He opened his eyes and woke up a moment later than usual. He seemed to be slacking off. Maybe he was too tired in the past two days and rested late, but this did not constitute a reason for him to get up late. It was still dark in winter.
But he had a lot of things to do. Check the bow and arrow, sharpen the hatchet again, wash the clothes soaked last night. He didn't light the lamp, it was too wasteful, and he was already familiar with doing these things, and he didn't care about anything.
He knew everything about everything except washing his clothes, but it was already dark at that time. Yesterday's animal blood was stained on it, and it had dried completely when he got back. It took a while to rub it off. He could also rub it a little.
Read a story book, daze, etc., wash the clothes before going to bed. But in that case, if you get up on time the next day, you will sleep less. He doesn't like to waste time on meaningless things.
When he hung the clothes out, the sun had already risen. Facing the early sun, he saw a hole in the left corner of the linen clothes. It was not big or small. He had to mend it later, so he made a note of it first. Pack everything and go out today.
The things he needed to bring, including the dry food packed last night, and at least a full basket of firewood to be chopped today. This year, the winter on this mountain was colder than usual, so he had to make more preparations. Originally, he planned to buy charcoal.
, but on the day when the purchase was originally planned, the charcoal seller at the foot of the mountain fell ill and did not have time. It seems that sometimes even if you plan your time very clearly, there is nothing you can do if you fail to catch up with other people's sudden changes. He prepared
It was not too late to buy charcoal, but the charcoal seller could not afford it. It seems that there is not enough room for mistakes. In the future, we must think more about this necessary thing.
It’s just ordinary things. If something goes wrong in an important part of life like this, it will delay him even more. Originally, he could take a little leisurely today. But the impact is not too big. After all, he has left plenty of space for the days to come.
This part is used to make up for previous mistakes. However, this kind of mistakes cannot be too many, he always reminds himself. The so-called pulling a hair affects the whole body, sometimes due to a moment of negligence, it will lead to being too busy for a long time. This does not mean
Not the result he wanted.
Four quarters past noon.
More than half of the goal was accomplished, and it was still a little short of it. It was time to eat something. He took out dry food and sat on a stone by the river. In summer, the rushing water would cover the place where he sat, but not in winter.
.Because of the cold this year, the river has temporarily stopped flowing. The center of the river bed appears
There were some traces of moisture, but there was no trace of water flowing. He knew that this would happen, so he brought a simple homemade cup made of bamboo tubes. The water was very cold, and it was estimated that it would freeze into ice pimples during the Chinese New Year. However, by then
You don’t need to carry a bamboo cup and rush around on the mountain.
By the way, I need to check the house again before the year to see where it needs to be repaired. This is a very old stone house, but it is very strong. Except for the mud at the joints of the stones, it often falls off and needs to be filled constantly. This mud
He also paid attention to the proportions of lime, sand, and yellow clay, and it was absolutely correct. This house and the man who taught him how to build it are no longer there.
, but his knowledge has been handed down, and it is not only this. The man also told him that adding glutinous rice slurry to the bricks and stones can make them extremely strong. A long section of the city wall was built with such materials. He thought about it.
Where do you find so much glutinous rice? I don’t know how long the food will last. But since it is a city wall, the security gains should be enough.
He stood up, patted his clothes after eating and drinking, and went to carry the firewood basket beside him. Some white cake crumbs fell down, and he noticed it with his sharp eyes. He thought about it, that person would definitely blame him, because of any
Edible things - even if there is a grease spot, as long as it is not dry, he will stretch out a finger to wipe it off, then put his hand into his mouth and scrape it around. This is really not elegant.
However, this person is very economical and needs to educate himself to save. He picked up the basket, thought about it, and thought...it's a good thing to leave it to the birds and ants. But he
After walking a few steps, he then thought again, where did the insects and birds come from in this season? Sure enough, it was a waste. So the crumbs of the cake fell into his heart and became a knot that he could not shake off.
The application time is correct.
He happened to go home at this time, half an hour earlier than expected. He thought that all the dead branches in this area had been cut down, but he didn't expect that a small tree died not long ago and the water evaporated, so he took advantage. It happened to be a bargain.
, he picked up the ax and split the wider part, stacked it, and put it together with other branches.
The roe deer caught yesterday has been skinned. Can it still be sold at a good price if it is sold at the foot of the mountain? If it had been caught earlier, it could be carried down the mountain with the previous batch of rabbit skins and sold.
It doesn't seem cost-effective to just make a trip for it now. Why don't you stay and do something by yourself...
Since I have more time, I just want to check out the house. The house is not big, but it is safe and warm. There is a backyard behind the house, which is quite large. The soil in it is much more fertile than the one on the mountain. The man has worked hard for a long time.
It took a lot of effort to pull out the gravel in this area, let alone dig them out. The man liked to grow fruits and vegetables here during his life. He said to himself, people are not as good as humans.
Eating meat is not good, as it doesn't make you grow taller, and it's easy to get sick. When I was young, I thought he thought he was too good at eating meat, and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to feed him. Later I found out that it was indeed true. But... he was not very good at growing things.
, nothing can be raised, and each one dies. At that time, the man specially set aside a place, and the two of them planted the same things. They usually watered and fertilized the same things. As a result, they were not as good as the other man, so he simply stopped.
Tube.
Fat fruits and vegetables always welcome skinny animals on the mountain. The bigger ones can set traps. Before dawn, if they hear the screams of animals, the two of them can jump out of bed immediately. The smaller ones are too small.
They are flexible, difficult to find and catch, and they also damage the roots of plants. They are really hateful. That person taught himself to use lime, oil and other things to prevent them.
Now that the man is dead, the land is naturally deserted. This is the first winter since he left. Last spring, a dense clump of small yellow flowers grew in the ground. Looking out from the house, it looked golden.
Comfortable. He pulled out other dead things along with the dense weeds, but left these flowers. They had no special fragrance.
The smell is just beautiful. He can't be called by his name, and he rarely sees it in the mountains. When he remembers it, he waters it. The flowers are very tenacious, one after another, and one after another.
The ground bloomed. It was not until late autumn that they turned into a pile of withered grass. Now there is no trace at all, and I don’t know if they will appear again next spring.
A moment of time.
He cooked some porridge for the pot and prepared some chopped pickles. He originally wanted to put some minced meat in it, but gave up. His desire to eat meat was not particularly strong today, so he could eat more when he wanted to.
He leaves the stove and continues cleaning. Anyway, he can always come back and turn off the fire at the most appropriate time, and the porridge is always cooked best. He also never forgets that there is something burning on the pot, but that person... the older he gets, the more he does this.
It was his fault. One time when he was not at home, the old guy really forgot,
He almost booked the room, but fortunately he rushed home in time. That day he was so anxious that he scolded the old man, but the old man became aggrieved and kept his head down without speaking. He looked at the gray hair in front of him and suddenly felt that his throat was tight.
, feel myself
He was being harsh. He just couldn't believe that this man had aged much faster than he expected. In his memory, he was still the hunter with black hair, bright eyes, and high spirits. If no one asked, who would have known that he was already over half-year-old?
It’s over a hundred.
After that day, he never allowed the old hunter to get angry while he was away. Fortunately, the old guy was clear-headed and could remember this.
He wiped the dust off the cabinet. This cabinet was also made by the old hunter himself. It was extremely durable and had not deformed at all for decades. His eyes fell on the drawer on the second floor. He hesitated, opened it, and took it out.
A box. This box contains some scattered things, such as needlework, a few beads, some stones with beautiful colors, two pendants with broken ropes, and...
A jade peace buckle.
A simply polished round jade, about the length of a thumb knuckle, without any fancy lines. The edge is thinner, with a small round hole as long as a grain of rice in the center, and is worn with an ordinary rope. The jade should be good quality, with a full and round water color.
It was moist, as if it had been raised by someone. Half of the ring was semi-transparent white, and the other half was covered with strands of emerald color. He couldn't tell you more about it, but he only vaguely knew that there was a kind of jade called white-on-green jade.
Something like that.
This safety buckle looked valuable. He didn't understand this, and he didn't know where it came from. It was definitely left by an old hunter. No one left him a souvenir gift. If the one he picked up must have been replaced by rice noodles, it would be even less likely.
Buy it back. One day many years ago - maybe even ten years ago, he himself discovered this jade stone in his home. The hut has not entertained travelers recently, who could it be?
It was left behind. He wanted to ask, but he was worried that the old hunter would think he had stolen it and beat him up - this had happened before. After hesitation, he was called to work and he picked it up casually. Later,
He didn't look for it again, and the old hunter didn't mention it, maybe he didn't notice it. The safety buckle was just there, and it wasn't until he was packing up his belongings that he found it again in the corner.
He picked up the black rope and hung the piece of jade, spinning it slightly. The hole in the middle pointed at him and stopped, like an eye examining him. This made him feel a little strange, so he put it back in the drawer and closed it.
After the meal, he washed the pots and dishes. The water in the water tank ran out, and he had to go to the unbroken river to get a bucket back before it got dark. Before going out, he thought about it and carried his bow and arrows out of habit.
This decision was the right one. When he just filled the water and straightened up, he saw the shadow of an animal on the other side of the river. Could it be the roe deer that ran away yesterday? He made a judgment in an instant and skillfully pumped it.
Pull the arrow string, aim the arrow at that
Because the distance between the two banks is not short, otherwise the river would be dry. But there are no stones that can cross the river nearby. Although I am not afraid of cold legs if I go down blindly, I am afraid that the sound of water will scare it away. Therefore, I shoot an arrow here.
Going over to pick it up again is the best option.
Still a little far away.
It was getting late, and he couldn't see clearly. Is the prey still in its original position? He no longer saw the bushes shaking. Maybe he didn't move, and he probably didn't notice himself. Success or failure must be determined by one arrow. If he misses, he will be killed.
It's troublesome if it scares away. It's hard to predict the second arrow. Even though it's winter, the other side of the water is still lush with vegetation, making it an excellent hiding place.
"Why are you hesitating?"
The abrupt human voice startled him. He loosened his grip and fired the arrow. He missed the shot, but he couldn't blame him. After all, he didn't aim at all. A gust of cold wind happened to affect the path of the arrow. The animals over there immediately screamed.
With a scream, he ran away.
He was a big guy, and he ran away. He frowned, and was about to turn around to see who came to this barren mountain in the middle of the night to ruin his good deeds. However, there happened to be an invisible force that frightened him, ghost pressure.
The bed was so tight that he couldn't move. The cool breeze also turned into a dark wind, making him feel a strange coldness. This was definitely not the wind direction that should exist here in winter. This was wrong.
He smelled the fragrance of flowers, which was faint, like chrysanthemums or lotus. No matter what, it should not belong to this season.
A hand was placed on his shoulder, the force was neither light nor heavy, but it spread a tremor throughout his body. He tried to struggle but couldn't. Fortunately, he seemed to be able to make a sound. He was more angry than afraid. He lost control of his body.
He asked angrily:
"Who are you? What are you going to do?!"
After a burst of laughter behind him, there was another burst of deep groaning.
"What am I here to do? Of course..."
He came closer and used the cigarette rod to lift his chin, but he couldn't see his face yet. At this moment, the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened.
