was dug up by a wild boar. I was thinking of finding two people to help me clean it up..."

Wang Erli stood up and said, "Then let's find someone to do it now. We have to build the house tomorrow. Let's go next door to find Lao Wei and Lao Yu, and call Niuli and Niu Le. Will your two brothers-in-law come with us?"

"go with!"

"Then stop talking and let's go now. We are in time."

After saying that, Wang Erli stood up and walked to the outer room. Li Feng turned around and waved to everyone. The two of them went out, first called Lao Wei, and then drove the tractor to find Yu Kaihe and others.

Inside the house, Li Fengxia whispered, "Is his father the one who stole Erning's roe deer? Oh my god, he looks like a good person, why would his father be such a thief?"

Then Liu Lizhen and others started talking about Li San and Li Shan, while Meng Quezi, Zhang Jinbao and others left. Xu Long also left. He was bored at home alone, surrounded by old women who were talking about family matters. He might as well go with Wang Zhongcai to the new house to take a look around.

The car passed Lingdongtun and drove east for more than 20 miles before entering Wanye City. However, Xu Ning did not stop in Wanye City, but headed straight to the southeast of Wanye along the small road...

At noon, everyone ate some fried cakes, pickles and salted fish on the road. It was not until nearly 3 o'clock in the afternoon that Xu Ning stopped the car.

This was a dirt road covered with green grass and wild flowers. It was obvious at a glance that there would be no cars coming. After everyone jumped out of the car, they looked up to see the sun, but it was blocked by the branches of the green trees. Not long after getting out of the car, they were sweating profusely.

Xu Ning glanced at the crooked old elm tree in front of him and said with a smile, "That's it!"

Xu Laonian, Li Fuqiang and others gathered around and asked, "Have you been here before?"

"You have to come here, otherwise how can I take you straight here? Brother, move the oil barrel down first. Hu Zi and Shi Tou take shovels and go to the woods to find a place to dig a hole and bury the oil barrel inside. Remember the whole mark!"

"Okay!" Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu and Guan Lei took action, carrying shovels, carrying old hoes on their backs and holding oil bottles in their hands, and entered the woods.

Liu Daming walked around the area and said, "This used to be the main road, right? Why don't I see any wheel tracks?" Xu Ning said, "When I came here before, the ground collapsed more than ten miles ahead, and the road was buried. Then a village nearby built the main road entrance in front of their village."

Xu Laonian patted the car and said, "What should we do with this car? We can't just leave it here."

"We'll drive a wheel further in and hide in the woods later."

Liu Daming asked: "How far do we have to go into the mountains?"

"It's at least 40 miles away. Do you know what this mountain is called?"

Xu Laonian rolled his eyes and said, "Who knows? I've never been here either. Just tell me now."

"This mountain is called Yanwangkanzi! The Anti-Japanese Allied Forces fought the Japanese here. If you see skeletons when you enter the mountain, don't shout..."

"Ah, is there something to say?"

At this time, Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei and Wang Hu came back carrying shovels. Xu Ning waved and called them over, saying, "Now that we are all here, let me tell you about the precautions for entering the mountains."

"In short, don't talk nonsense or make a scene after entering the mountain. You must be quiet. We are not familiar with this mountain. If we run into others, they may fight, so we must be quiet."

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"And then you can't sit on tree stumps, you can't take bird eggs, you can't shoot birds, you can't catch or kill snakes. Snakes are not called worms in this mountain. We are considered to be in the gang, we go into the mountains to pick up money, so we have to call them money snakes!"

"Also, you can't run around in the mountains. When you get to the place, I'll ask you to line up sticks and pull the cart. You have to stand in a row and use the rope sticks to pull the grass while moving forward..."

Liu Daming said: "Don't worry, once we get into the mountains, my uncle will listen to you in everything!"

"Dad will listen to you too." Xu Laonian said shyly.

Xu Ning continued, "Do you all know what a mallet looks like? If you don't know, I'll teach you the simplest method. When you see a little red tip, just walk closer. That little red tip is the mallet seed. We call it a red hammer."

"The club has five leaves, shaped like a palm. Two palms are called Erjiazi, and three are called Dengtaizi..."

After explaining the precautions and the shape of the mallet, Xu Ning pointed to the back of the car and said, "Take down the meat and biscuits and serve them."

Guan Lei turned around and got into the car to take the tribute. Xu Ning took it and walked more than 10 meters into the woods. He placed the tribute on the yellow paper and took two steps back.

Xu Laonian and others stood behind him. Xu Ning held three incense sticks in his hand. After Li Fuqiang struck a match and lit them, Xu Ning held the incense in both hands, bowed, muttered a few words, and then stuck the incense into the ground.

Turning around, Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "Go to the side of the road and wait. When the incense is finished burning, we'll leave."

"Old man, can we eat something? Dad is a little hungry." Xu Laonian said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with eating something, so let's have some fried pancakes with pickles."

After everyone finished eating the fried cakes and the three incense sticks in the woods were burned out, Xu Ning got out of the car, took a look, turned around and said with a smile: "The mountain god has agreed that we can go into the mountains to collect fortunes!"

Xu Laonian grinned and said, "Hey, thank the mountain god!"

"Come on, get in the car first, and then we'll drive a little further inside."

"okay."

Because of this sentence, everyone was in a good mood.

At first they didn't understand why they had to wait for the incense to burn out, but now they understand that if the incense goes out before it burns out, it is definitely not a good sign...

After everyone got in the car, Xu Ning drove another two miles forward and stopped at a naturally grown dense forest.

"Clear out this area of ​​the forest, and don't leave branches lying around. Gather them into a pile and use them to cover the car later."

"Okay! Old man, you should take a rest. You must be tired after driving all day. Dad has been working so hard..."

Liu Daming laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, you are too fawning."

"Get lost, this is my son, do I need to flatter him?"

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "Uncle, it doesn't matter if you want to flirt with me now. We are already here, how can my brother leave you behind?"

Xu Laonian curled his lips and waved his hands: "Oh my god, you still don't understand your brother. Has he done less of this?"

"Haha..." Everyone laughed with their heads raised.

Then, they cleared a space in the woods on the left, and Xu Ning drove the car in. After unloading all the things in the trunk, he covered it with branches.

At this moment, all six of them were carrying a lot of stuff. Li Fuqiang had the most stuff. The tarpaulin, the big pot, the ladle, and the lunch box in his backpack weighed more than 50 kilograms...

"Qiangzi, you should take less. We still have to walk more than 40 miles into the mountains."

"It's nothing, uncle, it's a piece of cake. Let's go, brother?"

Xu Ning was carrying a sack with a raincoat, flashlight and other miscellaneous items in it. He held the 56 and nodded, saying, "Let's go. We can talk as much as we want on this wheel. Let's get to Sankanzi before dark. There is a cave there."

"Got it."

Most of the mountains in Wanye are called Kanzi, and there is also a mountain called Niangniang Kanzi. Walking through one Kanzi after another is like going through one difficulty after another, and the meaning is obvious.

After the six people entered the mountain, they felt the air was stuffy and beads of sweat the size of beans kept dripping down their faces, quickly soaking their clothes. Their backs, which were sticking to the sacks and backpacks, were already sweating profusely.

"The mountains here are lower than ours, and the ground is covered with pine needles and leaves, so it's soft when you step on it."

Xu Ning walked and looked around, saying, "Well, the mallard is happy to grow in places like this. The old man I met before said that to find the mallard, you have to understand its nature. It doesn't want to live away from pine and mixed forests, it doesn't want to live away from shady slopes, it doesn't want to live away from the damp and scattered light shade of trees..."

"The most important point is that we don't want to live without the Changbai Mountains at our feet!"

Xu Laonian said: "Then the people of Ji Province are enjoying themselves. At this time, they all go into the mountains to carry hammers."

"There are many gangs and hunting gangs over there, but no matter they are hunting gangs or gangs, they have to find someone who knows them well. Otherwise, if they run into a big stick, won't there be internal strife?"

"That's right. The leader of the gang can't bring people into the mountains without any support. If there is an internal conflict, we will be doomed."

Li Fuqiang said: "Then the hammers nowadays all have red hammers, right?"

"Yeah, now you're mature."

Guan Lei said, "Brother, I heard that seven taels is a ginseng and eight taels is a treasure. Is there really an eight-tael club?"

"That was a long time ago. There was indeed such a saying in ancient times, but you have to know that one catty at that time was sixteen taels, and eight taels was half a catty. Converted to today, five taels is treasure, and two taels is ginseng!"

"But it's best not to listen to these opinions. For us, as long as we can sell it at a good price, it's a good deal! We shouldn't worry about other things."

Xu Laonian smiled and said, "Look at my son, his head is full of knowledge!"

"Haha... my uncle was really supportive of my chat today."

"Of course, we have to make money, haha..."

Xu Ning glanced down and said, "Let's walk a little faster. It's almost 4 o'clock now. We have to get to Sankanzi before 6 o'clock, otherwise it will be difficult to clean up after dark."

(End of this chapter)