Living in the mountains and forests as hunters

Chapter 7

The kitchen knife, medicine hoe, and dagger that Zhao Yiyi took out from the dowry box made An Dalang jealous, especially the dagger, which he held in his hand for a while, and his eyes narrowed when he smiled. When he got up, this thing was much sharper than the one his father left behind, and it was also light and thin. It was definitely a good stuff.Looking at these things, you can see how much the daughter-in-law's natal family attaches importance to this married girl. It seems that I am really lucky to have a treasure.

Looking at these exquisite ironware, An Dalang couldn't help dragging out two boxes from under the big scary bed, full of black lines!As far as this cave is concerned, the large ones and the empty ones can echo. This An Dalang actually has a habit of hiding things under the bed. Could this be caused by an invisible sense of insecurity?Or there are thieves on this mountain?Is it a weasel, or a vixen?
The box under the bed is very good, at least it is made of wood, it looks stronger than Zhao Yiyi's rattan box, and the things inside are not comparable to the half-full rattan box. In those two boxes, There are many tanned skins in a box. It seems that there are sheep skins, wolf skins, deer skins, and rabbit skins. There are many varieties and quantities. Zhao Yiyi checked it out and found that they are relatively new. The appearance is the result of the past one or two years, two wolf skins, four sheep skins, two deer skins, and 12 rabbit skins.

"so much?"

"I made it all myself. I saved it from last year and this year. I used it for the winter. Wife, you see, the sheepskin is used as a mattress, the wolf's skin is used as a big jacket, and the deerskin is kept in case this winter is difficult. Sell ​​it for food, the rabbit skin is small and easy to store, I kept some more, just to make clothes for you."

An Dalang blushed, rubbed his hands, and looked at Zhao Yiyi with sparkling eyes. Is this a gesture of goodwill?Still looking for praise?How could such a big man have such an expression?Zhao Yiyi wanted to laugh in her heart, but in a blink of an eye, she thought again, maybe it was because he was too lonely to live alone, that's why after he came here, he kept trying to show himself that he could live well, because he was subconsciously afraid Leave by yourself!
Thinking about it this way, I feel that this man is really pitiful. A woman is a strange creature. When emotions such as curiosity and pity start to brew, then she is not far from falling, but Zhao Yiyi has not realized it yet. At this point, just looking at so many leathers, she felt happy in her heart. She had never owned so many leathers in modern times, so it was worth it!Modern leather is much more valuable than ancient ones.

There was another box, which contained bows and arrows, a hatchet, and some things that she couldn't understand, like some stones, or some minerals, Zhao Yiyi couldn't understand it, but she had it in her heart Rough guess, perhaps for tanning leather?Well, no matter what, let her know that besides hunting, this man has another ability to make a living, and that's what matters.Just looking at those skins, you can tell that this man's craftsmanship is good, at least she doesn't smell any bad smell.

I took out my own iron utensils, put them together with An Dalang's tools except for the kitchen knife on the stone platform, and then put the rattan box next to the bed against the stone wall. It can also be used as a bedside table!It's just that she suddenly thought of a question, where is this toilet?What about her reincarnation of five grains at night?Is it possible to go outside?When I asked An Dalang, sure enough, he usually solved it by himself outside, at the northernmost part of the courtyard.There is a stone pit, which is his hut!Hey, you really can't expect a man to be careful!This problem still has to be solved by myself tomorrow!

As for washing?People in the mountains pay attention to this. It is good to take a bath in ten days and a half months. An Dalang can take a bath in a small river, and Zhao Yiyi has already thought about which hot spring place to go to when the time comes. Transformed into a bathroom, or a private bathroom.

After eating and chatting, it was night, looking at the only big bed, Zhao Yiyi felt a little flustered for some reason, she didn't dare to look at An Dalang, she just felt like she was shaking all over. It started to get hot, and he walked to the bonfire to add firewood in a daze, and even forgot to wash the dishes. On the contrary, it was An Dalang, this thick-looking man, who carefully saw Zhao Yiyi's uneasiness, and silently tidied up. He got off the table, closed the door, moved to Zhao Yiyi's side, pumped up his energy, blushed and said very seriously:

"Daughter-in-law, no, don't be afraid! I understand the rules. Married women keep their filial piety for one year. Well, that's what. We won't be able to consummate the house until next year. That, my third aunt told me, and I agreed."

When Zhao Yiyi heard this, she felt relieved, an honest man is good!Being able to say it by myself, I don't need to embarrass myself. Thinking of Zhao Yiyi's rare gentleness and wanted to say something so as to increase mutual understanding, at this moment, suddenly there were bursts of wolf howling outside. So clear, so close, it was a completely different feeling from what he heard in the village. The consciousness flashed through his mind, thinking that there was only their family here, Zhao Yiyi's heart was wrenched again, and he couldn't help looking to An Da who was on the side. Lang leaned on.

"Da, Da Lang, wolf, there are so many wolves."

I really wanted to bite my tongue, why did I stutter, but it was really scary!It's true that not everyone can live in this mountain, and my heart's ability to bear it can almost scare me to death.

"Don't be afraid, they are far away and won't come."

An Dalang looked at his daughter-in-law who was leaning on him, and his heart felt soft. Thinking that he had become someone else's support, he felt even more proud. He stretched out his hand, held Zhao Yiyi in his arms, and then began to introduce this The situation in the mountains, I am afraid that my daughter-in-law will be frightened.

"Daughter-in-law, don't be afraid, this is my place, they won't come, you heard, it's from the mountain in the north."

"Your territory?"

"Well, this mountain, as well as the north slope of the mountain leading to your village, are all within my territory, including the small river, which are all within my territory. This has been drawn since my grandfather's generation. Yes, that is the place where my grandfather and my father killed a black bear and snatched it away. The animals nearby know that every year on the border, I will mark it and leave some scents. At first it belonged to my grandfather, and later It belonged to my father, and when I was ten years old, I added mine to tell them that this land has always been owned by the owner. After we have a son, I will take him to leave a scent."

Zhao Yiyi was dumbfounded, this, this, she only heard that puppies urinate everywhere and grab territory, after a long time, the same goes for other animals!By the way, it seems to be like this. She has seen it in the animal world. If there are wolves, tigers and so on, they leave a smell. This territory is theirs. If you want to grab the territory, you must first fight a game. , In this animal world, strength comes first.It's just that she didn't know that in the mountains, people are actually the same as animals.

Wait, there is another meaning in the words just now, Zhao Yiyi turned her head and looked at An Dalang with a disturbed expression:

"Beasts around, what does this mean?"

"The mountain in the north is the territory of wild wolves. They have a gang, about 20 or so, not too big. There are wild boars in the northwest, about four or five. There are leopards in the east, a tiger in the northeast, and the village is close to the south. The mountain, which is Lin Erwa's family site, occupies two mountains. In the past, it was the place of Heixiong, and there probably was a family of Heixiong there. To the west, there is a village in the mountain across a ravine where wild boars gather. There are about 30 people, all of whom are from Orion, and within a day’s journey, that’s about it.”

An Dalang divided those ferocious beasts into powers just like people. It can be seen that in his heart, people are no different from animals.It's just that Zhao Yiyi's heart was horrified by the types of these beasts, and the hairs all over his body stood up. Maybe because he knew that Zhao Yiyi was afraid, An Dalang even said a few words of comfort:
"Daughter-in-law, don't be afraid. There are rules in the mountains. It's not a catastrophe. It's not that you don't have enough to eat. Generally, you don't go to other people's land to beg for food. Even if you come here to eat some prey, you will leave quickly and never stay. , This is the law in the mountains and forests, unless it is the owner who challenges the territory and wants to expand the territory, generally he will never take the initiative to conflict, but if he goes to someone else's territory, if he is killed, he deserves it, like I sent you home The wild boars that go there are the wild boars that come over the site. Generally, I don’t kill them. There are goats, deer, roe deer, furrow irrigation, hares, foxes, pheasants, squirrels, and many others in my site. Prey, as long as I don’t go to other places, I’m very safe, and here, this is where I live, from my home to the small river, this section is very safe, I’ve sprinkled medicine around, and there are traps, those small Prey will not come. There are several fruit trees in the back mountain, including peach trees, wild chestnuts, and pears. There are also jujube trees on the west slope, and there are many fruit trees on the other side of the river. They are enough to live on. Except that there is no land, Really nice."

Zhao Yiyi listened, why did she feel that this mountain seemed to be An Dalang's vegetable garden!There is no danger at all!Although she also knew in her heart that maybe he had picked up something nice to tell her, and maybe there were other dangers, but she was smart enough not to ask. Anyway, she felt a little more at ease now, so why bother him Besides, after hearing what An Dalang said, she also became curious about the fruit trees in this mountain forest, wondering whether these wild fruits can be sold for money, and whether it is possible to make money faster here.

Zhao Yiyi stretched out his hand and fiddled with the fire again, just as he was about to add a piece of firewood, An Dalang on the other side had already done it quickly.
"Daughter-in-law, these mushrooms are the mushrooms you mentioned. I want to take a few edible ones tomorrow and show them to Lin Erwa."

Yep?Lin Erwa, oh, I just heard that they are from the south mountain, the same mountain people as An Dalang?

Before Zhao Yiyi could ask anything, An Dalang started talking again. This may be the first time he has said so many words in these years, as if he wanted to pour out all the words that this person has saved during his life.
"Lin Erwa and his family are having a hard time recently. The four of them, Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, Erwa, and Hua'er, all rely on Uncle Lin to lead Erwa to hunt. Uncle Lin a few days ago I accidentally broke my leg and couldn't get out of bed. In order to get medicine, I guess the family has no money. The second child is only 12 years old and can only grab some small things. I have to raise a family. I'm afraid it will be difficult to eat now , Uncle Lin is a very nice person. When my father left, I was only 15 years old. At that time, his eldest child had just died of illness, the second child was only six years old, Huaer was born not long ago, and my family was also having a hard time. But he still cared about me, took me hunting from time to time, and gave me the prey, for fear that I would lose my father and live alone in the mountains, and I would not be able to support myself. This time I originally said that I would marry a daughter-in-law and let my second child accompany me. I picked up people, but who knew that something like this happened, daughter-in-law, I thought, let's show them the edible mushrooms, so that they can learn more about what to eat, mixed with wild fruits, wild vegetables, and so on. It’s not like eating a few mouthfuls of food.”

An Dalang looked at Zhao Yiyi with a trace of apprehension. This was a food his wife discovered by herself. He dared not tell others about it. Although he felt that this food was edible, it was definitely a gift from God and a happy event for the poor. , but he still had to ask his wife first, otherwise he was afraid that she would be unhappy. He didn't know why he thought that way, but he just did it. Maybe he didn't know what respect was, but his actions made Zhao Yiyi very happy.

"Understood, then you go there tomorrow. By the way, I will tell you a few more things tomorrow morning, and you can take them there together. Just pick them up as a gift, but the mountain road is not easy to walk, so I won't follow." went."

"Hey, if you don't go, it's not easy to walk. I understand that it's inconvenient for women to walk on mountain roads."

An Dalang smiled silly, happy for his wife's kindness!
In fact, Zhao Yiyi really didn't mind letting others know about this, and even thought about telling her brother, her stepmother, but unfortunately, what she said was useless at all, and they even gave her a good laugh.In the village, looking around, no one really listened to her, and none of them had the courage to give it a try!But here, An Dalang believed her, followed her to eat, and found it delicious, and was willing to tell others how she would stop her, and no one had an easy life.It is always good to be able to help others, let alone a good person who has helped An Dalang, neighbors, so we need to get along well!

(End of this chapter)