1986: Old Stories in Northeast China

"I heard Tiezhu went hunting in the mountains?"

"What kind of hunting? He was just pretending with his silver spear and candlestick."

"But it's been so long, why hasn't he come back yet? Is he in danger?"

"If you went into the mountains with such fanfare and didn't hunt anything, would you still have the nerve to come out?"

...

The villagers of Erdaoling gathered on the roadside to bask in the sun and chatted, and naturally they talked about today's hot news.

The sun at two o'clock in the afternoon is the most comfortable.

"Zhuzi hasn't come back yet?" He Jianguo walked over with a pipe in his hand, worried.

"Uncle Jianguo, don't worry about it. Don't you know what Tiezhu is like?"

"That's right, why bother with him. Uncle Jianguo, we have to re-contract the land this year, how do we divide it?"

"Yes, although the last contract period was until December 31st, isn't it time to make arrangements now?"

...

"Why are you in such a hurry? There are only so many people and so much land in our village." He Jianguo waved his hand and interrupted them.

"We will draw lots later. If there are new people, they will be supplemented from the private plots in the village. Don't worry, it won't be bad."

After saying that, he looked in the direction of Toudaoling again, and he was really worried.

He didn't expect that Chen Tiezhu was thinking about going up the mountain to hunt and stayed in for so long.

How dangerous is this?

"Hey? Is it Tiezhu who came back?"

"It looks like it's him. Only he can wear a military coat like this. It's not that cold now."

"Well, I said the wrong thing just now. He still has the nerve to come back."

"No..., look carefully, it seems that he is carrying something..."

...

With this reminder, everyone looked over carefully. The figure in the sun seemed to be carrying prey.

"You are all free. The sun is nice today."

Walking up to these people, Chen Tiezhu greeted them enthusiastically.

"One, two, three, four, five, Zhuzi, did you hunt this?" One of them asked in surprise after counting.

"My dad shot it. My dad is so awesome."

Before Chen Tiezhu could speak, Doudou, who was carried on his back, said happily.

"It's better luck." Chen Tiezhu smiled and nodded.

Even if he didn't hear the discussion of these people, he could guess it. It's just that he was in a good mood today, so he didn't bother with them.

He was not feeling well now. He was frightened and had fought a battle, so he was exhausted.

"Zhuzi, why are you so embarrassed?" He Jianguo asked with concern.

"I met a herd of wild boars and was chased by them. Uncle Jianguo, come to my house for dinner today. I'll stew rabbits." Chen Tiezhu said with a smile.

"Oh my god, you are just bragging. You met a herd of wild boars, why don't you say you met a blind bear?" Zhu Qingjun, who was wearing a cotton hat with drooping ears, mocked.

This sentence also expressed everyone's thoughts, and they also felt that Chen Tiezhu was bragging.

"Are you itching?" Chen Tiezhu glanced at him lightly.

Maybe it was because hunting today was also killing, and there was a hint of ferocity in his eyes.

With such a look in his eyes, Zhu Qingjun's words that were about to retort were stuck in his throat.

"Why are you talking about those nonsense? Go home." He Jianguo interrupted.

"Uncle Jianguo, you have to lend me your rickshaw tomorrow, and I'll sell the rest in the county. I have to pay the electricity bill later. How much money does my family owe?"

"We owe more than 13 yuan, right? Did you really hunt these?" He Jianguo still didn't believe it.

"Don't worry, I know the rules. We dare not touch what others have caught." Chen Tiezhu said with a smile.

"That's fine, but I can't eat your rabbit for free. I'll go home to get some wine. Is there anything else missing at home?" He Jianguo asked.

"Well, some onions, ginger and garlic will be fine. Especially green onions, can you get more?" Chen Tiezhu was a little embarrassed.

There were only a few onions left at home, and this was very delicious.

As for the fact that he dug up a club, he didn't mention it. He still understood the principle of not showing off wealth.

He Jianguo looked at him with a smile, "Go home and wait, I'll get you a bundle, it's not a rare thing."

Chen Tiezhu was very happy and carried his daughter home.

"Look, Tiezhu can hunt, and you're just pretending. You've got to be slapped in the face, right?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Is hunting that easy? Think about it, how can you catch a prey right after setting the trap?"

"If you ask me, you either ask for it from someone, or take it off someone else's trap."

"You're just bragging. If you were to encounter a herd of wild boars, would you be able to outrun them?""This..., it seems to be the case."

...

As he walked away, Zhu Qingjun came back to life and began to encourage.

"Zhuzi, don't do such rash things in the future. Wait two more days, even if I go to the town to beg, I will ask for a temporary job for you."

He Jianguo, who had just returned home, carrying rice, wine, and green onions, said earnestly.

"Uncle Jianguo, I know you really care about me and Doudou." Chen Tiezhu said seriously.

"But think about it, what kind of work would allow me to take Doudou there? This winter, I will take Doudou with me for a while. Next spring, I will definitely farm and manage the business well."

"By the way, how much can these pheasants and rabbits sell for in the county? This is my first time dealing with this stuff, and I'm really afraid of selling them at a loss, and this suffering will be in vain."

"Someone in our village did sell them a few days ago. A rabbit this big can be sold for about five yuan." He Jianguo said after taking a closer look.

"If you peel the skin and sell it, you can sell more. Rabbit meat is four yuan, and the skin is one and a half yuan. Pheasants are a little worse, and can be sold for about four and a half yuan, with a difference of no more than fifty cents."

"Uncle Jianguo, what about wild boar meat?" Chen Tiezhu asked.

"You really dare to think that you can't hunt that thing without firearms? Don't you remember what happened today?" He Jianguo glanced at him unhappily.

"Hehe, I'm just curious." Chen Tiezhu was a little embarrassed.

"Hey..., wild boar meat is only one yuan per pound. That thing has a strong fishy smell and the meat is very rough, so it can't be sold at a high price." He Jianguo sighed, and he was also afraid that he would be too stingy and really go hunting wild boars.

"How much meat can be left after removing the internal organs of a wild boar? You still have to put your head on your belt to hunt, it's not worth it. Kill a few more pheasants and rabbits, and all will come out."

Chen Tiezhu frowned, this cost-effectiveness is indeed not very high.

Now he has a preliminary understanding of the hunting situation, which is affected by the supply and demand relationship, and it can't be compared with the price system of later generations.

"Dad, stew the rabbit."

At this time, Doudou next to him shouted.

"Haha, Dad will clean it up, and then we will stew the rabbit." Chen Tiezhu responded happily.

Go to the house to take out the kitchen knife, hang the rabbit on the fence, and start skinning.

Uncle Jianguo just said that rabbit skin can be sold for 1.5 yuan, but it must be peeled carefully.

But seeing him holding a kitchen knife and starting to work, He Jianguo shook his head helplessly.

No matter what you do, you need to have a handy tool, right?

How to peel with a kitchen knife?

Then you have to... peel off the rabbit skin?

It's only been a few minutes?

He Jianguo, who was still thinking, widened his eyes.

Chen Tiezhu, who was excited about peeling, did not stop his work. After opening the rabbit, he started to cut it directly along the joints.

He Jianguo was really scared.

It took ten minutes to peel and clean it up?

When did Tiezhu have such a great knife skill?

When did Tiezhu become so good?

This... is still Erlu?