Siheyuan: The Counterattack of Passerby

That night, Village Chief Zhao arranged for Lin Geng to live in the village branch office. He made a thick mat on the floor for him with wheat straw and also pieced together a set of bedding for him. Although the bedding looked tattered, it was washed clean and seemed to have just been dried in the sun, giving off a scent of sunshine.

This is because the bedding is too thin, just a thin layer of cotton. Even if there is a brazier in the house, if you don’t wrap yourself in clothes when lying in the quilt, you will still feel very cold in the mountains at night.

But Lin Geng didn't say anything, because he knew that this was the cleanest and best bedding they could find for him in the village.

However, the cold of the night was nothing to Lin Geng. After seeing off Village Chief Zhao and the others, closing the door and holding it shut, Lin Geng lay on the floor for a while and then entered into his own little world.

The temperature in the small world is like spring all year round. There is no need for any bedding to rest in it. Lying in the thatched hut in the small world, he felt very comfortable. Listening to the crowing of chickens and ducks and the chirping of insects in the grass, Lin Geng fell asleep quickly.

He seldom went into the small world to sleep, because it gave him a sense of unreality, as if he was in another time and space. But this time when he went into the mountains, he still hid in the small world and slept comfortably.

He slept very deeply that day, and seemed to have a dream. He dreamed that he returned to the afterlife and saw his parents in the afterlife. Unconsciously, tears flowed from the corners of his eyes and soaked his cheeks.

At dawn, he sensed movement in the outside world, so he immediately exited the small world and returned to the real world. He returned directly to the floor and heard the voice of Village Chief Zhao outside the door:

"Xiao Lin, are you awake? Your aunt has prepared dinner, get up and eat! After dinner, I will arrange for someone to take you into the mountains!"

After Lin Geng agreed, he jumped up, quickly folded the bedding, and ran to open the door. He saw Village Chief Zhao and his youngest son Tiechui carrying a wooden plate with hot cornmeal porridge, two small pheasant eggs, and a dish of pickled vegetables. It was simple, but you could tell they put a lot of effort into it.

Lin Geng didn't bother to be polite with Village Chief Zhao. He took the wooden plate and invited him to sit inside. He ate up all his breakfast beside the big tree stump without leaving even a single pickle. He patted his stomach and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhao! I'm full. Can we go into the mountain now?"

Seeing that Lin was enjoying his meal, Village Chief Zhao smiled and tapped his pipe, saying, "Okay, you can go after you're full! I've arranged for four people in the village who often go into the mountains to lead the way for you, but even if you're a good archer, you still have to be careful!"

There are many wild boars in the mountains, all in groups. If you encounter one, don't be greedy, just climb a tree quickly. If you provoke the wild boars, they will push you and you will be crippled if not dead! Don't be too arrogant!"

Lin Geng smiled and nodded in agreement, then turned around and put the bow and arrow on his back, fastened them firmly, and tried to draw an arrow from the quiver. After making sure it was easy to do, he prepared to turn around and leave the house.

Village Chief Zhao quickly called Lin Geng over, and brought a small cloth bag from the side, handed it to Lin Geng and said, "There are two cakes in it. Take them with you when you are hungry in the mountains. You must go down the mountain before dark.

The wild boars, blind bears and leopards in the mountains like to move around before or after dark. If you have rarely been to the mountains, it is too dangerous to be in the mountains at night. Moreover, it is too cold in the mountains at night. People cannot stand staying in the mountains, so you have to go down the mountain in the afternoon and must come back before dark!

Whether you can hunt wild boars depends on luck. If you don't encounter wild boars, don't be unhappy. You can just go back to the mountains tomorrow. You can stay here for a few more days. You won't starve! Although you can't eat anything good, I can't let you starve!"

Lin was very grateful to the simple village chief Zhao. He only gave two boxes of cigarettes, distributed two handfuls of fruit candies to the children, and bought some mountain products from their village at a relatively normal price, but he received a sincere return from the village chief Zhao. Not only did he treat him with the best things, he also repeatedly reminded him to pay attention to safety and thought of everything he could think of for him.

Lin Geng then thanked the village chief Zhao again with gratitude, took the small cloth bag and put it in his arms, and when he went out, he saw four ragged villagers in their twenties and thirties, some holding spears, some carrying two-pronged hunting forks, and some carrying axe. Each of them carried a roll of rope and a hunting bow they made themselves, waiting outside the village committee.

As soon as they saw Lin Geng, the four of them all showed a simple and honest smile. Village Chief Zhao said to them with a serious face: "You guys take Comrade Xiao Lin into the mountains, you must take good care of his safety, don't let him run around, if there is danger, you must stand up, don't lose our people in Zhaojiazhuang, you must bring Xiao Lin back to me in one piece, if he gets into trouble, I will show you how I will deal with you!"

The four of them nodded in agreement quickly, and each of them patted their chests to make promises to reassure Village Chief Zhao. They swore that if anything happened, they would protect Lin Geng even if it meant sacrificing their own lives.

Lin Geng was moved again and didn't know what to say for a moment.

After the five of them left the village, they soon entered the mountains and forests. There was a narrow path leading into the mountains. The villagers from Zhaojia Village who led the way told Lin Geng that this was the only way for them to enter the mountains. Their village had little land, so in order to survive, they could only rely on the mountains for their livelihood.

It can be said that in mountain villages like theirs, food, clothing, housing and transportation all depend on the forests. On weekdays, they have to go into the mountains to collect firewood for heating and cooking. If they want to eat some meat, they have to go into the mountains to trap or hunt. They also have to dig wild vegetables, collect herbs, and pick mountain products such as mushrooms and fungus in the mountains. After drying them, they carry them out of the mountains to exchange for salt, cloth, farm tools and the like.

If they left this forest, they wouldn't know how they would survive.

Lin Geng chatted with them along the way. Each of them carried a bamboo basket with a small hoe in it. If they saw any herbs in the woods along the way, they would dig them out and put them in the bamboo basket on their backs. This has become their habit.

There is a lack of medical care and medicine in the mountains. Besides exchanging these herbs for money, sometimes when villagers have headaches or fevers, they use these herbs to treat the illness.

It's just that the weather is cold now, and they can't pick mushrooms in the mountains now. After next spring, many mushrooms will grow in the mountains. Then they can pick mushrooms and dig wild vegetables, dry them, and carry them out of the mountains to exchange for some salt or food. This is also one of their main sources of livelihood.

Two hours later, they bypassed two mountains, moved away from the village, and entered the deep mountains and old forests. At this time, there were still many mountains and forests around Sijiu City that had not been developed. This place still maintained its original state, and the number of birds and animals in the forest gradually increased.

The path under their feet gradually disappeared, and some trails that looked like roads began to appear. The villagers stopped picking herbs casually and became alert.

"This is not a road made by humans, it is an animal trail, mostly made by wild boars or wild goats. I think this one was made by a wild boar, there is wild boar feces on the road! There is fresh one here, which means a wild boar just walked by here! Everyone be careful!" A villager in his thirties, one of the four villagers leading the way, squatted down, looked at the fresh pig feces on the ground and spoke.