Chapter Seven: My Sister Has Arrived

  After the Chinese New Year, my uncle suffered an economic crisis. His monthly salary was over a hundred yuan, which was enough for his usual extravagant spending, but now it seemed tight to support the whole family's food and drink expenses. To ensure everyone's stomachs remained full, my uncle brought out his old hunting gear, previously used to fight against the Japanese devils, but now used to hunt mountain chickens and wild rabbits in the mountains.

  Zhang Peng welcomed this 'exercise' with open arms, being able to eat and have fun, who wouldn't be happy? Early in the morning, the two of them took their hunting gear and rushed straight to the "Wotigou" in the mountains. It's called Wotigou not because there are real tigers, but because the grass and trees are lush, with many ditches and forks in the road, making it easy for people to get lost. The villagers nearby say that it's a tiger lying in wait to eat humans, warning everyone not to enter casually. Due to the rarity of human footprints, the animals there have become very tame. Yan Xiufeng chose this place to hunt also because he was afraid of accidentally hurting someone who entered the mountain.

  "Uncle, slow down! I can't keep up." Yan Xiufeng's pace was very fast, and Zhang Peng couldn't catch up.

  "We're not even halfway there yet, if we don't hurry up, we won't make it back in time for breakfast!" Alright! He's still thinking about breakfast, Zhang Peng had no choice but to jog along with him.

  Entering the Wotigou, the vegetation became even denser. Zhang Peng was constantly hit on the head by branches and thorns got stuck in his clothes. In contrast, Yan Xiu Feng was like a fish swimming in water, her footsteps were light and quick, her body agilely avoiding obstacles, leaving almost no trace where she walked.

  Yan Xiufeng quickly selected a few locations, respectively put down the clips and tied up the sets. "Young master, remember the place, come back to get it when you're free." Zhang Peng nodded beside him.

  Then, Yan Xiufeng pulled Zhang Peng back home, who was still panting. The round trip of about 20 miles made Yan Xiufeng seem like he had just taken a stroll around the house, while Zhang Peng panted non-stop like a dog. He didn't even have time to eat breakfast, and with his backpack on, he rushed to school, but still couldn't escape being late. In the afternoon, Zhang Peng mustered up the energy to go with his uncle to retrieve their hunting spoils in Wohu Gou, but everything looked like it had that morning, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the spot where they had set the trap. It wasn't until his uncle guided him that he was able to find it. Yan Xiufeng's skills were indeed not exaggerated - they caught two wild chickens and a rabbit.

  For several days in a row, there were gains, although very tired, Zhang Peng persisted in following his elder brother-in-law to run back and forth twice a day under the attraction of curiosity.

  That day, Zhang Peng was chopping vegetables, while Yan Xiufeng was stirring the pot. The two were busy cooking. The old man saw that Zhang Peng's horse stance was loose and his fists were not clenched (his movements were not coordinated), so he noticed something was wrong. He couldn't help but ask Zhang Peng what was going on, and Zhang Peng told him about the events of the past two days.

  "Alas, you foolish kid, you know how to chop vegetables in a horse stance, but when walking, you don't even use the steps you've learned!" The old man said with a resentful tone, looking like he hated that iron wasn't turning into steel.

  "Ah, how come I didn't think of that?" Zhang Peng suddenly realized.

  Learning kung fu is sometimes like poking a hole in paper, once broken, it's like the clouds parting to reveal the sun. With Grandpa's guidance, Zhang Peng immediately understood. The next day, when he went again, Zhang Peng's strength sank down, his mind guarding his feet, and the soles of his feet were like an extra air cushion, his toes seemed to have grown eyes, walking was much lighter, without looking with his eyes, he could clearly feel the condition of the road surface. Although still very tired, but the speed increased a lot, this day, didn't eat breakfast, but didn't arrive late at school. As the days went by, the speed got faster and faster as Zhang Peng's leg strength increased, even climbing up and down a 20-30 meter cliff was no big deal.

  Grandfather might have foreseen that Zhang Peng's stay in the countryside would not be long, so he wanted to pass on all his hidden skills such as Tong Kong, Jie Jin Fa, Jiuying Fa, Dabian Fa, Chai Bian Fa, Xushi Jiuying Bi Shuang Fa, Banbi Feng Duan Da, Yan Qing Shi Da, Wuhua Mian Zhang, Yingmian Dui, Mianzhang Ba Bu Da Fa, Liwai Zhan and so on to him all at once. He also taught him several secret recipes for treating injuries from falls, regardless of whether Zhang Peng understood them or not, and made him memorize them by heart.

  But Da Shu was not 'thick', Zhang Peng saw him play a set of self-created dagger fighting skills, with eighteen moves, simple and practical, and the power is not small. Zhang Peng has always wanted to learn, just mentioned it, only to see Yan Xiu Feng's gloomy face say: "Zhang Peng, Da Shu recently compiled a cookbook, also wants to pass it on to future generations, but there are several new dishes that lack materials, if you help me, I can consider it."

  "If you want me to find dragon liver and phoenix gall, where can I steal them for you?" Zhang Peng was anxious as soon as he heard it.

  "Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry! Those things you stole, I won't do them either!"

  "I can't find anything invisible, you love teaching whoever teaches whoever."

  "What I want is all available in our mountain and river. As I've grown older, it's inconvenient for me to go up the mountain and down the river, isn't it?"

  "After a fierce dispute, they finally reached an agreement, each taking a step back. 'Pull the hook and hang it for 100 years without changing' reached an agreement, exchanging one material for one move. Zhang Peng still boarded the 'thief ship', his big mouth red and white teeth, his upper lip touching his lower lip, he had to run out of breath, using all his strength, it took half a year to learn this set of kung fu, but he also practiced the skill of 'catching birds in trees and catching turtles in rivers'."

  Before we know it, winter vacation is here again. Speaking of this year's school experience, it was quite interesting. When the "Old Big Brother" (Worker Old Big Brother, Peasant Old Second Brother, Liberation Army is Third Brother) took power, they went to learn craftsmanship; when the Old Second Brother was in office, they learned agriculture; when the Third Brother came, they learned '121'. Not much culture was learned, but 'worker, peasant, soldier' were all studied.

  Today, a half-grown wild boar was caught in the trap. Zhang Peng was delighted and said that 'Mountain God' knew it's almost New Year and sent us meat as a gift. He took out his knife and let the blood out of the boar so it would be lighter to carry on his back. Just as he entered the courtyard, a pretty sister ran out from the house.

  "Zhang Peng, what did you catch?" the pretty sister asked.

  "Wild boar. Who are you and how did you know my name?" Zhang Peng asked in puzzlement.

  "Is your name rare? I am your sister." The girl's mouth was quite sharp.

  "Sister? I don't have a sister like you." Zhang Peng had no impression of her.

  "Yan Yun, stop teasing him!" Another pretty sister came out of the house and walked up to Zhang Peng, helping him put down the wild boar.

  "Are you tired, Pengpeng?" the new sister said.

  Zhang Peng didn't say a word, he just stared at her blankly. Her voice sounded so familiar, why did he want to be hugged by her? Zhang Peng's brain was spinning like a film reel, and finally it stopped on the scene where she said "Peng Peng wait for me, I'll definitely come pick you up!"

  "Second sister, you are second sister, you must be here to pick me up!" Zhang Peng cried out.

  "Don't cry, I'm here now!" Zhang Qin's eyes were also red.

  "What's with the crying? Let Zhang Peng take a look at who else is here?" Yan Xiufeng pulled out a delicate female soldier.

  "Isn't it another sister?" Zhang Peng asked back, wiping away his tears.

  "You stinky brat, you fart! This is my wife, your aunt!" Yan Xiufeng shouted furiously, raising his hand to hit him.

  "How dare you hit a child." The aunt shielded Zhang Peng behind her and glared at her husband.

  "Aunt, he often beats me up, you must educate him well!" Zhang Peng hurriedly complained to someone who could discipline him.

  "Alright, alright, everyone's here, let's get the wild boar ready and stew it!" said the old man.

  After dinner, the whole family chatted for half a night before going to sleep under Grandma's urging.

  In the morning, after breakfast, Yan Yun was going to go hunting. Yan Xiu Feng hadn't had enough intimacy with his wife yet, so he pushed her onto Zhang Peng. Helplessly, Zhang Peng could only take Yan Yun, Yan Yu and Zhang Qin to the back mountain to catch wild chickens.

  There was a thorny forest, on which were full of red bean-sized fruits. Zhang Peng had long discovered that a group of wild chickens often foraged there. When the three of them arrived, the wild chickens were pecking at the thorny fruit.

  "How beautiful!" Yanyun exclaimed excitedly. As soon as the words left her mouth, the startled pheasants flew away with a loud flutter.

  "It's all your fault, what are you yelling about!" Yan Yu and Zhang Qin blamed Yan Yun.

  "Don't worry, they'll be back soon." Zhang Peng said in a low voice.

  Zhang Peng quietly came to the place where the wild chicken was foraging, picked a thorny fruit from above, carefully poked out the pulp with a sharp thorn, stuffed some of the brought firewood into it, sealed the opening and hung it back on the branch.

  "What's inside?" asked Yanyun, who couldn't bear the silence.

  "Fire alkali, if a wild chicken eats it, its intestines will be burned." Zhang Peng said while doing his work.

  Zhang Peng finished the poisonous bait and took his three sisters to hide far away in the downwind direction, reminding them not to speak loudly again. Soon, a wild chicken walked by, looking around cautiously, and started pecking at the thorny fruit again. Two or three... The flock of chickens all came back. More than ten minutes later, the wild chickens that had eaten the poisonous bait began to cry out in pain, Zhang Peng hurriedly ran over and twisted the necks of the dying chickens one by one. However, the three girls started quarreling over a feather.

  Zhang Peng spent his days with them digging traps, catching wild rabbits, and ice fishing... having the time of his life. Happy times are always short-lived, after the Spring Festival, Zhang Peng reluctantly bid farewell to his grandparents, and Zhang Qin took the train back to Jiang City with her husband, while Eldest Uncle Yan Xiu Feng also returned to his unit with his wife and daughter.