Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 52 Find the trace
Although it happened to rain today, the ground where the bicycle was buried was covered with dead leaves, so it was difficult for ordinary people to see the subtle traces and the slight smell left.

But Yu Qiutang can.

Old man Qin said that he had a sensitive nose, but that was only relatively sensitive. Yu Qiutang could naturally smell the same smells that he could smell, but Old man Qin might not be able to smell the same smells that Yu Qiutang could smell.

For example, now, Yu Qiutang clearly smelled a faint smell of engine oil.

Although it was very faint, it still remained on the branches and the dead leaves on the ground next to them.

Moreover, he could vaguely see footsteps guessed among the leaves, and thin layers of oil faintly visible on the dead leaves.

He stood up and looked ahead, and had a general idea in mind.

"Let's go, Brother Qin~"

"Where are we going?" Old Man Qin was still confused. "I haven't found my car yet?!"

"Just go find your car."

"Do you know where it went?"

"Maybe he knows something," Yu Qiutang walked forward, and Old Man Qin hurriedly followed behind him, with a gun on his back and a bag in one hand, like a toddling penguin.

"Where did you go?"

"Just follow me," Yu Qiutang walked a few steps, bent down to look at the ground, and continued to walk forward. "But after you find the location, whether you can come back or not is up to you."

"So you already know who it is?"

Old Man Qin finally understood what Yu Qiutang meant. He was slightly stunned, then suddenly smiled and said, "That's good to know. As long as you help me find it, I'll take care of the rest. You dare to steal my car? You must be tired of living."

Yu Qiutang just smiled and said nothing more.

The two walked a few hundred meters away, and Yu Qiutang suddenly stopped, went back to look, and finally took Old Man Qin into a cornfield nearby.

The corn cobs in the cornfield have all been broken off, and the corn stalks have begun to turn from green to withered yellow. The stalks are blown to and fro in the wind, and the leaves are broken and floating everywhere.

"Follow me."

Yu Qiutang still kept searching for clues while walking, slowly crossing the cornfield and stopping in front of a pile of corn at the edge of the field.

Cornwood is the most commonly used firewood by people here. It can not only be used for cooking, but also for heating the kang to keep warm.

But cornwood is not easy to dry. If it is not air-dried, it will become moldy and rot, thus losing its combustion value.

So people here adopt a clever drying method.

Dig a hole in the ground, insert a wooden stick into it, and then make a circular circle around it, leaving the middle empty.

Corn stalks are stood up in a circle layer by layer, slowly exposed to the wind and sun, until they are dry enough to be easily broken off and used for burning.

So, even though the corn cob looks large from the outside, it is actually empty inside and has a lot of space.

When Yu Qiutang was a child, he would often hide in here when playing hide-and-seek with his brother and cousins, so he is quite familiar with this thing.

The joy of playing in youth often stays with a person for a lifetime.

"Why don't you leave?" Old man Qin walked over and looked ahead.

There is a road about ten meters away from the end of the field, and across the road is a house. At this moment, the door is opening and closing. There are two children playing games at the door, and a little black dog is running around beside them.

On the west side of the entrance, there is a "Liberation" truck parked. At that time, it was almost impossible to see cars in the countryside, and individuals would hardly buy trucks. It was estimated that the owner of this house drove for the commune or some state-owned unit.

“This family took it.”

"How do you know?" Old Qin looked at the manor and then at Yu Qiutang. It seemed that the family didn't live a poor life, so why would they do something like stealing a car?

Once caught, it would be embarrassing and you might even be locked up, which is not worth it.

"Smell this," Yu Qiutang picked up a leaf from the ground and asked Old Man Qin to put it under his nose and smell it carefully. Old Man Qin took the leaf and smelled it again and again. It seemed to have a familiar smell. He was wondering what it was when he saw the truck in front of him and suddenly slapped his thigh.

“It’s motor oil!”

He suddenly understood.

But he soon thought that since there was still the smell of motor oil in this place, he might have smelled it at the burial point at the foot of the mountain, but he didn't smell anything at the beginning.

No wonder he stopped and walked along the way, it turned out to be just for this taste.

Hi!!
I even told others that I have a nice nose, but it turns out there is someone with a better nose here.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt very depressed due to the irritation brought by shame. He stood at the gate and shouted, "Let's go and settle the score with them," then he strode towards the door of the house with the bag in his hand.

Yu Qiutang hurriedly grabbed his arm and said, "Wait, I am from this village after all. I can only tell you the method. You have to ask for the details later. I am just accompanying you."

"Okay, okay, let's do as you say," Old Man Qin could no longer contain his anger and wanted to see who was so bold.

"You want this... this..."

Yu Qiutang still patiently told him the method. After listening to him, Old Man Qin wondered, "Why is it so troublesome? Can't we just ask them directly?"

"Okay, then tell me, where is your car hidden?"

"Hey~" Old man Qin glanced at Yu Qiutang and said with a fake smile: "Boy, things have come to this point, how could I not know?" As he said that, he was about to tear the corn stalks outside the fence.

"Wait, don't worry," Yu Qiutang hurriedly pulled him back, "I know you're in a hurry, but now is not the time to take it out."

"Why can't I take it?" Old Man Qin was very puzzled. "My car was stolen and hidden by them. Now I want to take it out. Isn't this just right? Who can stop me?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Let me ask you, do you just want to get your car back and not hold the thief responsible?"

"Nonsense, why don't I pursue the matter?" Old Man Qin was provoked and became agitated. "I'd rather not have the car than give this car thief a lesson. This is the third car I've stolen."

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder the old guy is so anxious, Yu Qiutang laughed in his heart.

It's no wonder. For someone like him who travels all over the country, if he encounters a wild animal of good quality, he might go for a long distance with it, but the car will just stay where it is.

Being stolen is the natural fate of these cars.

"That's it. If you still want the car thief to be punished, you have to do what I say. Otherwise, let me ask you this: even if you can find your car in this corn pile, how can you prove that the car was stolen by this family?"

"Is there any need to ask? The car is..."

"Then if I kill someone and dump the body in your yard, then you are the one who killed that person?" Yu Qiutang smiled faintly, his tone calm.

(End of this chapter)