The sun was shining brightly when we started walking, but it turned cloudy later, which was better. Otherwise, female tourists would have had to carry umbrellas, making it even more inconvenient to ride the tractor. At the beginning of the journey into the mountains, we could only see wildflowers and weeds on both sides of the road. Later, low shrubs gradually appeared, and as we went deeper into the mountains, tall trees began to appear along the roadside, some of which were taller than four stories. Yang Shiyun looked at them and praised them in Zhao Qiang's ear: "The scenery is really beautiful. We made the right choice coming here."
Zhao Qiang, being a child from the mountains, wasn't too surprised by the scenery. However, as the mountain road became steeper and steeper, and streams flowed along the roadside, even forming waterfalls, many tourists took out their cameras to take pictures despite the bumpy ride of the tractor. This made Zhao Qiang yearn for Wulong Mountain. The scenery there must be even better than here. His hometown mountains didn't have so much water.
The higher the mountain went, the shorter the visibility became, and dusk was falling. Someone shouted to the driver and learned that they would arrive at their destination in about half an hour. After several hours of bumpy travel, the initial amazement at seeing the mountains, trees, and waterfalls had subsided considerably. No one was taking photos anymore; everyone huddled together, heads bowed, conserving their energy, knowing they would have things to do once they reached their destination.
Sitting at Zhao Qiang's feet, Section Chief Wang, taking advantage of the relatively flat road, tried several times to get closer to Yang Shiyun, but Yang Shiyun dodged him each time. This made Section Chief Wang very unhappy with Zhao Qiang, who was acting as a shield. However, to outsiders, Zhao Qiang was Yang Shiyun's girlfriend, and Section Chief Wang's actions were actually excessive. But everyone, including the team leader, knew that Section Chief Wang had a lot of influence in the area, so no one dared to say anything.
Gradually, a strangely shaped mountain shrouded in mist emerges from the overlapping peaks, resembling a black dragon coiled in mid-air from afar. The black color is actually deep green vegetation. At the highest point of the mountain are two stone caves, one on the left and one on the right, which look like the eyes of the black dragon. This is not a tourist area, but an undeveloped area that only true outdoor enthusiasts would come here. It is natural, pristine, and purely ecological, with a fresh scent in the air that lingers throughout the journey. Even if you don't climb the mountain, this trip is still worthwhile.
Finally, the tractor stopped at the foot of the mountain. It was a village of a dozen or so households, mostly houses built of wood. A winding road passed through the village and then spiraled up the mountain. Even the tractor could not travel on this road, which meant that we had reached our campsite for the night and would have to climb the mountain along the road tomorrow.
The tractor driver wasn't from this village, but they still needed to stay overnight before leaving. Later on, the road the tractor traveled was almost hugging the edge of a cliff, and a slight misstep could send them plunging. Even though the driver often drove on such roads, he didn't dare to drive at night.
Li Hua got off the tractor and leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The bumpy ride had made him feel like his stomach was about to burst. "Everyone, get off the tractor and rest for a while. Then go into the village and find a suitable place to pitch your tents. We'll meet at the house with the red flag at the village entrance in an hour for dinner."
(Thanks to Youruoshui, Youyouruoshui, and 〓Black Angel〓 for their monthly ticket support)
Volume 2 [635] Dinner
[635] Dinner
Because the village is small and almost every house has two rooms, one for living and the other for the kitchen, it is difficult to provide accommodation for these outsiders. Since the village is not well-developed, there are no hotels or similar facilities. However, the people who come here are prepared and bring their own tents.
Yang Shiyun said, "What are we going to do? Didn't the money include food and lodging? Are we going to sleep outdoors tonight?"
Zhao Qiang scratched his head: "It is indeed quite troublesome. Do you think there is any way to solve it?"
Yang Shiyun said, "I am the apprentice, so you, as the master, should give me some guidance."
At this moment, Li Hua walked over to Zhao Qiang and said, "Brother, come with me. I know you didn't prepare a tent, so I'll give you the room I originally arranged."
This Li Huaren is quite something; he hasn't forgotten the two outsiders who came with him. Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun followed him into the village. It was just as smoke was rising from the chimneys, and two or three children were playing across the village. Because of the wooden fences and walls, they could clearly see the kitchens of each household. Occasionally, they could see cured meat hanging from the main beam of the kitchen, perhaps wild game that had been hunted. It looked very tempting. Wild vegetables and fruits were drying in the yards, truly a scene of rural life.
"It's so cozy here," Yang Shiyun exclaimed. Coming from a big city, she found this kind of rural life very novel.
Li Hua said, "Yes, it's really nice to get out and about after living in the city for so long. This is my third time here, and I have a different feeling every time. I will continue to come in the future."
The wooden door creaked open, and Li Hua led the way inside. This was a house at the back of the village, with three rooms in total, plus a side room used as a kitchen and dining room. It seemed to be one of the wealthier families in the village. The woman of the house was in her forties and was cooking in the kitchen. Perhaps the firewood was a little damp, because the whole house was filled with pungent smoke. Li Hua didn't dare to go in and stood outside the kitchen, calling out, "Sister-in-law, I'm here."
The woman who was cooking came out and rubbed her eyes, which were red and swollen from the choking: "It's Brother Li Hua. You're a bit late today. It's almost dark. It would be dangerous if you couldn't see the road."
Li Hua smiled sheepishly: "I was a little late for lunch, but I made it in time. Sister-in-law, these are my two new companions. They'll be staying at your place tonight."
The hostess asked, "And what about you?"
Li Hua put down his backpack: "I'll just set up a tent and sleep in the yard."
The hostess had no objection: "Okay, I've already prepared the bedding. You can rest after dinner."
Li Hua opened his backpack: "I'll set up the tent first, and then I'll go have dinner."
The hostess led Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun to see the room, which was also a wooden house with windows at the front and back. However, the temperature was a bit cold at night, so the windows had to be closed tightly. There was a small wooden bed in the corner of the room, with dry grass underneath and a sheet and quilt on top. Yang Shiyun had never lived in such a house before. She sniffled to show her grievance, but did not say anything.
The hostess said, "The mountain dwelling is simple; please forgive us."
Zhao Qiang said, "Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite. We came out to travel prepared for hardship. It's already good enough that we have a place to sleep. Brother Li Hua even had to sleep on the floor outside because of this."
The hostess chuckled, "Young man, you have a very optimistic spirit. You've found a beautiful girlfriend." She glanced at Yang Shiyun with eyes full of envy, making Yang Shiyun blush slightly.
There was no electricity in the village, and it was already so dark that it was difficult to see the furnishings inside. The woman of the house lit an oil lamp, and soon Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun finished looking around the room and left. The woman of the house quickly extinguished the oil lamp. Zhao Qiang went to the yard to help Li Hua set up the tent. With the help of others, Li Hua quickly set up the tent. He waved his hand and said, "Come on, let's go have dinner."
Li Hua led the way with a flashlight in his hand. Because the village was not big, the noise outside could be heard from his sister-in-law's house. Manager Hu's voice was the loudest: "What the hell is going on? I paid you a lot of money, and you won't even cook some cured meat for me. I can't eat this meal."
As the team leader, Li Hua was responsible for coordinating the relationship between the team members and the villagers. He was also in charge of planning the meals. Now that some team members were complaining about the food, he quickly ran a few steps and arrived at the restaurant in no time.
The so-called restaurant was nothing more than an open-air, flat grassy area with a long row of tables and benches, and a pile of firewood burning brightly in the center. When everyone arrived, the firewood would be lit up, illuminating the surrounding area.
Li Hua approached Manager Hu and asked, "Manager Hu, what's wrong? Who upset you?"
Manager Hu said with trembling hands, "What kind of work are you doing? Look at this, the only dishes for dinner are boiled wild vegetables. How are we supposed to eat this? We asked them to stir-fry some cured meat for us, but they won't do it. It's not like we're not paying them. Are these mountain people stupid for not making money?"
Li Hua said, "Let me go and talk to them." This wasn't Li Hua's first time here. In the past, there would be a pheasant stew with wild mushrooms for dinner, but it seems there won't be that dish tonight. Maybe they didn't hunt any pheasants, or maybe they didn't pick any wild mushrooms.
Zhao Qiang glanced at the dishes on the table, all steaming hot and mainly consisting of wild vegetables. Many of them were unfamiliar to him. They smelled very refreshing, but people who were used to eating wild vegetables might not be able to stand them. However, Zhao Qiang accepted them all. Although he liked braised pork, it didn't mean he couldn't eat wild vegetables. Besides, it was precisely because he had eaten too much meat that he wanted to change his taste.
Li Hua ran to the kitchen, which was a larger wooden hut. Most of it was used for storing supplies, and the other half was for cooking. A woman was sitting in front of the stove, tending the fire, while a tall man was cooking. Li Hua asked, "Master, why isn't there any pheasant stew with wild mushrooms tonight?"
The cook said, "Brother Li Hua, the village has been busy harvesting wild vegetables these past few days and hasn't had time to go hunting in the mountains, so we don't have any pheasants. How about this, tonight's meal will be half price for you?"
Li Hua said with a bitter face, "Master, it's not about the money. The key is that we need some meat. We have a distinguished guest in our group who is used to eating meat. Why don't you stir-fry some cured pork for us? Anyway, I see that you have the ingredients ready at home."
The cook also said with a bitter face, "Brother Li, don't you know my character? That meat really can't be eaten; I'm saving it for my son's wedding."
Li Hua said, "I'll pay you, and you can smoke another piece of meat yourself later."
The chef said, "Brother Li, that's true, but it takes time to smoke a whole piece of meat. You're not going to just stand by and watch me go hungry on my son's wedding day, are you?"
Li Hua was at a loss and could only say, "Master, how about this, could you prepare a plate of vegetables for me to get through this for now?"
The chef scratched his head: "This...does fried grasshoppers count?"
Li Hua gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll fry a few more plates so everyone can have a taste."
The chef said, "Okay, I've made several vats of salt these past few days, enough for you to eat. It's just a bit oily, so you'll have to add more to the price."
Nowadays, even people in the mountains know how to do business. They won't do anything that loses money. Li Hua handed over a hundred-yuan bill: "Master, what do you think?"
The chef happily pocketed the money and said, "Great! I'll fry the grasshoppers right away, I promise it won't delay your dinner."
Li Hua returned to Manager Hu's side, and Manager Hu asked him, "So, can you cook the meat? If not, we won't eat here. Anyway, there are several other families in the village. If we give money to any family, they'll definitely agree to it."
Li Hua advised, "Manager Hu, please calm down. The village has designated this family to be responsible for hosting us, so other farmers should not interfere. The people here are very united, so we must not cause trouble for ourselves."
Manager Hu kicked angrily, sending a pebble flying towards Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang dodged it, but Yang Shiyun was right behind him. Helpless, Zhao Qiang caught the pebble with his other hand. Yang Shiyun jumped aside in fright and glared at Manager Hu.
Manager Hu was angry and said to Yang Shiyun in a harsh voice, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a handsome guy before? Damn, I've never seen anyone climb a mountain like this. You didn't prepare anything. Are you planning to freeload off us?"
Yang Shiyun was furious. Who was it that was freeloading? It seemed like Zhao Qiang had paid for their lunch.
Fearing a fight might break out, Li Hua quickly pulled Manager Hu aside and said, "Don't be angry, please don't be angry. Although we don't have stir-fried cured meat, we do have authentic deep-fried grasshoppers, which I guarantee will be delicious."
"Fried grasshoppers?" Manager Hu was somewhat interested.
Li Hua said, "Yes, fried grasshoppers. They're even better with alcohol than stir-fried cured meat. They're real wild game, definitely not artificially raised. The protein content is beyond imagination."
Manager Hu waved to his assistant behind him: "Go quickly and bring out our wine."
A heavy backpack was unloaded from the tractor's trailer. It took the assistant and Section Chief Wang's secretary a lot of effort to carry it to the restaurant. When they opened it, it was full of food: ham, luncheon meat, beef jerky, and sausages. Drinks and alcohol also made up a large proportion of the contents. The assistant took out a bottle of Wuliangye liquor and threw it to Manager Hu.
Manager Hu took the wine and waved it at Section Chief Wang: "Let's drink this tonight, and then we'll dance around the bonfire."
The aroma of fried grasshoppers wafted over, and Manager Hu sniffed hard. "Hmm, not bad, the taste is indeed quite good. Anyway, we've already served so many dishes, Li Hua, I think we should start eating. Let's have some wild vegetable soup to whet our appetites first, and then get ready to feast." As he spoke, Manager Hu opened the bottle of wine, then took the glass handed to him by his assistant, filled a glass for Section Chief Wang, and then filled a glass for Li Hua. As for the others, they were not seated at the same table as them.
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun sat in a corner. Zhao Qiang picked up a piece of wild vegetable and found it tasted really good, even better than the wild vegetables in his hometown. He wondered if it was because the area was almost unpolluted.
Yang Shiyun first frowned as she tasted the soup, then her brows relaxed. "It tastes good! Farmhouse restaurants are really interesting. No wonder so many people like them." Even the most picky person will like good food once they've tried it.
Zhao Qiang said, "That's why I said this trip was worthwhile. Eat more. The wild vegetables you've eaten at restaurants in the city aren't authentic. They're all grown in greenhouses and don't have the real aroma of wild vegetables."
Yang Shiyun nodded: "Okay, then let's eat as much as we want tonight, since you have slimming tea anyway." Actually, it's just eating some wild vegetables, how could it make you fat? Girls are just too concerned about their figures.
Volume 2 [636] Wild Game
【636】Wild game
The fried grasshoppers were served quickly. The grasshoppers were golden brown and smelled delicious, but their appearance was a bit scary. They looked menacing and difficult to eat, especially for girls. If they had eaten them before when they came from the countryside, it would be fine. After taking a bite, they would know that they were incredibly delicious. But for those who had never eaten them before, the first bite often required a lot of courage.
Encouraged by Zhao Qiang's gaze, Yang Shiyun picked up one. It was quite small, and although it smelled good and the wings had been clipped beforehand, its overall appearance wasn't very appealing. Seeing others constantly putting them into their mouths and making crunching noises, Yang Shiyun asked Zhao Qiang, "Is it really edible?"
Zhao Qiang took a bite. It was really crisp, and the inside was full of seeds, making it even more delicious. The chef at this farmhouse restaurant was quite skilled, and the seasoning was just right. As he ate, he said to Yang Shiyun, "Of course, you can try one if you don't believe me."
"Won't it upset your stomach?" Yang Shiyun asked.
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't worry, they're all herbivores. You even dare to eat pork, what's there to be afraid of in a grasshopper?"
Yang Shiyun gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and put the grasshopper into her mouth. She first took a small bite, and it was really crisp. It didn't pierce her lip as she had imagined. She chewed it again, and it wasn't that scary. Yang Shiyun relaxed and finally swallowed the first grasshopper.
Zhao Qiang asked, "How is it? Can you accept it?"
Yang Shiyun picked up the second one: "At least I'm not so scared anymore. I'll try another one. I must say, it's quite delicious."
"Excuse me, may I sit here?" A gentle voice asked Zhao Qiang. He looked up and saw a female tourist who had just set up her tent and was having dinner. She was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a gentle and dignified appearance. A strand of her long hair fell across her forehead. She reached out and brushed it aside, then bent down to ask Zhao Qiang, very politely.
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Okay, please sit down."
The female tourist sat down next to Zhao Qiang and smiled slightly at him: "Thank you, my name is Xiao Baihe."
"Lily?" Zhao Qiang wondered, the name didn't sound like a real person's name.
“It’s Xiao, with the character ‘’ on top and the character ‘月’ on the bottom,” Xiao Baihe explained to Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "My name is Zhao Qiang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xiao Baihe also said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take good care of me."
The two were now acquainted, but there was no further conversation. Instead, they focused on eating. Occasionally, Zhao Qiang would discuss wild vegetables and grasshoppers with Yang Shiyun. Zhao Qiang was very knowledgeable and had a deep understanding of the scientific names and history of wild vegetables. He introduced them as he ate, captivating Yang Shiyun and Xiao Baihe.
"Let's dance!" someone called out. At that moment, Manager Hu and Section Chief Wang, each with their girlfriends in tow, ran to the fire. Both had drunk at least half a jin of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor), and were shaking their heads and swaying their hips, occasionally touching their girlfriends' prominent buttocks in an extremely indecent manner. As their frenzy intensified, the others also found women to dance with, their movements carrying a strong sense of sexual innuendo.
Yang Shiyun put down her chopsticks: "I'm full." Half a plate of grasshoppers had gone down her throat; it would be strange if she wasn't full by now.
Zhao Qiang asked, "Want to go dance?"
Yang Shiyun glanced at the somewhat frenzied scene and said, "Let's not go. Let's go back and rest. Aren't we supposed to climb Wulong Mountain early tomorrow morning?"
Zhao Qiang put down his chopsticks: "Okay, I'm tired too." Zhao Qiang finished off the remaining half plate of grasshoppers, except for the few Xiao Baihe had eaten. He was already full from the wild vegetables, and since there were no other good dishes, there was no need for Zhao Qiang to stay and have a wild time with these people.
"Mr. Zhao." Xiao Baihe called out to Zhao Qiang, who was about to leave.
Zhao Qiang turned around: "What is it?" Yang Shiyun looked at Xiao Baihe warily. They had only just met. Did she want to invite Zhao Qiang to dance by the fire?
Xiao Baihe said cautiously, "It's like this, my tent isn't set up properly, could you help me?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Okay, take me there."
Xiao Baihe bowed and said, "Thank you, please come with me."
Yang Shiyun followed Zhao Qiang's steps. She didn't plan to go back to the farmhouse alone. Although Xiao Baihe wasn't good with words, she was still a pretty girl, and a very gentle one at that. Yang Shiyun wanted to keep an eye on Zhao Qiang for her sister.
Xiao Baihe pitched her tent in the center of the village, perhaps because camping was scary and she had to go to the central area. Being a girl, she wasn't strong enough to drive the tent pegs in properly, so Zhao Qiang picked up a rock and hammered the pegs into the ground. Xiao Baihe secured the ropes, and the tent was finally up.