I didn't sleep well that night. I felt restless and restless. I always felt that something unexpected would happen during this trip to Miao territory.
I don't know where this premonition came from. Is it because of my subconscious fear of poisonous insects or because of Sanbo's deliberate reminder before coming to Miaojiang?
This caused me to toss and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep. In the end, I relied on reciting the Ksitigarbha Sutra to drift off to sleep.
Early the next morning, Pei Chuan woke me up and asked me to make breakfast, saying that he was getting ready to go into the mountains.
Lingxi changed into loose casual clothes, wearing a black baseball cap with her long hair hidden in her clothes. She took Ji Qinghe and Xiao Yuer to pack their backpacks.
"Master." I shouted sleepily and found that the clothes Lingxi was wearing looked familiar.
"How are you doing? Are your clothes okay for me to wear?" Lingxi turned around in front of me and smiled slightly: "The pants are a bit too long, they feel a bit strange."
"It looks pretty." I helped Lingxi roll up his trousers and suggested, "Tie them up with a tendon."
"Well, wait a minute, I'll prepare drinking water and dry food first." Lingxi said hurriedly: "Eat egg noodles for breakfast. The taste should be lighter in case the drinking water you bring is not enough."
"Understood." I nodded and walked towards the kitchen.
At half past eight, the team of seven people was ready.
Pei Chuan Tieshan and I were responsible for the backpacks, and Wang Shan led the way.
It rained a little last night, and the mountain road was slippery and steamy. Wang Shan walked carefully with a woodcutter in his hand, slashing a few times from time to time to push aside the thorny branches blocking the road.
In just ten minutes, everyone's clothes were almost completely soaked by the mist, mixed with sweat, and made them extremely sticky and uncomfortable.
"At this speed, we won't be able to reach Mojiazhai at twelve noon." Pei Chuan followed Wang Shan and cursed: "Damn, there isn't even a decent path, so the villagers in the village don't need to go out.
Shopping for daily necessities?”
"We have mountains to eat and water to eat. Mojiazhai is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has all kinds of resources. There is no need to go out." Wang Shan replied casually: "Brother Pei is used to living in big cities and doesn't understand the way of life of people in the mountains."
"Look, in addition to raising Gu, the Miao border area also likes to weave cloth."
"I make my own clothes, and there are fields at the foot of the mountain to grow food."
"There are wild tea, mushrooms, rabbits on the mountain..."
Pei Chuan retorted: "It's not like I've never been in the mountains. If nothing else, I have to buy table salt."
Wang Shan bent down and stopped, gasping for air: "Buy a box of salt to last for several years, why do you have to go out in the mountains every day?"
"Uh..." Pei Chuan shut up in embarrassment, speechless.
Wang Shan tinkered with the barrel of the old gun a few times, lit it with a lighter, took a few puffs, and said cheerfully: "The city is prosperous, the mountains are clean, each has its own benefits."
"Take me as an example. The village where I grew up is located at the foot of a mountain just like Mojiazhai."
"If it weren't for making money, for my two dolls..."
"Hey, the comfort of mountain people is difficult for you city dwellers to understand."
Wang Shan continued to move forward, chatting with us all the time.
After walking for another half hour, we were still about fifty-six meters away from the top of the mountain. Xiao Yuer, who was in a weak constitution, turned pale and shouted weakly that he couldn't breathe.
The backpack I was carrying weighed thirty or forty pounds. Even though I gritted my teeth and persisted, I still felt sore in my back and my calves.
Hearing Xiao Yu'er's "cry for help", I immediately looked at Lingxi and said, "Master, sit down for five minutes and take a rest."
"Pay attention to safety and don't fall down the mountain." Lingxi warned.
Tieshan took out a disposable plastic bag from his backpack, distributed one to each person, and sat on the ground.
"It's easier to go up the mountain than it is to go down the mountain." Wang Shan exhaled, wiping the sweat from his forehead: "When you reach the top of the mountain, it's more difficult to go down."
Lingxi signaled Tieshan to cut a few branches to use as crutches for support when going down the mountain.
