Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 678: After the heavy snow, the bitterness comes to sweetness

The second and third snows after the beginning of winter in 1984 fell only half a day apart at around : in the afternoon. The snowflakes were still in the shape of goose feathers, and in just a short moment they covered the cleaned courtyard with a layer of silver.

Xu Laonian stretched out his hand with a smile, and Xu Ning took out 5 yuan from his hip pocket with great effort. As soon as the snow stopped, Xu Laonian went out with a broom, and quickly swept the snow in the yard into the vegetable garden. He was looking forward to snowing, because once it snowed, it meant he could earn more money!

Liu Lizhen laughed and scolded the father and son for being dishonest and not worthy of being role models. She told them that when Wang Shujuan, Meng Ziyan and others had children in the future, they must stay away from the father and son, otherwise if they learned their essence, the children would be completely ruined.

The two snowfalls were relatively concentrated. Standing on the roof of Old Xu's house and looking south, you can see the spectacular scenery of Xima Duozi and the old forest. It is really a scene of silver, white snow, and green pines, which makes Qing'an's winter more colorful...

The forestry workers and students all rested at home for two days. Liu Daming was afraid that the workers in the Lengchang would gather in the shacks to cause trouble, so he went to the Lengchang in the snow. When he arrived at the Lengchang, he found that Ma Liu, the Liu brothers, Dazhi, Feng Ye and others had tidied the Lengchang quite cleanly. They had swept a path on both sides and left an open space in front of the shacks. Cabbage and potatoes were stewed in a large iron pot outside, and wild boar meat was stewed in another iron pot.

It was not cold in the shack, at least not to the point of feeling cold. The workers in the Lengchang were either sitting or lying on the kangs, chatting in groups of three or five, but no one dared to play with dice or poker. This was a rule set by Xu Ning, because if these people played with money, then all the money they had worked so hard to earn in the Lengchang would be squandered, and they might even go into debt to starve, so it had to be stopped.

Two days later, the forest farm resumed work, students went to school, and hikers tied their leggings and headed into the mountains, carrying guns.

It was about 8 o'clock in the morning. Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Da Laba, and Lao Jiang led 18 dogs through the old forest in the south. Why didn't they drive? Oh my god, this narrow road was not cleared of snow. The wheels would sink into the snow after just two turns, so they could only walk to Shuangfengling.

The 18 dogs were quite happy, rolling in the snow to clean their hair. They are all long-haired dogs and are not afraid of the cold... They were sleeping outside in temperatures over 30 degrees below zero, not to mention that it is only about 10 degrees below zero now.

After the four people arrived at Shuangfeng Ridge, they did not rush into the mountain, but found the trap they had set up and rearranged it.

There are pheasant nests and jumping cat nests in Shuangfengling, and there are many small animals. The snow on the ground is almost all traces of small animals. The four people waded through the snow along the animal trails and it took them nearly 2 hours to set up more than 80 traps and more than 10 clips. By the way, they picked up 6 pheasants and 5 jumping cats.

After the snow, there is nothing to eat in the forest. When the little animals see the bait under the trap, they have to test the depth even if they know there is danger. After all, without food they will die, so it is better to take the risk and survive.

They hung the carcass of the small animal on a tree branch and led the dog into the mountain. However, Xu Ning knew that today's efforts might be in vain. As the snow was heavy, the wild boar was unwilling to move and the beasts could hold back their hunger, so they were unwilling to come out to look for food in the snow.

The key is where to find food when going out? The three snows piled up together are more than 30 centimeters, almost up to the knees when people step on them. The deepest place can be 2 meters thick, and the shallowest place is about 10 centimeters.

Xu Ning and his companions wandered around the mountain and went to look around Liushugou. Liushugou was located on the edge of the deep mountains. The four of them stayed there for a while, but did not see any traces of deer or roe deer. They only saw paw prints of pheasants, cats, or greyhounds.

"With all the snow, even the animals are reluctant to come out to move around. Erning, do you think we can meet a wild boar gang this year?"

Xu Ning looked at Lao Jiang and said, "You can't be prepared. Last year, we saw wild boars in our gang in Wangxing, but they were chased away by big cats. This year, there are big cats in our area too..."

Li Fuqiang asked, "Hey, brother, is that big cat dead? Look, you shot it three times, Chang Xifeng shot it twice, it was hit five times, and it snowed so heavily, how could it not die?"

Before Xu Ning could say anything, Lao Jiang took over the conversation and said, "It's not certain that he will die. Chang Xifeng is holding an old sniper, and Er Ning is using a 56. This big cat has thick skin and flesh. If he doesn't hit the right spot, I don't think he will die."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "I shot it three times but none of them hit its head or chest. Chang Xifeng said he hit it twice, but when I was tracking it, I only saw a streak of blood, so I guess it only hit it once."

The loud speaker said: "Chang Xifeng is just bragging, so he should save some face."

Seeing no trace of any other animals in Liushugou, the four of them walked towards Shuangfengling while chatting. After picking up the pheasants and catfish hanging on the tree branches, they headed home.

It was nearly 4: when we got home. You can imagine how slow it is to walk in the snowy mountains, not to mention running! Xu Ning thought that he would have to take skis with him when he went up the mountain in two days, otherwise he would not be able to run in the mountains.

Wang Hu, Guan Hua, Guan Lei and Sun Lianfang returned at around 3 o'clock this afternoon. They were accompanied by Sun Lianjun and Wu Haitao.

Originally Xu Ning planned to go to Wangxing today to deliver roe deer to Lao Chai's family, but the heavy snow delayed him, so he could only call Chai Bing and ask Lao Chai's family who has time to come over on the 9th to eat bean buns, so that they can take the roe deer with them when they leave.

As soon as I entered the door, I heard Sun Lianfang chattering about her experience of returning to her mother's home. She stayed at home for two nights. When her parents saw her son-in-law coming, they killed chickens and geese and stewed fish. As long as Guan Lei praised the dish, there would be more for the next meal! They kept eating until they were full.

"Auntie, don't mention it. My parents don't even treat me as their own daughter. They're always asking about Xiao Shitou's well-being. When I said I wanted to eat some instant noodles, my mom turned around and asked Xiao Shitou how many poached eggs he wanted. Oh my god, this guy made me so angry..."

These words sound familiar. Perhaps all the uncles-in-law in the entire Northeast are treated like this, except for a few who are not welcomed.

Liu Lizhen smiled and said, "Isn't this just for your sake? Your parents treat Lei Zi well, isn't it because they hope Lei Zi will treat you better?"

"Oh, I know. I'm just angry! I used to be the boss in my family, and now he's the boss and he's shitting on my head..."

Guan Lei said with a dark face: "When did I shit on your head? When you went to Wanye, didn't the uncle and aunt coax you to come? You are just talking nonsense!"

Sun Lianfang pouted and said, "Just wait! When we go to Wanye again, I will definitely complain to Big Sister!"

"That's all you can do..."

"Brother, Little Stone is bearing me, why don't you cut him?"

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "You two are a couple, so don't come to me if you have a small quarrel. As the saying goes, you fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. If I interfere, won't you scold me when you two make up?"

"Oh, am I that kind of person?"

At this time, Sun Lianjun came over and asked quietly: "Is my partner coming today or tomorrow afternoon?"

"You didn't call her tomorrow afternoon?"

Sun Lianjun whispered, "My mom said something and forbade us to talk on the phone during the intercalary month. I was busy tidying up the greenhouse a few days ago and forgot about it."

"Ah, the engagement is also because of the leap month?"

"Well, we have decided before that we won't get engaged. Let's discuss the betrothal gifts first, and then have a meal together. Then we can get married right away. You have to be our witness, right?"

Xu Ning smiled and said, "I still have to serve the main table."

"That must be the case!"

When he turned around, he saw Wu Haitao sitting in the corner, so he walked over and patted his shoulder, asking, "What's going on? Why are you still silent?"

"Oh, my parents are so frustrated with me. They introduced me to a date last month, but I didn't like him. So they said I was picky but incompetent. Before I came here, my parents warned me..."

Guan Lei replied, "Brother, my grandparents asked you to help find a date for Haitao." "I've been looking for a long time, but I haven't found the right one."

According to Xu Ning's thinking, when introducing someone to a partner, they should at least be of equal status. For example, Sun Lianjun and Chai Hongyan both came from wealthy families and looked well matched, so it was particularly easy to bring them together. However, it was a bit difficult to introduce someone to Wu Haitao.

If Chai and Sun belong to wealthy families, then the Wu family can be considered as moderately well-off at best, with no worries about food and drink. If Wu Haitao is introduced to someone with poor conditions, it would seem that Xu Ning does not care enough and people would gossip about him. If he is introduced to someone better, the girl's family might not be happy. They would say: Oh, is Xu Er using my daughter as a favor? Introducing such a family...

Xu Ning and Liu Lizhen had discussed this matter before, and they had some idea at that time, but Xu Ning calmed down and thought about it carefully and felt something was wrong, because that girl was not someone else, but Pan Xiao, who was taking care of Yang Yi at Yang Jun's home!

Pan Xiao's family situation was relatively poor, so how could Xu Ning take the initiative to introduce Wu Haitao? So when Guan Lei left, Xu Ning asked him to bring Wu Haitao over, and wait until the day when the Xu family steamed bean buns, so that the two could meet by chance.

Xu Ning didn't directly match them up, nor did he reveal Pan Xiao's information to Wu Haiquan. He just wanted to see if the two of them had a good impression of each other...

"Okay, don't get angry. If you don't want to go home, just stay here for a few more days. Otherwise, why don't you go to Lengchang and do some hard labor for a few days?"

Wu Haitao smiled and said, "Okay!"

"Come on, I'm just joking with you. How can I let you go to such a scene? Just stay here and go home whenever you want."

"I'm not kidding, brother. I really want to go to Lengchang to experience it. If I can't do it, I can just go down the mountain. If I don't try, my parents will always say that I can't endure hardship and fatigue. I won't be able to save face if I don't try!"

"Haha, you're just talking nonsense..."

Steam was coming out of the pot in the north kitchen, and two old hens and two salmon were stewing in the pot. This was Sun Lianfang's visit to her two homes. Han Fang, Er Niang and others all knew that Xu Ning's sister-in-law was pregnant, so they brought a lot of things for her. In addition to the old hens and salmon, there were also hashima, crayfish, mushrooms, donkey meat and other things.

After dinner, the old ladies were all busy. The young ladies washed dishes and pots, while the middle-aged ladies kneaded noodles and steamed red beans.

You must prepare the dough and stuffing in advance to make steamed bean curd. If you make it tomorrow, it will be too late...

It was past 9 o'clock and everyone went home to sleep. Xu Ning reached under the mattress and immediately retracted his hand because he was burned. Then he dragged Meng Ziyan and carried the quilt to the west room. The west room was completely uninhabitable. The edge of the kang could burn people, let alone the head of the kang.

The next day, the old ladies cooked a pot of porridge and steamed a pot of steamed buns, which they ate simply with pickles. Then they began to knead the dough, let it rest, and make the filling.

Before 8 o'clock, all the people who were on good terms with the Xu family came in, including Chang Juan, Chang Lihong, Aunt Zhao, Aunt Bai, Zhang Guifang, Zhao Yue'e and others.

Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Liu Daming, Xu Laonian and others were piling up bricks and setting up pots outside the yard, preparing to steam tofu.

Wu Haitao had just put down the iron pot when he turned around and saw four people. He pulled Xu Ning and said, "Brother, someone is coming in at the door."

Xu Ning glanced over and said with a smile, "Oh my god, Uncle Jiang! Is this my aunt?"

Old Jiang blushed and nodded: "Yes, her name is Zhou Hui..."

Zhou Hui was not embarrassed at all, and said openly: "Hello, are you Xu Ning? I have heard of you for a long time. People say that there is a little Xu Cannon in Qing'an. Today I finally saw it with my own eyes."

"Hey, what's Xiao Xu Pao, auntie? Everyone is just calling him that to flatter you..."

When Lao Jiang saw Xu Laonian and the others looking at him, he quickly introduced them, "This is my eldest brother. If it weren't for them, I would have stayed in the mountains."

Zhou Hui came over and nodded slightly: "Big brother, second brother, thank you for taking care of Jiang Er."

Xu Laonian grinned and said, "Why are you being polite? Besides, we didn't take care of you at all. Besides, you will have to take care of you in the future."

"Hahaha, what big brother said is absolutely true. Please take good care of her in the future... Um, why didn't Xiaoqiu come?"

"She is studying at home and should be here soon. Hui'er, I'll take you into the house to meet the eldest and second sisters-in-law."

"Okay, big brother and second brother, you guys go ahead and get busy first."

After the two of them left, Xu Laonian smacked his lips and said, "These two are quite a good match. Jiang Er has finally gotten his due."

Zhou Hui is not bad looking. Xu Ning thinks she looks a bit like Ru Ping, especially when she smiles, they are about 40% similar.

After Yang Jun let Sun Cuiping into the house, he came over to stack bricks with Xu Ning. He whispered, "Uncle Jiang found someone who is very capable. Didn't I go to her village to pick her up this morning? Her family even prepared food for us."

"Isn't it good to be able to handle things? Uncle Jiang won't have to worry about family matters in the future. Are you going with Sister Cuiping?"

"Well, I'll take her for a walk."

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "You came here straight after you came back. Didn't you go home to see your son? Hurry and pick him up."

"Why don't you pick him up now? He's quite noisy. If he keeps making noise, it will make my aunt upset..."

Xu Laonian said, "Come on, it's a lively time now, just take it over quickly."

"Okay, I'll go now."

When Yang Jun was about to turn around, Xu Ning reminded him, "Bring Pan Xiao over as well. It's a good opportunity for her to come and help."

"Row."

Yang Jun and Xu Ning had discussed it before. He and Sun Cuiping had to live together after finishing their business. What about Pan Xiao? Since she had been taken to Qing'an Village, it was impossible to send her back home. That was not something a human could do.

So Xu Ning gave him an idea, saying that Pan Xiao should live in Old Wang's house, while Yang Jun, Sun Cuiping and Yang Yi should move to Xu's old house. Pan Xiao could also help with lighting the kang and cooking.

Perhaps we should ask, didn't Sun Cuiping finish her business with Yang Jun? Why didn't Sun Cuiping stay at home to work?
How should I explain this matter? The reason lies with Li Feng and Chang Lihong. Li Feng is injured now and cannot bend over. Even if he recovers, he has to get up early and work late to sell meat. Chang Lihong is at home taking care of the children, so how can she have time to light a fire and cook?

I can only ask Sun Cuiping to go back and help cook, and Chang Lihong can't take the child to Yang Jun's house. It's winter now, and if the child catches a cold and has a fever, it will be painful...

(End of this chapter)