sinovels Chapter 1760 A Treasure is Coming Today
Chapter 1760 A Treasure is Coming Today
Chapter 1760 A Treasure is Coming Today
As soon as Zhao Jun finished setting off the firecrackers, he turned around and saw Ma Ling walking towards him wearing his old work clothes that he had discarded, with rubber boots, a hat, a headscarf, and carrying a pitchfork.
That's how it is during the busy farming season. We get up at four or five in the morning and go to the fields. We work for two hours and then come back for breakfast. After breakfast, we rest for a while and then go back to work in the fields.
When Zhao Jun saw his wife's outfit, he knew that Ma Ling was going to gather grass.
This year, the old lady took back her four mu of paddy fields for the Zhao family to cultivate. Cultivating paddy fields is quite complicated. After plowing and irrigating, the rice seedling residue and weeds from last year's planting will float on the water.
We need to get rid of all this mess before we can proceed with the next step of planting.
Harvesting weeds is one of the hardest jobs in farming, but unfortunately, apart from Ma Ling and the old lady, none of these families had ever farmed paddy fields.
The old lady is over seventy years old, and even if she were to go to the fields, she couldn't be asked to do this kind of work. So, Ma Ling took the lead in harvesting the straw, and these past few days she has been working in the rice paddies with Yang Yufeng, Xu Chunyan, and Liu Mei.
"Honey, you've been working for two days straight, why don't you take a break for a while?" Zhao Jun knew that farming was hard work, otherwise why would so many rural kids want to go to the city?
In the last couple of days, Zhao Jun noticed that his wife's hands weren't as smooth as they used to be when he touched them.
“No way.” Ma Ling said to Zhao Jun with a serious expression, “Let’s get it done while the wind is still blowing these next couple of days.”
If you do the job of gathering grass on a windy day, you can save more than half the effort.
Because the wind blows the weeds floating on the water to the shore, the shore here is called "pond ridge" in the local dialect.
This way, people can stand on the pond embankment and collect grass.
Otherwise, we'd have to go into the water to retrieve it. But going into the water is dangerous and painful.
If the water is shallow, the floating weeds don't drift to the sides; they all float in the middle of the rice paddy. It's possible to scoop them out from the middle, but the problem is that the scooped-out weeds are difficult to handle.
Unlike harvesting grass from the edge of the rice paddy, the grass that is harvested is simply slapped onto the edge of the paddy, saving time and effort.
"So what are you having for lunch?" Zhao Jun asked. Ma Ling replied, "Uncle San said he would bring us lunch."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback by Ma Ling's words and said, "Dad and Uncle Zhao both went up the mountain today, so who's cooking at home?"
Xing San can cook, but he can only guarantee that the food is cooked through; it's anything but delicious.
"Uncle Zhao will cook." Ma Ling replied with a smile. Zhao Weipeng's family had already integrated into this small group. Grandma Zhao and Liang Xuemei went to the fields with him, while Grandpa Zhao cooked at home.
“Okay, then I’ll bring you food if I can get back before noon,” Zhao Jun said. Ma Ling replied, “Don’t worry about me. Just be careful on your way up the mountain.”
Yesterday's battle was so dangerous that Ma Ling was still a little scared. Since last night, she has been telling Zhao Jun to be extra careful when going up the mountain in the future.
Zhao Jun laughed heartily at his wife's concern. Just as he was about to say something, he heard someone outside the courtyard say, "Brother, Ru Hai is here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ruhai burst in, followed by Ma Yang.
Ever since Ma Dafu gave him a good beating, Ma Yang has been behaving himself for a while. Lately, besides going to school, he's been helping Wang Cuihua with farm work, which makes the Ma family's elderly couple very happy.
Upon seeing Ma Yang arrive, Ma Ling asked in surprise, "Little brother, what brings you here? Is something wrong at home?"
“Everything’s fine at home, sis.” Ma Yang glanced at Zhao Jun as she spoke and said, “I heard from Ru Hai that my brother-in-law is going up the mountain today and needs someone to help carry things. I don’t have anything to do at home, so I thought I’d go with him and lend him a hand.”
Ma Yang's words sounded quite eloquent, but Zhao Jun and Ma Ling were both taken aback. Ma Ling immediately asked, "What? You're just staying at home with nothing to do? Have you finished all the work in the fields?"
"Work in the fields..." Ma Yang paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Isn't Dad taking a break today? Let him go with Mom."
After saying this, Ma Yang didn't wait for Ma Ling's reaction. He rushed to Zhao Jun's side, grabbed Zhao Jun's arm, and said, "Brother-in-law, I'll go with you. I'll carry all the meat for you, no matter how much there is."
Unlike Li Ruhai, who was eager to enter the market, Ma Yang was determined to go up the mountain to hunt.
In his eyes, Zhao Jun was a role model. He was a man with a gun, two dogs, and a big, simple-minded guy. He was able to build such a large business. Ma Yang thought he was no less capable.
Zhao Jun did not dare to agree to Ma Yang's request immediately, but looked at Ma Ling instead.
"Where are you going..." Ma Ling was about to refuse when she saw Lin Xiangshun and his family of three enter through the main gate.
After exchanging greetings, Xu Chunyan noticed Ma Yang was also there and asked with a smile, "Little Yang didn't go to the fields with Ma's mother today?"
"No, Sister Lin." Ma Yang seized the opportunity, smiled and pointed at Zhao Jun, saying, "I came up the mountain with my brother-in-law today to help him carry some things."
After saying this, Ma Yang glanced at Ma Ling. Although he received a glare from Ma Ling, he had already said this in front of Lin Xiangshun and his wife, so Ma Ling could no longer stop him.
The thought of going up the mountain with his brother-in-law made Ma Yang grin, revealing his two big front teeth.
At this moment, Wang Meilan and Liu Mei came from in front of the house, followed by Zhao Youcai. And behind them was Li Baoyu, leading the black tiger.
Upon seeing Lin Xiangshun, Zhao Youcai said, "Shunzi is here."
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt." Lin Xiangshun greeted Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan before responding to Zhao Youcai's words, saying, "I heard the firecrackers going off, so I came."
Zhao Youcai was about to nod when he suddenly sensed something was amiss. Lin Xiangshun was clearly a member of his Zhao Family Hunting Gang, so why was he listening to the Zhao Family Gang's cannon fire?
Just as Zhao Youcai was lost in thought, Liu Hanshan's second son, Liu Mingzhi, came in from outside carrying some things.
Upon seeing so many people standing at the entrance, Liu Mingzhi blurted out, "What are you all doing standing here?"
"Aren't we waiting for you?" Lin Xiangshun joked with Liu Mingzhi. His family lived in the same row as Liu's family, and they saw each other all the time. They had always gotten along well.
After regaining his senses, Liu Mingzhi didn't greet everyone individually. He simply nodded and smiled at the crowd, then said to Zhao Jun, "Brother Jun, I've come to thank you. If it weren't for you yesterday, my dad would have died on the mountain."
"Oh dear," Zhao Jun chuckled upon hearing this, "What are you talking about, brother? We live in the same village, how could I not care if we ran into each other?"
“That makes sense.” Liu Mingzhi stepped forward, holding up the yellow oil paper package and the wine bottle, and said, “My dad can’t get out of bed right now, so my mom asked me to come and see you.”
"Brother, what are you doing here?" Zhao Jun said, "Isn't this just being disrespectful?"
"Of course, Brother Jun," Liu Mingzhi said, stuffing the things into Zhao Jun's hands.
After stuffing the pastries and liquor into his hands, Liu Mingzhi then pulled out a pack of Yingchun cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Youcai, saying, "Uncle Zhao, your second nephew bought you a pack of cigarettes. They're not very good, so don't mind them."
"Hey, don't you mind?" Zhao Youcai reached out to take the cigarette and asked, "How's your dad?"
"He's alright," Liu Mingzhi said with a bitter face, "but he can't get out of bed anymore, so he'll have to stay on the kang (heated brick bed) to recover."
"Um... don't talk to the child here." At this moment, Wang Meilan gently pushed Zhao Youcai and said, "You and the child go inside."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai hurriedly invited Liu Mingzhi into the house, but Liu Mingzhi declined, saying he had chores to do at home.
When Liu Mingzhi was being sent off, the families of Li Dazhi, Wang Qiang, and Zhang Yuanmin arrived.
Before everyone arrived, they all went back to the courtyard.
At this moment, Zhao Youcai tore open the packaging of the Spring Festival cigarettes and handed it to Wang Qiang, saying, "Qiangzi, you guys can share it."
"Oh my." Wang Qiang was taken aback, then took the cigarette with delight and laughed, "My brother-in-law is really generous."
As he spoke, Wang Qiang took out a pack of cigarettes and gave them to Li Dazhi and Lin Xiangshun. Then he took out two more packs and gave them to Li Baoyu and Zhang Yuanmin.
Then, Wang Qiang pulled out two more packets and handed them to Ma Yang.
"Huh?" Zhao Jun and the others were all taken aback. Ma Ling quickly stopped them, saying, "Uncle, he doesn't smoke."
"Why aren't you smoking?" Wang Qiang didn't see Ma Yang winking at him, and just said, "I saw him smoking quite well the other day."
Ma Ling glared at Ma Yang, while Zhao Ling tugged at Wang Qiang and said, "Why are you letting a kid smoke?"
Zhao Ling's words were meant to give Wang Qiang and Ma Yang a way out. Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang quickly stuffed the cigarette into his pocket and laughed, "It's better not to smoke it. What's the point of smoking this stuff?"
As soon as Wang Qiang finished speaking, Li Dazhi said to Zhao Youcai, "Brother-in-law, where did you get this Yingchun decoration?"
“That guy… Liu Hanshan’s second son bought it for us.” Zhao Youcai replied, then said to Zhao Jun, “His family is struggling financially, we can’t just take these things from him for nothing. When we get back with the meat, we’ll throw half a bag of it at his doorstep.”
“Okay.” Zhao Jun had no objection. He handed the two buttered buns containing pastries to Ma Ling and Wang Meilan, saying, “Mom, take these. Have a bite if you get hungry on the way to the fields.”
As they were talking, the Li Dayong family, the Zhao Weipeng family, and the Xie Chen family also arrived.
Men, women, and children quickly split into three groups. Li Tongyun led the children into the house, the women carried tools to the fields, and the men got into the car and headed out of the village to the mountain area.
Xie Chen was driving, Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong were in the passenger seat, and Zhao Jun, Li Dazhi, Zhao Weipeng, Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Zhao Jinhui, Li Ruhai and Ma Yang, ten people in the back of the car, surrounded Hei Hu.
Black Tiger was a little confused at this moment. It was the first time it had encountered such a situation, with only one dog among all the people in the car.
The car pulled over and came to a stop. Everyone got out of the car. Black Tiger, who used to urinate everywhere as soon as he got out of the car, was now looking around at this person and that person in the crowd.
Unlike the bewildered Black Tiger, Zhao Youcai, leading so many men up the mountain for the first time, was quite spirited. He adjusted his gun strap, raised his hand, and shouted, "Let's go! Up the mountain!"
As soon as Zhao Youcai finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Seeing that something was wrong, Li Dayong quickly raised his fist and shouted, "Understood! Let's go up the mountain!"
Zhao Jun and the others remained silent, only slightly raising their hands, and followed Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong, who were leading the way, up the mountain.
After walking uphill for more than half an hour, the group arrived at the place where Gu Yang and Liu Hanshan had climbed the tree the day before.
Further on, you'll see the small, dark brown bear that Wang Qiang shot dead.
Zhao Youcai stepped forward and saw that the little brown bear had more than one gunshot wound. Not counting the bullet that Wang Qiang fired at its head, there were five other bullet holes on its body.
One shot hit him in the chest—that was the shot Wang Qiang used to bring him down. Of the other four shots, one hit his stomach, one hit his outside thigh, one hit his shoulder, and one grazed his ear.
"Who fired this gun?" Zhao Youcai frowned and asked, "What kind of grip is this?"
Upon hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Li Baoyu shrank behind Zhao Jun.
"Holy crap..." Ma Yang whispered to Li Ruhai from behind the crowd, "This is the first time I've ever seen a brown bear in the mountains."
As he spoke, Ma Yang glanced around and said, "This is really interesting."
At this moment, Zhao Youcai glanced at Black Tiger and saw that Black Tiger showed no other unusual behavior except for wanting to eat meat. Zhao Youcai immediately ordered, "Come on, leave four or five people behind and dig right here."
As he spoke, Zhao Youcai carried his gun and walked upstairs, with Li Dayong leading Black Tiger closely behind.
The five people left behind were Zhao Jun, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, Li Ruhai, and Ma Yang. Among them, only Ma Yang had never done this job before, so he watched from the side and learned.
Just as Zhao Jun was about to dislocate the bear's hind leg, Ma Yang's squatting position was in the way, so Zhao Jun gently nudged him with his elbow and said, "Little Yang, you've moved a little too far."
"Yes." Ma Yang replied and got up to back up. When he reached the big linden tree, he tripped over a tree branch and stumbled backward.
He exclaimed "Oh dear!" which startled Zhao Jun. Zhao Jun quickly turned around and glanced back. Seeing that Ma Yang was alright, Zhao Jun was about to look away when he noticed a yellow spot in the black soil.
"Huh?" Zhao Jun immediately stood up, and at this moment, Ma Yang, who had regained his balance, was walking forward. Just as he was about to step on a yellow spot, Zhao Jun quickly raised his hand and pushed him, causing the unsuspecting Ma Yang to squat down.
"Brother-in-law, what are you doing?" Ma Yang asked loudly. Zhao Jun looked up and saw him get up. Knowing that he was alright, Zhao Jun ignored him.
At this moment, Zhao Jun squatted on the ground and gently touched the yellow spot with the tip of his little finger, revealing a small yellow bump.
Zhao Jun's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached into his pocket.
"Brother-in-law, why are you pushing me like this..." Ma Yang muttered as he got up, but then he saw Zhao Jun take a small yellow cloth bag out of his pocket.
"Brother-in-law, what are you doing?" Ma Yang asked hurriedly upon seeing this. "What are you doing?"
"Little brother, don't talk nonsense." As soon as Zhao Jun said this, Ma Yang was taken aback, and Zhang Yuanmin and the Li brothers on the other side turned their gazes over.
"What's wrong, brother?" Zhang Yuanmin asked. Zhao Jun whispered, "Big brother, you're a fool."
"Great..." Zhang Yuanmin had just started to speak when he suddenly saw Zhao Jun wink at him. Zhang Yuanmin quickly changed his mind and asked, "What grade of leaves?"
The wild ginseng was about to sprout, but it hadn't sprouted yet. The small yellow bumps that Zhao Jun saw were the buds of the wild ginseng.
The buds, also known as overwintering buds, are the buds that develop from the above-ground stems each year. Before winter, the above-ground stems wither, and the buds overwinter underground.
This place is called Huangnigang. If you look down a hand's breadth from the ground, there is black soil about ten centimeters deep, and then it becomes yellow mud.
The yellow mud is compacted, making it impossible for wild ginseng to grow. If wild ginseng exists here, it can only grow in the black soil layer that is a few centimeters deep.
Therefore, the ginseng here is all close to the ground, which is why Ma Yang can easily trample it out with one foot.
Of course, this was also a matter of chance. As the older generation says, only the fortunate can encounter wild ginseng.
Zhao Jun spread the yellow cloth bag on the ground, opened it, and picked up the deer antler key from it. He then looked up at it.
Looking at the linden tree in front of him, Zhao Jun's eyes lit up again, and a thought flashed through his mind: "Could it be that a treasure is going to appear today?"
I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow; I'll finish writing the Lao'anzi part by then.
(End of this chapter)