Chapter 30 (Three Updates in One)
The county spring sowing team came suddenly. When they arrived at Bushan Village, the old branch secretary and the team leader were all working in the fields with the members.
Grandma Hu who lived at the entrance of the village came to report the news on her bound feet. The old branch secretary was a little confused: their village was considered remote in the entire county, with vast mountains to the south. In previous years, the county's spring sowing guidance team had never come so far down.
The steering group was led by He Qing, Deputy Director of the Revolutionary Committee's Production Command Department. He Qing was also a member of the Revolutionary Committee's core leadership group and had a personal connection with Qu Xiangjin's stepfather. He Qing glanced at his watch. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, and the village was already busy. He couldn't help but praise, "Not bad! The members of Butian Village are very enthusiastic about production. This proves that the brigade leadership is leading the way well. Xiao Qu, the several brigades in Fangmaji Commune that were randomly inspected this year are all doing very well. It's clear you've put in a lot of effort."
Deputy Director Qu smiled modestly. The other two representatives, selected from the townships that had received the "Spring Sowing Red Flag Commune" award last year, had a somewhat ambiguous expression. Fangmaji Commune had indeed performed well this year, and whether their own commune could retain the honor depended on today.
The two of them couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that this Buxiantun is the trump card hidden by Fangmaji Commune? We haven't seen it coming here in the past few years?
Qu Xiangjin glanced at the two men, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, but he felt relieved. What's with the high enthusiasm for production? The seed shortage was a whopping one-third, and they probably had to work hard on the fields to make up for it. He'd inquired, but Huang Dazhuang, the team leader of Buxian Village, hadn't been able to buy corn seeds from the Red Agricultural and Industrial Cooperative, and the seeds allocated by the seed station were the worst quality. Their harvest this year, even meeting the grain quota, was a distant possibility.
He'd gone to great lengths to lure the guidance team to Buxiantun. First, he wanted to use this opportunity to establish a connection with Buxiantun. After all, production teams with poor spring sowing performance needed more frequent intervention from commune leaders. He could even provide on-site guidance. By then, what secrets wouldn't Lin Xinghuo reveal? Second, Qu Xiangjin didn't want to stay in the commune forever. He wanted to move up, and there were certain people he couldn't afford to offend, like the Red Farmers and Workers' Cooperative. The Red Farmers and Workers' Cooperative had deep roots in the city. He'd heard his stepfather privately say that if the Red Farmers and Workers' Cooperative received another commendation this year, the city would consider it a model and apply for designation as a model commune.
Besides, it is better to have some good things mixed with some bad things than to have a lot of flowers everywhere, so as to leave room for criticism and guidance from superiors.
"Pragmatism benefits the collective, but idealism benefits the individual." Having pondered his stepfather's thinking privately for years, Qu Xiangjin deeply understood his ways as an official. He was only just approaching forty, the perfect time to make his mark. Joining the county's spring sowing guidance group was the first step, and getting the support of his mother and stepfather to help with Lin Xinghuo's affairs was the highlight. And then... Deputy Director Qu had a truly beautiful career blueprint in mind.
"Secretary Chen, it's great that you're leading the members to actively produce," Deputy Director Qu said with a smile, "but the brigade still needs to keep an officer on duty, otherwise it would be bad if urgent matters are delayed."
He Qingrang went directly to the fields, saying that he wanted to see the actual situation.
Qu Xiangjin subtly gave the leaders a shot of prevention: "The location of the Bushiantun Production Brigade is relatively remote, and the commune has been doing its utmost to take care of it. However, the population composition and geographical environment here are relatively complex, so it is only in recent years that we can gradually see some work results. There are definitely many defects and problems, and I have to ask the leaders for more criticism and guidance." Qu Xiangjin knew that the two heads of the Bushiantun Party, the secretary and the brigade leader, were capable, so he was not worried about poor spring sowing, but the fields would definitely be sparse. Now, this statement absolved the commune of responsibility - this was because Bushiantun relied on the commune's remoteness and disobeyed management, and had the big problem of "acting on its own initiative".
Huang Dazhuang cursed in his heart, if they took more care of him, he would be choking their team and making things difficult for them in every way!
The old Party secretary was a shrewd man, and he understood the hidden meaning behind Deputy Director Qu's words. He did not argue, but led his men through a newly designated piece of wasteland in the village.
Buxiantun is remote, nestled in the southeast corner of the city, almost half-surrounded by mountains. Access from the county and the commune requires taking the road down the slope where the West and South Mountains separate. However, its arable land is substantial, and the village juts out diagonally to the northeast, separated from the adjacent city by the Songwazi River, more than ten miles away.
The entrance to the village where He Qing and his team entered was actually southwest of the village. To reach the fields, they had to cross half of the village. The team members had originally thought the neatly arranged mud houses were nice, but when they arrived at this empty wasteland, they felt a little disappointed.
This place wasn't small, right next to the village's residential area, with a small stream running down from the western hills running through it. It was conveniently located and had a good environment. Qu Xiangjin glanced around and saw scattered adobe bricks. His eyes flickered. He dug a handful of dirt, rolled it up, and showed it to He Qing: "Look, it's quite fertile." He'd heard that Lin Xinghuo was building a house and that the Buxian Village plot of land allocated to her was quite large. She, a single girl, had asked for a plot close to the hillside, and the brigade had actually agreed. He figured this was the land.
"I've heard before that your team has problems with uneven distribution and favoritism, but every time I ask you, you deny it. I'm a little suspicious."
Qu Xiangjin turned to He Qing and said, "The leader said, 'Without investigation, there's no right to speak.' I wanted to get some information before sending someone from the commune to investigate. It just so happened that a nephew of the Fei family had a good chat with a barefoot doctor trainee here, so I asked him to come over and listen and observe carefully. I didn't expect this to ruin everything. Not only did the female trainee's attitude suddenly change, but he himself was pushed out of the village and nearly injured."
"This is also one of the reasons why I actively sought to join the county's spring sowing guidance group." Qu Xiangjin confessed, "The group actually randomly checked the Buxiantun Production Brigade..."
Qu Xiangjin, with a sincere air as if laying all the problems before his leader, said excitedly, "In front of you, we will not cover up or conceal anything. We will speak frankly and deal with what needs to be dealt with. We will criticize when necessary! This is indeed where we have failed in our work."
He Qing's attitude turned serious, and he pointed at the adobe bricks. "Secretary Chen, what's going on with this piece of land? It's collective land, and it's wrong to leave it empty without cultivating it properly. Could it be that it's been designated as private land?"
The old Party secretary was calm and composed, pointing slowly at the grids he'd drawn on the ground with white lime. "We're planning to build a workshop for processing agricultural and sideline products on this side, and a winery over there. The stream on the west mountain is sweet and refreshing... We'll keep half of this area, and after the autumn harvest, build a large courtyard. We'll give part of it to the women's workshop, and the other side can be used as a farm tool repair shop or a medicinal herb processing room."
Huang Dazhuang added, "We have winter for half a year here, and it's too cold to stay outside, and there's not enough space inside. In the past, after the autumn harvest, the members of the cooperative had to work on their own tasks, which was inefficient. With this in mind, we decided to set aside an area for collective production."
He Qing's anger turned into joy after hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly: "Mud bricks have advantages in building houses, but it is difficult to build tall and large ones. So, you write a report, and as long as you ensure that it can be implemented, I can help contact the brick and tile factory and allocate some bricks and tiles first. The country is encouraging production teams to engage in diversified operations. If you do a good job, it will be a benchmark for production teams to develop collective enterprises!" Hongnong Commune was picked by the city, and the county team was holding their breath, vowing to help other communes achieve more results.
This was the downside of not being serious about one's work. Qu Xiangjin hadn't paid attention to the affairs of the brigade below, and he'd assumed things based on outdated information he'd picked up. Naturally, most people wouldn't have imagined that someone could mobilize the entire village's young and strong men to volunteer to help build a new yard, and that the work would only take a few days from start to finish. Consider that even those living in the commune today would need at least one or two months to renovate their homes.
"The commune is promoting diversified farming, and your village is the first to do so on such a large scale. Feel free to ask for anything you need. We will fully support anything the commune can!" Deputy Director Qu also stated, "But there's one thing we must do: we must uphold the bottom line. We will resolutely not allow anyone to take more than they deserve!"
He Qing patted him on the shoulder and said, "Some people's attitudes when reporting problems are not correct. You need to learn to distinguish whether they are reporting out of public interest or selfish motives. But Xiao Qu, your work attitude is correct. You should investigate and admit your mistakes."
Qu Xiangjin was just feeling regretful for not bringing Lin Xinghuo out and becoming the target of public criticism when the old Party Secretary said, "No need to allocate special bricks and tiles, adobe bricks will do! Comrade Lin from our brigade's health station taught us a way to mix mud and make adobe bricks, and the resulting adobe bricks are just as good as red bricks." This was actually a side effect of the house-guarding stone. Ever since burying the five-colored stones given by the fairy lady, everyone had noticed less dust in their house and it was warmer than before. A family in the village was taking advantage of the fine weather to repair a woodshed that had collapsed in half after the heavy snowfall before the New Year. Three brothers hammered away for hours, but couldn't bring down the half-wall!
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Qu immediately turned the conversation to Lin Xinghuo: "Comrade Lin? Is that the Comrade Lin Xinghuo who also serves as your brigade's barefoot doctor?"
He Qing was also somewhat interested, but he didn't ask about the adobe brick method. While the collective is now considered superior to the individual, it's not the case that small groups must unconditionally obey the larger one. For example, if the County Cotton Mill No. 2 had a secret recipe for dyeing red cloth, the Provincial Cotton Mill had no right to demand that the County Mill disclose the recipe.
"Barefoot doctor?" The representative from Hongnong Commune, always wary of Deputy Director Qu of Fangmaji Commune trying to impress the leadership, repeated these four words. Did Deputy Director Qu just say that his wife's nephew had gotten together with a barefoot doctor trainee, and then the trainee turned against him? Was it this Lin Xinghuo?
The old branch secretary nodded and said with a smile: "Comrade Xiaolin is capable and kind-hearted. She has done a lot of practical things for the collective and the members. You can't find a girl more popular than her in the nearby villages. Just ask which family doesn't want a daughter-in-law like her?" One daughter is sought after by hundreds of families. The Fei family's son is not good enough, but he still feels wronged. How shameless!
"Because she heard that wild animals often came down the mountain during the spring famine, she donated her newly renovated and tidied house to be used as a health station, and moved herself to the southern slope of the mountain. She said that she had some hunting skills and was willing to guard the gate of the village!" Look at this person's character, could she be the kind of person who gets along well with others but then turns against them?
"When she was building a house at the beginning of the month, not only our brigade, but also the young men from the neighboring Jinjiayao Commune came all the way to help. In fact, the two of them didn't know each other at all, but the young man's elder was the daughter-in-law of our village, and he heard about it at home, so... We were all young once, and as long as it's not out of the ordinary, such things are nothing. Besides, people don't work for anything, they just go back after helping. The aunties in the village all say that the young man is very hardworking, but they are too embarrassed to even say a word to Xiaolin, probably because they feel they are not a good match." Did you hear that? They also live in the commune, and Jinjiayao is richer than Fangmaji. But they all think they are not worthy of our Xiaolin. Why should Xiaolin fall for that Fei Ping! What does she like about him? Is it because his eyes are on the top of his head, or because he is thick-skinned and can't understand rejection?
There were no fools among those present. They all understood the meaning behind the old branch secretary's words. Especially the old man, who was very mischievous. While he was speaking, he just kept looking at Deputy Director Qu of Fangmaji Commune.
Huang Dazhuang, who had witnessed Jin Gouzi's sudden escape with the bricks, mentally added, "He was after the broken bricks from Little Fairy's house." Wang Huzi had heard that his brother-in-law still treasured the bricks, carrying them with him whenever he went to the county town. He was nearly arrested by the security guards at the county department store, mistaking them for criminals.
Deputy Director Qu wanted to pretend he didn't understand, but unable to resist the old branch secretary's glances at him, he could only laugh and said, "That's really excellent! I was wondering why Fei Ping was so stubborn. He rejected the girl from the county street office that his aunt introduced to him. Maybe Comrade Lin misunderstood me when I asked Fei Ping to help look into the situation? It's okay, I will personally apologize to Comrade Xiao Lin later. Fei Ping's heart is still very sincere." The implication was that he now very much supported this marriage.
Qu Xiangjin actually thought so. He'd heard that Lin Xinghuo, an orphan, was well-cared for, but he hadn't expected her to be so popular. He couldn't let her stay in Buxiantun any longer; how would he manipulate her in the future? The best solution was to have Fei Ping marry her. As the daughter-in-law of the Fei family, wouldn't that mean she was his real wife?
The old Party Secretary smiled and continued indifferently, "Well! Our Xiaolin wouldn't dare to do that. After all, 'Women Hold Up Half the Sky' and 'Freedom of Marriage' have been promoted for years, but some things just don't make sense to people! Deputy Director Qu, the commune women's director previously complained that Xiaolin was unusually 'disobedient to leadership.' What's going on? Comrade Fei Ping's marriage has been elevated to the level of a key commune task? Xiaolin has been criticized, but she doesn't know how to correct her behavior. Should she obey the leader's words and hold up half the sky, or follow the commune's instructions to arrange a marriage? Please explain."
"Xiao Lin always gets first place in the training, but his certificate of completion hasn't been issued yet." Huang Dazhuang smiled naively and stood close to the old branch secretary, showing with practical actions that he supported the old branch secretary's decision to break the window paper directly!
He Qing immediately looked at Qu Xiangjin. It seemed that what he said at this moment was not because he was worried that the spring sowing work of the Buxiantun Production Brigade would not meet expectations and was afraid of disappointing the leaders, but because he had a personal grudge against Comrade Lin and even the entire brigade?
Qu Xiangjin felt a lump in his throat, unable to move forward or backward. Who would dare to ask the leader so bluntly? Doesn't Xiantun think that being strangled isn't enough?
It's hard to say what happened to Lin Xinghuo, but the bottleneck in Xiantun can't be blamed on him. All kinds of supplies are in short supply, and it's rare to get full distribution. Besides, every commune does this. After all, there's still a limit to how much a commune can provide, and they have to make overall arrangements. It's common for there to be less this year and more next year.
Qu Xiangjin knew that it would be useless for Buxian Village to complain to the county working group, but who could have imagined that a brigade secretary and a brigade leader would stand up for an orphan girl with no relatives in front of the county leaders? It was truly embarrassing.
Originally, Qu Xiangjin had simply intended to exploit the spring sowing inspections to find fault with Buxiantun, manipulate the brigade to isolate Lin Xinghuo, and thoroughly investigate Lin Xinghuo's background. But now, Deputy Director Qu had changed his mind. Buxiantun's leadership was too unruly, and he was determined to take the spring sowing issues of Buxiantun Brigade to a deeper level, and this matter would not be resolved until the branch secretary was replaced!
He Qing coughed, interrupting the awkwardness. "Don't just stand there in awe. How far is the public land?" He said nothing, but the clerk following him was already writing something down. He Qing was a man of action. He wasn't dealing with it now because today's priority was to inspect the spring planting. He wouldn't be involved in either side's private affairs when he returned, but he would definitely ensure the barefoot doctor certificates for the Buxiantunlin students were issued, and that the women's director, who had taken advantage of the situation, would be in trouble.
He Qing looked around at the white lime marks on the ground and thought that if the diversified operations of Buxiantun could succeed, even if it was not a big deal, he could do something to have Buxiantun managed by the closer Jinjiayao Commune, so as to avoid making things difficult for Qu Xiangjin.
As for Qu Xiangjin's stepfather, Commissioner Qu, He Qing didn't consider it. Commissioner Qu was in charge of publicity, which had nothing to do with the specific work below him.
Qu Xiangjin and He Qing's focus was not on the adobe bricks, but the two representatives from other communes were very greedy. One of them picked up an adobe brick and smashed it on a big rock. The brick made a shallow mark, but it didn't break!
A group of people were shocked and thought to themselves, this must be stronger than red bricks. How did it become like this?
Huang Dazhuang looked at his nose and his heart, glanced at a marked place by the stream, and dug out the five-colored stone given by the fairy and smashed it.
The representative of the Red Agricultural and Industrial Cooperative tentatively said, "You are really capable! Where is your brigade's health station? We would like to visit and learn advanced experience! By the way, Comrade Lin must be working in the fields now." It would be great if they could poach that person.
The old branch secretary pointed in the opposite direction and found that the health station was at the foot of Nanshan Mountain.
He Qing stopped him in time and said with a smile, "Let's finish our work first. The Buxiantun Production Brigade is the last stop of our group, and we have a whole day." He is now more confident that Buxiantun will complete the spring sowing well.
After passing the wasteland and turning a ridge protruding from the west mountain, the view suddenly opens up. There are vast fertile fields and the members are busy working.
No one paid any attention to their group of people. He Qing knew at a glance that these people were not "pretending to be active", and he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied.
Qu Xiangjin took a quick look and saw the seedlings stretching like a green blanket to the horizon. It was indeed a nice sight, but to see how sparse they were, he had to get closer to see.
"Oh wow, this seedling is great!" The technician from the agricultural science station, who had been listening silently, said with a smile, "The leaves are thick, the sheaths are flat and wide, the seedlings are dark green, and the new leaves are overlapping!"
They were reluctant to pull out any to check their roots. After a moment's hesitation, they found a seedling on the edge of the field that was thinner than the others and pulled it out. "It has a well-developed root system! Good, good!"
A young technician was running very fast on the ridge of the field, squatting down from time to time to check and reporting to the team leader as he ran: "The seedlings are all there, in good order, evenly distributed and strong!"
The head of the Agricultural Science Station beamed, constantly telling He Qing, "Strong seedlings are the foundation for a good harvest, and the Buxiantun Production Brigade has laid a great foundation! The experimental fields of the Hongnong Commune aren't as good as the seedlings here. As long as we pay a little attention to management later on, we can guarantee a good harvest!"
The team leader opened his notebook and looked up the number of acres of corn fields reported by the commune. He was used to doing this kind of thing, and he could estimate it at a glance: "Hey, you have a lot more corn fields than reported, right?"
The old Party secretary smiled and nodded: "The members are very enthusiastic about production and have opened up some wasteland."
"That's not right! According to the data reported by Fangmaji Commune, this amount of seeds cannot be used to plant so many fields? Are they still using the varieties bred by the municipal seed company in previous years?" The agricultural technician team leader became more and more puzzled as he looked through the data.
His voice drew He Qing over to look at the data in the notebook. He Qing was in charge of production, and he usually glanced at the sowing time on the back page first. After all, sowing times varied from commune to commune, so emergence couldn't be generalized. But this time wasn't right? If the seeds were sown the same day the seed station distributed them, that would only take about ten days at most. Given the local weather, how could the corn seedlings grow like this?
The old branch secretary sighed and glanced at Qu Xiangjin. Qu Xiangjin, who was looking at the fields with disbelief in his eyes, suddenly broke out in sweat on his back.
"There's nothing we can do. All the men, women, and children in the brigade have worked so hard, they've tried their best to make the seeds swell with blood and tears!" The old branch secretary wiped his eyes. "First, the seeds provided by the seed station are not enough, and there are large gaps. Second, the seeds are distributed later than in previous years. Our brigade is further south than other brigades, and because it's nestled in the mountains, the temperature is a few degrees higher. In fact, the sowing time should be a few days earlier than other places. But given the situation this year, we have to understand and uphold the commune's decision. What can we do? We can only fight with our manpower!"
"Thankfully, Xiaolin remembered to consult the agricultural technicians from Jinjiayao Commune. Several of our representatives went there overnight to learn from them. They said, 'With dedicated effort and a high germination rate, we can compensate for the shortage of seeds and late sowing.' We warmed the seeds first, then painstakingly sowed them, ensuring each seed reached its full potential! Then, raising the temperature to prevent a late spring frost was even more exhausting. As for the threat of pheasants and wild birds destroying the seeds, we didn't allow it to happen... The commune members worked themselves to the bone, and only then did we achieve an germination rate of over 90%!"
"How many?" The agricultural technician team leader was shocked. Even the county's experimental fields couldn't achieve this rate of emergence. The production teams below them generally considered a 60% emergence rate a good result. The Jinjiayao agricultural technician's words were true, but no one had ever been able to put in such a huge effort before.
He squatted down and measured the distance between the seedlings with his fingers, exclaiming repeatedly: "The seedlings are planted very densely. The yield per mu..." It's hard to say, maybe it can compete with the counties with large planting areas.
A representative from the Hongnong Commune also squatted down to measure the corn, asking, "This variety of corn isn't known to tolerate dense planting. Should we thin it out?" The thinned seedlings could be distributed to other communes, especially their own. A few days ago, Huang Dazhuang, the brigade leader of Buxian Village, was squatting at his local market trying to buy corn seed. The commune leader muttered that Buxian Village's spring corn planting was halfway done this year. He hadn't expected the brigade to be so united and willing to work together!
The head of the agricultural technology team took notes in the notebook and shook his head: "No need. The planting density cannot only be determined by the variety, but also by the level of cultivation. In areas with high levels, appropriate dense planting is the most reasonable." With the efforts of the Buxiantun Production Brigade and the current planting density, he dared not even think about the yield per mu. He even wanted to stay here.
He Qing's expression was completely off when he looked at Qu Xiangjin. The contrast was just too stark! On one side, they were giving out seeds late and in small quantities, while on the other side, they were united in purpose and working hard, forcing their way out of a dead end and onto a bright road! If there was nothing wrong with Fangmaji Commune, then it would be a miracle if Qu Xiangjin hadn't been a hindrance!
We can tolerate anything, we can understand anything, but we must not tolerate the people's food supply! Without the hard-working qualities of Buxiantun, what are the commune leaders doing? Why don't they supply enough or even more seeds?
"The rice and sweet potato planting work in Buxian Village will be handed over to the county production department for special management." He Qing said to the clerk in a deep voice, and the young clerk immediately opened a new page and took notes with a red pen.
Sweat immediately broke out on Qu Xiangjin's chubby forehead. This completely shattered all his plans. With this special charge, not only could he not replace the leadership team of Buxiantun, but even the most important person, Lin Xinghuo, flew out of his hands!
His thoughts at this moment coincided with those of his brother-in-law Fei Xinli: It's over, it's all over!
Looking at the lush green seedlings in Bushan Village, the agricultural technicians, He Qing and others were really happy. However, because they did such a good job, they had less work to do after finishing the record.
After only a short while, He Qing said, "Secretary Chen, take us somewhere else. I've discovered that your brigade has a lot to learn from."
Recalling something, He Qing asked again, "Who is Comrade Lin?"
Barefoot doctors were always on the job, working even during busy seasons like spring planting. They would then work part-time to treat fellow villagers during their free time or after work. Because patients often appeared in the fields, these junior health workers would often pull their muddy legs out of the fields to treat patients, hence the name "barefoot doctors."
Lin Xinghuo wasn't in the fields at the moment, but the old Party secretary remained calm, saying, "Comrade Lin is overworked. I've approved her to rest at home. She lives close to the health center. She spent half the night preparing medicine, and this morning she was barely able to walk!"
"Thanks to Dr. Kobayashi's medicine, none of us have developed bone problems despite the arduous spring planting," nearby members of the cooperative said, overhearing. The bone problems they were referring to were mostly chronic rheumatic conditions, common to hardworking farmers.
He Qing and others became even more interested and asked to visit the health station.
The old Party Secretary guessed that Xiaolin wasn't a lazy person and was probably tinkering with herbal medicine at the health center. There was no harm in bringing these people with him; if they weren't around, they'd probably just say they were tired and rest in the courtyard up the hill.
*
On the hillside of Nanshan Mountain, Lin Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief while holding the black fox skull. It finally regained its luster.
Last night, she deliberately didn't block the yellow fox's lame attack on her heart, but instead exchanged injuries, cutting off one of its claws, so that she could spray the blood from the tip of her tongue onto the fox skull. Since she was 50% sure that she was related to the black fox, she suspected that her blood might be able to sever the yellow fox's connection with the fox skull.
To be on the safe side, she used the blood from the tip of the tongue, which had the most yang energy.
Sure enough, her guess was right. When the caracal was about to strike the yellow fox with lightning, she used thorns to snatch the fox head from the yellow fox's head.
Fortunately, the rescue was timely, and the fox skull, which still had a little moon essence left, was not damaged by lightning.
Ever since he held the fox skull in his hands, Lin Xinghuo had forgotten everything else and focused on nurturing and cleaning the fox bones. From before dawn to the bright sunshine, he had finally restored the skull to its lustrous and white appearance.
The caracal slumped in her lap, rarely showing any signs of jealousy. Three fox cubs, clutching house-protecting charms and blessings of peace and safety, cuddled up beside Lin Xinghuo, unable to sleep. The little foxes grew incredibly slowly; even after six months, they were only slightly fatter than when they first came down the mountain.
"Awoo." It was not until Lin Xinghuo stopped and stood up that Dahuang, with his ears erect, ran over excitedly to rub against her legs, biting the corner of her clothes while rubbing, urging her to go and see the results of the wolf pack's battle last night.
In Dahuang's small brain, he still remembered the delicious taste of the wild boar meat that Lin Xinghuo had prepared before. He was greedy. In fact, it was not only him who was greedy, but the whole wolf pack was greedy. The wolves were still squatting at the back door of the mountain residence, and they had not eaten a single bite of the wild boar, big or small.
The yellow-skinned snake was indeed powerful. The group of wild boars it had confused was even larger than the one it encountered during the autumn hunt, with more than thirty of them, big and small.
I quickly checked the wolf pack. Fortunately, the amulet and the exorcism talisman were still somewhat useful against physical attacks. Many wolves were injured, but none were seriously injured.
"The combat effectiveness has improved!" Lin Xinghuo rubbed Dahuang's head and then looked at the wild boar again. The pig's blood had coagulated and it would no longer be fresh if it was left there.
Lin Xinghuo thought for a moment and offered the wolves a bargain: "Give me half, and I'll trade you some cooked wild boar meat." She'd keep half, enough for the wolves, and then take the other half from her share and process it for the wolves. Impurities in the meat were harder to remove, so she'd have to charge a processing fee.
Dahuang took the big wolf and the little wolf away from the wild boar, stepped aside and indicated that all these should be given to her.
"That's fine." Lin Xinghuo took out a storage bag from his sleeve and handed it back to the caracal: "Can you pack them up first?" and then slowly tidy them up.
The caracal glanced at the wolves with disdain, but felt a little uncomfortable looking at Lin Xinghuo: "I gave it to you, it's yours, no matter how rubbish you pretend to be!"
Lin Xinghuo opened her eyes wide. This storage bag was Mr. Caracal's treasure. He lent it to her last night so that she could use the talismans and bone blades... and now he gave it to her?
Mr. Mao’s family doesn’t have any extra food, and it’s hard to find a second one of this kind.
The caracal turned away awkwardly, and then seemed to remember something and ran and jumped a few steps before disappearing.
Lin Xinghuo was a little stunned, holding the fox skull in one hand and the storage bag in the other. In a moment, the caracal came running back and threw the slender green ribbons that looked like leek leaves on the ground in disgust. He said with a "Puh" sound, "Pick up the leaves of the stinking orchid as well."
Although this thing smells bad, it is very useful. Uncle Mao glanced at the wild boar: At least it is much more useful than these wild boars!
The caracal had a fight with the stinky orchid deep in the Bushy Mountain and was nearly knocked unconscious by the stinky orchid before he got this one back. He used it to beat the yellow smoke giant beast of the yellow-skinned man last night and broke its magical power.
"Fight stink with stink," said the monkey. "Next time you run into someone who doesn't mind stinking, just whip them with this!"
Lin Xinghuo squatted down to examine the stinking orchid leaves. "Anything that can make a manul faint is definitely not ordinary." Furthermore, it was almost impossible to tell that these were plant leaves. At first glance, they resembled a pool of dark green water, soft and silky...
Unable to resist the mane, Lin Xinghuo accepted the mane's gift and collected the stinking orchid leaves and wild boar, leaving only the two big pigs. "The village is busy with spring planting, so I'll use these two to give to the villagers."
The wolves had no objection. As soon as Da Huang confirmed that Lin Xinghuo accepted it, he stood up and led the wolves back to the mountain. Wild boar meat was only delicious when cooked by Lin Xinghuo. If they wanted to eat it directly, the best would be the full-fed male deer that they had just raised.
Dahuang's pack's fighting power was growing, and they were becoming more selective in their hunting. Lin Xinghuo glanced at the pack. According to tradition, female wolves give birth from February to April each year, but Dahuang's pack had no pups. A delicate balance had formed between the pack's numbers and its abilities.
"Let's go deliver the meat." Lin Xinghuo was reluctant to put the fox skull into the storage bag like a wild boar. After thinking about it, he gently put the fox skull on his head, then grabbed the wild boar with one hand, ready to drag them to the health station at the foot of the mountain, and by the way, go to see if Wei Chunfeng and his brother had returned.
"Xiao Lin!"
Lin Xinghuo had just walked around the back of the health station to the front door, and before she entered, she heard Huang Dazhuang's voice.
"Captain." Lin Xinghuo turned around with a smile. She looked a little scary now, but she didn't need to avoid the captain.
The old branch secretary: “…”
Lin Xinghuo: “…”
There were about ten strangers following the captain.
Strangers looked at her with extremely shocked eyes.
The caracal's furry tail blocked its eyes: "It's all the fault of the yellow-skinned creature. The stench it released actually had aftereffects! Neither it nor Lin Xinghuo's senses had recovered yet..."
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The author has something to say: Yellow Skin (roaring): Blame me? Take a good look at me (like charcoal, dying miserably)! How dare you blame me!
I have an appointment today, so the update is late. I will try to update earlier tomorrow. Mmm, my little cuties~
Note: "The leaves are thick, the sheaths are flat and wide, the seedlings are dark green, and the new leaves overlap!" "The seedlings are complete, neat, uniform, and strong!" - "New Practical Technology for Corn Cultivation"
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