Chapter 106: There seems to be no way out?
"There are still three wild ducks. That is indeed a good harvest."
Lin Yue looked at the three ducks and nodded, but he was not that shocked.
Because at the beginning he thought that Lin Heng had found the iron stone dendrobium or ginseng again.
"You don't know, these mushrooms were all found on one tree."
Lin Heng looked at the two of them and explained, it was speechless. If there were pictures, the two would definitely say it was impossible.
"We found so many on a fallen tree. We picked them from just one tree."
Lin Wei explained with gestures and excitement.
"Is that so? That's really amazing. I've never encountered this before. I thought they picked up so many from many trees." Lin Yue nodded.
Father Lin smiled and said, "No matter what, it's more valuable than what we made.
I got two large bags of herbs, including Radix Pseudostellariae, Radix Astragali, Epimedium, etc. They are not valuable, and their total value is probably about the same as this bag of mushrooms. "
"It seems that today's harvest is not good."
Lin Heng said with a smile, and pointed to the boiling water in the pot: "Let's make duck soup, the water is boiling now."
Move the pot aside and throw the duck directly into the soup without adding water.
After the soup was ready, the three of them started plucking the feathers from one of the snakes.
"We still have some rabbit meat today, but we can't finish it all. What should we do?"
Father Lin said as he was plucking the hair. Then he added with a smile: "I never thought there would be a day when I would have to worry about not having enough meat to eat."
Lin Yue smiled and said: "If you insist, you can definitely finish it. Lin Wei can eat a whole duck by himself.
But I still have to stay, otherwise I will have something to eat if there is no harvest tomorrow.
Make it into beggar duck, seal it with mud and it will last for two or three days even in summer."
Lin Heng nodded, agreeing with this method. The stream water is around 17 or 18 degrees in summer. This is not melted ice so it is impossible for the temperature to be only a few degrees.
There is nothing wrong with keeping it in water for a day and a night, but it will go bad if kept longer than that.
The beggar duck mud blocks the entry of bacteria, so it can naturally be preserved for two or three days.
During this period, you can heat it near the fire from time to time and it will be fine for five days.
"But you can't just make it into beggar duck. Wild duck meat is too oily. You have to roast some of the oil out first, then wrap it into beggar duck."
Lin Heng added.
When it comes to how delicious it is, Lin Heng, who has experienced the era of food explosion, must eat much more than people in the 1980s.
Father Lin said, "Then kill the duck and put it in the water. Let's roast it tomorrow at noon. We are all tired today and don't want to move."
"That's fine."
After some discussion, we decided to bake it tomorrow at noon.
Clean the duck feathers, take out the internal organs and prepare them slightly before leaving them for Xiongba to cook.
Lin Heng and his elder brother carried the duck to the creek.
Lin Yue looked at the fishing maze in the water and said with a smile: "There are plum fish here. You caught several of them with the maze. We saw them when we came back."
"We can catch some tomorrow and make some fish noodle soup." Lin Heng said with a smile.
He took a look at the fish, took out the rabbit, threw the duck in and weighed it down with stones.
Since I brought oil, salt, some garlic sprouts, chili peppers and other ingredients this time, the rabbit meat no longer needs to be roasted. It can be sliced and fried and then cooked with rice. It tastes delicious.
Soon, the meal was ready, and Lin Heng and the other three sat together, eating their dishes and drinking rice wine.
There are billions of stars in the night sky, on the ground there is the sound of gurgling streams, the chirping of insects, and four people talking and laughing.
To Lin Heng, even if the outside world is beautiful, it is not as happy as drinking a sip of wine with his family in the deep mountains and forests.
It's not as good as this happy life of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely viewing the southern mountains.
Eat meat when there is meat, and eat rice when there is no meat. Care for each other and love each other, that is enough.
After the meal, the four of them were a little tipsy and wanted to look at the starry sky, but countless mosquitoes were eating human flesh, so they had to quickly put out the fire and go to bed.
At this time, Lin Heng missed Baishitan again. Although it was extremely hot during the day, it was empty at night with few mosquitoes. It was a good place to watch the stars.
Thanks to the rearrangement by Lin's father and others, sleeping on the hammock today was much more comfortable. There were no mosquitoes to bother me and I slept soundly.
The next morning, Lin Heng and his two companions woke up early and without even having breakfast, they went to the Sanchagou Canyon to see if there was any prey.
As for Lin Wei, he couldn't get out of bed. He said he felt weak all over and his limbs were sore.
"Brother, do you think we can catch a wild boar or a muntjac today?"
Walking on the road, Lin Yue was very excited.
"Brother, don't have too high expectations. This is only the first day of the trap."
Lin Heng smiled bitterly and said that his elder brother was too confident. He was like this the first time too.
"That's right. The density of prey in the wild is very low. Sometimes we can't catch any prey even in half a month." Father Lin was very clear about this.
Lin Yue was still very objective: "Maybe we are lucky."
The three men and the dog came into the canyon talking and laughing. At first glance, as expected, the first few traps were empty.
I walked a little further inside and picked up a few mice, but went further but found nothing.
"This is too fake. The traces on the ground are clearly from the past two days. How come these guys don't get fooled?" Lin Yue couldn't accept it.
Lin Heng looked at the mouse in his hand and said with a smile: "This is already considered good. I haven't even encountered a mouse before. Let's go check the fishhook. Maybe there will be something to gain."
When they arrived at the edge of the pond, the three of them checked their own fishing hooks.
"I have it here! It's a really big catfish!!"
The eldest brother Lin Heng first picked up a big catfish that was more than 20 centimeters long and estimated to weigh four or five kilograms.
There was another splash of water, and Father Lin brought good news: "Hey, I have one here too, it's a little smaller, weighing two kilograms."
"I don't want to play anymore. Not only did I lose the fish, but the hook was also pulled out. What a big fish it was."
Lin Heng looked at the half of the nylon line left with regret. Maybe he would have gained something if he had come yesterday afternoon.
"I feel like I lost at least ten kilograms, otherwise I wouldn't be able to break free from the nylon line." Lin Heng sighed as he rearranged the fishhook.
"Haha, it's possible. Maybe it's 20 kilograms."
"Blame me. I should have come and shown you when I left yesterday."
Lin's father and eldest brother both agreed that he had run away with a weight of ten pounds and was very naive, not knowing that the fisherman would involuntarily blow the trumpet when the fish ran away.
"What should we do with this fish? Should we kill it directly?" asked the eldest brother Lin Yue, holding the big catfish.
"Take it back and raise it. The catfish won't die." Lin Heng said.
The gill structure of catfish is very special, and it can absorb oxygen from the air, so it will not die even if there is no water for a while.
"Oh, I thought at worst there would be a badger or something."
On the way back, Lin Yue shook his head, very disappointed.
"It's okay, at least there are fish." Lin Heng thought this was pretty good.
When he returned to the camp, Lin Heng checked his fishing hooks for pheasants, but they were empty and he caught nothing.
"What big fish!" Lin Wei exclaimed.
"Hurry up and build a pond to keep it." said Lin's father.
Lin Yue took the fish and prepared to throw it into the maze.
"If you raise it alone and put it in a maze, it will easily run away and eat small fish." Lin Heng said quickly, stopping his eldest brother's behavior.
He found a piece of sandy land beside the stream, dug a big hole, and threw the catfish in. The fish jumped around alive and well, without any harm done to it.
"Let's cook." Father Lin sighed and started to make a fire to cook.
“I’ll make roast duck.”
Lin Heng picked up a bamboo that had been washed down from upstream at the side of the stream, cut a piece to use as an axle, carved eight holes around it, and nailed in the cut 30-centimeter pieces of wood. Thus, a simple waterwheel was made.
Use two forks as nails to place a support at the water's edge, and put the waterwheel on it. The waterwheel will rotate as the water flows, driving the axis to rotate together.
Tie the duck to the central axis and an automatic duck roasting device is completed.
"Second Dad, you're so awesome." Lin Yue's admiration for Lin Heng was beyond words.
How come Second Father has so many wonderful ideas? There are so many things he could never think of.
"Read more books." Lin Heng said with a smile, tied the duck, and went to build a big fire nearby.
When the firewood is burned out and only charcoal is left, put the water wheel on and start roasting the duck.
"This is really beautiful. You don't have to turn it over yourself. It will be fine even if people leave." Father Lin also gave a thumbs up. His second son is really good at being lazy.
Lin Heng smiled. Compared to the waterwheel he saw in Tiangong Kaiwu, this one was much simpler.
The waterwheel can transport water and can also be used to pound millet. He must build one on Hongfeng Mountain. It is both beautiful and practical.
After finishing, Lin Heng and his elder brother cut down a few trees by the stream to let the sun in, and took out the mushrooms and herbs they had picked yesterday to dry.
"The noodles are ready, come and eat them, they will be cooked soon."
The noodles were cooked in the morning, and when Lin's father was done, he started calling people.
I scooped a bowl, added some garlic, chili, salt, and a little aged vinegar, and started eating. It wasn't that delicious, but it wasn't bad either, and it was enough to fill my stomach.
After dinner, Lin's father and Lin Yue went upstream to look for herbs, and Lin Heng went to the forest where musk deer were found.
Lin Wei stayed behind to roast the duck and watch the fire to prevent it from going out or burning the mountain.
"Air forces are common, but harvests are rare."
After looking at the trap, Lin Heng was speechless. He had a bad feeling that he might be left empty-handed for a long time.
After checking the noose traps on the musk deer side, there was not a single mouse.
There were no new traces of animals on the ground, so he had no choice but to return with Xiongba.
But the fisherman would never return empty-handed. On the way, he picked some tung leaves and some wild peppercorns that were still green.
When they returned to the camp before noon, Lin Wei had already roasted the largest duck. Its golden appearance made people's appetite grow.
"You mix some mud and I'll make beggar duck."
Lin Heng said something, sprinkled some salt on the duck, stuffed peppercorns into its stomach, then wrapped it with tung leaves and smeared it with mud.
"Just keep roasting these two. No need to make beggar ducks."
Lin Heng looked at Lin Wei and said.
"Why, Second Dad?" Lin Wei looked up at him.
Lin Heng: "...Because there might not be any gains in the afternoon."
Carrying the backpack, Lin Heng went upstream to the creek to check last night's trap, but as expected, he found nothing.
But Lin Heng was not discouraged, as the trap he had just set was just like that.
Continuing forward, Lin Heng entered the forest, trying to find Ganoderma lucidum. He could see one from time to time, but he could no longer find them in large pieces.
Lin Heng walked another five kilometers from the place where he picked mushrooms yesterday. Not only did he find nothing, but the road became increasingly difficult to walk on, with stone skins and thorns, making it difficult to move forward.
Go to the other side of the stream and walk back, looking for traces of prey along the way and setting up some Yama Hangs.
It was already dusk when he returned to the camp. Lin Heng had eight green-bearded mullets in his hands. There was no doubt that he had not gained much today.
"No, I have to look for it again, then I will believe it."
Lin Heng gritted his teeth and went out again. It was dark when he came back, and this time he was holding a red-haired squirrel in his hand.
"Dad, did you gain anything today?" Lin Heng asked with a wry smile.
"They were just ordinary herbs, and there were quite a lot of them. I dug more than ten pounds of turmeric. All my things in total were only worth three or four yuan," said Lin's father with a smile.
"I'm lucky. I found ten kilograms of bergamot ginseng, which can be sold for more than ten yuan after drying." Lin Yue had a smile on his face.
"I just have five Ganoderma lucidum and a few other fungi." Lin Heng spread his hands.
I ate a lot of roast duck and drank rice wine in the evening.
The next day, which was also the fourth day in the mountain, there was still no prey, except for a catfish weighing more than one kilogram.
On the fifth day in the camp, we were air force, had caught three green bass and all the catfish, and ate the last beggar duck in the evening.
On the sixth day, everyone started to eat vegetarian food. They were reluctant to eat the catfish while it was still alive and prepared to take it back to their families.
On the seventh day, we still had no fish, so we started eating the brook grouper and Qinling salmon in the maze.
Early in the morning of the eighth day, it started to drizzle. Lin Heng lay on the bed watching it and felt numb.
I'm not in the mood to check the traps today. I get nothing every time. It's even worse than the last time I came with Tian Baishun.
Lin Heng once suspected that he had left on an unlucky day.
"Why don't I go back?" Father Lin said, looking at the sky.
"Dad, you've given up after just a few days? We'll definitely catch it. It's raining this time, so our hope is greater. The human scent will disappear, so the animals will definitely come."
Lin Heng quickly dissuaded him.
Father Lin shook his head: "I'm not giving up, I'm just going to take things back. Although there have been no prey in the past few days, I have dug up a lot of various herbs, and after drying them, they weigh about 50 to 60 kilograms.
So I'm going to go back and visit your mother and the others, and check on the rice at home. If there are insect pests, we'll have to spray pesticides."
"Then Dad, I'll go back with you." Lin Yue said quickly.
"No, I can do it by myself. It's not like I've been here before, so don't worry." Father Lin shook his head.
Lin Heng spread his hands: "Okay then."
He knew that his father saw that it was raining and they couldn't dig herbs, so he went back to do other work.
I helped to pack up the things and packed up the three catfish. As for whether they could survive when they got back, it depended on their luck.
After everything was ready, Father Lin got up and set off.
Lin Heng and the other two walked him a distance, and then Father Lin waved his hand and said, "Go back, and be careful."
"You too, be careful of snakes, insects and bees."
Lin Heng and the other two gave some instructions and then turned back to the camp.
"Let's go for a walk in the mountains." Lin Yue said with a smile.
"Then go. I'm too lazy to check the trap. Maybe it's because I check it every day that the smell is left and the animals are scared away."
Lin Heng nodded. After analysis, he felt that this was most likely correct.
"I'll come too." Lin Wei didn't want to stay in the shelter alone and get bored.
After packing up, the three of them went straight back along the mountain south of the stream, which was where the shelter was located.
It was drizzling but it was okay. There was almost no sound in the forest. Lin Heng's goal today was very small. Picking some Ganoderma lucidum would be considered a success.
Lin Yue went with him to search around in the woods.
"Second father, look at this tree. It's so strange. Only a little bark is left, but it's still alive."
Not far away, Lin Wei pointed to a tree and said.
Lin Heng came over and took a look, feeling a little happy.
This is a true cypress tree, growing on a rock bark, and it has almost completely rotted away, but it has a branch growing out at a height of 20 centimeters above the ground, which is covered with dense green spherical cypress leaves.
The main trunk, which was as thick as an arm, had rotted away, leaving only a hollow bark. It was simply a perfect bonsai stake. Even without any modification, one could still feel the rich feeling of a dead tree coming back to life.
"This is a good thing. I dug it up and will compensate you later." Lin Heng said with a smile. This can be considered an unexpected gain.
Lin Wei waved his hand and said generously: "Second father, I gave it to you, but I don't like it."
"Thank you very much." Lin Heng smiled and patted his nephew's shoulder.
He got a wooden stick and started digging on the stone. The roots of the cypress tree also had a sense of strength and vicissitudes, and the marks on them were the marks of time and disasters.
But even so, it still lives on.
It was dug out in two minutes and temporarily put into the backpack.
Continue searching, the target is still Ganoderma lucidum. There is no sun today, no watch, and no way to estimate the time.
After walking up two hills, Lin Heng's stomach began to growl. Lin Wei was also obviously hungry and started stuffing his mouth with the sour raspberries he had picked on the road.
"It's almost done, let's go back." Lin Heng patted his shoulder and said with a smile.
"Second Dad, I've actually been hungry for a long time." Lin Wei complained.
Lin Heng was about to speak when there was a fluttering sound from above. The two looked up and saw two red-billed grouse landing on the tree above their heads.
"Shh!"
Lin Heng made a gesture to stop talking, slowly picked up the bow and arrow, and was a little excited. He had been unlucky for a week, was his luck finally turning around?
Unfortunately, the two grouse landed on different branches, so it was impossible to kill two birds with one stone. I could only choose the bigger one.
In order to avoid any further complications, Lin Heng drew his bow and shot the arrow in one go.
"call out!!"
There was a sound of the air piercing, followed by the sound of an arrow piercing flesh.
With a snap, one grouse flew away in fright, while another fell halfway and got stuck on a branch.
"Great, I have meat to eat today!" Lin Wei danced excitedly and jumped on the spot.
"Yes, there is meat to eat." Lin Heng said with a smile. He had been eating nothing but river grouper these days, and no other meat.
I hugged the tree and shook it twice, then found that it was stuck, so I had to climb up and cut the branch off.
"It weighs one pound." Lin Heng smiled. This grouse is very fat.
"Second Dad, I want to eat chicken legs. Let's have one each." Lin Wei said with a smile while touching the grouse.
"No problem!!" Lin Heng handed the grouse to him.
We walked back while discussing how to eat.
Lin Wei thinks it is best to eat it grilled, while Lin Heng thinks it can be eaten squatting, and it can also be made into a tonic soup with medicinal ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, Polygonatum sibiricum, and Gastrodia elata.
"Wait a minute, I found something good!"
At this time, Lin Yue came trotting over from a distance and spoke excitedly in a shrill voice.
(End of this chapter)
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