Life seems to be back on track suddenly, the Cross Slope Inn is open every day to welcome customers, making some money in the hands of merchants, and the proprietress still disappears from time to time, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for more than ten days.

In May, the weather is getting warmer and warmer, and the speed of work in the back mountains is getting faster and faster.

Jiang Li's work is also very good, little by little to build a small caravan, three times a month, basically can meet all the requirements of the cross slope.

It's even more chaotic outside, the new emperor's ascension to the throne has not brought a good world, and it is often heard that where there are rebels, where there are bandits, or corrupt officials force people to die, anyway, it is all bullshit.

There has also been a lot of news from Liaodong, and I heard that a large number of people fled last month and are begging everywhere in Shandong.

In comparison, the cross slope is quite comfortable, except for pedestrians, there is only this inn. There were no soldiers to sweep up, and no officials to collect taxes, so they were a little at ease.

The back mountain has changed greatly, the plants seem to have eaten the perfect tonic pills, jumping up vigorously, the grass and trees are dense and flourishing, more exaggerated than in the midsummer period, the animals in the forest are also more, scurrying around, and some will suddenly run out of the forest, which is frightening.

It seems that this place has suddenly been blessed by the land of the mountain god, and everything is so prosperous. The surrounding mountains and forests are just budding, like children who have just woken up, and the two are relatively more distinct.

There were many living creatures in the forest, which attracted many hunters.

They rushed to the back mountain in high spirits, expecting to reap a bumper harvest, but they always lost more than they won. One or two out of ten quests to get prey is already burning incense.

The wild creatures on the back mountain seem to have fallen into evil, each more clever than the other, cunning and difficult to the extreme, if it were not for the small forest and the absence of large carnivores, they may not dare to go up.

However, even so, the number of people who come to Houshan to hunt has not decreased, but has increased.

In these years, it is so difficult to find a bite of meat, and these hunters are also fighting for three meals and one night.

Moreover, the animals in the back mountain reproduce very quickly, not only in large numbers, but also grow larger, and the longer they grow, the more strange they become, and some strange species keep popping up, even if the old hunter sees it, he can't help but scratch his head.

As the reputation of the back mountain spreads, the difficulty of the wild things in the mountains is also becoming more and more famous.

It wasn't until a group of five hunters were tricked by a rabbit that the daimyo of the back mountain became completely loud.

In a few months, with the gradual completion of the courtyard in the back mountain, there are more and more hunters and rich children who come here, and there are even children of official eunuchs who come with their families, with eagle dogs and bows and arrows, just to explore the mountains.

And they don't know that in the past few months, the scope of the back mountain has also spread more and more widely.

----

At the beginning of July, the renovated inn was crowded with people.

"Braised pork knuckle is here!"

Qian San pulled a long voice, brought a pot of braised pork knuckle to the guest's table, and introduced with a little pride: "Guest officer, this is the pork knuckle of the red-haired pig, not to mention the deliciousness, the difficulty of its capture is also very high, at least ten old hunters need to cooperate with each other and lay a series of traps in advance, so that there is a trace of possibility." ”

The guests at this table were a little unconvinced, and said: "It's just a wild boar, even if it's a rarity of red hair, can't it be so powerful?" ”

"Hey, as soon as I heard you say this, I know that you have never seen a red pig, this red pig is much more powerful than a wild boar. This thing is one zhang tall when it is an adult, round and not in the middle of winter, like a big tree stump hugged by four or five people, with a heavy red hair, it can be said that it is invulnerable, and the two sharp fangs on the mouth can poke a hole in the big tree.

Initiating a rampage, no one can stop it. This red-haired pig is big and heavy, even a boulder can be missed. It's not easy to catch it! ”

"So hard to catch? How did you get it? ”

"Hey, the little shop has its own tricks! Guest officer, you may be passing by, and you are not familiar with the reputation of our Shilipo. If you have time, you can also inquire about the food in our Shilipo, which is top-notch, and the imperial chef can't make this taste! ”

"It really takes ten hunters to catch them?"

"This pig's head is still in the back, the fangs are the thickness of an arm, more than two feet long, if you don't believe it, go and see it?"

"Let's go! This is a must check it out! ”

Qian San hurriedly made a gesture of invitation and led the guest officer to the backyard.

The people at the next table looked at it and shook their heads, another one entered the pit, and I don't know how much it will cost here.

Sure enough, after a while, the guest came back with a huge fang, his face full of joy, and he groped vigorously.

Qian San came back and announced loudly: "Sell a red-haired pig fang, tattoo twenty taels of silver!" According to the contract, Liu Erha's team came to receive the money! ”

There was a sound of envy, and a table of people stood up in the corner, walked to the counter with triumph, and came back with a large bag of silver.

A man at the head of the group hugged his fist when he passed by the guest: "This master has a good vision, I won't tell you that at the beginning, our seventeen or eighteen brothers fought with this pig for half a month before we took it down." I don't know how many trees this big fang pierced, but there was no trace at all. You have a good eye, and the boy admires you! ”

The guest was surprised: "It turned out that you hunted it, a heroic hero!" Please sit down and tell me about the process. ”

"You better taste the pork knuckle first, this is a rare delicacy, it's a pity if it's cold." The man refused with a smile: "If you want to hear about this, you can buy a book of stories at the inn counter, which is full of real people and real stories about the mountains after hunting, the writing is delicate, and it is immersive, which is more vivid than telling you dryly, but it is much more vivid!" ”

"That's right, thank you."

The two clasped their fists, and the man beckoned the brothers to evacuate, and the guests bowed their heads to taste the pork knuckle.

As soon as he took a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, his eyes lit up and he couldn't stop nodding.

Seeing this, an old patron next to him smiled and said, "How is it?" It's a rare delicacy! I tell you, the delicacy of this ten miles slope is a must within a radius of 100 miles, I heard that the reputation has spread to the territory of Shandong and Henan, and many people come here to eat this bite. ”

The guest was surprised: "It's so famous, why haven't I heard of it?" My hometown is also from Shandong, and the name of the cross slope is like thunder, but it is not this cross slope! ”

"I know you're talking about Sun Erniang's meat buns, in this place, it's not a secret, the big guys know it, and no one cares. Coincidentally, the proprietress of this inn is called Sun Jiuniang, who is known as a descendant of the Sun family. Whether it's true or not, we don't know, but the food here is really good. ”

"I heard it's because of the wild meat in the back mountains?"

"But no, a year ago, the back mountain didn't see anything different, but after April there was a sudden change, the mountains and forests in it, like chicken blood, grew upward, the wild things in the mountains were active and many, and there were a lot of powerful animals that had not been seen, like this red-haired pig is one of them."

"Anything else?"

"There are a lot, but it's not common, I heard that there is a big pig called the spotted pig, which is three times the size of this red-haired pig, and more than a hundred seasoned hunters can't get it! I heard that he is still king in the back mountain! ”

The guest was interested: "Such a fierce beast is already worse than a tiger, and the local government has not taken any countermeasures?" ”

"Why not, but we are a small place here after all, the three classes of officials at the entrance of the Yamen of Shen County, Shandong Province, plus the county soldiers and strong people, there are more than 300 people in total, and they entered the back mountain once, and before they saw the class pig, they were killed by other fierce beasts, and less than 50 people escaped back from the whole beard and full shadow, and the county master was frightened, how dare he care!"

Some of the friends who were sitting at the same table with the old customers couldn't listen anymore, knocked on the table and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?" The county master is also something you and I can discuss, and his old man is determined by the future, so maybe he is coming up with some clever plan. Besides, August and September are the time to pay grain and taxes, and the main business is still too busy, how can I have time to take care of these miscellaneous things? ”

The guest was curious: "If it is so powerful, why are there so many merchants?" Aren't you afraid that wild beasts will come down the mountain and harm human life? ”

"This is the strange thing! The beasts were so troublesome in the forest that the hunters within a radius of a hundred miles did not dare to enter the forest alone, but only this cross slope had a trick, and they formed many teams, ranging from ten to one hundred people in each team, all of whom were experienced hunters. With the secret that Cross Slope provides them, every attack is rewarding. For example, if you just took a pig's tooth, it cost 20 taels of silver, but there are also pig's heads, pork, and pig bones. This pig was bought in its entirety, and it was definitely not less than a hundred taels of silver. Ten people, one person ten taels, this is two or three years of harvest. It came out in half a month.

Who doesn't care? If it weren't for the nine generations of my family, I would have the heart to change my career to be a hunter! ”

"Oh!" The guest understood: "The unique beast in the forest of the back mountain, the hunters form a team to hunt the beast and sell it to the merchants, and the merchants make a lot of money, which will naturally attract more merchants." And the merchants buy a lot of money, which will attract more hunters. This repetition is like a snowball, pushing this cross slope up! ”

"Isn't it! You are a person who understands. Watching the people coming and going on the cross slope, I recently wondered if I should build a shop here and sell something. ”

"Good idea!" The guest nodded, "But I think you'll have to ask the lady of Cross Slope about this." She's got a trick to avoid the scourge of beasts, can you? ”

The old patron patted his forehead and arched his hand: "Really, thank you for reminding me, I remember!" ”

Both sides arched their hands and ate their own dishes.

Guests carefully taste the pork knuckle, and its gorgeous flavor and delicious taste are a supreme treat.

After so many years of traveling north and south, I have tasted countless delicacies, and such a strong delicacy is the first time I have encountered it, and it is not like a human dish.

The words of the old patron just now left an impression in his heart, he looked up at the huge living room, none of the twenty or thirty tables were free, and a dozen guys were constantly changing, and they were too busy to do so, this business was simply too good.

He couldn't help but have an idea: maybe I should build a shop here too...