Volume 1 Chapter 16 Entering the Mountain (Part 2)

  In the deep autumn season, a thick layer of fallen leaves covered the mountain. The mountain at the west end of the village was not very big, but it stretched far and wide, with many trees of different species growing naturally. Some had sparse branches and were almost bare, while others remained green, like the evergreen pine trees. There were also many wild fruit trees. Lin Chuan discovered two peach trees not far from his home, which had already lost their peaches and leaves. Lin Chuan heard that every year, before the peaches were ripe, they would be picked and eaten by the village children. He thought it was a pity, so he planned to save up money next year, buy the mountain, build a new house, and transplant the peach trees into his new courtyard.

  As we walked up the mountain, the smell of fallen leaves, tree bark and rotting wood filled the air. On autumn mornings, the mountains are often shrouded in thick fog, and the damp air makes it easy for things to rot. The big uncle was leading the way, and although the path wasn't too difficult, he made an effort to walk on dry leaves. He used his wooden stick to test the ground before proceeding. Lin Chuan observed carefully along the way, noting that except for a small patch of land at the foot of the mountain suitable for growing grains and vegetables, the rest of the area was only suitable for planting fruit trees or mountainous plants like chestnuts and pine nuts. Later on, it would be best to find some suitable places to plant economically valuable trees without damaging the natural environment, making full use of the land.

  Lin Chuan found many wood ears on the withered trees, some of which had dried up and lost their moisture, while others were rotten. It seemed that the villagers had never picked them before, probably thinking they were poisonous. Most people in the village thought that all the mushrooms on the mountain were poisonous. Lin Chuan thought that when he went down the mountain, he would definitely pick some fresh wild wood ears. Wood ears were a delicious dish, whether they were served cold or hot, and they were easy to preserve after being dried. They were perfect for winter when there were no vegetables, and could be used to stir-fry bacon or eggs, or eaten cold. If he could pick more, maybe he could even sell them to the wine house in town and earn some extra money!

  Lin Chun and his siblings followed Da Shan Bo to the top of the mountain, which took about an hour. The temperature on the mountain was relatively low in the morning, but as they reached the top, the sun had just risen. Although it was almost November, the sun didn't have much warmth. The group was sweating profusely, but they didn't dare to rest, or they would easily catch a cold. Lin Chun discovered a hawthorn tree at the top of the mountain, with many deep red fruits still hanging from its branches. Many had already fallen to the ground. Lin Chun told Da Tou and Er Ya to pick up the good ones on the ground. Er Ya and Da Tou picked and ate them as they went along, and Lin Chun also ate a few. The taste was sour and sweet, completely natural! From then on, this hawthorn tree became Lin Chun's private property.

  "Hey, the other side of the mountain has never been visited by anyone before. I heard from hunters that there are many wild chickens and rabbits inside, but also many poisonous snakes and big bugs. The older generation in our village even said there are wolves. Look at that mountain over there, you can't even see the top, and the trees are so lush. If we buy this side of the mountain, don't bother buying the other side. After we buy it, let's build a wall around this mountain too. I thought about it last night, and from the west end of our village to the east end of Chenjia Village, including that big slope, let's build your new house on the mountain waist where there are fewer trees. We can transplant some fruit trees around it, and use the land at the foot of the mountain for farming, which is enough. This way, we won't affect our village or Chenjia Village people from going up the mountain to cut firewood, etc. Our village can go up from the west end, and Chenjia Village can go up from the big slope side. It's also easier to negotiate with the village head and deal with the county officials. What do you think?"

  "Hmm? Actually, I was thinking of buying the entire mountain range behind this hill, but now that you mention it, Elder Shan, it doesn't seem too safe. How about this instead? Let's buy the land from our village to the rocky slope near Chenjia Village, including the mountain foot and the surrounding area. Then, I can hire some villagers who know how to farm to help my family with the fields. We can also plan out the wild fruit trees on the mountain and build a new house on the middle of the hill. We'll start building the wall from the rocky slope and have the workers split into two groups: one group will head west, surrounding the mountain foot and our home, and install a large iron gate that connects to the town's road at the three-forked intersection. The other group will head up the mountain, surrounding the entire hilltop, including Chenjia Village's slope, and build all the way to the three-forked intersection, enclosing the entire mountain range within the wall. For the parts adjacent to Linjia Village and Chenjia Village, it would be best to build the wall 5-6 meters high; on the hilltop, we can make it a bit shorter, around 4-5 meters. Later, at the three-forked intersection, we'll repair the roads leading to Linjia Village, Chenjia Village, and the town, and build the large iron gate facing south, essentially creating a closed-off estate. Everyone will enter and exit through the main gate."

  "Hmm, not bad, this is quite good. The pile of rocks over there has no one living on it, the ground is all rocky, and we can still leave out a small part of the mountain and the forest to the north of the village. This way, the villagers won't say anything either. And in the mountains to the north of the village, there are many wild chickens and rabbits, much more than this side of the west head. As for Chenjiacun, it's been abandoned since the big slope, the land is very barren, and no one wants to buy it. Building a house would also make it difficult to dig a well, and it's not convenient, so it's been left unused all along. I reckon it should be relatively easy to buy."

  "It's settled then, let's prepare for next spring. Uncle Dashan, you have some time these few months, can you help me ask around about the prices of large stones and bricks for building a house? I don't want to build a tiled roof house, I want to build a multi-story building. When the time comes, I'll draw a rough sketch for you to see what it's like. Also, since the new house will be built on the middle of the mountain, we need to build a road from the foot of the mountain to the new house. I think we should use bluestone slabs or polished flat stones to pave it... so, Uncle Dashan, can you help me ask around and gather some information? Lin Chun thinks that being prepared ahead of time is always good, otherwise when the time comes and you're in a rush, you definitely won't be able to buy what you want. Now, asking early also gives us a chance to choose."

  "Em, don't worry, Uncle will take care of it. It's getting late, let's head down the mountain early. Your wife, Cuihua, has prepared the leftover meat from yesterday to make dumplings for you all at noon. If we head back now, we can still catch her making dumplings, and Daliao and Erliao can learn too."

  "It's great, I love eating the dumplings made by Cuīhuā Dàniáng Bāo! Sister, let's hurry back, I've also picked a lot of hawthorns for Little Mountain!" Er Ya heard about the dumplings and her face lit up with excitement. These past few days at Da Shan Bo Bo's house, not only could they eat their fill, but they also got to see oil and water, and both Da Tou and Er Ya's appetites had clearly increased. Lin Chun was thinking of supplementing them with nutrition, and made sure they ate well, especially yesterday when there were many dishes but little rice, the two almost licked their bowls clean. From now on, three meals a day must be eaten well to nourish their bodies.

  "Alright, let's head down the mountain. We're going to Aunt Cuihua's house for dumplings..." As soon as Lin Chun gave the order, Da Tou and Er Ya took off like a shot towards the foot of the mountain, scaring Lin Chun and Uncle Dashan into shouting after them, "Slow down! Slow down!"

  Lin Chun picked a lot of mushrooms on the way down the mountain, but there were few edible things on this mountain except for mushrooms and a few fruit trees. The old man followed Da Tou and Er Ya all the way down the mountain, and when he saw that Lin Chun hadn't come down yet, he thought she might have found something and went back up to look for her. When he saw Lin Chun picking a basket of mushrooms, he was shocked. "Da Ya, quickly throw away these poisonous mushrooms! They can't be eaten, they're toxic! In the past, several people in our village were killed by them, including a pregnant woman who lost her child. Quickly throw them all away!"

  Lin Chun first saw Da Shan Bo Bo with a stern face, despite being rebuked, he couldn't bear to say harsh words. "Da Shan Bo Bo, this is wood ear, it's edible and very nutritious, but people with bleeding diseases, diarrhea, and pregnant women should be careful when eating it. Also, it can't be eaten with white radish, green radish, snails, wheat winter, or sea snails. My mother told me before that she used to eat it often when she was young, but the villagers didn't eat it, so she didn't dare pick and eat it in the mountains..." Lin Chun brought out Pei Wu Shuang, and indeed Da Shan Bo Bo didn't say a word, thinking about the times when something happened to the villagers, it seemed like they were all in the situation Lin Chun described, but he still wasn't at ease.

  "This... isn't good, let's go home, you prepare it first and let my family's chicken try some, if nothing happens, I'll believe you, otherwise I still can't trust you, okay?" Old Man Dashan thought of a plan.

  "Alright then." It turns out that ancient times also had an experiment, only they replaced the little white rabbit with a chicken.