A figure rushed past in the deep mountains and forests, so fast that people couldn't tell that he was carrying a child in his arms.
Ping An held his neck tightly with one hand and put the other hand into the cloth bag hanging on his chest to squeeze the stone tightly. If an animal appeared, he would be able to help.
The serious faces of the father and son had the same expression at this moment. When they heard the humming sound not far away, their eyes lit up at the same time and looked in that direction.
Zhang Guoqing didn't rush to act, but asked in a low voice: "What is this?"
Ping An made a face - pig!
Zhang Guoqing gave him a thumbs-up. "It's at least 500 meters away. We're not in a hurry. Let's listen for other animal sounds. We need to check the surroundings before hunting. Some directions are cliffs, and those areas are dead zones. Even if we are absolutely sure, we can't go there."
And if there are other dangerous animals at the target location, we have to take a detour. Animals are actually just as smart as humans. They also know the saying, "The mantis stalks the cicada, while the oriole waits behind."
Ping An nodded seriously.
"This hunt is secondary. Dad will first teach you how to use the trees around you without a compass, how to escape from a maze, and how to find healing materials at any time if you get injured. There's also a lot of first aid knowledge you need to learn. Once you master it, you'll be the master of the forest."
"Dad, you're amazing! Teach me everything."
Zhang Guoqing patted him on the shoulder and said, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. Take your time. Dad will take you up the mountain as soon as he has time. When you have learned enough, we can find someone to go up the mountain with you."
Ping An nodded seriously. His father had said he would contact Grandpa Wang and the others about this matter.
"Now that you're familiar with the northern forests, I'll take you to the southern woods next time. The weather there is humid, and the miasma and poisonous insects can kill a person if they're not careful. So even if you learn some skills, you can't be careless."
"I understand."
Zhang Guoqing looked at the child in his arms with concern. What was his future? He was still young, so he should learn how to survive first, and then he'd see what would happen when he grew up.
Putting aside these worries, Zhang Guoqing began to carefully point out the land, trees, and weeds under his feet in the surrounding environment, and taught them everything in detail.
This training not only taught him hunting knowledge, but also the knowledge of special forces survival in the wild that he had learned in his previous life, as well as the crisis self-rescue methods mentioned by the hired mercenaries.
Zhou Jiao had put a lot of effort into this trip to Northeast China for her child, and even more so, for him to be able to save himself in this crisis. Drawing on Zhang Guoqing's memories and her own translations of Chinese and foreign military magazines, she had meticulously compiled a thick manual. If she hadn't worried about being too conspicuous, she would have given it to Zhou Xiaozheng long ago, but the timing wasn't right; she had to wait.
After much discussion, the couple decided that their son's high IQ didn't mean he could easily handle crises. He still needed to learn what he needed to learn, especially self-help skills.
Zhang Guoqing was busy here, and Zhou Jiao was not relaxed in the wooden house either. The big rusty iron pot on the stove in the wooden house had been stolen a long time ago by someone, and now there was only a clay pot on it. It was probably added by an old hunter later for the convenience of staying overnight when going up and down the mountain.
But these didn't bother Zhou Jiao, as she had plenty of large iron pots. She just had to clean the small opening made of stones on top, otherwise she wouldn't be able to press the pot.
Since she had to clean up anyway, Zhou Jiao simply used the stones above and the stones in the corner to build a large stove in front of the house. Soon, two iron pots were set up, and the flames made the fat in the pots boil out oil, and the fragrance filled the surroundings of the wooden house.
After extinguishing the flames, she finished filling a porcelain jar with oil half an hour later, carefully watching to see if the jar would explode from the heat. After a moment, she found nothing unusual, and with a bright smile on her face, she quickly poured the warm oil from the two pots into a large porcelain jar. Using the space inside, she placed the large jar on the earthen kang in the house to cool.
An enamel basin with a big red flower was filled with fragrant browned lard residue and placed on the earthen kang. She reached out and grabbed a small bite and quickly put it into her mouth. It was so hot that she quickly pinched her earlobe with her fingers.
She looked up and down the mountain path, but still saw no one. Squinting her eyes, she focused on the supplies in the space, picking out the raw seafood that was taking up space and putting them into the pot to steam.
Looking back at the roof over the kang, Zhou Jiao felt uneasy and put her things away. With nothing to do for a moment, she didn't even bother making dumplings to keep an eye on anyone approaching. She set up a coal stove by the door, started a fire, and cut vegetables, sweating profusely.
When the sun reached its zenith, she looked anxiously at the end of the path leading up the mountain. It was already noon, and the father and son hadn't forgotten to be hungry because they were having so much fun.
Time passed slowly. Zhou Jiao steamed four large pots of seafood and fried many dishes. She was so tired that her hands were cramping, but she still didn't see Zhang Guoqing come back with his son.
She lost her patience and filled all three pots with the stewed potatoes and beef. This didn't require much thought. Once the stew was done, she simply poured it into large, thick bowls, placed chopsticks on top of the bowls, and stacked the bowls in a plastic container. It was convenient and delicious, perfect for topping noodles or mixing with rice.
Before the aroma of beef could spread, the shadows of Zhang Guoqing and Ping An in his arms finally appeared in Zhou Jiao's sight in the distance.
While she was delighted, she was also speechless. What the hell were these things that father and son were carrying, carrying, and hoisting? Could she possibly handle the burning?
"Mother……"
The closer Ping An got to the cabin, the more excited he became, and he shook the little wild boar in his hand to show off.
Even though Zhou Jiao was already accustomed to her son's strength, she was still overjoyed to see him swinging the piglet around like it was playful, especially his small hands that looked even whiter and more tender against the black piglet's background.
Arriving in front of the cabin, Zhang Guoqing unloaded his heavy load with a smile on his face. "This is my son's first hunt. We'll roast it and bring it home so he can show it off to Dad."
"I'm not showing off. I have an agreement with Grandpa."
"Okay, after lunch, Dad will take care of it. Let's go shower up front."
Zhou Jiao didn't have time to speak. While the father and son went to the river, she quickly set the table and took out some clothes.
Zhang Guoqing and his son carelessly took off their clothes, dipped into the pond and washed quickly. Zhang Guoqing ran back in his wet shorts, holding his naked son.
Zhou Jiao helped her son put on clean clothes and dried his hair.
Zhang Guoqing said regretfully, "The water in this pond is really cold. It would be better if you could go in too."
"And fish."
"Yes. But son, you have to remember not to go into the middle of the pond. It's full of mud and very dangerous. The big rock at the bottom of the pond we just saw was put there by Dad when he was a kid. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare go in the water."
Ping'an nodded his little head like a pounding onion, and did not forget to remind, "Mom, there are a lot of stone snails next to the rocks. It's great here, nothing needs a ticket, no money."
Well, that's right! It's indeed her son, and his thinking is different from her man. Zhou Jiao smiled provocatively at Zhang Guoqing. Don't think you can't guess what he's thinking.
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