Passing by the outskirts of Daqing Mountain, I looked around and saw that, apart from a few fruit trees that produced economic benefits, the area that was once densely packed with coniferous trees was now reduced to sparse, immature trees.
No wonder they say the environment is being destroyed. If they want to cut down trees and build houses in a decade or so, they'll have to go deep into the mountains. Zhou Jiao looked around and narrowed her eyes.
The old captain is truly a brilliant man! — Transplanted fruit tree saplings are scattered around the perimeter. Is he preparing for a rainy day, planning to use the fruit trees to form a safety belt?
Led by Zhang Guoqing's three cousins, about thirty people quietly climbed up the mountainside to the collapsed gym. Further ahead was what the team members called the "Wolf Zone."
Zhang Guoqing looked at his energetic nephews with satisfaction. This stamina was definitely inherited from the Zhang family's good genes. Every one of them was suited to being a hunter!
Of course, he didn't dare say this out loud. Being a hunter was a life-threatening thing. Unless you were so poor that you couldn't even eat, who would want to let their children go through life and death?
Just in the past two years, his uncles and aunts had no intention of letting their grandchildren learn this skill from their elders. It was conceivable that his grandfather's hunting ability really ended with his generation.
Regrets? Of course, there are. But everyone has their own path to take.
Zhang Guoqing could tell that the Zhang family really intended to give up the craft passed down from generation to generation from the fact that their father did not let his two brothers learn hunting.
Perhaps his grandfather spent all his energy to cultivate himself when he was old, and the old man must have thought of this day a long time ago.
"Live off the mountain." Zhang Guoqing believed that if he couldn't leave Zhangjia Village, he couldn't afford to lose the craftsmanship passed down from his ancestors. Living a good life on a few work points was no easy task.
"I've already poked a few hornets' nests over there, but you still have to worry. Don't leave without permission when you get up there. Especially don't go north. That's a real wolf den."
"Uncle Xiaowu, will those wolves come over?"
"You are stupid. It would be better if a wolf came over so that we could have meat to eat."
"Stop making noise, or you'll attract wolves."
Zhang Guoqing ignored the children's whispers and said to Zhang Qingshan and the others, "Let's walk south for three to five hundred meters and we'll be there. I'll be on the periphery watching. We must leave at noon."
Zhang Qingshan nodded. "There's no need to set a time limit. Just remind us if anything goes wrong."
"Okay. Let's keep going." Zhang Guoqing helped Zhou Jiao remove the baby's sling, tucked Ping An into his arms, and handed him a bag of small stones.
Ping An held the bag tightly in his left hand and flexed his arm with his right hand. "I'm fine."
"Well, next, focus on the poisonous snakes, especially in the bushes and on the treetops." Zhang Guoqing finished speaking and smiled when he saw him nod. He felt safe in his arms with his son.
The scenes that happened on this short 500-meter mountain road left a group of people stunned - they saw his uncle (little uncle) waving a machete to widen the road, and the little man in his arms would make a whoosh sound with one of his arms from time to time, and either a snake would fall or a wild rabbit that was running by would fall down.
This father and son are so skilled, do they practice often? And when did the little one learn this? Can he really do it just by doing horse stance and boxing every day?
The children were all eager to make a move. Luckily, they were in the mountains; they knew they couldn't make any noise, or else they'd be sure to find out. But don't worry! There's plenty of time to get back.
Zhang Guoqing listened intently to the sounds around him, his attention focused on his son. Seeing his smug smile, he patted him. "This is just the beginning!" Surviving in these mountains is not easy.
As we got closer to our destination, we began to see more fruit. Over the years, unpicked, the fallen fruit had rotted and fed back into the tree roots. Now, the branches were covered in mountain reds, mountain pears, and jujubes, while bunches of wild grapes lay near the rocks, and clusters of wood ear mushrooms clung to the dry roots. It was truly a bounty of fruit.
As more and more fruit trees appeared, the children began to stop at the same time, their eyes fixed on their favorite wild fruits not far away.
Zhang Guoqing smiled, pointed forward and made the number ten.
The children were all grinning silently. No one cared if the "ten" meant ten minutes or ten meters. If even his uncle liked the place, how could it be any worse?
Zhang Guoqing quickened his pace. The only reason he'd abandoned this area was because he'd set his sights on a few dozen meters of oak forest. There were plenty of wild hazel mushrooms and nuts there. These were valuable specialties that his children could sell to make some money.
I'd heard his mother mention before that every time school started, some of their cousins would tell the girls not to go to school. The children would make a fuss about this, and his father would have to borrow money.
Even though tuition is only a couple of yuan per semester, each cousin has quite a few children, and by the time school starts, the accumulated amount is no small sum. How much does one earn from work points in a year? Furthermore, these children don't have the same food rations as Xizi and the others. If the men in the Zhang family weren't so hardworking and willing to endure hardships, they might even be in food debt.
After walking for less than ten minutes, we finally arrived in front of a beech forest.
Zhang Guoqing paused and nodded to the puzzled group. For a moment, the children smiled foolishly and whispered among themselves.
Seeing this, he clapped his hands helplessly, waited for the children to focus, and said, "Follow the adults. We're staying here today. Don't stray too far. Once you're done packing the sacks, just put them aside."
Zhang Guoqing turned his gaze to his two cousins after he finished speaking, "Brother, it's up to you and Brother Qingfeng to keep an eye on the children. I'll be on guard all around."
"We all have my brother-in-law's medicine with us, so there's no problem. Just go about your business."
"Xiao Wu, take your son and get some more meat. It's okay for us to keep an eye on it here." Zhang Qingfeng said while winking at Zhang Guoqing, signaling him to stay away.
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. He hadn't planned to go far today, though. Since he'd brought them out, he had to get them back safely. The forest was rife with danger. Besides his own nephews, who he could trust, he hadn't had any contact with the other children, and he was worried they might mess up.
Seeing them start to move, Zhang Guoqing quickly circled around, killed a few snakes, ran to the stream to wash his hands, and then put Ping An down.
"Let's go find your mother. Next, you can learn some medicinal herbs, and then we can pick mountain products. We'll go hunting as a family later."
"I listen to Dad."
Zhang Guoqing picked him up and said with a smile, "Dad made this plan yesterday when we were exploring the trail. Our family will find a good day to stay overnight in the mountains. We can hear the sounds of various animals more clearly at night."
"Dad, are we going to the mountains?"
"We have to wait for Dad to discuss this with Grandpa Wang. It would be best if we could go with their family. Your mother can't go deep in the mountains, and we have to keep it a secret from her, otherwise she will definitely stop us."
"My mom said she has no secrets from you."
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