Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Night Encounter
That day, after lunch, the sun was scorching.
Father Fan didn't take a nap. He took Kang He and prepared a plate of braised meat, a plate of cold cucumber, and a glass of wine, and went to Hu's house.
The Hu family lived well, having a green-tiled house with eight rooms.
The daughter and the son were both married, and the son rented a house in the city. The huge house was occupied by the old couple alone.
Hu Dasan's husband is a virtuous and obedient man. They seldom quarrel, so the place is usually very peaceful.
People like to be lively when they get older. When Hu Dasan saw Fan Shoulin coming, he was very happy and called him into the house.
The two of them sat barefoot and cross-legged on a mat. There was a low table in the middle of the bamboo couch, with wine and braised meat on it.
"Where did you get this wine? It's refreshing and smooth."
Hu Dasan bent his legs, picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan in one hand. The windows and door of the room were open, and occasionally a gust of wind blew in from outside, so it wasn't that hot.
"It's the one at the east end of the bridge. I'm a regular customer of theirs. But this wine is really good. They say it's brewed with fresh spring water."
Hu Dasan said, "Tomorrow I'll go get a corner and put it in the room."
"You have plenty of wine."
After saying this, Father Fan picked up a piece of braised pork and gave it to Hu Dasan: "Try this braised pork again."
Hu Dasan followed his instructions and ate a piece of cold braised meat. The meat had no aroma as it was cold, but it tasted good in his mouth.
"Where did you get this delicious meat? Is it Miss Sanfang's cooking?"
As he said that, Hu Dasan threw another piece into his mouth.
"Even if she can make such delicious braised pork, she would make it for me to drink with? Do you think everyone is as lucky as you, marrying a virtuous and good-natured woman?"
Father Fan and Hu Dasan shared the crispy cucumber: "My son-in-law made this for me."
"Who has the good fortune of your brother Fan to have such a good son-in-law? The other day when the village was measuring the land, I saw that he was not only handsome but also capable of doing things. He even subdued Chen Yushun."
Hu Dasan did not flatter Fan Shoulin. He really felt that the third son of the Kang family, who came to the door, had many tricks.
When he came home that day, he told his husband that it was a pity that they didn't find a son-in-law for their daughter, otherwise the family would be very lively now.
"I only knew he could make a living out there, but I didn't expect he could also cook. Tell me, what's the difference between this and getting both a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law?"
Father Fan was very proud of teaching Hu Dasan to hold it like this, but he did not forget why he came here today.
"He's a good person, I admit that. But I feel really bad inside. I feel like I've let the child down."
Hu Dasan saw Fan Shoulin suddenly look dejected and asked, "Why are you saying these things out of the blue?"
"A few days ago, the two children went up the mountain and got into trouble. They were tossed over by two wild boars. The wounds on their bodies and faces really broke my heart."
Father Fan lowered his head and said, "It's also because I have no ability. If I had a skill and could earn more money, I wouldn't have sent my son to such a dangerous life in the mountains."
Hu Dasan was also shocked when he heard this. Last year, he went to another village to slaughter a pig. A hunter named Ge in that village said that the pig was killed by a wild boar and had people carry it back.
He caught a glimpse of it on the road, and it was truly miserable.
"Is it serious? Have you checked at Xu Yang's house?"
Father Fan shook his head: "Fortunately, it's just a flesh wound, nothing serious has happened."
Hu Dasan was relieved to hear that everything was fine, but he was also worried. He loved his children and had three children of his own. If any of them suffered this kind of misfortune, his father would probably faint after hearing the news, and he would be worried to death.
Seeing Hu Dasan frowning, Father Fan said, "I think it's not a good idea to live in the mountains forever. A few years ago, Dajing had a terrible experience, and the whole family was worried. Now Sanlang is in danger again. It seems that there is no peace in the mountains. My wife and I can't sleep all night long."
"She told me that it would be more stable if I could find another way to make a living."
Hu Dasan didn't know what Father Fan meant, so he just said comfortingly, "It's no wonder Sister Sanfang thinks so. As parents, we always want our children to be safe."
"That's exactly the point. I'm worried. What can Dajing do? If he doesn't go to the mountains, Sanlang won't follow him either."
Father Fan said, "I've been thinking about this for the past few days, but I haven't come to any conclusion."
"Seeing how worried you are, I feel bad too."
Hu Dasan was silent for a moment. He said to Father Fan, "I heard that my unfilial son recently opened a small business in the city. It's not right for a grown man to work as a bead maker for young girls."
He first scolded his own son, then said, "If Dajing is willing, I will ask that unfilial son's father to talk to him and make Dajing do the work."
"No matter what profession you go into, as long as you can earn money, it's a good livelihood. Your Dalang is already very promising. Looking around our village, there are few who can compare to him."
Father Fan said, "Thank you for your advice. But you know Dajing's personality. He's not cut out for a life in the city. It would be better if we could keep Sanlang with us, but he'll just have to work hard in the shop. There's no point in being a couple."
He used this as a joke: "If I want to teach him to go to the city, he might as well learn to butcher pigs from you."
Hu Dasan laughed. He didn't respond to Fan's words, but said, "Dajing is just quiet. It's great that such a child is not cunning and works seriously."
When Father Fan heard Hu Dasan say this, he didn't ask any more questions. He just came here to test the waters.
The two talked for a while. Seeing that it was getting gloomy outside, Father Fan said goodbye, put on his straw hat and went home.
When Qiao Fulang saw that everyone had left, he came into the house to clear the table.
She said to her husband, "I think Brother Fan wants you to take in their son Jing as a butcher."
Upon hearing this, Hu Dasan said, "He didn't say anything. He just came to complain to me about some family matters."
Qiao Fulang said, "Brother Jing is a martial artist with a tough personality. He can't do the work in the city. If he doesn't want to be a hunter anymore, being a butcher would be the best job for him.
It's so hot out here, and Brother Fan has been working in the fields all morning, not taking a nap. He's come to your house with something in his hand to have a drink. If it weren't for this, he really couldn't be idle."
When Hu Dasan heard her husband say this, he thought about it and felt that it was true.
He immediately said, "That won't do. I want to leave this skill to Dalang."
Qiao Fulang said: "You are so kind as to leave the good things for our Dalang, but you just have to see if he is willing to do so.
In the past, when people wanted to do business in the city, you were always reluctant and refused to give them a penny, but you didn't make it difficult for them. Look, now you have managed to do business well. A few days ago, I went to the county to buy lamp oil, and I saw that the business in your shop was very good.
"If you ask me, your skills are useless if you keep them. You might as well take in two apprentices."
Hu Dasan didn't say anything and just leaned on the mat.
Seeing this, Qiao Fulang said nothing more and went out with the plate and wine bowl.
When Father Fan got home, he felt hot under the sun.
Chen came up quickly and asked, "What's going on? What did Hu Tuzi say?"
Father Fan shook his head: "He didn't respond, didn't say anything at all."
Chen said, "It's not something you can do just by asking. Let's wait and see. If that doesn't work out, we can find a master from outside. There are also masters who can charge money and give you a title."
Kang He and Fan Jing returned to the mountains that day. They still had to rely on hunting to save money. Besides, even if they were able to become butchers, they couldn't just abandon the mountains.
It is not easy to clean up the beehives in the mountains, so I still have to go up the mountain regularly to take care of them.
One day, Kang He used the refrigerated brine to make some new braised meat and called Zhang Shili to come over to eat.
"If you can really find a job down there, I'd be happy for you. Life in the mountains is not only dangerous, but also pretty dull."
Zhang Shili came to the wooden house and listened to Kang He and Fan Jingxin's plan, and he thought it was a good one.
"But you two are really something. You didn't even tell me when you were injured before."
Kang He said, "It's not a serious injury. There's no need to mobilize so many troops. Minor injuries and pains in the mountains are common. After a few days of recuperation at the foot of the mountain, they are all well now."
Zhang Shili also understood this principle: "At least he's alright. Dali, that kid, it's been so long and he still limps. I heard a doctor came to your village and said he'd go take a look at him."
"Doctor Zhu is quite skilled. It would be a good idea for him to go and take a look. It would be troublesome if a strong young man got a leg injury."
Zhang Shili nodded.
After eating the meat, Kang He packed up two uncut pieces for Zhang Shili and told him to take them home to eat. People who like to drink usually like a bite of braised meat, so he specially made some extra.
When they go down the mountain in the future, they will have to trouble Zhang Shili to take care of them when he has time.
Another day, Kang He and Fan Jing took some live animals to the city and sold them back home.
On the way, Kang He came across a tofu shop. He spent a few copper coins to buy two cubes of white tofu and took them back to eat.
Recently he has discovered a new way of eating food, which is to mix preserved eggs with tofu. Tofu is tasteless, but preserved eggs are rich in flavor. When the two are cooked into one dish, it tastes quite unique.
My family also loves to eat it.
When they got home, they were drenched in sweat, as if they had just taken a bath.
Kang He couldn't bear it any longer, so he went back to the house, took off his clothes, fanned himself to cool down for a while, and then put on a sleeveless jacket.
There was no one at home. He was just going to get some water for a shower when he opened the lid of the water tank and discovered that the water was completely gone.
"There's no water. I'll go get some."
As Kang He said this, he went to look for a bucket, but all he got was a shoulder pole.
"Where's the bucket?"
"Maybe they are going to fetch water."
Fan Jing was also feeling hot. He wiped his sweat with a towel and said, "It hasn't rained for a while. In May and June, the water in the village is very scarce."
Many families in the village do not have wells. If they need water, they either collect it in a container and store it when it rains, or go to a public well to get it.
But there are two wells in the village, one in the east and one in the west. When the weather is hot, many people come to the two wells to fetch water.
Most of the time, the Fan family fetched water from their neighbor Li's family, who happened to have a well nearby.
After hearing this, Kang He went out and was about to go to Li's house to look for someone, but on the way he ran into Father Fan and Chen who had returned.
Chen drove the donkey to carry two buckets of water, while Father Fan carried two buckets on his shoulders.
He sprinkled water as he walked, and the well was full of water, sometimes overflowing three fingers high.
Kang He hurried over to take the water from Fan Dad.
"There was a long queue at the well under the old locust tree. I went there for over an hour but couldn't get any water. It was Xu Yang who noticed me and called me to his house to get some water."
Chen and Kang He muttered, "Xia Yue doesn't say anything, and eating saliva is really annoying."
Their family has many people and livestock, so they are very hungry for water. They have to carry water every day.
Kang He was surprised and asked, "Aren't we going to Uncle Li's house to fetch water? Why are we going to the public well?"
Chen shook her head and said, "Don't mention it. I won't go to the Li family to fetch water anymore."
They had gone to the Li family to fetch water, and everything was fine. Chen and Li's sister-in-law also brought some konjac and tofu, and picked up some salted duck to send over.
During the spring plowing season, they didn't have enough fertilizer, so considering that they could draw water from their house for food and drink, Father Fan piled up fertilizer to sell and didn't charge them for it.
The other day, Chen went to the Li family to fetch some water to feed the donkey as usual, and ran into their old lady.
Chen even greeted the old lady politely.
"It's so hot out here. I have to take a shower every day. I sweat a lot after working, and if I don't take a shower, I'll smell sour."
"Water was in short supply, so I didn't dare use more. I just took a basin, dipped my sweater in some water, wrung it out, and wiped my body with it."
Chen felt a little strange when she heard this. It was common to have a shortage of water in hot weather. They only had a well at home, so why did she need to be so concise?
However, the two girls in their family had to use a basin to wash themselves in order to save water.
She thought that the old lady might feel that their family was using her water, which was causing them to have water shortages, and she said this to her on purpose.
But Chen was not sure whether this was what the person meant. After all, the two families had a good relationship before.
He smiled and replied, "Madam, you are so frugal that you save everything for the children."
The old lady didn't respond to her and said, "It's so hot, are you still going to the city to sell things?"
"Go ahead, leave before daybreak, and come back home when the sun is high."
"Your family has become quite wealthy. I heard that in this hot weather, a truckload of water in the city costs over ten yuan. I don't know if it's true, but you're always out and about in the city. Is that really the case?"
When Chen heard this, her expression changed slightly.
The old woman said that they didn't dare to use more water when taking a bath at home, and asked how much a truckload of water would cost in the city.
How could she not understand what it meant? It was certainly much more convenient to get water from Li's house, but she was reluctant to spend money to buy water.
On the other hand, she was also a little unhappy. Although she didn't spend any real money to buy water from their family, she didn't always come empty-handed. Doing this now was really hurtful.
So they had no choice but to queue up in a long line at the public well to fetch water. No matter how troublesome it was, they had to fetch water. Not to mention drinking water, the two girls, Zhen'er and Qiao'er, had to wash themselves when they were hot.
Kang He and Fan Jing were on the mountain with their backs to the river. There was plenty of water in the mountain, so they didn't think it was a big deal to use water. However, they didn't expect that the water supply in the village was so tight.
He said, "They have a well, and they are very confident because they have something in their hands. If they want to change their attitude, they will change it. There is nothing we can do."
"That's exactly the truth."
Although Chen was angry, there was nothing she could do. It was because they didn't have a well at home and needed help from others.
"It's hot, and water is scarce. We have to go to other people's homes to fetch water more often, which is not good."
Kang He suggested, "Why don't we dig a well at home? We don't have to go to other houses to get water all the time. It's not a big deal to wait in long lines at public wells. There's summer every year, and it lasts for several months. After this year, there's still next year and the year after next."
Father Fan, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up at this moment: "Digging a well is not an easy task."
You have to first ask a good Feng Shui master to choose a location, and then ask a professional well digger to dig the well.
If the location is too far from home, there is no need to waste money to get one outside.
"One year, a well digger passed by our village and came in to ask for water. He said that the area in front of our yard was suitable for digging a well. I don't know if it was true or not."
Father Fan also wanted to dig a well. Who doesn't want to make their home more convenient?
"At the time, I just thought he was trying to make money from our well digging. We didn't have the money to dig a well at that time, so I didn't take it seriously."
Chen said, "How about we ask an old Feng Shui master to take a look? Isn't Liu Banxia, the blind man in our village, good at Feng Shui?"
Father Fan said, "What's the point of asking him to do this? Don't you know how he became blind? He got beaten up for cheating people out of their money by reading Feng Shui. We should find a better one now."
No one discussed how much it would cost to build a well because they were not sure if there was a suitable location to dig the well.
After dinner, Kang He fanned himself as the room felt stuffy and hot.
He pinched Fan Jing's face and said, "I brought some water home, but I don't want to use it. Why don't we go take a bath in the river?"
Fan Jing was sharpening his knife. Upon hearing this, he said, "Let's go."
Kang He was a little surprised that he agreed so readily, as he thought he was unwilling to go.
The two of them ran to the river in the dark, following the starlight.
There was a gentle night breeze outside, but it was cooler inside the house.
The chirping of crickets in the fields was quite lively.
Kang He took off his clothes and jumped into the river with a splash. Fan Jing followed him in with his clothes still on.
"This river is really cool. The temperature right here is much lower than anywhere else. Maybe next time we're done, we can just go wash in the river."
Fan Jing sprinkled a handful of moonlit water on Kang He's face, thinking that it was a shame.
I am always exhausted after doing it. Who has the energy to go so far to take a cold shower?
Kang He put his arm around Fan Jingshui's waist and felt that he looked even thinner than usual. He said, "If you think it's too far, then we can just do it here."
Fan Jing let the person wander around him randomly and said coldly, "If you are not afraid of snakes, that's fine."
"You can make soup out of a rat snake after you kill it, but as for a water snake..."
Kang He felt a chill on his back. He didn't want to be bitten by the snake when he was having fun. If he was poisoned by the snake, it would be difficult to call for help.
Even so, the beauty in my mind cannot be dispelled.
His arm had been hurting some time ago, and Fan Jing didn't want to do anything with heavy movements. After finally coaxing him to put in more effort, he turned around and heard some advice from somewhere that said he should abstain from desire while recovering from the injury, so he refused to do that thing anymore.
As a result, we have to live a poor life in the mountains.
Kang He nuzzled Fan Jing's neck and said, "Then kiss me twice, open your mouth like that, and teach me how to satisfy my craving."
Fan Jing thought that they had kissed every day, so it didn't matter who they kissed.
He thought so in his mind, but he didn't know whether it was because Kang He's mouth was pouting or what, but their lips touched.
The two stayed in the river for quite a while and felt a little cold, so Kang He reluctantly pulled Fan Jing ashore. The boy had a cold body and couldn't stand soaking in cold water for too long.
On the way back, we held hands and felt so sweet in our hearts.
Kang He was about to kiss Fan Jing's cold little face again, but someone suddenly grabbed his hand. His brows tightened, and he subconsciously reached for the knife on his waist.
"What's wrong?"
Kang He was also tense by what he saw when he was teaching Fan Jing, and he looked forward following Fan Jing's eyes.
In a piece of wasteland, lush green grass as tall as a person was swaying slightly. It didn't seem to be swaying because of the wind, but rather because it was touched by something. It was obvious that there was something inside.
Fan Jing whispered, "Maybe it's a wild boar that's ruining the crops. I'll go and take a look."
Kang He pulled the man and didn't want to teach him to go over: "I didn't take the bow and arrow."
Fan Jing asked Kang He to follow behind him: "I know what's going on."
The two men tiptoed over, and the grass was still swaying, obviously their approach did not disturb the wild animal.
Kang He only noticed that the wild reeds seemed to be swaying at an odd frequency. The closer he got, the more he realized something was wrong. By the time Kang He realized what was going on, Fan Jing had already pulled aside the weeds and jumped in.
"ah!"
Immediately, a frightened cry startled several wild birds, which flapped their wings and flew away.
Kanghe knows it!
He hurried forward and half-covered Fan Jing's eyes, pulled the stunned Fan Jing out, and ran away as fast as he could.
It took Fan Jing a while to come back to his senses, with the straw mat on the ground and the two naked figures entangled together still in his mind.
He knew that the two were doing that kind of thing, but he couldn't understand why they ran outside instead of doing it inside the house with the door closed.
Kang He listened to Fan Jing's complaints and felt that he was quite innocent. He said with a smile, "Do you think only married couples do that? Some people get bored with their own family and go out to have sex to seek some excitement."
"Besides, even though I'm single, I don't think anyone can help me, so I have no choice but to come out in such an improper way."
Fan Jing couldn't describe the feeling, but it was a pity that it wasn't a wild animal, otherwise he would have gotten some harvest at night.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Kang He asked, "Did you see who it was?"
Fan Jing shook his head. It was the first time he had seen such a scene and he was completely shocked.
It was pitch black, and the person on the ground would be scared if his good thing was interrupted, so how could he keep an eye on people?
Kang He said, "This matter has nothing to do with us. Just pretend you didn't see it."
Fan Jing nodded. He thought that if he went out at night again in the future and saw a place like this, it would be better not to go after wild animals. Who knows if there is a person or a wild animal in the haystack.
.......It’s better not to go out and wander around at night.
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