dmims Chapter 86 The Zhang Family
Chapter 86 The Zhang Family
"Phew! Finally, I've arrived. This damned mountain made it take me so long to crawl out." Zhang Niu cursed under his breath as he looked at the towering mountains behind him.
We should hurry back and check if King Kong has returned.
I walked through my own large orchard and returned to the entrance of the small courtyard.
Just as I entered the doorway, a dark figure emerged. It was Sanlang; his sudden appearance in the darkness was quite startling. It seemed he was still guarding the place, as I crouched down and gently stroked him.
The wolves also came over and affectionately rubbed against each other a few times.
Since Sanlang is here, it means no one else is coming up today. I guess the family is getting impatient.
I walked straight to the pigpen, where several piglets were lying in the corner. They seemed to be quite well-behaved and didn't make a fuss. I walked up to the mother wild boar, who, although still unable to stand, looked much better than when I first came back and was still gently grunting.
It's good that everything's alright; Zhang Niu was relieved. The wild boar piglets nearby had already gathered around and rubbed against Zhang Niu's trouser legs, probably starving.
"Come on, come out for dinner." She turned and went out, calling out.
At the owner's call, the wild boar piglets all rushed over, following Zhang Niu like a large herd.
Zhang Niu found a large bucket of raw sweet potatoes that had already been cut up in the inner room. These were usually white sweet potatoes that wild boars liked to eat.
As soon as the sweet potatoes were poured, the wild boar piglets swarmed over and began to fight for them, constantly nudging and shoving to claim their spots. Watching them eat, they really looked like they were starving ghosts reincarnated.
Looking down at his rumbling stomach, he realized he had to go home for a meal. He changed into clean clothes, dragged his motorcycle out, and headed towards the village.
As soon as I got out of the car and walked to the front yard, I heard a sound coming from inside the house.
"This rice wine tastes so pure, it must have been made with glutinous rice right away!" came a cheerful yet steady voice.
"Yeah, this was made with homemade glutinous rice last autumn, and it's still fresh from the jar," came Dad's voice.
Huh! Who's in our house tonight? That voice sounds so unfamiliar. I wondered to myself.
Stepping into the lobby, I saw an octagonal table. My father was sitting at the head of the table, an elderly man at the foot, and a young man at the foot. I didn't recognize him, but his attire suggested he might be someone important.
"Dad, you're back." He plopped down in a chair.
Just then, Dad saw Zhang Niu come in and said, "You just came from the mountains, right?" He turned to the kitchen and called out, "Wife, hurry up and serve our son some rice."
"Why aren't you coming over? What are you sitting there for? Come and eat!"
"Here I am," he said, quickly standing up.
Chairman Zhang recognized the young man as Zhang Niu from Happy Abode when he entered. He was indeed young, and it was remarkable that he could tame even a fierce blue wolf.
As soon as I sat down, my mom handed me a large bowl of white rice. "Luckily, your dad told me to cook extra tonight, otherwise there wouldn't be anything to eat when you came back."
Zhang Niu took the large bowl, picked up some food, and shoveled it into his mouth.
Mom watched Zhang Niu eat and said, "Don't rush, eat slowly, don't slouch."
While eating rice, he mumbled, "I know, it's just my stomach acting up."
Zhang Niu just wants to fill his stomach first; everything else can wait.
"The wild boar from your mountain is back today," the father said, taking small sips of his drink, as he recounted the news of King Kong's return.
"You're back! Are you alright?" I asked quickly when my dad mentioned the wild boar.
"It's alright. This was found by Uncle Er Gou from the village. The wild boar was shot seven times. There are no other wounds on its body. It's just sitting there in that corner." He pointed to the dark figure in the corner of the hall.
Zhang Niu hurriedly put down his chopsticks and ran over.
There was a burlap sack in the corner. King Kong lay on it, wrapped up like a dumpling. I could tell he was still alive just by listening to his breathing.
"Dad, what did the vet say?"
"The vet said there was a 50% chance, and that it would be good if he could make it back. He also told you not to forget to bring him over tomorrow to change the dressing." He recounted everything the vet had said during the day.
"Oh, I understand." Zhang Niu nodded.
Seeing King Kong lying there, she didn't disturb him and turned back to the dining table.
"Young man, did you spot any poachers when you went into the mountains?" Zhang Niu looked up and saw the old man speaking.
"You are..." Zhang Niu had no recollection of the old man in front of him.
Seeing that Zhang Niu was unfamiliar, his father quickly introduced, "This is Chairman Zhang of the photography team, and that's his assistant over there."
It turned out the photography crew had come to this remote place. Could it be that Lao Wang and his group had handed in the photos from last time? Zhang Niu quickly realized that it must have been Lao Wang and his group who did it.
"Don't mind if I didn't see you when I came in," Zhang Niu said politely.
"It's alright, we don't know each other," Chairman Zhang said with a smile.
Xiao Zhang, standing nearby, had some complaints. They treated the two of them like they were invisible, not even bothering to greet them. In the city, they'd be scrambling to curry favor. He really was just a peasant; he couldn't stand Zhang Niu no matter what.
Zhang Niu noticed his assistant's expression. He had just gotten home and hadn't done anything to offend him, so he felt quite annoyed.
"We spent more than a day in the mountains, and we didn't notice any poachers. Instead, we were tricked by the roadblocks they set up."
"Poachers even set up roadblocks?" Chairman Zhang asked with interest.
"En" recounted the encounter with the giant wasps on the road, explaining that she escaped by jumping into a pond. Her neck was still red and swollen.
Upon hearing Zhang Niu's words, his mother, who was watching TV, became anxious. She rushed over, lifted his collar, and saw the red and swollen areas. "Does it still hurt? Why did you go looking for it when you were perfectly fine? If it weren't for the pond, where would you have escaped to?" She became more and more upset as she spoke.
"Mom, it's okay, I'm sitting here perfectly fine." The person trying to comfort her should have known better than to say that.
"You're still being nosy. Next time you go into the mountains, you should tell your family first. Your dad sent the village kids to visit you this morning."
I only realized how worried my family was about me when my mom mentioned it. "Okay, I'll understand next time."
"You're really lucky, but these people are really vicious. If I'm not mistaken, there's a Shan Baitong among them." Dad thought that Shan Baitong was among them.
These words surprised Chairman Zhang. "Shan Baitong? What's that?"
Seeing the expressions on Chairman Zhang's face, Dad hurriedly explained, "Shan Baitong is our local dialect. In your city terms, it's like an encyclopedia. It means someone who is particularly knowledgeable about mountain life and can even concoct medicines for traveling in the deep mountains."
"Oh, I see." Chairman Zhang nodded, indicating that he understood.
They were unaware that often among a group of poachers was a man named Shan Baitong, who always managed to return with a full load of poachers.
"Is mountain balsam very rare?" Xiao Zhang asked, expressing his thoughts.
Dad, after taking a sip of Shaoxing wine, nodded. "Yes, there are many people who can travel through the mountains, but even fewer who are known as 'mountain omniscient,' especially those who can prepare medicinal potions. They are like your master's students."
"Oh, there are so many names for this." Xiao Zhang lowered his head, thinking that this was what hiking in the mountains was called.
Lost in thought, Chairman Zhang drank his yellow wine in frustration. "I wonder how many rare animals will be unlucky this time. They can even set up hornet's nests on the road. These people are really something else."
"Mom, another bowl, I'm still hungry." She handed over an empty bowl.
Even after finishing a large bowl of rice, Zhang Niu still felt incredibly hungry.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Niu finished two bowls of rice and rubbed his stomach, finally feeling full.
My dad and Chairman Zhang had drunk quite a bit, and my dad's face was flushed red.
The father, who had stood up, called Zhang Niu outside.
"Now that you're back, let them sleep in your bamboo house. They might not be used to sleeping at home."
"Okay, then I'll take them upstairs later. Dad, you should get some rest too." Looking at her father who had drunk too much.
Dad greeted us as he went back inside to rest, while Mom started clearing the table of dishes.
"Chairman Zhang, why don't you stay at my bamboo house tonight? The environment there is nicer." He said to Chairman Zhang.
"Okay, thank you so much." Actually, Chairman Zhang was quite interested in that bamboo house.
"Mom, I'm going back now." He called out to the house before leaving.
It was exceptionally dark outside. Xiao Zhang, who wasn't used to walking in the alley, almost bumped into the corner of the wall.
With the moonlight at night, the mountain path is still easy to walk.
"I wonder if Chairman Zhang is here for sightseeing or something else?" Zhang Niu, who was walking, still wanted to find out.
Chairman Zhang immediately understood what the young man was thinking and laughed, "Young man, don't worry, I'm quite old, I'm just looking for a place to rest."
It seems I was overthinking things. Yes, what can an old man do? What could he possibly do in this place? I was just being paranoid.
"Hehe, don't be offended, everyone in our village is like this."
"Young man, your place is great, how come I've never seen it reported in the newspapers?" I asked casually.
"You should have seen the stone tablet for 'Happy Abode' at my intersection, right? If it were in the newspapers, could this place still be called 'Happy Abode'? People would flock here with all sorts of ulterior motives. I'm not good at figuring out people's intentions; I prefer things to be simple."
Chairman Zhang clapped his hands and said, "Good, that's right. I usually hate people who come here with ulterior motives. Your Happy Little Abode is perfect for that."
Chairman Zhang couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. There were so few young people like this. He had originally thought that Happy Little Abode was an older person, but who knew that it was so young. It's really good that country kids mature so early.
That evening, Zhang Niu arranged for them to enter the bamboo house.
After making the arrangements, Zhang Niu will go to the Wafang area, so he can travel all day and go to bed early.
"Xiao Zhang, what do you think of this young man?" I asked Xiao Zhang, who was pouring hot water.
"Well, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just have a rustic air about me." Xiao Zhang didn't know what the chairman meant by asking this, but he still chose the general idea.
"Sounds of the countryside, that's a good word. If farmers don't have that rural air, can they really be considered rural people? Unlike city people who work nine-to-five, in the village, it's early morning and late at night." Wasn't that how I was back then? Today's young people don't know how hard it was back then.
Seeing the president deep in thought, I put down the tea and quietly closed the door.
It was a little after six in the morning. Zhang Niu got up as soon as it was light. He went outside and saw Chairman Zhang by the pond. The old man was really up early.
"Good morning," Zhang Niu greeted as he walked over.
"Good morning, this is a great place. I woke up early and came here to breathe some fresh air. It's definitely better than the city." Looking at the green cattail leaves on the water, he took a deep breath.
Chairman Zhang continued to immerse himself in the tranquility of nature this morning. He hadn't enjoyed himself like this in a long time. Although he had a small backyard at home, it was nothing compared to this.
After lingering by the pond for a while, Chairman Zhang turned and walked towards the orchard.
Wandering into the orchard, rows of fruit trees were in full bloom, their blossoms vibrant, and many trees were already bearing small green fruits. This place is likely to have a bumper harvest this year; look at how the trees are laden with tiny fruits.
The bees were flying around, and there was a beehive in the distance. I didn't expect this young man to be so capable, knowing how to use bees to increase the pollen fertilization rate. But Chairman Zhang was wrong this time.
Zhang Niu ran a lap around the orchard, only turning back when he felt his back getting a little wet. The fruit trees throughout the orchard were almost entirely covered in small green fruits.
The season of blooming flowers has quietly passed, time really flies.
Zhang Niu planned to build a mound in the front yard for the pangolin to live in. This guy had followed Zhang Niu out of the mountains, so he needed a proper nest.
After the meal, Chairman Zhang seemed to have something urgent and hurriedly drove back to the provincial capital, but it's good that he left.
We went back to the village and had the villagers carry King Kong to Happy House. My parents are at home and it's not easy to take care of them, so it's much simpler and less strenuous to take him to Happy House.
After we get up here, I'll have my dad call up all the people who helped yesterday so we can have a meal together tonight. In particular, we absolutely have to invite Uncle Er Gou. If it weren't for him, no one would have known that King Kong died there.
The father was very pleased that his son had done this. In the village, it's especially important not to owe people favors; those debts are the hardest to repay. After his father left, Zhang Niu rode his bicycle to Wangjia Village to pick up the veterinarian.
Veterinarian Zhang Niu, who arrived early in the morning, was a little surprised: "Is your wild boar alright?"
"It's alright, but that badly injured wild boar is still unconscious and barely clinging to life. I don't know if it's in any danger." He explained King Kong's condition.
"It's normal that he hasn't woken up yet. As long as he's breathing, it means he's still alive. Don't worry, he'll be fine after the first night. Wait a moment, I'll take out the ointment." He turned and went into the inner room.
Zhang Niu was a little surprised to see the veterinarian come out carrying a sack full of medicine. "This is..."
"It's all medicine, I'll give it all to you at once so you can learn to change the dressing yourself." Only then did I realize what the veterinarian meant; it was to save me from having to make so many trips.
There were also some medicines packed in sacks. "I don't know how much these two treatments will cost."
The veterinarian chuckled, "Just give me whatever money you want. I'm not one of those heartless doctors in the city. Besides, this isn't about treating a person, right?"
This made Zhang Niu feel embarrassed, but he still took out five hundred yuan and handed it to the veterinarian, saying, "I don't know how much to give, so five hundred will do!"
The money wasn't much, but Zhang Niu was very grateful to the veterinarian.
This surprised the veterinarian, who didn't expect to receive so much money. He took the money and prepared to return some to Zhang Niu.
"Don't say that, this is to thank you. If it weren't for your good cooking skills, my wild boar would probably be dead by now," Zhang Niu said gratefully.
"Since you've said so, then I'll accept it." In the veterinarian's mind, this money was equivalent to several of his own ailments.
Back at Happy Cottage, the veterinarian began teaching Zhang Niu how to change his dressings. After two sessions, Zhang Niu had learned the basics of bandaging and applying medicine.
To Zhang Niu's even greater delight, the veterinarian, after examining King Kong, said the wound was healing very well and it would likely regain consciousness by tonight. Zhang Niu would then buy some leftover meat, cook it, and feed it to the wild boar.
Zhang Niu immediately kept this in mind, since there was always plenty of leftover meat at the meat stall every day.
After returning the animal to the veterinarian, we headed to town to buy some vegetables that evening.
Zhang Niu arrived late in the morning, and most of the vegetables in town had already been sold out, so he just bought a little something, but there was still a lot of meat left.
Several cars pulled up in front of the town's notice board, and a few police officers got out. They quickly tore down the old notices, replaced them with large-print ones, and then drove off.
"What's going on here?" many vegetable vendors asked.
Zhang Niu walked straight ahead, thinking that it was worth paying attention to, at least to find out what was on the poster.
Zhang Niu finally managed to squeeze in due to the crowd. Looking up, he saw it was a notice about poaching. The city would be cracking down on poachers and those harboring firearms, and a reward of RMB would be given for any private reports that verified their information.
"Does this mean hunting will be banned?" a villager who didn't know much about it asked.
"You've misread it. It's not a hunting ban, it's a crackdown on poachers. Look here." Someone who understood began to explain.
"That's great! Poaching is despicable."
"What's the big deal? It's the same whether we go into the mountains to catch them or not. The restaurants still raise them and eat them." Many people started to argue, seemingly not caring much about the matter.
After watching the meeting, Zhang Niu squeezed out of the crowd. He felt that what the man said made a lot of sense; the mountains around his Daliang Mountain area were endless, and if poachers just went into the mountains, they wouldn't be caught. He shook his head and decided to ignore it.
The group behind them continued their discussion; it's a way to spice things up.
After parking the car, we should make a mound of dirt while we still have time. Someone in the village used to raise cattle there, but eventually sold them. Back then, Zhang Niu and his group often went to check on them; it's been so long already.
Find the leftover cement. Choose the corner right inside the entrance. Pile up two long, narrow earthen pits. One will be used to raise ants, and the other will be their living space; pangolins usually live in clean places.
They carried about twenty loads of soil, built a long mound about 1.8 meters high, compacted it, and surrounded it with red bricks.
Raising ants is even simpler; just take some rice from home. The rice water from washing the rice is excellent breeding material. Pile a layer of rice, sprinkling rice water on top, and cover it with soil layer by layer. Ants will emerge in less than a week. With pangolins around, you won't have to worry about ants crawling into your house. Place a wooden plank between two mounds of soil so the pangolins can climb across.
They pulled the pangolin out of the enclosure. It was so heavy that Zhang Niu had to carry it out in his arms. He said to the pangolin, which was still waving its short limbs, "Behave yourself. This is your new place. That's the mound of dirt over there for raising ants. Go there to eat from now on."
The pangolin was placed on a mound of earth. The pangolin looked at Zhang Niu with its small eyes, then used its forelimbs to dig into the soil and its hind limbs to dig it out. In a moment, the pangolin had burrowed into the soil.
This was the first time Zhang Niu had ever seen this guy dig. It turned out he was digging with his front feet and pushing the soil with his back. The coordination was really good. Looking at those forelimbs, he remembered that the "tomb raiding talisman" mentioned in a certain tomb raiding book was made from this pangolin, and it was the sect's only token.
Watching the pangolin digging in the soil, it really lived up to its name, "Pangolin." Zhang Niu thought to himself, "I'll give the pangolin the nickname 'treasure hunter.' I hope I can find some treasure someday too."
The pangolin, which had burrowed into the mound of earth, poked its little head out after a while, nodded at Zhang Niu, and then burrowed back down, seemingly quite satisfied with the place.
At noon, Zhang Niu moved the fish skeleton to the pond and gently placed it on the ground. As soon as the wild boar piglets were put down, they started circling around it. Zhang Niu quickly chased these troublemakers away.
The wild boar cub in the distance stared at the gleaming white fish rack in front of it; its cunning eyes revealed either wicked intentions or that it had found something good to play with.
"If you guys dare to cause trouble, I'll deduct your food for a few days and starve you for days," Zhang Niu said fiercely, having already spotted the group of unruly troublemakers.
Having a fish rack without fish heads really looks a bit out of place. Then he remembered how fun it was to scare people at night, and couldn't help but chuckle. However, Zhang Niu couldn't recall where he'd found a girl in his area; she might be good at scaring mice, though.
That evening, Er Gou the veterinarian and his team arrived at Happy Cottage.
By evening, King Kong had regained consciousness. The little one beside him was clenching his tiny fists, making a squeaking sound as if he was trying to encourage himself.
The sight of Jin Gang waking up put Zhang Niu's mind at ease. It's good that he's awake; his injuries will heal eventually.
Mom came up to help with the cooking. My little sister was playing with the cat. The cat kept trying to run away, but she would catch it every few steps and it would whine in her hands again. The cat's big eyes darted around, and she could tell what was wrong at a glance.
There wasn't much food for dinner; we just killed a duck. We also took out a grass carp from the storage space, steamed it, and the pale white fish meat, sprinkled with chopped green onions, smelled delicious.
Happy Abode was bustling with activity at night, with the sounds of drinking frequently emanating from it. Even the tomb raiders came out, watched for a while, and then buried themselves back down. However, Zhang Niu had planted quite a few weeds on it, so it didn't look bare.
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