sinovels Chapter 1856 Zhao Jun Views the Scenery
Chapter 1856 Zhao Jun Views the Scenery
Chapter 1856 Zhao Jun Views the Scenery
To keep himself from laughing out loud, Zhao Jun looked around, but at this time of year, no matter which way he looked, all he could see was green.
Helpless, Zhao Jun turned his gaze back to Zhao Youcai.
"Dad," Zhao Jun asked Zhao Youcai, "this is the old inscription you carved, but where is the old inscription you mentioned?"
When Zhao Jun asked him the question, Zhao Youcai looked around. After confirming the direction, he pointed to the southwest and said, "Go that way. If you see a pine tree, it's an omen."
When Zhao Youcai came here to hunt, he found signs on the trees and red hammers under the trees.
In this situation, even someone who doesn't know how to plough ginseng knows how to lift it. Although it's impossible to dig by hand and breaking the ginseng roots is inevitable, I've never heard of anyone seeing ginseng right next to them and not digging it up.
Unfortunately, Zhao Youcai was unlucky; out of the three seedlings he dug up, only one was enough to be weighed.
Zhao Jun and the others followed the direction Zhao Youcai pointed out, and then saw the omen left over from many years on a pine tree.
The gray and black hair must have been there for many years.
Zhao Jun carefully examined the inscription and saw that it depicted seven people carrying out six seedlings with four leaves, two seedlings with five leaves, and one seedling with six leaves.
Seeing this information, Zhao Jun knew that this old village was definitely a treasure trove.
Putting aside everything else, just consider that the six leaves are from a ginseng plant that is a hundred years old. It must have been in the state of emerging from the ground and having an above-ground stem for at least several decades.
In the years since it was unearthed, its above-ground stems have produced seeds as long as they are not injured. The ginseng seeds take root and produce ginseng again, generation after generation without end.
Therefore, there have been rare occurrences of six generations living under one roof and five generations living under one roof in the sanxing family.
"Come on, let's look around here." Zhao Jun had barely uttered these words when Zhao Youcai stopped him.
"Don't you know the rules, kid?" Zhao Youcai glanced at Zhao Jun and said, "You see Old Zhao not kowtowing or offering sacrifices?"
"I..." Zhao Jun was speechless, while Wang Qiang pulled Zhao Youcai aside and said, "Brother-in-law, then take three cigarettes and light them like incense."
Upon hearing that Wang Qiang wanted to offer his own Zhonghua cigarettes as a tribute, Zhao Youcai rolled his eyes and then called out to Li Baoyu, "Baoyu, I told you to take that honey dog!"
“Here it is, sir.” Li Baoyu lifted the straw rope in his hand and saw a dead yellow-throated marten tied to the rope.
When the yellow-throated marten dies at this time of year, flies will swarm to it in the forest.
"Give it to me!" Zhao Youcai snatched the yellow-throated marten from Li Baoyu and then ordered Li Baoyu, "Baoyu, go and get three dried grass stalks."
After saying this, Zhao Youcai placed the dead yellow-throated marten under the pine tree.
"No, brother-in-law?" Wang Qiang frowned at Zhao Youcai and asked, "Are you offering yellow-throated martens as tribute? Who are you trying to suffocate?"
"What are you saying?" Zhao Youcai glared at him with his small eyes and shouted, "Don't you know you can't just talk nonsense while hunting in the mountains?"
There are many rules in the safari business. Words like "dead," "finished," and "bad" are absolutely forbidden.
After being shouted at by Zhao Youcai, Wang Qiang fell silent. But even though he remained silent, the Second Young Master Wang had his temper. He took the straw stick that Li Baoyu handed him and presented it to Zhao Jun, saying, "Nephew, you are the leader, you lead us in paying our respects."
As he finished speaking, Wang Qiang glanced sideways at Zhao Youcai.
Zhao Youcai was taken aback, and then saw Zhang Yuanmin take out a match, strike it, and hand the flame to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun was forced into this situation. In his previous life, he had been herding in the old forests of Rakshasa. He had no knowledge of such things.
Back then, we didn't even dare to shout at the mountains, for fear of attracting the Russians. There was no ceremony involved in the Red Hammer incident; we just grabbed our weapons and got to work.
But at that moment, seeing the expectant eyes of his subordinates, Zhao Jun used the fire handed to him by Zhang Yuanmin to light the straw sticks.
Zhao Jun moved quickly, and with a single blow of the straw stick, he extinguished the flame, leaving only wisps of smoke.
Zhao Jun turned around and knelt down in front of the pine tree, and as soon as he knelt down, Wang Qiang and the other six men followed suit.
Zhao Jun held up a straw stick like incense in front of him and said loudly, "I beseech the mountain god and the old foreman to bless our Zhao family to open our eyes and get big goods, and to bless the ginseng in this mountain area to have all five elements, so that it will not rust for a thousand years and will not develop spots for ten thousand years."
After saying that, Zhao Jun bent down and used one hand to push aside the withered leaves and weeds, then brushed away a thin layer of soil before burying the roots of the three grass stalks that were emitting blue smoke in the soft humus.
Then, Zhao Jun raised his hands high, and when they fell to the ground, his head also hit the ground.
As Zhao Jun completed this series of actions, the six people behind him followed suit and bowed, while only Zhao Youcai, who had been kicked out of the group, watched coldly from the side.
After bowing three times, Li Ruhai, who was kneeling at the very back, was the first to stand up and quickly stepped forward to support Zhao Jun's arm.
This scene stunned the other five members of the Zhao family gang, and Zhao Youcai couldn't help but grimace.
After helping Zhao Jun up, Li Ruhai took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the dirt and grass clippings off Zhao Jun's forehead.
"Hey boss, let's practice our baton-like movements." As Li Ruhai said this, he also glanced at Zhao Youcai beside him. Seeing that Zhao Youcai did not react, Li Ruhai then said to Zhao Jun, "The seven of us are just enough to come in odd numbers and return in even numbers."
Li Ruhai was just saying auspicious words; he meant that they would definitely be able to carry ginseng on this trip.
However, this would exclude Zhao Youcai.
Zhao Youcai could easily understand Li Ruhai's implied meaning. He snorted and blinked at Li Ruhai.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun hurriedly called out to Zhao Youcai, "Dad, I'm going to get hit on the head, you can stand next to me."
"I'm not going to argue with you guys." Zhao Youcai gestured with his chin to the side, pointing towards the pine tree he had marked, and said, "I'll put it over there."
After saying that, Zhao Youcai picked up his gun and left.
With him gone, only his own people remained on the Zhao family gang's side. Zhao Jun checked his watch; it was already 2:30. He quickly arranged for the gang to practice their staff-wielding techniques.
As the leader, Zhao Jun delivered the first blow, while Zhang Yuanmin was his handpicked second striker.
Therefore, Zhao Jun was on the far left, and Zhang Yuanmin was on the far right. Between Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin, in order, were Li Baoyu, Wang Qiang, Zhao Jinhui, Li Ruhai, and Xie Chen. Li Baoyu and Xie Chen, who had previously worked with Zhao Jun in the mountains, were responsible for assisting the head and side guards.
As the seven men were practicing their sticks, they heard Zhao Youcai shouting from not far away: "Mountain God, Old Foreman, the mountain is opening!"
This person is really particular!
Seeing that his men were all looking at him, Zhao Jun had no choice but to shout it out.
Zhao Jun didn't care about these rituals, but Wang Qiang and the others did. Li Ruhai, in particular, was secretly thrilled, holding the rope and the stick, thinking, "This is so much fun! So much fun!"
Amidst everyone's excitement and anticipation, Zhao Jun led the Zhao family gang on their first official mountain rafting expedition.
The seven of them were about three meters apart in pairs, a distance determined by the fact that the ends of the ropes they held could touch or intersect.
The seven men walked steadily, their eyes focused, and each used a rope and a stick to clear away every blade of grass as they passed.
At this time of year, the wild ginseng is still in the budding stage, and its above-ground stems have not yet extended.
Moreover, more than half a month has passed since Zhao Jun and his group released the White Dragon and the Amber Dragon. In this half month, the ginseng seedlings haven't grown much, but the surrounding grass has grown quite tall.
It is very likely that the grass will cover the ginseng seedlings, which is why we need to clear away the grass one by one.
Therefore, releasing the mountain now is more difficult than releasing the White Dragon and Amber Dragon back then.
But running through the mountains is a tough job. Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, and the others stared intently at every inch of the land they passed, constantly shoveling grass with their sticks, trying to find ginseng seedlings among the weeds.
An hour later, Zhao Youcai, carrying a gun and leaning on a cane, walked towards them.
After the Zhao family gang came down the slope, they all stopped in front of Zhao Youcai.
Neither side needs to ask the other what they gained, because neither of them shouted "mountain!" so both sides gained nothing.
At this moment, Zhao Youcai took out cigarettes from his pocket and distributed them to everyone.
The group smoked cigarettes and gazed at the surrounding plants and trees.
The Zhao family gang's first official raid on the mountain yielded no results; this is what the industry calls "wandering the grass."
After everyone finished smoking, Zhao Jun, leaning on his rope and pulling his stick, got up and called everyone to go home.
The group descended the mountain, took a vehicle, and returned to Yong'an Village.
As soon as they entered the village, Li Ruhai said to Zhao Jinhui, who was driving, "Brother Hui, pull over and get out of the car."
"No, Ru Hai?" Zhang Yuanmin, who was standing next to Li Ru Hai, turned to him and asked, "Aren't you tired after a whole day of running around? And you still went out to cause trouble."
"骚了" is a local dialect term meaning someone who is restless and unsettled. Of course, this word carries a negative connotation.
"What do I mean by being tired?" Li Ruhai asked back, then said with a smile, "My aunt assigned me a task: to sell those mules bit by bit."
After saying this, Li Ruhai paused for a moment before saying, "My aunt has spoken, so even if I have to be incredibly fast, I have to get it done."
Hearing Li Ruhai say this, Zhao Jun was very pleased. He said, "Alright, Ruhai. You've worked hard today too. Let's go home and rest. We can put that thing away slowly."
Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Li Ruhai immediately replied with a smile, "Yes, brother, I'll listen to you."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhao Youcai glanced back and felt a deep longing for his good brother, Li Dayong.
Back in the compound, as everyone went inside, Zhao Youcai keenly noticed that Wang Meilan's gaze towards him was strange.
Zhao Youcai looked at Wang Meilan suspiciously. He reflected on it for a moment and felt that he hadn't made any mistakes.
"Dad, here's some tea." At this moment, Ma Ling handed Zhao Youcai his personal tea mug, which Zhao Youcai happily accepted.
Zhao Youcai took a sip of tea from his teacup, put it down, and then grabbed two peanuts. He continued drinking tea and snacking like this.
The seven members of the Zhao family gang were also busy, chatting animatedly about their day's mountain trek.
“Today I parted the wings of that pheasant and there was a small seedling underneath. I really thought it was it, but when I bent down to take a closer look, it wasn’t.” These words were spoken by Zhang Yuanmin.
As Zhang Yuanmin finished speaking, Wang Qiang said, "No wonder my nephew said that it was difficult to deal with the mountain rafting the other day; those guys had to keep a close eye on things."
“We’ve looked around, but we still haven’t seen it.” Li Baoyu tossed two peanuts into his mouth and said, “Does that old place not have ginseng? Or have we just not found it?”
"We definitely have ginseng," Zhao Jun encouraged his men, adding, "and it has to be a large quantity."
As soon as Zhao Jun said this, everyone's eyes turned to him. Zhao Jun continued, "Think about it, there are six seedlings with four-grade leaves, two seedlings with five-grade leaves, and one seedling with six-grade leaves. How could there not be things like lampstands? They just didn't carve them on."
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, everyone nodded in agreement. Just then, Zhao Youcai said, "No one is to blame for wading through the grass today, except for Qiangzi."
"Huh?" Wang Qiang immediately objected and said to Zhao Youcai, "Brother-in-law, how can you blame me for that?"
"You're talking nonsense." Zhao Youcai glanced at Wang Qiang and said, "Does rafting mean you can do anything?"
"I..." Wang Qiang knew he had said something wrong on the mountain, but he couldn't just admit it now.
"Brother-in-law." Wang Qiang suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said to Zhao Youcai, "I feel that it's not anyone else's fault, it's just that you made those offerings."
After saying this, Wang Qiang turned to Wang Meilan and the others who were watching and listening to the commotion and said, "Tell me, who offers honey dogs as sacrifices?"
"Isn't that nonsense?" As the number one brother-supporting demon in Yong'an before Zhao Chun, Wang Meilan naturally sided with her brother. At this moment, she expressed her opinion, saying, "That honey dog is so smelly and stinky, even people wouldn't eat it, how could it be offered as an offering?"
"So what?" Zhao Youcai glared at him with his small eyes and said, "It's never a bad thing to be polite! Something is better than nothing."
"You're kidding me," Wang Meilan retorted. "It's better to have nothing at all."
Right now, reaping ginseng from the mountains is the top priority for the Zhao family gang, and everyone has been talking about it until 8:30 p.m.
After the women helped Wang Meilan clean up the leftovers, dishes, and utensils, and as the diners prepared to leave in their families, Zhao Jun said to Wang Qiang and the others, "Uncle, brother, let's go to that place again tomorrow. And tonight, whoever wants to go sightseeing, be sure to remember what happened."
"Viewing the scenery" is a term from the novel *Fangshanxing* (a type of mountain travel), which basically means "dreaming."
The fact that the act of hiking can be given a name in a dream shows that sightseeing is very important to hiking.
Where there is a view, there is also a "broken view," which is similar to dream interpretation, deciphering the information in the dream to deduce the location of wild ginseng.
This may sound like metaphysics, but among the skills that a skilled ginseng master possesses are the ability to observe mountains and interpret scenery.
This is about observing the mountains, not just the scenery. Observing the mountains means examining the terrain and finding suitable places for wild ginseng to grow.
Today, there's no need to look at the mountains in that old village; just by looking at the old ginseng in the trees, you can tell that it's definitely a suitable place for wild ginseng to grow.
The reason the Zhao family gang returned empty-handed, failing to even bring out Miao Erjiazi, was mainly due to bad timing. If they had gone to Honglangtou City, they certainly wouldn't have returned empty-handed.
But there are still three or four months until Honglangtou City. The Zhao family gang can't wait that long, or rather, Zhao Jun can't wait that long.
Because in the coming months, the Zhao family gang will likely be traveling to various places. Not long ago, the Pang family gang had carried out a stone dragon on the other side of Qing Shi La Zi, the same place where Zhao Jun and his men had carried out the amber dragon.
Zhao Jun knew about this, but he couldn't guarantee that everything in this life would be the same as in his previous one. He was afraid that when he went out, the Pang family would find their way to the side of the bluestone cliff and take away the conjoined ginseng.
Moreover, the Zhao family gang would be heading to the Lushuihe Forest Area after the Dragon Boat Festival, which isn't a good time for grazing. But even if it wasn't the right time, after dealing with the wolf pack, the Zhao family gang would still have to take the opportunity to graze the wolves; they couldn't just let them hunt wolves for free.
In his previous life, Zhao Jun had always been a mountain hunter in Luosha territory, and he always went into the mountains when he was in Honglangtou City. In this life, he has only tried Yacao City and Tieliaozi City.
As a ginseng leader who wanted to make a lot of money, Zhao Jun wanted to challenge himself and train his team.
However, the lack of cultural foundation is a problem that the Zhao family gang can never get rid of. Zhao Jun had no other choice but to think of the idea of sightseeing.
Tonight, Zhao Jun actually had a dream; he dreamt of the blind man Pang in the pouring rain.