Chapter 444

After Li Long finished breakfast, he drove the tractor back to the big courtyard. Gu Xiaoxia had already gone to work.

He closed the big gate, fetched a bucket from the kitchen, drew water, and then dragged the half-grown wild boar down from the tractor trailer, preparing to skin and gut it.

It wasn't winter now, so it wouldn't stink if he didn't gut it for a while.

Hearing the movement, the two small deer and the roe deer ran over from the backyard. They didn't dare to come forward, just looked at Li Long with some vigilance, sniffing from afar.

Li Long didn't bother with them and began to skin the wild boar. He hadn't done it for a while, but his skills hadn't rusted; it was just that the skin of this half-grown wild boar was a bit thick, and it wasn't so smooth to skin.

After the skin was peeled off, the small deer seemed to feel that Li Long wasn't that dangerous and actually came over. It looked like they smelled the scent of blood, not knowing if they were curious or wanted to taste it.

Li Long waved his arm to drive the three little guys to the side, and then began to gut it.

A foul odor wafted out, and the three little guys were immediately smoked away. Li Long put all the wild boar's internal organs into a large basin and began to dismember the wild boar. He removed all four legs and put them into the basin to soak in cool water, and then began to clean the intestines and stomach.

It was more convenient in the big courtyard. After cleaning was completed, he soaked the entrails in water, and then carried a few legs and drove the tractor out the door.

Just like people in later generations who didn't want to move their legs after having a car, Li Long's explanation to himself now was that carrying these three legs was tiring and inconvenient, and it was convenient to drive the tractor.

He went to the acquisition station first, and seeing Chen Hongjun wasn't there, he went to the Big Meat Canteen, gave one leg to Zhong Guo Qiang, and then went to the supply and marketing cooperative and gave the other leg to Li Xiangqian.

"Did you go to the mountains?" Li Xiangqian looked at the leg Li Long carried in and asked:

"When did you go? Is it so easy to hunt?"

"Went yesterday, caught it this morning." Li Long smiled, and then couldn't help but say it out, "It's a pity. Section Chief, guess what I saw this morning?"

"What can you see in the big mountains? Wolves? Bears? You couldn't have seen a tiger, right?" Li Xiangqian really guessed one by one.

"No, there are wolves and bears in the mountains; how could there be tigers?" Li Long waved his hand, poured himself a jar of water and steeped some tea leaves, blew on it, took a small sip, and said:

"This morning I saw a two-headed red deer!"

"What? A two-headed red deer?" Li Xiangqian was startled when he heard this, stood up directly, and asked: "Two heads?"

"Mm, two heads," Li Long said. "One big and one small, far away, about a hundred meters. When I looked at it, it also looked at me, both heads looking at me together, which startled me! I almost ran away!"

"And then?"

"I thought it wasn't right; it's a deer, and two heads is still a deer! I carried my gun and chased after it, but ended up running for several kilometers and didn't catch up."

"Then you had a gun in your hand, why didn't you shoot?" Li Xiangqian was more anxious than Li Long at this time.

"I shot, but when crossing the gully, I felt I couldn't catch up, so I fired a shot."

"Did you hit it?"

"Hit it, but the deer had no reaction and continued running forward."

"Where did you hit it?"

"On the back of the neck. I felt that a shot to the neck should be a vital hit; an ordinary deer would have fallen long ago, but it acted as if nothing had happened and continued running, so I had no choice but to continue chasing."

"Also, it's strange, it actually had no effect?" Li Xiangqian had also fired guns and knew that a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle hitting the neck was usually judged as dead directly.

How could it continue running?

"Later I continued chasing, but a group of wild boars were chased by wolves and darted out from the forest, blocking my way. Of course, I wouldn't let go of this opportunity, so I took the chance to shoot this wild boar. When I looked again, the deer had already run out of sight."

"So this wild boar was incidental." Li Xiangqian smiled, "It's just that I don't know if that two-headed deer is true or false; did you really see two heads?"

"Really, four horns, and those horns were all tangled together." Li Long took another sip of tea and said, "Really true!"

"Sigh, what a pity."

Li Long was just chatting for a few sentences, and when he intended to leave, Li Xiangqian said:

"At the end of this month, the work for making carrying poles should come down. This year's task for carrying poles is even more than last year's; will you do it?"

"Do it!" Li Long smiled, "Definitely will. I can take on as much as there is."

There were many resources in the mountains, and one couldn't just cut branches and such randomly. Besides, he had the status of a forest ranger, so he didn't worry about being fined or anything, and he could also protect the people he called from the team; how could he not earn this money?

"Alright, then I'll get the work for you when the time comes. Still the same sentence, I don't care about other things, but the quality must be guaranteed."

"Section Chief, don't worry. Have you seen me slack off in any work? No, right? I also know that this brand of integrity isn't easy to build, but it's too easy to collapse. If I can make you trust the quality of my work, then I won't smash this brand myself."

"Mm, then you go get busy."

Li Long left the supply and marketing cooperative, drove the tractor back to the big courtyard, and began to process those entrails.

He kept one leg, intending to take it to Sister Yang's place later. He trimmed most of the meat, preparing to braise it, and for the bones with meat on them, he intended to rub them with salt and soy sauce to make air-dried meat.

There were also some that he left unprocessed for now. After finishing the air-dried meat, he soaked the remaining meat and internal organs in water, and then drove the tractor to the market.

Seeing Sister Yang wasn't there, he guessed she should be cooking in the courtyard. There were a few people from the team selling fish; Old Meng was there, and there was another one whose name he couldn't recall for a moment.

The tractor's sound wasn't small. They looked at Li Long and greeted him, and Li Long also waved his hand, then drove toward the Wuyi Highway.

He parked the tractor on the open space behind the courtyard. He didn't drive it into the alley, mainly because it would block the road, and he would be scolded if it affected others walking.

At this time, the road in the alley was relatively narrow; when building the house and courtyard before, they wouldn't have thought that tractors and cars would pass through later.

Carrying the starting crank in his left hand and the wild boar leg in his right, Li Long went to the door, saw the door wasn't locked or latched, and pushed the door to enter.

At this time, there was still some time before getting off work; Gu Xiaoxia and Han Fang shouldn't have returned yet.

The courtyard hadn't changed much. The small vegetable garden had become much cleaner now; the originally small plot was divided into six small beds, and some tender seedlings had grown out. Except for a bed of baby bok choy and a bed of chives, Li Long couldn't tell what other vegetables were planted.

Hearing the movement, Sister Yang came out of the kitchen and was stunned when she saw Li Long.

"I hunted a wild boar in the mountains and brought a leg over, here." Li Long handed the wild boar leg to Sister Yang, "I'll eat here today. Sister Yang, what's for lunch?"

"Steaming flower rolls, making a sweet soup, and stir-frying two dishes." Sister Yang took the wild boar leg and said with a smile, "The flower rolls are rolled with green onions and chili powder; they are quite flavorful."

"Alright, I quite like eating this." Li Long nodded and said, "You get busy with your work; I'll wander around the courtyard."

"Uncle, you go into the room and sit," Sister Yang said, "That room has always been cleaned; we haven't moved anything."

"No need, you get busy, don't mind me." Li Long waved his hand, "I drove the tractor in the morning and was busy trimming meat, so it's just right to wander around now."

Sister Yang didn't say anything more, carried the pig leg into the kitchen, and got busy.

The courtyard was much cleaner than last year; one could see that the people living there were quite attentive. The corners had all been swept, places where white lime had fallen had been repainted, and the brick joints on the ground had all been cleaned, with no grass growing.

There was no strange odor in the toilet area, and the window screens in the kitchen had been re-nailed; it seemed it was well-maintained.

Li Long nodded; it seemed Sister Yang and her daughter living here were quite attentive.

He walked to the door and looked to both sides. The trees by the road were starting to sprout buds and leaves, and flower seeds were planted in the gaps between the trees, which had only grown seedlings at this time. Both sides of the door had been swept, and this side was clearly cleaner than the opposite side, and Li Long smiled.

The courtyard door opposite opened, and a man in his fifties was stunned when he saw Li Long, and then had a bit of an inspecting look at him.

Li Long thought, what's the meaning of this? Can't he tell I'm the owner here, or does he think it's strange for me, a man, to appear here?

He and that man looked at each other, and the man withdrew his gaze and silently shrank back.

Li Long walked around the door with his hands behind his back, like a lion patrolling its territory, and then returned to the courtyard. Not long after, the sound of a bicycle bell rang. Li Long came out from the courtyard and saw Gu Xiaoxia turning over from the Wuyi Highway. There was a person walking in the middle of the road ahead, and the bell should have been for this person. That person was a woman in her fifties, and then, just as he thought, this woman avoided to the side of the road and walked to the opposite door. She also turned her head to look at Li Long, a bit surprised, and finally went inside.

Gu Xiaoxia was also full of surprise when she saw Li Long, and then waved with a smile. Only when she reached the door did she ask happily:

"Why did you come back?"

"Caught a wild boar this morning, so I came back. Let me tell you, I also saw a two-headed deer, chased it for a long time, almost caught up, and then was blocked by a group of wild boars."

"A two-headed deer? You didn't see it wrong?" Gu Xiaoxia pushed the bicycle into the courtyard and asked curiously:

"A red deer? Did it have horns? Was it an adult?"

"Yes, an adult red deer, the kind with horns, and the horns were all tangled together."

"Is it a deformity?" Gu Xiaoxia chose to believe Li Long the first time, and then guessed. After all, she had attended high school and had some common sense, so she first judged from a scientific perspective.

"Don't know, I even fired a shot and hit the neck, but it didn't die and ran away." Li Long shook his head, "Don't know if I'll be able to run into it again later."

"Maybe you'll be able to run into it again." Anyway, Gu Xiaoxia was quite happy that Li Long was fine, "Then when are you going into the mountains again?"

"Tomorrow," Li Long said, "I sent all the legs, and I have to go back to clean up the remaining meat. I took a leg here, braised some meat in the courtyard, and processed the internal organs and entrails, so I'll bring some over later, which will be convenient for you to eat at noon."

!.

The two of them chatted, and not long after, Han Fang also returned from school. She was quite surprised to see Li Long, shyly called him Uncle, and then went to wash her hands and help her mother.

At this time, Sister Yang's meal was almost done, and the help she could give was just serving plates, setting chopsticks, and the like.

The four of them sat at the table eating. Because Li Long was there, Sister Yang and Han Fang spoke less, so Li Long asked more questions. For some things that were hard to say, Gu Xiaoxia helped to say them, such as what surprised Li Long a bit was that Han Fang's academic performance was quite good.

After eating, Sister Yang and Han Fang nimbly cleaned up the table, bowls, and chopsticks. Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia rested for a while, and then left. One went to the Education Bureau, and one returned to the big courtyard. Because Li Long was driving a tractor and it wasn't easy to go side by side, they acted separately.

Li Long returned to the big courtyard and began to braise the meat and process the internal organs. The pig stomach had to be kept, and the others were all boiled in a pot. The small deer were no longer afraid of Li Long at this time, running over from time to time to call at the kitchen door. Li Long took time to look, left water for them, and then lectured the little guys, giving them a light swat, mainly because they had left quite a few droppings in the courtyard.

The little guys were taught a lesson and became much more honest, no longer coming to this side. Li Long felt that it was necessary to tell Gu Xiaoxia when she returned that these little guys had to be locked up, otherwise, the things planted in the vegetable beds and garden behind would probably be ruined.

When Gu Xiaoxia returned in the evening, Li Long had already cleaned up everything. He cut a plate of offal, set a bottle of wine and two cups on the table.

"Drink a little?" Gu Xiaoxia parked the bicycle and asked when she saw this setup.

"If you have nothing to do, then drink a little. If you have something to do, then forget it," Li Long said, "Look at your situation."

"Then there's really nothing to do, but don't drink too much wine, just have a cup or two to signify it."

"Why?" Li Long rarely saw Gu Xiaoxia controlling him and asked curiously.

"We, don't we need to have children?" Gu Xiaoxia said softly, "I heard that drinking wine isn't very good for having children!"

"Right, right, right," Li Long nodded immediately when he heard this, and then put the wine away, "Then don't drink."

"Just one cup." Gu Xiaoxia didn't want to dampen his spirits, and while going into the room to change clothes, she said in a low voice, "Just signify it."

"Hehe, alright."

One cup of wine, one plate of offal, plus two cups of tea, the two of them chatted while eating and drinking.

At this time, the days weren't particularly long. After the two of them finished the plate of cold-mixed offal, the sky also turned dark. The two of them tacitly cleaned up the table, washed the bowls and chopsticks, then locked the door, extinguished the fire, and entered the room.

All in all, they had been married for less than half a month, and it was the time of passion; the taste of it was not to be told to outsiders.

Thus, in the bright daylight.

The next day, Li Long ate the breakfast Gu Xiaoxia made and didn't really want to leave. No wonder the old saying goes "wife, children, and a warm kang"; this saying is not false.

However, no matter what, he had to go into the mountains if he had to; after all, he needed to earn money, and if he wanted to live a better life, he had to ask from the big mountains.

Of course, he also thought about that two-headed deer and didn't know if he would be able to run into it.

Thus, he added water and oil to the tractor, prepared supplies, drove the tractor to send a pig leg to Chen Hongjun first, and then chugged toward the mountains.

Sister Yang and Han Fang pushed the cart to sell food early in the morning. Auntie Wu opposite watched and asked:

"Big Sister, who was the man who came yesterday?"

"That's Han Fang's uncle; this courtyard is his," Yang Xiulan said, "I'm just borrowing to live here."

"This courtyard originally belonged to that man? Where does he work? Why is he not seen often?"

"He is from the supply and marketing cooperative, and has another courtyard in the North City. He lives there and comes over from time to time, but you don't often run into him when he comes over," Sister Yang said, speaking words that were half-true and half-false.

"So that's how it is." That Auntie Wu nodded thoughtfully, "Still from the supply and marketing cooperative."

Sister Yang and Han Fang pushed the cart to the market. Auntie Wu entered the courtyard and told her husband about this matter.

"Supply and marketing cooperative? That's a good unit." Wu Zhengthu, the man Li Long had seen, was a bit skeptical and a bit wary.

"Mom, why did you tell them about Uncle?" Han Fang was a bit puzzled and asked while helping her mother push the cart.

"Told them, so they know we aren't without a foundation, and they won't bully us," Sister Yang didn't hide her meaning, "We don't harm people, but we can't not guard against people. Some bad people will think that we, mother and daughter, have no support and will bully us."

"Is it Grandpa Wu and Auntie Wu? Will they bully us?"

"Don't know, but whether it is or not, these words will reach the ears of those people."

"Oh... so that's how it is!" Han Fang wasn't the kind of obedient girl who didn't know the hardships of the world and the coldness of human feelings. Having experienced great ups and downs with her mother, she had a certain understanding of the sinister nature of human hearts.

When Li Long drove the tractor across the Qingshui River and continued to walk into the mountains, he was surprised to discover that some people were already carrying bags and sticks and heading into the mountains.

Obviously, he wasn't the only one who wanted to go into the mountains to find a way to make money.

Looking at the equipment of these people, Li Long guessed they should be digging fritillaries. At this time, although fritillaries had only grown out and weren't big, they could already be dug. Li Long guessed these people shouldn't be locals; they might be drifters or those in the county who didn't have jobs. They didn't have a way to make money, so they could only take from the mountains.

At present, the market was gradually opening up, spring had arrived in the mountains, and wild vegetables and wild mushrooms had also grown. They definitely wouldn't starve to death, and if they were lucky enough to pick deer antlers or catch a deer calf, they could sell them for a lot of money; wouldn't that be getting rich?

Of course, at this time, most people didn't know that there was jasper in many streams near the Ma River in the mountains, and there was a mountain full of jasper further inside. In fact, during the Qing Dynasty, there were people mining jade in the mountains, but few people knew about it, and few locals knew about it.

So information blockage was originally so powerful. Think about later generations, where something rare appeared, and it wouldn't take long before it was known in other cities and provinces. In this era, some news might not even be clear after crossing a village.

When those people saw Li Long's tractor appear, they didn't wave their hands to hitch a ride as imagined, but instead hurriedly hid in the bushes on one side.

Li Long understood that at this time, although picking fritillaries hadn't been said to be illegal, it would definitely be rejected by the people of the forestry team. Being able to drive a tractor into the mountains most likely had a relationship with the forestry team, so they were afraid.

Li Long didn't bother, increased the throttle, entered the mountains, and then turned toward the wooden cabin.

The tractor stopped outside the wooden cabin. Li Long got off and opened the wooden door. He brought the starting crank and the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle into the house, and then set up the stove.

Not hungry, but had to cook, and intended to go out and wander around in the afternoon.

It was still a bit damp in the house, mainly because it was cool in the morning and evening, coupled with the fact that the water vapor in the mountains was fuller than outside, and the wooden cabin didn't have insulation and waterproof layers outside, just a layer of mud, which didn't prevent dampness much.

Li Long set up the stove and boiled water. After the water boiled, he took the pot down, covered it with a lid, placed an iron grate on it, and toasted the sliced steamed buns.

Lunch was toasted steamed bun slices and red bean curd. Didn't pay attention to nutrition, and as for the evening meal, it depended on what he could get back after going out later. If there was meat, eat meat; if there was no meat, then getting some wild vegetables to mix was also no problem.

Of course, he still hoped to eat something good. (End of chapter)