Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Chapter 284 Slingshot
On the way home, Wang An carefully observed the dry trees on both sides of the road and the branches in the forest.

I had to be careful, but there was snow everywhere, and many tree branches were buried in the snow.

Because Wang An wanted to find some tree branches that could be used as slingshot forks.

In Wang An's view, the slingshot is not only easy to use, but also good-looking.

Otherwise, if it is a slingshot that looks very rough, Wang An will feel uncomfortable using it.

The woods are quite large, and the tree branches broken by lightning or blown by the wind are all serious people, young and old.

However, the slingshot and fork must not be made of old rotten wood.

Nothing else, except that when pulling the slingshot, the fork of the slingshot is easy to break, and then the leather strap rebounds and slaps the eye or face.

Don't ask why Wang An knows this, just ask that Wang An has never been whipped.

And even if this thing was lucky enough not to hit his eyes, it only left a big blue mark on Wang An's face.

Because these tree branches are all with bark, it is still unclear whether they will be thick enough after peeling and whether they can be used.

Ash is relatively easy to find, and it is also one of the favorite woods among local people.

But these three kinds of things made of wood are actually quite strong.

It doesn't hurt at all. No matter how much you ask, it doesn't hurt. If you don't believe me, just try it and feel it. It'll feel good.

Of course, if the branches of other trees are suitable and strong, the same is true.

But the hard layer of walnut kernels is quite thick, and it is not ordinary hard. It is very difficult to eat a walnut kernel.

The dry wood of these three trees are all famous local hardwoods and the favorites of local people.

But the bark is mainly used. The bark of the yellow cypress tree is often included in traditional Chinese medicine. It has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxifying, purging fire and drying dampness.

Anyway, Wang An wouldn't want any of them, whether they were knotty or scarred.

No matter what they do, it's the same as the Ten Thousand Years Prison. It might be a bit ridiculous to say that the things they make are used as family heirlooms.

Although it doesn't hurt if you are slapped on the face by a pimp, but if someone looks at your face and it turns blue, it is said that it was slapped by a slingshot. It is really embarrassing!

As for the fruit, local people generally use it to ward off insects.

Although there are many branches, choosing a slingshot fork is not an easy task.

Wang An walked and searched all the way, and found many tree branches that looked good, so Wang An picked them up.

Wang An’s first choice for slingshot forks is ash, hickory or yellow cypress.

The most important thing about this thing is that the crosses on both sides are symmetrical.

The green skin on the outside of this thing cannot be eaten, but the walnut kernels can be eaten.

The pecan tree, also called walnut tree, bears the fruit that locals pick every year.

Therefore, Wang An believes that as long as it is not too old, the slingshot fork will not break.

The yellow cypress tree is the yellow pineapple tree, also called the yellow barberry tree (four sounds of bo). The bark and fruits of this thing are medicinal materials.

After pulling half of the sledge, Wang An returned home.

Wang Yi and his two little sisters were playing in the yard. Their eyes widened with curiosity. They didn't know what the eldest brother was doing today. They collected half a sledge of firewood and came back.

After a while, Wang Yi asked curiously:

"Brother, are you picking up so many branches to make a fire? We have firewood at home."

Wang An was stunned when he heard this, glanced at his brother, and said with a smile:

"Your brother, I know how to live my life. Isn't it normal to collect some firewood?"

Wang Yi nodded doubtfully and said: "Brother, let me help you carry him to the pit."

While Wang Yi was talking, he went to the sledge to hold the branches.

Wang An quickly stopped him and said, "I don't need you to hold me. Just go and get me the saw."

After Wang An finished speaking, he unloaded the horse from the sledge, led it into the shed and fed it with fodder.

When Wang An came out, Wang Dazhu was already standing next to the sledge.

Wang Dazhu looked at the branches on the sledge and asked Wang And directly:

"Are you trying to make a slingshot?"

Wang Dazhu is indeed a person who can do ordinary work. He can tell what is going on at a glance.

Wang An nodded and said: "Well, the dogs are all injured, and I don't know when they will be healed. I'm not sure how to hit the squirrel. I'm looking for the animals in front of the mountain. I can't find them. I use the slingshot to kill squirrels." Something like that.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhu nodded and said nothing, but took the initiative to take the saw from Wang Yi's hand.

Wang An took the things on the sledge into the house and took out a saw.

The two men worked together and made the slingshot and fork much faster.

After sawing the slingshot fork, the father and son took the slingshot fork into the house and sat on the bench in the stove pit to start cutting it. It's so cold outside, but it's still comfortable inside.

The slingshot fork is actually very easy to make, but it has some ink stains.

Because this thing has been cut with a saw and needs to be cut with a knife.

The first thing is to peel off the bark and see if the slingshot fork can be used.

Secondly, make sure that the slingshot prongs and the two prongs where the thong is tied are relatively rounded, otherwise the thong will be damaged.

Finally, the handle of the slingshot needs to be sharpened. There should be no burrs or scars, which will affect the feel.

Just when Wang Dazhu and Wang Anye had finished making several slingshots and forks, Wang Dazhu suddenly asked:
"Xiao An, why are you making pimps? Have you bought bicycle inner tubes? Or are you using rubber car inner tubes?"

Wang An said with a smile: "Those things don't work, so we don't need them."

As Wang An spoke, he turned around and walked towards the west room.

Although it is best to use valve cables for slingshot leather straps, very few people use them because they are expensive.

Bicycle inner tubes are not easy to get, so many people use old donkey car inner tubes to make slingshot straps.

But this kind of leather strip is too thick, the glue is relatively hard, and the elasticity is relatively poor, so the slingshot made by it is really difficult to use.

But even so, there is another word called "make do".

Therefore, very few rural boys in this era have never played with a slingshot, and most of them have one or a few slingshots.

And even this kind of slingshot, which is very poor in all aspects, can occasionally kill a small animal or something.

After all, whether you kill a bird or a squirrel, it's all for meat.

Wang An came to the west room, took out a bundle of valve wires from the sack, and walked to the outer room.

Wang Dazhu was stunned when he saw a large handful of valve wires in Wang An's hand, as many as a hundred or dozens of them.

After a while, Wang Dazhu rolled his eyes at Wang An and said:
"This thing is so expensive, one can buy a box of Changbai Mountain, so why buy this older one?"

Wang An said with a smile: "Our family is not short of money. This thing is always broken, so just replace it if nothing happens."

When Wang Dazhu heard this, he glanced at the door of the house, rolled his eyes at Wang An, and then whispered:
"Why don't you need money? I just don't have money in your pocket?"

As Wang Dazhu spoke, he also twirled his two thumbs with his left thumb. Wang An understood instantly.

So without hesitation, Wang An took out the 325 yuan from the meat seller from his pocket, then counted out 125 and handed it to Wang Dazhu.

While giving money to Wang Dazhu, Wang An said with a smile:

"Dad, look at you, are you still a heretic with your son? If you don't have money, just ask your son for help. Who can laugh at you?"

Wang Dazhu looked at the 125 yuan in his hand and suddenly froze, his expression a little unnatural.

Maybe it's because I feel a little embarrassed asking my son for money.

Wang An naturally noticed it, but there was no way to enlighten him about this kind of thing, so Wang An continued to say with a smile:
"Dad, please put it away quickly. Don't let my mother see it for a while. You can't give the remaining 200. This is Mu Xueli and Lao Wu's share."

Wang Dazhu smiled and seemed to want to say something, but Wang Fang pretended not to see it and interrupted:
"Dad, why don't you play with the slingshot in a serious way? You can play it at home before you have anything to do. You can also shoot some house sparrows for your two girls."

Wang An's deliberate interruption really worked. Wang Dazhu stopped thinking about it and said with a smile:

"Well, for me, playing slingshot is not about holding the handle in my hand. As for the thick rubber slingshot, I can handle it very seriously, hahaha."

As Wang Dazhu spoke, he collected the money in his hand and smiled happily.

Wang Fang pretended not to notice the movements of his father's hands and continued:

"Dad, I bought a lot of thick wire today. When you are free, please help me make some clamps. There are many clamps missing on the mountain, so there are not enough."

Wang Dazhu was seriously happy to have money in his pocket, but he still joked:
"I know that if you give me money, you will definitely have to make me work."

Wang An said with a smile: "Father, look at what you said, then who will help me if you don't help me? Right?"

"Hahaha" Wang Dazhu laughed seriously and happily.

The two men were chatting and tying the valve cable to the slingshot fork.

To tie this thing, you cannot use thin wire or thin hemp rope, but use the valve wire itself.

Split the valve wire vertically, that is, use scissors to cut it into thin rubber bands.

Then use this thin rubber band to tighten it in circles, and finally tie it with a tight buckle, and you're done. This is the best.

The slingshot bag is generally made of leather, preferably tanned, but untanned is also the same, but it cannot be furry.

Wang An used yellow sheepskin, which is much thicker than roe deer skin, but thinner than wild boar skin, so it is more suitable for making a slingshot bag.

The same goes for tying a slingshot bag to the valve line. Just use a thin rubber band cut from the valve line.

The two men worked hard and made a total of 8 slingshots. Even though they made so many, less than half of the valve cables were used.

　I beg you to read it, just vote and get rewarded, I’ll give you a fist in my arms.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)