The village did not have a large population, but it occupied quite a lot of land. The main reason was that the houses in the village were built irregularly. There were one house here and one house there, so it was not concentrated enough. From the stone arch bridge on the river to the other side, the first one by the bridge was.
"Is Grandpa Qian home?" Zhang Wenyuan spoke first at the door.
The first thing that greeted Zhang Wenyuan was the whining of a dog. He remembered that there was a black dog in Old Qian's house that was blind in one eye. Although this dog wasn't a mountain guard dog, it definitely had the bloodline of a mountain guard dog and was abnormally fierce. When other dogs saw this, they could only run away with their tails between their legs.
Moreover, this fellow never barked loudly. It was a master of the lower jaw. As the saying goes, barking dogs don't bite, and biting dogs don't bark. This kind of dog was the most terrifying. It would bite when people were not prepared. If he entered the courtyard without telling the owner to come out, he would probably be welcomed by a dog's mouth.
Although Zhang Wenyuan wasn't afraid of a dog, he was here to borrow something, not to provoke him. He couldn't possibly kick him away, right? Therefore, it was better to make a sound first.
Old Man Qian heard the voice and opened the curtain to come out of the room. When he saw that it was Zhang Wenyuan, he said with a friendly face,"It's the marshal. Come in quickly."
Marshal Zhang didn't have a good reputation, but there was nothing dirty between him and Old Qian. Moreover, there was a master-disciple relationship between them. Therefore, Old Man Qian did not have the prejudice and disgust that the villagers had towards Zhang Wenyuan.
The big dog, Blackie, saw that its master had appeared and stopped making any more noise. It lay lazily on the ground and closed its eyes. This dog had been around since Zhang Wenyuan started learning carpentry here. It was still alive after all these years. It was probably not young anymore.
When Zhang Wenyuan entered the house, he felt that it was not the right time. The family was eating. Old Man Qian's wife got up and added a stool for Zhang Wenyuan, but Zhang Wenyuan refused to sit down no matter what.
Zhang Wenyuan pretended to walk out. Old Man Qian followed him out and asked,"Marshal, what brings you here today? Tell me."
"I came here today mainly to see if you have any wall paint. I want to repaint the house. He wanted to go into the mountains with his friends in a few days, so he came to ask about the things to pay attention to and prepare when entering the mountains.”Zhang Wenyuan took out a cigarette and handed it to Old Qian.
"I'm not used to smoking cigarettes.”"Qian Wang has some wall paint. I'll ask him to get it for you later."”
Qian Wang was the son of Old Man Qian. He was a craftsman (who built walls) and worked with a contractor in Fengyukou Village. It was the same as the surname Zhi of the migrant workers that had been circulating on the Internet recently. It was just that one was in the city and the other was in the countryside. In a day, they did not need to spend money on food and accommodation. In a month, they could save more than 2,000 to nearly 3,000.
"What are you planning to do in the mountains? One had to know that the mountain forest had been very strict in the past few years. Hunting was not allowed.”
Zhang Wenyuan smiled and replied," Hehe, you misunderstood. We didn't enter the mountain to hunt. It was just that a few friends from the city brought the dog into the mountain to familiarize the dog with the environment outside."”
"It's not that we don't allow hunting, it's mainly because we're afraid of indiscriminate killing.”Old man Qian puffed out a mouthful of smoke and said.
"I can guarantee this. As long as rare animals don't take the initiative to hurt people, we won't take the initiative to hurt those animals.”Zhang Wenyuan said firmly.
"That's good. Then I'll tell you about the techniques in the mountains.”She opened her mouth but didn't know where to start." I can't tell you much in a short time. I'll go with you." When you go back, you just need to prepare something for self-defense. It would be best if you also prepare some realgar.”
Zhang Wenyuan thought about it and agreed. It was safer to have an old hunter as the team leader."Alright, I'll call you when the time comes. Then I'll take my leave first."
"Qian Wang, take out the wall paint for the marshal.”Old Qian shouted into the house.
A moment later, Qian Wang came out with a piece of clay and handed it to Zhang Wenyuan. Zhang Wenyuan thanked him and left.
On the way home, he bought some white powder for painting the walls.
He first moved everything out of the house and used a broom to sweep away the black mold powder on the walls and the spider webs hanging in the air. Soak the white powder in the basin to make it into a paste. After soaking it thoroughly, dip it in the lacquer and then roll it back and forth on the wall to make the wall white. The dark brown areas could be covered up by brushing it a few times. After he was done, the walls around him looked brand new. The bright white light also made people feel bright and cheerful. It was no longer like the dilapidated temple that no one cared about.
Considering that there might be many opportunities to use the guest rooms in the future, he decided to farm the rooms in the north and south together.
Jiang Yazhi cleaned the things in the courtyard before putting them back into the house. In fact, after so many years of no one living there, there was no furniture left. At most, there were only three big pieces. There was a cabinet, a small square table, and a washstand by the door.
After cleaning up, he opened the windows and allowed the air to circulate faster. The newly painted white on the walls quickly condensed and dispersed most of the odor.
When the smell of the newly brushed white powder in the air was no longer so obvious and stinging, he covered the kang with a blanket. Zhang Wenyuan looked at the tidied up guest room and felt that it was too simple and monotonous, so he prepared to decorate the room with some green.
There were no flower pots, but living people couldn't be suffocated to death by urine. Zhang Wenyuan found a few pieces of wood and slightly processed them on the planer. He took them out and used a knife to fix them and make a hole in the middle. A simple and natural wooden vase came out.
With a few flowers, the feeling in the room immediately changed. It gave people a warm feeling. That's right, it was warm. Previously, due to the lack of furniture, it seemed empty. Although the light was bright, it gave off a cold feeling. A bouquet of flowers was placed, and the natural vitality dispelled the cold atmosphere.
It was just like how no matter how quiet summer was, it would only make people feel quiet and not cold. This was because the trees were full of vitality in summer. They were growing upwards and could not create a cold environment. In late autumn, once the trees withered and the leaves fell, the quiet place would always be accompanied by a cold and desolate atmosphere. This was because there was no exuberant vitality, no upward momentum, and gradually returned to silence. Naturally, it would fill the air with a cold atmosphere.
The environment always changed his mood with the change of vitality.
After tidying up the guest room, Zhang Wenyuan was free again. There was no farmer to look after this season. The winter wheat had just sprouted not long ago, so there was no need for weeding and fertilising. That would be next spring.
Therefore, Zhang Wenyuan spent the remaining two days in the orchard processing fruit trees and strawberries.
It was still too early to apply winter fertilizer to the fruit trees, but they could be trimmed. The main purpose of trimming the fruit trees was to cut off the branches and concentrate the nutrients, which would be beneficial to the growth of the fruit trees in the coming year. Dwarf grape trees, in particular, needed to be cut every year. Otherwise, there would be no good grapes in the second year. They would be like spiders pulling eggs. They had the length but no weight and quality.
Winter fertilizer could only be applied after the fruit trees were trimmed. If he applied winter fertilizer before he saw it, he would waste the fertilizer on the growth of the old branches, which would affect the growth and sprouting of the next spring. If the trimming was done properly and the fertilizer was applied in time, the fruits and vegetables would grow vigorously after spring. The new sprouts would be vigorous and strong. The explosive power of the aftereffects was also full.
He had planned to leave the trimming of the fruit trees for when he came back from the mountains, so he was not in a hurry to work these two days. Instead, he would only trim a little when he saw a tree that interested him. He focused his attention on the strawberries. The strawberries that had just been planted had blossomed.
White flowers covered the entire ground under the grape tree. Strawberries usually bloomed in April of the Gregorian calendar and would be available in the market in early May. Although it wasn't common to see flowers bloom in this season, there were indeed precedents, so there was nothing to be afraid of or hide. Zhang Wenyuan combed the strawberry vines carefully to make it easier for the flowers to bloom and the bees to collect honey. It was also convenient for watering.
During this time, he found some time to look for Wang Peng. The last time they entered the mountain, they did not call him. After they found out about it, they mumbled for a long time, repeatedly emphasizing that they must call him the next time they entered the mountain. That was why she came to tell him this time.
Wang Peng was chopping firewood in his yard. Madam Wang was also in the courtyard. She was about forty years old, but she looked as old as sixty. She saw that Zhang Wenyuan did not give her a good look. Wang Peng had learned these bad habits from Marshal Zhang, so it was understandable that Madam Wang hated Marshal Zhang for leading her son astray.
However, she also knew that Wang Peng only had one friend, Marshal Zhang, and it was impossible for him to separate his son from Marshal Zhang. If he was useless, then so be it. His brain was already like this, what could he expect to be great? As long as he could be safe. Therefore, even though he had a grudge against Commander Zhang, he didn't forbid them from contacting each other.
Zhang Wenyuan also saw Madam Wang's unhappy expression, so he didn't go forward to ask for a snub. He pulled Wang Peng out of the courtyard and said.
"Didn't you say that you wanted to go into the mountains? In two days, I'll go with a few friends.”
Before Zhang Wenyuan could finish his sentence, Wang Peng replied impatiently,"Go, why not? He had long wanted to enter the mountains. When are we leaving?"
"On the 17th, which is the 10th day of the lunar month, my friend is coming.”
"Can we really meet Black Blind when we enter the mountain?”Wang Peng asked excitedly.
"It depends on luck. If it's good, we won't encounter it, but if it's bad, we will.”
Wang Peng had a different opinion." If you ask me, I'll say that if you're lucky, you'll encounter it, but if you're unlucky, you won't. If they were lucky enough to encounter it and kill it, wouldn't bear paws and bear gall be sold for money?”
"It's better not to meet him. Although there are many people, Black Blind is not to be trifled with when he goes crazy. If he gets slapped by that thick bear paw, his bones will fall apart. This kind of money might not even be spent.”Zhang Wenyuan patted Wang Peng's head and said calmly.
"Hehe, I'll listen to big brother." Wang Peng said with a silly smile.
"Yes, prepare some self-defense equipment for the next two days. Come to my house early in the morning on the tenth day of the month. Don't say that I didn't call you when I entered the mountain.”Zhang Wenyuan said seriously.
"Big Brother Zhang, don't worry. I'll definitely be there.”Wang Peng patted his chest and promised.
"That's good." Zhang Wenyuan nodded. I'll leave first. You should prepare well in the next two days.”With that, he turned around and left.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]