"You're talking about Old Chengtou. He is not an ordinary person. He is incomparable to you city dwellers. If something goes wrong along the way, I won't be able to explain it to the county magistrate...com" Chief Gao Xiang said.
"What could go wrong?" Zhou Wen wondered why Township Chief Gao was so worried about their trip to Yezhuyu.
Township Chief Gao said: "Director Zhou, you see, our Tianjie Township is already remote enough. Yezhuyu is not as good as here. It is a natural village with dozens of households. The phone was only available this year. I am too poor to open the door. There are
What fun? The mountain road is very difficult to walk. It’s okay to encounter a wolf, but if you encounter a bear, it will be over. In this spring season, there is nothing to eat in the mountains..."
Listening to the alarmist words spoken by Township Chief Gao, Zhou Wen was somewhat repelled. Originally, tourism had to consider various comprehensive conditions. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it is useless if you can't walk through it. The name Yezhuyu sounds uncomfortable.
He made up his mind to persuade Liu Ziguang to give up the idea of going there.
But at this time Liu Ziguang and the others made up their mind not to go to Yezhuyu. Zhou Wen knew Liu Ziguang's temper, so he had no choice but to obey him. He pulled Mayor Gao aside and whispered: "Old Gao, this matter must be done no matter what.
These people are big entrepreneurs in the city. If they invest whatever they want, our township will be developed. If they want to go, let them go. Can a Yezhu Valley become a dragon's pond and a tiger's den?"
Township Chief Gao said in embarrassment: "Otherwise, I will ask the township armed minister to bring a few militiamen to escort you."
"No need, a guide is enough. We can also walk on the path that the elderly can walk." Liu Ziguang also came out and interrupted at some point.
Mayor Gao emphasized the difficulty of the road again, but Liu Ziguang didn't take it seriously at all. He pointed at the group of people in the room and said: "They are all strong young men in their twenties and thirties. If Mayor Gao, you can get some militiamen to escort them."
, isn’t that a curse?”
When it came to this point, Mayor Gao had no choice but to agree. He called Old Cheng out again and gave his instructions alone. After everyone had breakfast, they set off on their way.
There is no road from the township government to Yezhuyu, and there are only small trails in the mountains that even off-road vehicles cannot cope with. Old Chengtou led the way with flying strides, and everyone followed closely behind, starting the arduous trek over the mountains and ridges.
At the beginning, the young men were all as strong as cattle and walked with great speed. But after an hour, their steps slowed down and their breathing became rapid. The temperature on the mountain was still very low, and more than a dozen people lined up in a row.
Walking with his head lowered, puffs of hot air from his mouth and nose rose into the air, like an old train running at a low speed and in disrepair.
There are no roads in the mountains, but as more people walk, they become roads. The mountains are high and the roads are dangerous, but the scenery is excellent. In early spring, the mountains and plains are covered with newly sprouted green, and the white clouds are so close. It feels like being in a fairyland.
Lao Cheng poked the steel fork into the ground and said, "Let's rest for a while." He took out a kettle wrapped in dog skin from under the old sheepskin coat, pulled out the cork and asked Liu Ziguang: "Want some?"
Liu Ziguang took it and smelled it. It turned out to be strong wine. He took a sip and praised: "Good wine!"
Old Chengtou said: "The home-brewed Baogu wine is not a good thing, but it is strong enough to relieve fatigue."
Liu Ziguang said: "Don't laugh at the dirty wax wine from the farmer's house, this is the best!"
Old Chengtou smiled, sat on the rock, took out his cigarette pouch, lit a cigarette, and said, "If you like it, go back and grab a jar."
Liu Ziguang readily agreed, flipping the kettle in his hand and asking, "Is this kettle old?"
"It's been more than sixty years." Old Chengtou said while smoking.
"It's my great-great-grandfather's trophy." Mao Boy interjected from the side.
"Oh?" Liu Ziguang was very interested. He took off the dog leather cover and saw that it was indeed a military kettle. The paint on the aluminum casing had peeled off, but the three men with "Ono Jun" written in red pen were still clear.
"Is this a kettle used by the Japanese?" Liu Ziguang asked in surprise.
"Yes, my great-great-grandfather killed dozens of Japanese soldiers and captured a lot of trophies. There is also a big bastard box and a command knife." Mao Boy couldn't help but interjected again.
Old Chengtou nodded with a smile: "Everything is paid to the public, so I just keep an iron hat for boiling water at home, and this kettle."
Liu Ziguang was in awe of the old Chengtou. He turned out to be an old anti-Japanese hero!
Looking back at the guys, the originally neat team was now in pieces, scattered like sheep excrement eggs in the mountains. The young men wearing colorful mountaineering clothes were panting like cows and crawling on their hands and feet.
The ones who came up were Zhuo Li and Bei Xiaoshuai. These two guys practiced Baji Quan and kept practicing every day, but they still couldn't match the speed of Old Chengtou and Liu Ziguang.
"Ouch, I can't, my leg is going to be broken." Bei Xiaoshuai sat down on the ground, took out the vacuum kettle and drank a few sips. Zhuo Li next to him was not much better, rubbing his waist and said: "My legs don't hurt, my waist is sore.
"
"You drank too much and it's strange that your back is sore." Bei Xiaoshuai said.
Zhuo Li was furious and wanted to come over and beat Bei Xiaoshuai, but he was too tired to move, so he could only threaten him with his eyes.
It took 20 minutes for everyone who was trudging near the mountainside to arrive one after another. The last person to arrive was Zhou Wen. He was helped up by two friends. His face was pale and his calves were cramped. He ate two pieces of chocolate and drank
It took a few sips of hot water to calm me down.
"Old man, how far is Yezhu Valley," Director Zhou asked with a sad face.
"After crossing the bridge, we have to climb two more mountains and we'll be there." Old Chengtou said, holding a steel fork in his hand and pointing to the foggy mountains in the distance.
Everyone complained incessantly, saying that they had been tricked by Brother Liu. This was not a camping trip, it was clearly a military training session.
"Old man, Mayor Gao said there were wolves and blind bears, why didn't we see them?" Bei Xiaoshuai asked, raising his face.
"Haha, even if there were wolves, they would hide when they saw so many of us." Old Chengtou said.
"They smelled my great-great-grandpa's scent and ran away." Maohai said flatteringly, using an idiom appropriately.
Everyone laughed, and the lively atmosphere diluted the fatigue of the journey. Ten minutes later, everyone replenished their energy and continued on the road. After twists and turns, what appeared in front of them was a chasm, an unfathomable canyon lying between two mountains, and clouds and mist.
Floating at the feet, an iron cable bridge connects the two mountains. Many of the wooden boards on the bridge are missing. When the mountain wind blows, the iron cable bridge sways with the wind, and everyone's hearts sway.
"Brother Liu, do we want to cross this bridge?" someone asked.
"Isn't this life-threatening?"
"Are you seeking death?"
Bei Xiaoshuai picked up a rock and threw it down. No sound was heard for a long time. This deep canyon was probably several hundred feet deep.
Seeing everyone's horrified look, Mao Boy sniffed and said disdainfully: "When I was in school, I crossed this bridge every day. When the postman in the countryside delivered letters, not only people passed by, but bicycles were also carried over.
, it’s not as scary as you say.”
Everyone was stunned, this is too unbelievable!
"Pass!" Zhuo Li flicked the cigarette butt and stood up, cursing: "Whoever dares to pass doesn't say they know me in the future."
"Me too!" Bei Xiaoshuai said not to be outdone.
The furry boy took the lead and gave them a demonstration. He held on to the iron rope and walked over without stopping. When everyone saw it, it was quite simple. It was much easier than walking on a tightrope.
So they took out the ropes and hooks used for climbing, tied on their safety belts, squatted and walked forward, stopping and walking, as if walking on thin ice. Zhuo Li was the first to walk over, then Bei Xiaoshuai, and after passing by, he shouted loudly on the other side.
Encourage people here: "Come here quickly, it's very easy."
Several more people climbed over, and finally only Lao Chengtou, Liu Ziguang, and Zhou Wen were left.
Zhou Wen was so frightened that he didn't dare to cross the bridge. In the end, Lao Chengtou and Liu Ziguang helped him cross the bridge. A gust of mountain wind happened to blow by, and the iron ropes swayed in the wind. Zhou Wen screamed in fright.
He got up and made everyone laugh.
As soon as he set foot on the land on the other side, Zhou Wen's feet became weak. He sat down on the ground and could not get up again. He muttered: "Oh my god, it's so scary."
What frightened him even more was what lay behind. There was an inconspicuous stone tablet at the end of the bridge, with a line of small characters engraved on it: "It was built in twenty-eight years, and the people who donated money to build the bridge" were probably local justices of the peace, small landowners and the like.
"Oh my god, this bridge is more than seventy years old!" Zhou Wen exclaimed. Everyone was frightened when they saw the words on the stone tablet. Although the bridge is strong, it is still old. If something goes wrong, it will be shattered to pieces.
After passing this iron cable bridge, which only one person can pass and no one can cross, the road ahead becomes much easier, at least psychologically. After climbing two mountains in a row, Yezhu Valley finally appeared in front of us.
This is a natural village located in a mountain nest. Looking around, you can see smoke curling from cooking stoves, forty or fifty households with thatched cottages scattered in an orderly manner, cuckoos singing on the branches, wild flowers blooming on the hillside, and an idyllic scenery of a mountain village that is uncontested by the world.
"This is my home, Yezhuyu." After Maohai finished speaking, he ran towards the village, shouting as he ran: "Mom, I'm back!"
A huge gray dog rushed out of the village and pounced on the furry child, licking and sniffing it. The villagers also came out in twos and threes and looked at the strangers.
The mountain people were extremely enthusiastic. They let the guests into their houses, boiled water and chopped firewood, and killed chickens and sheep for cooking. Respectable men in the village accompanied the guests and talked in the house. Children and dogs gathered in the yard from time to time.
Looking around, the women were busy cooking pots and cooking, and the village was in full swing and full of joy.
Yezhuyu is very poor, so poor that it is beyond imagination. Except for a telephone and a radio in the village, there are no electrical appliances. Oil lamps are used for lighting, and firewood is used for heating. The houses are made of rocks, with stones on the thatch roofs.
The house was bare, and all the belongings could not be exchanged for dozens of dollars.
The only thing that catches the eye is the certificates on the wall of Mao Hai's house. From the militia imitations issued by the border district government in the 1940s to the competitions in the 1960s, to the second-class merit awards in the 1990s, the honors of three generations of the Cheng family are all hung on the wall.
Mao Bai's mother and grandmother lived at home, while his great-grandfather lived with his dog in a shack on the mountain in the distance. While cooking, Liu Ziguang proposed to visit the old man's shack. Old Chengtou readily agreed and took him there.
Halfway up the mountain, a shack was erected on a tree, with a rope ladder hanging down softly. There was a fire pit under the tree, the ashes were already cold, and a Japanese-style 90 steel helmet hung on the bracket. The yellow five stars on it had faded.
Liu Ziguang couldn't help but sigh: "How do people in the village make a living?"
"Grow corn, raise chickens, raise sheep and so on."
"There is little land in the mountains, so it is not easy to open up wasteland. The next trip to the mountains requires walking dozens of miles of mountain roads, and it has to be so dangerous.
What should we do if the children go to school on a dangerous chain bridge? What if there is a patient in the village? In my opinion, it is better to move away and go to the city to enjoy the happiness."
Old Chengtou sighed, lit his pipe and said, "That's true, but I can't leave."
"Why can't you leave?"
Old Cheng pointed at a grave not far away and said, "I want to keep vigil for Commander Zhao."
In front of the tomb, there was a skeleton wrapped in iron wire kneeling, white and erect.