Legend has it that there is a sacred bamboo in Lingzhu Peak, which once gave the mountain people divine power to fight ferocious beasts and served as the guardian spirit of a tribe.
Of course, as Qianzhu County was included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty and the tribes were naturalized, later generations gradually diluted this legend, but the name of Lingzhu Peak remained.
In fact, Qianzhu County is famous for its bamboo production.
The bullock cart stopped in front of a compound at the foot of the mountain.
The courtyard is surrounded by an earthen wall, and inside are several earthen houses, covered with a thick layer of thatch on the roof.
Through the door, you can also see chickens and ducks raised inside.
When I saw the bullock cart, a tall hunting dog with a sturdy body and khaki hair ran out happily.
"Boss Xiao Fang, it's getting late now. Why don't you come to my house to take a rest and have a light meal? Xiaohu and I will take you to the mountain in the afternoon?"
The middle-aged hunter half-crouched and rubbed the hunting dog's head while warmly inviting Fang Changdao.
They set out from the county seat in the morning and walked for two or three hours before arriving at Lingzhu Peak, which was about sixty or seventy miles away from the county seat.
It's not that they are slow, it's that the ox cart can only go so fast.
If you want to go faster, you can only squeeze the strength of the cow.
But this cow is Orion's second son, and he would never treat it badly at ordinary times.
Fang Chang felt confident and nodded in agreement: "I'm sorry to trouble Uncle Li."
"No trouble, no trouble."
Seeing Fang Chang agree, the middle-aged Orion smiled happily.
Fang Chang didn't dislike the father and son at all. Instead, he took good care of the wine and food and entertained them warmly. He remembered this in his heart and thought about how to return it.
"Dahuang, go hunt a rabbit and come back."
As soon as the middle-aged hunter patted the hunting dog on the head, the hunting dog seemed to understand and disappeared into the distant bamboo forest in the blink of an eye like an arrow from a string.
Seeing the hunting dogs leaving, the middle-aged Orion asked his son to feed the cattle, while he walked into the house facing Fang Chang and shouted:
"My dear, Boss Xiaofang is here. Go kill an old hen and stew the wild ginseng I saved."
"What are you shouting for?"
"You still know how to go home."
"Count it for yourself. How many days have you left without leaving home? My surname is Li. I thought you and your son were taken away by the goblins in the city!"
Before I saw him, I heard his voice first, and saw a thin little woman holding a dustpan walking out of the main room, with unhappiness written all over her face.
The thin woman looked like an ordinary village woman, probably in her thirties, with rough hands, thick joints, and calluses.
However, she has a ruddy complexion, black hair, and a loud voice. Compared with ordinary village women, she looks a bit more tough.
But otherwise, Orion and his son could not be cured.
The middle-aged Orion looked embarrassed and explained to the other leader:
"Boss Xiaofang, don't get me wrong. Normally, my mother is very gentle. It's because Xiaohu and I missed the time and she was too worried."
Fang Chang smiled thoughtfully and said, "Uncle Li, I understand."
Only then did the woman notice Fang Chang. Her originally aggressive look immediately stopped and she turned to smile:
"Dad, why didn't you say anything to me when you brought guests to my house? Young man, you are from the city, you are really handsome.
Ah Xiu! Ah Xiu!
Are you deaf?"
"Mom, I'm listening."
A delicate-looking girl came out of the side room of the courtyard. She was wearing a long cotton skirt, her black hair tied with a silver hairpin, and her hair accessories were quite simple.
"Go to the kitchen and light the fire. The young master from the city is here. Take out the tea leaves that your father has hidden. You can make tea for him later."
The girl glanced at Fang Chang and softly agreed.
"I see."
"Young man, stop standing and go sit in the room."
The woman greeted the commander again.
Fang Chang looked at it for a moment, and felt that the woman's aura was particularly strong, so he followed the woman's words and entered the house.
You can tell who owns this house at a glance.
…
"Damn it, you still know how to come back!"
When Fang Chang entered the house, the woman's fingers pinched the soft flesh of the middle-aged Orion's waist.
The middle-aged Orion's face suddenly wrinkled into a bitter melon, and he hurriedly explained:
"My dear, you really don't blame me. Boss Xiao Fang is not at home, and we waited for several days to see him.
Otherwise, Xiaohu and I would have come back long ago.
I assure you, during the few days we were in the city, Xiaohu and I didn’t go anywhere and stayed in the inn.”
"What? Inn?!"
The woman pinched her again and said angrily:
"You two are very rich. I am taking care of the family business for you at home and don't dare to spend a penny more. You are lucky enough to even stay in an inn. How much money do you have to spend?"
The middle-aged Orion was in pain again, but he did not dare to resist and explained again:
"No money, no money. Boss Xiaofang paid the bill."
"and this."
With that said, the middle-aged Orion took out the ten taels of silver in his arms.
"There are gifts from you two on the oxcart. Xiaohu will bring them in later."
As soon as the woman saw the silver, she immediately let go of the middle-aged hunter and snatched the silver with lightning speed.
"Where did you get so much money?"
After all, the money was already in her pocket, but there was no way she could take it out.
These are the bride price for his son and the dowry for his daughter.
The middle-aged Orion rubbed his waist and bared his teeth:
"Boss Xiao Fang gave me the bamboo money. This time Boss Xiao Fang came here to help solve the scourge of purple bamboo."
When the woman heard this, she murmured:
"This boss Xiao Fang is the son of boss Dafang, he is much more generous than his father."
"How much effort did you and Xiaohu put in for those bamboos?"
The middle-aged Orion's face immediately turned pale and he snorted coldly:
"Boss Dafang is my benefactor, Li Tian. I am willing to give him bamboos, even if I don't give him any money.
What do you know, mother-in-law? Without the generous boss, you would have been widowed a long time ago. Xiaohu and Axiu would have lost their fathers, and they would still be as impressive as they are now!
Next time I hear you speak ill of Boss Dafang, don’t blame me as your husband for being rude to you!"
The woman's expression froze, but seeing her husband's expression, she did not dare to murmur any more and quickly comforted him:
"Master, it's me who talks too much. I'm the one who talks too much. Don't be angry."
The middle-aged Orion kept a serious expression and said calmly:
"Boss Xiaofang took great care of me and Xiaohu when we came to the city this time, so when entertaining Boss Xiaofang, you can't treat him badly and make people laugh at us mountain people for not knowing how to behave."
The woman quickly agreed:
"Okay, go and greet Boss Xiao Fang in the house. I will help you arrange everything properly so that you don't lose face."
"Um."
The middle-aged Orion nodded calmly.
When he saw the woman going to the kitchen, he felt weak at his feet.
After being a strict wife for half his life, he was a little uncomfortable with being tough every once in a while.
But this feeling...
Not bad.
The middle-aged Orion walked into the house with the confident steps of a successful man.
"Boss Xiao Fang, the courtyard in the countryside is simple and simple, please be patient."
Fang Chang looked at the middle-aged Orion who seemed to be glowing with a second spring and had an obviously different temperament, and said doubtfully:
"Uncle Li, have you encountered something happy?"
"It's not a big deal. I just taught that woman a lesson. I just stayed in the city for a few more days.
Even if I have to take care of this, where is the dignity of me as the head of the family?"
The middle-aged Orion pretended to be calm.
When Fang Chang heard this, he immediately stood in awe, gave a thumbs up and said:
