Fourth Uncle's name was Gao Jialin. He used to be a full-time employee of the Bashang Forest Farm. He was a skilled craftsman and an old hand at the deer farm.
It is said that he was involved in planning and building the deer farm in the Bashang Forest Farm, and he was also the one who domesticated the first batch of wild sika deer and wild red deer.
Mr. Gao can be considered the founder and pioneer of the deer farm.
But this man, when he was fifty years old, was suddenly given a severe punishment for something, and the entire forest farm was notified.
The old man was a model worker who received awards every year and wore a big red flower!
He was suddenly given a severe punishment, and without anyone gossiping or giving him meaningful looks, Fourth Uncle couldn't bear it.
He locked himself in his room for a month, and the first thing he did when he went out after a month was to resign.
In a fit of anger, he quit his job and went home to farm. But this same temperament made him more and more withdrawn, and now he is a well-known loner in the village.
...
Five years ago, in 1974, the Great Revolution was still ongoing.
Li Xiangdong asked, "Do you know why Fourth Uncle was punished?"
The second aunt's husband first shook his head, then looked at Li Xiangdong with a hesitant expression.
Li Xiangdong understood and took out a pack of filtered cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.
Second Aunt's husband quickly declined, "No, no! That's not what I meant! You brought so many things to ask me to mediate, and I haven't even let you see Fourth Uncle. I'm already embarrassed enough. How could I accept your cigarettes!"
As he spoke, he looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then cautiously whispered a few words to Li Xiangdong, "It seems that Fourth Uncle was secretly reselling deer antlers and deer placenta extract, making a lot of money. Later, the accounts didn't match up, and the forestry station found out..."
The value of deer antler goes without saying. At a certain stage, unsliced two-pronged deer antler was a hard currency, just like Zhonghua cigarettes and Moutai liquor, which could be exchanged for money.
Deer placenta extract is a precious traditional Chinese medicine, and its most important ingredient is deer placenta.
Deer fetuses are obtained in spring or autumn, during the gestation period after the deer has died in the mother's womb. They are then taken out, preserved, boiled in boiling water, the outer membrane is removed, washed, and cut into small pieces.
Add Chinese herbs such as angelica dahurica, saposhnikovia divaricata, cocklebur, burnet root, and bezoar to the diced deer placenta, along with an appropriate amount of water, and put them all into a porcelain jar. Simmer over low heat until it becomes thick, then filter to remove impurities. The final product is deer placenta paste.
Deer placenta extract is a tonic that can nourish both yin and yang, making it a good medicine for nourishing qi and blood and replenishing both yin and yang.
Selling such valuable traditional Chinese medicine privately is a serious act of corruption.
During those days of the "Three-Anti" and "Five-Anti" campaigns, whether it was catching corrupt "tigers" or catching wasteful "flies," they would all be severely punished.
In mild cases, they might lose their official positions or be sent to labor camps; in severe cases, they might be imprisoned or even beheaded.
If Fourth Uncle really did resell deer antler and deer placenta extract, how could he have only received a punishment?
Will the forestry farm allow him to continue working there?
Li Xiangdong asked his second aunt's husband, "Is this true? If Fourth Uncle really embezzled such valuable medicinal herbs, he'd probably face more than just a disciplinary action. Besides, although he's a veteran of the deer farm, he doesn't hold any official position; he's just an ordinary feeder. To think he could handle so many deer antlers and kill so many deer to make deer placenta extract... it just doesn't sound like it..."
My second aunt's husband shook his head. "We don't know either. I'm not bragging, but our family has a clean reputation. My fourth uncle would never do such a thing. It's just that his younger cousin had acute leukemia at the time. I wonder if he did it because he was short of money?"
Li Xiangdong nodded, "That's possible."
However, it seems that we must resolve Fourth Uncle's inner conflict before we can get him to help raise deer.
"Well, those who weren't there definitely wouldn't know the details. Anyway, Uncle, we'll head back now."
Just as they were about to reach the door of his second aunt's husband's house, Li Xiangdong quickly said goodbye.
"Don't be so polite! We'll have dinner at home tonight!"
My second aunt's husband held onto Mai Zi and Li Xiangdong tightly, and Mai Zi couldn't refuse his hospitality. She looked at Li Xiangdong with a troubled expression.
Li Xiangdong thought for a moment, and since he still had some things to ask his second aunt's husband, he decided to stay for dinner.
My second aunt's husband's family had dinner early today; they started eating before four o'clock.
Mai Zi was helping her aunt and cousin-in-law in the kitchen, while Li Xiangdong, her second aunt's husband, and her eldest cousin were chatting inside.
Of course, the main topic of the conversation revolved around Fourth Uncle.
The eldest cousin was clearly more talkative than the cautious second uncle, and there were some things that the second uncle considered taboo, the eldest cousin didn't care about at all.
Upon hearing that his fourth uncle had given Li Xiangdong the cold shoulder, he immediately said, "You want your fourth uncle to come out of the mountains to raise deer? Heh heh! Of course he won't see you!"
Li Xiangdong asked, "What's going on?"
My older cousin sneered, "So you're feeling sorry now!"
Li Xiangdong lit a cigarette for his older cousin and then asked, "What do you mean by that?"
The older cousin replied nonchalantly, "Hey, after Fourth Uncle was caught reselling deer antlers and deer placenta extract, he can't stand the word 'deer' anymore!"
My second aunt's husband immediately stopped him, "Don't fucking talk nonsense! Did you feed the cat piss again at noon?"
The older cousin retorted, "I wasn't lying! It was Old Zhang from the Bashang Forest Farm and Xianglin's mother who said it!"
My second aunt's husband was so angry that he was puffing out his beard and glaring at his face. His angry appearance was even somewhat similar to that of my fourth uncle.
Li Xiangdong quickly pressed on, "Who is Lao Zhang?"
"Old Zhang used to be the deputy director of the Bashang Forest Farm, he retired a year or two ago. That old bastard's a sleazy guy, he's having an affair with Xianglin's mother..."
Before my older cousin could finish speaking, my second aunt's husband put down his size 45 shoes, which still smelled of foot odor!
"You little brat, are you looking for death?!"
Li Xiangdong quickly stopped his second uncle, saying, "Let's talk this out, don't hit him..."
My second aunt's husband stomped his feet in anger, "Damn it, this little brat is spreading rumors about his own people everywhere. If other people find out, they'll think it's true!"
When the older cousin saw that his father was really angry, he immediately ran out of the inner room with his head in his hands!
He ran to the window and shouted through the white paper covering the window, "It's true, so why are we afraid of what others will say? It's all his fault! People are saying behind our backs that we have a corrupt big tiger in our family!"
“I…”
Li Xiangdong couldn't understand what his second aunt's husband was saying, but judging from his anxious and pale face, he guessed it was local swearing.
Li Xiangdong comforted his second aunt's husband and thought to himself that it seemed he hadn't stayed for nothing. He would go and chat with his eldest cousin after dinner.
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