Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 26 We are on the road

Yu Qiutang was walking in front carrying a load, followed by two children.

Yu Xiaowei's assigned task was to carry the little civet, which weighed about ten pounds, not more, not less, just enough to meet the body's load.

Although he has suffered since childhood, he can still persist in carrying these things even though he is still young.

Yu Xiaoyun was carrying a small rattan basket containing the seasonings and salt prepared by Yu Qiutang, so that others could use them when selling the magic tofu.

Yu Xiaowei originally didn't want to let his sister carry things, but Yu Xiaoyun felt that since her uncle and brother were carrying things and she was the only one left empty-handed, it seemed like she was doing nothing, so she insisted on carrying them.

As a result, the girl was not very strong, and although the things in the basket only weighed about three or four pounds, they were not particularly heavy and she could carry it for a short distance, but after walking for a long time, they immediately became heavy.

She wanted to hold it in and not say anything, but her increasingly heavy breathing was still noticed by Yu Qiutang, so he walked for a while and took a rest without saying the reason, to protect his niece's little self-esteem.

The straight-line distance from Wangjia Village to Qingquan Town is only three kilometers, but you have to go around a protruding mountain called Houtouling in the middle, so the length becomes five kilometers. This is still walking on a small road. If you want to ride a bicycle, you need to go around a longer distance.

Because the three of them went out early, the east was just getting light and a little red, and it seemed that the sun had not yet risen, so it was probably around five o'clock.

It is very inconvenient to be unable to determine the time when we return to this era. We can only make a rough estimate based on the sun, but if it is cloudy or raining, it is difficult to determine the exact time.

People in the mountains are used to it.

Anyway, I work from sunrise to sunset and rest from sunset to sunrise. If it is cloudy or rainy, I will stay at home and rest, no matter what time it is.

But Yu Qiutang was used to putting all his plans into specific time frames, and he felt very uncomfortable with this. He thought that after making a little money, he would first buy a digital watch, otherwise he would feel insecure.

On the way, he did meet a few passers-by from the village who were going to the market. They also took the initiative to greet him warmly. However, Yu Qiutang could not remember most of them, and even if he knew them, he could not call their names.

I could only smile and laugh it off, then confirm the name with Yu Xiaowei and memorize it secretly in my heart.

The smaller and poorer the place, the more emphasis is placed on interpersonal relationships.

Although this kind of mountain village is not completely isolated from the outside world, it also forms a social system of its own, and the relationships that should be maintained must be maintained.

Some people were familiar with him and were curious about what was in his basket. He replied that he had made some food and was going to sell it at the market in exchange for some grain, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc.

Because the mouth of the basket was sealed very tightly, others would be embarrassed to open it and look inside.

In this way, after walking for more than an hour, the three of them arrived at the south gate of Qingquan Town. At this time, the sun just showed its head from the east, still a big red ball, and the red glow it reflected made the east flush.

The closer we got to the town, the more people there were.

Qingquan Town has jurisdiction over 19 villages, large and small, with a total population of over 100,000 people.

At that time, the entire Rongcheng City had a population of less than two million. Rongcheng was divided into thirteen towns and villages, and Qingquan Town was one of the larger towns.

At this time, there was a clear boundary between townships and towns, which was mainly determined by the population under its jurisdiction. The population of a town was about one-quarter larger than that of a township.

Special exceptions.

The reason why Qingquan Town is so big is that it is a merged town, formed by the merger of the original Qingshui Town and Liquan Township. During the township reform, a large number of townships were merged into the town, and many strange township names appeared at one time.

Qingquan Town is lucky to have such a name. Although Wangjia Village is four or five kilometers away from Qingquan Town, it is not the farthest village from the town. The northernmost village in Qingquan Town is called "Wu Bu Tong", which is a full 20 miles away from the town by mountain road. It is a real paradise.

Qingquan Town holds a market on the first, fourth and seventh days of each month. For people in the nearby mountain villages, going to the market is one of the most important parts of their lives.

Every time there is a market, everyone takes the various agricultural products they have accumulated, the herbs they have dug from the mountains, the wild animals they have hunted, etc. to the town to sell them in exchange for basic daily necessities such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar.

These days, few people want to go south to work, and there are not many ways to make money nearby. Most people rely on the most primitive agriculture to support their family expenses and maintain society.

However, it was only last year that people were able to actually buy and sell things. In the previous two years, buying and selling were strictly prohibited and could only be done secretly, otherwise they would be accused of speculation.

"A lot of people."

Yu Xiaowei was deeply moved by everything around him.

He and his sister had never been to the town. Growing up, they had never left the small mountain village. They were like a donkey tied to a millstone, and could only circle around an area the size of a palm.

If Yu Qiutang hadn't brought them out, they would probably have continued in this state for many years.

Yu Xiaoyun stood closely beside her brother, curiously looking at the people coming and going around her. Every time someone passed by, her eyes would follow the person for a long distance. Even if the person was just leading a lamb, she would not be able to take her eyes off them for a long time.

Yu Qiutang saw the two and wanted to laugh, but also felt pity for them. Children of this age in later generations have been to all over the world, maybe even flying around the world, but for these two children, it was their first time out of town.

Just a small change made them so surprised.

The town of Qingquan is roughly in the shape of a "well", with two main roads in the east, west, south and north. In the middle where they converge is a tower, which is said to have been left over from the Ming Dynasty and is called the "Baoen Tower."

According to legend, there was once a Jinshi who became a third-rank official in the court. When he returned home in glory, he found that his mother had starved to death at home. In grief, he became a monk and built this pagoda. He prayed for his mother with the green lamp and ancient Buddha to repay her for raising him.

People around him were very moved by this story and thought that he was a very filial son who was willing to give up his high position and generous salary for his mother. However, Yu Qiutang had disliked him since his previous life.

How can this be called repaying a favor? He became an official while his mother starved to death at home, and then he became a monk...

It's hard to comment on weird behavior.

However, these things happened hundreds of years ago, and there was a historical and cultural background at that time. It is meaningless to discuss values ​​now.

The Gratitude Tower has also become a cultural symbol for Qingquan Town. On weekdays, the tower door is closed and people are not allowed to enter. Only the wild geese that migrate from north to south build nests in the tower every year. The brick and earth structure of the tower has long been covered with moss and various weeds.

It is difficult for outsiders to get lost when they come to Qingquan Town. No matter where they go, they can see the Baoen Pagoda when they look up.

As long as you walk to the Baoen Pagoda, you can find the direction.

The town's construction is distributed around the tower, and the closer to the tower, the more lively it is.

Yu Qiutang brought the two children straight to the foot of the tower.

The stalls specializing in selling snacks are located in the southwest of the tower and are called "Food Street". Here you can eat all the local snacks in the vicinity, as well as various foods made by the villagers.

(End of this chapter)