Chapter 414 Cutting Paint in the Mountains

Chapter 414 Cutting Paint in the Mountains

Early in the morning, the sky swept away the gloom of the previous few days, and the fiery red sun shone on the earth.

Even though Zhang An got up a little later in the morning, he could still see the mountains in the distance covered with red clouds.

As expected, it rains heavily during the Qingming Festival, and the sun shines brightly after the Qingming Festival.

This kind of weather is the most pleasant. Zhang Anxin moved around freely, playing tricks in the yard.

"Xiao An, are you okay today?"

Zhang An had just finished warming up and was about to get into the state, when Zhang and his party came down the mountain.

"I haven't been busy these two days, godfather, what's the matter with you?"

Zhang An was a little curious, because Zhang and his party didn't ask him for anything easily.

“If you have nothing to do, come with me to the mountains to cut paint. Spring has started earlier this year, so it’s time to cut paint.”

Zhang and his party waved the paint-cutting knife in their hands to Zhang An, as well as the bag of shells they were carrying, which were specially used to hold paint.

This paint is the gum exuded from the lacquer tree. It is a paint that has been passed down in China for thousands of years.

Although they are called paints, they are not the kind of paints made with curing agents in the chemical industry.

This thing cut from the lacquer tree has a very nice name in our country since ancient times, called lacquer or raw lacquer.

Our country has a long history and a very rich cultural heritage. It has been coated with the resin of the lacquer tree thousands of years ago.

At that time, someone discovered that using paint like this on furniture or other appliances would keep it from rotting for many years, so later carpenters began to pay attention to this thing.

Although Zhang Yixing is not a carpenter, he is also using this thing.

Because the ink strips he uses himself use these raw lacquers.

Every year from early April to August or September, it is the season for cutting paint.

Spring started relatively early this year, and it has already reached mid-April, which is also the time when the first knife lacquer is harvested.

Although in the endless mountains behind the village, there are towering sumac trees growing everywhere.

But if you go late, the sumac trees in the mountains may be occupied by others first.

Although many people are allergic to sumac, they will become allergic as soon as they are close to it, and some pustules will grow on their bodies, which will last for a long time and will itch unbearably.

But this thing is very expensive, and many people in the mountains will cut it off and sell it to people who collect paint.

And many families with elderly people at home will prepare raw lacquer in advance.

After all, this thing is difficult to rot after being painted, so many people in the mountains will use it to paint longevity materials.

Especially for the ethnic minorities in the mountains, in addition to longevity materials, they also have some of their daily utensils.

But now there is a market for local lacquerware, and the price is very expensive, so now lacquerware exists more as a handicraft.

Zhang and his party counted the days and felt that it was almost time, so they prepared to go into the mountains to cut paint.

When Zhang An went to get ink sticks from him before, he had a strong interest in making ink.

So when Zhang and his party were preparing to go into the mountains today, they came here specially to call Zhang An.

"Okay, I've never cut paint before, so I'm going to experience it today."

Anyway, I am idle, go to the mountains and see something I have never seen before Stuff is also a bonus.

Although breakfast had already been eaten, Wang Fang heard that Zhang An was going to the mountains with Zhang and his party, so he returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Then he filled two aluminum lunch boxes full of food for the two of them.

Actually, Zhang Yixing brought his own food, but he didn't bother with that. He just brought some dry goods such as rice cakes.

Get ready to go into the mountains. When it's time to eat, light a small fire and roast it before eating it.

But now that I saw Wang Fang preparing a lunch box for them to take into the mountains, I ignored the thought of the rice cakes in the bag and put the lunch box into my pocket very happily.

Zhang An put on clothes specially designed for going into the mountains, but their family had never been in the habit of cutting paint, so they didn’t have a paint-cutting knife.

But Zhang and his party were nowhere to be found. He knew that Zhang An would definitely go with him, so he brought them with him.

"I'm ready, let's go."

Zhang An carried a small basket on his back, which was actually a medicine basket with a medicine hoe in it.

He was planning to go into the mountains later, and if he saw any medicinal materials, he would dig them back.

"Godfather, give me the clam shells to carry."

On the way, Zhang An looked at Zhang and his entourage carrying most of their pockets of shells, and offered to carry them himself.

“It’s better for me to carry it. These are all stained with soil paint, so you won’t be allowed to take them and get them stained everywhere. Moreover, since there are only one or two kilograms of things here, it doesn’t take much effort to carry them. ”

Zhang Yi Xing shook his head and rejected Zhang An’s kindness.

Zhang An didn't insist. Although these clam shells looked like they had more than half a pocket, they were really very light.

These shells are actually a kind of container. After the lacquer tree is separated, it will be stuck under the opening to catch the raw lacquer seeping out of the bark.

Suddenly Zhang An heard some movement behind him, and when he looked back, he realized that the little tiger who had just been lying in the nest had followed behind him.

"Hey, you guy, how did you know I was going out?"

Zhang An didn't go into the mountains to play today, so he didn't plan to take Xiaohu and the others with him. He didn't even say anything when he left just now Yell.

I just don’t know how Xiaohu knew that he was going into the mountain, and now he followed him quietly.

But now that they have followed him, if Zhang An drives it back, it will not agree.

Instead of letting it follow you secretly, it is better to let it follow you directly, so that you can have more companions on the road.

And this little thing is getting smarter and smarter now, because it knows that after being discovered by Zhang An, it will be driven home.

So when we walked such a long way just now, it followed us from a distance.

It didn’t run out to follow Zhang An until it entered the mountain. After all, it was too far away from home, and Zhang An would not call it back.

In this way, two people and one dog walked through the mountains. They started from home in the morning and walked for nearly three or four hours. They arrived at the destination near noon.

After all, sumac is a nuisance to many people, and the villagers will not let it grow around the village.

Only in the deep mountains far away from human habitation can they take root.

When they arrived at the place, Zhang and his party began to teach Zhang An how to cut lacquer.

Take a lacquer cutter and make a few cuts on the lacquer tree to cut a small piece of bark into an inverted figure of eight.

In this way, the shells brought are stuck underneath, and a sumac tree has been cut.

Although it seems simple, for those who have never had it done, it still takes some time to get it done properly.

This was Zhang An’s first time doing it, so he was a little hesitant when cutting.

Sometimes I feel that the incision I made is too big, and sometimes it feels like it is too small.

Sometimes it feels like the bark has not been cut to the end, and sometimes it feels like it has been cut into the trunk. So Zhang and his party had already cut far away, but Zhang An was still behind.

After cutting twenty or thirty lacquer trees, Zhang An became more proficient.

After cutting for about an hour or two, the two stopped to prepare for lunch.

I originally brought two lunch boxes, which was enough for them both to pay attention to a meal.

But now the tiger is coming, and Zhang An doesn’t want it to starve.

So I divided some of my rice and fed it to Xiaohu, and then made a small fire to bake some of the sticky cakes that Zhang and his party brought.

After all, he eats so much that a box of rice is just enough to fill his stomach.

Now Xiaohu has divided some of it, and there is no difference between eating it and not eating it.

After Zhang An got the fire going, Xiaohu finished the lunch that Zhang An gave him and then dove into the mountain.

After a while, he came back with his tail wagging and a rabbit in his mouth.

“Oh, the little tiger is pretty good. He was worried that we wouldn’t have enough to eat, so he gave us extra food.”

Zhang and his party couldn’t help but feel a little happy when they saw the rabbit that the little tiger had picked up.

In fact, he didn't know that for Xiaohu, these were all basic operations.

I am used to going into the mountains with Zhang An, and they are basically looking for food.

Every time Zhang An gets angry, he probably knows it’s time to eat.

"If I had known, I would have ignored it. This mountain is like its home, and I am actually worried that it will starve."

I had to rush to cut the paint, but the little tiger... After catching a rabbit, it takes some time just to process it.

"Forget it, I've caught you even if you don't want to arrest me. Let's clean it up first. I don't think you've eaten much. Anyway, you're not just here today."

Zhang Yixing didn't I think it's a waste of time. I cut the paint for my own use, so it doesn't make any difference if I do it sooner or later.

Unlike other lacquer farmers, when cutting lacquer every day, they rush in a hurry, for fear of delaying the work for a while, cutting a few fewer grains, and harvesting a smaller quantity.

After the rabbit was roasted, Zhang and his party ate a rabbit leg, along with the roasted rice cake, and ate it with gusto.

Zhang An ate half of the dog, and the remaining half went into Xiaohu’s dog’s belly.

It really depends on what kind of dog a person raises. Zhang An, a loser owner, raises dogs that are also losers.

Half a lunch box and half a rabbit. After eating, the guy was still licking his mouth, feeling a little unsatisfied.

After eating, the two continued to look for lacquer trees in the woods and cut lacquer trees.

It was not until three or four o'clock in the afternoon that the two of them started to look back and prepare to finish the painting.

Because after cutting the paint, it will take about two hours to harvest the raw paint.

After all, it was just a small scratch, and not much paint actually flowed out.

The paint that has just flowed out at this time is still gray-white and very thick.

In fact, there is another reason, because I am worried that my cut paint will be collected by others.

After all, this is a mountain, and it is not a lacquer forest specially planted by someone.

Unknowingly, it was getting dark, but at this time, Zhang An, Zhang and his party also finished collecting the paint they had cut today.

"Why is there only a little bit? I think we have cut hundreds of trees today. This may be difficult for a pound."

But in the end, looking at the little bit of paint in the pot, Zhang An felt a little uneasy. handy.

The lacquer pot Zhang Yixing brought was about three kilograms in weight. It was not even half full, let alone half full, but only about one-third full.

"How much more do you want? This paint is inherently difficult to cut, and it's because you came with me. It's good to be able to harvest one catty. If I do it by myself, I can harvest half a catty at most. . ”

Although he cut slowly at first, he was a young man after all, and after he became proficient in cutting, he moved faster than Zhang Yixing.

In this way, the two of them went into the mountain for more than ten days and finally cut more than ten kilograms of paint liquid.

So why is lacquerware so expensive? Why is raw lacquer so expensive? This is why it is so expensive.

Because each tree can only be cut a few times, and each cut can only collect a little bit of paint.

The ancients also often said that one pound of lacquer can be collected by walking hundreds of miles and cutting thousands of knives in the mountains.

“Hey, this paint is too difficult to cut. I really won’t come here again.”

This was Zhang An's first time to cut paint, but after these days, he decided never to come again.

Because it is really not easy. It takes a whole day to cut and only a little bit of paint is left at the end.

When he thought about running such a long distance every day just for a few taels of paint, he felt that it was not worthwhile and he couldn't muster the motivation at all.

"You are thinking not to go now. When it comes to your father's affairs in the future, I guess you will have to run faster."

Although Zhang An's grandparents have already gone, There are also some old people like Mr. Zhang.

According to Zhang An’s temperament, Zhang and his party felt that when the time came, Zhang An would definitely run faster than anyone else.

"This is easy to handle. I'll go outside to collect it when the time comes. There are plenty of people to cut it anyway."

Although this paint will definitely be needed in many places at home, he really doesn't want to Do it yourself again.

Anyway, there are so many people in the mountains who cut paint and sell it to people who collect paint outside, so Zhang An feels that it is not impossible to spend money to collect it.

“You are still young and don’t know the truth behind it. It’s better to cut it if you buy it from others than to cut it yourself. If someone cuts it and sells it to you, the paint will be of no use. And when you really want to use it, you will definitely still have it in hand? This thing is in the market but not at a high price.”

People in the mountains are simple and honest, but when they get involved with money, they are no longer simple and honest.

This paint is very difficult to cut, so many people who specialize in cutting and selling paint add some unknown things to it after receiving the paint.

Although it looks the same and smells the same, the effect is different.

The saying that gold can be fake but paint cannot be genuine has been circulating among lacquer farmers and dealers, and it is not unreasonable.

Mountain people attach great importance to the longevity materials used after the death of the elderly, because many people feel that this is not a question of quality, but involves some things that cannot be explained scientifically.

So when it comes to things, most people will do it themselves and prepare in advance.

You can know from the fact that some old people in the mountains began to prepare longevity materials for themselves when they were still relatively strong. They attach great importance to this issue.

This is not just a matter of size, but more importantly, I am worried about buying it, so I have to look at it myself.

Zhang An actually thought of this, so when he was on the mountain, he transplanted many lacquer trees directly into the space.

With a little cultivation, you can grow a large area in the space.

If the family needs it in the future, he will go directly to the space to cut it.

And Zhang An believes that the lacquer trees grown in space will definitely produce better lacquer than those harvested in the mountains.

(End of this chapter)