Chapter 19: It seems like something big is about to happen.
After taking stock, I found two red lanterns, a package of candles, the Thousand Character Classic along with the cheapest writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, a few inexpensive firecrackers for the occasion, and a tinderbox, which is more convenient than a flint.
He still didn't quite know how to use that flint to start a fire.
He could even secretly cheat by using the lighter he got from signing in at the kitchen stove.
However, after failing to light the fire twice in front of Xiaohua, the little girl had been puzzled for several days.
Let's buy a tinderbox instead.
After confirming that nothing had been forgotten, he packed up all the items he had counted, and then got back onto the oxcart with his basket on his back.
By this time, there were already things like Yubaba's hot water bottles used to warm up the bed in winter. Although the names were different, the function was the same.
Grandma Guo thought the heat-resistant fabric covering the outside was a trendy style in the county town. After the incident with the restaurant floor mats, she is now much more accepting of these nice things.
The dumplings wouldn't keep long after the outer packaging was removed; they thawed almost as soon as I brought them home. Afraid they wouldn't keep, I just boiled and ate them that night.
Pork and scallion dumplings are made with plenty of seasoning during the filling preparation, and the outer wrapper is made with high-quality, fine white flour.
Even without vinegar at home, Guo Xiaohua, who loves her food, eats almost every bite without making a sound.
There are only eighteen dumplings in a bag, and each person can have six. Although the dumplings are not small, you can't get full just by eating dumplings.
Grandma Guo added some more black noodles, like the wonton noodles from the market, along with some chili sauce, greens, and pickled vegetables, and served each person a full bowl.
I finished the bowl of dumpling noodles in no time, and felt a light sweat on my back from the hot soup.
The three had just finished eating and were about to use the hot water that had been boiled by the stove to wash their faces and scald their feet before going to bed when they suddenly heard a continuous sound of gongs outside the door.
Why are so many people in the village suddenly banging gongs when it's neither a festival nor a holiday?
Before the gong had completely stopped ringing, Guo Baiwen heard what sounded like someone knocking on the door amidst the ever-approaching sound of the gong.
First, he knocked twice loudly, but received no response. Then he knocked several more times urgently.
Because it was meant to drown out the sound of the gong, it sounded like they were going to knock the door down.
The sound, echoing in the quiet night, was quite frightening.
The little black dog in the neighboring yard, and several other dog owners in the distance, started barking in unison after hearing the noise.
It looks like something big is about to happen.
Guo Baiwen glanced at Grandma Guo, got up, put on his shaggy straw sandals, and slowly walked into the yard. After confirming that he hadn't misheard the knocking, he suddenly raised his voice and asked loudly, "Who is it?"
Upon hearing his voice, several more knocks sounded at the door, and a familiar voice came from the doorway amidst the sound of a gong, "It's me—your Uncle Stone!"
Uncle Stone, what brings you here at this hour?
Guo Baiwen removed the bolt from the gate and let the man in, asking, "Uncle Shitou, what's wrong?"
In the past, once it got dark, people in Guojia Village wouldn't go visiting each other.
What's more, it's so lively at night.
Uncle Shi held a torch in his hand, beads of sweat still clinging to his face, as if he had run all the way. After finally knocking on the door and seeing Guo Baiwen, he didn't seem inclined to come in and speak. He put away the gong and said, "The village chief told us to hurry and go door-to-door to inform everyone that someone found spotted footprints of spotted mites in the woods behind the village this afternoon. They don't know exactly how many there are, so everyone in the village should be careful these next few days, not go out at night, and preferably not leave the village during the day either."
"Banzi?" This was the first time Guo Baiwen had heard this name, and he repeated it again in confusion.
"Be careful," Grandma Guo said, having come over at some point. She nervously grabbed Guo Baiwen and Xiaohua, and whispered to her grandchildren, "It's that man-eating tiger."
Food is scarce in the wild during winter, and there haven't been any spotted mitten ...
Who knows, they might sneak into the village one day.
Their house is too close to the village entrance. If the bandits manage to sneak into the village, the families at the beginning and end of the village will be the first to suffer.
If you only eat chicken, duck, or other poultry, even if it hurts, you'll feel better after a few days.
The worst-case scenario is that these wild beasts might look down on the domestic fowl that are barely worth a bite, and instead target larger people like them. That would be disastrous.
Uncle Stone at the entrance naturally knew about what happened more than ten years ago. Last time, when Banzi entered the village, six or seven people were killed or injured before the hunters in the village finally subdued him.
Finally, the village chief decided to divide the money from the sale of tiger skin, tiger meat, and tiger bones equally: half to the hunters who subdued the beasts, and half to the families whose members had died or been injured.
A dead person cannot be brought back to life.
There are some kinds of money that nobody wants.
He suddenly raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his face. “Aunt Maiya, your son Wenzai isn’t very strong, and this place isn’t very good either. Before we came, the village chief told me that if you feel uncomfortable staying here, you can pack your things and stay in the ancestral hall area in the middle of the village for the next few days.”
"You should decide sooner rather than later. If you're planning to move there, it would be best to do so in the next day or two. If you wait too long, the ancestral hall might not be able to accommodate so many people."
The ancestral hall in Guojia Village is the most elaborate place in the entire village. The outer wall of the courtyard is made of stone, brick, and then stone again, making it not only sturdier than the fences of other courtyards, but also taller.
The 'tiger-repelling incantation' that was specially obtained from a shaman was still pasted on the door of the ancestral hall.
Although I couldn't understand what was written on it, just seeing the yellow paper and red characters made me feel much more at ease.
"I have to rush to inform other people, so I won't talk to you any longer."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Guo nodded repeatedly and thanked her profusely, saying, "Oh, I understand, thank you so much, Shitou, for making the trip all the way here."
It was only after Uncle Stone's visit that Guo Baiwen learned that his grandmother's name was actually Maiya.
Guo Xiaohua tugged at Grandma Guo's sleeve, "Grandma, so your name is Maiya (Maiya)."
It turns out that not only he didn't know, but Xiaohua also didn't know Grandma's name.
The little girl clearly had no concrete understanding of the ferocity of the giant spotted man, and still had the leisure to continue chatting, saying, "I think Grandma's name sounds much better than mine."
I don't know why my father named her Xiaohua.
So many flower names!
Names like Malt or Peach are much better; even calling her Walnut Flower would be nice.
Although the flower looks like a caterpillar and is a bit ugly, it can be stir-fried with meat after being dried.
Compared to her scattered thoughts, Grandma Guo, who had witnessed the ferocity of the big spotted dog, was naturally much more anxious. "Stop talking and hurry back to the house to pack a couple of changes of clothes for yourself and Grandma."
I urged the little girl twice, and although she didn't understand, she obediently went to pack her things.
Grandma Guo gave Guo Baiwen another push and instructed him, "You too, after you've packed your clothes, remember to put the cushions and new quilts and cotton clothes that you bought from the restaurant last time on the roof beam and tie them up carefully."
"These are all good things, so we don't have to worry about them getting damaged by the big spots if we leave them there."
"Grandma, hurry up and make enough black flour pancakes for us to eat for three days. Then put some mixed flour, corn, soybean oil and other things that are inconvenient to carry into the cellar. After we've tidied up and locked the door, we'll hurry to the ancestral hall to reserve a spot."
"Remember, you must hurry!"
The three of them were quite fast, but when they entered the ancestral hall with their bags and packages, they found that there were already seven or eight people sitting inside.
There were no bedding items in the ancestral hall, but there were piles of dry straw in the corner of the courtyard.
Fortunately, the north corner of the room was still empty.
Guo Baiwen brought a bundle of dry straw from outside, piled it on the ground to make a corner big enough for three people to lie down, and then spread the straw mat he had brought on it.
Although it was a bit hasty, it still kept out the chill from the ground.
A brazier was lit in the middle of the room, and Aunt Xiuxiu next door was using the fire to boil water and brew a large pot of strong, coarse-leaf tea, which was shared among the family.
This tea is made from the old leaves of the tea tree. It's cheap; you can buy a large roll for just one cent. Although it's a bit bitter, it's very potent.
A little bit of this can keep you energized all night.
I know that everyone is having trouble sleeping because of this big spot.
But after all, winter nights are long, and having a bowl of hot tea can help one relax a little.
Besides a few bowls and chopsticks, Grandma Guo also brought the two earthenware pots that Guo Baiwen had recently bought.
After thanking Xiuxiu, he took the coarse tea leaves and added a lot of cold water from the earthenware pot to the tea, diluting the strong tea to a light color before stopping.
She glanced at Guo Xiaohua, who was nodding off on the straw mat, and couldn't help but sigh. After thinking for a moment, she only gave Guo Baiwen a bowl of tea.
She was still a little worried, "Don't drink it all at once. If you drink too much water, you'll need to go to the toilet later."
There was no outhouse in the ancestral hall for them to use.
"I understand, Grandma."
Xiaohua was still young, even though she had heard her grandmother and brother tell her how terrifying the big spotted man was and how he ate people.
But upon seeing so many people in the ancestral hall and the warm brazier inside, the little fear he had felt instantly vanished. He lay down on the straw mat and drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
Guo Baiwen was close enough to hear her soft snoring as she slept.
Such enviable sleep quality.
Thinking of the tigers he had seen in the zoo in his previous life, Guo Baiwen felt his heart pounding wildly once the glass wall and iron fence separating them were gone.
But Grandma was still here. Although she tried her best to remain calm, one of her hands unconsciously touched the wall of the ancestral hall.
Thick walls and sturdy doors and windows always give people courage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
