Several days have passed since the day we picked wild vegetables.
Zhang Guoqing couldn't think of anyone to accompany him.
It was so hard to choose someone he could trust. A novice was unsafe, and besides, he had to protect himself. As for an experienced hunter, he didn't have many people he could trust. His father was an experienced hunter, but he didn't want his family to know too much.
He seriously suspected that Mr. Wang wasn't just after the ginseng; perhaps he had some other treasure. If he didn't say anything, he wouldn't expose it. He trusted the old man's character.
After thinking about it, Zhang Guoqing finally decided to follow the three of them into the mountains alone. If anything went wrong, he would just get away.
Once the decision was made, things were easy to arrange. The day before the weekend, Zhang Guoqing took a day off. He half-jokingly told Zhou Jiao that Mr. Wang and his two grandchildren were staying in the mountains for two nights, and he wanted to go along.
Zhou Jiao thought that with Mr. Wang around, there wouldn't be any problems. After repeatedly asking him to ensure safety, she nodded in agreement. As a grown man, it was impossible for him to revolve around his wife and son without any freedom.
Before leaving, Zhou Jiao was a little worried, so she handed him her small wooden warehouse, took out the prepared medicine powder and handed it to him. When she sent him out, she handed him some dry food and reminded him to be careful.
Zhang Guoqing walked out the door with mixed feelings, looking back at Zhou Jiao holding their son's hand at the gate. Sigh...why did I feel so bad? He had never lied to Zhou Jiao before, and suddenly he didn't want to leave.
Thinking of Mr. Wang, he finally left quickly. If the old man hadn't brought his son and grandson, he would have come back immediately. At this moment, he regretted his hasty promise to others.
After a quick walk, they soon met up with Old Man Wang at the agreed-upon wooden house. Zhang Guoqing felt relieved to see that he had indeed brought his eldest son and grandson with him. He secretly hoped that he could bring something to please his wife so that she wouldn't punish him too harshly.
The four of them were all accustomed to mountain roads, and soon reached the outskirts of the deep mountains. Strangely, Mr. Wang stopped at this moment and stared at Zhang Guoqing without saying a word.
Zhang Guoqing knew this was the point. It was time to reveal the danger or purpose. Looking at the situation, he suspected the goal was enormous.
Mr. Wang asked Zhang Guoqing if he knew about wild goat blood?
Zhang Guoqing finally understood why he needed the drug. The old man was certainly not talking about ordinary wild goats. If he understood correctly, it should be the wild goat blood that his grandfather had mentioned as an ancient tribute.
They said a fingernail's worth of dried goat blood could instantly stop the bleeding in a dying person, bringing them back to life. Besides stopping bleeding, it also cured carbuncles—in short, it was magical. But his grandfather had never seen the real thing, let alone himself.
Old Man Wang smiled mysteriously and told of a creature he had encountered while gathering ginseng in his youth. It looked like a goat, but it was definitely not a goat. It was very fast, like a flying leap. He had heard his master talk about it, and later returned home and thought it must be the legendary wild goat.
Zhang Guoqing glanced at him suspiciously. Was he getting senile? After being slapped by the old man, he waited for the old man's instructions with a serious look.
This matter must be kept secret, whether it is found or not!
Zhang Guoqing nodded. He figured the other party trusted his character, just as he trusted them. If such a thing really existed, he'd take the risk. There were no safe-haven techniques for women giving birth here. He'd fight! If he saw something wrong, he'd run.
Mr. Wang reminded them that the thing was fast, so they could only spray the drug at the entrance. Four people occupied four positions. As long as they hit it and opened it, they would know if the blood was purple.
Zhang Guoqing nodded after hearing this. He glanced at Mr. Wang's eldest son and saw that he looked very worried. He probably thought that one of Mr. Wang's relatives or friends was seriously ill and needed help.
The four men gathered their tools and followed the old man deeper into the mountains. The higher they went, the more Zhang Guoqing knew where he was heading. It was an extremely dangerous place, perhaps even teeming with Siberian tigers. What was a primeval forest? Even his grandfather wouldn't dare take him into it.
He listened intently, not daring to relax for a moment. You know, in these deep mountains and old forests, the most terrifying thing is a large wild animal hiding in the shadows, suddenly attacking you. That could literally kill the person filming on the spot.
Zhang Guoqing followed closely behind the three of them, ignoring the prey he encountered. In spring, if you can avoid hunting pregnant animals, you should spare their lives.
Fortunately, it wasn't winter. After two hours of hiking over mountains and hills, we finally reached the forest Mr. Wang had described. Rows and rows of towering trees filled the air, and entering without warning would surely leave you feeling dizzy. If you didn't have the skills to get in, you wouldn't be able to get out.
Zhang Guoqing said nothing, staring intently at Mr. Wang and his three grandchildren. If they didn't come up with a reasonable solution, he'd leave. Even if there were magical herbs or elixirs inside, he'd run away.
It seemed as if Mr. Wang had planned this in advance. He asked his eldest grandson to take a bucket of red paint from a bamboo basket and paint it all the way with a brush. His eldest son led the way, and he walked slowly behind with Zhang Guoqing.
Zhang Guoqing touched his nose. He was about to say that the smell of paint might have scared off even the animals, let alone the appearance of wild goats. After a moment's consideration, he remained silent. He simply memorized the code and kept an eye on his surroundings.
No one had passed by for a long time, and stepping on the fallen leaves felt like stepping on a shag carpet, so soft that it was impossible to feel at ease.
In this way, we walked along the edge until we came to a valley. We really saw a ginseng field with some swan birds flying around overhead.
Grandpa Wang's eldest grandson happily asked him if this was the ginseng field he was looking for. He kept saying, "I've made a fortune, I've made a fortune, I've made a fortune."
After being beaten hard by his father several times, he finally calmed down.
Zhang Guoqing ignored the father and son and waited for the old man's instructions. He just wanted to know where the so-called goat appeared next.
Old man, like a wise old man, didn't say anything, just told us to dig ginseng first and then find a place to stay tonight. He was in a good mood and joked that anyone who was late in digging shouldn't regret it, because he would leave as soon as he got a goat.
Zhang Guoqing glanced at him. Did he really think he'd lose just because of the three of them? Since the old man was still in the mood to joke, he must be around here.
The ginseng field was in the shade, surrounded by wild vegetables and weeds so dense that you could easily miss it. Mr. Wang's eldest grandson still had some sense, and no matter how excited he was, he still knew to check for dangerous creatures like snakes first.
After killing three snakes, the four men took out their bamboo swords and began to work. No one spoke, and the silence was so quiet that Zhang Guoqing could hear the sound of a group of wild boars gnawing nearby, the rustling of snakes crawling in the grass, the sound of squirrels moving in the trees, and the buzzing of bees not far away.
Zhang Guoqing dug up a small pile of "radishes" and, seeing them still toiling away with seriousness, began to grow impatient. A few of these things seemed rare, but a large number seemed unremarkable. Especially since he saw the Wang family's eldest grandson even harvesting ten-year-old ginseng, he really wanted to beat the crap out of him.
After wrapping it with leaves and tying it up, Zhang Guoqing put it in a bamboo basket. He stood there and stared at the direction where the bees were buzzing. Compared to ginseng, his family needed wild honey the most.
Old Man Wang glanced up at him and angrily scolded him for being a spendthrift. He told him to hurry up. The ginseng pickers would surely arrive soon, and there wouldn't be a single hair left. It's better to give your own people a good deal than to give others a good deal.
The old man began to talk about how Grandpa Zhang was ecstatic when he picked some ginseng when he was young, and blamed Zhang Guoqing for not learning his grandfather's frugal and frugal way of managing the household.
Come on, the old man's tight grip is more terrifying than anything else. Zhang Guoqing quickly squatted down and continued working. This time, he approached them quickly and without hesitation - let you decide, who is faster, you or me?
After two days and two nights of guarding the mountain, we didn't encounter a single hair of the legendary wild goats, but we did manage to kill two real ones. When we skinned them, the blood wasn't purple, but normal. Most terrifyingly, we nearly died at the hands of a tiger. Even the two-meter-tall tiger, drugged and stunned, fought back fiercely, nearly mauling the Wang family's eldest grandson to death. If it weren't for the dagger Zhou Xiaozheng gifted his son-in-law, the old man would have truly lost his son.
When the old man said the tiger belonged to him, Zhang Guoqing didn't hesitate. "Tigers are so rare! I'll pass it down to future generations, just like the old man did."
Finally, they'd collected the tiger bones. The old man had taken nearly half of them, but Zhang Guoqing didn't feel bad at all. Without the old man and his son, he wouldn't have mastered the skinning technique. And had his wife returned to the village? If he went back so carelessly, they would definitely be confiscated.
The four men carried the fallen animals on their backs, left the forest, and returned to the cabin.
Leaving Mr. Wang and his grandson to kill the remaining prey in the pond, Zhang Guoqing looked worriedly at his clothes, which had been torn again. He wondered if Zhou Jiao would cry again.
This made Old Man Wang laugh out loud. You, Zhang Xiaowu, are the first person to be so afraid of your wife!
Zhang Guoqing ignored the old man. How could he understand that he loved his wife? He took off his coat without hesitation and ran home quickly.
Zhang Guoqing was relieved to see Zhou Jiao at home as promised. Without saying anything more, he handed Ping An to Zhang's mother, carried his wife on his back, and quickly headed up the mountain.
Inside the cabin, Zhou Jiao didn't wake up until Mr. Wang and his grandson and grandson left. The usually calm and composed Zhou Jiao was frightened and remained frozen in place, staring at Tiger Head in a daze.
Zhang Guoqing began to tell them half-truthfully how he had beaten the tiger and how he had rescued Wang Dashazi. In short, he had originally wanted to come with them for some fun, but he hadn't expected to encounter such an emergency.
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at him fiercely and pinched the soft flesh around his waist, asking him to lie and come over to play. You're kidding! If you don't go to the mountains, will the tiger come out?
Zhang Guoqing reluctantly reminded her to put her things away first, otherwise it would be bad if someone came later. As expected, his wife got busy with business first. He secretly wondered what punishment he would receive tonight.
Zhang Guoqing stole a glance at her absentmindedly, and seeing that she had a stern face, he finally remembered that he had dug a beehive, picked her up, ran outside, and presented her with a silly smile.
Zhou Jiao wasn't interested at all. Ginseng can be as much as radish, and honey is just honey. If she didn't teach him a lesson this time, who knows where he'd sneak off next time.
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