Chapter 5 Chapter 5 "Oh my goodness, we found a treasure in our village...

Believe it or not!

Lin Xinghuo glanced over coldly, scaring Chang Qing, who was performing hard, so much that he took a half step back.

Chang Qing was glanced at by those dark eyes, and somehow she felt a little scared, and she almost couldn't keep the smile of a caring elder sister on her face.

Seeing that she was about to speak, Lin Xinghuo sighed inwardly: her cultivation was gone, and her aura was gone. Back then, when her colleagues had to respect her as "Yuan Jun", a single look could intimidate everyone in the room. Even the daring Lin brothers and sisters never dared to act presumptuously in front of her, and could only trip her up and use underhanded tactics behind her back.

Even though Lin Xinghuo was not good at flattery, she felt that it would be inappropriate to directly ask her to shut up. Just as she was thinking about how to silence this noisy Chang Zhiqing, Wei Chunfeng, the women's director of Buxian Village, squeezed in from outside.

Wei Chunfeng glanced at Chang Qing and said with a smile: "What do you mean by the nature of the family, they should be educated youth? Aren't educated youths educated youth? Where does the nature come from? This is not a city household registration, how can it be welded on? According to this, if a young man marries a female educated youth, he can't give her a household registration. If an educated youth marries a girl from our village, he can't give her a household registration either - what a joke! This means they are going to confiscate the homestead that was allocated to the couple after they started a family!"

Despite Wei Chunfeng, the women's director, frequently shouting slogans during meetings and calling herself a "fearless materialist," she was actually incredibly superstitious about the old fairy's abilities. After all, the young fairy had finally agreed to settle in their village, and now a Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared? Wei Chunfeng had no idea what Chang Qingqing was planning, but judging by the educated youth leader's unwavering devotion, she knew she had no good intentions.

Chang Qing was embarrassed, and after a while he said, "Director Wei misunderstood what I meant. I meant well. Didn't Comrade Lin bring a wolf into Grandma Wei's house this morning? I thought that since the Youth League has a large population and a strong atmosphere, and we have built adobe walls, those wild animals wouldn't dare to enter. Grandma Wei is old, and she shouldn't be frightened again."

Even Wei Chunfeng had to admit that Chang Qing's brain was quick, but she became even angrier when she thought about it again: not only did Chang Qing have other plans, he even put the blame on the little fairy.

Lin Xinghuo actually agreed with Chang Qing's last statement. Grandma Wei had been frightened that morning, but luckily she was strong enough to avoid any harm. Lin Xinghuo felt that something like this might happen again. God only knew how many animals her Grandmother had saved. Just the way she'd heard her talk about it wasn't just Da Huang, she'd also mentioned Hua Hua.

Another thing is that Grandma Wei's home is in the center of the village, and there are too many people coming and going. Just the strange people who came to visit her in the first half of the morning gave her a headache - the so-called secluded learning of the Tao, although she wanted to enter the world, she also needed some quiet time to practice.

It seems that I need to find a more remote place to live alone.

Lin Xinghuo temporarily put this plan aside, only to hear Chang Qing say, "Everyone says that the wolf scared the donkeys of the production team. What if the wolf bites the donkey to death? That's the production team's donkey, an important collective property. Every one of us has the responsibility to protect collective property!"

Wei Chunfeng couldn't tell him directly that the old branch secretary rode the donkey over with the intention of using it to feed the wolves. This was also the wisdom of the local mountain people for many years: when wild beasts came down the mountain, only by sacrificing a small number of livestock could the majority of livestock and human lives be saved.

She was at a loss for words. The old Party Secretary, who had just directed the young men to move Lin Xinghuo's food into the west wing, spoke up in a resounding voice: "I rode a donkey here earlier specifically to scare the wolf into eating the donkey and not hurt anyone! What? The lives of the proletarian members are not worth more than a donkey? Not to mention that the wolf was a good wolf, a wolf we know. Even if it was a vicious wolf that really ate the donkey, the donkey has made a contribution to the collective! It sacrificed itself for the proletarian heroes! It died gloriously!"

Tsk! Who doesn't know how to flatter? He thinks all those years of public meetings were for nothing!

"What are you all doing? You're not earning any work points! Why are you crowding here chatting? Go get your work done!" the old Party Secretary roared, "Deduct half a day's work points from everyone!"

"Everyone is busy worrying about nothing and not putting their minds to the right place!" The old branch secretary was very good at making indirect accusations.

Wei Chunfeng and the old Party Secretary were each more cunning than the other. Their conversation wasn't even about Lin Xinghuo, but they were blindly seizing on a single point in her words, completely deflecting everyone's attention. Chang Qing was furious, but there was no way he could continue to subtly instigate a rift between the villagers and Lin Xinghuo.

Chang Qing wanted to stop, but Lin Xinghuo thought it was too troublesome and didn't want to deal with this seemingly malicious educated youth team leader again in the future.

She had good eyesight and just now she noticed a piece of iron-gray fur sticking out from an inconspicuous corner of the straw stack outside the fence.

"Da Huang?" Lin Xinghuo called out.

The two ears hidden in the grass nest stood up, and the gray wolf named Dahuang suddenly jumped out, scaring the crowd to shout "Whoa".

Halfway through the run, Dahuang seemed to remember something, and ran back to drag out a male deer with long antlers from behind the straw pile. While dragging it, it was pricked by the antlers and cried out in pain. Immediately, the sound of wolves responded from Nanshan. Dahuang stopped crying and howled back ferociously.

Does this big bad wolf seem a bit stupid? Lin Xinghuo feels that using Da Huang to scare off Chang Qing might not work.

When Dahuang pushed the stag hard in front of Lin Xinghuo, and the undried blood on the deer rubbed against her shoes and trouser legs, and the deer faced Lin Xinghuo's unfriendly eyes, but still jumped up and down and howled as if to show off, Lin Xinghuo was sure that the wolf was really not very smart - it was not shy about sniffing around and digging the base of the wall of Grandma Wei's house with its claws.

Lin Xinghuo was afraid that the wolf would urinate on the spot to mark its territory, so he reached out and grabbed the stiff fur of the wolf: "Get down!"

While holding Da Huang down, he said to Chang Qing, who had retreated to the west window, "Is Zhiqing Chang sure you still want me to live in the Zhiqingyuan?"

By then, the aunts and other women had already swarmed into Grandma Wei's main hall, leaning against the cracks in the door and windows to watch the action unfold. The young and robust Chang Qing was squeezed so tightly that he couldn't even cross the threshold. The old Party Secretary, quick-witted and a few young men, occupied the west wing. Grandma Wei's house was a three-sided courtyard, with three main rooms and two side rooms and a woodshed. Chang Qing had no way of hiding inside unless he got past Lin Xinghuo and Gray Wolf and hid in the woodshed.

Chang Qing didn't dare.

Only after confronting the beast did she understand why every household in the village hung a gong behind their door. Why every late autumn, a militia was organized to go into the mountains to search for signs of wild animals. And why the villagers would say, "Thank you, old fairy, for your protection!" when discussing another wild animal descending from the mountains in Lin County to attack people.

The bloody stag lay on the ground. Dahuang turned his head and tried to lick Lin Xinghuo's hand. Lin Xinghuo held his head and faced Changqing.

I didn't know wolves were this big, with fangs this sharp! Chang Qing was so frightened that he was in a trance. The wall of the Youth House was so tall, could the wolf just climb over it?

Seeing that the educated youth captain was about to shake his head off, Lin Xinghuo felt a little happy. It seemed that this guy would avoid him in the future.

The successful man used the wolf's power to solve a small problem.

Lin Xinghuo chased Da Huang into the woodshed and loosely fastened the outer latch. Da Huang had just been there this morning, and when he saw Lin Xinghuo close the door, he didn't react, but continued to spread out the straw and lie down on it.

The educated youth team leader was half-carried and half-supported back by two young sisters-in-law. The old branch secretary took a glance and wrote in the little account book in his mind: Chang Zhiqing’s work points have been calculated today, and the other two who took the opportunity to be lazy will also have their work points deducted!

Lin Xinghuo called the old branch secretary and discussed the move with him.

The old Party Secretary was a bit embarrassed. "Grandma Wei, this isn't a good place to be," he said. "This is right in the middle of the village. Even if this wolf understands human nature and doesn't bite, it might still scare the children and the elderly at any moment." "Besides, Xiaolin was right. Most of the village knew about this wolf today, but what if another animal came down the mountain to look for Xiaolin later? The old Party Secretary had heard of the old fairy lady's exploits in commanding beasts, and how she had performed such feats during times of war and chaos!"

But where could he find a suitable house? Those old, uninhabited houses were in a state of disrepair, which was a real pity for Xiaolin. If he were to rebuild, every household had a stockpile of mud bricks, and it wouldn't be difficult to gather enough to build two rooms. Since the ground wasn't frozen solid yet, anyone could build it with a little effort.

But that's not the way it works! Not to mention the village's old rules: if an outsider wants to get a homestead and build a new house, they have to live there for a full year and make contributions to the village without counting work points. For example, men can join the militia on patrol duty, and women can join the picking team to collect wild fruits and mushrooms. If they only care about Xiaolin's future in Bushan Village, then they won't have such a lousy rafter. The villagers cherish Xiaolin now, but it's thanks to the old fairy lady's kindness. As the saying goes, "far away is fragrant, near is smelly." After all, it's Xiaolin himself who has lived with everyone for a long time, and he can't have any problems from the beginning.

"You asked me to think about it."

"Old Party Secretary, don't be afraid of the dilapidated house!" Lin Xinghuo pointed to the fat deer on the ground: "As long as we repair the roof and it can block the wind and snow, it will be fine. It's a good opportunity to share this deer with the villagers who helped, as a thank you." She had collected the rabbits before, and this deer was considered as something she borrowed from Dahuang, and she would make some pills to repay Dahuang in the future.

The old branch secretary held his pipe and felt a little relieved: He is a good child with a bright mind and a clear vision!

He had to find a good place for his daughter! Once the conditions were met, he would directly allocate the land to Xiaolin as a residential plot, and he could just demolish the old house and rebuild it on the original site.

"Come to the brigade headquarters tomorrow, and I will discuss it with your uncle Dazhuang first." The old man put on a long face, looked serious, and thought as he walked.

It was not until the evening that Lin Xinghuo finally got some peace and quiet.

Da Huang played with the fox cubs in the woodshed for a while, then ate a bowl of meatball soup that Lin Xinghuo had specially cut for him, using a piece of venison belly. Only at dusk did he finally leave. Although Lin Xinghuo thought Da Huang wasn't as clever as the little foxes, he still took him to the foot of South Mountain. He drew a line in the ground with a tree branch, and if he repeatedly tried to "cross the line," he would be hit with the branch. He then grabbed his ears and warned him not to enter the village again.

*

On the seventeenth, Lin Xinghuo had to go to work.

There are only two production teams in the Bushantun Production Brigade: the team leader of Production Team 1 is Huang Dazhuang, who also serves as the team leader. The team consists of strong laborers from various families. The male members of Team 1 can get a full ten work points, while the young and strong women mostly get eight or nine points; Production Team 2 is composed of the remaining members who can work and earn work points, including teenagers, elderly male laborers, old ladies with bound feet, pregnant and breastfeeding women... and all the educated youth.

The leader of Production Team 2 was Wang Huzi's mother. Aunt Wang was a fair-minded person, and she knew all the village tasks, big and small, in her head. She knew exactly how many people were required for each task and how long that task would take. The work points she reported to the scorekeeper were practically unchallenged. Aunt Wang was also a skilled worker, and under her leadership, the elderly and weak members of Team 2 were just as motivated as those in Team 1.

Early in the morning, Lin Xinghuo rushed to the brigade headquarters before the "work bell" rang. The old branch secretary, the brigade leader, and Aunt Wang were all there.

The old Party Secretary first told Lin Xinghuo about the empty house: "Both houses are okay. After some renovations, they can last through the winter. Which one do you like?"

Then he pointed at Aunt Wang and said, "Aunt Wang's home is at the end of the village, and it's quite remote. Your Aunt Wang told you to go live with her and Cai Duan after it snows. When it snows heavily, the wild animals under the old fairy's seat can't come down the mountain."

Lin Xinghuo remembered Wang Caiduan, a little girl of six or seven years old. After work yesterday, Wang Huzi took her to visit Grandma Wei's house. The little girl's eyes were glued to the fox cub, and she was very bold and even dared to secretly look at Dahuang.

Lin Xinghuo did not refuse the other party's kindness at first. She immediately fell in love with the red circle at the foot of Nanshan Mountain on the simple map.

The old branch secretary frowned: "This one is a bit too remote and too far from other homes. There are no neighbors within a radius of two miles." He preferred another place, but after the movement, he developed the working habits of "democratic voting" and "member voting", so he picked out the Nanshan one. Unexpectedly, Xiaolin liked it there.

The old branch secretary failed to persuade Lin Xinghuo, so he had to say: "It can be repaired in five or six days. You can stay there for half a month, and then go live in your Aunt Wang's house in winter." Aunt Wang's house was indeed the closest one to the old house in the yard.

Aunt Wang, who was in charge of assigning work to the members of the second team, finished looking at the old house and quickly talked about the distribution of work. It was time for Ma Shan to go to work.

The three of them had briefly discussed this before. After all, Lin Xinghuo grew up in the mountains, so he probably wouldn't be able to do most jobs. "I think it would be better for me to be a breeder first and learn how to take care of livestock." Xiao Lin could handle wolves and foxes, so after some more training, he should be able to do the job of a breeder.

Lin Xinghuo had no idea that being a breeder in the production team was an easy and lucrative job, so he responded and followed the assignment.

Aunt Wang personally took Lin Xinghuo to the production team's livestock yard. The old breeder was surnamed Huang: Uncle Huang was a veteran in the old society. Now in his sixties, he should have returned home to be supported by his children and grandchildren, but he couldn't bear to leave the large livestock he had worked with all his life, so he continued to work. However, the old man's legs and feet were getting worse, and now he was just training apprentices. When Lin Xinghuo first came in, he heard him scolding: "You stupid guy! Can't you see that this pig hasn't grown in three days? Can't you see that it's a circle apart from the other pigs? Why don't you separate it and put it in a separate pen!"

Wei Chunxing went about his work in a hurry. Uncle Huang was furious and complained to Aunt Wang, "Chunxing is willing to work and can drive, but he's so dull that he doesn't seem like Chunfeng's brother! Chunfeng's daughter is so clever, even if Chunxing can be as smart as his sister..."

Aunt Wang persuaded him for a while, then pointed at Lin Xinghuo and said to Uncle Huang: "Isn't this a clever one sent to you? If you tell this child, she will definitely remember it."

He also instructed Lin Xinghuo: "Learn well from your uncle Huang, and let Chunxing do the heavy work."

Wei Chunxing rubbed his hands and nodded. Lin Xinghuo saw that he looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a limp in his left leg, but his eyes were very clear.

After thinking for a while, Lin Xinghuo pointed at the pig that had just been isolated. The straw under the pig's feet had been pulled into loose soil: "Feed it some horsetail to try to stop the diarrhea. You hold it down for a while and I'll see if there are any herbs, and then give it proper treatment." Horsetail is also known as purslane, which has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, astringing the intestines and stopping diarrhea. It has a wide range of applications and can treat and prevent many pig diseases. Although purslane is at the end of the season, it can be found everywhere.

Aunt Wang's eyes suddenly opened wide, as if gilded with a layer of gold: "Can you treat livestock?"

"Why didn't the old Party Secretary say anything?" Aunt Wang clapped her hands. "Oh my goodness, our village has found a treasure!"

The author has something to say:

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Note: For information on the efficacy of Portulaca oleracea, please visit Baidu.

[The professional knowledge on healing and spiritual cultivation described in this article is all created by Baidu + imagination, please do not take it seriously.]

I'll update first and fix the bugs later.

I saw someone mention that "Daogu" is a derogatory term in Taoism. Here is an explanation:

This article is purely fabricated and should not be linked to real Taoism.

The term "Daoist nun" does not have a derogatory meaning in this article, it is just a common colloquial term among the people.