Chapter 159: Going up the mountain
Zhou Huaian took Yang Chunyan past the first house, then the third house, and walked along the ridge of the field for more than half an hour before reaching the foot of the North Mountain.
Yang Chunyan saw Solanum sibiricum, Xanthium sibiricum, Clerodendrum paniculatum, and Cistanche deserticola growing at the foot of the mountain. The whole mountain was fragrant, but she didn't see any herbs like Streptocarpus scoparia and Plantain. She thought that those people might have dug them up and brought them back home.
The two walked up the mountain road. "Huaian, you see there are a lot of fragrant osmanthus growing here... We will come back to cut them when we come down the mountain."
"I told you last time that there are a lot of things here, but you still didn't believe me. Let me tell you, there should be a lot of good things on the mountain."
"I didn't say I don't trust you." Yang Chunyan looked back at him, "Why did Uncle Daqing want Yiding to replace him? Is he the only one looking after this forest farm?"
"I heard from Yiding that many of the big trees on this mountain are gone. The woodcutters have moved to the forest above. Only Uncle Daqing and a man are watching over the mountain.
The man who worked the same shift with Uncle Daqing two years ago has been at home recuperating from an illness. He asked his son to take over, but he refused.
Uncle Daqing told the bureau that he could do it alone, but he needed to ask Yiding to go up the mountain to help when he went to cut wood. Their leader probably wanted to take care of him, so he agreed. Yiding could get 30 yuan a month for going up the mountain.
Zhou Huaian took two quick steps and squeezed next to her. "They are under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Bureau. They have to plant trees every year to prevent forest fires. They also have to prevent those people from stealing and cutting wood in the mountains. The person who was resting was injured by the wood thieves."
Yang Chunyan rolled her eyes at him and said, "The road is not wide to begin with. I wonder why you squeezed in here?"
Zhou Huaian grinned, "I want to walk next to my wife!"
"I don't want to bother with you!" Yang Chunyan climbed up the stone steps. The wild flowers on both sides of the mountain path were blooming beautifully.
Zhou Huaian plucked some wild flowers and made a wreath, which he placed on Yang Chunyan's straw hat. He then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, "It's beautiful. It would be nice if there was a camera."
Yang Chunyan blushed and glared at him in reproach, "Don't touch anyone on the mountain. If Yiding sees us, he will laugh at us."
"I'm not stupid!" Zhou Huaian took her hand, "Ding Ding Cat is getting irritated!"
"What's up with you? How's his blind date going?"
"Yesterday he went to see a girl who used to come here often. Before he went, he swore that he went to see her to give his third sister face.
When I got there, I found that the girl looked different from when she was little. She was fair and clean, and quite pretty. I liked her a little, but I couldn't say no. I was also thinking about the time when we went fishing in the river naked together when we were little."
Yang Chunyan curled her lips and said, "You men all like good-looking girls. You can't even walk when you see a good-looking girl!"
"What are you saying? Who doesn't like to look at pretty things?" Zhou Huaian held her back, "I think you women are more lustful than us men. Didn't you agree to marry me because I'm pretty?"
Yang Chunyan blushed after hearing this, but she was still stubborn and said, "Shame on you, there are many prettier girls than you."
She thought about looking for a partner with Zhou Huaian, and had to admit that she was a member of what young people in later generations call the appearance association.
Zhou Huaian looked at her with a shy face, "No one can describe a pretty girl as good as me, and no one is as nice to you as I am!"
Yang Chunyan twisted him and said, "Go, walk properly!"
Zhou Huaian nodded, "Yeah! If we don't walk properly, we won't be able to get up the mountain before dark!"
The path became narrower as they went up the mountain. The sea buckthorn trees on both sides were full of pink flowers, and the blackthorn trees were full of yellow-green fruits. Zhou Huaian picked a few and handed them to her, and they ate as they walked.
Yang Chunyan also discovered two jujube trees full of yellow-green flowers. She thought that this thing would be hard to find in the future, so she would find two small trees to plant behind the house when she had the chance.
There are herbs everywhere on both sides of the mountain road, including wild chrysanthemums, wild alliums, datura, etc.
Yang Chunyan pointed at the Viola yedoensis on the roadside and said, "Huai'an, dig up those herbs and take them away?"
"Come back next time to dig, Yiding is waiting for us!"
After walking up for more than an hour, the mountain path disappeared into the forest. Traces of mushrooms could be seen everywhere, and large tree stumps left over from felled trees could be seen from time to time.
Yang Chunyan looked at every tree stump she passed, but didn't find any Ganoderma lucidum. She picked up some Green Oyster Mushrooms and carried some mushrooms on her back and continued walking forward.
She wiped the sweat off her face and looked towards the top of the mountain. "How far is it?"
Zhou Huaian pointed ahead, "They live halfway up the mountain. It's another two hours' walk to the top of the mountain."
As he spoke, he took the sand gun out of the backpack and looked at Yang Chunyan with a smile, "I heard from Ding Dingmao that there are pheasants in the forest. If you are lucky, you may encounter musk deer and wild goats."
Yang Chunyan glanced at the polished sand gun and said, "It's only so high. How can it be so easy to come across one?"
Zhou Huaian took off the holster and walked forward with the gun on his shoulder, "Take it out first, if you see it, I'll shoot it!"
Seeing him wearing a straw hat and carrying a gun, Yang Chunyan thought he looked like a traitor in the anti-Japanese drama. She said with a smile, "I've never seen you shoot a gun. Are you a good shooter?"
"Don't you know how good my shooting skills are?" Zhou Huaian turned his head and looked at her with a lewd smile on his face, looking like he really deserved a beating.
"Pa~" Yang Chunyan hit him with a bamboo pole, and walked away in big strides, knocking on the dense grass.
Zhou Huaian touched his nose and followed. After climbing the mountain for more than two hours with his gun on his shoulder, he was almost halfway up the mountain where Zhou Yiding and his friends lived, but he didn't even see a pheasant feather.
"Yan'er, we are just ahead. Follow the path people have walked on and turn left. There is a large flat area over there."
Yang Chunyan looked back at him and said, "You look like a deserter."
Zhou Huaian looked at her with a sly smile, "Little sister, deserters are bandits, and bandits are not good people. Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid! I'm scared to death!" As the two chatted and laughed, they arrived in front of a large courtyard facing north and south.
The courtyard gate was wide open. When I walked in, I saw a lot of wood piled up in the dam, and two or three acres of vegetable plantations.
Two rows of stone houses were built facing north and south. The walls were painted white and some slogans unique to that era were written in red paint. The dam was also full of wood.
A big dog with a black face and brown fur barked at the two of them, while a dog with brown-black fur, a big nose, inverted triangular eyes, and droopy ears wagged its tail and barked at Zhou Huaian.
Zhou Huaian stepped forward and touched its head, "Dahei, you still recognize me!"
"Woof woof!" Dahei barked at him affectionately.
"Do you know it?"
"They are all the offspring of the Xu family's mountain-chasing dogs. When they are not tied up, they go up the mountain to find food on their own. They are very good at hunting."
Zhou Yiding heard the noise and ran out of the house. He greeted the two of them with a smile, "Why are you here just now? I thought you were coming tomorrow!"
Zhou Huaian put down his backpack and said, "We will go up the mountain after we eat. Who asked you to live on such a high mountain?"
Zhou Yiding rolled his eyes at him and said to Yang Chunyan with a smile, "Sister-in-law, come in and sit down."
"We are here to trouble you."
"Hey! Why are you being so polite to him?" Zhou Huaian smiled and hugged Zhou Yiding, "Have you ever looked for the tree I told you about?"
(End of this chapter)
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