Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 71 I can't be arrogant

After all the calculations, the only ones who can really settle the old lady are the second son Yu Demu and the third son Yu Deshui.

Yu Demu is fine. His family is wealthy, and his wife and he are broad-minded and take good care of the elderly.

Although Yu Deshui is filial, his wife is a tigress. He has almost no status at home and is controlled by his wife.

Although his wife had no objection to bringing her mother-in-law to live with them, she and Yu Deshui had conflicts every now and then, and the old lady was not happy living with them.

There was no other way. The second son, Yu Demu, suggested that since this was the case, they should let the old lady live in their house forever without rotating her so that it would not be too difficult for everyone to cope with it.

At least their family conditions are better than others.

Others just need to give a symbolic amount of pension money every month.

Yu Demu certainly didn't mean to ask for his brothers' money, he didn't need it, he just wanted everyone to not have any psychological burden. He felt that being filial to parents was something that those who were capable should do more work.

If you have more abilities, you can take better care of others and give more. If you don't have much abilities, just do your best.

Although the brothers felt that the second brother had paid too much, they thought there was nothing they could do. This was not the best, but it was the most appropriate solution, so they had to accept it.

From then on, the matter of the old lady’s retirement came to a temporary end.

Unexpectedly, less than half a year later, the old lady started to make a fuss again. She was living well in the city, but she insisted on returning home to live.

Yu Qiutang remembered that after his grandmother came back from his previous life, she said that she was very angry with her third aunt. She lived in his old kitchen and was bullied by Chen Meidi all day long. Her life was very difficult.

After he was reborn, he forgot the exact time, and thought that after he moved out, his grandmother would just move into this cave. Anyway, his grandmother didn't like him, so there was no need for him to curry favor with her.

Unlike the relationship between grandmother and grandchild in later generations, where every grandchild is the grandmother's precious child, grandmothers at this time have many grandchildren, and if they say they don't like any of them, then they really don't like them. You are lucky if they don't hold you up by your legs and drown you in a water tank.

While the uncle and nephew were discussing things outside, Chen Meidi coughed dryly several times inside. Everyone heard it, but Yu Dejin did not point it out, so everyone pretended not to hear it.

It was a simple truth. Chen Meidi definitely didn't want her mother-in-law to live in her house. She had finally separated Yu Qiutang and his group from the family, and now there was an old lady who needed her to take care of her. She didn't want to do that.

"Then what does your father say? What is he busy with? It's such a big thing, but he doesn't come back to talk about it. What can a kid like you do when you come back?" Yu Dejin exhaled a puff of smoke and said with a hint of blame.

Yu Qiushan smiled and said, "My dad just wanted me to come back to tell you that he didn't want my grandma to come back, but he couldn't stand the old lady's tossing and turning. If this doesn't work, she can only come back and rest for a while, and we will take her back later."

Yu Dejin nodded, "That's fine, come back if you want, just first..."

At this point, I suddenly remembered that there was no room at home for the time being, and I felt a little embarrassed. After thinking for a while, I said, "If I come back, I can always find a place to live. The environment in the countryside is not as good as in the city, but it is spacious and comfortable. Your grandma has worked hard for half her life, and her roots are in the loess. It is really uncomfortable to live in the city."

"That's what my dad meant..."

"Uncle, my dad said that my grandma will live in our house first when she comes back. We recently built three new rooms, so the old kiln is vacant. Although it's a bit old inside, it's warm to live in." Yu Qiyuan interrupted.

He was right. Newly built houses are not very popular. The inside is not completely dry yet, so it will be cold to live in.

On the contrary, living in a cave house for many years is like driving a car for a long time. It is well run-in and comfortable to live in.

The cigarette ring in Yu Dejin's hand had burned to his buttocks. He felt his fingers were slightly hot, so he took a quick puff. The cigarette butt was thrown to the ground. Seeing that it was about to be blown away by the wind, he stepped on it and put it out.

"Does your mother agree to my living in your house?" he asked in a muffled voice. He knew his brothers' family lives very well. The third brother had no problem, but that wife was really a troublemaker.

There is nothing wrong with her character, but she is too irritable and can argue with anyone. If I were to stay at the third brother's house, there would be no problem with food and water, and the third brother's wife would not be at a disadvantage. But it is hard to guarantee that she will not be bullied.

Yu Qiyuan smiled and said, "Why bother with her? You don't know my mother yet. She is impatient. She will definitely say something, but she is willing in her heart.

"That's fine too."

Yu Dejin nodded, feeling a little suffocated in his heart. He felt very embarrassed to talk to the junior like this, but he just couldn't be arrogant. He couldn't even clean up the trivial matters at home, so it was difficult for him to ask to take care of his mother.

I can only deliberately not reveal this.

Let's just let it go like this first, and then if I have discussed it with my wife, I can bring my mother over. It won't make a day or two any more difference.

Thinking of this, I can't help but reflect on the current living environment at home. The location of the cave house is indeed not enough.

The eldest brother said that they were splitting up the family and would move out within a few months, but that was easier said than done. Four people needed at least three rooms, and a conservative estimate would cost one or two thousand yuan, which was not enough to earn.

Hey~
In the darkness, he spoke intermittently to his two nephews, but he felt very conflicted.

"Let's put it this way. We'll try to let my grandma live in our house. After all, everything is convenient in the city, and it's close to the hospital."

Yu Qiushan is indeed an educated child. He has lived in the city for a long time. His parents are both educated people. He speaks politely and takes into account the feelings of the listeners.

Yu Dejin didn't feel too unhappy when he heard it.

"Okay, let's do this for now. If she really wants to come back, there's no need to stop her. Your grandma has a stubborn temper. She has to do what she wants to do. If you try to stop her, she'll be so angry that it's bad for her health."

"My dad said the same thing," Yu Qiushan said with a smile, "Uncle, you and my dad are indeed brothers. The tone of your words is almost the same."

Yu Dejin also laughed.

This is what I mean. They are brothers after all. No matter how capable the second brother is, he is still my younger brother. When I go home to eat, he still has to sit down and eat first.

If there was only one stool, he would sit on it and he would have to stand.

This is emotion and also rule.

After the important things were made clear, Yu Qiyuan on the side hurriedly pulled Yu Qiushan, "Brother Shan, let's go quickly."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Wait a little longer." Yu Dejin said, "Shanzi finally came back..."

"Hey, uncle, let's come and have a drink with you tomorrow morning. I have something to do with Brother Shan tonight."

Seeing Yu Dejin looking at him in confusion, Yu Qiyuan hurriedly explained: "Oh, it's like this, didn't my family plant a few acres of gourds in the north? The rain was good this year, and the harvest was pretty good. But when the gourds were about to ripen, something came to the field and destroyed it for several days in a row."

The gourd that Yu Qiyuan mentioned is not the kind of gourd that can be made into a ladle, but the primitive version of zucchini. It looks very much like winter melon and tastes close to pumpkin.

This kind of gourd can grow very large, up to nearly one meter in length and weighing several dozen kilograms.

When the gourd is ripe, it can be used to make dumplings, or it can be cut into long strips like peeling an apple, and then dried in the sun. This is called "gourd strips". In winter, when there are few vegetables, gourd strips can be soaked in water and eaten as vegetables. They taste delicious.

The zucchini of later generations is a cultivation of this kind of gourd. It accelerated the growth rate, but also made the taste of the zucchini very light and lost the original fragrance of the gourd.

The reason why Uncle San's family grows so many gourds is not just for eating. The gourds can be sold and were considered an economic crop in the early years.

Later, even from the seeds, people cultivated specialized gourds and pumpkins.

"…It was so badly damaged that my dad asked me to watch at night to see what it was. But last night I watched for half the night before those little creatures came. It was too dark at night, and I only saw several things as big as puppies. They ran away without a trace, and I don't know what they were."

"Isn't it a wild boar?"

Yu Dejin guessed, and soon shook his head, "It shouldn't be. Wild boars eat a lot in this season. They can just stay in the mountains and don't need to run to the village. Besides, if it is a wild boar, it will not just damage a few gourds."

"I guess not. Even though it was dark, they didn't look as big as wild boars. But they ran pretty fast. I chased them and saw them quickly run into the cornfield and I couldn't see them anymore."

"There's a mountain beyond your cornfield, where can we find it?!"

"That's what I said. I was so anxious that I was going crazy. If it was a person, I could fight him, but I don't even know what this thing is. It runs fast and doesn't come during the day. It's really harmful. Look, Brother Shan just came back, so I asked him to help. I killed a few of them at night and see if they come again!!"

After hearing what Yu Qiyuan said, Yu Dejin looked at Yu Qiutang who had been standing silently beside him, and wondered why this child didn't say a word. He didn't react at all when talking about his grandma, as if he was talking to a stranger.

"Boss, you are familiar with the mountains, can you show me what it is?"

"what?"

Yu Qiutang leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation out of politeness. After all, he had a good relationship with his two cousins, and when they came to his house, he couldn't just hide in the house and ignore them.

But I really don't care much about grandma's affairs.

The old lady, with whom he had a distant relationship, was extremely harsh and difficult to deal with. If it weren't for his grandmother, he wouldn't even bother to look at her when she walked on the street.

But then again, this was just his feeling. His father and other uncles didn't think that way. After all, grandma had worked hard to raise them, and as children, they had no right to despise their mother.

You can't just accept her kindness and reject her shortcomings.

As he listened, his thoughts began to wander involuntarily, and he wondered when he would go to the mountains again.

After all the efforts, the oak tree has not been brought back.

Only half of the crossbow has been made, and it's just waiting to be cooked. After the crossbow is made, the weather will gradually cool down, and all the crops will be harvested. As a farmer, he will have plenty of time and can go to the mountains to make a living.

He wanted to earn enough to build a house before the weather got completely cold, so that he could have a place that was completely his own, and no longer have to hold his breath all day long living in this troglodyte courtyard with Chen Meidi's family.

Suddenly, he seemed to hear his father calling his name. He came to his senses and saw Yu Qiushan and Yu Qiyuan looking at him. He was a little dazed for a moment, but soon reacted.

"Ask me," he thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. In this season, many animals will come down to steal the food. It's hard to be sure without seeing it with your own eyes."

"Is that so?" Yu Qiyuan nodded, a little disappointed, but soon cheered up again, "It's okay, no matter what it is, as long as it dares to keep coming, I will definitely kill it."

"Tangtang, let's go together. You can even kill wild boars, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to deal with those things." Yu Qiushan suddenly said to Yu Qiutang.

"This... is indeed no problem."

"Then let's go." Yu Qiushan was very happy. He remembered how Yu Qiutang carried wild boar meat in the afternoon. Although he was not strong, he was full of power and looked very capable.

In contrast, he lives in the city and has not exercised much except for his daily work. Although he looks stronger than Yu Qiutang, he may not be able to catch up with Yu Qiutang in terms of strength and speed.

"Cousin, have you ever killed a wild boar?!"

Yu Qiyuan was half-believing and half-doubting. Unlike Yu Qiushan who was in the city, he had always been in the village and could often see Yu Qiutang.

He knew very well what Yu Qiutang was like in the past.

Thinking about this cousin from my uncle's family, he is not short in height, but he is thin and weak, and looks frail, no different from a teacher in the village primary school.

If he could teach in an elementary school, that would be possible.

But killing wild boars...

I guess I dare not even think about it, I can only dream about it.

"That's not true. I'm not lying to you. You didn't see it this afternoon..." Before Yu Qiutang could say anything, Yu Qiushan took over the conversation. Seeing that Yu Qiyuan was still hesitating, he patted his head and said, "Forget it. You won't believe me even if I tell you. We can see it with our own eyes, right, Tangtang?"

Yu Qiutang thought to himself, I haven’t agreed yet, and it’s been confirmed.

But looking at the expressions of Yu Qiushan and Yu Qiutang, he thought that there was nothing wrong with going and taking a look.

"Okay, let's go take a look together."

"That's a good feeling."

Yu Qiushan was still very happy, but Yu Qiyuan was in a general mood. It was not that he didn't like Yu Qiutang going with them, but he had a certain degree of doubt about Yu Qiutang's ability to play a key role.

He still placed more hope on the strong and capable Yu Qiushan.

After all, when Yu Qiushan was a child, he was the one with the best physical fitness among his cousins. Following him, you could always catch various things.

"Then wait a moment, I'll change my clothes and prepare something."

"it is good."

Yu Qiutang turned around and went back home, took off his clothes and changed into a clean and tidy set.

There was still a smell of blood on his clothes. Although it was very faint to humans due to wind drying, animals' sense of smell was generally more sensitive than humans', so they could definitely smell it.

In addition, when you go out at night, you should tie up your sleeves and trouser legs tightly, because anything may appear in the gourd field, from small mosquitoes and flies to insects, centipedes, scorpions, and even snakes.

The snakes at the foot of the mountain are not very poisonous, but they are not completely non-venomous either, so it would be troublesome if they were bitten.

(End of this chapter)