Spring is the season of renewal and summer is the time for reproduction and growth, so it's not advisable to be too aggressive. Once the cool autumn arrives, it's time to start thinking about hunting deep in the mountains.
Despite his elegant name, Zhou Wenbin was a skilled hunter who not only raised his ungrateful son Zhou Wenwu but also supported his entire family through his work.
In the years before he was alive, he had Baoyu go into the mountains with him to teach him, planning to pass on his hunting skills to Baoyu when he got old.
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Baoyu had only learned a little bit when Zhou Wenbin fell ill. Helpless, he left the deep mountains ahead of schedule. Little did he know that this trip would be the last time he would be able to return to the small house in the deep mountains where he had lived for half his life.
A few nights before their departure, the family gathered around the lampstand. Baoyu put on the new clothes made by Li Xiuju and slowly twirled around. "Mother, the cuffs seem a bit too big! In the mountains, it's better to wear something light and easy to move around in."
"Really? Take it off, and I'll alter it again." Li Xiuju took off the clothes, measured Baoyu's wrist size, and absentmindedly embroidered the cuffs of the new clothes. Suddenly, her thumb was pricked by a fine needle, and a bead of blood seeped out.
Seeing the panic in Li Xiuju's eyes, Zhou Chenyu asked anxiously, "Mother, are you alright?"
Li Xiuju shook her head and murmured listlessly, "In two days, you two siblings will be going into the deep mountains. It's been almost a year since you went back to that house. I don't know if the house is in good condition or not, or if anyone can still live there?"
An old treehouse deep in the mountains.
Undeveloped, remote mountain forests.
Zhou Chenyu twirled the small self-defense knife in her hand, her eyes lowered in deep thought. She had followed Baoyu to the deep mountains and learned some basic skills from him over the past few months, but to be honest, she wasn't very confident in her abilities.
However, their wealth blocked all avenues for doing business. They had no fields or land, and relied on selling a few baskets and winnowing baskets to earn a little money, which could solve their short-term food and clothing needs, but it was not a long-term solution when they needed money.
During this season, wild animals hiding deep in the mountains and forests come out to store food for the winter. After a year of hunting cessation, the animals have fattened up.
Whether it's pheasants, rabbits, foxes, wild boars, deer, or goats, especially those caught alive, they fetch a much higher price on the market than domesticated poultry.
If she and Baoyu can catch a few, this year will be easier, and they'll have something to look forward to next year.
Conversely, even if they are unlucky and don't encounter any wild hunts, they can still earn a lot of money by digging up some precious medicinal herbs to sell to pharmacies, or by hoarding some rare items that are rarely seen in the city.
Baoyu may be a bit slow-witted, but he has great strength. She may not be good at physical labor, but she is quick-witted. When the two of them work together and give full play to their respective strengths, they can always make a name for themselves.
She refused to believe that Qian Rushan's influence could extend to the remote mountains.
Starting from Zhoujia Village and heading to the old treehouse deep in the mountains, a one-way trip takes more than a day. First, you walk for several hours on the main road, then climb for several hours on the deep mountain trails, and it can take ten days to half a month to get down the mountain.
The old treehouse had been unused for over a year, and the things left there were probably not very usable anymore. Therefore, Zhou Chenyu had to bring a lot of things with him on his first trip into the mountains, and he even made a special cart for it.
Besides warm clothes and blankets, they also need to bring pots and pans, firewood, rice, oil and salt, medicine for bruises and sprains, knives and crossbows for hunting, hammers, nails and saws for repairing houses, and a local dog named Huangdou to guard the gate.
With everything prepared, Li Xiuju specially chose an auspicious day for travel. She got up before dawn, the whole family gathered together for a hearty breakfast, loaded everything onto the car, tied it up, and set off.
Li Xiuju stood outside the door, waving her hand, "Chenyu, Baoyu, you must be careful, take care of yourselves in everything, and come back as soon as possible! Mother is waiting for you at home."
Baoyu, pulling the cart, didn't have time to turn around, only calling out, "Mother, I understand!"
Zhou Chenyu turned around with the lantern in her hand and gave Li Xiuju a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, we'll take good care of ourselves. Grandma, it's getting cold, you should go back now!"
After leaving the entrance of Rongshu Village, Zhoujia Village gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Zhou Chenyu had never traveled this path to the old treehouse deep in the mountains before. Apart from her and Baoyu, the surroundings were pitch black and silent. Cold winds blew constantly through the trees on both sides, chilling and eerie on their faces, as if something unseen was blowing in their ears.
Zhou Chenyu led the way, holding the lantern tightly, keeping his eyes and ears open, and muttering to himself several times:
"Prosperity, democracy, freedom, harmony..."
"Prosperity, democracy, freedom, harmony..."
"Prosperity, democracy, freedom, harmony..."
Just as she was calming down from her panic, Huangdou, who had been running excitedly ahead, suddenly made a sharp turn and came running back with a pair of bright green eyes, rushing in front of her.
"Stinky soybean, you scared me!!"
Having gone wild with play, Soybean ran off in a flash, disappearing into some haystack or bush.
Baoyu laughed from the side, "Sister, I thought you weren't afraid because you've been walking ahead without saying a word."
Having her thoughts read, Zhou Chenyu pouted, "It's pitch black, and it's just you and me walking into this desolate wilderness. Who knows what we'll encounter? Aren't you scared?"
“I’m not afraid at all.” Baoyu stopped and pointed to the mountain to the east. “Sister, Father’s grave is on that mountain. With him protecting us, there’s absolutely no danger.”
grave?
Upon hearing Baoyu's words, Zhou Chenyu felt even more terrified. She silently slowed her pace and walked alongside Baoyu. After about half an hour, the mountains to the east gradually revealed their outlines, and the view ahead became clearer.
Zhou Chenyu blew out the lantern and put it back on the cart. The path under her feet had been worn down by the previous cart, leaving two bare lines with only weeds growing in the middle. However, the further she went, the more weeds grew on the path. If Baoyu hadn't been leading the way, Zhou Chenyu would never have believed that anyone could walk here.
After walking along the flat path to the end, Baoyu put down the cart and looked to his left at the rugged mountain path leading to the top of the mountain. "Sister, the cart can only go this far. We'll have to carry everything on our backs for the rest of the way."
Zhou Chenyu glanced at it and asked, "Where do we put the cart after we get up the mountain?"
Baoyu said, "Put it under that tree and cover it with weeds. This place is secluded and won't get lost."
"That's true, there's nobody around, who would steal a cart?"
The two of them worked together to unload the contents of the cart, then cut down a large clump of weeds taller than a person, and pushed the cart under a big tree to hide it.
Afterwards, Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu each carried a basket full of things on their backs and climbed the mountain with sticks in their hands.
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