After walking the gravel road, we turned onto a field path. The trail leads up a hill, and after that, the trail leads us upwards to a high mountain, where it gradually becomes steeper.

After climbing this mountain, we all thought that we had arrived at Xiang Wangfu's house, but we didn't want to climb a higher mountain. The mountain is densely wooded, and the leaves of many trees have turned yellow, and this deep or light yellow color gives us a deep sense that autumn has arrived.

There were many fallen leaves on the path, and we stepped on them to make a rustling sound. We saw several layers of leaves accumulating under the thick trees, which were almost black, presumably several years old.

Then we went down the mountain. Xiang Wangfu's house is at the foot of this mountain.

It was a small village with all the houses built at the foot of the mountain, with less than 20 families in total, but there was a difference of two or three meters between the houses built in the front row and the last row.

A small stream in front of the village. The water was extremely clear, and a few stone slabs for washing clothes lay haphazardly in the stream. A few jujube trees by the stream. The creek used to be terraced rice fields layer by layer. Perhaps due to the high altitude, the leaves of the rice in these paddies still look green and tender, not yet fully ripe.

Xiang Wangfu's house is near the stream, and in addition to a jujube tree, there are two orange trees at the door, and a few chickens are looking for food under the orange tree. The house is surrounded by yellow mud walls, and the windows and doors are made of wood.

Xiang Wangfu's mother greeted us warmly. She looked to be in her sixties, her hair was all white, and her face was wrinkled, and we all thought she was Xiang Wangfu's grandmother.

We sat at the square table in the hall at Xiang Wangfu's house, drank tea and ate dried dates. Dried dates are delicious, sweet but not greasy, but sticky to the teeth, and everyone uses their tongues to push the residue stuck between the teeth.

Five minutes later we went up the mountain.

Xiang Wangfu went to a neighbor's house and borrowed a firewood knife for each of us. Our task is very clear, go up the mountain, go to the depths of the dense forest to cut a dozen wooden sticks that are the thickness of our wrists, tie the cut wooden sticks together (become a bundle) and carry them down the mountain, and then cut the wooden sticks into sections (about 15 centimeters) at the door of Xiang Wangfu's house, and we are done.

We laughed and walked up the hill.

I'm no stranger to the knife in my hand. Grandpa Hao's family has several firewood knives of this kind. I also understand that there are light, heavy, thick and thin knives. A light wood knife is suitable for cutting a finger-thick bush or thatch, while a focused wood knife is suitable for our purpose today. But this is the first time I have actually held a firewood knife in my hand to chop wood.

Two middle-aged men with bird-wielding guns caught up with us. Each of them had a dog in his hand. The hounds looked fierce, their red tongues sticking out all the time, and we were all startled when they passed us. Jiang Lili even screamed.

Xiang Wangfu greeted the hunters in dialect.

The hunter's pace was fast, and in a few moments he was far away from us.

"My mother," Mr. Wu said, "it's like a gust of wind." ”

"If you participate in our school's sports day, you will definitely be able to win the first place." Xiang Jianjun said.

"Maybe he's a good footballer too." Xu Xianren said.

"I'll tell you," Xiang Wangfu interrupted everyone's witticism, "don't underestimate these two hunters, they are the best gunners in the neighborhood, and they are very famous in our area. ”

"Do they come out hunting every time they come back with a full load?" Jie Feixiang asked.

"There are very few times when they are empty-handed," Xiang Wangfu was quite proud, as if the two hunters were his brothers or relatives, "as long as they go out hunting, they always have a harvest when they come back, at least a few rabbits or a few pheasants or something, they often hunt wild boars, muntjac, roe deer and other large animals." ”

"Will they finish eating?" Xiang Jianjun asked.

"You don't understand this, they don't hunt for food, but for a living. All of these game meat are in high demand at restaurants, and many restaurants book with them. Xiang Wangfu said.

"Hunting has become a means of livelihood," said Jie, "and their hunting dogs are also good hunters." ”

"They became the richest people in our village." Xiang Wangfu continued, "Of course, they are not reluctant to eat at all, you must know that this is delicious. Sometimes they would give one or two catties to my mother, and my mother would keep it for me to eat, but she couldn't keep it in the hot weather, so she sent me a message asking me to go back to eat. ”

"Mother's love is so great." Xu Xianren said.

"Didn't you bring harat meat from home last time?" Xiang Jianjun said.

"yes, you still want to eat it. That's what these two hunters sent. In fact, there were originally three good hunters in our village. Xiang Wangfu changed the topic.

"Then why are there only two left?" Jiang Lili asked curiously.

Jiang Lili asked what we all wanted.

"There's a story here, it's very bizarre, I wonder if you're interested in hearing it?" Xiang Wangfu paved the way for his story.

"Of course I want to hear it." Jiang Lili said.

"Hurry up, what's the sale?" Jiefeixiang is an acute child.

"It's called hanging appetite, don't you know?" Wu Jianhua said.

We walked on the rugged mountain road, one after the other, four or five meters away from the front and back. Some dead leaves are laid on the pavement. Sometimes we have to remove the twigs that reach out over the road.

Xiang Wangfu walked in the middle of the group and began his story at our request: "Let me tell you, this story is related to the short hunter who has just walked in the front. Once, he and the fat man, the third hunter I am talking about, went out hunting at night, in the area where we were going to cut wood. The area was densely wooded and infested with wild beasts. So that area is where they often go hunting. That night, after getting there, they went their separate ways.

Because it was night, although there was moonlight, the sight in the woods was still very bad. They split up to find a muntjac that they had killed. It was a big muntjac, and they were excited about it for days and nights.

It is said that the short hunter had been walking in the woods for ten minutes when he suddenly heard a rustling sound in front of him, and it was getting closer and closer to him.

The short hunter was very excited, and with his many years of hunting experience, he felt that it was the injured muntjac that was approaching him. So he picked up his bird's gun, held his breath, and stared ahead. The sound was getting closer and louder, and he saw the head of the muntjac looking around, so he pulled the trigger, and then there was a scream in the woods. When he heard the cry, he froze.

for it was uttered by his companion, the fat man. Is there a reason that the fat man's voice is unfamiliar with? He hurriedly ran forward, brushed aside the branches, and by the moonlight, he saw the fat man lying on the ground, half of his face was shattered, and blood kept pouring out. After a while, the fat man died. ”

"So miserable." Wu Jianhua said.

"It reminds me of Ernest Hemingway, who wrote 'The Green Mountains of Africa.'" I say.

"Hemingway? Who was Hemingway? Shi Zhiqiang said.

"You poets don't know Hemingway?" Xu Xianren said.

"Is it a poet?" Shi Zhiqiang asked.

"No, it's a well-known American novelist, Nobel Prize winner in literature. He likes hunting, bullfighting, and also likes to write novels or travelogues about it. I said, "In his later years, he could not bear the torture of his illness, and shot himself in the mouth with a shotgun." Half of his face was also shattered. ”

"Oh my God." Jiang Lili said.

Everyone took a breath.

"It takes a lot of courage." Xu Xianren said.

"Hey, I said, why did you pull up Hemingway? Listen to me, the most bizarre thing about this matter is how it was dealt with after the fact. Xiang Wangfu shouted.

"What to do after the fact? Didn't he go to jail? Shi Zhiqiang said, "Kill people to pay for their lives, and pay off debts." ”

"Yes, yes." Wu Jianhua agreed.

"Hey, I said poet, Jianhua, what kind of brain do you have, you have to pay for your life, we can still see him here?" Jie Feixiang said.

Shi Zhiqiang patted his head: "Yes, why didn't I think of it." ”

Wu Jianhua said: "You drag, uncover and fly." ”

Xiang Wangfu said: "Jie Feixiang is right. Not only did the short hunter not go to jail, but he also did not pay a penny in compensation. ”

"How is that possible?" Xu Xianren voiced everyone's doubts.

"He gave himself to the fat man's wife and children." Xiang Wangfu said.

"What do you mean?" Xu Xianren continued to ask.

We all stopped.

Xiang Wangfu continued: "With the mediation of the head of our village and the older generation, he went to the fat man's house and took on all the responsibilities of the fat man. That is, to take care of the fat man's wife and children for the fat man. ”

"Does the fat man's wife agree?" Jiang Lili said.

"Agreed, the dwarf is still the first to marry. Everyone felt that this was the best arrangement. Perhaps this is also the kindness of the people in our small village. ”

"There's no way," I said, "and people are dead, and they can't be resurrected after death." Sending a short hunter to prison for the rest of his life, or even killing him, won't help. After all, people didn't mean it. ”

"Yes," Xu Xianren said, "in this case, at least the fat man's children will be raised, and his wife will be taken care of." ”

"If it were me, I still had a pimple in my heart." Wu Jianhua said.

"Do you say who has a pimple, a short man? There is nothing better in the world than this. Jie Feixiang said.

"Hey, Jiefeixiang, I feel like you're very envious. Do you still mean that? Jiang Lili said.

"No, no, how dare I? No, how could I? Jie Feixiang said.

We were amused by the embarrassment of uncovering the flight.

Xiang Jianjun said with a smile: "Jiefeixiang, you will have no freedom of speech in the future." ”

"Aren't you just enjoying the most beautiful thing in the world, Jiefeixiang?" I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's it." Jiang Lili said.

"It's called a blessing in disguise." Xu Xianren said.

"I think the fat man's wife will have a pimple in her heart." Wu Jianhua said.

"Of course there will be a little bit at first, but after a long time, it shouldn't be." Xiang Wangfu said.

We sighed for a while.

Let's move on.

"After listening to your story, I'm a little worried that they will also destroy us with one shot, didn't you say that the place where we cut wood is where they hunted?" Shi Zhiqiang suddenly reminded us.

"Yes, yes." Everyone agreed.

"Hehehe, you're too cowardly. Rest assured, it's broad daylight. Besides, the woods are not as dense as they used to be. Also, the area they hunt is not as big as a classroom, it's a big wood, and you'll see it right away. Xiang Wangfu said.