Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 106 The Man Has a Secret
"This dog was probably abandoned by its owner." Wang Haofeng put his chin in his hands and observed the dog's hind legs. "It looks like it was broken."

Yu Qiutang nodded, "It's possible."

Generally speaking, hunters will not abandon their dogs; dogs are like their own family members.

But if they encounter a danger that is difficult to deal with, the owner has no choice but to retreat first, and the dog becomes the main force that covers the rear and attracts wild animals.

The result may be that the person escapes and the dog is injured or killed.

The slightly better case is the dog in front of us. Although it is not dead, it was abandoned on the mountain and can only go down the mountain by itself.

The reason why canines can occupy a certain position in nature and survive is not because of fighting alone. No individual canine is very strong.

However, among canines, the weakest are precisely those dogs that have been completely domesticated by humans.

In contrast, if it is a lone wolf, it will also have a chance to survive.

But if you leave a dog in the mountains, even if it is a hunting dog, it will basically not be able to survive.

"What should we do now? Hounds generally won't recognize other owners."

Yu Qiutang thought about it and said with a smile: "Just let him follow for now."

"It's okay to follow us, but it would be a bit troublesome if it followed us all the way home. If its owner came to our door, he would definitely not say that we were helping the dog. Instead, he might frame us and turn the tables, saying that we took his dog away.

By then, we won’t be able to explain ourselves clearly, and our kindness will be taken for granted.”

Yu Qiujiang thinks further and more rationally.

Yu Qiutang nodded, "That's right, that's why I told you to follow me and meet me in this mountain. If I don't care, it won't make sense. It's fate that we can meet each other."

After hearing what Yu Qiutang said, Yu Qiujiang couldn't find any reason to refute. He looked at Gou Zi and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, little guy, just follow us." Yu Qiutang said as he walked forward. The gouzi looked at him for a while and then continued to stagger forward with him.

The forest in the evening is like a quiet and mysterious painting. The trees stand quietly, and the branches outline graceful contours in the afterglow of the setting sun. The wind blows gently, and the leaves rustle, as if whispering the story of the forest.

Occasionally, when you look up, you can see birds jumping on the branches, their singing is melodious and graceful, like a beautiful piece of music played for this forest.

The setting sun in the distance was like an orange-red gem, gradually sinking to the west. Its light shone through the gaps between the leaves and sprinkled on the ground, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

The wind carries the fragrance of the mountains and forests, blowing on people's faces, making people feel a kind of harmony that is integrated with nature. People can put aside all worries, immerse themselves in the embrace of nature, and feel the tranquility and beauty.

Just after nine o'clock, the three of them arrived at the foot of the mountain. Looking around, they could just about see the entire village.

The mountain village in the evening is filled with tranquility and peace. In the courtyard, smoke rises up like soft ribbons, slowly drifting towards the sky. The warm firelight shines through the windows, illuminating every corner of the house.

On the village road, unleashed dogs strolled leisurely, stopping from time to time to sniff the surroundings. Chickens searched for food around the courtyard, and their clucking added a touch of vitality to this quiet mountain village.

Time seems to slow down, people enjoy the tranquility and beauty, forget all worries and fatigue, and feel the true meaning of life.

Another half an hour later, the three arrived at Yu Qiujiang's home.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Yu Chunju had closed all the doors tightly, and there were no lights on inside, so the room looked completely dark.

Yu Qiujiang stepped forward and shouted to open the door. Yu Chunju repeatedly confirmed that it was her brother's voice before she carefully opened the door. When she saw that it was everyone who came back, she opened the door completely.

"Brother, didn't you say you would be back tomorrow? Why did you come back tonight? I was wondering who was knocking on the door so late at night."

"Things went smoothly, so I came back early. It's a good thing that you keep the door closed when I'm not home. It will be the same in the future. I will knock on the door when I come back, and you can open the door then."

Yu Qiujiang affirmed his sister's approach.

He has a cold personality and is not very enthusiastic towards others, but he is particularly gentle towards his sister and his voice is much softer.

Yu Qiutang smiled and said, "There are few people here now, so it's a bit desolate. It's okay to be more alert. When we all move over later, this place will be lively. Then we can look after each other, and Chunju won't have to be so scared in the future."

Yu Chunju smiled shyly.

Her face was still covered, and only her crescent-shaped eyes could be seen. In the dim light of the oil lamp, they still looked bright.

Yu Qiutang suddenly thought that he could no longer remember what Yu Chunju looked like.

As I recall, she always seemed to be like this, dressed tightly, wrapping herself in clothes and covering her face tightly.

If there is any memory, it is only her eyes, and what I see the most are her eyes.

These eyes sometimes appear shy, sometimes a little timid, but when they see acquaintances, they become bright and lively.

"Please go into the room. We have some things to do here. It's windy at night. Don't let the wind get you sick again."

"Yes, brother." Yu Chunju replied obediently.

Yu Qiutang saw this and said to Yu Qiujiang, "Brother Jiang, don't worry too much. When I save enough money, let's go to Xi'an together. There are many big hospitals there, and they must be able to treat this disease."

Yu Qiujiang nodded, "That's what I think. Curing Chunju's disease is my biggest wish. If she can go out like a normal person, not afraid of the wind or the sun, eat whatever she wants, and play with other children, I will be satisfied. No matter how much hardship I have to endure, I can persevere."

"Yes, it will." Yu Qiutang felt the same way as Yu Qiujiang did.

He thought the same about Yu Chunmei.

I thought that after I was settled here, no matter how much money it cost, I would restore Yu Chunmei's body to the limit of medical technology.

Let Yu Chunmei, the unfortunate sister, suffer less in her life and feel some happiness in life.

When Yu Qiutang and Yu Qiujiang were talking about this, Wang Haofeng felt that he couldn't join in the conversation at all. He thought that everyone else had strong goals, so what was mine?
I have no brothers or sisters, no parents, and no one who needs my care and help.

A bachelor who feeds himself and feeds his whole family.

Single man...

It suddenly occurred to him, why don't I solve the problem of bachelors quickly?

Find a wife somehow.

But when he thought of his wife, a figure flashed before his eyes.

Whenever he thought of Liu Chunyan's appearance, a feeling of happiness would well up in his heart, and gradually, even his heartbeat would quicken.

Old Liu has been in the hospital for more than half a month. He has visited him several times. Liu Chunyan was very polite to him and seemed unable to find any fault with him, but he always felt something was not right. It was not at all what he had imagined.

Forget it. There happens to be a market tomorrow, so I might as well visit him again on the pretext of going to the market.

he thought to himself.

Now that they have got bear bile and so much mulberry fungus, they can get some money.

Even giving a betrothal gift should be enough.

If Liu Chunyan still wants a yard, or a bicycle, as long as she is willing to marry, I will find a way to earn it. Okay, I will tell Uncle Liu tomorrow, the old man's tone.

Regardless of whether Liu Chunyan agrees or not, it is the matchmaker's words and the parents' orders. If he can get Uncle Liu's approval, then finding Liu Chunyan would surely be much easier.

No matter how good-looking, handsome, or charming he is, he still has to listen to his father.

"Hey, Fengzi, what are you daydreaming about? Put your things down."

Yu Qiutang's shout woke Wang Haofeng up. He awkwardly withdrew his thoughts and agreed while putting all his belongings in the house next to the blacksmith shop.

While putting his things away, his eyes swept over Yu Qiutang's face and he suddenly felt very envious.

If he looked as handsome as Yu Qiutang, he would definitely be popular with girls.

Why is my buddy so good?
It's not enough that he's good-looking, he's also very strong and can hunt. How can he not be liked by girls when he's so capable?
He suddenly remembered that the last time he went to the health center, Liu Chunyan asked him about Tangtang and asked him why he didn't come to the hospital, but he didn't care at that time.

Now that he thought about it, it was definitely Liu Chunyan who liked Tangtang better than he did.

He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

He had a very complicated feeling in his heart.

On the one hand, he felt that it was a happy thing that his brother and childhood friend was liked by such a good girl.

But on the other hand, the girl who liked her childhood friend happened to be the one she liked, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

Difficult.

Why is it so difficult?

Wang Haofeng, a young man who had no brains and never thought deeply about problems, had troubles for the first time.

The key to this kind of trouble is that there is no way to deal with it.

He really couldn't think of how to solve this problem through effort, or even hard work.

There is no way to solve it, he doesn't have the ability to do so.

"Okay, let's put the things here first. Fengzi, can you help us borrow a mule cart tomorrow and use it to transport all the things to the town.

If I carry it in the town, it will be too conspicuous, and I don't want many people to know that I am strong. I will leave this difficult task to you, is that okay?"

Yu Qiutang left the black bear meat, his steel fork, and his five or six halves all with Yu Qiujiang. There was no point in taking these things back, so he had to bring them back again.

Not to mention guns, it would be uncomfortable for others to see people walking in and out of the village with a fork in their hands.

He found that Wang Haofeng seemed to have become a little silent, even a little slow, since he came back. He was not active in answering questions and often had to repeat himself several times before he was suddenly awakened as if from a dream.

"Fengzi?" He poked Wang Haofeng, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Wang Haofeng suddenly woke up from his wild thoughts and looked at Yu Qiutang in confusion, "Ah, what did you say?"

"Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?" Yu Qiutang reached out and touched Wang Haofeng's forehead. It was a little warm, but not to the extent that he was sick.

"Oh, I'm fine," Wang Haofeng had completely recovered and laughed, "What did you say just now?"

"Are you really okay?" Yu Qiutang asked, half-believing and half-doubting, staring into Wang Haofeng's eyes.

"It's really nothing. What could possibly happen to me? Tell me, what did you ask me to do just now?"

"Oh, I told you to hire a mule cart tomorrow and take the stuff to town."

"No problem. Leave it to me. I will make sure the task is completed. What time do we meet here tomorrow?"

"Six o'clock, let's go early."

"Okay." Wang Haofeng said, picking up his axe, "Then I'll go back first and talk to others about hiring a car while they're still asleep."

"Row."

"Then I'm leaving," Wang Haofeng laughed, and called to Yu Qiujiang who was lighting the fire in the kitchen, "Brother Jiang, I'll be back first. See you tomorrow."

Yu Qiujiang was pumping the bellows inside and didn't hear clearly. After pouring boiling water into the thermos, he ran out and found that Wang Haofeng had left.

"Why are you leaving? Didn't you say you would leave after dinner? Let's cook some vegetables and meat, and drink some wine. I've opened the bottle."

He asked Yu Qiutang in confusion.

Yu Qiutang smiled and said, "I asked him to hire a mule cart, but he said he had to go back early to look for it. If he went too late, everyone would have gone to bed and it would be bad to disturb them."

"Is that so?" Yu Qiujiang didn't think much about it, but said regretfully, "We have had a good harvest these past few days, and we wanted to celebrate."

"There's a chance, there's a chance."

Yu Qiutang looked at Wang Haofeng's back gradually disappearing in the moonlight, and suddenly realized that this childhood friend and buddy also had his own concerns.

And he wasn't going to pour it for him like pouring candy beans like before.

He has his own secrets.

He smiled with relief.

When a man starts to have his own secrets and can resist telling them to others, it means he is beginning to mature. Everyone likes direct and simple people, but if someone stays simple all his life, he will not get what he wants.

Because this world is inherently complex, and simple people will only be let down.

Only those who can see the essence of the world clearly, handle things with ease in the outside world, and still have a sense of peace deep in their hearts are most likely to achieve happiness.

That's good enough.

When he returned home at night, Yu Qiutang left the mulberry fungus at Yu Qiujiang's place and only took the bear gall home.

It’s not that bear bile is valuable or anything, but bear bile needs further processing before it can be taken away.

Bear bile is actually just a bear organ when it is taken out of the bear's body. No matter whether you give it to a medicinal material dealer or a medicinal material supply and marketing cooperative, no one will take it directly.

Some adsorption treatment must be performed.

Simply put, it is to allow all of the bear's bile to be absorbed by the gallbladder instead of evaporating completely, which would otherwise make the bear bile lose its effectiveness.

In ancient times, people usually hunted black bears in winter. After catching them, they would cut open their stomachs and take out the gallbladder. When removing the gallbladder, they would first tie the opening of the gallbladder tightly, then carefully peel off the fat attached to the outside of the gallbladder, flatten it with a wooden board, and hang it in a ventilated place to dry.

There is another method. You can get a lime jar and put the bear bile in it to dry, which is equivalent to the desiccant in later generations. Never dry it in the sun or in an oven, otherwise the gallbladder will have a rancid smell.

But Yu Qiutang has his own method, which is simpler and more effective and can preserve the gallbladder intact.

(End of this chapter)