Chapter 4 The Gift of the Mountain God
Wangjishan goods shop is close to the center of the market, with three shops in the front and back, and is a large shop in the town. Wang Shitou, the shopkeeper, has been collecting mountain goods, herbs and wild game in Pingshan Town for nearly 30 years, and the price is fair. People from all over the village are willing to sell goods here, and their business is getting bigger and bigger, and they have dealings with many shops and restaurants in the county.
In the past month, Manager Wang encountered a strange thing: Widow Jiang from the west end of the town brought a few pheasants, rabbits and other wild game every now and then. The monster was that these prey could not find the wounds, and most of the time they were still alive.
Live wild game with complete fur is very easy to sell in the city, and the price is 20% or 30% higher than the prey that was shot to death. You should know that a piece of fur with no holes alone is expensive. How did this Widow Jiang get it? How can the living pheasants and rabbits catch them? Manager Wang was puzzled.
It was almost the hour of You, and the setting sun spread the afterglow into the store. Manager Wang leaned on the counter and chatted with a group of idle men. From a distance, he saw Jiang Huang and his second son coming. Jiang Anyong was holding two pheasants in his hand, clearly struggling restlessly, and he was alive again.
Manager Wang smiled habitually, and the slightly white goat beard on his chin was raised and raised. He came forward to take two pheasants from Jiang Anyong's hand. The black eyes as big as beans were rotating rapidly in the eye sockets. While weighing, he pretended to be unintentionally and asked: "Yongwai, you are so capable. Can you catch this living pheasant? Which mountain did you catch it?"
The idle men around him were all red-eyed and questioning each other. Jiang Anyong smiled and didn't say anything. There were too many people who wanted to mess with him these days. His brother told him to just laugh and not talk. No matter who asked, he would just smile and not answer him.
Jiang Huang ignored the others and focused on bargaining. Finally, he put seventy cents in his arms and took Jiang Anyong to the market to buy fish with satisfaction. In more than a month, the money for selling prey had exceeded 2,000 yuan, and one tael of silver in Dazheng was exchanged for one thousand yuan, which was enough to pay off the debt.
Walking home with a fish, Jiang Huang smiled happily on his face. There was still some time before the New Year. If this situation continues, not only will he not have to worry about paying off his debts, but also Yi'er's money for taking the exam. He can finally have a good New Year this year.
With Jiang Anyi's insistence, the food situation of the Jiang family changed significantly. After recuperation, Jiang Anyi grew up and became much stronger. Jiang Anyong's head even broke out. Yan'er had a gratifying baby fat on her chin, and Jiang Huang's face also had blood.
Life at home is getting better and better. My mother doesn't have to weave bamboo baskets all day and night, and the wounds on her hands are much less. An Yong doesn't have to go to help, or she doesn't have to secretly wipe her tears. Yan'er doesn't have to envy the girl next door's flowery jacket. My mother pulled the cloth and sewed new clothes, just waiting for the New Year... Jiang Anyi sat at the desk, listening to the laughter coming from time to time, and it was all worth it.
Autumn goes and winter comes, and it is November in a blink of an eye. It is colder day by day, and prey on the mountain is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Hunters going up the mountain often return empty-handed, while Jiang Anyong can still bring back one or two wild beasts from time to time, which is particularly eye-catching.
Early that morning, Jiang Anyong entered the mountain and came back soon, with no hands. Without caring about answering his mother's question, Jiang Anyong ran into the house and said to Jiang Anyi: "Brother, there have been people following me up the mountain recently, and I don't dare to collect my condoms. Today I took them around the mountain and came back."
Jiang Anyong scratched his head and said in annoyance: "These people are like flies, always circling around me, which is so annoying. Brother, you have to think of a way."
Jiang Anyi put down the book and subconsciously tapped the table with his middle finger. What was worried about still happened. The prey he had taken during this period was sold for a good price, so how could it not attract attention? Orphans and widows were easily bullied. Now the villagers are still just exploring due to their romance, so they may not have any accidents one day. The demons in their bodies did not come out, but the demons in the hearts of some people in the town couldn't help but jump out.
The book says: Everything is ready for success, and if it is not planned, it will be abandoned. This matter should not be underestimated. You must prepare for the future and prevent it before it happens. After thinking for a while, Jiang Anyi whispered: "It's cold and there are fewer preys. It's about to snow soon, so it's easy to leave traces. So I just removed the rope and wait for next year."
Jiang Anyong pouted, a little reluctant. Seeing his brother's expression solemn, he had to nod and agree.
"If someone asks you, you might as well..." The voice was as low as a whisper. Jiang Anyong nodded repeatedly when he heard it, and said with a smile: "Okay, brother, I will do what you said."
Going up the mountain again, I didn't go there for some days. Five traps harvested a bamboo chicken, and there was still a wild sheep. The weather was frozen in the cold and the prey was frozen to the point of being frozen. Jiang Anyong untied the rope and bounced back to the original, and then carefully swept the traces on the ground. No one could find any abnormalities now.
As soon as he entered the town with his prey on his back, Jiang Anyong was immediately surrounded by a large group of people. Everyone greeted him in a verbal manner, and his eyes fell on the prey with a burning look. These people were envious of them for a long time.
"Yongzi, you can fight jungle sheep. Tell me how you got it. Let me teach you. My family is crowded, and the whole family is counting on me for dinner. I thank you for your family."
"Second nephew, why didn't you see you taking a bow and arrow when hunting? It's weird. Why can't you find the wound on the rabbit and the sheep? Boy, don't leave, tell everyone, it's not good to eat alone."
"Brother, go to my house to sit down. The food at home is ready. Your aunt's second niece is here. The little girl is so beautiful. Your aunt said she wants to be your wife, go to my house, go there."
"Yongwazi, when you were working at your uncle's house, I treated you well. I gave you all the white flour buns. You can't be ungrateful. Tell me that you made it? I'll exchange it for you."
...
Jiang Anyong shook his head with a smile and walked home with his things on his back. Everyone gave a wink at each other. Everyone had discussed it just now. Today, no matter what, they would take out the secret of Jiang Anyong's hunting.
Everyone pulled Jiang Anyong into the small hotel on the roadside. After a while, the wine and food were on the table. Everyone sat around Jiang Anyong in the middle, saying and saying a word. They started to persuade them to drink. They couldn't resist the number of people, they were all elders, either uncles or brothers. Jiang Anyong broke the example for the first time, and then he could not help but blush and blurred his eyes.
Jiang Anyong was drunk, and everyone gradually calmed down, and his eyes focused on Manager Wang who was drinking alone on another table. Manager Wang smiled proudly, stood up and walked over, and tried hard to smooth the upturned goatbeard with his right hand, looking confident.
Someone was free of seats, and Manager Wang sat next to Jiang Anyong. Jiang Anyong was trying to aim at a piece of pork head meat. Manager Wang grabbed Jiang Anyong's hand and asked, "Second boy, how did you get your prey? I have collected mountain goods for half my life, and I have never seen a prey without any wounds? Tell me, as long as you tell me what method you used, I will give you a tael of silver for the things you brought today."
Everyone inhaled. Most of these people had hunted and knew the price. The wild sheep was only about 30 kilograms and could be sold at most 500 cents. In addition, the bamboo chicken was only six cents of silver. Manager Wang was willing to pay a sky-high price of one tael of silver. Everyone looked at Jiang Anyong and became even hotter and became greedy.
"You can't say it, you can't say it." Jiang Anyong was drunk and shook his head repeatedly, and put the pork head into his mouth.
When everyone saw that Jiang Anyong knew it, he urged him to drink again. This time, Jiang Anyong's tongue was getting bigger and he kept lying on the table. Manager Wang signaled the two people next to him to hold Jiang Anyong, and then leaned into Jiang Anyong's ear and asked loudly: "Second boy, tell me, what's wrong with your prey? Otherwise, I won't give it to you."
"Hehehehehehehehehe", after a long smirk, Jiang Anyong stared at Manager Wang with his eyes straight and said with his tongue: "Silver, give me silver...I will tell you, don't tell others... hiccup..."
Manager Wang slapped the wine with his hand, took out silver from his arms and slapped it on the table, "Speak quickly", putting his ears close to Jiang Anyong's mouth. Everyone concentrated and held their breath and squeezed forward, listening to their ears for fear that they would miss their hearing.
After taking the silver, Jiang Anyong said vaguely: "I was chopping wood on the mountain and saw a snake... the snake wanted to eat the bird on the branch. I... I cut the snake to death. I dreamed at night, and that... the bird said he was the mountain god and said he wanted to thank me... and asked me to pick it up..., don't tell others, otherwise... it's gone..."
The saying of ghosts and gods is awe-inspiring. Everyone took a breath and became silent. The eyes became fearful, panic, and perhaps even envious. I don’t know who got up first, then left quietly one by one, and finally the shopkeeper Wang was left.
Manager Wang slapped his head in annoyance, sighed repeatedly, and stood up mutteringly, put the wild sheep and bamboo chickens placed next to the store door on the back and shoulders. He turned around and told the clerk, "Remember the money for the wine first, and we will settle together at the end of the year. The boy from the Jiang family is drunk, please let him take a break, remember not to tell me what I asked him, alas." After saying that, he shook his head and sighed and left.
When the hotel calmed down, Jiang Anyong slowly raised his head from the table and could not hide his smug smile.
"Brother Mingzi, wrap the remaining pig head meat and chicken for me." In the surprise gaze of the waiter Mingzi, Jiang Anyong returned home with a big mouth grinning.
There was no longer the figures of Widow Jiang and Jiang Anyong in front of the mountain goods shop. No one in the town chased Jiang Anyong and asked about the prey. Those who knew the reason looked at each other and laughed at each other and were secretly happy. The stupid boy from the Jiang family leaked the secret, which made the mountain god angry. Haha, you can't get the prey anymore. You told the truth with a drink. What a fool. If you were me, you wouldn't even tell me.
This winter, the birds in the mountains and fields of Pingshan Town suddenly became happy. The boy who was slingshot and shooting birds was severely scolded by the adults. Those who entered the mountains always brought some broken grains, sprinkled them on the ground diligently, and muttered them mysteriously.
The originally abandoned mountain god temple incense suddenly became prosperous. The Taoist who watched the temple unexpectedly spent a fat year, but no one knew that this "mountain god" was actually a big son of the Jiang family who was struck by lightning.
Chapter completed!