Chapter 184: Snow and Wind Driving the Mountain
This sudden heavy snow caught everyone off guard. Father Lin, Lin Yue and others went home first to collect the things that were hung outside.
Or you could carry some firewood or something like that for the livestock, otherwise they wouldn't be able to bear the cold weather.
While Lin's mother was helping Xiulan wash the dishes, Lin Heng went to move some straw to add the musk deer to the pen, especially since the mother musk deer was pregnant with a baby musk deer, so she had to be taken care of better.
Some grass was also added to Xiongba’s doghouse, and it was moved to a corner of the wall where the wind was sheltered.
Sometimes the weather changes suddenly. It may be sunny at noon but it may snow heavily at night.
Lin Heng didn't have to worry about Hongzao's stable. His eldest brother added fodder and he also made a brown fur mat for the five black dogs.
Lin Hengze took some fine firewood home. He had no shortage of coarse firewood in his house, as there was a large pile of it under the eaves.
The main reason was that there were not many firewoods to start the fire, so he carried a large bundle into the house to avoid inconvenience for Xiulan in cooking tomorrow.
“It’s snowing so heavily.”
Lin Heng sighed as he looked at the snow flying all over the sky, and then asked, "Have they all gone home, Mom?"
"Let's go home." Xiulan took out a towel and said while brushing the snow off Lin Heng.
While the two were talking, Xiaoxia ran out into the yard, waving her hands and cheering to the sky: "Oh, it's snowing! It's snowing!!"
She didn't know what snow meant, but when she heard Xiulan and others say it, she was very happy and full of curiosity about this thing she had never seen before.
Of course she couldn't remember it snowing last year, she didn't understand anything then.
By next year she might forget that it snowed this year and will always be curious about the world.
"Come back soon! You'll catch a cold soon."
Xiulan ran out to catch her.
Xiaoxia played hide-and-seek with her mother and was still smiling after being caught.
Xiulan didn't know how to punish her, so she pinched her little face helplessly and warned her not to go out again, and then the three of them went back to the bedroom together.
Heavy snow has a sound-absorbing effect. When the snow falls, everything outside is silent. Through the slightly open window, you can see large flakes of snow falling outside.
Xiaoxia sat obediently on the bench, holding the edge of the table with her little hands, and looked at Lin Heng intently.
Lin Heng was holding a storybook and reading slowly. Xiulan served tea from a ceramic stove and made some hawthorn paste for Xiaoxia.
Lin Heng felt that this atmosphere was better than the whole family gathering in front of the TV.
After Xiaoxia fell asleep, the ground was already white when Lin Heng went out to the bathroom.
Back in the house, he played a game of in and out with Xiulan for half an hour.
He must go up the mountain tomorrow because he really can’t bear to leave his wife and daughter.
Xiulan also knew that he would probably be going to the mountains for a while, so she cooperated with him wholeheartedly.
"Hold me while sleeping."
Xiulan said softly, she had no strength now and her body was like mud.
Although Lin Heng also suffered from severe soil erosion, he still had strength and fell asleep while holding his wife.
The next morning, Lin Heng was still in a dream when he suddenly felt something soft entering his mouth. Upon tasting it carefully, he found that it tasted like strawberry.
He opened his eyes and saw his beautiful wife hugging his neck.
"Is it delicious?" Xiulan put her arms around his neck and said with a seductive look.
“It’s delicious.”
Lin Heng nodded repeatedly. It turned out that being woken up by a kiss was such a wonderful feeling.
"Then have another one."
Xiulan brought it up again, she was reluctant to separate from Lin Heng.
I can only sleep peacefully by looking at him and smelling his scent every day.
Not only did Lin Heng receive a sweet kiss early in the morning, he also got to eat the White Rabbit snack she fed him personally.
He took another nap and didn't get up until the fire in the fireplace was almost gone. He then added two pine logs and an acorn log.
The fire started again. Lin Heng walked over and opened the window. The world outside the door was all white, with almost no other colors visible.
There was still light snow in the sky, and the cold wind blowing in the face made people instantly sober.
After I got up, I went out and stepped on the snow, and it was actually twenty centimeters deep.
"The snow came early this year and it's heavy too," Lin Heng said in shock.
In the past, there has been such heavy snow, but it was only in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, which was not even the winter month.
"Then do you still want to go up the mountain? Or forget it, the snow is too heavy." Xiulan said worriedly.
It's too dangerous to go up the mountain with such heavy snow. It's slippery and cold.
"Go ahead. It's no problem even if there's heavy snow." Lin Heng said with a smile. He was waiting for the heavy snow to go to the mountain.
After going to the toilet and exercising, Lin Heng woke up Xiaoxia and Xiulan went to cook.
I made rice in the morning. In addition to stir-fried pork with shredded sour radish and vegetable and mushroom soup, there were also braised pig hearts and pig heads, which were very delicious when dipped in vinegar.
“Bang Bang!!”
Just after finishing his meal, Lin Heng was about to go to the back mountain to lead the horse when there was a knock on the door.
"Lin Heng, are you in the house?"
Then the voice of my uncle Li Baiquan came in.
When Lin Heng went to open the door, he saw him standing outside with a backpack and a gun on his back.
"You came so quickly, Uncle." Lin Heng said in shock.
Li Baiquan smiled and nodded: "Of course, I was just afraid that you would leave early."
"Don't worry, I can't leave."
Lin Heng took him into the house and explained the situation to him.
Li Baiquan nodded and said, "Since you still have to go pick someone up, I'll go talk to your brother first. We have to bring enough things. Going to the mountains in winter is no joke."
The environment in the mountains in summer is not that bad, it is even quite cool.
In winter, if you are not careful, you can die. The most important thing for people walking in the mountains is to respect nature.
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded.
I went to get the horses and the carriage, and because I was afraid the road was too slippery, I tied some brown ropes on the garage to prevent slipping.
Then he drove non-stop to Huangtan Town.
When Grandpa Gao saw Lin Heng coming, he was overjoyed and said, "Xiao Lin, you are finally here. Let's set off quickly. I have packed all the things."
"good."
Lin Heng agreed and went over to help move things.
Grandpa Gao didn't prepare much, all of it was in a camouflage backpack.
The weapon he was holding caught Lin Heng's attention. Not only was he holding a Mongolian bow, he was also carrying a double-barreled shotgun and an M1911 pistol.
"Uncle, you have too many guns." Lin Heng said in shock. It's okay to have double-barreled shotguns, but there are also pistols.
"Haha, this is the pistol I seized from the Americans. I carry it with me just in case. I mainly use a shotgun for hunting." Grandpa Gao said with a smile. As he spoke, he took out the magazine and showed the pistol to Lin Heng.
Lin Heng looked at it again and again, touched it again and again, and was very envious: "It's so beautiful, uncle, you are so amazing."
Grandpa Gao was very satisfied with Lin Heng's expression. He patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Haha, I'll let you play a few rounds when we get to the mountain."
"Thank you, sir." Lin Heng was a little impatient. Apart from the homemade hunting rifle in the countryside, this was the first time he touched a gun properly.
Moreover, this pistol has been stained with countless blood and has the mottled marks of time on it.
After taking a look, he returned the pistol. Grandpa Gao loaded the magazine and inserted it on the back waist of his coat.
When Grandpa Gao took the bullets, Lin Heng saw the bullets he took and couldn't help but feel curious: "Grandpa Gao, why did you take the rifle bullets?"
Grandpa Gao smiled and took out the double-barreled shotgun for Lin Heng to check: "This is a special double-barreled shotgun with shotgun shells in one barrel and rifle bullets in the other barrel."
After seeing it, Lin Heng gave a thumbs up and said, "Uncle, your equipment is so rich. Compared with you, I feel like I am just going to the mountains for fun."
With this equipment, not to mention a black bear, even a tiger would be helpless if it encountered one.
Originally he was worried about encountering ferocious wild animals, but now that he was going up the mountain with Grandpa Gao, he had to worry about the ferocious wild animals instead.
After getting their equipment ready, the two got on the carriage and hurried to Red Maple Village.
When they arrived at Hongfeng Village, it was already ten o'clock. His elder brother was already ready.
"You have a nice little yard. It's very beautiful."
After entering the house, Grandpa Gao took a look at Lin Heng's courtyard and immediately began to praise it.
This farmyard is so beautiful. Lin Heng is really a romantic person.
"Haha, I just like to tinker with these things. If you like, you can come and stay for a few days."
Lin Heng grinned and took Grandpa Gao to visit the backyard and look at the musk deer.
Grandpa Gao looked around and found Xiulan cooking, so he quickly stopped her and said, "Just eat a little, we should hurry up the mountain and do the business."
"There are not many dishes, all of them are braised." Lin Heng said with a smile.
Grandpa Gao still shook his head: "That's not necessary. If you really want to entertain me, we can talk about it when we come back."
"Oh well."
Seeing the old man's insistence, Lin Heng could only nod and agree.
Xiulan simply prepared two hot dishes and two plates of braised meat. After the meal, the four of them took their equipment and brought Xiongba up the mountain.
We still entered the mountain from the location of Red Maple Mountain. The cold wind was howling and light snow was falling from the sky.
"Uncle, look, this is the fish pond I built." Lin Heng pointed in the direction of the fish pond.
The water in the fish pond was frozen and covered with snow, so only a rough outline could be seen.
Grandpa Gao gave a thumbs up and said, "You are persistent, young man. People who work hard are the most glorious."
Lin Heng grinned: "I just want to make money and improve my family's life. It's the same if I go into the mountains."
"You will definitely get rich." Grandpa Gao said with a smile.
As they entered the mountain, everyone spoke less and began to look for traces of prey.
It had just snowed, so the traces of prey were easiest to find.
Lin Heng and Grandpa Gao are in one team, and his eldest brother and his uncle are in another team.
The four people's goal is the foot of Taibai Mountain. Today their main task is to hurry to reach their destination as quickly as possible and then build a shelter.
Searching for prey is a matter of chance along the way.
The forest was silent after the snow, and the four of them were walking quickly.
As they were walking, Grandpa Gao suddenly made a stop gesture and whispered, "Listen!"
Lin Heng listened carefully and indeed heard the sound of flapping wings.
Soon, two blue-gray grouse were found resting in the woods on the left front. They were scratching at the snow, as if looking for something to eat.
"The one on your left, the one on my right, I say three, two, one, can you do it?"
Grandpa Gao took out his Mongolian bow and looked at him.
"Can."
Lin Heng nodded, took out his compound bow, and put on an arrow.
"Three, two, one!"
As the words fell, the two men shot out sharp arrows almost at the same time.
With a loud clatter, the two grouse that were shot rolled over in the snow, their legs twitched a few times and then they became motionless.
The bright red blood flowed out along the arrow, gradually dyeing the nearby snow red.
"Not bad, your level is good." Grandpa Gao gave a thumbs up. Lin Heng's arrow was even faster than his.
"Uncle, you are amazing. You are proficient in everything." Lin Heng grinned.
Before the two of them could finish their conversation, Xiongba picked up the grouse and brought it back.
"This dog is good." Grandpa Gao said with his eyes lighting up.
Lin Heng smiled and said, "Xiongba is very smart. We will have meat to eat tonight."
Each grouse weighs more than one pound, which is enough for four people to eat tonight.
The four of them set out at eleven o'clock, walked for three hours, and finally caught the prey at two o'clock.
The temperature got lower as we went up the mountain. Fortunately, there was only snow today and the wind was not very strong.
But even so, Lin Heng remembered that the grouse were frozen solid in less than half an hour.
Because Lin Heng and others had been exercising all the time, their hands and feet were not cold, but their faces were cold.
At three o'clock, several people arrived at the Sanchagou Canyon, a familiar place but the environment was very different.
From a distance, you can see some pheasants, bamboo partridges, sparrows and other birds looking for food in the canyon. These birds are easy to distinguish in the heavy snow.
There are also many birds around the canyon. Some egrets are looking for small fish by the stream and don't seem to be afraid of the cold at all.
But the crowd had no intention of going hunting. It would be dark in only three hours, and they had to reach their destination as soon as possible.
There is no hope of reaching the foot of Mount Taibai today. The destination of the group has been changed to the camp built by Lin Heng in the summer by the stream upstream of Sanchagou.
"We have to walk faster." Grandpa Gao said, looking at the sky.
Li Baiquan also nodded: "Yes, we have to hurry up. We can't take risks in winter."
People who drive mountains are well aware of the ruthlessness of nature. If they dare not respect nature, they will inevitably face devastating consequences.
The few of them hurried on their way and finally arrived at the camp that Lin Hengxia had built with his eldest brother and father at five o'clock.
After a quick inspection of the camp, Grandpa Gao nodded and said, "It's still usable. We'll simply reinforce it and stay here tonight. We'll find another place tomorrow."
Except for the rattan beds that were unusable, the roof of the camp was still in good condition and no snow fell in.
Lin Heng did not dismantle it when he left in the summer, so all they needed to do was to surround it with fences, otherwise people would freeze to death at night.
These are not difficult to handle. Just use wood as the skeleton, branches to fill the large gaps, and then get some leaves to fill the small gaps and you're done.
While building the shelter, everyone chatted.
Li Baiquan looked at Lin Heng curiously and asked, "What did you catch here this summer?"
"A big wild boar, two small wild boars, some musk deer and a badger." Lin Yue said with a smile.
Grandpa Gao's eyes lit up and he said, "There are so many. It seems that there are abundant supplies here."
Lin Heng shook his head: "Not really, it took us almost a month to get so many things."
Grandpa Gao added, "I think the canyon below is pretty good. You can go take a look when you have time."
Lin Heng shook his head: "The terrain in there is too complicated and dangerous. Old Man Tian from our village almost didn't make it out before. There are many muddy pits."
"Is that so? Then we can only watch from the edge."
Grandpa Gao said helplessly, he knew very well how terrible the mud pit was.
As they were talking, they had finished building the walls of the shelter.
"Come here quickly, there are footprints of prey here, could this be a black bear?"
Suddenly, Lin Yue made a voice in the distance.
Four thousand words today, I've played too much with Palu, friends.
(End of this chapter)
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