Chapter 1056: The Issue of Survival for the Small Wooden Cabin in the Mountains

Hearing Bolati's horse carried two large sacks, stuffed so full that the animal couldn't trot forward; otherwise, its legs would strike the bags.

Upon reaching the small wooden cabin, Hearing Bolati dismounted and greeted Li Long, then unloaded the two sacks from the horse's back, saying to Li Long with a hint of pride:

"Look, look at the good things I've brought you today! Isn't the portion sufficient? Two big sacks, filled to the brim!"

After moving the sacks to the cabin entrance, Hearing Bolati clapped his hands, turned around, spotted Mo Linsheng, squinted as he sized him up, and then said:

"Have I seen you before? Are you also someone who digs for herbs in the mountains?"

"Yes, you've not only seen me, you also took half a sack of my Fritillaria bulbs." In the past, Mo Linsheng would never have dared to speak so directly to Hearing Bolati, but after knocking down three cargo thieves who tried to rob his Fritillaria bulbs that morning, his courage had grown.

"Well, that can't be helped; that's simply my line of work," Hearing Bolati said with a smile. "Running into me back then was just your bad luck."

Mo Linsheng didn't respond; Hearing Bolati guessed he had come to trade goods, so he paid him no further mind, looked up at the wooden frame, and asked Li Long:

"Are you planning to build a shed? Will you thatch it with grass or use tree branches?"

"I plan to go cut some thin branches this afternoon to lay down first, then cover them with grass," Li Long said, scooping the vegetables from the pot onto the cutting board before checking the steamed buns in the steamer, speaking as he looked.

"The real heat of summer hasn't arrived yet; when it does, the sun will be scorching. Building a shed now, while it's not so hot, will make things more comfortable later."

"Good, after we eat, we'll work on it together, and once we're done, we'll have a drink."

Li Long smiled; this fellow was clearly finding excuses to drink here.

"Don't worry about the alcohol for now; my two Jun Wa Zi want to ride the horse. Put them on the horse and lead it around for a lap," Li Long said to Hearing Bolati, noticing how Mingming and Haohao's eyes lit up when they saw the horse. "Is that alright? Can they ride? Should I lead the horse?"

"Of course they can ride; they could ride all day without issue! If you trust me, I can teach both Jun Wa Zi to ride on their own within half a day! No need to hold the reins!"

"That absolutely won't do! Our Jun Wa Zi aren't like your Balangzi, who've been around horses since childhood; what if they fall? You must lead the horse properly, let them sit on it, make sure they hold on tight so they don't fall off; just leading them around for two laps is enough."

"Alright, alright, I understand; you're so long-winded. Rest assured, I won't let your Jun Wa Zi fall off!" While speaking, Hearing Bolati led his horse over to Mingming and Haohao and asked them:

"Come now, Balangzi brave as eagles, which of you wants to go first?"

"Me, me!" Seeing the tall horse, neither Mingming nor Haohao showed any fear; Haohao spoke up first, which surprised Li Long somewhat.

Mingming had originally intended to speak, but being preempted by his younger brother, he pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Both of you get on together," Hearing Bolati said, lifting Haohao onto the saddle and noticing there was still plenty of room. "Come on, both together; since you're brothers, you should ride the horse together."

After lifting Mingming onto the saddle as well, he didn't immediately lead the horse away; instead, he carefully explained the precautions to the two children, such as gripping the saddle, keeping their bodies slightly lower, noting that the horse would sway as it walked, not to rush, and to move their bodies in rhythm with the horse's motion.

Seeing Hearing Bolati treat the children with extraordinary patience, Li Long felt reassured.

After a while, Hearing Bolati began leading the horse forward; the two children on its back were both excited and thrilled. Li Long watched as Hearing Bolati led the horse very slowly, nodded, realizing this fellow was very considerate of the children's feelings, which was quite good; he wondered why Hearing Bolati was so different from his usual self.

With Mingming and Haohao on the horse, Hearing Bolati led them around the vicinity for about ten minutes before returning to help them dismount; though the two children now smelled of the horse, they didn't mind at all, eagerly sharing with Li Long their feelings and the joy of riding.

"In the future, when we come here, if we run into Uncle Hearing Bolati, you two can ride the horse again," Li Long told them. "But the smell on your bodies will be strong."

"I'm not afraid!"

"I'm not afraid either!"

The two children declared their bravery and determination in loud, clear voices.

Thus, the matter was happily settled.

Soon, seeing it was time for the steamed buns, Li Long wet his hands, lifted the steamer tiers off one by one; the steamed buns were large, fluffy, and looked beautiful.

Li Long removed the freshly steamed buns from the steamer and spread them out on the clean cutting board to cool, a habit common among those who steam buns.

"Do you want nan or steamed buns?" Li Long asked Mo Linsheng. "Or will you eat here with us?"

Mo Linsheng glanced at Hearing Bolati; before he could speak, Hearing Bolati said:

"Why are you looking at me? I'm definitely eating here."

Li Long smiled, paid them no mind, went to scrub the pot clean, and prepared to cook some rice porridge.

Mingming and Haohao were already hungry; as soon as the buns came out, they hurried over to the cutting board. Hearing Bolati went to wash his hands, picked up a bun from the board, broke it in half, and divided it between the two children:

"Come, come, eat first; the buns your father steamed must be delicious!"

Mingming and Haohao turned to look at Li Long, who smiled and said, "Eat, eat; there are also dishes on the table. Hearing Bolati, Old Mo, you two eat as well."

Mo Linsheng had always been called "Little Mo" by others; suddenly being addressed as "Old Mo" made him pause, feeling somewhat strange. Originally, he had planned to take some goods and leave, but now he suddenly wanted to sit down and eat together.

At this moment, Hearing Bolati fetched another handful of chopsticks, distributed them to the children, and then gave a pair to Mo Linsheng: "Eat, eat; in the mountains, I bought your Fritillaria bulbs, but here, we are friends sharing a meal."

With an extra pair of chopsticks in hand, Mo Linsheng simply fetched a stool, sat down, placed the plate of dishes in the center of the cutting board, and then looked toward Li Long.

After pouring the rice into the pot and stirring it with a ladle, Li Long also pulled over a stool, sat before the cutting board, and seeing that apart from the children, the two adults hadn't started eating, he smiled and said:

"Come, come, let's eat, let's eat! Don't be polite; regardless of whether the taste is good or not, there's certainly enough to go around."

Then let's eat.

Mo Linsheng remained silent, bowing his head to eat slowly and deliberately, while Li Long and Hearing Bolati chatted.

Mingming and Haohao occasionally chimed in with a remark, displaying great childlike charm.

"How much longer can you stay in the wooden cabin?" Hearing Bolati asked. "Once the Fritillaria season is over, will you go back?"

"Yes. By then, the children will be ready to start kindergarten; I have nothing else to do in the mountains and should attend to other matters. I'll come back when it's time to cut grass."

"Then there's about half a month left," Hearing Bolati nodded. "No problem; my son's courtyard is in the county town; I'll come find you then and drink at your home. You, although a bit dull, have a great capacity for alcohol. Drinking with someone like you is exhilarating!"

Li Long smiled; he hadn't expected Hearing Bolati to judge friends based on their alcohol tolerance.

Mo Linsheng also suppressed a laugh; he hadn't expected Hearing Bolati, who had collected his Fritillaria bulbs with such a cold face back then, to have this side to him. Such a person clearly separated work from life.

When the rice porridge was cooked, Li Long rose, went to the stove, stirred it with a ladle, bent down to remove the fire, fetched an enamel basin from the room, and served a basinful for each person.

Finding the rice porridge too hot to drink immediately, Mo Linsheng carried his basin to the spring, placed the enamel basin in the water, holding it with one hand to prevent water from entering while stirring with the chopsticks in his other hand.

Mingming and Haohao wanted to imitate him, but their enamel basins were too hot to hold.

The two children anxiously sought their father's help; Li Long picked up both enamel basins, one in each hand, carried them to the spring, found a spot where the water flowed gently, pulled a few handfuls of grass into the water, and then placed the enamel basins on the grass, so the basins wouldn't sink to the bottom and the grass, half resting on the bank, wouldn't wash away.

The two children waited cheerfully by the water's edge.

Li Long returned to continue eating with Hearing Bolati.

"That Han Chinese has such a small appetite; working in the mountains will put him at a disadvantage," Hearing Bolati remarked while eating, commenting on Mo Linsheng. "He's too thin; he couldn't even win a fight against others."

"That's not necessarily true; this fellow possesses a certain ruthlessness," Li Long said, shaking his head. "The day before yesterday, you bought his Fritillaria bulbs, then he was robbed by others; this morning, he took a shovel and fought back. Look at those wounds on his body; they were inflicted during the fight with others."

"Today he protected his own belongings; who knows, tomorrow he might be robbing others to seek revenge. Who can ever predict what happens in the mountains?"

Mo Linsheng finished his porridge, casually washed the enamel basin and set it on the counter, then poured those fritillaria bulbs onto the wooden floor beneath the shed before picking up the sack to leave.

Li Long called out to stop him, retrieved a set of work clothes from inside the house, wrapped four steamed buns in a cloth, and handed them both over.

"Take them; your clothes have turned into nothing but tattered rags. Wearing them any longer would make you unfit to be seen. Rest assured, I won't charge you for these; the fritillaria bulbs you gave are more than enough."