Siheyuan: The Idiot in Charge

Chapter 258 Hammer

In the past, Jia Weidong’s knowledge of ginseng was really limited.

This time I followed Zhao Hongbing into the mountains, and I really learned a lot.

There are many, many rules for setting foot in the mountains, such as worshiping the mountain. After entering the mountain, you must worship the mountain god and the leader.

Pressing the mountain, to put it bluntly, is the industry term for finding ginseng. After entering the mountain, people must not talk about ginseng, but say "bangchui"

Over thousands of years, there are many, many ancient rules.

Zhao Hongbing continued: "Actually, Dongzi, it's unlucky for you to come here this time. Late autumn is the best time to lift up the mountain and lift the stick.

At that time, the sticks would grow long stalks with red ginseng seeds on them, which we called red hammers here.

As long as you see a touch of red somewhere, there is a high probability of encountering a stick."

"Second brother, let's just try our luck."

"Well, finding Bang Chui really depends on luck and good eyesight. If you find it, the mountain god will reward you with food. If you can't find it, there's nothing to complain about."

"."

"."

Along the way, Zhao Hongbing taught Jia Weidong and Tian Tiejun a lot of knowledge and rules about carrying sticks.

As we walked along, three hours passed before we knew it.

Three hours later, the three of them had entered the depths of the mountain and arrived at a primitive forest.

Soon we reached a shady slope.

Zhao Hongbing ordered Jia Weidong and Tian Tiejun: "From now on, you should pay attention to the surroundings. This place is where Bangchui likes to stay."

The mountain pressing begins.

The three of them separated a distance and began to search slowly. Jia Weidong also let go of his thoughts.

Searching all the way, Bangchui didn't find any, but he encountered some animals.

Along the way, the three of them didn't hit any of the animals they encountered.

This is the rule of the mountain rangers. The rangers will never hunt and cannot see blood. They must return immediately when they see blood.

When encountering a group of sika deer, Jia Weidong did not let go.

Sika deer are good things, especially male deer, which are full of treasures, including antler, blood, whip and meat.

Received 5 heads in one go.

Two adults, a male deer, a female deer, and three fawns.

Taking in the space doesn't count as bloodshed, does it? This shouldn't be considered breaking the rules, right?

I saw noon.

Jia Weidong kept thinking outside and was a little tired. The three of them were tired and found an open space to sit down.

Zhao Hongbing took out the dry food brought from home from his backpack, and the three of them had a makeshift lunch.

After resting for a while, the three continued.

An hour later, Tian Tiejun made a discovery in a patch of weeds under a big tree.

"Second brother, Dongzi, come here quickly, Bangchui, Bangchui"

Zhao Hongbing immediately ran over, and when he got there, he saw small ginseng seedlings among the weeds.

“It’s true”

Tian Tiejun asked happily: "Second brother, what grade of leaf is this?"

Zhao Hongbing smiled and said: "Haha, we are lucky, fifth-grade leaves."

"Second brother, do you want to lift it up?" Tian Tiejun was so happy when he heard it was a fifth-grade leaf, and asked impatiently.

"Carry it, um, let me tie it up first to prevent it from running away," Zhao Hongbing said, taking out a red rope with copper coins tied at both ends from his backpack.

According to legend, the mallet is spiritual and will run away if it is not tied down.

The red rope with copper coins tied at both ends is called a mallet lock.

Wrap the red rope around the main stem of the mallet, and place the copper coins at both ends on the ground to lock the mallet.

Zhao Hongbing scraped away the grass and leaves around the mallet with his hands, and began to carefully remove the soil around the mallet with a stick made of deer bone.

This kind of deer bone stick is specially used to dig out sticks. It is a special tool passed down by the older generation after long-term exploration and practice.

<divclass="contentadv">Hard and smooth, non-absorbent, non-mildewy, and not easy to scratch the mallet.

Zhao Hongbing slowly started digging from the reed head of the main stem, as if digging for cultural relics, carefully and cautiously.

Zhao Hongbing didn't stop until all the roots on one side of the mallet were exposed.

After resting for a while, continue to dig along the roots bit by bit. Do not break any small roots, otherwise it will affect the quality of the stick and the price will be greatly reduced when selling the ginseng.

In order to lift the mallet, Zhao Hongbing spent almost four hours, with only two breaks in the middle. By the time he lifted all the mallets out, it was already evening.

Zhao Hongbing was soaked all over because of his high concentration and nervousness.

Tian Tiejun squatted aside and watched, his legs were numb from squatting, and he sat down on the ground.

Jia Weidong didn't care, squatting aside and watching with interest.

This was his first time seeing a stick, so he thought it was a new experience.

After taking out the mallet, Zhao Hongbing also sat down on the ground: "Junzi, quickly find some moss and bark, let's wrap this mallet."

Tian Tiejun went for a walk around the area and soon came back with moss and bark.

Zhao Hongbing asked Tian Tiejun to put the bark aside and hold the moss with his hands.

Zhao Hongbing carefully placed the mallet on the moss, gathered the roots of the mallet, sprinkled some soil from the ginseng pit, and then rolled the mallet up with moss like a big cake.

Then wrap it with bark, and gently roll the bark with string.

After handling it, Zhao Hongbing put the mallet into the backpack!

This treatment not only effectively prevents bumps, but also maintains the moisture of the mallet itself.

This method is called "making ginseng buns", which is also a traditional method left by the older generation for thousands of years.

After handling the stick, Zhao Hongbing breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that it was getting late, he said: "Junzi, Dongzi, let's find a place to spend the night."

Under the leadership of Zhao Hongbing, the three of them quickly found a "Dijiangzi (shack)", also called Yacangzi, on a hillside facing the sun.

Those who are professional mountain climbers don’t just walk away when they come down from the mountain to go home.

There are also many rules and taboos in it, and it also has a strong human touch.

For example, when going down the mountain, the mountaineer will not dismantle the shack, but will leave it to the mountain people passing by later.

It is even more important to leave rice, noodles, salt and other items to facilitate the rescue of people who are lost in the mountains.

This shack was left by the former mountain rangers.

The man who released the mountain is really very cute and kind.

The three of them were all hungry, so they made do with some dry food they brought with them.

There were two other hunting dogs that were also hungry, so Zhao Hongbing also fed them.

These two hunting dogs are not picky about their food. Even when there is no meat, they will eat miscellaneous grains.

People who drive in the mountains, as long as you have the ability to hunt, you can eat a lot of meat after entering the mountains, and your life will be quite comfortable.

It's different for those who live in the mountains. They live a relatively miserable life in the mountains.

The places the mountaineers choose to build their shacks are close to water sources.

There was a creek next to the shack they found.

After a busy day, the three of them were all smelly of sweat, so they went to the creek to wash up.

In the evening, Zhao Hongbing lit a fire in front of the shack to drive away mosquitoes, prevent wild beasts, and remove moisture to warm up.

Because there are two hunting dogs, they can play a good early warning role, and there is no need to worry about the sudden attack of wild beasts.

The three of them did not take turns to watch the night, and all slept in the shack.

"Snort, snore."

After climbing the mountain for a day, Zhao Hongbing and Tian Tiejun were both tired. After lying down, they soon snored.

Snoring like thunder.

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