The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1186 The Whereabouts of the Knife Seller
It is said that since the Song Dynasty, there has been a mysterious profession called knife seller.

They travel all over the country, selling all kinds of knives and scissors on credit to people in need.

Selling on credit does not mean giving it away, it means selling it but not collecting money for the time being.

So when will the money be collected?

When the prophecy spoken by the knife seller comes true, the knife seller will come back to collect the money.

From ancient times to the present, there are many kinds of predictions made by knife sellers on credit. But since the 1960s and 1970s, the first two sentences of the predictions made by knife sellers on credit are: more than a thousand pigs, more than ten thousand cows (horses).

Some of the following are "replacing a farmhouse with mud and bricks", others are "marrying a wife costs hundreds of thousands", and "clothes are not repaired, shoes are replaced".

The prediction Wang Meilan heard at the time was: there would be over a thousand pigs, over ten thousand cows, and corn would cost one dollar and a half per pound.

The man who sold knives on credit said this prophecy, meaning that he would come back to collect the money for the knives when a pig could be sold for one thousand yuan, a cow could be sold for ten thousand yuan, and dry corn kernels could be sold for one dollar and fifty cents.

If this is the case, few people would believe it, not to mention in the 87s and s, even now in .

These days, the best part of pork costs only about one dollar per pound, as the price increases during festivals.

From a 200-pound live pig, 50% or at most 60% of the meat can be sold, and the meat can be sold for a little over 100 yuan at most.

As for the cow, the Zhao Jun family had the most say, after all, they compensated the owner with a cow just the day before yesterday. And the compensation was based on the price of a live cow, so they only compensated the owner 1,000 yuan.

But these are not the key points. The key point is the price of food.

This is what farmers care about most.

Yong'antun is a forest area, but the local people reclaimed wasteland and cultivated crops, harvesting them for their own consumption or selling them to granaries.

The dual-track system was implemented in 85. In 87, which is this year, grain prices rose slightly, and the highest purchase price for dry corn kernels was cents.

So for farmers, the price of one dollar and a half per pound of corn is something they cannot imagine.

Zhao Jun didn't care about the prophecy or whether Wang Meilan bought the knife on credit or not. He only cared about the man who bought the knife on credit.

So Zhao Jun asked Wang Meilan: "Mom, is the man who sold knives on credit still here?"

“I don’t know.” Wang Meilan shook her head slightly and said, “He should be gone. When I saw the old man that year, I remembered that he must have been in his sixties or seventies.”

Zhao Jun thought about it and it made sense. His grandmother called the man who sold knives on credit "Sixth Uncle". How old must that old man be?

"Mom, where is his home?" Zhao Jun asked. Wang Meilan blinked twice and said, "I can't remember."

At this point, Wang Meilan paused for a moment, then continued, "He is not a real relative of ours, but he is also from this village."

After saying that, Wang Meilan asked Zhao Jun, "Son, why are you asking this?"

Zhao Jun leaned close to Wang Meilan's ear and whispered, "I suspect our treasures are still on the mountain."

"Baby..." Wang Meilan's eyes lit up instantly, and she said, "That year, the knife seller came to our house, got drunk and kept saying that we had a baby on the mountain. The other day... life was tough, and your grandmother thought he was talking nonsense, so she stopped the old man from talking."

Suddenly, Wang Meilan seemed to remember something, raised her hand and pointed, saying, "I remember now, he is not a relative of our Wang family, he is a relative of your grandmother's family."

"Relatives from my grandmother's family?" Zhao Jun asked, "Then the surname should be Song?"

Zhao Jun's grandmother, Wang Meilan's mother, was surnamed Song.

"Hmm." Wang Meilan knew that it was about money, and her brain quickly thought, providing clues for Zhao Jun, saying: "He and my great grandmother are brothers of five generations. The old Song family was the first to come to Guandong. When they came here, the big family split up. When they left the country, they brought the family tree with them.

My great grandmother’s generation had the character “An” in their names, for example, my great grandmother’s name was Song Anmin.”

"Ah..." Zhao Jun said, "What should the old man be called Song An?"

"Yes!" Wang Meilan nodded in agreement.

"Mom!" Zhao Jun remembered something and asked Wang Meilan, "My uncle said that when the old man came that day, he had several knives in his basket. Was he here to buy knives on credit?"

“Hiss…” Wang Meilan frowned and muttered, “That should be the case, but few people dare to buy knives from him on credit.”

"Why?" Zhao Jun didn't understand. Buying a knife on credit was almost like getting it for free. Although the people in those days were simple and honest, there were always people who liked to take advantage of small opportunities.

"What are they talking about?" Wang Meilan whispered, "They said they wanted to buy the knife on credit for free, and they were just borrowing it to transport it."

"What?" Zhao Jun's eyes widened in surprise, "Borrowing pregnancy?"

Wang Meilan didn't know her son had misunderstood the words, so she explained to herself, "Well, some people say they come to borrow their fortunes. Whoever leaves their knife will have their fortunes borrowed by the knife seller."

"Ah..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun blinked and said nothing.

"Hey?" Wang Meilan suddenly pulled Zhao Jun down and said, "Go ask Old Xu Pao, he might know that old man."

"Ouch!" It was this sentence that reminded the dreamer. Zhao Jun remembered that after the battle between the real Bajie and the little Bajie, when Xu Changlin took out the knife to cut open the wild boar, he said that the knife in his hand was on credit.

"Do I remember the year I was pregnant with your sister?" Wang Meilan said, "I wasn't feeling well during those two days. I just wanted to eat mountain pears. Your grandmother went out to the whole village to get them for me. Then it happened that Mrs. Xu went up the mountain a few days ago and brought back a basket of pears. As soon as the old lady heard that I wanted to eat them, she asked your grandmother to bring them all back for me.

Afterwards, they seemed to have mentioned it when they were chatting, saying that Old Xu Pao went up the mountain a few days ago, and he didn't scrape the branches very well, so he scraped his knife and lost it. Just then, the old man who sold knives on credit came, and Old Xu Pao wanted to borrow the knife, but Old Xu's wife refused, saying that he needed to borrow it for transportation or something.

Old Xu Pao said that the family was so poor, who could borrow anything? Then he left the knife. He bought it on credit for two dollars and said he would pay later. At that time, Old Xu's wife seemed to ask your grandmother if the old man was a relative of theirs.

At this point, Wang Meilan pointed her finger at Zhao Jun and said, "So I think they might know each other."

"Yes." Zhao Jun nodded slightly and said, "Then I'll go see the old lady today. The other day I heard Doctor Han say that Mrs. Xu was urinating blood, so I thought about going to see her. But I was so busy these days that I forgot about it."

"Tsk!" Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan smacked her lips, turned her head and saw the large basin in front of the bowl rack, then said to Zhao Jun, "Son, go get a few pieces of the black bear meat, and then get two cans of food for the old lady."

"Okay." Zhao Jun responded, "Mom, I'll go after dinner."

Zhao Jun smiled and said, "I'm still a little anxious."

"Mom is anxious too." Wang Meilan said with a smile: "Hurry up and find it. If you find it, I will buy you a car right away."

When it comes to buying a car, Wang Meilan waved her hand out the window and said, "Let's buy a Jiefang and then a Jeep."

Seeing that Wang Meilan was very happy, Zhao Jun did not discourage her.

……

The big steamed buns with beef filling come out of the pot, steaming hot.

Bite one side of the bun skin, and you will find beef, radish and egg stuffing inside. Dip it in soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil. It is so delicious.

Since it is a big bun, it is as big as Zhao Jun’s fist.

Zhao Jun ate seven of these buns, Zhao Youcai ate eight, and Zhao Weipeng ate twelve.

After burping from eating, Zhao Weipeng picked up the cooled porridge and sipped it, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

"Uncle." Zhao Jun put down his chopsticks and said to Zhao Weipeng, "After you finish eating, lie down on the kang and rest for a while. I'm going to go out for a while."

Zhao Weipeng asked, "What are you doing?"

"An old lady in our village is sick." Zhao Jun said, "I'll go take some things to see her and I'll be back in a while."

After talking to Zhao Weipeng, Zhao Jun turned to Zhao Youcai and asked, "Dad, can't you go?"

"I'm not going." Zhao Youcai responded indifferently without even raising his head.

When Zhao Jun got off the kang and went to the outer room, Wang Meilan had already prepared everything.

The three dead roe deer that were placed at Li's house yesterday had all melted. Wang Meilan went there in the morning and chopped off a roe deer's thigh.

Zhao Youcai fell ill a few days ago, and everyone who came to see him brought canned peaches. Those cans were inedible, so Wang Meilan directly gave two bottles to Zhao Jun.

This, plus a bunch of bear leg meat tied with wire, made up just enough for four gift boxes.

Wang Meilan handed something over and Zhao Jun took it.

After Zhao Jun took all the things, the mother and son looked at each other and nodded tacitly. Then Zhao Jun carried the things out of the house and went straight to Old Xu's house.

When Zhao Jun arrived at Old Xu's house, the old couple had just put down their jobs.

The meals of this old couple were the same as those of Zhao Jun's family, all porridge, but Old Xu's family did not have big steamed buns, only steamed cakes and pickles.

There was no other way. Mrs. Xu was seriously ill and couldn't cook, so she taught Xu Changlin how to make dough.

The cornmeal was fermented, but Old Xu could neither knead steamed bread nor make flatbreads.

But God will not let the blind sparrow starve to death. Put a steamer cloth on the curtain steamer, then pour the fermented cornmeal on the steamer cloth, and steam it to make steamed cake.

When Zhao Jun entered the room, Mrs. Xu was lying in bed. She was really not in good health.

"Hey, man!" Seeing Zhao Jun, Xu Changlin couldn't believe his eyes and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Come and see my grandmother Xu." Zhao Jun said as he raised the things in his hand. Seeing this, Xu Changlin frowned and said, "You come here if you want to. Why are you taking these things?"

"I didn't take anything." Zhao Jun put the bear meat and roe deer legs on the stove, took the canned food into the inner room, and saw Mrs. Xu struggling to get up. Zhao Jun hurriedly stopped her and said, "Grandma Xu, lie down quickly. I'll take a look at you and then leave."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun placed the can on the kang table.

"Child," Old Mrs. Xu asked Zhao Jun weakly, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I've finished eating. I came here after eating at home." Zhao Jun answered and then asked Mrs. Xu, "Grandma Xu, are you feeling better?"

"Oh my." Old Mrs. Xu sighed and said, "After the injection and the medicine, the bleeding has stopped, but I still feel it's not good."

"Zanhu bu hao" is the dialect in some areas of Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, which means poor health.

"Why don't we go to the city to have a look?" Zhao Jun looked at Xu Changlin and said, "Let's go to the Forestry Hospital. I'll find someone for Grandma Xu."

"No need, kid." Xu Changlin was touched and said with a wry smile, "She's still getting injections and taking Chinese medicine. We'll see after two days."

Xu Changlin's words were said by his son. When he heard his wife say that she had blood in her urine, Xu Changlin was very scared and tried hard to call his son, but his son asked his wife to treat him at home first.

After taking injections and medication over the past few days, Mrs. Xu no longer urinates blood, but she still feels uncomfortable.

Zhao Jun knew that the old lady's condition worsened and she developed uremia, but this term was unheard of in the mountains those days, and Zhao Jun couldn't interfere in other people's affairs.

"Master Xu." Zhao Jun had to go up the mountain today, so he didn't waste time and went straight to the point and asked Xu Changlin, "I want to ask you something."

"You tell me." Xu Changlin rolled a leaf cigarette and said, "If your master Xu wants to know, he will definitely tell you."

"Master Xu, I remember you said," Zhao Jun said, "The knife you brought up the mountain was bought on credit."

"Ah!" Xu Changlin nodded and said, "That's been many years."

As he spoke, Old Xu looked at Old Mrs. Xu and said, "Xiao Liu'er has been here for 20 years, right?"

"That's a lot." Old Mrs. Xu tilted her head and said, "It's more than twenty years!"

Indeed, when Wang Meilan was pregnant with Zhao Chun, the knife seller came to the village. Zhao Chun was already 22 years old this year.

"Yeah." Xu Changlin nodded to show his approval of his wife's words, then looked at Zhao Jun and asked, "What's the matter, man? Why are you asking this?"

"Haha." Zhao Jun smiled faintly. He certainly couldn't tell the truth, so he just said, "My mother said that the old man who sold knives on credit was her relative. I haven't seen him for many years..."

As Zhao Jun was talking, he stopped.

But Mrs. Xu didn't let Zhao Jun's words fall on the floor, and continued, "He is a relative from your grandmother's side."

"Grandma Xu, do you know him?" Zhao Jun asked. Old Mrs. Xu replied, "Yes, he used to be Wei Guang's, but later moved away."

"Why did you move away?" Zhao Jun asked, "Where did you move to?"

Moving is no small matter these days and no one moves easily.

"Then I don't know..." Mrs. Xu shook her head and looked at Xu Changlin and said, "Old man, where was he the other day when you saw him later?"

"When did I see him?" Xu Changlin looked confused, but he heard Mrs. Xu say, "What's your bad memory? You forgot that you once went up the mountain and came back to tell me that you ran into him. You even asked him if he wanted money for the knife."

"Oh!" After being reminded by his wife, Xu Changlin remembered and slapped his thigh, saying, "It's not that great, it's been so many years!"

As he spoke, Xu Changlin pointed at Zhao Jun and said, "Boy, go ask Xing Lao San, he is familiar with that old man."

"Ah?" Zhao Jun was startled and asked subconsciously, "My third uncle?"

"Yeah! That year I went up the mountain to look for Xing Lao San, and I bumped into that old man at the corner of his shack." Xu Changlin nodded and said, "They were from the same alley. Xing Lao San was a knives and guns man, and that old man used to have a beard..."

"Hu Zi?" Zhao Jun's eyes widened suddenly, and he interrupted Xu Changlin and asked, "Where is this Hu Zi from?"

"Where else can it be from?" Xu Changlin glanced at Zhao Jun and said with a smile, "It must be from here."

"Ah..." In fact, Zhao Jun wanted to ask whether the old man who sold knives on credit was in cahoots with Widow Wang, but after thinking about it, he swallowed the words back.

Zhao Jun felt that instead of asking Xu Changlin, it would be better to go up the mountain and ask Xing San.

(End of this chapter)