Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 620 The old woman who picked mushrooms is addicted
Leap months are set up to make up for the differences in the lunar year, and leap October is particularly rare. If we have to wait until 10 for the next leap October, we will have to wait until 10. Therefore, the Spring Festival in 2166 will be a little later than usual, and its date will be February 1985, 1985.

At noon on the 3rd, Hu Zhibin drove a small Dongfeng car and stopped in front of Old Xu's house. He came to pick up Xu Feng, Jin Yumantang, Wang Biao and others.

Because the National Day holiday is only three days, the children should go to school tomorrow.

Xu Ning and Hu Zhibin chatted in the reception room while waiting for Xu Feng and others to pack up. The children were naturally reluctant. They were too free at home, and it was not very comfortable to go to the city with the main road and the heavy traffic. It would be better for them to play whatever they wanted in the village.

In fact, to put it bluntly, they have not yet adapted to life in the city. Once the adaptation period is over, they may not want to come back.

After the children had packed up, they climbed into the back of the car carrying their bags. Liu Lizhen held Wang Shujuan's hand and was reluctant to let her go. Her eldest daughter-in-law had made too many sacrifices recently. She had been cooking and cleaning the house in the city all day and had no free time at all...

But Wang Shujuan had to go. She and Xu Long had to hurry and have a child. Otherwise, once Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan's child was born, her position as the eldest grandson would be in jeopardy.

Liu Lizhen gave Xu Feng a few instructions and gave the kids some pocket money, then Hu Zhibin drove away.

Without the noise and bustle of the children, the house seemed quite quiet. Liu Lizhen patted her chest and muttered from time to time: It's so quiet that I can even hear my heartbeat.

Xu Ning noticed that his mother was in a low mood, so he quickly organized his second aunt, eldest sister-in-law and other old ladies, and told them to go to the mountains to pick mushrooms. The old ladies quickly clapped their hands and agreed. During this period, the three young men got married, and they were so busy that the soles of their shoes were almost worn out by sparks. Going to the mountains to pick mushrooms was a good way to relax and have fun.

There was nothing left to do in the market right now. They were just waiting for Yang Jun to come back and let the workers come in to work. So Liu Daming went with Dalaba, Lao Jiang and Li Feng to buy meat and sell goods.

Xu Ning arranged for Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei and Wang Hu to go to Lengchang, and he led the dog gang into the mountains to escort the old women who were picking mushrooms.

We drank wine at Xu Pao's house in Taiping this evening. Since Xu He and Xu He's children start school the day after tomorrow, they have to go back to the provincial capital tomorrow.

While drinking, Chai Liangyu and Chang Danian both showed their reluctance to leave, but they could not stop Xu Pao from going to the provincial capital to enjoy life, so they could only say that they would meet again in the future if they had the chance...

After Xu Pao, Aunt Gao and others left, Chai Liangyu and Chai Baotong stayed at Old Xu's house for two nights before being taken back to Wangxing by Chai Feng.

The fact that it was Chai Feng who came instead of Chai Bing is enough to explain the problem. Chai Bing really couldn't leave.

After he had some free time, Xu Ning took the dog and the old woman to pick mushrooms for three consecutive days. There were many kinds of mushrooms, including hazel mushrooms, monkey heads, cockscombs, and sheep tripes.

However, the mushrooms at this time contain more water and are extremely difficult to preserve, so you have to blanch them in water and then dry them when you get home.

October 10th, cold dew.

In the early morning, standing on the platform under the eaves of Lao Xu's house, I looked at the mountains in the distance. The mountains were ups and downs, and there was a thin layer of clouds between the peaks. These clouds were shaped like willow branches, like the tentacles of jellyfish in the sea...

This morning, Han Fengjiao, Yang Shuhua and others all ate at home, so Liu Lizhen simply steamed a pot of egg cake, a pot of steamed buns, and cooked some pumpkin porridge.

After the meal, the masters sat in the reception room and drank tea. At around 7:, Xu Laonian and Wang Erli went to the forest farm together, while Guan Lei, Wang Hu, Li Fuqiang and Ma Liu drove a tractor to the forest farm.

Originally, Xu Ning wanted to ask Li Fuqiang to go to the back mountain to dig a cellar, but before breakfast in the morning, Liu Lizhen packed up the backpack and placed it on the platform under the eaves. The meaning was self-evident.

These old ladies had been picking mushrooms for three days straight and were not tired at all. Just as Xu Ning was about to lie down, Liu Lizhen rushed over and kicked him.

"Hurry up and get changed."

"Mom, why don't we just take a day off? Why would anyone go up the mountain to pick mushrooms all the time..."

Liu Lizhen said impatiently, "What do you know? We picked up about 70 kilograms a few days ago. We must continue to work hard now! Besides, the mushrooms are very good this year, but we have a large family. Otherwise, how can we stew chicken and mushrooms for you in winter?"

Xu Ning exclaimed, "Oh my god! Just stop it, ah! Take a day off and go again tomorrow. I was thinking of going to the back mountain to dig a cellar."

The back mountain has been contracted, and we will start raising bees in the early spring of next year, so the cellars must be dug out before winter this year, otherwise it will be too late by the early spring of next year.

Liu Lizhen rolled her eyes and said, "I told your uncle last night to get some people to dig a cellar in the back hills."

"Oh my! I'm convinced! Does he know where to dig?"

"How could I not know? Wasn't it him who went to the back hill with you last time? He knows where to dig."

Xu Ning rubbed his face and said, "Okay! Let's go... But we can't take the dogs into the mountains today. They have been playing in the mountains for three or four days without seeing anything. If we go into the mountains again and can't hunt animals, it will easily discourage them."

"Then leave them at home. These mushrooms are the last ones left. We didn't have time to go into the mountains to pick them before, so we have to pick more now."

"I know. When are we leaving?"

"I'll just clean up the house while you wait for Aunt Zhao and the others to come."

"You don't have to clean up all day, just sweep the floor in this room..."

"You're only good at talking, but why don't you move?"

Xu Ning clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "Okay, I'll go into the house and change my clothes."

These old ladies' addiction to picking mushrooms is even greater than his addiction to running in the mountains and hunting livestock. Xu Ning has witnessed the old ladies' enthusiasm for picking mushrooms.

When he went into the house to change clothes, he heard a shout outside the courtyard gate. He lowered his head and looked out through the glass window, and saw Aunt Zhao, Chang Juan, Chang Lihong and others wearing tattered clothes, headscarves on their heads, work gloves, and sacks or backpacks tied on their backs.

"Hey! Here you come! Come inside first..."

"Let's not go in. Let's chat outside for a while. Hurry up, you mothers."

Liu Lizhen was jumping around with her headscarf tied on, and said with a smile: "Well, aren't you waiting for my old son?"

Meng Ziyan pushed the door open and saw Xu Ning tying his leggings. She said, "Aunt Bai and the others are here."

Xu Ning didn't say anything. Meng Ziyan saw that he was in a bad mood, so she walked over and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

He turned his head and rolled his eyes, which scared Meng Ziyan so much that her heart stopped suddenly, but the next moment she felt a slap on the butt.

Xu Ning jumped up in a frivolous manner and laughed: "Haha, this big ass is quite showy..."

Meng Ziyan was furious, stamped her feet and chased him out the door, saying angrily and laughingly: "Annoying!"

After going out, Xu Ning saw Sun Lianfang sitting in the driver's seat of the tractor with a 56 on her legs. This 56 was borrowed from the village headquarters. She had borrowed two in total, and Xu Ning returned one before getting married.

"Is the lotus blooming?"

Sun Lianfang grinned and said excitedly: "Sure! Brother, give me a whole old butt, I want to kill animals too."

"What kind of animals are you hunting? There are no animals in the mountains these days. Ask the blue wolves if they smell the smell of animals. Look at how miserable they are..."

"Then I'll shoot sparrows! Anyway, you want me to shoot something. My back and waist are sore from picking mushrooms these past two days."

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "Go into the room and get the old worker. There is a can of lead bullets in the big drawer under the closet."

"Okay, then you keep the four-wheeler on fire and I'll drive later."

Sun Lianfang jumped out of the driver's seat full of energy and ran straight into the house. Xu Ning started the tractor with the crank and drove it out of the yard.

Seeing a group of old ladies standing at the bridge, Xu Ning greeted them one by one with a smile and asked them to get in the car first.

"Shall we go to Nanshan today? Dongshan has been almost cleared out, there should be a lot of them in Nanshan..."

"Then let's go to Nanshan! What's there to be afraid of with a car? No, I'll smash it!" Liu Lizhen said with a smile on her face. What could Xu Ning say? He could only nod and say, "Yeah, it's not that great."

Hearing this, the old ladies laughed so hard that they couldn't stop smiling.

After Sun Lianfang took over the driving task, Xu Ning got out of the car, closed the door, then climbed into the truck and sat next to his wife.

"When my uncle and his friends came down the mountain at noon, they saw that there was not even a hot meal. What do you think we should do?"

Liu Lizhen curled her lips and said, "I told them to bring their own food."

Wu Qiuxia said, "I packed six boxes of food for them this morning, which should be enough for them."

Aunt Zhao said eloquently: "Erning, don't worry. We old ladies go into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Isn't that to prepare some snacks for the old men? Otherwise, what would we eat in the snow? What's the point of eating cabbage and radishes all day long..."

"That's not bad. There weren't many mushrooms in the mountains last year, but there are a lot more this year. As soon as we get into the mountains, we see a field of mushrooms. Shouldn't we pick more?"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Auntie, I'm not an old woman, I'm a real man!"

"Hahaha……"

"Of course! Erning is definitely a real man, and he is also the most handsome man in the surrounding villages of Qing'an!"

The old ladies laughed heartily. Xu Ning said, not wanting to be outdone, "It's my aunt and Aunt Bai who are good at chatting. Look how they praised me. My face is red!"

"Hahaha……"

Although there is the roar of the tractor, the old women's voices are louder, and their chatter can be clearly heard over the noise of the tractor.

Meng Ziyan, Guan Hua and Sun Lianfang were all new wives, and the topics these old ladies were talking about made the three of them feel embarrassed.

Every sentence is a perfect metaphor, such as frost-bitten eggplants, fried chili peppers, and wilted green onions...

At this moment, everyone had arrived at the foot of Ximaduozi Mountain. The tractor was parked in the open space, and a group of old women got off the vehicle, each holding a backpack.

Aunt Bai said quietly, "Hey, have you heard that Yang Jun, the boss of the 17th Lengchang, and his wife ran away! Oh my god, it's really scary..."

Aunt Zhao said, "I also heard from my husband last night that Yang Jun has two sons, and the eldest is not his biological son. Now they are getting a divorce in the village."

Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Wu Qiuxia and the others looked at each other in silence. At this time, Xu Ning said, "Yang Jun is my buddy. I know everything about him. Auntie, please don't spread it out. My brother Jun used to be a very respectable person, but now that something like this has happened, he wishes he could find a hole to hide in."

Aunt Zhao turned around and was startled, then said with a smile: "Oh my god, Yang Jun and you have a good relationship? Then he has made a good friend. I would say his wife is not a good person either. She is married to Yang Jun, but she still goes out to fool around..."

"Well, this woman is definitely not fun to deal with. When I meet the people in her village, I have to talk to them..."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Oh, I know what kind of woman she is without any explanation. Isn't she a Pan Jinlian or Yan Poxi type of woman?"

"That's not bad. Look at how sharp Erning's metaphor is!"

Liu Lizhen said as she climbed the mountain: "It's so pitiful to encounter such a thing. I raised my son for several years, but he's not my own."

"It's really pitiful. How is Yang Jun going to live in the village in the future? This is so annoying!"

Wu Qiuxia said, "How about you find a house for Yang Jun in our village? Sister-in-law, you have a wide network of contacts in our village and know everyone. You must have a way."

Aunt Zhao was stunned and said, "What are you looking for? Isn't this already available? Lihong, what did your Li Feng say? He said he wants to move back this year? Then what about the old Dong's house?"

Chang Lihong said: "He said he wanted to go back, but I haven't agreed yet..."

"Why didn't you agree?"

"My old father-in-law is dying. He is just skin and bones now. Zhang Yinshan went to take a look at him the day before yesterday and told Li Feng to find Old Tang."

Han Fengjiao asked in doubt: "Lihong, isn't your father-in-law paralyzed? Why is he so skinny?"

"I don't know. Anyway, ever since he came back from the street clinic, he couldn't eat anything and kept complaining about back pain..."

Xu Ning walked up the mountain carrying the 56 and a half on his back, frowning and muttering in his heart, could it be that Li San's spleen or kidneys were damaged by the big pig king? The damage to his internal organs caused the food he ate to be not absorbed, and all the nutrients were dissipated, making Li San thinner and thinner...

There is indeed such a possibility. It is normal that it cannot be found out with the current medical level. Otherwise, considering Li San's character, would he dare to go on a hunger strike? Definitely not!
When people experience life and death, they often have an inexplicable fear. There are people who die from starvation, but Li San is definitely not one of them.

"Lihong, who will take care of your father-in-law at home now?"

"My sister-in-law, she hasn't slept well recently. Her eldest brother used to beat her, but now she's still taking care of her father-in-law. If it were me, I would definitely not bother to care."

"Cui Ping is indeed a good woman, hardworking and never complaining..."

Amid the old ladies' praise, everyone crossed Ximaduozi and arrived at Pingtou Mountain. There were many mushrooms under the pine forest here, which made the old ladies very happy. They even saved the time to chat and just kept bending down to pick mushrooms.

Xu Ning was walking around holding the 56-and-a-half, keeping an eye on any movement, because it was autumn, the time when black bears were gaining weight.

There is still some time before the black bears go to hide in warehouses. Their habit is to start looking for a place to hide in warehouses in October or November of the lunar calendar.

Of course, there are some very special black bears. Because they are very strong, they will also stay in the warehouse in mid-September of the lunar calendar...

Sun Lianfang picked mushrooms for a while and then went to shoot birds with the old gun. Her shooting skill was better than Guan Lei and Wang Hu. After all, she grew up playing with guns. In just a moment, she came back with a string of sparrows and colorful birds.

"Brother, I see there are a lot of pheasants on this mountain, why don't you set traps?"

Xu Ning said, "It has already rained. My uncle came over to rain a few days ago and it is now on the west side of Xiaofeng Mountain."

"Hey, it would be great if we could catch two pheasants and stew them. Shall we go, brother?"

"If you don't go, you still have to stay here as a flower protector. Don't go too far, or I'll ask Shitou to go home and deal with you."

Sun Lianfang curled her lips: "He dares! I'll slap him in the face."

"You're quite good at pretending. Who would serve people foot-washing water all day long?"

"Oh my god, I just felt sorry for him! Then why didn't you wash my sister-in-law's feet?"

Xu Ning was stunned for a moment, his defense was broken: "Bullshit! I was just respecting your sister-in-law, understand?"

"Hahaha, I don't believe it. You must have some explanation."

"piss off……"

"Okay! Then I'll go home and roast some sparrows to eat in the evening, and then make some soup for my sister-in-law."

"Get lost! Why are you so annoying?"

"Hey, we are all brothers from the same family, there is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Go to..."

(End of this chapter)