Chapter 295: The Elf Who Came to Repay the Gratitude
But when it came to wine, Lao Xing brought a jar out of the house.
It’s medicinal wine made from deer whip.
Lao Xing said that he also has a lot of medicinal wine here, such as deer penis, deer tendon, snake and scorpion five treasures, leopard gallbladder, and even the legendary ten whip wine.
“It’s not from my family, it’s from many families in the mountains here. Every family makes wine. Living in the mountains, medicinal wine is indispensable.”
Yes, it’s humid and cold in the mountains, so wine is indispensable.
Chen Ling didn't care about this, he got interested after hearing him say that leopards are brave enough to drink wine, "When did you have leopards here? In recent years?"
"You said Leopards, we have to go ten years ago." Lao Xing thought for a moment, pointed to the north and said, "Go north and west from Fenglei Town. The leopards in the Daqin Mountains like to run this way. In winter, some hungry leopards go south. I came here to find food. I met a few of them in the mountains.”
“Good guy, there are a few more. You sound like a local leopard.”
Chen Ling. He stared and said, "You're not just boasting, we didn't have any leopards twenty or thirty years ago."
"Who is boasting? Why don't you leave in a hurry? I will take you to the mountains to see later. There are leopard skins elsewhere."
Lao Xing took a sip of honey water and said calmly.
Just by this look, Chen Ling believed most of it, and exclaimed in his heart, Damn, I came here just for fun, but I didn’t expect that the harvest was quite big, including leopard skins.
This must be won.
He quickly asked: "How many leopard skins do you have?"
"Two of them were sold before, and there are only two left. They are all at my uncle's house."
Chen Ling asked him to take them with him, and Wang Susu and Wang Susu also picked up the baby and followed.
We were talking on the way.
The buckwheat honey smells like stinky feet, so it’s better to drink it after diluting it with water.
Chen Ling said he would get some when he went back.
This thing is considered a new thing.
While talking all the way, we walked a little further up the mountain and saw a house. This place is not as comfortable as Lao Xing's place, but it's pretty good. The courtyard is full of firewood and all kinds of felled trees.
Behind the house is a pond and vegetable garden.
Lao Xing said that it was planned to be expanded.
Conditions are now better than before, and you have to pay attention to comfort and ease when living in the mountains.
While talking, he explained the situation to his uncle and cousins, and took Chen Ling's family to see the leopard skin.
Leopard skin is not simple.
This is also something that the old herb collector kept at the bottom of the box, and it is very well preserved.
Chen Ling was very satisfied after reading it, and it took a lot of effort to buy these two pieces.
I bought it without saying much and returned to Lao Xing’s house again.
This time I came out to play and buy, so the whole family would have some fun.
The mountains are full of dangers.
But the mountain people living in the mountains are very good at turning danger into safety.
Make dangerous things your own.
For example, some poisonous weeds, poisonous trees, poisonous insects and ants were made into veterinary drugs.
Used for hunting or poisoning wild animals.
My father-in-law once said that these people in the mountains are all "three households".
He is a farmer, a medicine farmer, and a hunter.
This is most intuitively reflected in Lao Xing.
Lao Xing said: "When I was studying agriculture in Dazhai, the commune members built terraces in the mountains and ate from big pots. It was a big project, covering hundreds of acres, and some of the stone ridges were more than two meters high. Dry. The work was hard, so the militiamen went into the mountains to hunt, sometimes killing more than a dozen wild boars for food.”
"There are also times when you can't solve the problem even with a gun, so you come to us for veterinary medicine."
He was very proud of himself when he said this.
Chen Ling heard something in his heart: "I have nux vomica ointment here, which is also a veterinary medicine for hunting."
He wanted to exchange some medicine with Lao Xing to drive away wolves and tigers.
It doesn’t matter if you spend some money on it.
In the mountains at home, the group of wild beasts is still growing. Prepare these prescriptions to be prepared.
He can continue to experiment in the cave when he goes back.
At this time, Lao Xing also thought of him as one of those rich people who are stupid and have a lot of money and buy new gadgets when they see them. He didn't need him to exchange the prescription for it, so he gave him a little money and wrote the prescription to him. .
Chen Ling was so happy that she couldn't even notice.
This harvest is really not bad.
It seems that everything will be fine in the future. You can come to the mountains to find some treasures from these old herb collectors. Maybe there will be some unexpected surprises.
A few transactions were very pleasant.
Chen Ling and Lao Xing, a man who collects medicinal herbs, had a great conversation, and the more they chatted, the more they became more and more speculative.
So much so that I forgot the time.
While chatting, the sun was setting in the west, and it seemed that we would not be able to walk today.
That's okay too.
You can stay here in Laoxing, and there are places to stay at the foot of the mountain, so you don’t have to worry about it.
At nearly four o'clock in the afternoon, it became dark on the mountain.
Old Xing’s wife has already started preparing dinner.
Seeing this, Gao Xiulan and Wang Susu also went to help.
At this time, Chen Ling was following Lao Xing to visit his medicinal wine and hunting tools.
There was a continuous sound of barking dogs coming from the mountain.
People who often have dogs at home will know if something is wrong just by hearing the dog barking, let alone people like Chen Ling and Lao Xing.
As soon as I heard it, I knew something was wrong.
Just take the guy at hand and go out to see what's going on.
When I walked to the house, I saw a group of black and yellow tiger-headed tigers under the dim sky, raising their heads and barking crazily at the trees behind the corn and buckwheat fields.
And those tall forest trees were swaying and swaying, which was quite scary under the slightly dark sky.
Lao Xing was overjoyed when he saw this and clapped his hands: "Oh, today is a good sign. I met a golden monkey coming down the mountain."
"Golden monkey? Golden monkey?"
Chen Ling squinted his eyes and saw that it was indeed a golden monkey. He ignored the cries of a group of tiger-headed yellow monkeys and ran down the tree with a clatter.
He stood and squatted on the edge of the woods, confronting the dogs.
"Ouch, come back." Lao Xing put his hand to his mouth and howled, and the dogs retreated one after another.
While running, I looked back at the group of golden monkeys behind me, whining and moaning, very unwillingly.
"It's a good sign to meet the golden monkey. We often see these things when collecting herbs on the top of the mountain. They don't bother people and are good neighbors to the people in the mountains." Lao Xing giggled.
"I'm going to get some fruit, and we'll feed the monkeys. The golden monkey is an elf and will protect people."
After that, he actually brought two baskets of wild fruits, pomegranates, wild orange pears, and grapes, gave Chen Ling one basket, and took him to feed the monkeys.
In this situation, Chen Ling naturally did not forget to call Wang Susu out and asked her to come out to see the golden monkey.
This trip is considered a family vacation. The purpose is to relax and have fun. Having new things to do will bring a lot of fun.
Wang Susu heard the golden monkey and ran out quickly, saying that she was at Lutou Mountain and had not seen it a few times.
Lao Xing laughed: "This year the golden monkeys came down quite early. In previous years, it was cold and winter came, and the snow on the top of the mountain was heavy, so they came down. At that time, there were few trees with leaves, most of them It’s bare, and the golden monkey can look at it well and let people see enough.”
"Golden Monkeys like to stay in those places with high mountains and dense forests. When you are approaching the top of the mountain, you are walking in the forest, and suddenly there is a noise in the trees. The sound is getting louder and louder. That means the Golden Monkey is here. "
The three of them whispered and came near the group of golden monkeys.
At this time, something happened that dumbfounded Lao Xing.
A group of golden monkeys poked their heads, as if they were happy and shy at the same time. They looked around guiltily and slowly moved closer to Chen Ling.
Until Chen Ling opened his eyes wide and an idea came to his mind, he handed the baby to Wang Susu, then slowly squatted down and touched the heads of these monkeys.
The group of monkeys became visibly happy, grinning like a smile, and surrounded Chen Ling.
|"Aling, this, this, can't be the group of golden monkeys you met last year." The situation in front of her made Wang Susu extremely surprised. "It's like this, it can't be another monkey." Chen Ling smiled helplessly, pointing at the little monkey that had grown up all over his body in a while, and said.
He has a helpless face now, but is extremely happy in his heart.
At this time, the little guy in Wang Susu's arms saw the golden little monkey all over his father's body, and immediately kicked his calves to come over.
"Oh, I have grown up. I have gained weight and become heavier."
At this time, Chen Ling had found the injured little monkey from last year. Nearly a year later, it had not grown in height. It's much bigger, but its black eyes are more lively than other little monkeys.
It didn’t crawl on Chen Ling either.
Chen Ling reached out to touch it, and it grabbed Chen Ling's finger and nibbled it gently with its teeth. This was playing with him and expressing intimacy.
"Fugui, you have a story." Lao Xing looked at the scene in front of him in a daze, and it took him a long time to say this.
Don't talk about him, the tiger-headed tigers in his family were also dumbfounded. They kept sniffing and sniffing tentatively to see what was going on.
Not to mention his little grandson, he ran directly back to call his grandma and Gao Xiulan together, and then happily fed the little monkey with tender corn and fruits.
It’s just that the little monkeys are still pestering Chen Ling and ignore him.
As for those big monkeys, when Chen Ling was about to feed them wild fruits, not only did they not want them, but they also ran back into the forest and handed them to him ripe fruits with a strong fruity aroma. eat.
"The monkeys are offering fruit, my dear, have I become the Monkey King Sun Wukong?" Chen Ling laughed happily.
Then he squatted down, played with these monkeys, and started playing with each other.
The little grandson of Ruirui and Lao Xing was so envious.
Seeing this, Chen Ling brought his son over and also called Lao Xing's grandson.
After playing around for a while, I met the curious and surprised eyes of Lao Xing and his wife and talked about what happened last year.
“Hey, then this golden monkey is here to repay a favor.”
Lao Xing clapped his hands excitedly, "Golden monkeys are the most grateful. They don't get close to people on weekdays. Only in winter, when there is less food in the mountains, will they come down to the villages and stockades to ask for food. Food."
"They are not free. The old people said that they are the elves of the mountains. When you get lost in the mountains at night and cannot get out of the old forest, you often get lost. The golden monkeys are here to guide you.”
“If you fall on the top of the mountain and fall into the river, they will save you.”
At the end, he told Chen Ling. : "You are very lucky to be able to save the golden monkey."
"Haha, is this called luck? It's just a coincidence."
Chen Ling was already sitting on the floor, playing freely with the little monkeys.
"Of course I am blessed. I said that the golden monkey is an elf in the mountains. How can an elf be so easy to save?"
Lao Xing straightened his red face and said with a serious expression: "I I saw a lost little monkey, it was absolutely true, it was crying exactly like the baby at home. It sounded very pitiful and frightening. "
" I thought to myself, such a small thing is worth a life, so I can't ignore it. Just as I was about to go over and hug it, a few old monkeys came and screamed at me. You see, the hair on their backs stood up. The hair on the cat's back stood up when it got angry. The same thing happened to the golden monkey. I saw something was wrong, so I ran away."
At this point, he shook his head regretfully. It shows that I am unlucky.”
These words made Chen Ling's family laugh, saying that there is no way to calculate whether Lao Xing is blessed or not.
......
It gets dark early on the mountain. By now it has already turned dark, pitch black and quite cold.
It is not appropriate to stay outside with a baby in your arms.
The two families walked forward, lit a fire in front of the house and set up a pot to prepare for dinner.
I won’t go down the mountain tonight, so I’m staying here with Lao Xing, who has a lot of houses here.
The golden monkey did not leave during this period.
Chen Ling's family was eating in the courtyard, and they were watching nearby.
Chen Ling asked them to leave, but they didn't leave either.
“What is that, Lao Xing, don’t let the monkeys ruin that pile of things for you.”
Chen Ling asked, pointing to several large bags full of food beside the old Xing family's vegetable garden.
“Oh, that, that’s the pine cone we picked back while collecting herbs on the top of the mountain.”
Lao Xing pointed to the fire in front of him: “There is no fire in this fire. Is there any? After grilling the pine nuts, use them as firewood.”
That’s right, the fish grilled tonight is full of pine nuts.
The grilled fish was created by Chen Ling, and Lao Xing’s wife made a big pot of bacon stew.
Potatoes, vermicelli, yams, cabbage, a big hot pot.
Stew in a rough earthen pot, then warm up two cups of Baogu braised rice. Even on the mountain where the temperature drops sharply at night, your body is warm.
"I'll get you some pine nuts. You guys can try them. These are pine nuts from the 30- to 50-meter-long pine trees on the top of the mountain. Most people can't see them."
Ever since he saw the golden monkey's attachment to Chen Ling, Lao Xing became more and more enthusiastic towards him.
Chen Ling naturally would not accept being served by others, so he got up and went to help move a large bag of pine cones.
When I untied it, I saw that the pine cone was really big, bigger than the palm of my hand.
"I'm afraid there won't be many pine cones on such a big pine cone."
"It's definitely not many. There are only a few pine cones on each big pine tree. We're going around. I picked them from the pine forests on the tops of several mountains when I was collecting herbs." Lao Xing smiled.
“After all, if you can’t collect herbs, you can’t come back empty-handed, right?”
Yes, how can you come back empty-handed after taking such a big risk?
Lao Xing walked to the fire, poured out half a bag of pine cones, and said, "Throw it in the fire and bake it." When the pine cones were brought back, before they had time to dry, as soon as the pine cones were exposed to the sun, the scales opened, and they cracked slightly. Beat it and the seeds will fall out, which is much easier than peeling it off hard."
Chen Ling and others followed the instructions and put the pine cone into the fire.
Amidst the crackling sounds, a rich pine scent was stimulated by the fire.
After dinner, a few people just chatted around the fire and roasted pine nuts, which was quite interesting.
This kind of big pine tower is found only on the top of the mountain with high altitude.
Mountains that are too short will not grow, pine cones will be too small, and most pine nuts are inedible.
This also has a lot to do with the type of pine trees.
Most of the trees that can produce large pine cones are red pines.
Korean pine is not heat-resistant and does not grow well in an environment that is too hot. It is mostly found in high mountains in the north.
“Okay, okay, the pine nuts are roasted, you can peel them and eat them.”
"..."
"Oh, these pine nuts are not small, they are big, hard and thick, and they smell so fragrant."
Chen Ling peeled off the warm pine nuts in the palm of her hand. , turned his hands black, and gave them to everyone to eat.
At this time, the pine oil is also stimulated. The outer shell of the pine nuts has an oily luster, and there are cracks created by the fire. It is extremely fragrant.
Pile the pine nuts into a handful and throw them into your mouth.
Wow, that guy, the more you chew, the more delicious it becomes...
The more you chew, the more you salivate, and the more you want to eat.
The fragrant smell made the golden monkeys couldn't help but gather around, eagerly begging Chen Ling.
Lao Xing liked these golden monkeys very much. He happily let Chen Ling feed them as he pleased. After feeding them, there were still more.
Then adults and children circled around the group of monkeys, eating themselves and roasting them for the monkeys.
We kept happily arguing until after nine o'clock, then we went back to sleep.
……
The next day, it’s time to go home.
The golden monkey even sent them a long way.
Lao Xing no longer regarded Chen Ling simply as a country man with some money. He was taking things and sending them down the mountain.
Say it several times and ask them to come and play often in the future.
“The golden monkey is so beautiful, but I didn’t bring a camera, so I couldn’t take a photo.”
Before leaving at the foot of the mountain, Wang Susu held her child and waved goodbye to the monkeys, feeling somewhat regretful in her heart.
However, when their family came out this time, they not only experienced the life of herb collectors in the mountains, but also spent a night with a group of beautiful golden monkeys. They were very happy.
(End of this chapter)