Bianshanhan [farming]

Zhou Yao went to process the pig litter, and Hu Lichuan finished making the intestines outside, then returned to the tent and rubbed the intestines with flour and salt.

He likes to eat the offal, even if it's a hassle to clean up.

Hearing that he was going to stew the intestines, Li Qingwen stopped thinking about stuffing the intestines with blood. Today, he was shocked and frightened, and really didn't want to bother.

When Lao Sun cleaned up the pheasants, he would leave the chicken feathers without Li Qingwen's advice. Some of the feathers were particularly beautiful, and they were ripped off by Li Qingfeng and Ma Yongjiang.

Li Qingfeng also took a look at the pig's tail, the hair on it was very short, hard and slippery to the touch, the tail was also rubbed with grease, and the wound he left on it with the knife was not too big.

They came out to eat meat, and they had all kinds of seasonings. The smell of wild boar was strong. Li Qingwen added heavy ingredients, and set aside a large pot to stew the pork liver, pork lungs and several pieces of pork. , and cook another two pots of pork bones.

There are a lot of wood in the forest, just put one on the shelf and it can burn for hours, you don’t need to watch the fire, let it cook all the time!

Hu Lichuan wanted to put his pig's intestines in together, but was stopped by a group of people. He was very puzzled, "How dirty are these wild boar's intestines? Our hometown specializes in eating beef deflated. It tastes..." (Note: 1)

Before he finished speaking, everyone told him to shut up in unison. What everyone disliked was not the intestines, but the uncleanness of Hu Lichuan. He said that he liked the smell, but the others didn't like it...

Hu Lichuan shrugged and left with a basin in his hand.

The two pheasants were also cleaned up, chopped into pieces with an axe, and put into two other pots for cooking.

The body of this pheasant is a meat ball, and the fat layer is as thick as two fingers. After peeling off the oil layer, a chicken can fit half of the pot after chopping.

Zhou Yao has always been unwilling to treat herself badly with her mouth. When she set off, she scooped old soup from the tank and frozen three or five pieces of it. At this time, when she was stewing the chicken, she put a lump of old soup in a pot.

When the ice lumps met boiling water, they quickly melted, and then released a strong fragrance.

This wild boar is really not light, except for the pig's head, pig's skin, pig's tail and all kinds of offal, the meat and bones have been chopped up and piled up into a hill, and there is still a lot left after filling the three pots.

The meat is stewed, and the work has to continue. After dark, torches are lit outside, and candles are burned in the tent. There are orange lights inside and outside, shining on the thick snow, which gives a bit of warmth .

There are a lot of things in the camp, and this time I made so many candles. Li Qingwen thought about going to Fanyang City before the spring to sell the things, but he has no money, and he is very worried.

Jiang Liping asked him to go with Chen Wen. This time to escort Prince Puju, their people must be indispensable, and it is more convenient for them to travel in snowy weather.

Li Qingwen also planned this way, he tilted his head and asked Jiang Cong, "Brother, are you sending me off this time?"

Jiang Cong smiled, "Send."

Not only will he send it off, but he will also wait at the post station outside Yuanbei City, pick up the person and then set off back to the border town.

Li Qingwen was satisfied this time, and the action of wrapping the stick was a little faster, the corner of his mouth kept curling up this night and he didn't go down.

Qi Min joked: "Even if you want the moon in the sky, your big brother Jiang has to step on the ladder to pick it for you. He just gave you a ride. Why are you so happy?"

"I won't let him pick the moon." Li Qingwen said, "It will take a few months to come and go. I don't want to be separated from my brother for so long."

Everyone in the tent booed, and the candlelight shone in Jiang Cong's eyes, and the smile in his eyes became brighter and brighter.

After booing, everyone began to sigh, "You two are really destined. Hongzhou and Bingzhou are so far apart. Not only did we meet each other, but we also saved lives."

"That's right, the day we went from Hongzhou to the border town to Liushan County, we would miss it sooner or later. I didn't expect to be recognized by you..."

Of course, what's even more rare is that Li Qingwen followed Jiang Cong to the border town and stayed there until now. The two of them are closer than brothers.

Sighing, the meat on the outside is cooked, and the chicken is still better to cook. After it is cooked through, it is scooped into four pots. Everyone holds up their chopsticks around the pots, and after a while, only a pile of chicken bones is left.

Zhou Yao didn't fight with them. She filled her own bowl with meat in advance, and then re-frozen the chicken soup in the pot for next time.

There are actually a lot of chicken, but there are more of them. After eating, they all looked out at the cauldron. Lao Sun took the chopsticks and pricked it, took out the pork liver and lungs, and cut it into slices while it was hot. , bring it to everyone.

After eating these, the pork that was specially cut into small pieces is almost ready, and they are brought in in pots, some directly tie the meat pieces on the chopsticks and tear them to eat, some think it is faster to use a bowl, and it is fast at this time Being able to eat a few more bites of meat is naturally the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.

It may be that there is a lack of oil and water during the autumn harvest. Everyone's stomachs are flat, and the fat and thin meat is bitten down, and the oil comes out, which is very delicious.

Li Qingwen also climbed the tree for a long time today, he was a little tired, and he nodded sleepily after eating some meat pads.

Jiang Cong put the leather mat that had been roasting by the fire in their sleeping bags. Li Qingwen wiped his eyes, took off his outer leather robe, and got into the sleeping bag.

The leather cushion is as thick as half a finger, and it is very hot and hot. Lying on it, the back will be warm, which is very comfortable.

The people in the nearby tent were still waiting for the bones to come out of the pot, and Li Qingwen fell asleep with his head tilted.

After checking the gaps in the tent, Jiang Cong went outside and brought two pots of fire in. He groped in against the edge of the sleeping bag. The fur inside was much hotter than his hands, so he took out his hands and tucked them in for Li Qingwen.

Li Qingfeng grabbed the chopsticks energetically, he had to eat Yaodi's share.

There was a lot of meat left on the pork bones, so it was almost cooked late at night. They didn't wait in vain. One person grabbed a big bone and gnawed it, and the mouth was full of oil, and then sucked the marrow inside the bone.

After scooping up the bones in the pot, Qi Min put all the bones and meat piled outside into the pot, stuffed it with two logs, and when he gets up tomorrow, he can have another delicious meal.

Jiang Cong finished eating first, washed his hands and went into the tent. When he got into the sleeping bag, he couldn't help but feel the air-conditioning. Li Qingwen, who was sleeping, unconsciously hid beside him.

When Jiang Cong lay down, he slowly rolled over again.

Every time he saw him like this, Jiang Cong found it funny, stretched out his arms to hug him, put his chin on the furry head, and closed his eyes.

Throughout the night, the place where they lived was lingering with a smell of meat. Accompanied by this fragrance, everyone slowly fell asleep, and the night watchman was not idle, talking and plucking the hair on the pig's hoof and the top of the pig's ear.

In the early morning of the second day, everyone ate up all the remaining bones and meat, and their belches smelled like oil.

Li Qingwen and the others set off again, this time they wanted to go farther, and they had enough forage and food.

They were located near the edge of the forest, so the vegetation and trees were very mixed. After walking north for half a day, Li Qingwen unexpectedly found sea buckthorn in the bushes.

The seabuckthorn tree was bare, and clusters of small yellow fruits were obvious in the snow. Li Qingwen picked one, and the jelly was very firm. It took half a day to melt in his mouth, and then a burst of flowers bloomed in his mouth. Countless acids of saliva.

Seabuckthorn is known as the king of vitamin C. Li Qingwen used to like drinking seabuckthorn juice. He was very happy to see what he liked here.

Seeing Li Qingwen looking at the small fruit with bright eyes, Li Qingfeng and Jiang Cong picked it together. There were many thorns on the seabuckthorn, and they were both pricked several times, and each picked a bag.

Li Qingfeng stuffed it into his mouth, and when the sour taste exploded in his mouth, his face seemed to have been severely injured, twisted and frightening.

The others laughed at him, "You, you, you don't know what flavor it is, so just put a lot of it in your mouth, and you will have a long memory next time."

Jumping high on the spot sour, Li Qingfeng didn't spit it out after all, and everyone admired him, it was really hard to get the stuff out of his mouth.

Remembering this place, Li Qingwen and others did not pick too much seabuckthorn, and headed north again.

The last time Li Qingfeng worked in the bow and arrow shop in Fan Yangcheng, he was always very concerned about the things he was interested in. He heard the craftsmen say that kind of wood is good for making bows and arrows, and he remembered it clearly. As he walked, he looked around. trees.

"Oak, iron, juniper and willow can all be used to make bows..." He muttered, "Bamboo, cedar, willow and fir can be used to make arrow shafts..."

In fact, birch is also an excellent material for making bows and arrows, but the people in Daliang have never seen this kind of wood before, and they don't have much experience in using it.

Jiang Cong also said that the arrows made of birch wood that he brought back from Fanyang City are very useful. There is also a birch forest in this forest, and there is a large one next to the Nuanhe River.If there were no other birch trees, Li Qingwen would definitely search there before leaving.

Until now, he still firmly believes that Yuya Shina must have an inseparable relationship with the birch.

They walked north for a day, and they felt that the wind in front of them was getting stronger and stronger, and the tents were a little bit unable to withstand the noisy wind. Before going to bed, they had to build another wall to block the wind.

At the edge of the forest, there are not many big wild animals, they are all rabbits and pheasants. Li Qingfeng's arrows are not in vain. He shot a "swish swish swish" and can hit five times in ten shots. Compared with Jiang Cong, he can't, but Compete with others.

They stayed in the wild for one night, and when they set off again the next day, they found that not only was the wind strong, but the snow was getting thicker and thicker.

Originally, it was just that there was no knee, but now half of the thigh is about to sink in.

Li Qingwen felt that there should be a wind outlet here, because when he walked a few hundred steps sideways into the forest, the wind and snow there were obviously weaker than outside.

Just when the big guys were talking about going inside, Jiang Cong looked at the snow field to the east and said, "There are more than a dozen horses."

Everyone's heart skipped a beat, how could there be horses in this place, did they meet Puju people again?

"Let's go back quietly. Last time we caught Pu Ju's prince, we have made an enmity with Pu Ju. If we are found out, we have to do it..." Someone said worriedly.

"That's right, a good man doesn't take immediate losses. We have few people now, so it's not appropriate to confront them head-on. We should turn back early and avoid them."

"It's not far from where we're stationed. If they go into the forest, they'll run into each other easily. You have to go back and tell the boss."

As they spoke, everyone panicked. Jiang Cong kept looking to the east, but Li Qingwen suddenly thought of something, and raised his hand to cover his eyes.

He took a step too late, the color of the pupils in the snow mirror changed slightly, Jiang Cong said: "There are only horses, no one."

The others were stunned, only, only the horse, that person died?

Li Qingwen pulled Jiang Cong's arm. Jiang Cong understood and bent down to look at him.

Li Qingwen stared into his eyes, not noticing anything unusual, so he let go of his hand.

Li Qingfeng jumped off the sledge excitedly, "Then let's go and bring the horse back!"

Jiang Cong was also going to take a look. Although the others had doubts, they all listened to Jiang Cong.

Everyone turned around and no longer went north against the wind, but went east.

Except for Jiang Cong, the others could only see a vast expanse of whiteness in front of them, with occasional two frail young trees showing half of their bodies, and no horses could be seen anywhere.

Jiang Cong led the way, while Li Qingwen sat on the sledge and looked around.

Going east, the snow is also very thick, not to mention people, the horse's legs are deeply sunk in the snow, and it is very difficult to walk.

Seeing this, Li Qingwen came down and walked through the snow.

He was the shortest, and when he was walking, the snow got stuck in his crotch, and he couldn't use his strength, Li Qingwen wanted to cry but had no tears.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Cong took the shovel off the sledge, shoveled snow as he walked, and managed to shovel out a path that could accommodate one person.

Afraid that he would have to work hard, Li Qingwen said, "Brother, just shovel off the top layer of snow. As long as it's not too thick, I can walk."

"It's no trouble." Jiang Cong said, inserting the shovel into the snow, and with a slight gap, the snow like sand was blown to the side, leaving only a layer of snow higher than the ankle on the ground.

This time, not only other people, but even the horse also saved a lot of energy.

After walking forward for a long time, everyone finally saw the horses that Jiang Cong was talking about. Some were gray and some were white. They looked like seventeen or eighteen horses. They only showed half of their heads in the snow. It's not easy to see if you take twenty or thirty steps.

Their approach made the horses a little flustered, but they seemed to be stuck in the snow and couldn't move much, but there was more white gas coming out of their noses.

When everyone came closer, they realized that these horses were very special. They were short, but their manes were long and messy. They didn't have cages or saddles, so they didn't look like owned horses.

There are no traces of human activity around, that is to say, there is no danger.

The big guys are finally relieved.

Li Qingwen was a little worried.

He recognized these as Yakut wild horses, and half of the herd were big-bellied, supposedly carrying foals, but they didn't look very well.A few of them just lay there in the snow, their muzzles and noses covered with a thick layer of hoarfrost, their eyes drooping, as if they might close at any moment.

Jiang Cong also discovered that the horses were trapped in the deep snow.

Li Qingfeng put a rope around the neck of one of the horses, and the horse just shook its head without much resistance.

But when Li Qingfeng was about to pull it over, the horse faltered, its front hooves gave way, and it knelt on the snow.

"They're starving and exhausted."

After Li Qingwen finished speaking, he turned around, and Jiang Cong followed. He took the sorghum bag off the sledge by himself, and then untied the string on it.

Li Qingwen took out the fried sorghum from the inside and handed it to the horse's mouth. The kneeling horse licked the roll with its tongue, and quickly ate it all.

Li Qingfeng froze for a moment, let go of the rope in his hand, turned around and used his leather robe to pocket a full amount of cooked sorghum, squatted on the snow to feed the horse, and removed the icicles from the horse's eyelashes.

Seeing this, other people also went to feed sorghum to the horses.

Jiang Cong looked at the pregnant mare and said, "It's about to give birth."

They lived next to the stables for a long time and delivered many horses with Lao Xingtou, so they had a lot of experience.

Yakut horses feed on grass under the snow in winter. The snow here is thick, but the grass is not so lush. It may be that too much energy has been consumed. The male horses are so hungry, and the condition of the mares that need more nutrition can be imagined.

Li Qingwen filled a cloth bag with sorghum and put it in front of each horse. It was better to eat it with his head down, and he held it to his mouth with his hands if he couldn't eat it.

Jiang Cong used a shovel to shovel up the surrounding snow and piled it into a snow wall to keep out the wind.

It seemed that they couldn't leave today. Someone collected firewood and set up a fire nearby.

Li Qingwen half-kneeled in front of a white mare, and put his hand away for a long time, but it still didn't lick it, looking very weak.

Seeing this, Jiang Cong took a pot of jelly syrup from the sledge and set it on the fire. When the sugar inside melted, he asked someone to press the horse's head and pour warm syrup into its mouth.

Such a pot of syrup cannot be given to it all at once, but must be distributed to other mares. The remaining half of the pot is put aside and fed later.

After tossing around for a while, it was almost dark, and everyone pitched a tent in the snow wall. Of course, this tent was for the mare, and everyone else huddled in the snow nest.

Put the snow into water in the basin, and feed it to the horses one by one, and put the hay under the mare's body by the way.

After eating food and drinking water, the stallion recovered quickly, but the mare did not react much.

Everyone looked at the motionless mare and sighed. It was too hard to carry the foal in such weather.

A group of horses lie here, everyone is worried, just stew a few rabbits casually, no one touches the cooked sorghum and fried noodles, these things can be eaten by horses, but not meat.

Fortunately, they came out this time and brought a lot of dry food and fodder, otherwise they really couldn't afford to feed these horses.

After midnight, everyone fed the horses again. This time the sorghum was mixed with some salt.

If these horses are fed, they will have to eat the frozen grass under the snow in grievance.

Yakut horses have big and thick hoofs, and they are very powerful in shaving snow, and they are used to eating like this, and they are not good at sweet dates.

So, in the middle of the night, Li Qingwen and the others shoveled the snow while pulling up the dead grass to make food for them.

You can't favor one over another.

Li Qingwen and Jiang Cong stayed up all night, guarding the mares in the tent, while estimating that the remaining fodder and sorghum might only be enough for them to eat for two meals.

Two meals should not be enough for them to fully recover, especially the mares, but in this situation, these horses cannot follow them back to the place where they are stationed.

Naturally, the horses cannot be left here, so they have to go back to fetch fodder and then feed them.

There were only a dozen of them out, and now they were divided into those who watched the horses and those who went back to get the hay, which was really a headache.

Of course, you don’t have to watch them. I’m just afraid that after they left, the mares would suddenly colt, and they would not have much strength. If no one helped them, both big and small might be in danger...

Therefore, it is safer for someone to stay here.

Before dawn, Jiang Cong called the others up, saying that he wanted to go back to fetch things, and asked those who would deliver the horses if they would like to stay.

They all nodded, and Li Qingfeng also said that he would stay here.

Jiang Cong didn't ask Li Qingwen, he had to follow him as he left.

Just like that, when the sky was still gray, Jiang Cong and the others went back again. Only two days after they came out, the sledge was empty, and a few stallions were tied behind them.