Chapter 286

On the way home, Wang An carefully observed the dry trees on both sides of the road, as well as the branches in the forest.

He had to be careful, but there was snow everywhere, and many branches were buried by the snow.

Because Wang An wanted to find a few branches that could be used to make slingshot forks.

In Wang An's view, a slingshot not only had to be easy to use, but it also had to look good.

Otherwise, if it were a slingshot that looked very rough, Wang An felt it wouldn't be comfortable to use.

The forest was quite large, and there were quite a few branches broken by lightning or blown down by the wind.

However, for a slingshot fork, one absolutely must not use rotten wood that has been there for a long time.

There's nothing else to it, except that when pulling the slingshot, the fork is prone to breaking, and then the rubber band snaps back and hits your eye or face.

Don't ask Wang An why he knows; if you ask, it's because Wang An has never been snapped.

And even if this thing luckily didn't hit his eye, it just left a big blue mark on Wang An's face.

That didn't hurt at all, why ask if it hurts? If you don't believe me, snap yourself once to feel it; it's super refreshing.

Wang An's first choice for a slingshot fork was Manchurian ash, mountain walnut tree, or Amur cork tree.

Of course, if there were suitable and sturdy branches from other trees, they would be the same.

Manchurian ash is relatively easy to find and is one of the favorite woods used by locals.

The mountain walnut tree, also called the Manchurian walnut, bears fruit that the locals pick every year.

The green skin on the outside of this thing can't be eaten, but the walnut kernel can.

But the hard shell of the walnut kernel is quite thick and truly harder than average; it's a lot of effort to eat a walnut kernel.

The Amur cork tree, also known as the yellow pineapple tree, is also called the Phellodendron tree; the bark and fruit of this thing are medicinal materials.

However, the bark is mainly used; the bark of the Amur cork tree is often included in traditional Chinese medicine and has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, purging fire, and drying dampness.

As for the fruit, locals generally use it to prevent insects.

The dry wood of these three types of trees are all famous hardwoods in the area and are also the favorites of the locals.

No matter what you make with them, it's as solid as a rock; saying that things made with them are heirlooms might be a bit of a stretch.

But things made from these three types of wood are truly quite sturdy.

So Wang An believed that as long as it wasn't the kind that had been there for too long, there would definitely be no situation where the slingshot fork would break.

Although there were many branches, choosing a slingshot fork was not a simple matter.

The most important thing for this thing was that the forks on both sides had to be symmetrical.

Wang An walked all the way and searched all the way; he picked up many branches that looked good.

Because these branches were all covered in bark, it was still unknown whether they would be thick enough or usable after peeling.

Anyway, whether they had knots or scars, Wang An wouldn't want any of them.

Although the rubber band snapping on the face doesn't hurt, having your face look dark blue and having people say it was from a slingshot is truly embarrassing!

Pulling half a sled of branches, Wang An returned home.

Wang Yi and the two little sisters, who were playing in the courtyard, widened their eyes in curiosity, wondering what kind of mood their big brother was in today to pick up half a sled of firewood.

After a while, Wang Yi asked curiously:

"Big brother, are you picking up so many branches for firewood? We have firewood at home."

Wang An was stunned upon hearing this, glanced at his younger brother, and said with a smile:

"Your big brother is so good at managing a household, isn't it normal to pick up some firewood?"

Wang Yi nodded in confusion and said: "Then big brother, I'll help you carry them to the stove pit."

As Wang Yi spoke, he went to the sled to carry the branches.

Wang An hurriedly stopped him: "No need for you to carry them, just go and get the saw for me."

After Wang An finished speaking, he unhitched the horse from the sled, led it into the shed, and fed it fodder.

When Wang An came out, Wang Dazhu was already standing next to the sled, not knowing when he had arrived.

Wang Dazhu looked at the branches on the sled and asked Wang An directly:

"Are you trying to make a slingshot?"

Wang Dazhu was worthy of being a person who could do all kinds of work; he knew what was going on with just one look.

Wang An nodded and said: "Yeah, the dogs are all injured, and I don't know when they'll get better. Hunting with traps is uncertain, so I was thinking that before I can find mountain animals, I'll make a slingshot to hunt some squirrels or something."

Wang Dazhu nodded upon hearing this and didn't speak, but took the saw from Wang Yi's hand.

Wang An took the things from the sled into the house and brought out another saw.

The father and son worked together, and the speed of making slingshot forks became much faster.

After sawing the slingshot forks, the father and son took them into the house and sat on the bench by the stove pit to start whittling. The temperature outside was too damn cold; it was more comfortable inside.

Slingshot forks are actually very easy to make, just a bit tedious.

Because after sawing this thing, you still have to whittle it with a knife.

First, you have to whittle off the bark to see if the slingshot fork can be used.

Secondly, you have to ensure that the two fork tips where the rubber bands are tied are relatively rounded; otherwise, it will damage the rubber bands.

Finally, the handle of the slingshot must also be whittled well; there can't be any burrs or scars, or it will affect the feel.

Just as Wang Dazhu and Wang An were finishing several slingshot forks, Wang Dazhu suddenly asked:

"Xiao An, what are you using for the rubber bands? Did you buy bicycle inner tubes? Or are you using small rubber cart inner tubes?"

Wang An said with a smile: "Those things aren't easy to use, we won't use that stuff."

As Wang An spoke, he turned and walked toward the west room.

Although valve wire is the best for slingshot rubber bands, because it's expensive, very few people use it.

And bicycle inner tubes are not easy to get, so many people use old donkey cart inner tubes to make slingshot rubber bands.

But this kind of rubber band is too thick, the rubber is relatively hard, and the elasticity is relatively poor, so the slingshot made is truly not easy to use.

However, even so, there is a word called "make do."

So in this era, there were very few boys in the countryside who hadn't played with a slingshot, and basically everyone had one or several.

And it was this kind of slingshot, which was very poor in all aspects, that could occasionally kill a small animal.

After all, whether it hit a bird or a squirrel, it was all called meat.

Wang An came to the west room, took out a bundle of valve wire from a sack, and walked to the outer room.

Wang Dazhu looked at the big handful of valve wire in Wang An's hand, which must have been over a hundred pieces, and was stunned on the spot.

After a long while, Wang Dazhu rolled his eyes at Wang An and said:

"This thing is super expensive, one piece can buy a pack of Changbai Mountain cigarettes, why did you buy so many?"

Wang An said with a smile: "Our family isn't short of money, and this thing breaks all the time, so we'll just replace it when it does."

Wang Dazhu looked at the room door upon hearing this, rolled his eyes at Wang An again, and then whispered:

"Why aren't we short of money? Is your old man short of money in his pocket?"

As Wang Dazhu spoke, he used his left thumb to rub against his index finger, and Wang An understood instantly.

So Wang An took out the 325 yuan from selling the meat from his pocket without hesitation, then counted out 125 and handed it to Wang Dazhu.

While giving the money to Wang Dazhu, Wang An said with a smile:

"Dad, look at you, are you being distant with your son? If you don't have money, just ask your son for it. Who's going to laugh at you?"

Wang Dazhu looked at the 125 yuan in his hand and suddenly froze, his expression becoming a bit unnatural.

Perhaps he felt embarrassed asking his son for money.

Wang An naturally noticed this, but this kind of thing couldn't be reasoned with, so Wang An continued to say with a smile:

"Dad, put it away quickly, don't let Mom see it in a while. The remaining 200 can't be given away; that's Mu Xueli and Old Five's share."

Wang Dazhu smiled, seemingly wanting to say something, but Wang An pretended not to see it and changed the subject:

"Dad, you're quite good at playing with a slingshot, aren't you? Just play with it when you're free at home; it's fine to hunt a few sparrows for your two daughters."

Wang An's intentional distraction worked; Wang Dazhu stopped thinking about it and said with a smile:

"Yeah, playing with a slingshot is a piece of cake for me. I've even managed those thick rubber slingshots quite well, hahaha."

As Wang Dazhu spoke, he casually put away the money in his hand, smiling very happily.

Wang An pretended not to see his father's actions and continued:

"Dad, I bought quite a lot of thick iron wire today. When you have time, help me make some more traps. I've lost quite a few traps on the mountain, and they're not enough to use."

Wang Dazhu was very happy to have money in his pocket, but he still joked:

"I knew that if you gave me money, you'd definitely order me to do work."

Wang An said with a smile: "Dad, look at what you're saying. If you don't help me, who will? Right?"

"Hahaha," Wang Dazhu laughed quite happily.

The father and son chatted while tying the valve wire to the slingshot forks.

To tie this thing, you can't use thin iron wire or thin hemp rope, but the valve wire itself.

Split the valve wire vertically, which means using scissors to cut it into thin rubber bands.

Then use this thin rubber band to wrap it tightly circle by circle, and finally tie a dead knot, and you're done; this is the best way.

A slingshot pouch is generally made of leather; it's best to use the tanned kind, but untanned is also fine, as long as it doesn't have fur.

Wang An used yellow sheepskin, which is much thicker than roe deer skin but thinner than wild boar skin, making it more suitable for a slingshot pouch.

Tying the slingshot pouch to the valve wire is the same; use the thin rubber bands cut from the valve wire to tie it.

The father and son worked hard and made a total of 8 slingshots. Even after making so many, they had used less than half of the valve wire.

Please keep reading, rewards are appreciated, I salute you.

(End of Chapter)