The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1990 Needle Bowl Calms the Frightened and Heads to Fusong (8 chapters combined into 1)

Chapter 1990 Needle Bowl Calms the Frightened and Heads to Fusong (8k chapters combined into one)

The four large black bears weighed over 350-360 jin (approximately 125-180 kg) each, and the smaller ones weighed 280-290 jin (approximately 120-140 kg) in total.

Even after removing the bear paws and internal organs, there are still over 680 pounds left.

The Zhao family brought plenty of sacks with them today. Each sack contained fifty or sixty pounds of meat. Apart from Xing San and Old Master Zhao, everyone else, including Li Ruhai, carried one.

The group went down the mountain, got into their car, and sped home. But by the time they got back to Yong'an Village, it was already past 2 p.m.

Zhao Jun told Zhao Weipeng to take Zhao Youcai, Zhou Chengguo, and Xue Baojun home first, while he led the others and the bear meat straight to Yong'an Village.

When they arrived, fifty-six militiamen were training.

The training was overseen by the four village chiefs from the four family quarters of the Yong'an Forestry District: Zhao Guofeng from Yong'an, Qi Shengli from Yongsheng, Gao Jingshan from Yongfu, and Tang Daquan from Yongli.

As the village head and security chief, Zhao Guofeng and his three colleagues have been responsible for organizing the militia training in recent years.

This time, Yan Shugang made a last-minute change of command, replacing him with a young man to take charge. If this young man had been anyone else, the four garrison commanders would definitely have objected. But since it was Zhao Jun, Zhao Guofeng and the other three were very willing to cooperate.

When Zhao Jun got out of the car, there was a commotion in the queue; this was the forest rangers' reaction to seeing their leader.

Zhao Jun waved to the group, then strode towards Zhao Guofeng and the other three, calling those who should be called "uncle" "uncle" and those who should be called "grandpa" "grandpa".

Zhao Guofeng was closest to Zhao Jun, so he asked directly, "Zhao Jun, where have you been?"

"Uncle Guofeng, we're going up the mountain." Zhao Jun laughed, "Let's hunt a few bears and get some perks."

As Zhao Jun spoke, he turned around and waved.

Seeing Zhao Jun's signal, Li Baoyu and the others hurriedly pulled sacks off the vehicle.

This scene instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The four village chiefs were shocked to see Li Baoyu and his men carrying half-sacks of goods off the truck.

At first, when they heard that Zhao Jun was distributing welfare benefits, none of them paid much attention. Although Wang Meilan had told them that Zhao Jun had gone up the mountain that morning, they wondered how much game he could possibly catch. If it was divided among more than fifty people, how much would each person actually receive?

Zhao Guofeng thought that each person could only get two or three jin at most, but Zhao Jun's next words startled them.

"Uncle Guofeng, Uncle Shengli, Uncle Jingshan, Grandpa Tang, you four brothers, plus these fifty-six people, each family gets ten catties of meat." Although the bear had one more than Zhou Chengguo, it wouldn't keep too much meat at home this season.

So when they were on the mountain, Zhou Chengguo said that he only wanted one bear paw, and the rest would be handled by Zhao Jun.

Even if Zhao Jun's family had so much meat, it wouldn't be of any use. Although all three refrigerators in the Yong'an Forest Area were owned by their families, refrigerators these days don't have large capacities, so it's difficult to store too much stuff.

So Zhao Jun simply divided up most of the bear meat. These rangers were all his men, so it was like the meat was going to stay with him.

Seeing Li Baoyu and the others carrying over sacks of bear meat, Tang Daquan said to Zhao Jun, "Kid, are we still training? Why did you bring the meat over so early?"

"Uncle Tang, if you don't bring it over, I have nowhere to put it," Zhao Jun said. Zhao Guofeng, who was standing next to him, called out to Tang Daquan, "Alright, Old Tang, let's call it a day."

As he spoke, Zhao Guofeng gestured with his chin toward the line and said, "Look at these guys, their morale is completely shaky. What's the point of scolding them?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Daquan looked at Qi Shengli and Gao Jingshan.

"Let's call it a day, Brother Quan." Qi Shengli laughed, "It's so hot today, let's not let Zhao Jun's good intentions go to waste."

"Then let's disperse." Tang Daquan waved his hand, and the fairly orderly formation instantly fell apart.

Seeing this, Zhao Jun shouted to the forest rangers, "Don't rush, everyone. Go over there and gather some grass, braid a rope or something, otherwise we won't be able to take these ten pounds of meat back."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Zhao Jun's words made sense, and they scattered around to pull weeds.

Most people in the forest area are skilled at weaving baskets and hampers, but they don't need baskets or hampers for these ten pounds of meat. They just tie them with a straw rope and carry them away.

Zhao Jun led his men to divide the meat; each ten jin (5 kg) of meat contained both lean and fatty pieces.

The forest rangers lined up with their self-woven straw ropes to receive meat, and each one who received meat sincerely said to Zhao Jun, "Thank you, team leader."

Zhao Jun would always reply with a smile, "You're welcome, train hard."

Gifts of roses, hand a fragrance.

As more and more people received the meat and heard more words of thanks, Zhao Jun suddenly realized how happy his mother must have been when the people of Xishantun thanked Wang Meilan with "Thank you, Grandma Zhao."

After Zhao Jun finished distributing the meat, the forest rangers dispersed, while the four village chiefs had already left.

Zhao Jun gave each of them twelve or thirteen catties of bear meat, more than the forest rangers, but not by much.

Since they all live in the family quarters, if the forest rangers see that Team Leader Zhao is treating them too differently, then the team will be difficult to manage.

There was just one sack of bear meat left, so Li Baoyu threw it into the trunk of the car, and everyone got in and drove back to the Zhao family compound.

As they approached the Zhao family compound, Li Ruhai, standing in the back of the truck, sniffed and said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Brother Zhang, why do I smell stewed mutton?"

"What mutton, you..." Zhang Yuanmin was about to complain about Li Ruhai when he also smelled the special aroma of stewed mutton.

“This is a guest, and Auntie bought another sheep.” Zhang Yuanmin concluded that Wang Meilan was the only one in the village who could boil sheep so readily.

Sure enough, the closer you got to the Zhao family compound, the stronger the aroma of stewed mutton became.

As soon as the car stopped at the door, Li Ruhai jumped out of the trunk, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, Li Dayong rushed out of the door.

"Dad!" Li Ruhai's voice changed with fright. When he was on the mountain, he had mentioned Zhao Youcai and Zhao Weipeng fighting the big green stag, and at that time he was met with a death stare from Li Dayong.

Li Dayong was extremely loyal to Zhao Youcai. It was impossible for him to kill his wife and children for Zhao Youcai, but he could certainly teach Li Ruhai a lesson.

Li Dayong grabbed Li Ruhai's arm and dragged him behind the woodpile.

"Dad, I won't say anymore that my uncle hit me..." Li Ruhai was interrupted by Li Dayong before he could finish speaking.

"Shut up." Li Dayong snapped, then whispered to Li Ruhai, "Hurry up and go to the village to spread the word about today's battle."

"Huh?" Li Ruhai was taken aback, then heard Li Dayong continue, "Your grandpa's ability to choose between killing and not killing is admirable, but you..."

When Li Dayong said the last "you," he tightened his grip on Li Ruhai's arm. Understanding the implication, Li Ruhai nodded quickly and said, "I understand, Dad, I'll go right now!"

After saying that, Li Ruhai tried to slip away. He was still pounding with fear from the earlier incident.

"Come back!" Li Dayong suddenly called out to Li Ruhai. Li Ruhai turned around and saw Li Dayong reach into his pocket and pull out a wad of cash.

When people put money in their pockets, the larger bills are usually at the bottom, and the denominations get smaller as they go up. Then they tuck the money in from the middle and put it in their pocket.

Therefore, when you take this wad of money out of your pocket, the outermost bill is the largest bill in the entire pocket.

When Li Ruhai saw the money Li Dayong pulled out, the outermost bill being a green two-yuan banknote with a machinist design, he waved to his father and said, "Forget it, Dad."

"Huh?" Li Dayong was taken aback. For some reason, although he had saved money, he felt inexplicably unhappy.

Li Ruhai strode away, muttering to himself as he went, "No money, no power, yet they always want to compete with our Zhao family gang. What are they thinking? Sigh!"

Finally, Li Ruhai sighed softly and shook his head. If the man behind him clutching a stack of receipts hadn't been his father, Li Ruhai would definitely have asked, "You think you're worthy?"

Zhao Jun and the others were unaware of what had happened between the father and son. They only noticed that Li Dayong hadn't attacked Li Ruhai, so they didn't pay any attention.

Just then, Zhao Jun and his group entered the house with bear paws and bear meat, just as Yang Yufeng and Xu Chunyan came out of their small vegetable garden after picking herbs.

"You're back?" Yang Yufeng greeted everyone. Zhao Jun asked, "Sister-in-law, why did you slaughter a sheep again?"

"Oh dear," Yang Yufeng laughed, "Old Niu's sheep snuck out of the tent at midday and broke its leg. But this old man is so clever; he just brought the sheep to your mother."

"Hahaha." Zhao Jun laughed heartily upon hearing this, and Wang Qiang next to him asked with a smile, "Was it my sister who killed him again?"

"Yes," Xu Chunyan said. "Uncle, since none of you are home, if my second aunt doesn't kill it, who will?"

"Hehe..." Everyone chuckled. Yang Yufeng gestured and said, "My aunt took a big sledgehammer and gave that sheep a quick death."

"Haha..." The laughter was much louder than before. Lin Xiangshun asked Wang Qiang, "Uncle, I heard that you and my second aunt's grandfather used to be butchers?"

"Ah!" Wang Qiang laughed, "That's why I said my sister's skills are passed down from her ancestors."

"Haha..." Laughter, accompanied by the aroma of meat, carried far and wide.

But when they reached the front of the house and heard the people inside talking, the smiles on Zhao Jun and the others vanished without a trace.

"I told them to stop fighting, but they wouldn't listen!" Zhao Youcai said helplessly, "I can't stop all four of them on my own."

Zhao Youcai said this with a smile, as if he were chatting casually, rather than complaining.

Zhou Chengguo and Xue Chengguo, father and son, stood nearby, cigarettes between their fingers, smiles on their faces.

In front of the guests, Wang Meilan smiled broadly, but when she looked at Zhao Youcai, her eyes were full of suspicion.

In Wang Meilan's mind, Zhao Youcai would be the first to rush forward in such a situation. Moreover, given Zhao Youcai's personality, it would be a miracle if Zhao Jun and the other three could stop him, let alone all four of them.

But with Zhou Chengguo and Xue Baojun present, Zhao Youcai couldn't possibly be lying.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Youcai revealed his true intentions and said to Wang Meilan, "Especially our Qiangzi, the more I say it's dangerous, the more he goes forward."

"Who?" Before Wang Meilan could speak, Zhao Ling, who was carrying a washed melon, changed her expression.

"Who else could it be? Your Qiangzi, my brother-in-law, of course." Zhao Youcai replied to Zhao Ling, then turned to Xing San, Zhou Chengguo, and the others, laughing, "Oh, that Qiangzi started following me up the mountain when he was fifteen or sixteen. Back then, he was disobedient, and I'd kick him twice. Now his kids are so big, can I still hit them? Hehe..."

Amid Zhao Youcai's laughter, Wang Qiang, with a strange expression, entered the room, only to be met with unfriendly glances from Wang Meilan and Zhao Ling.

Wang Qiang chuckled awkwardly, avoiding the gazes of Wang Meilan and Zhao Ling, and said to Zhou Chengguo and Xue Baojun, "Chengguo, Brother Xue, Yuanmin and the others burned the bear paws for you outside and cleaned them up. You can take them back then."

After saying that, Wang Qiang took the opportunity to chat with Zhou Chengguo and the others.

Wang Meilan knew that Zhao Jun and the others hadn't eaten, so right after four o'clock, she set up a table in the yard and served steaming hot mutton and mutton soup in a large basin.

Zhao Youcai took out a bottle of Moutai liquor and invited Zhou Chengguo and the Xue family father and son to the table. Just then, the sound of dogs barking came from the backyard.

Zhao Youcai stood up, craned his neck to look towards the courtyard gate, and when he saw who was entering the courtyard, he put down the wine bottle and quickly went to greet them.

"Oh!" Zhao Jun glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly followed Zhao Youcai.

"Second Brother." Chen Liangyou, the section chief of the Third Workshop, greeted Zhao Youcai loudly from about thirty or forty meters away.

Beside Chen Liangyou was Liu Jinrong, whose face was injured.

"Uncle Chen." After greeting Chen Liangyou, Zhao Jun quickly walked up to Liu Jinrong and asked, "Why is it like this?"

At this moment, Liu Jinrong not only had injuries on his face, but also had a bandage on his right arm.

Upon seeing Zhao Jun, Liu Jinrong felt as if he had seen a relative, and with tears in his eyes, he told Zhao Jun about what had happened that day.

Simply put, after leaving Zhao Jun, Liu Jinrong searched for wild ginseng alone in the forest.

Yesterday afternoon, a strong wind was howling in the mountains. Taking advantage of the wind, Liu Jinrong, without any instruction, found himself near a large cannonball.

When Liu Jinrong saw the nearly 600-pound wild boar suddenly stand up, he was so frightened that he turned and ran away.

If he hadn't run, Paolunzi might have run away. But as soon as he ran, Paolunzi gave chase.

Then, before Liu Jinrong had run ten meters, he was thrown into the air by the cannonball.

This person was in good health and had a strong will to survive in the face of death. After falling to the ground, he kicked his legs and got up.

In a flash, he remembered what Zhao Jun had told him, and quickly climbed onto the tall poplar tree beside him, thus escaping disaster.

After Liu Jinrong climbed the tree, the cannonball didn't leave and just waited under the tree.

Liu Jinrong, sitting astride in the middle of a tree branch, is normally quite safe.

Moreover, he had dry rations in his pocket and a water bottle given to him by Zhao Jun, so he wouldn't go hungry or thirsty in the tree. He could come down as soon as the cannonball left.

But I don't know how this person's brain works. Looking at the big wild boar below, which looks like a door, he actually had the idea of ​​bribing the man's testicles.

A piece of rice cake was thrown down from the tree, and Paolunzi couldn't resist the temptation and ate it in two bites.

Liu Jinrong threw down another piece, and after finishing it, Pao Luanzi looked up at Liu Jinrong with pleading eyes.

This time, Liu Jinrong stopped feeding her, and the cannonball, having tasted the sweetness, refused to leave.

And so, Liu Jinrong stayed in the tree from yesterday afternoon until noon today, when the cannonball left and he finally came down.

Liu Jinrong, who had climbed down the tree, staggered back to the third work section for help.

After Chen Liangyou learned the situation and that Liu Jinrong was Zhao Jun's friend, he sent Liu Jinrong back.

Zhao Youcai and Chen Liangyou were very close sworn brothers. When Chen Liangyou arrived at Zhao Youcai's house, it was time for dinner, so Zhao Youcai quickly invited him to sit at the table.

Zhao Jun pulled Liu Jinrong to sit down, and when Wang Ya saw Liu Jinrong, she came over to ask about his injuries.

This little girl has only been at the Zhao family for less than two days, but her whole demeanor has been completely transformed.

Looking at Wang Ya, who was dressed in a sailor shirt and was lively and cheerful, Liu Jinrong was very happy and whispered a lot to the little girl.

"Liangyou." At the table over there, Zhao Youcai said to Chen Liangyou, "We caught some bear meat today. When you leave later, I'll give you ten catties of meat, and then I'll give you a bear's paw."

"Hey, Second Brother?" Chen Liangyou asked, "Where did you shoot the bears? This morning, Old Bai from our workshop's mess hall said there were gunshots to our west. Was that you guys?"

"Ah, hehe." Zhao Youcai responded with a laugh, while Chen Liangyou looked at Zhao Jun and said, "Jun, I told you guys could fight, didn't I?"

"Hehe..." Zhao Jun was amused by Chen Liangyou's words, and then he saw Chen Liangyou raise his hand and point at Liu Jinrong, saying, "Little Liu has run into that big cannonball, weighing about 600 jin. You guys go and shoot it."

Upon hearing Chen Liangyou's words, Zhao Jun and Wang Qiang, who was standing next to him, exchanged bewildered glances.

This large, solitary boar, weighing over 600 pounds, may have had curved tusks, but its immense size and strength were undeniable. Coupled with its thick, tough skin, even Siberian tigers and black bears would give it a wide berth.

Hunting it during this season is extremely difficult for artillerymen. After all, wild boars are faster than black bears, and with the dense undergrowth providing cover, it's not easy for humans to shoot them.

Of course, Chen Liangyou didn't want to cause trouble for Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai. Rather, over the years, whenever he knew where wild boars or black bears were, he would secretly write to Zhao Youcai.

However, now that there's Zhao Jun involved, Chen Liangyou is unaware of the "dirty secrets" between the Zhao Family Gang and the Zhao Family Hunting Gang. When he has news but doesn't have time to inform Zhao Youcai, he tells Zhao Jun instead.

To Chen Liangyou's surprise, his usually strong-willed Zhao Erge, who had spent half his life hunting for big catches, shook his head with a smile after hearing his words: "Brother, let's not shoot. In this sweltering heat, the woods are full of insects and snakes. Besides, the grass is all too tall, where are we going to find any eggs?"

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Chen Liangyou thought it made sense. Unlike those black bears that howled and would follow the sound, these eggs weren't like the black bears that howled. At this time of year, it was impossible to let dogs into the mountains. Relying on people to find the eggs in the deep forest was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thinking of this, Chen Liangyou said nothing more. At this moment, Zhao Jun, Wang Qiang, and Wang Meilan, who was serving cold dishes, all looked at Zhao Youcai with strange eyes.

Is this still the Zhao Youcai they know?

Given Zhao Youcai's personality, his eyes would surely light up at the mere mention of a 600-pound cannonball.

But looking at Zhao Youcai, who was calm and collected, urging Zhou Chengguo and the others to eat, Zhao Jun looked at Wang Meilan, and Wang Meilan looked at Wang Qiang. All three of them felt that Zhao Youcai was very strange.

Zhao Youcai, however, acted as if nothing had happened, toasting and laughing with the guests.

The drinking session lasted for more than three hours, until Zhao Hong and her classmates got out of school, and until Li Dazhi and Lin Xue got off work.

Zhao Jun doesn't drink alcohol, so he finished eating early. Then, Zhao Jun didn't sit idle; he pulled Liu Jinrong aside and whispered to him.

Around 7 PM, as darkness fell, the banquet ended. Zhao Jun drove Zhou Chengguo back to Yongsheng first, then took Chen Liangyou and the Xue family to Yongli.

When he got home, most of the diners had left, except for Wang Qiang's family.

As Zhao Jun entered the room, he heard Wang Qiang say to Zhao Youcai, "Brother-in-law, Chen Liangyou mentioned that cannonball today, aren't you going to try and crack it?"

Zhao Youcai had drunk quite a bit today; his face was flushed and his eyes were blurry with intoxication.

The moment Zhao Youcai heard Wang Qiang's words, he immediately became wary.

He glanced to the side and saw Wang Meilan, who was whispering with Zhao Ling, secretly watching them.

Zhao Youcai immediately understood why Wang Qiang had been dawdling and refusing to leave. It was because he had tried to sow discord between Wang Qiang and Wang Qiang that afternoon, and Wang Qiang was now retaliating.

"Ha!" Zhao Youcai sneered inwardly, glared at Wang Qiang with his small eyes, and shouted, "Do you want to slap me?"

"Huh?" Wang Qiang was a little confused when he heard Zhao Youcai continue to shout, "Is this the time for hunting? You're always organizing hunting? Your Wang Tian and Wang Xue are so small, what if something happens to you?"

Wang Qiang was stunned, completely stunned, and somewhat dazed.

Just then, someone nudged him on the back. Wang Qiang snapped out of his daze and heard Zhao Ling say to him, "Don't take what your brother-in-law said to heart!"

Wang Qiang: "..."

Just as Wang Qiang was stunned, Zhao Ling retorted to him again, saying irritably, "Why are you so smug after having a couple of good days? You never went up the mountain in the summer before, did you?"

"I..." Wang Qiang's head was buzzing. Zhao Ling glared at him and said, "Go home!"

Wang Qiang got up in a daze, still completely bewildered as he listened to Zhao Ling say goodbye to the Zhao family of four.

They were close relatives and spent every day together, so Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan didn't need to see Wang Qiang's family off.

As soon as the family of four came out of the house, Zhao Jun, Ma Ling, and Wang Meilan all looked at Zhao Youcai.

They're all family; they know Zhao Youcai too well. Today's Zhao Youcai is so different from usual.

"Hey?" Wang Meilan walked closer to Zhao Youcai and asked, "Who told you there were 600 jin of cannonballs? Why didn't you shoot them?"

"I want to hit you!" Zhao Youcai glared at Wang Meilan, got up from the bench and walked to the north window, preparing to get the thermos to mix water for washing his feet.

Seeing that Wang Meilan was stunned by Zhao Youcai's shout, Zhao Jun stepped forward and called to Wang Meilan, "Mom, let's see if my uncle and the others have locked the gate."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun gave Wang Meilan a wink.

"Let's go, let's go out and take a look." Wang Meilan immediately understood and went out of the house with Zhao Jun.

After leaving the house, the mother and son did not go far. Zhao Jun stood in front of the house and told Wang Meilan everything that Zhao Youcai had done since they went into the mountains that day.

"Oh my god, what's wrong with this person?" Wang Meilan's expression grew increasingly grim as she listened.

While the mother and daughter were discussing Zhao Youcai outside, Zhao Youcai, who was still in the outer room, handed a thermos to Ma Ling.

“My dear, here you go.” Zhao Youcai said, “Dad just mixed this with cold water, it’s perfect for you to wash your feet.”

"Hey, Dad." Ma Ling took the thermos but didn't go back into the room. Instead, she stared at Zhao Youcai with wide eyes.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Zhao Youcai asked. Ma Ling replied cautiously, "Dad, you can't go up the mountain to hunt those eggs by yourself, can you? That's dangerous."

Ma Ling's heart pounded as she asked this question.

She had just witnessed Zhao Youcai confronting Wang Qiang and Wang Meilan, and she was afraid her father-in-law would scold her.

But if Ma Ling didn't ask, she was afraid that Zhao Youcai would sneak up the mountain.

Upon hearing Ma Ling's words, Zhao Youcai was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "My dear daughter, Dad can't."

After saying this, Zhao Youcai paused slightly, then laughed and said, "Dad has already figured it out. I'm about to become a grandfather, why would I bring that up? Hehe, we have everything, why would I bother with that?"

Zhao Youcai's words made Ma Ling laugh so hard her eyes disappeared.

“Yes, Dad,” Ma Ling said happily, “We’re not going! Why would we suffer in this sweltering heat?”

"Yes, my dear daughter is right! I'll listen to her!" Zhao Youcai's words made Ma Ling happy, and she went back to her room with the thermos.

When Wang Meilan returned to the East House, Zhao Youcai and the two maids were already in bed.

Wang Meilan glanced at Zhao Youcai, then gently pulled open the drawer of the table against the wall, took out a sewing box, and slipped out of the room.

Wang Meilan went to the outer room, took a small bowl from the dish rack, and poured half a bowl of water from the water vat into it.

Then, Wang Meilan took a needle from the sewing box and threw it into the bowl.

Wang Meilan held the bowl tightly with her hands, hiding it behind her back. When she returned to the east wing, Zhao Hong and Zhao Na were whispering in bed, while Zhao Youcai had already closed his eyes.

There was a four-cornered stool under the south window in the room. Wang Meilan quietly went over, took the stool, and placed it against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), positioning it above Zhao Youcai's head.

Then, Wang Meilan placed the small bowl containing water and needles on the stool.

This technique is called "Needle Bowl to Calm the Frightened" or "Bowl on the Head to Suppress Evil," a folk method in Northeast China used to exorcise evil spirits. It is specifically for treating fright, loss of spirit, possession by evil spirits, confusion, and loss of spirit after drinking.

Meanwhile, in the west wing, Ma Ling had already washed her feet and gotten onto the kang (heated brick bed). At this moment, Zhao Jun was sitting on a small stool washing his feet, staring blankly at the water in the basin.

"Hey? Hey!" Ma Ling called out to Zhao Jun twice and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Ah..." Zhao Jun didn't want to tell Ma Ling at first, but then he thought about how his wife was "proficient" in those crooked ways, so he immediately said to Ma Ling, "Honey, I feel like Dad is acting strange?"

"Huh? What's wrong with Dad?" Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Ma Ling, who had just lain down, sat up again.

Zhao Jun told Ma Ling about Zhao Youcai's strange behavior that day, and then added his own speculation: "Could it be that Dad has done something wrong? It shouldn't be like this, Dad was besieging him..."

"You're talking nonsense!" Ma Ling interrupted Zhao Jun, and after giving him a disapproving look, she relayed to him what Zhao Youcai had told her not long ago.

"Oh my god!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun hurriedly took his feet out of the basin, not even bothering to dry them, and ran outside in his slippers.

The house was huge. When Zhao Jun walked through the west corridor, across the outer room, and then through the east corridor to the front of the main east room, he heard the sound of a bowl being smashed coming from inside, along with Zhao Youcai's curses: "What a load of bull!"

Zhao Jun: "..."

……

The next day, Wang Meilan got up early to make dumplings.

There was still some mutton left over from yesterday, so Wang Meilan used scallions to make filling for large steamed dumplings.

Although Ma Ling was pregnant, she didn't restrict her diet; fishy and muttony foods had little effect on her, and she ate whatever she wanted. Otherwise, Wang Meilan would never have made these dumplings.

At 6:30, Xing San brought Liu Jinrong over for dinner.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Jun returned to the inner room, took out two brown paper envelopes, and handed them to Liu Jinrong.

One of the envelopes contained two hundred yuan, and the other contained a photo of the ginseng king.

After receiving the money, Liu Jinrong thanked Zhao Jun and promised to repay the money to Zhao Jun in the future.

"Alright, Brother Liu." Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "Although we haven't known each other for long, I trust your character. If you can help me when you go back this time, consider this two hundred yuan as my travel expenses for you."

If you can't help me, that's okay too, we've met once after all.

After wandering in the mountains for two days, Liu Jinrong realized that the legendary Northeast was not as easy to navigate as he had imagined. If he continued searching for ginseng in these mountains, he could easily lose his life.

So Liu Jinrong decided to hurry home.

But yesterday Zhao Jun spoke with him, asking Liu Jinrong to contact big bosses in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia who were interested in and had the financial means to buy the ginseng king in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places.

If it is Liu Jinrong who introduces someone to buy ginseng from the Zhao family, then Zhao Jun will give Liu Jinrong and Manager Huang the same treatment.

Upon hearing that he could potentially earn tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan by working as a broker, Liu Jinrong felt as if he had grasped at a last straw and resolved to embark on his journey home that very day.

But if he wanted to take the train like Liu Jinrong did, it would take him three or four days to get from Shanhe County to Guangzhou.

Today is July 9th, 1988. In one week, the Zhao family gang's ginseng king conference will be held.

Liu Jinrong will be delayed on the road for three or four days, and by the time he finds the person, the conference here will have already ended.

So Zhao Jun paid for Liu Jinrong to fly home.

But these days, not just anyone can fly on a plane; you need a letter of introduction from a county-level or regimental-level unit.

Yong'an Forest Farm is not up to the required level, but Shanhe Forestry Bureau is not.

It just so happened that Zhao Weipeng was going into town today to buy clothes for Zhao Hong and Wang Ya, and food for a group of children, so Zhao Jun asked him to take Liu Jinrong to Shanhe, and then to the Forestry Bureau to ask Chu Anmin for a letter of introduction to Kaifeng.

From Shandong, you can take a train to Harbin, then a plane to Guangzhou. The whole process takes less than two days. If you're quick, it might even take a day.

Liu Jinrong naturally had no objection to this. After accepting the envelope from Zhao Jun, he waited for Zhao Weipeng to come and receive it.

After seeing Zhao Weipeng and Liu Jinrong off, Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai went to participate in militia training. They practiced marching drills for the first few days, and the father and son were very enthusiastic about it.

They practiced for two days in a row until the evening of the 10th, when several families finished dinner in the Zhao family's courtyard and gathered in the house to chat.

"Son," Zhao Youcai said to Zhao Jun very seriously, "Are you sure you don't need Dad to go with you?"

"No need, Dad. You stay home. Otherwise, it'll just be my mom and the four of them at home, which won't work." Zhao Jun knew that Zhao Youcai was genuinely worried about him, but someone had to stay at home.

“It’s alright, second brother,” Xing San chimed in from the side, “I’ll go with the kids tomorrow.”

On July 12th, Shen Qiushan's Ginseng King Conference was held in Fusong as scheduled. The Zhao family will travel to Fusong tomorrow to attend this "grand event".

Zhao Jun had mixed feelings about the conference. He wanted to see Shen Qiushan make a fool of himself, but he was also worried that Shen Qiushan would retaliate fiercely.

Therefore, Zhao Jun not only brought along the elite troops of the Zhao family gang, but also the special talent Li Ruhai.

At this moment, Shen Qiushan, along with twelve members of the Shen family gang, had already escorted the "big treasure" to Wu Baoguo in Fusong.

Looking at the section of tree trunk that his nephew had brought, Wu Baoguo couldn't help but frown.

I've been feeling very confused lately, especially when I wake up. When I get up, the world seems to spin around. I had an MRI yesterday, and it turned out there was nothing wrong.

I owe another chapter, which I'll post with today's update.