This time, Director Wu stopped, looked up at Du Jianshan for a few seconds, and then said, "Now is not the time for the craze of going to the countryside to support the border regions. If you sign up now, you'll probably end up in the most remote place. Aren't you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? As long as we have food to eat, that's all that matters." Du Jianshan smiled.
Director Wu snorted and stubbed out his cigarette. "That's enough. Sign here, go home and wait for further notice. There's a group of people being sent to the coast soon, maybe you can make it."
"The coast?" Du Jianshan's eyes lit up. "Can we fish there?"
Director Wu raised an eyebrow: "You really went there to go beachcombing?"
"I can go into the mountains, hunt, fish, dig the ground and weed, I don't care."
"It's good that young people have this kind of enthusiasm." Director Wu made a note in the register with satisfaction. "Go back and prepare. I'll let you know to set off in three days at most."
Du Jianshan thanked them and breathed a sigh of relief as he left the subdistrict office.
Back home, he packed a few old clothes and found some worn-out harpoons and slingshots in the corner, muttering to himself, "Fishing depends on luck, hunting depends on skill."
Old Li, the neighbor, saw this and asked with a smile, "Little Du, you're not going to go beachcombing, are you?"
"Who knows where to send it? Just be prepared."
"Let me tell you, my cousin went to Fujian back then. He said there were more fish than people, and he got tired of eating seafood for the next few years."
“That’s a good place.” Du Jianshan grinned. “If I ever go to Fujian, I’ll send you some dried goods.”
"Send you my head! The postage is more expensive than the fish!"
Three days later, a dilapidated truck pulled up at the street corner, and dozens of young men carrying bedding rolls filed aboard. Du Jianshan sat at the back of the truck, watching the town recede into the distance, and felt a sense of relief.
"You signed up too?" a tall, thin man next to him asked.
"Hmm, and you?"
“My name is Zhao Wenlin. My family really couldn’t afford to support me anymore, so I signed up to go to the countryside. I heard it was to the seaside, but I’ve never seen the sea before.”
"Then you're lucky today, you might get to see him." Du Jianshan patted him on the shoulder. "My name is Du Jianshan, and we'll be partners from now on."
Zhao Wenlin grinned, and that's how the two met.
After three days of driving, passing through most of the province, we finally arrived at a place called "Jintan Commune". Facing the sea and backed by mountains, rows of red brick houses and thatched huts were mixed together, fishing boats were densely moored on the shore, and the air was filled with the smell of the sea and the saltiness of dried seaweed.
As soon as I got off the bus, a dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man came up to me. He was wearing a patched cadre uniform and was obviously a local.
"Welcome, welcome! New educated youth, you've worked hard! I'm Lin, the deputy director of Jintan Commune!"
"Hello, Deputy Director Lin!" everyone shouted.
"Although our commune is a bit tough, there are hunters in the mountains and fish in the sea. As long as you're willing to work, you won't go hungry! Let's settle down tonight and start in groups early tomorrow morning. You can choose to go to the beach or the mountains yourself."
Du Jianshan's eyes lit up; it was indeed a place where he could really show off his skills.
That night, everyone stayed at the educated youth settlement. A row of old houses had shared beds, with about ten young men sleeping in each room. Zhao Wenlin looked at the roof: "Won't this roof leak in the middle of the night?"
"As long as it's a place to stay, what's there to be picky about?" Du Jianshan had already spread out his bedding. "If you're not comfortable, sleep next to me."
"You're really not being polite." Zhao Wenlin laughed and threw down his bedding, rolling over.
The next morning, Deputy Director Lin called out the names and divided the people into groups: "Those who like to go hunting in the mountains, stand on the left; those who want to go to sea, stand on the right."
Du Jianshan stood on the right without hesitation, and Zhao Wenlin hesitated for a moment before following suit.
"Those who want to go to sea, follow me. First, learn how to haul in the nets and cast anchor. We'll set sail tomorrow."
At the dock, fishing boats were preparing their supplies. Old fisherman Li, puffing on his pipe, looked at the new young man and frowned, saying, "You think you can catch fish with just these few skinny bamboo poles?"
Du Jianshan laughed and said, "Don't worry about our thin bones, we are resistant to hunger and hardship, and we will definitely not be a burden when we go out to sea."
"Quick-tongued indeed." Old Li snorted. "Fine, we'll meet at five o'clock tomorrow morning. Let's see if you can hold out all day."
“No problem.” Du Jianshan squinted at the distant sea. “This water is good for your health.”
That night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Zhao Wenlin asked, "Nervous?"
"Excited," Du Jianshan said. "I saw the sea when I was a child, and I thought back then that it would be great if I could live by the sea every day."
"Don't be too romantic. If the sea is rough, the ship can capsize."
"Even if we're overturned, we have to get back up and keep going."
The next morning, the sea was calm, and the group boarded the boat with Grandpa Li and set sail. At first, they rowed, anchored, and cast nets, all by hand strength. Du Jianshan worked hard, sweating profusely, but his face was flushed with excitement.
"You've got a good net cast, kid!" Grandpa Li exclaimed in surprise. "Where did you learn that?"
"I practiced it myself. I used to throw nets into the river when I was a kid."
"I have a knack for it." Old Li nodded. "After you've made three trips, I'll let you set up your net to fish."
As they hauled in the net at dusk, several large yellow croakers were jumping around in the hold. Zhao Wenlin jumped up excitedly: "They're alive! They're really alive!"
"Getting excited already?" Du Jianshan laughed. "Let's see if you can still jump this high when we cast our own nets."
Back on shore, Du Jianshan quietly collected a basket of the fattest fish and shrimp and casually tossed it into his spatial storage.
"With you here, our team is probably going to be recognized as an advanced team every year," Zhao Wenlin exclaimed.
Du Jianshan patted him on the shoulder: "Don't just be envious. You've been hunting in the mountains before. I'll go with you sometime and we'll see who can outhunt whom."
"Alright, let's cultivate both mountains and seas then!"
"roll!"
"Not bad at all." Du Jianshan gritted his teeth and stood up. The effects of the spiritual spring were still there, and he could feel the power surging into his limbs.
The next moment, he rushed forward, slashing horizontally with his knife in one hand, and suddenly pulled out a short stick that had been soaked in hemp vine juice from his pocket with the other hand, and stabbed it into the badger's armpit.
The badger let out a miserable cry, struggled a few times, and then collapsed to the ground.
Du Jianshan sat on the ground, panting, looking at the corpse of the blue-striped badger, his face full of exhaustion.
"An hour is probably not enough."
Just as he finished speaking, a circle of light rose up in the forest, like a giant net that enveloped him and the badger.
"Congratulations, you have successfully hunted down the prey."
The voice rang out again, but it was no longer Shi Laosan's; instead, it was a cold and solemn male voice.
"Upon completion of the second trial, you will gain temporary access to the Spirit Spring Space, which you may enter once a month for a period of two hours."
"That's all." Du Jianshan grinned, his body covered in blood, but his eyes shone with a frightening light. "See you next time, let's continue hunting."
The light screen disappeared, and the world turned upside down again. When he came to his senses, he was already lying on the stone bed of the dilapidated temple at the edge of the village, still tightly clutching the hunting knife in his hand, with a trace of bluish blood still wet on the tip of the blade.
The moonlight was bright outside, and familiar footsteps could be heard at the temple gate.
"Jianshan? You're awake?" It was his sister Du Xiaoxing's voice.
He grinned and struggled to his feet: "Don't shout, keep your voice down."
When Du Xiaoxing saw that he was covered in blood, she was so frightened that she almost cried out, "Brother, where did you go again? Are you hurt?"
"It's nothing, I just bumped into a tree." Du Jianshan wiped his face. "Do you still have that water jug?"
"Yes, I'm here. My mom just had a sip and said her legs feel much better."
The place was dusty and dirty, with not a single decent person in sight. Only two or three men in old cotton-padded clothes were leaning against the wall, basking in the sun, their eyes sharp as knives, scrutinizing every passerby.
Du Jianshan paused, walked to the blue brick in the corner of the wall, bent down and patted it twice, paused, and then patted it again.
A soft rustling sound came from behind the wall, and a man in a black jacket poked his head out, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking at him with hostility: "What are you doing?"
Du Jianshan grinned and handed over a crumpled pack of Peony brand cigarettes: "Looking for Old Zhu, he's here to deliver the air."
The man took the cigarette, sized him up, and asked, "Which way is the wind blowing?"
Du Jianshan said in a deep voice, "Head south, catch the high tide."
The man nodded, turned around, and opened a narrow door: "Go in, but don't look around."
As Du Jianshan walked in, a damp smell hit him. Inside was a dimly lit little room with old newspapers pasted on the walls. An oil lamp hung from the rafters, its light casting a flickering glow on the face of the person sitting at the table.
"Old Zhu," Du Jianshan called out, taking out the letter of introduction and placing it on the table, "Do you still want the spot you mentioned last time?"
Old Zhu was quite old, with deep wrinkles on his face. He stared at the letter for a while before looking up and asking, "Where did you get this?"
"The factory has a new list, and some people don't want to go, so they're selling their spots. I'm buying them for thirty yuan."
Old Zhu sneered: "You think I don't know? They're cracking down hard now, and if anything happens, you'll go to jail."
Du Jianshan pushed the letter forward: "What do you need to be afraid of? Which of your men is clean? Besides, this stuff can be exchanged for money, aren't you tempted?"
Old Zhu didn't answer. He lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and then asked, "Where is this spot going?"
“Laoshan Machinery Factory.” Du Jianshan paused. “They’re short-staffed right now. I heard it’s a long-term job with regular meals.”
Old Zhu was finally tempted. He put down his cigarette and said, "Thirty? I'll take it, but you have to bring people with you. I won't show my face before we land."
Du Jianshan nodded: "No problem, I'll bring the men tomorrow night."
Old Zhu waved his hand: "Go ahead, you know how to handle this, just don't cause me any trouble."
It was already late when he stepped outside. Du Jianshan walked down the dark street, his pockets heavy with money—it was the chance he had earned by trading his life.
Back in his dilapidated brick house, only his mother was boiling water, the stove crackling and popping.
"Jianshan, where have you been again?" Du's mother turned to look at him, her eyes full of weariness.
"I want to find out something." Du Jianshan didn't go into details, but instead lowered his head and pulled off the scarf around his neck. "Mother, take out some of the money you've been hiding tomorrow."
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