Chapter 7: Searching for People in the Mountains

After finishing all this, my mother slumped over the basket and went to the bamboo forest on the back slope. The winter bamboo shoots are particularly good right now, and my mother intends to gather some.

My mother had just finished gathering winter bamboo shoots when she saw my father returning. She hurriedly asked, "Did you bring back the meat?"

Old Man Jiang showed no signs of surprise, nor did he ask my father what the matter was. He calmly enjoyed my father's respectful demeanor. After my father finished his polite laughter and greetings, he raised one hand and said: "Give me a steamed bun, is there any pickled vegetable to go with it?"

"Who says it can't be found in winter? In winter, it just hides beneath the mud and sleeps, buried deep. Rest assured, I can find it." My father was filled with confidence

Old Man Jiang wanders around the village like this, occasionally mentioning the mountains behind the village where he lives. His appearances are also irregular; sometimes he can be seen wandering in the village every day for a month, while at other times he may disappear for one or two months.

My father returned home in the afternoon

As he raised his hand, my father was startled, asking, "What is this?" A rope nearly hit his face. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the old man Jiang was holding a limp bamboo leaf viper.

The well is my family's natural refrigerator. My parents have always believed that the items stored in the well are the freshest. Tomorrow, a distinguished guest is coming for dinner, and my mother is not taking any chances at all

In Sichuan, the bamboo viper is a common venomous snake; however, its prevalence does not correlate with the potency of its venom, which is extremely toxic. There are numerous legends among the mountain people regarding the bamboo viper.

However, it is fortunate that today is a rare sunny day in winter. Under the warm sunlight, my father's mood is relatively cheerful, and he does not complain much. He is only thinking about finding a clean place to eat some dry rations, then looking around in the afternoon, and finally heading back to hetushu.com before dinner.

After finishing a cigarette, the sky brightened a little. My father got up and simply tucked his pant legs into his socks, continuing on his way

This is not all; next, my father ran to the riverbank. In any case, he is determined to give his all for tomorrow

As soon as my mother opened the door, my father rushed into the room, disregarding my mother's astonished gaze. He threw the wild chicken and the bamboo leaf green on the ground and pulled my mother's arm, darting into the house.

My father hurried to town and back, and I commend him for running out in the cold winter and coming back all sweaty. He cheerfully said, "I got it, over a pound of meat, quite smoothly."

"Old Chen, you haven't eaten yet, where are you rushing off to now?" My mother took the river fish and directly tossed it into the water tank, watching my father prepare to go out, and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

My father listened to Old Man Jiang as if he had encountered a deity, unable to react for a long time, and could only foolishly and instinctively accept the items handed over by Old Man Jiang

After shouting a few times, I indeed heard a strong voice coming from behind the mountain road next to my father: "Hey, who is calling me?"

By evening, my father brought back two fresh river fish and then had to go out again

Sigh, once the grain is exchanged for this little bit of meat... my mother is truly distressed about it

"Old man Jiang, old man Jiang..." My father shouted loudly, as the mountains stretched out and the paths were winding. At this moment, my father could only hear his voice, but could not see him.

"Pickled vegetables? You think you can just call me for help and distract me with pickled vegetables? You must be dreaming!" Old Jiang looked disdainful, casually grabbing the bamboo leaves from the ground and stuffing them along with the wild herbs and the chicken from the illustrated book into my father's hands.

Still looking as dirty as ever, even exuding a hint of lewdness. This is far from the image of a sage that rural people imagine; in their view, a so-called sage should have a decent appearance, such as an ethereal demeanor or a youthful face with white hair. At the very least, they should present an air of profundity that discourages strangers from approaching.

Then you can come to my house to eat, how many bags would be enough! My dad is really worried and doesn't know how to bring it up. When he mentioned the old man Jiang and the pickled vegetables, he quickly said that at this moment he would do anything to trick the old man Jiang into coming to my house

Then, my mother placed two basins into a wooden basin, went to the well in the backyard, secured the basins to the well rope, and then lowered the basin of meat down, stopping about 10 centimeters above the water surface

"Old man Jiang, over here, over here..." My father shouted joyfully, bouncing and leaping as if he had just seen a beloved relative from the Eighth Route Army

But my father, who is already in a state of desperation, does not care about these things anymore. Even if Widow Zhou tells him that a pig is a master, he would be able to see the signs of a master at this moment.

"Alright, for the sake of my son, what is this little bit of food? As long as a person comes to our home for a good meal, that is enough. " My father was in high spirits, and the old man Jiang's words about asking for help made my father believe he had encountered a true master.

As for his living on the mountain, people believe it. He has been in this area for 5 years, and people have come to know him to some extent, discovering that this old man Jiang does not lie. When it comes to matters he is unwilling to discuss, he simply makes a joke to brush it off, and he does not fabricate stories.

Old man Jiang finished a steamed bun, clapped his hands, casually stroked his beard, and then began to drink spring water. After finishing, he let out a burp, and my dad quickly handed him another steamed bun from the book.

At that time, there were still quite a few wild chickens and hares in the mountains and forests, and even foxes and monkeys could be seen. However, after those three years of hunger, many of them disappeared. It is truly remarkable that Old Man Jiang could still manage to catch wild chickens.

Finally, my mother, with great effort, moved a large stone and placed it over the well, fitting it perfectly without leaving a single gap

One hour later

As much as I wanted to refuse, my father still respectfully handed over the steamed bun and explained, "The pickled vegetables might spoil if left too long, so I didn't include any. Master Jiang can make do with it."

At this point, my father looked at Old Jiang with a smile, and this person in front of him, who was completely unkempt and devouring steamed buns, seemed like an incarnation of an immortal

Old man Jiang was not polite either; with a loud 'thud,' he sat down on the ground, threw the bamboo leaf green, which had probably been shaken to the point of dislocating all its bones, onto the ground, and began to eat the steamed bun he had received.

Following my father's voice, it wasn't long before Old Man Jiang emerged from the mountain path behind me. Heaven knows where he had been wandering in this mountainous area, but by chance, he ran into my father.

Moreover, most of the villagers consider him a pitiful wandering old man. Seeing that this village is relatively prosperous and the people are kind-hearted, he decided to stay here

This old man Jiang... My father has already said no more than necessary; he can even handle hibernating snakes, and he specializes in venomous ones. He truly has skills. Considering old man Jiang's usual temperament, my father has no doubt that this bamboo leaf green snake was brought here for him to eat

However, even so, the meat is difficult to handle

First, my father set out carrying a load of grain

Rural people do not have meat tickets; after slaughtering pigs, any leftover meat is made into cured meat. To eat fresh meat, one must exchange it for grain, as it is unacceptable to entertain guests without meat

The taste of the snake is most exquisite when paired with *tu* and stewed together with this wild chicken; it is the best. Remember to simmer it on low heat for a sufficient amount of time. Moreover, if you have any delicious dishes at home, bring out all your signature dishes to entertain me. I also want to drink; I do not want the bottled wine sold outside, but rather the finest homemade wine. I will come to your house for lunch tomorrow; I'm leaving now!" After saying this, Old Jiang turned and left. Moreover, if you have any delicious dishes at home, bring out all your signature dishes to entertain me. I also want to drink; I do not want the bottled wine sold outside, but rather the finest homemade wine. I will come to your house for lunch tomorrow; I'm leaving now!" After saying this, Old Jiang turned and left.

First, pour me a glass of water; I will slowly tell you that this time I have truly encountered a remarkable person

"Old Man Jiang..." As soon as my father caught sight of Old Man Jiang, he immediately rushed over, standing in front of him, and couldn't help but change his address, calling out: "Master Jiang..."

My father's repeated questioning left my mother bewildered. Indeed, one would think that my father is not such an unreliable person.

My father, left in a state of astonishment, was still there in a daze

I quickly followed my mother into the yard to handle the chickens and snakes.

The mountain spring water is sweet and refreshing. Taking a big gulp truly alleviates fatigue and quenches thirst. Considering that this place is quite nice, eating steamed buns with the mountain spring water is particularly fragrant and sweet. My father decided to have our meal here.

The road on the mountain is difficult to traverse, and there are many places where there is simply no path. My father drove slowly the entire way, and before we knew it, 3 or 4 hours had passed without even catching a glimpse of Old Man Jiang.

If we don't find it, we will continue searching tomorrow. If we search for a few more days, we are bound to find it. Who knows, with a bit of luck, we might even run into it in the village. After taking a sip of the mountain spring water, my father muttered to himself. There were hardly any sounds of people in the mountains, so speaking to himself was a way to relieve his boredom.

"Go get some eels. You know my skill in stir-frying eels is exceptional, and I must ensure that Master Jiang is satisfied with the dish." My father seemed to be in an extremely excited state

However, none of the above has any connection to Old Man Jiang or the books.

"It's the middle of winter, not summer. Where are you going to find eels?" My mother was utterly at a loss for words.

I said to Old Chen, what are you doing? Did you go up the mountain to hunt? Why aren't you handling serious matters? My mother saw the things my father had thrown in the yard and was furious, immediately starting to scold him

In that era, it was not unusual for rural people to eat snakes, and my mother was quite adept at handling venomous snakes.

My father found it strange that he didn't use his other hand; he started with the hand that had caught a snake, only to be both amused and bewildered to discover that Old Jiang was holding a wild chicken in his other hand

My father was anxious and unable to explain, so he simply pulled my mother into the room with force. Once the door was closed, he said, "What kind of hunting do you think I can do? Do you think I have that ability? Do you think I would neglect our son’s matters and then have the leisure to go hunting?"

In fact, it must be said that this can be considered one reason

In two hours, a bamboo leaf viper and a wild chicken were cleaned thoroughly by my mother. The snow-white snake meat and fresh chicken were each placed in separate bowls, covered with plastic bags, and then secured tightly.

Just after sitting down for a short while, and with the steamed buns just taken out, my father suddenly heard an off-key mountain song, accompanied by that terrible voice, which completely ruined one's appetite

But my father is quite happy; he is extremely familiar with this kind of tune. Who else could it be but Old Man Jiang? When he wanders around the village, he often sings off-key mountain songs, and the villagers have certainly heard his broken voice many times. It is simply impossible not to be familiar with it.

Old man Jiang was not polite at all; he grabbed and ate. Finally, after finishing the steamed bun, he patted his belly, stood up, and said: "If only there were pickles, the pickles from Sichuan are both crunchy and sour, with a hint of spiciness, incredibly delicious"