1oo37 New Urban Farmers Chapter 84 Herb Gatherers
At the foot of the mountain, not far from the stream, four people—Zhongxian, Wang Zhen, Du Wenqiang, and Mu—were waiting. They sat down with four or five prey beside them.
This prey is enough for several people to have a big meal.
A delicious dinner has been prepared!
However, the group had to wait for Zhang Guodong to catch up. This made some people very unhappy!
The howls of wolves and roars of bears were terrifying, but after a while they stopped. In the end, no one knew what happened on the other side.
No one was willing to send the four to investigate. After all, even the most skilled person could only run away if they encountered a large wild beast in the mountains. Hoping to deal with a thick-skinned bear or an agile and ferocious wolf with a bow and arrow was tantamount to fighting to the death.
Zhang Guodong? A companion? I wish him luck! He risked his life for a beast. What's the outcome now? Will he ever come back?
Li Ningguang frowned, somewhat annoyed.
Du Wenqiang was the person most dissatisfied with Zhang Guodong. Sometimes, dissatisfaction between people is not expressed through words but through expressions. The quality of the first impression determines one's attitude towards a person.
Zhang Guodong felt uncomfortable with the way Wang Zhen and Du Wenqiang looked at everyone as an enemy, and naturally did not want to contact them or even resist them. However, the two equally perceptive individuals noticed Zhang Guodong's indifferent or disdainful expression, which naturally deepened the rift between them.
Du Wenqiang sneered, "Boss, I think we don't need to wait for him anymore. Encountering a bear and a pack of wolves, let alone him, even Wang Zhen and I would avoid it like the plague. Besides, we're carrying bows and arrows while he's unarmed. Is there really anyone who can handle a double attack from a bear and wolves?"
Wang Zhen nodded as well.
In this situation, Liu Dewang had no say. The life and death of one person was too great for a nobody like him, and he was afraid.
"What if nothing happens?" Li Ningguang said.
“There’s no ‘what if’ unless he stops halfway through, endangering human and animal lives. Who’s more important? Nobody would be that stupid!” Du Wenqiang said.
Li Ningguang didn't take offense at such disrespectful language.
Wang Zhen and Du Wenqiang were his closest confidants. They were much more casual with each other in private.
Which is more important, a human life or the life and death of an animal?
Liu Dewang said cautiously, "Then it's definitely a case of 'the person is alive, the dog dies, then we'll buy another pound, little boss.' Am I right?"
Asking Li Ningguang was just an attempt to curry favor, but Li Ningqiang was also troubled. He was still counting on Zhang Guodong's wealth, and now he'd made a huge mistake on such a small matter—how would he explain himself after leaving the mountains? Secondly, what about his grand financial plans?
"Should we go over and take a look?" Li Ningguang asked, unsure of himself.
“The boss can’t be implicated. Should I go and check it out with Liu Dewang? You and Wen Qiang can stay here and make your voices heard!” Wang Zhen hurriedly said.
He was unwilling to go, but he knew the boss's intentions better than Du Wenqiang and was involved throughout the entire process. The treasure hunt would be far less effective without Zhang Guodong!
Liu Dewang never expected that such a dangerous thing would happen to him.
"Me? Boss, I'm not fit enough. Brother Wang is skilled, I'd just be a burden if I followed him." Liu Dewang said hurriedly.
I'm just following someone with little experience; it's best I don't go. He doesn't want to lose his life before even making any money! Liu Dewang, who frequently travels in the mountains, naturally knows how dangerous wolves and bears are. Of course, wolves are rare in the mountains, but bears are not. Today, he's had such bad luck—he actually encountered a pack of wolves?
The continuous howls of the wolves were clearly audible to everyone; it was definitely not just one!
Li Ningguang glared at him and sneered, "Are you going or not? I need people who get things done, not cowards. Get lost!"
"Afraid of death?" Liu Dewang dodged Li Ningguang's kick. He muttered to himself, feeling wronged: "Aren't you afraid of death too?"
But he dared not say this out loud, otherwise Li Ningguang would have killed him to silence him.
Liu Dewang hurriedly said, "I'll go, boss! I'll be right there! Brother Wang, please take care of me!"
Wang Zhen frowned and led the way, with Liu Dewang immediately following.
Du Wenqiang was resentful; he was just a farmer, yet they still had to serve him. But the boss had made his decision, and he naturally had to obey. "Hmph," he thought, "he should be dead by now, or perhaps devoured by wild animals?"
On the other side, Zhang Guodong felt his headache lessen and scrambled to his feet, still shaken. He vowed never to do such a thing again! Moving something weighing over twenty pounds had given him a splitting headache; if he had encountered any danger, it would have been a huge problem.
Brushing the mud and grass off his body, Zhang Guodong hurried towards the route taken by Li Ningguang and the others, but at a slow pace.
My head still hurts a little and my face is still a bit pale, but I can still travel.
splash
After learning some kung fu, Zhang Guodong arrived at a fork in the road. A ridge divided the mountain stream in two, and he was immediately taken aback. They hadn't reached this point yet and hadn't noticed that there were two paths ahead.
Which way should we go?
Just then, the sound of pebbles clattering came from the ravine to the left, making Zhang Guodong tense. There were many wild animals in the ravine, mostly people coming to drink water; he didn't want to be targeted.
At this moment, Zhang Guodong wasn't concerned about hunting; he just wanted to avoid encountering dangerous animals. For example, there were venomous snakes in the mountains, and now, in March, with temperatures around ten degrees Celsius, some snakes had ended their hibernation early and were out hunting.
Zhang Guodong learned about this snake from a documentary. There is an extremely venomous snake in the Qinling Mountains, also the most venomous snake in the mountains, called the Mangshan pit viper. Its bite is not only deadly, but it also causes profuse bleeding from the wound. Wildlife conservation workers have specifically searched for this snake, but its tracks have disappeared from the areas where it was previously found.
The possible explanation at the time was that the unusually cold and snowy weather, with temperatures much lower than historical levels, caused a large number of snakes to hibernate earlier than usual, resulting in their freezing to death and possibly extinction.
But anything is possible.
Even if this type of venomous snake is not found in most parts of the mountains, other venomous snakes, such as certain serpentine snakes, can still exist. If a bite is not treated promptly and properly, it can be fatal.
Zhang Guodong looked and immediately stopped in astonishment. Someone was in the ditch?
Two people, one big and one small, carrying baskets on their backs and holding machetes in their hands, walked briskly towards Zhang Guodong from the ravine below.
The other person seemed to have seen Zhang Guodong as well and waved to him.
Zhang Guodong was surprised to find someone in these mountains. But meeting someone was a good thing, judging from the person's basket on their back. They were probably gathering herbs.
Zhang Guodong thought to himself that it would be a good opportunity to ask for directions. So he went down into the ditch and met the old man and the young man.
"Hello, sir/madam, are you gathering herbs?" Zhang Guodong asked with a smile. The old man before him had a white beard but a ruddy complexion; he looked to be seventy. The young man beside him appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, dressed in coarse linen but with a robust build. He was wary of Zhang Guodong, gripping his machete tightly.
The old man looked at Zhang Guodong with surprise, chuckled, and said, "Young man, how did you get into the mountains? Did you get lost?"
Huh? He actually knew he was lost?
Zhang Guodong nodded. He smiled wryly and said, "You mean there are two roads and you don't know which one to take? Where are you from outside the mountains, sir? These mountains are really dangerous; gathering herbs is not easy!"
"It's not easy. Most people who go into the mountains are either gathering herbs or hunting. It's normal for them to get lost. Young man, how many people are with you?" the old man said.
"The four nets left not long ago!" Zhang Guodong said with delight.
Judging from the old man's appearance, it seemed he had indeed encountered them. How many people should we ask?
The old man frowned and said, "Those four people you encountered earlier weren't your companions. There were eleven of them heading towards the rocky cliff. Things aren't peaceful in the mountains anymore, little one."
Zhang Guodong hurriedly asked the couple, who were surprised. Bai Jiawei and her group were nine people short of a dedicated driver, but with the addition of two local guides from Qingyang, weren't they eleven?
But how did they know about the cliff?
Before they could even think of Zhang Guodong, the grandfather and grandson thanked him and said, "Old man, there might be a bear lurking ahead. I think you should go home."
But the young man next to him scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of with bears? I've killed several of them!"
Zhang Guodong was surprised. He then realized that the grandfather and grandson were actually mountain people! But Liu Dewang said that there was only one mountain village in the area of Shiya. About twenty households had lived there for several years.
The boy before them was definitely sixteen or seventeen. But to slaughter a bear? With just the two of them?
The old man scolded his grandson, saying, "The mountains are dangerous, young man. You should find your companions and leave immediately!"
Then the old man and his grandson were about to take their leave, and Zhang Guodong nodded, a little regretful.
People in the mountains, especially herb gatherers, often possess valuable medicinal herbs—the kind Zhang Guodong desperately wants. Furthermore, having a mountain guide makes things much simpler and reduces the risks significantly!
"Young man, are those two people up there your companions?" the old man suddenly asked as the grandfather and grandson were about to leave.
He pointed to Wang Zhen and Liu Dewang, who were coming from the distant mountain road above the ravine.
Zhang Guodong thought to himself, "These people still have any conscience? They even know to come back and check on things?" He couldn't help but sneer inwardly. But the old man caught this sneer.
The old man said calmly, "Young people, let's part ways."
"Goodbye!" Zhang Guodong said thank you and took his leave.
As soon as Zhang Guodong left, the boy said, "Grandpa isn't a good person either. He must have come to dig up medicinal herbs. The hundred-year-old silver snake grass that I found before must have been dug up by these people!"
The Centuries-Old Silver Snake Grass grows in harsh, remote mountains, near snake dens. It is formed over a century by venomous snakes nourishing it with their venom. Its silver flowers and fruits make it a highly prized antidote for snake venom.
This is a legend.
But unexpectedly, it actually appeared in these mountains.
The boy looked at Zhang Guodong and his two companions with resentment, but he couldn't withstand his grandfather's scolding, and the two of them turned back the way they came. They had now reached the edge of the mountain, where good medicinal herbs were generally no longer available.
It's all because of the footprints of the outsiders!
"Mr. Zhang, are you alright?" Liu Dewang asked in surprise when he saw Zhang Guodong walking towards him, his face pale but his body perfectly fine.
Wang Zhen observed Zhang Guodong's shifting expression and asked, "Who were those two just now?"
Zhang Guodong didn't want to talk about the grandfather and grandson anymore. His words clearly showed his aversion to outsiders. So he said calmly, "Let's go see Brother Li. I have important information!"
This is the first update on New Year's Eve! The second update will be coming soon. Please vote with your monthly tickets! Thank you!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com