Zhou Jiao was in a very heavy mood. It was almost dark, and there was still no sign of Zhang Guoqing. She silently blamed herself for not having enough food. She didn't know if there was any medicine left.
If she stayed another night, she would have asked Zhao Dashan to lead the militia up the mountain. Although she knew Zhang Guoqing was a great hunter, she was afraid that others would lag behind.
Zhang Guoqing called out "Mom" as he entered the yard. When he saw Zhang's mother, he smiled and winked at her.
Zhang's mother understood what was going on and took her two sons to take a closer look. She found out that except for a few people from other villages who had minor injuries, all the others had returned intact.
She was so happy that she quickly took her two daughters-in-law back to the kitchen to add more dishes. As for why they needed more dishes? Her eldest son winked at her and pinched her palm.
Zhang Guoqing pulled his eldest brother into the outer living room. Seeing Zhou Jiao at the door, he hurriedly looked behind him and gestured with his fingers. The three of them immediately went in and closed the door.
Zhou Jiao looked at the two of them and asked curiously, "What happened? Did you pick ginseng? Or did you find a treasure?"
Zhang Guoqing and his brother covered their mouths and laughed muffledly. Before they could put down their baskets, they pulled something out of their chests. There was no other way; neither dared to put it in the basket. Especially since Zhang Guoqing's basket was completely empty after being plundered. Zhou Jiao had packed so much. Luckily, it was winter, so if they were careful, no one would notice.
Zhou Jiao looked at the two bundles of leaves wrapped around them. After untying them, she immediately realized that the two men had fled deep into the mountains.
"Needless to say, these two large ginsengs are hundreds of years old. The smaller one is fifty years old, and another is over thirty. This purple Ganoderma is quite rare, and I'm afraid I can't estimate its age, but it's at least fifty years old. It's more valuable than this red Ganoderma, which is about the same age, no more than sixty years old. Don't sell the remaining small Ganoderma, make some wine for yourself. If you sell it, ginseng is more expensive than Ganoderma. It's best to show it to Aunt Ye."
Zhang Guoqing packed up the items the boss had picked and handed them to him, asking him to hide them first. He then asked Zhou Jiao to put the rest of his own items inside the house to keep for later. Zhou Jiao nodded, took them back to her room, and put them into her space.
"Brother, I've sold all yours. I still have some left even if you need them in the future. I still have half of my parents' century-old ginseng. It's useless to keep it. You and sister-in-law should discuss it. If we want to sell it, let's go to the county town and find someone to see how much it is worth. If the price is right, we can sell it. If not, we can go to the provincial capital to sell it in the next two days."
Zhang Guofu shook his head. "No need to discuss it with her. Wait until Dad comes back and show him that we'll go to the county town."
After the two of them discussed it, Zhang Guofu went back to his room first.
Zhang Guoqing quickly took the clothes Zhou Jiao handed him and ran to take a shower. He'd been feeling shabby for the past two days. He was covered in sweat from hunting in the mountains. The first day was fine; he could take off his coat. The next morning, he made an excuse to scout out the territory. Fortunately, it wasn't far, so he took his older brother and ran to the narrow passage. After finally finding it, they hurried back. With their belongings, neither brother dared to take off their coats. If Uncle Zhang didn't come back today, he would find an excuse to run back.
Zhang Guoqing was taking a bath and he was happy just thinking about it. He was always guilty, and he really was.
Zhou Jiao closed the door to the inner room while no one was around. She pulled out the purple Ganoderma lucidum; she had never seen it before. Imagine the two brothers carrying this thing in their arms, afraid of being discovered and crushed. That would be a comical scene. Seeing that it was almost time, she put it back into the space. She carried the child back to the outer room and waited for him to return.
"Jiaojiao, I'll take you up the mountain in a few days. I don't recognize many of the herbs, and they look no different from grass. And let's not buy any meat, it's a waste. I'll hunt them and you'll collect them. I estimate it won't take long before we can use them for several years. I'll be the main hunter this time, and I'll catch a lot, so I'll probably get a lot. I'll take the bear's paw from the blind bear, and I'll save it for you. I don't ask for anything else. Let's go up the mountain and hunt on our own."
"Okay, you watch. Don't change the subject now. Aren't you in a team with others? How did you get out? Don't tell me these herbs aren't from the deep mountains."
Zhang Guoqing picked her up and sat her on his lap, laughing. "It's not really a deep mountain. Would I have taken my brother with me if it was dangerous? Don't worry, I promised you safety first, and I'll definitely do it. This morning, I saw many people were exhausted, so I asked the old hunter to take my brother to check out the front. They would come up later. We two brothers ran as fast as we left, because I know the road very well. If there was any danger, we would have left it long ago."
I'd been wanting to find a chance to go up there and see if it was Ganoderma lucidum. Didn't we climb trees in the past? I saw there seemed to be some medicinal herbs down the hillside, so I took my older brother with me to check it out. After searching for a while, my older brother found some ginseng. We collected some, hid them on our chests, and ran ahead to wait for them. To avoid suspicion, I even shot a wild boar. "Do you know how to eat that purple Ganoderma lucidum? Do you want me to find out?"
Zhou Jiao shook her head. "No. I'll take care of it. Put it aside for now. There's no rush to eat it now. When you're older and safer, we can make porridge together as a family. This stuff is effective with long-term use. Take the ginseng to Grandpa Wang and ask him to help make wine. He should have a secret method. The longer this wine is aged, the better."
"Okay, he said last time that if he has a hundred-year-old ginseng, don't sell it and help me make wine. I'll find him when I get back to the county. Your almighty space can't store wine. Haha, if you put it in and take it out, it's still exactly the same. It's really funny."
Zhou Jiao heard footsteps and hurriedly got off his lap.
After a while, Zhang's mother came in with some postpartum food and asked Zhou Jiao to eat first. She dragged Zhang Guoqing inside and was overjoyed to learn that the two brothers had such a big catch. She told them not to advertise it. After repeated instructions, she urged Zhang Guoqing and his brother to go and bring back the wild game.
Zhang Guoqing left the house and headed out to the yard with his older brother. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be in the drying yard. They chatted and laughed from time to time. Passing villagers greeted them and couldn't help but turn back to look, repeatedly marveling at the close bond between the Zhang brothers.
In the drying yard, Zhang's father repeatedly rejected the captain's offer. Since everyone was going up the mountain together, there was no reason for his son, Xiaowu, to get a larger share. For such a small amount, the young couple didn't want to cause envy and waste their favor.
The old captain and Accountant Zhang exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts. Even if Zhang Guoqing had decided on his own, he would have refused. After thinking it over, they waited until all the men were clean, bones separated, and meat removed, and then began to weigh the total. After deducting the reward for the hunters, the rest was calculated by head count.
As soon as Accountant Zhang saw Zhang Guoqing coming, he waved and called him over to explain the situation. Sure enough, he saw that he refused. He immediately burst into laughter.
The entire village was busy setting fire to the drying yard, with the village head of the women's department directing them to stew bones and meat. Even before the meat was divided, the aroma filled the air, drawing the children, young and old, to a frenzy of excitement as they gathered around the several stoves.
As the sky darkened, the men lit bonfires in several corners. The fiery heat dispelled the chill, and every nearby household brought out tables and stools. Those carrying their share of meat back home, along with their family's bowls, followed suit and helped. The captain had already ordered drinks.
Zhang Guoqing carried the bamboo basket and hurried home. He put it in the kitchen and without saying a word, he went back to the bedroom and saw Zhou Jiao feeding her son. He immediately thought that she was still out and there was really no one to take care of her son.
"What's wrong? Are you in such a hurry?"
"Alas... what a pity. I wanted to take you to the village bonfire party, but when I saw my son, I remembered that there was no one to take care of him. Mother and the others were already preparing to leave. Now no one in the village has left their homes, all gathered in the drying yard. It's very lively. The village is full of joy. It's been two years since we've seen such a lively atmosphere. Among the surrounding villages, only our Zhangjia Village celebrates with the whole village. Perhaps this is the last hunting party."
Zhou Jiao smiled and pushed him, "Go ahead. I don't like noisy places. It's just right for me to accompany my son. Tell me the same story when you come back."
Zhang Guoqing shook his head and didn't bring up the subject again. No matter where he was, if she wasn't around, no matter how lively the atmosphere, it wouldn't feel joyful. He took off his shoes and leaned against the kang, watching her feed their son and sing a little song while holding him. A smile spread across his face. He listened to the song and sang along loudly.
Zhou Jiao burst into laughter. In a moment of excitement, she rushed to the kang with her son in her arms, and the two of them took turns singing any song. The singing and laughter surprised Zhang's mother, who had come in to look after her grandson, and she started laughing too.
"Hurry up, Xiaowu, take Jiaojiao over there. The captain wants you two to come over and join in the fun. Leave Ping'an to me. Mom just finished eating. Come over here quickly."
Zhang Guoqing looked at Zhou Jiao and immediately pulled her up. "Put on your sheepskin coat. Let's go take a look and then come back to accompany mother. You won't be able to handle it if you stay for too long."
Zhang's mother looked at the young couple running out dressed neatly and immediately shook her head and laughed.
Walking down the dirt road, Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao slowly slowed their pace. In the distance, the drying yard was bustling with activity; the sounds could be heard from afar. As they got closer, they saw two villagers performing a two-person opera on the dirt pile at the front of the yard, where the old team leader usually stood. Someone even tested the sound of their erhu, making the atmosphere as lively as New Year's Eve.
Zhang Guoqing had a mischievous idea with Zhou Jiao. He watched Zhou Jiao pull out two bundles of firecrackers from his coat, took them from her, and dragged her behind the dirt pile in the drying yard. He lit the firecrackers and ran with her.
Suddenly, a series of crackling and popping sounds echoed through the air, deafening everyone. While everyone was still wondering where the sound came from, the children all ran behind the mound, hoping to find some unexploded firecrackers to play with.
Zhang Guoqing took another bunch of firecrackers from Zhou Jiao and took her hand as they walked towards the team leader's table.
The people at the nearby tables saw the young couple coming over, and they all laughed out loud at the firecrackers in Zhang Guoqing's hands.
Zhang Guoqing placed the firecrackers on the table, looked at the elders at the table, and smiled sheepishly, "It looks quite lively. Let's add some joy. I'll set them off later."
The old captain stood up and pulled them, insisting that they sit down.
Seeing Huang Cuilan and the others waving at her, Zhou Jiao quickly said, "Third Grandpa, this seat isn't for a junior like him. Let Xiaowu pour some wine for you elders, and don't let him sit down. Drink slowly. I'll go to my sister-in-law first."
The old captain watched her finish her words and ran away like a rabbit, laughing loudly, "Xiao Wu, listen to your young wife and pour some wine for us old guys."
Zhou Jiao ran to sit next to Huang Cuilan, joking with the women at the table, and soon she became one with them.
Listening to everyone's jokes and watching the performance on the opposite mound, Zhou Jiao thought she would remember these lovely villagers for the rest of her life. Life had been tough for them, but these simple folks had always believed, with their blood and sweat, that tomorrow would be better, and they were filled with hope.
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