Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

"Here, I have it with me!"

Yu Qiujiang pointed to a large kettle in the package and said, "It's very concentrated. I've tried it before. I sprayed it on a chicken and it couldn't move for hours."

"Okay, you must take this with you."

Datura is a poisonous plant, but soaking its leaves in water has an anesthetic effect.

People here often use it to castrate animals.

In fact, there is another thing that can also work, but it is not easy to find and is very expensive, that is Gastrodia elata.

Compared with the precious Chinese medicine Gastrodia elata, which is found everywhere in the mountains and is very effective in treating liver yang, dispelling wind and unblocking meridians, Gastrodia elata prefers to live in damp places, preferably where there is the presence of rotten matter.

Why? Because Gastrodia elata is a companion plant.

It must rely on other organisms to survive.

So it has no choice but to choose to follow some plants that are suitable for the development of its seeds.

In later generations, a pound of Gastrodia elata could be sold for a thousand yuan at best. Even in this era, it is still a scarce commodity. It is estimated that it can be sold at 20 to 30 yuan per pound, which is no problem at all.

Hunting musk deer is different from hunting other animals.

Musk deer must be captured alive.

If a musk deer dies, its scent glands will quickly wither, resulting in very little musk that can be obtained and the effect will be much worse.

Moreover, there are many musk deer with very strong personalities. They will eat their own scent glands directly before dying, leaving people returning empty-handed.

Therefore, hunting musk deer has always been a very difficult task. Even if ordinary hunters know that it is expensive and profitable, they are too lazy to bother with it because the cost-effectiveness of input and output is too low.

Yu Qiutang asked people to prepare Datura water in order to soak the crossbow arrows, so that when the crossbow arrows hit the musk deer, it would not feel particularly painful and would quickly eat its own scent glands.

This is also a secret kept secret by mountain hunters.

Yu Qiutang learned it from his master who taught him Red Fist, and he had never told anyone about it before.

Firstly, they are worried that if other people learn this trick, all the musk deer nearby will be killed.

Secondly, they were also afraid that there might be those who didn't know how to live or die and wanted to try their luck, but ended up being trapped to death in the mountains and becoming food for wild beasts.

Yu Qiutang carefully looked through the things the two people brought.

He lowered his head in deep thought from time to time.

Tents are a necessity, and blankets and quilts covering the tents are also the primary considerations.

Musk deer have a wide range of activities, and musk deer that eat different foods have different living spaces. Among them, musk deer that mainly eat usnea live at an altitude of two to three thousand meters.

The temperature will drop by 100 degrees Celsius for every 0.6 meters increase in altitude. Even if the ground temperature is still more than ten degrees, by the time you climb to a relative height, it will probably only be a few degrees, or even below 0 degrees.

Insulation is particularly important.

The most feared thing in the mountains is sudden changes in temperature. Once you suffer from hypothermia, it will be dangerous.

Nets and ropes are equally important.

The net is used to capture it. Musk deer hate people touching its body directly because it will change its smell. When it is shot with a crossbow, the musk deer needs to be caught with a net and put directly into a basket.

Ropes have many uses. If you encounter a difficult-to-climb location, you can help the rope go down, or you can pull each other. If you get lost in the snow, you can also use the rope to pull each other to prevent yourself from getting lost.

Baskets and bags are containers for wild game.

Musk deer should be placed in a basket. If other wild animals or precious medicinal herbs are caught, they need to be put in bags.

There is also a whistle, which is used for communication in the mountains.

The mountains are open and the sound of the whistle can be heard from far away.

After they entered the mountains, it was impossible for them to stay together all the time. They had to separate and wait or search for the whereabouts of the musk deer.

Musk deer only appear in pairs when their children are cubs. Under normal circumstances, they live alone.

They are timid and alert, with a very keen sense of smell. At the slightest disturbance, they will immediately flee and change their range of activities.

Apart from these special utensils, the rest are various foods, water, medicines, etc.

Then there are the guns.

Although guns cannot be used when hunting musk deer, because one has to go to the mountains, one will directly face more dangerous wild animals and top predators.

Jackals, leopards, lynxes and so on.

The gun mainly serves as a deterrent.

Musk deer is a very weak animal, and these ferocious beasts are its natural enemies. Wherever they appear, these bad guys will inevitably appear.

"Okay, no problem. I'll carry more when we go up the mountain. Once we're on the mountain, Yuanzi will be responsible for carrying the things. How's your strength? Can you hold on?"

Yu Qiyuan smiled and said, "I don't know. Anyway, I can carry dozens of 100-jin food bags into the yard at one go. How about that?"

"Just barely enough," Yu Qiutang patted his shoulder. "It's definitely more strenuous in the mountains than on flat ground. You should do what you can and save your energy. Don't be like Fengzi, who rushed in a hurry the first time he entered the mountains and was exhausted before he even walked a third of the way."

"Yes, cousin, I will listen to you. If you tell me to go, I will go. If you tell me to stop, I will stop. Just teach me more."

"it is good."

Yu Qiutang was very satisfied. It didn’t matter if you didn’t understand. The key was to be obedient.

The risk this time is great. What I’m most afraid of is that the young and inexperienced people might end up hurting everyone.

The reason why he didn't ask Wang Haofeng to go this time was not without this reason. He was not completely sure whether he could lead a reckless guy like Wang Haofeng with ease.

After repacking the things, Yu Qiujiang gave Yu Chunju a few brief instructions, and the three of them walked up the mountain path in the morning light.

Yu Qiyuan walked lightly and wanted to walk in front at first, but Yu Qiutang called him to walk in the middle.

The wind is strong in the mountains, and resisting the wind is also a kind of consumption.

Yu Qiutang has good attributes, so naturally he has no burden. Yu Qiuyuan has just arrived, so putting him in the middle can save a lot of energy. Yu Qiujiang also has good endurance, so he serves as the tail end of the team.

At first Yu Qiyuan would ask some questions, but gradually he stopped asking.

The three of them were like silent ascetics, just walking quickly forward, and by dawn, they had crossed the tree trunk bridge they had built last time.

This is exactly the junction of the oak forest and the bush. There is a large area of ​​the swamp in the middle without any trees, and you can see the sky.

Yu Qiutang walked across the tree bridge, looked up at the sky, and looked helpless.

When he left in the morning, he could still see the morning star in the sky. He thought it was going to be a sunny day and was quite fortunate.

But as I walked, I saw red clouds appearing in the east, and I suddenly felt a little uneasy.

The sky is filled with morning glow and the river is filled with rain.

This means that it may rain or even snow today, and it will not be a clear day.

I can only keep moving forward hoping for luck.

As a result, by now the clouds in the sky have become very thick, and it can be said that the sky is covered with dark clouds. The last glimmer of hope has been completely lost.

"What's wrong?" Yu Qiujiang and Yu Qiyuan stood on both sides.

Yu Qiujiang carried a crossbow and a large package on his back, and held Yu Qiutang's halberd in his hand.

This body must be more than 100 pounds. It's just him. Most people can't hold on.

Yu Qiuyuan was carrying his package, which was estimated to be about 40 to 50 kilograms. He was walking with steam coming out of his head and his face was red, but he was in good spirits.

This is considered to be beyond Yu Qiutang's expectations.

"Let's take a break. If we continue forward, we won't be able to take the established mountain trails. We have to start taking the small paths. We may not be able to take a break for a while. At least we have to pass through the oak forest, then the bushes, and reach the moss area at an altitude of more than 500 meters..."

"How long will it take?" Yu Qiujiang asked.

Yu Qiutang closed his eyes and estimated, "It will take about six hours, and that's assuming we don't rest much and nothing goes wrong. If we're delayed a little by the killing, it might be late afternoon by the end."

Yu Qiujiang nodded.

He has a very good quality, which is that he never complains about things that have happened or are bound to happen. No matter how big the difficulties are, he can quickly adjust himself in a short period of time.

Breaking down in front of grandma, like a few days ago, is a very rare behavior.

It usually does not appear.

That's why Yu Qiutang was so surprised that day and stayed to comfort him.

I am worried that once this kind of person who endures himself reaches his limit, he will do something that ordinary people can hardly predict.

When Yu Qiyuan heard that it would take so long, he immediately said, "It's probably around eight o'clock now. Six hours will be two or three in the afternoon. The sky is gloomy, and it might be dark by then."

Yu Qiutang glanced at him and smiled.

This child is a naive person and has a very tricky perspective on things.

I didn't understand what he and Yu Qiujiang meant at all.

"It's about that time, maybe even later, but the time of darkness in the mountains is not stable. It depends on where we are."

"What do you mean, cousin?"

“You see, if it happens to be in this kind of location, with no particularly tall trees around to block the light, then it will naturally get dark later, but if it happens to be in a forest, it may already be completely dark.

But generally speaking, the mountains are at a higher altitude, so it gets dark later than we do in the plains.”

"That's it, I understand."

The three of them rested for half an hour and then continued their journey.

At first we walked along the edge of the oak forest, which was relatively easy to walk on as the ground was relatively hard. But after passing the oak forest, we came to a wild forest with fire pears, which became very difficult to walk on.

The fire-like pear is a fruit similar to hawthorn, the size of a cherry, and turns orange-yellow when it turns red. It has seeds inside and looks like a smaller version of hawthorn, but it does not taste sour, but rather sweet.

delicious.

This fruit tree was later transplanted from the mountains to homeland and became a popular fruit.

Moreover, the fire pear trees can be used to graft various other fruit trees, such as apples, pears, apricots, peaches, etc., and they are easy to survive.

So it's very common.

But the fruits of the fire pears at home are much smaller, while the wild fruits in the mountains are about the same size as large hawthorns, but they are basically inedible, even though it is now the autumn harvest season and the forest is all orange and yellow.

As long as you dare to take it and take a bite, it will be so bitter that your tongue will get stuck in your mouth.

This can also be proved by its fruit setting rate.

Many small animals in the mountains like to eat wild fruits, but those that taste good have already been picked and carried away. How could they still be hanging on the trees? It must be that the wild animals have tried the taste of the fruit and passed it on from generation to generation, telling them to cherish life and stay away from the fire pear.

Because there is no one to pick them, and no animals to carry them, year after year, day after day, the fruits on the trees grow, ripen, fall to the ground, and are picked again the next year...

Gradually, the leaves and fruits formed a thick paste on the ground, in which some scavenging animals and insects would lurk. It was very difficult for people to walk on it, with one foot high and one foot low.

Not only is it difficult to exert force, it is also sticky, giving people an uncomfortable feeling.

Fortunately, under Yu Qiutang's arrangement, the three of them had all worn long rain boots made of pig skin in advance, which was the perfect way to deal with this situation.

Yu Qiutang and Yu Qiyuan walked for a while, silently admiring and feeling fortunate in their hearts. Fortunately, they had Yu Qiutang, otherwise they would have been defeated just by this place.

If you wear ordinary shoes, the mud will reach your calves, so there is no point in walking.

Yu Qiutang observed Yu Qiyuan several times and found that the young man persisted silently, with steam rising from his head and his face a little distorted with fatigue.

It seems that he is constantly challenging his own limits.

He didn't stop.

Climbing is like long-distance running. You will have to go through a period of fatigue at the beginning. If you give up, you will completely lose the chance to conquer the road ahead. But if you can get through this difficult time, you will see a bright future and create a new situation.

This level of tolerance is much stronger than Wang Haofeng's.

That guy, although he was able to persevere to the end, he talks a lot and would often end up in a thankless position in the outside world.

He has done a lot of work and complained a lot, and he has worked hard, but when the time comes to settle the accounts, I think of him and it is all because of his attitude problem, and he can get basically no credit.

After walking for about forty to fifty minutes, the three finally walked out of the forest of burning pears and came to a small hillside covered with dense wild alfalfa, dandelions, plantain, etc.

It is now the period when the flowers are withering. The dandelions have small umbrellas on their heads. When there is a slight breeze, some of the small umbrellas will rise up with the wind, be blown high into the sky, and disappear in mid-air.

"Come, take a break and eat something. We won't stop for lunch."

Yu Qiutang put the bag on his back on the hay.

"it is good!"

Yu Qiyuan was waiting for these words. Upon hearing them, he fell to the ground on the weeds with his bag, stretched out his arms, looked up at the sky, and let out a long, heavy cry.

"worn out!!!"

"Haha," Yu Qiutang patted his belly, "Sit up, don't lie down directly, it's not good for your health."

"Oh."

Yu Qiyuan tried to get up, but the package behind him held him back and he couldn't turn over. He looked like a turtle with its belly turned up.

"Ahhh~"

This only aroused his competitive spirit and he began to roar, trying desperately to defeat the package.

But he was already at the end of his strength, and when he suddenly relaxed, his body seemed to be completely hollowed out. It was difficult for him to gather strength in a short period of time, and he could only roar helplessly.

Yu Qiujiang couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he helped him take the package. Yu Qiutang pulled him up and said, "Walk slowly for a few steps, and then rest."

"How to go?" Yu Qiyuan asked.

"Just walk the same way you usually walk now."

"Oh."

Yu Qiyuan began to walk slowly beside him, but because he was worried about something, he couldn't walk anymore. He walked in the wrong direction and almost tripped himself.

Naturally, the two cousins ​​couldn't help laughing when they saw this.

After all, they are cousins, and Yu Qiujiang's attitude towards Yu Qiyuan is much better than Wang Haofeng's.

I hardly ever smiled at Wang Haofeng. (End of this chapter)