Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 341 Preparing to enter the mountains
When Yan Jiefang heard that they were going to his grandmother's house, he arranged for Xiaohu to borrow a hunting rifle. When Xiaohu received the call at the village committee, he promised Yan Jiefang that he would take care of everything.

On the last Sunday of June, Yan Bugui and his family drove four cars. Yan Jiekuang specially chose three Mitsubishi cars and a van, and went straight to Sanyuan Village. Yan Bugui still had his camera hanging on his chest and a shoulder bag on his back. It was obvious that it was filled with a lot of photo paper.

It was almost noon when the convoy arrived at Sanyuan Village. Xiaohu had been waiting at the entrance of the village. When the convoy arrived, he was squatting under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village smoking.

When he saw the convoy coming, he waved, pointed to a village road, and turned back to home.

The convoy slowly stopped in front of my grandpa's house. My grandma and grandpa were waiting at the door, and next to them were my eldest and second uncle's families.

Yang Ruiping opened the car door before the car came to a complete stop. Yan Jiefang quickly slammed on the brakes and said, "Mom, you're so fierce! I won't dare to give you a ride in the future."

Yang Ruiping rolled his eyes, jumped out of the car and ran towards his parents. Then, everyone got out of the car one after another. Xiaohu and Nannan hurried over to help with the things. The trunk of each car was full with wine, meat, and toys and strollers that the children had brought for Huzi, Xiaodong and Xiaoxiaole.

Xiaodong is Nannan’s child, he is three years old this year, and little Xiaole is still breastfeeding in Lele’s arms.

As soon as the children got off the car, Hu Zi and Xiao Dong surrounded them. Shi Lei led everyone to carry toys and cars and went straight to Hu Zi's house.

The eldest and second uncles accompanied Yan Bugui inside. Yan Bugui kept showing off the camera on his chest. Before he entered the yard, he took a photo for the eldest and second uncles. After a while, the photo came out. The eldest and second uncles were shocked when they saw it. The eldest uncle asked, "The photo came out so quickly, don't they need to be developed?"

Yan Bugui boasted: "This is called Polaroid. It takes pictures and you get them instantly. It's very convenient."

This attracted my eldest aunt, second aunt and other young wives. Yan Bugui was not angry, but followed their instructions one by one. All of a sudden, Yan Bugui gained the favor of the whole family.

Grandma whispered to Yang Ruiping: "Your husband is quite capable of handling things. Now everyone has a favorable impression of him again."

Yang Ruiping said: "Oh my god, you think too much, he is just showing off. I have lived with him for a lifetime, but I still don't understand him."

This made grandma and grandpa laugh out loud.

Grandma said, "Today we are all family, so I won't let you, the third child, cook. I will cook a meal with you and your mother, and it will be a reunion dinner."

Yang Ruiping said, "Okay, Mom's cooking is different. Mom, dumplings are a must."

Grandma said, "I know. It's indispensable."

After a while, Yang Ruiping told Yan Jiekuang about this matter, and Yan Jiekuang said: "Actually, I miss grandma's dumplings too."

At noon, grandma and grandpa entertained the Yan family. Yan Bugui was really happy. He felt that today he had truly integrated into the Yang family. Yan Bugui was so happy that he couldn't stop drinking. Yang Ruiping saw this and said to his mother, "Mom, you see, let's prepare the room. I guess I can't leave tonight."

Grandma took a look around and said, "Isn't it nice to stay there for a day? The third floor is empty. You and your family can live there. I'll ask our eldest daughter-in-law to bring the bedding up there in a while." After saying that, she pointed at Yan Jiecheng. Yang Ruiping saw that there was another one who was drunk and could hardly speak clearly. He was still chatting with Yang Donghu, causing Yu Li next to him to pinch him.

In the afternoon, cicadas were chirping loudly in the trees in the village, and the watchdogs of each household were lazily climbing at the door. A breeze blew, and the willows fluttered. Yan Jiekuang followed the children to the creek. When Yan Jiekuang was a child, he loved playing here the most. The water was cool, and the deepest part was just above his belly. Occasionally, if you turned over a stone in the water, you could find small fish, shrimps, and crabs.

The children carried bamboo baskets. The older ones went into the water. Only Xiaohai, Xixi and Xiaodong wandered by the river. They wanted to go in but didn't dare. After circling for a long time, when Huzi held up a slightly larger crab to show off, Xiaohai and Xiaodong took off their shoes and went in. Xixi rolled his eyes and ran to pull Yan Jiekuang to go in. Yan Jiekuang also took off his shoes and went in, looking for prey with Xixi.

When everyone had almost finished picking up the food, Yan Jiekuang asked with a smile, "How are you going to eat it?"

Hu Zi said, "Let's roast them and eat them. I'll make the clay stove."

Yan Jiekuang asked, "Did you bring the seasoning?"

Hu Zi grinned and said, "How can I not bring all the stuff for eating?" Then Hu Zi took out bamboo sticks, cumin, salt, and fireworks from his backpack.

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "Huzi, you have already prepared it. You guys can cook it. I'll wait to eat the ready-made food."

"Third uncle, just hold it." After Hu Zi finished speaking, he took the children to work. They dug a hole by the river. Yongchang, Dapang and Xiaopang took Xiaodong and Xiaohai to find dry branches. Shi Lei took Hu Zi to string the fish and crabs. Yongfang, Yongxin, Shili and Xixi did not dare to string these small fish and crabs, so they just watched from the side.

Yan Jiekuang walked by the river, admiring the mountains in the distance. He lit a cigarette and felt very calm. He was thinking about going hunting tomorrow and was looking forward to it. He was originally going to go today, but his second uncle and Yang Donghu were both drunk like the Yan father and son.

Soon, Hu Zi's skewers were grilled, Shi Lei was helping, Yan Jiekuang was smoking beside him. Soon, Shi Li handed a string of crabs and shrimps to Yan Jiekuang. Yan Jiekuang took a bite, his eyes lit up, and said, "Hu Zi, you grilled a lot, you're really good at it."

Hu Zi laughed and said as he grilled, "Uncle San, can you take us with you tomorrow?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "If you can get up in the morning, I'll take you with me." The children cheered. Hu Zi told Shi Lei and the others that he would go back to the village to borrow bows and arrows for them, as many children in the village had them.

Xiao Pang looked at Yan Jiekuang expectantly and said, "Can I use a gun?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "You can try to shoot a gun, but holding it won't work." When Xiaopang heard this, he was also happy. It was great to be able to touch the gun.

Shi Li didn't listen to what they said at all. She had a handful of skewers in her hand and kept eating them with Yongfang, Yongxin, Xiaohai, Dongdong and Xixi.

Yan Jiekuang took the children to the river to fish and to the mountain to pick fruits for the entire afternoon. They had a lot of fun until Nan Nan came and Yan Jiekuang took the children home.

The family was preparing dinner. Grandma and her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law were busy. Grandpa was sitting in the yard packing up his hunting gear, and his uncle was helping him. Hu Zi came back and took Yongchang, Shi Lei, Dapang and Xiaopang out. Yan Jiekuang knew that they were going to borrow bows and arrows for hunting.

Grandpa said, "Take the older ones with you, and leave the girls and the younger ones alone, so that none of them get lost."

Yan Jiekuang nodded and said, "You don't want to go, do you? That's not possible. You are too old."

Grandpa smiled and said, "I won't go even if you ask me to. Let your uncle lead the team. I'm tired of walking around the mountains."

The uncle sighed and said, "When life was hard, it was all thanks to my dad that he could always bring back some prey. Otherwise, I really don't know how we would have survived."

Grandpa glared at him and said, "Why are you saying that? Oh, don't go too deep, there are big cats in there." My uncle agreed, and grandpa said, "San'er, there is a temple in there, it's dilapidated now, no one has been there for many years. First, the road is not easy to walk on, and second, most people can't find it. Go and see if there is anything interesting in there, and bring it back if there is."

Yan Jiekuang was overjoyed and said, "Really? Grandpa really loves me and knows what I like."

My uncle said, "Don't be too happy. I went there three times before I found it once. The main reason is that the mountain is high and the forest is dense. There is no road, so it is really difficult to find."

Yan Jiekuang said: "It's okay, I have a very good nose, I can find it by smelling it."

The master and the eldest uncle laughed loudly. At this time, Yang Ruiping shouted, "Dad, let's eat."

Grandpa patted his knees, stood up and said, "Eat, today we have pheasant and pig's trotters."

Yan Bugui, Yan Yongqing and Hu Zi had just returned from a walk around the village. A group of children led by Hu Zi followed behind them. Hu Zi was holding a photo in his hand. As soon as he entered the yard, he ran to Yang Donghu and shouted, "Dad, look, we took this photo together."

Yang Donghu took a look and saw that it was indeed the case. They were all children from the village and the Yan family, all smiling happily. Yang Donghu said, "What a pity, there is only one photo."

Yan Jiekuang said, "I'll give you a camera someday. After taking pictures, you can develop as many photos as you want."

Yang Donghu immediately hugged Yan Jiekuang and said, "It's a deal."

"Don't worry, let's go and have dinner." Yan Jiekuang said.

There were two large tables, one of which was too small for everyone to sit at. The children consciously sat around the smaller table. The food prepared by their grandma was always so appetizing. Yang Dongnan came to the main table with a bucket of white wine. Yan Jiecheng was a little scared. Yang Dongnan said, "Don't worry. If you get drunk and have a good sleep, you will be fine the next day. Didn't you feel uncomfortable this morning?"

Yan Jiecheng said, "That's true. The wine here is really good. I must take some back when I leave."

Yang Donghu said: "Don't worry, everything is ready, come, have a drink."

It was a very pleasant dinner. Everyone ordered as much as they could, so they chatted happily. Yan Jiefang asked Yang Donghu how the preparations were going. Yang Donghu told him that everything was ready and they would set out at five o'clock tomorrow.

The next day, just after daybreak, Yan Jiekuang had already gotten up. When he went out of the house, he saw Hu Zi, Shi Lei, Yan Yongqing, Yan Yongchang, Dapang and Xiaopang all standing in the yard.

Yan Jiekuang went downstairs to wash his face and said, "Why did you get up so early?"

Shi Lei said: "Dad, we are afraid that you won't take us with you."

Yan Jiekuang burst into laughter. At this time, the eldest and second uncles were loading things into the car with Yan Jiefang, Xiaohu and Nannan. There were food and drinks, and most importantly, seven hunting rifles with bullets in bags. The eldest uncle came back to get his grandfather's stuff and saw that each of the children was carrying a bow and arrow. He said to Yan Yongqing, "Let's go get your great-grandfather's bow and arrow. That's the real stuff."

Yan Yongqing happily followed his uncle to his great-grandfather's room. After a while, Yan Yongqing came out fully armed, with arm guards and leg guards on. No one was more tidy than him.

Xiaohu asked Yan Jiekuang, "Brother, aren't you going?"

Yan Jiekuang nodded and said, "He didn't ask for leave, so I think he will be back soon."

A group of people drove two Mitsubishi cars and a van into the mountains. After driving for more than an hour, the car could no longer go forward. My uncle said, "Turn right. There are a few residents over there, all hunters. Let's park the car there."

Several cars turned right, and soon they saw scattered houses on the hillside. The uncle directed the cars to a door, and the group of people got out of the car. Yan Jiefang and the uncle went into the yard. As soon as they entered the yard, the uncle shouted, "Uncle, Uncle, are you home?"

An old man with a white beard walked out of the house. When he saw my uncle, he said, "I was wondering why the magpie was calling this morning. It turns out that Rui'an is here."

My uncle said, "We are going into the mountains. We will park the car here and talk to you when we come back."

"If you want to go into the mountains, then hurry up, otherwise you may not be able to come back at night. Just leave the car here, don't worry." said Mr. Guai.

The eldest uncle took Yan Jiefang out of the yard. Everyone was packing their backpacks. Yan Jiekuang distributed food and water. These things were spare and could be used in case someone got lost. Finally, the eldest uncle announced the order of the team. The eldest uncle and Yan Jiekuang took Yan Yongqing, Nannan was in front, the children were in the middle, and the second uncle, Huzi, and Yan Jiefang were at the back.

After the group was ready, they headed straight for Erdaogou. The road into the mountains was after Erdaogou. The group moved forward quickly. The children were at the age of curiosity and were curious about everything, but they just looked and no one left the group.

After passing Erdaogou and walking for more than an hour, the group arrived at Crescent Bay, which is located under the cliff of the mountain. There is a waterfall that pours down from a cave in the middle of the mountain, forming a semicircular pool below.

My uncle asked the team to stop and rest. The adults were fine, but when he saw the children's faces were all red, my uncle smiled and asked, "Are you tired?" The children answered in unison, "No."

The adults laughed because their red faces and beads of sweat on their heads betrayed them.

My uncle introduced: "This is Crescent Bay. The water here is very sweet. You can try it. There are no large wild animals here, but there are still many small animals. Children can practice archery here."

The children all rushed to the pond to drink water. The water was crystal clear. Da Pang shouted, "The fish here are so big. What kind of fish is this? I have never seen it before."

Yan Jiekuang looked curiously in the direction that Dapang pointed. There was a cave near the bottom of the waterfall, and a giant salamander was lying at the cave. Yan Jiekuang was extremely surprised. Wasn't it said that giant salamanders only live in caves with very low temperatures?
Yan Jiekuang said: "It's really strange. This fish is called giant salamander, also known as baby fish, and it can make the sound of a baby crying at night."

The uncle said as if he was not surprised: "Who knows how it came out? The cave goes all the way down, it's very deep, and there are fish like this in it. I heard it from Grandpa Guai. There was a drought one year, and there was a shortage of water everywhere. Grandpa Guai thought of this pool, but he didn't expect the water here was also dry, but a cave was exposed, so Grandpa Guai went in, and guess what happened?"

Everyone listened very seriously, and no one expected that the uncle would do this. "Dad, please tell me." Xiaohu was unhappy.

The uncle smiled and continued, "It took me nearly half an hour to get to the bottom. It was extremely cold down there. There was a pool of water about half an acre in size. The cave was very large and full of these fish. I didn't recognize them, so I didn't touch the fish. I just filled two buckets with water and returned directly. But the next day something strange happened. When I brought the hunters to fetch water again, the waterfall still didn't appear, but the Crescent Bay was full of water. I guessed that it was groundwater gushing up. As for why, no one knows, but the sudden appearance of water saved the hunters."

When everyone heard this, they were all amazed, thinking that there are really all kinds of wonders in this world.

(End of this chapter)