Chen Changyuan was stunned for a moment, his mind racing, and then he suddenly realized.
He stared at the other person with bright eyes, pursed his lips and nodded: "Are you Uncle Ma San?"
Uncle Ma snorted lazily, and said with a half-smile, "You're quite smart, you recognized it quickly!"
After confirming the identity, Chen Changyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained a polite expression.
He took a step forward and said seriously, "Uncle San, my idea is quite simple—it's not that we rural people don't have the courage to do business, it's that we lack the means. Even if the crops we grow are good, we can sell them to earn enough money to feed ourselves. But mountain products and medicinal herbs are inherently rare. The problem isn't supply, but finding a way to sell them in the city. What I mean is, you teach us how to collect the herbs, and I'll be responsible for contacting buyers to sell them in the cities. We'll split the proceeds, so we each get what we need and avoid unnecessary travel!"
Uncle Ma raised his eyebrows, his eyes showing a hint of interest.
He stared at Chen Changyuan and said something that hit him right in the heart: "You're thinking ahead. But kid, don't you understand? With this piece of land in Dongzui, just collecting mountain products and hiring two part-time workers won't even fill our stomachs! Those medicinal herbs in the mountains are either picked from vines or buried at the roots of old trees. And look at you, the weather has become so weird in recent years, we don't even know if we'll get snow in the winter!"
These words were like a needle, piercing people's hearts.
However, compared to the fierce attitude at the beginning, Uncle Ma's words were less hostile and more thoughtful.
He casually put the hunting rifle on his shoulder, like a woodcutter taking a break.
He glanced at Chen Changyuan and added provocatively, "I've seen a lot of bullshit! Chen, if you really want to make something happen, you'll have to get through those miles of deep forest first. This Dongzui Mountain isn't a place where anyone can just talk their way out of it!"
Chen Changyuan held his head straight, meeting his gaze, standing there without hesitation.
He clenched his fists, his bones crackling. "Uncle San, to be honest, no matter how difficult the mountain is, I know the territory of Qingshui Village very well with my feet! Besides, I'm too lazy to even walk, and the words "get rich" are just a lie!"
After hearing this, Uncle Ma stared at it for a long time without any haste.
Suddenly, a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips, and he chuckled softly, "Not bad, there's a hint of truth in what you said!"
Then he threw his shoulder, and the sack dropped with a creaking sound. He turned and walked away, leaving behind a sentence: "Alright! Let's see how far you can go. Before dark tonight, come with me into the mountains. First, I'll see how sincere you are. Whether it works or not is another matter!"
He said this decisively, but turned around quickly without even looking back.
Chen Changyuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly caught up. His heart was warmed, and the rebelliousness of a newborn calf came up again.
The thin back in front of him was like a fuse, and he secretly competed in his heart: I, Chen Changyuan, am a weed that can't kneel down!
The two walked all the way to Dongzui Mountain. The cool wind from the forest blew on their faces, and the scent of pine needles penetrated their noses.
The green in front of Chen Changyuan was densely covered. Occasionally, a piece of old vine passed through his sight, waving like a silent puppet.
He had time to look up at the sky. There were mottled shadows above his head and the sound of a few tits flapping their wings in the distance. Everything was so quiet that even his heartbeat seemed noisy.
However, after taking a few steps, Uncle Ma suddenly stopped.
The person in front raised his hand sharply, and Chen Changyuan immediately understood what he meant and quickly stopped.
"Ah—" He held his breath.
His eyes were fixed on the direction Uncle San was pointing.
From the other side of the bush came a rapid rustling sound, as if something was struggling desperately.
In the quiet forest, this sound is not simple!
Uncle Ma's words were a low, muffled murmur, but each word was as precise as a nail: "There's movement!"
Chen Changyuan almost let out a breath while holding it.
He stood still, staring at the patch of grass - countless possibilities popped up in his mind in an instant: a wild beast?
Bandits?
Or is he someone who hides his true self?
The rustling sound coming from the other side of the bushes had not yet completely stopped, but Chen Changyuan's legs were already unnaturally tight as sticks.
Staring at the grass that kept moving, all he could hear was the sound of his own rapid heartbeat, like the beating of a war drum.
My mind started to spin: If there is such a big commotion in the forest, it must be a human if not a wild animal, right?
I'm afraid his little plan of taking advantage of the situation won't work, right?
Uncle Ma in the front held a hunting rifle, tilted his body slightly, and adjusted the angle silently.
With the muzzle of the gun pointed at the bushes, he gently pressed his hand down, and a few neat movements conveyed a message: Don't move, stand still!
Chen Changyuan opened his throat so wide that he didn't even dare to swallow any air.
Even the slightest breath frightened him into freezing, fearing that he would become the target of the unknown being in the bushes.
A sudden "rustling" sound broke the deadlock - the grass trembled suddenly, and before he could see clearly, Uncle Ma's footsteps were as fast as the wind. He aimed sideways, and the gun followed him.
So neat!
Chen Changyuan stared at her without even blinking.
But unexpectedly, the "bang" of the gunshot did not come, but the "crack" sound of dead branches being stepped on rushed into the ears, followed by a light grabbing sound that cut through the air.
Uncle Ma San picked up a furry ball from the grass, and it turned out to be a rabbit.
The rabbit's legs were tangled in a mess, and it was struggling so hard that it was a little dizzy. Its shrill cries made the birds in the woods fly away.
"Look at you, such a coward!"
Uncle Ma gave him a look that seemed to be nonchalant, shaking the still-fluttering rabbit in his hand. "This trip to Dongzui Mountain requires some careful thinking! You're used to being scared silly. I guess your life from now on will be very uncertain."
"Why am I so stunned?"
Chen Changyuan was displeased when he heard this. "I'm just observing. The mountains and forests are dangerous, and we can't just run away when we see something happening. If you think about it carefully, you might be faking it!"
Uncle Ma raised his eyebrows for a moment. Although he did not completely agree, he did not completely deny it either.
He raised his chin, his eyes still veiled in sarcasm. "That doesn't sound too far-fetched. So, how did you figure out the significance of the vine wrapping around the rabbit's leg?"
Chen Changyuan was stunned by the question. The gears in his brain spun rapidly, and he managed to pull out a clue from his head: "This place is damp and shady, and the wind blows from the southeast. It's strange that there are no vines! The vines are so dense that there is no airflow. It must be because the light is not good and the tree canopy is too obstructed."
As he said this, he whistled to himself in his heart, feeling that his performance in answering the difficult questions was not bad this time.
Uncle Ma moved the corner of his mouth, as if casually throwing the answer into the examination basket.
He remained silent, then abruptly changed the subject: "We've talked about the vines, but tell me—what medicinal herbs can withstand this kind of damp land?"
"this……"
Caught off guard by that gaze, Chen Changyuan intuitively felt that this problem was more difficult than the previous one.
Bupleurum, Dendrobium nobile, he named them one by one, adding, "Uncle, look at the dense vines here. They're so dense, I guess we can't pick them in large quantities. Maybe they've been touched before."
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