Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 319: Can’t go on? The leopard didn't leave

Xu Ning stood against the wall of the sheep pen with a flashlight, illuminating it for Wang Hu, Guan Lei and Li Fuqiang who were picking up the oak leaves. The three of them kicked the oak leaves aside and shoveled the frozen lumps and sheep on the ground with shovels. Daddy eggs.

Some oak leaves were so stuck together that they couldn't be shoveled with a shovel, so they had to use a pickaxe to dig them out. Li Fuqiang shoveled two piles of oak leaves and said that this old man was really digging in. He knew that the four of them were being hunted here. Leopard, he still had to drive the sheep into the fold during the day.

Although the sheepfold is for raising sheep, it doesn't matter when. They had tidied up the sheepfold yesterday, and now they have to clean it up again. Isn't this a torment!
There were several lumps of ice frozen on the nylon net. Guan Lei threw it to the ground with all his might. The lumps of ice were thrown away, but the nylon net was already frozen hard. Xu Ning waved his hand after seeing it, and he just made do with it. If tonight The old leopard hasn't come yet, so I have to think about removing the nylon net tomorrow morning, and can't continue to throw it on the ground.

After the sheepfold was cleaned and the nylon net and oak leaves were laid again, Xu Ning still climbed up the ladder uneasily and looked at the connection of the three horizontal bars. This position was fixed in the morning so that the No. 10 wire was tied into two strands. Twice.

Li Fuqiang also came down from the roof. There was nothing wrong with the stone roller on the roof. According to Xu Ning's instructions, he pushed the stone roller forward deliberately, so that it could fall quickly after pulling off the wooden wedge.

It was already past eight-thirty after entering the house. Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang drank two cups of tea, then lay on the kang and began to squint, even if they couldn't fall asleep, they had to squint because they had to stay up late in shifts tonight.

The moonlight was very weak and it was dark outside. Xu Ning turned off the lights in the room, sat on the edge of the kang and drank tea in the dark, chatting with Guan Lei who was sitting beside him.

Until midnight, Xu Ning was a little hungry. Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu woke up. The four of them heated up the food and took a few bites. Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang lay on the edge of the kang and slept.

It was a calm night. Apart from the occasional barking of dogs and the sound of the wind, the only sound left was the bleating of the rams in the sheepfold.

At around six o'clock in the morning, Wang Hu heated up the leftover food from last night and baked some corn pancakes. They made a simple meal.

Originally, Xu Ning wanted to go home to catch up on her sleep this morning, but she changed her mind after thinking about it before coming over last night. Why?

Because early afternoon is the best time to go to the old forest to hunt for traces. Just like there are early catches and late catches for fishing, there is also a saying for hunting. If you go to hunt in the morning, you can see the traces left by many animals last night.

Based on these traces, Xu Ning can deduce where the old leopard went and what he did last night.

After dinner, Wang Hu squatted in front of the swill bucket and cleaned the lunch box. Li Fuqiang had just muttered a few words about the big horn when he saw the big horn coming wearing mountain running clothes.

"You really can't help mumbling. You just started mumbling a few words and you're here."

Big Speaker smiled and said: "That's necessary. Originally, I wanted to come over earlier, but I thought your sister-in-law would wake up late. I came over just after dinner."

Wang Hu stood up, put the lunch box into his pocket, and said, "Second brother, Brother Huang is here too, shall we go?"

"Let's go! Go directly to the old forest for a walk."

"Got it."

Immediately, the five people walked towards the old forest to the south.

There were a few scattered people on the narrow road. It seemed that people from the villages of Taihe and Tai'an still hadn't given up. After all, the leopard skin was so attractive. Who wouldn't want to get a leopard skin, sell it at a good price, and improve their family life? ah.

This time Xu Ning and others entered from the southeast of the forest. The snow in this area was not ruined. The snow crust was cracked with their feet, and it was only up to their ankles when they stepped on it. This was because the surface of the snow was burned by the sun, and the snow was damaged by the sun. Caused by quick freezing on a cold night.

They wandered around the forest for four times and saw many new leopards. Xu Ning went to the tree with the dead dog hanging and took a look. He saw that the dead dog on the tree was gone, and only the meat was all over the ground. Broken bones and dog skin.

As Xu Ning guessed, this old leopard will not enter the village in the near future because it already has food to fill its stomach. Although dog meat is not as good as donkey meat and mutton, the taste of dog meat is also very good.

"Brother, you can build a shed for the dog gang when you get home. This old leopard has a very cruel mouth. What if he hurts a few of the green wolves?"

Xu Ning frowned and nodded: "Well, I have to guard against it."

He usually doesn't lead the dog when hunting bears, because he is afraid that the black blind man will hurt the dog. A beast like the old leopard will be very cruel, especially after it has tasted dog meat.

"Can dog meat be as delicious as mutton?" Guan Lei asked doubtfully.

Xu Ning said: "People have different tastes, not to mention livestock. What if the old leopard is willing to eat dog meat after tasting it?"

"Brother, there's nothing wrong with what you said. My sister-in-law is happy to eat sweet food, and I'm happy to eat salty food. The same goes for the livestock in the mountains..." Big Speaker said.

Guan Lei nodded: "As long as the old leopard doesn't return to the mountains, it will definitely have to enter the villages. Taiping is closest to the forest, and Qing'an is further away. It should be fine."

Xu Ning smiled and said: "Well, I think this leopard can't go back to the mountain. It has already regarded this as its territory. Take a look at these two pee... It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. It is here The place is very lively, and I’m basically not hungry these days.”

"You won't be willing to endure hardship after you have tasted sweetness. Brother, we have gone deeper these days. I heard that your chatter is really good. Some of your words are better than that of a sixty or seventy-year-old man!"

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "What are you talking about? Brother, just take your time with my brother."

"Hahaha, okay!"

Several people followed the trail to the northeast of the forest, and then followed the footprints back to Taiping.

At Lao Huang's house, Zhang Guifang was playing with two large pots by herself. Fish was stewed in each pot, and sauerkraut, sticky bean buns, and rice sat in the pots.

Following the sound of loudspeakers walking into the main courtyard, Zhang Guifang opened the door and took two steps out, waving to greet her: "Here we come, brother!"

"Well, sister-in-law, I was in a hurry before I came here yesterday and didn't pick up anything, so I thought I wouldn't be empty-handed when I come here today. I'll bring you and my brother two red sausages and some beans."

Zhang Guifang was stunned when she heard this, patted her crotch and said: "Oh my God! This... why are you so particular about me? My sister-in-law can't choose!"

Da Xiaoxiao was also a little confused, because they had been together for more than four years just now, but they had never heard Xu Ning and others mention red sausage and beans.

Xu Ning handed over the bag with red sausage and beans. Zhang Guifang looked at the loudspeaker and said with a smile: "What are you looking at? My brother brought it to us, so you can take it! They are all from my own family." , not an outsider."

Zhang Guifang took the cloth bag with a smile and turned sideways to let Xu Ning and others enter the outhouse. She opened the cloth bag and looked at the red sausage and said: "Oh my god, how should I eat this? Should it be fried or steamed?" …”

It’s not that she is wasting good food, it’s that she has never eaten red sausage. This toy is probably made by the Provincial City Meat Factory. It was also sold by the supply and marketing cooperative in the past, but because the price is too expensive and prohibitive, many people these days just I've heard of it, but haven't eaten it.

And the red sausages don’t last long. They were left on the counter of the supply and marketing cooperative for more than ten days without being sold, and the rest were all broken. What should I do? Fry it with eggs, add some chili sauce, and cut some green peppers if possible. The fried sausage is also very delicious.

Later, some supply and marketing cooperatives stopped selling them and sold them in plastic bags, so they could be stored for a long time.

Xu Ning said with a smile: "You can slice it and put it on the plate and eat it directly, or you can scramble eggs. Anyway, it's delicious."

"Ah, then I will cut it now and serve it to Leizi and others later."

Guan Lei waved his hand quickly: "No! Sister-in-law, this is what I brought for you. There are only two pieces in total. I will keep them for my children to satisfy their cravings."

Wang Hu said: "Sister-in-law, we ate it at home last night. You can keep it quickly."

Xu Ning walked into the house and reminded: "Don't be reluctant to eat those beans. They have been frozen for a long time. Tomorrow isn't Sunday, so let's get rid of the kids as soon as they leave home." Zhang Guifang smiled and nodded: "Hey ! Come back tomorrow noon."

Xu Ning turned around and said, "That's not possible. We have troubled you all these days since we came to Taiping. This is really embarrassing. How can we go on eating like this for a long time?"

"Hey, don't be polite..."

Xu Ning looked at the loudspeaker and shook his head, and said resolutely: "No politeness, Brother Huang, please stop trying to persuade my sister-in-law. If I really want to come over for dinner, I will come even if you don't say anything."

Li Fuqiang said: "Sister-in-law, we are not heretics. Besides, we are here to work in Taiping. How can we enjoy this happiness all day long? Come in quickly and let me freeze outside for a while."

"Okay, let's go inside first and let your sister-in-law work outside."

Zhang Guifang said with a smile: "At most half an o'clock will be enough for dinner. You can give me some tea."

"OK."

Immediately, Big Speaker made a pot of tea in the east room and chatted with Xu Ning and the other four.

Zhang Guifang, who was lighting the fire outside the house, would occasionally rush to the cutting board to pick up the red sausage and take a look at it. Firstly, she was curious about this toy, and secondly, she sighed at Xu Ning's meticulousness in doing things.

About half an hour later, Zhang Guifang called for dinner, put the table on the floor with a loudspeaker, and took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet.

"Why is there still wine here?" Xu Ning asked in surprise, "Did you go to the store to buy it yesterday?"

"Well, I just happened to go to the store to buy something. You and Qiangzi don't drink. Let the three of us drink some. The drink I gave you yesterday was very good. Brother, please stop talking and listen to me. , You also know that I have a bad mouth, and no one in the village is willing to drink with me, which makes me very lonely. It just so happens that all the people in the village are drinking, so why not drink some with me? "

At this point, the chatting was really over. Xu Ning said bluntly: "Okay, then you three can drink."

"Okay!"

At this time, Zhang Guifang carried a wooden tray to the east room to serve food. It was still two pieces of silver carp and carp, but this time it was white silver carp in oil sauce and sweet and sour carp.

In the past, when the loudspeaker was left in the mountains and couldn't catch livestock, it would go to the ditches and ponds to hunt for fish. Over time, Zhang Guifang's skills improved.

When Zhang Guifang served rice and fried sticky bean buns, and Da Xiaoba brought five salted eggs to the table, Xu Ning's eyes lit up. He had been craving for salted eggs before, but he didn't expect Da Xiaoba to eat them at home!
"Where do you put these salted eggs?"

The loudspeaker said: "Old Deng's wife pickled it..."

Xu Ning was a little unhappy when he heard this, and said: "You bought it with money again, right? Brother Huang, what can we say? You can't just look at us. If this is the case, how much money do you have, can I eat it?" ? If you keep doing this, I won’t come again.”

Li Fuqiang said: "We all know the ins and outs. We can't treat each other like this when we are friends. If we have any fun, we should eat it. Then you won't be able to live in the future?"

Big Speaker patted his leg and said: "Hey, no! I didn't buy these salted eggs with money. I exchanged them for two fish and a piece of meat. Brother, don't think blindly! What can I and others do? It’s a trick, but I’m sure I have something to say to you!”

Zhang Guifang said: "Yes, brother, I really didn't spend any money, so Old Deng's wife gave me two scoops of rice."

Xu Ning calmed down after hearing this and said: "Don't mess around with this business, otherwise I won't be able to get in."

"How can you be fooling around? I usually groom wild boars, roe deer, etc., and trade things with the people in the village. Last time we hunted the black blind man in Shetanggou, didn't I bring it back and order some meat? Give it to us Lao Zhang, who makes tofu, gave some as a gift, and the debt was immediately settled. He also brought me some extra frozen tofu. "

Not only did people exchange things for things in Taiping Tun, there were also people of all ages in Qing'an Tun. However, Old Xu's family was not short of food and drink, so no one came to exchange things. Just like the last time Zhang Yinshan went to give Old Jiang an acupuncture, that was not mentioned with Mr. Xu. Do you want to eat bear meat? Later, Xu Ning and others hunted a brown bear in the snail shell, and Xu Laowen went over to give him some meat.

"Ah, you should have told me earlier, I would be so embarrassed to do it to you."

Big Speaker laughed and said, "I didn't know you could be impatient."

Zhang Guifang served rice to several people and said, "I'm doing this for our own good, and I'm afraid we'll spend money in vain."

Li Fuqiang said: "Hey, it's actually all good intentions. It's normal to have a little misunderstanding. It's over as soon as you start. Sister-in-law, I have to use my chopsticks. I didn't eat much this morning. I'm really hungry."

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and use your chopsticks. You all can eat more. I'm making a lot of bean buns today."

"Okay!"

After dinner, Zhang Guifang went to make tea, but was stopped by Xu Ning. They had to go home quickly, first build a shed for the dog gang, and then have to catch up on their sleep.

After they left, Zhang Guifang cleaned up the pot and sat on the kang with Da Xiaoxiao and started chatting.

Mainly to praise Xu Ning for being fastidious in doing things and sincerely thinking about his buddies.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely not say this. They would also say, "Salted eggs are really delicious. Is there any more?"
After Xu Ning got home, she studied where to build a shed. The shed would have to be demolished soon because the dog gang was unwilling to stay in a relatively closed space.

Wang Hu suggested that he go directly to the pigsty in the backyard of his house, and just take out the wooden boards inside and build them up on the wall. There is no need to build a new shed.

This was a good idea, and Xu Ning and others immediately started working, and they didn't finish until two o'clock.

Liu Lizhen asked why the pig pen was built. After Xu Ning explained, Wang Shujuan asked: "The two yellow dogs are also penned?"

"Quan, in the past few days, I'm afraid of leopards entering our village."

In the evening, nearly six o'clock.

Xu Ning and others were woken up by Xu Feng. She had a good memory. Although she didn't pinch her nose, she scratched the itchy flesh on Xu Ning's waist. She would definitely be tortured in the end.

But Xu Feng was happy to let her second brother torture her, and the more he tortured her, the closer she became to her second brother. Sometimes Xu Ning stopped arguing with her, and she felt sad and lonely.

After going to Lao Fang's house for four nights in a row, Xu Ning and the four of them couldn't stand it any longer. When they walked around the old forest during the day, they felt confused looking at the snow stars reflected in the sunlight. This had nothing to do with sleep, but something to do with the spirit.

They didn't go to Da Xiaoxiao's house for lunch these days. Tou Wu and Da Xiaoxiao finished wandering around the old forest and went home directly along the narrow road.

That evening, the old Xu family was in full swing.

Xu Laowen held his rice bowl and said: "It's a good thing that you have been trapped by the dog, otherwise you will really suffer!"

Liu Daming nodded: "It's not good, the old dog of Xiao Chang's family died quite miserably..."

(End of this chapter)