Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

"Sis, where did you buy our snake repellent?"

Zhang Wenshan swallowed the last mouthful of soy milk and let out a loud burp.

The fried dough sticks from 1982 were a full foot long, thick and strong. One bite filled your mouth with the aroma of wheat bran. Even knowing that they contained alum, you couldn't help but finish them.

Eight cents a piece, plus a bowl of soy milk, what more could you ask for?

I'm not in good health because of what I eat.

"Do we really need to buy that stuff?" Zhang Fengxia looked up in confusion. "Can't we just mix some e-liquid ourselves?"

"I knew it."

Zhang Wenshan slapped his forehead. No wonder the snake repellent his mother applied to his trousers when they went into the mountains smelled so strong.

He simply thought he was ignorant and had never seen a folk remedy before.

Looking back now, a chill runs down my spine.

"What, you really want to buy it?" Zhang Fengxia quickly stopped her brother as he headed towards the old pharmacy. "Buying from the roadside quack is the same; it's more expensive inside!"

"Not only to buy medicine, but also to scout out the way." Zhang Wenshan didn't elaborate, and started walking forward.

The small pharmacy at the alley entrance had a wooden signboard that had faded from the sun, but the words "Li's Pharmacy" were still faintly visible. Two clumps of dried cattails hung under the eaves, swaying in the wind.

As you approach, a faint medicinal fragrance wafts towards you.

In those days, pharmacies usually didn't have business licenses. They were mostly run by local traditional Chinese medicine doctors with ancestral skills that were recognized by the villagers.

Without the ability, it's impossible to keep the business running.

Zhang Wenshan lifted the curtain at the entrance of the pharmacy, and a cool breeze carrying an even stronger medicinal smell extinguished the summer heat of late June.

Behind the counter sat an elderly doctor in his sixties, wearing a pair of worn-out reading glasses, who was diligently grinding herbs with a creaking sound.

"Master, how much is the snake repellent?" Zhang Wenshan strolled over to the counter, his eyes scanning the inner room.

You can vaguely see uncollected medicinal herbs piled up in the corner.

"Two cents, freshly brewed this year."

The old doctor took out a porcelain bottle from the counter. A short piece of red paper, about an inch long, was pasted on the bottle, with the words "Snake repellent medicine for external use" written in calligraphy.

"A snake bite like that is really bad; we need to get to the clinic right away!"

"You also buy medicinal herbs?" Zhang Wenshan said, pulling out a handful of change from his pocket.

The old doctor didn't take the money; he squinted and sized him up.

"I've encountered a few of these while I was out in the mountains," Zhang Wenshan explained with a smile, "Plantago asiatica, motherwort, platycodon, and the like."

"Take it directly to the recycling station." The old doctor took the money and bent down to rummage through the change.

"Wild Ganoderma lucidum, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and top-quality Astragalus membranaceus?" Zhang Wenshan casually rattled off a few more medicinal names.

The old doctor slammed the change on the counter: "Picking medicinal herbs requires skill, and drying them in the shade is even more intricate. If you don't do it right, you'll ruin the herbs."

"Alright!" Zhang Wenshan chuckled, grabbed the money and medicine bottle, and turned to leave.

"Why did you leave without asking clearly?" Zhang Fengxia couldn't hold back any longer as soon as she stepped out of the shop.

She listened intently the whole time, but still couldn't understand a word.

"You know how ruthless the purchasing stations are at driving down prices, right?"

"I know."

"So I asked him if he would accept them, since people don't usually accept them."

"Oh, but it didn't say it had to be expensive?" Zhang Fengxia was taken aback.

"Some things, not refusing means agreeing." Zhang Wenshan kept walking.

Zhang Fengxia suddenly realized what was happening and chased after him. "You recognize herbs?"

"Yes, Master taught me." Zhang Wenshan replied without batting an eye, silently marking the pharmacy as a good place to shop.

I'll have to make more trips in the future to get familiar with the route.

If one day you happen to stumble upon a valuable medicinal herb or come across relevant information, you can't just start looking for a way out on the spot.

The siblings returned to the village before nine o'clock.

The streets were deserted, and I only found out when I got home that construction had already started at Hama Pond.

Zhang Fengxia couldn't help but retort angrily, "Why didn't you wait for your younger brother?"

"You two disappeared before dawn, how are we supposed to wait?" Old Mrs. Xu Xiulian retorted.

"You could have at least given me a heads-up!" Zhang Fengxia turned to Zhang Wenshan and asked, "You didn't say anything yesterday, did you?"

"I pushed it away." Zhang Wenshan was stuffing his tools into his basket.

"Why did you turn it down, kid!" Xu Xiulian complained. "It would have been so much better to show your face."

"Isn't it rumored that the village is going to be changed to a new village?" Zhang Wenshan's subordinates kept asking. "We'll support the brigade leader. Letting him show his face is enough."

Xu Xiulian's eyes darted around, and she understood: "Then we shouldn't have gone."

"Why?" Zhang Fengxia was still in the dark.

"We're just avoiding trouble!" Xu Xiulian laughed. "Have you forgotten how much chaos and turmoil we caused a couple of years ago over the position of squad leader?"

Zhang Fengxia slapped her thigh: "This is to show that I'm on the same side as the brigade leader and won't get involved in those rotten things."

"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go, if we dawdle any longer, who knows who might come knocking."

Xu Xiulian stuffed the prepared dry food and water bottle into her backpack.

The mountain the siblings went to was called Erdaogouzi, which, as the name suggests, has two deep gullies.

Place names in Northeast China are just that straightforward.

After walking for more than half an hour, the two of them could hardly see any human traces around them, and the calls of various unknown insects and birds increased.

This means we've crossed the outer perimeter and arrived in a relatively remote area.

"Why don't we get some wild apricots or cherries?" Zhang Fengxia pointed to a few fruit trees in the bramble bushes. "At least they'll be worth some money."

Before I came, my mother repeatedly told me that safety comes first.

She had walked the same road to Hezuidong before, so it wasn't unfamiliar to her, but today she was walking on a completely uncharted territory.

She was somewhat flustered.

These days, the worst thing to do when going up the mountain is to travel far alone, especially without any equipment.

"There's an oak forest a little further ahead," Zhang Wenshan said, referring to the map. "It rained a couple of days ago, so there might be some wood ear mushrooms there."

"Huh, now?" Zhang Fengxia tilted her head, her face full of doubt.

"The environment is suitable; oak is the most common, birch and elm are less common, and miscellaneous trees grow sporadically."

"I really haven't noticed."

You'll find out eventually.

Women who run long distances in the mountains, even if they don't have a clear concept of it, have a general idea. Unfortunately, because of the original owner of this body, Zhang Fengxia went to work in the fields at a very young age and never went up the mountain many times.

After walking for a while, we entered the oak forest area.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Fengxia immediately spotted the target: "Hey, there really is one."

I followed my older sister's gaze.

There lay an oak tree, about the size of a bowl, lying on the ground. It had been dead for who knows how many years. Its bark had cracked open, curling into dark brown scales, and was covered with dark green moss.

Dark brown wood ear mushrooms are emerging from those cracks.

They grow in clusters, bulging and plump, with a hint of white at the edges, almost invisible unless you look closely.

"This, there's more..."

"Over there too."

As soon as Zhang Fengxia pointed to another spot, she immediately caught sight of a third, a fourth... Her eyes widened in surprise, and she screamed as she grabbed Zhang Wenshan's arm and shook it violently.

"Brother, you're amazing!"

I've seen out-of-season wood ear mushrooms before, but this much is unprecedented.

Fresh wood ear mushrooms in town cost a little over one cent, while dried ones can sell for eight cents or even a dollar!

Picking wood ear mushrooms doesn't require much skill; drying them and storing them until a good price is the most profitable way to sell them.

She used to avoid going up the mountain because she often returned empty-handed even after running herself ragged.

The nearby areas have already been plundered bare, and if you go further away, you'll spend half a day there and get nothing, which is a complete waste of effort. It's far more practical to farm.

But when you go out with your younger brother, the fish and shrimp seem to be waiting for them to catch them.

Now, even when you go up the mountain, you can stumble upon such a large patch of black fungus.

It’s incredible!