1. Lin Yuan

My friends and I have gone even further than we have done before - we have learned the most forbidden thing to steal!

As we grow older and mature physically and mentally, the first thing we do is to build a slingshot that is truly our own!

I remember that it was Wang Jingui who brought this up at that time, and we agreed very much after listening to it. So we decided to go to the forest northeast of our village tomorrow morning to look for a Y-shaped wooden handle to make a slingshot.

The singing of forest birds, the fragrance of flowers, the sweet and cool honey valley stream, and the vitality and infinite beauty of the natural scenery of the forest make our group very happy for this!

Along the way, we trekked through mountains and rivers and finally arrived at the designated place. So we quickly picked out the Y-shaped branches that suited us, processed them a little, and then we took them home.

When I got home, I handed over the raw materials to my grandfather and asked him to continue the processing for me.

My grandfather usually first dried and dehydrated the raw materials with a hot fire, and then put them in a place with a uniform heating area and grilled them in the sun, dried and set.

Dehydration is the most important step. If the moisture in the raw materials is not evenly dried and removed, the life and stability of the slingshot will not be too long.

Nearly a week later, the Y-shaped handle was ready for use. Before that, we also went to the Yiyun store in the village to buy long rubber bands and stone bags. In the end, I also stole the rubber rubber bands in the scrapped bicycle tires from the pastoral store above my cousin's house in Qidaoban, where I lived in the Qidao class. This kind of rubber band has good elasticity and is very suitable for use as a raw material for bundling.

With these raw materials, and with the help of our elders, we have harvested a beautiful and practical slingshot that truly belongs to us!

Before that, most of the slingshots we used were our fathers' slingshots. They take it with them when they hunt – in case the prey comes down from the tree, but when it hangs on the branches, they can be shot down with a slingshot.

After having your own exquisite and practical slingshot, it's spring! So we put it to trial on the same day and try to get the "first blood" as much as possible.

Out of the village, we came to a road. There are a lot of hard and suitable stones for bullets.

Each of us selects the right stones from the ground, loads the trousers to the brim, and goes up the highway for public welfare hunting!

Along the way, we also saw all kinds of beautiful birds that looked like the roasted pigeon we eat now—we call them pigeon birds. They look beautiful and delicious!

And the pigeons and birds are a big pest for us there - they often come in flocks during the night to steal our cash crops and crops!

So soon, before we arrived at my cousin Li Jinyun's house, we finished the packed bags of stones. But it turned out to be a reward!

We had gone that day with the mentality of experimenting and trying our best to harvest the "first drop of blood". But I didn't expect that there were a lot of suckling pigeons and birds that day, and Chen Jinbao among us was lucky to hit a suckling pigeon bird that day!

We used the blood of the pigeon bird to drop a few drops into our slingshot, and we were lucky enough to get the "first blood!" And the implication of this is to get a good fortune!

When we got to my cousin's house, they didn't bring any pocket money, so we couldn't buy chili seasoning when we went to the pastoral store. So I went to my cousin and asked for some seasoning, and then we cooked the pigeons and birds at the picnic river below the village of Relo, and then sprinkled the seasoning that my cousin and I wanted, and we had a good time grilling and eating!

The next morning, when the sun came out, we officially started our public welfare activity - hunting pigeons and birds!

In the morning, after we got up, washed up, and had breakfast, we took our beloved slingshots, and carried on our shoulders the bags that our elders cut and sewed with big bags of feed, and set off with joy!

When we arrived at the highway "bullet supply station", we loaded the selected stones into our bags and officially started the public welfare activities! Soon we were each with something to gain.

In the end, our group also came to the pastoral store, and when we saw the boss, we thought of everything before, and we couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The boss saw us and greeted us kindly: "Do you need to buy something?" ”

We forced our laughter and then pooled money to buy some dry food, pumpkin seeds, ham sausages, chili seasonings, etc.

In the end, we went to the picnic river below the village of Liluo, and took some of the pigeons and birds home, and some of them were cooked with chili seasoning, and then happily barbecued on the spot.

We spend most of the days after the arrival of that wonderful spring, but sometimes there is a harvest, and sometimes there is nothing at all.

When we grew a little older, we learned to hunt in the forest! This time, we will not only be skillful with slingshots, but also with crossbows and traps. And at that time, it was summer!

Every time the sun shines around 12 o'clock in the afternoon, we change into our usual work clothes and carry our old bags on our shoulders, which are loaded with our dry food. After that, we carried our bows and crossbows on our backs, and set off full of joy!

Our bows and crossbows are handmade by the elders of the family.

The bowbone is a large plank, and a single plank can make up to five crossbows.

After comparing the ink lines, the arch bone is sawed with a saw, and the sawn arch bone is shaped to an initial shape of about 72 centimeters long and about 5 centimeters in diameter.

Then a tunnel is chiseled at a distance of about 40 centimeters from the beginning to the end at the diameter, and a hole is cut out of the horizontal line two centimeters behind the head of the arc for fixing the bowstring line.

A flat mouth was chiseled out under the mouth of the string, which was used for the trigger, which was made from smoked horns.

There is a lower arc under the head of the arch bone, and then we compare the area of the lower arc with the bow we made, and cut out the opening that is just right for our bow to enter.

Finally, the remaining wood scraps are used to make a fire, and the made bow bones and bows are evenly grilled and dehydrated over a hot fire, and then basked in the sun for two weeks. When the time comes, we can assemble the two of them.

While waiting, we have to take the unique vines found in the mountains and forests, take out the fibers in them, and make a bowstring for the final assembly.

Finally, a small piece of black beeswax is pressed into the tail arrow to secure the arrow, and our precious bow and crossbow are complete!

While waiting, we also take the old bamboo and the feathers of the pigeon and birds in the mountains and use them as our arrows and quivers.

The bows, arrows and quivers that have been completed are ready to be put into use after a week of even sun exposure!

Our group trekked joyfully through the forest to the northeast of our village to a beautiful valley of gardens. Then we descended to the sweet and cool water of Honey Valley and began our fantasy hunting journey!

We each found a source of water with low and thriving trees around us, and then unloaded our gear next to it.

First of all, we thanked the mountain god, and then we wrapped it in a fan leaf roll next to it as a cup, and happily drank the sweet and refreshing water of the garden honey valley stream.

We usually divide into groups of two, and the distance between the groups is about six meters.

I remember that I fell in love with Wang Jingui at the same time as a water source, so we both teamed up together.

After dividing the water source, the two of us worked together to get a lot of slender logs.

Once the wood was evenly divided, we began to build our own conical hunting house for three people at the water source, similar to our current camping tents.

There is an entrance and exit on the left side of the hunting house, and then ten circles are made around the hunting house from top to bottom with sand kernel plants with better flexibility.

To do this big project, the two of us worked together to get many layers of fresh banana leaves—which were used to pave the house and require strict sealing.

We'll also bring in ferns and a few dead leaves to decorate the hunting house and make it look more in nature.

Eventually, the two of us used the remaining fresh plantain leaves and dead leaves to cover the rest of the water sources. The purpose of this is that in the summer heat, the pigeons and birds come to drink water, and the sweet and cool honey valley stream in that section is only available in the hunting house of the two of us!

After the two of us had done this series of work, we went back to the hunting house, and used our hands as a compass for the only water source in front of the hunting house, and evenly drew a beautiful index finger-deep water circle, and sprinkled a little messy with dead leaves around it.

Then find the pillar in the middle of the hunting house, and find the third sand kernel circle from the bottom up, where a small hole of about six centimeters has been opened. From the small hole, a straight log was tied to the other end of the water circle - a resting branch for the pigeons and birds.

Under the small hole, we also have to make holes about eight centimeters in length, width and height on the left and right sides to observe and hunt the suckling pigeons and birds that enter the water circle to drink.

After doing a series of work, we took our equipment into the hunting house and officially started hunting!

Once we went in, we had to wait very, very quietly for the arrival of the pigeons. And we can also take advantage of the gap between the pigeons and the birds to have a pleasant hollow meditation!

After most of the woods were quiet, the pigeons and birds came in flocks!

They flutter their wings and bounce and fly around the branches around our hunting house. The mighty wings swirled the dead leaves that dotted our houses and around the water circle. And we are also very focused at this time!

He hung the bowstring with his hands and feet, and then hung the adjusted crossbow bolts on the arrow path, and motionless against the resting branch of the pigeon bird.

As soon as they settle down, we quickly pull the trigger. With the sound of "Teng~", the surrounding suckling pigeons and birds quickly flapped their wings and fled. And the pigeon that was hit by the arrow was also struggling to flutter its wings. But after a while, it stopped moving.

Sometimes there will be two pigeon birds sitting together on a resting branch. At this point, we will pull the bowstring again, pull the bowstring back around the trigger, and choose the best arrow to hang on the arrow path......

We hunters will maintain a very high level of concentration in the hunting room, and are always ready to draw their bows and arrows, ready to go! The process usually lasts for several hours.

After more than a dozen launches, the suckling pigeons and birds flocked to find other water sources to drink.

And we seized this time, with slingshots in our hands, and summoned each other to go out and harvest our prey. When the harvest is complete, go into the hunting house again and prepare for the next round of hunting.

The purpose of bringing a slingshot is that we can use a slingshot to knock down our prey when they are wounded and escape to the tree.

It was dark, so we packed up and went home!

And the thought that they have caught so many delicious pigeon birds, our family elders will be very happy! So we all talked and laughed along the way, and we were very happy and proud of it!

Since then, we have all been on the highway to suckle pigeons and birds with slingshots, hunt in the forest, and set up small traps to catch more delicious grouse!

One day, we went to the highway to do public welfare activities as usual. But we were unlucky that day, and the pigeons and birds that hit them flew away without any problems. So when we came to the Picnic River, we found nothing.

Seeing that there were still several bags of chili seasoning in our base, we all fell into deep thought. At this time, we have a little friend who saw this scene and came up with a very bad plan - stealing chickens!

Tracing back to the roots, it was this plan that became a primordial potential point for me and my friends to split briefly in the future—different ways, no conspiracies!

At that time, he came up with the plan, and we all weighed the pros and cons together. Unable to stand up to the captives of the food, we readily agreed.

We were thinking about it for fun and for the delicious grilled chicken!

Besides, there are many, many more in that family, and we can eat one or two "no problem"! So we sneaked up the river.

We saw a hen that looked delicious, and then we all raised our slingshots and went to the hen together.

We prepared fresh lotus leaves and soil at the Picnic River, so we made it into a delicious lotus chicken and ate it to our heart's content!

After that, every time we couldn't catch the pigeons, we happily went to the master's house to "harvest"! And just when we always thought that the host family would not find out, the time to come will still come.

We didn't get anything that day, as most of us always do, but it didn't matter anymore, it was hard to fly in the sky, but it was much easier to hit those who walked on the ground than those who flew in the sky! So our group came there again full of joy, but the situation naturally exceeded our expectations.

Just as we were about to rejoice and prepare for the "harvest", in a dense reed, the master of the family suddenly came out of it and shouted at us. And we were defenseless and shocked!

After realizing that the situation was wrong, we hurriedly discarded our slippers in the small river and ran away as if we were floating on water.

We were terrified and at the same time even more terrified that he told our parents about it. So we were out and about, and we didn't dare to go home.

By the end of the evening, we were ready to go home. And when we entered the village, we felt the strange eyes of the people around us. This made us feel more dangerous than ever, accompanied by bursts of creeps.

And I also felt the oncoming, piercing murderous aura at a great distance from the door of my house.

When I was waiting to enter the door, my sister saw me and shouted to my mom that I was back! So my mom came out and beckoned me to come in and eat with them.

At this point, I was much more relaxed, because nothing had happened! So I went in and had dinner with my family.

At the dinner table, I saw my parents and my grandparents with gloomy faces, while my sister was happily eating next to me, looking at me and smiling from time to time.

While we were waiting for us to have a good meal, my mother suddenly asked very seriously, "Did you follow those friends of yours and do something bad?" ”

I firmly explained to her, "Don't dare to have! ”

So she couldn't hold back anymore and picked up the willow whip next to her, and threw it at me supernaturally.

It turned out that the owner knew that it was our group of children who did it, so they came to our village to find our parents in turn, and explained to them what had happened.

In the end, after an agreement between the two parties, our parents made up for the loss of the host's family, and the matter was over.

In the end, it was my aunt who came out to stop and save me. So my mother said to me very angrily, "You are just in time for the rice harvest, and in the next three months, you and your grandparents will go to the cottage to guard the rice!"

So my grandparents and I lived together romantically for three months in their rustic cabin!!

2. Idyllic cabins

The cottage means that we sow the rice in the spring of May, and when the precious rice is ripe in the autumn, in order to prevent the pigeons and birds from suckling them, we need to guard the rice carefully every day until the day of harvest.

Therefore, each of our families will build a beautiful log cabin in the rice field area of their home and live in it for three months to protect the precious rice!

Caught up with my sister and their summer vacation. The next morning, my grandparents, my sister, and the four of us packed up and set off for my grandparents' cabin!

My grandparents' beautiful chalet sits on a high ground to the southeast.

To the north is a road. Looking at the southeast and west, we are in an orderly Qingtian, and the same is surrounded by beautiful mountains and sweet water!

The orderly green fields have been gradually developed by us for generations, and our precious rice, cash crops and all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables are planted on them!

The beautiful cabin is surrounded by a beautiful fence made with a long wooden token!

And around the beautiful long wooden token fence, there are also safflowers, roses, trumpet flowers, roses, bamboo, and flowers and grass that grow naturally later!

There are also two beautiful willow trees in the yard, delicious grapes wrapped around the trellises, and gourds on the trellis on the other side!

To the southeast of the gate is my grandparents' garden, which is filled with a variety of fresh organic vegetables!

To the west is my grandparents' orchard, which is home to apple, mango, lychee, star fruit, plum and peach trees.

On the slope beyond that, my grandfather's tobacco leaves were grown.

I was fascinated by the scene in front of me! The heart has been surging non-stop, and the mood is naturally very happy!

But what made me even more overjoyed was the beautiful clouds drifting in the sky above the cabin, the auspicious clouds that appeared from time to time, the very pleasing red sun of the morning sunrise, the sunset and its fiery clouds! And the starry sky that looks even more brilliant at night than the one in our village! It's really wonderful and beautiful!

That night, the four of us gathered around a campfire in the yard and barbecued game that my father and my uncle had hunted.

Eventually, my grandparents and my sister would tell me and my sister all sorts of rare fantasy stories!

Hua Ling: "......"

Li Kailong - wiping tears.

Li Kailong: "It was really a long, long time ago. ”

…………

We descended into our rice paddies to see the delicious rice fish. Finally, my grandparents would place scarecrows around the beautiful rice paddies to protect our rice and deter the pigeons and birds.

On the afternoon of the third day, after changing my clothes, my grandfather and I went down to the river to cast nets to catch small white fish!

Our nets are custom-made nets – the openings are much larger than normal ones, and the purpose is to catch only adult white fish.

My grandfather was in charge of casting nets in the river, and I followed along the river, carrying a basket of fish on my shoulder, and was in charge of loading the goods. My grandfather and I couldn't get tired of it!

Due to the abundant fish resources, the two of us harvested a basket of small white fish in a short time!

Back at the cabin, my grandmother and sister and I cooked the basket of small white fish together.

My grandmother usually made those little white fish into nutritious and delicious baoyao. When it was cooked, the four of us gathered around the campfire and ate it with purple glutinous rice.

Eventually, my grandmother would use sweet potatoes to roast over coals as a dessert after our meal. And then it was my favorite storytelling session!

The stars in the sky are deeply moving! Scattered fireflies are dancing, crickets and cicadas are chirping! Blessed with the cool autumn breeze, I quickly reveled in it, and then fell asleep unconsciously and sweetly!

A few days later, the fine fruit trees in my grandparents' orchard were also ripe!

At that time, we came to the gate of the orchard, and as soon as my grandfather opened the bamboo fence, I quickly rushed in, eagerly jumped onto a big peach tree, and picked a sweet and delicious peach!

After eating my stomach, with the help of my grandfather, I climbed on top of the other fruit trees and helped pick the ripe sweet fruits!!

3. Autumn Forest

Autumn is fruitful!

At this time, the large animals will also haunt the various fruit trees, so their whereabouts can be easily caught by our hunters. So every autumn, it's also the magic season for hunters to hunt big animals in our forest hunting areas.

One afternoon, my father, uncle, and uncle were lucky enough to hunt an adult wild deer! But they didn't deal with it on the spot, but took the prey to my grandparents' cabin!

Eventually, my mother, my aunt, my aunt, my cousin, and my two cousins came!

My mom and they tended their game, and my dad and my grandfather roasted around the campfire. My sister and my grandmother and I built a small bonfire on the other side.

We had a small campfire, eating the fresh and delicious fruits we picked from the orchard that day, and listening to my grandmother's stories!

Delicious meal after the sun has gone down for a while! My mom and they did it one after another.

My grandmother took out an oil lamp from the cabin, lit it, and placed it in the center of our dining table. After the adults saluted our gods, we officially began to eat in the courtyard!

After a while, my father and my grandfather were still drinking and chatting happily at the dinner table. The rest of us gathered around the campfire for dessert – fresh and delicious fruits, and chatted happily together!

After that, whenever my father and his family caught a large game, they would divide half of it to my grandparents' cabin. The other half was left for me to eat, and the other part was for my grandmother to make bacon and wait for our precious rice to ripen and harvest it for our food for those days.

One day, my grandfather looked at the leaves falling in the wind on the trees outside the yard and said to me, "It's time to put iron clips and set traps." ”

So that morning, he took out one iron clip after another from his tool bag with the marks of time.

And just after school, he took me to put the iron clip in the afternoon!

The two of us came out of the gate of the hut and headed into the forest to the southeast!

When I went to the forest, my grandfather found the track where the big squirrel walked with delicious flesh and placed it in an iron clip. I got four clips from my grandfather, and then I found the track where the big squirrel walked, and placed the clips on it.

At night, I couldn't sleep with excitement at the thought of harvesting the first big squirrel I had caught in my life tomorrow. So I kept imagining tomorrow's harvest and didn't fall asleep until much later.

The next day, as soon as I heard the rooster announcing, I quickly got up and washed up and waited for my grandfather. So as soon as the sky showed the white of the fish's belly, I went up the mountain with my grandfather to harvest!

When we arrived at our destination, my grandfather and I went in turn to check the traps we had arranged.

Excited, I went to check my first trap, but when I finished checking it, I found that I didn't hit any of them.

After my grandfather and I looked at the traps we had set up, it turned out that my grandfather's nine iron traps hit two large squirrels, and one of them broke free.

I was still angry and said to my grandfather, "I'll never come again!" ”

And my grandfather comforted me and said, "Patience." You'll definitely reap it later! "But I'm still angry.

When the two of us returned to the foot of the mountain, we passed by a sloping bamboo forest, and my grandfather stopped. Then he walked over and examined the hole carefully.

Then he excitedly told me that it was a bamboo rat hole!

Finally he said to me, "Let's go back to the hut first, rest and eat, and then call your grandmother and your sister, and we'll catch bamboo rats together!" ”

When we got back to the cabin, my grandmother disposed of the two big squirrels.

After lunch, we took two large buckets and our own fish-netting to catch bamboo rats!

When we arrived at the destination, my grandfather told us that it was a Hsinchu rat hole, and we only needed to tap it with water, and they came out. So my grandmother blocked the other hole with a fishing net, and my grandfather and I came to attack by carrying water from the stream below.

After a period of hard work, my grandmother excitedly said to us, "The bamboo rat is out!" The bamboo rat is out! ……”

We took exactly two male and female bamboo rats back to the cabin. In the end, my grandfather took a few pieces of wood from the mountain, carefully made a sturdy and beautiful little house, and put the two male and female bamboo rats we harvested a few days ago in captivity. And after waiting for a while, the female bamboo rat gave birth to cubs!

For the next period of time, my grandfather would either take me to fish, go to the lotus pond to fish, or take me up the mountain to put iron clips.

Sometimes during the day, the four of us go to the paddy fields together to catch loaches and redtail fish, and make nutritious and delicious buns to eat! In the evenings, we also go to the paddy fields to catch bullfrogs and yellow eels!

But one of the things that made me angry with my grandfather was that he wouldn't take me with him when he went hunting with Little Lizi's grandfather or setting traps for large animals or grouse......

And he always said he would take me there when I was older. So when my grandfather went out with Xiao Lizi's grandfather and the two of them to do the things I said before, I secretly hid my grandfather's toolkit. But every time he found it quickly.

The process of making traps for capturing prey, such as wild deer, wild boar, wild goat, hedgehog, porcupine, and large bamboo rat:

We usually trek through mountains and rivers to find a large fig tree or other fruit tree that grows in the forest, and then build a trap on the downhill slope of the fruit tree.

We first took a lot of large logs from other places, and arranged them at intervals of about one meter from the fruit trees uphill to the sweet and cool honey valley stream below.

Then dig a passage next to the big log, according to the same length and width of the big wood. After that, the big log is lifted into the passage, and two logs are built on both sides of the head using the principle of levers, and the large vines are used to support it, and then the trigger mechanism is made in the passage. In this way, a carefully crafted initial trap to catch large animals is ready!

And then comes the most important step. That is, to make a very strong and sturdy bamboo fence about a meter apart from the large wooden traps.

This was done so that the big animals could only walk through the passages where we had set traps. As long as the prey does not break through the strong bamboo fence arch, then there is a high probability that they will only be captured by us.

When my grandfather and Grandpa Xiao Lizi made such traps, almost every three or four days, they were able to divide the prey evenly and carry them back to our cabin!

And as soon as these traps are over for the autumn hunting season, we have to dismantle them and return them to nature. After thanking the mountain god again, we went home to do other things and waited for the hunting season the following autumn.

The process of catching a grouse trap with delicious meat:

We started by hand-making the coils and traps of the traps at home. Then he climbed the mountains and found a huge fruit tree, which bore a long bunch of sweet fruits similar to mulberries. When it blooms and bears fruit and the fruit is ripe, we can smell the sweetness from afar!

When we got to the bottom of the huge fruit tree, we set a trap around the tree to catch grouse.

We will find a small tree and tie the trap's bolt wire to the root of that small tree. Immediately after that, a trap is placed next to it, and many fallen large fruit tree fruits are collected and scattered around the trap.

Finally, use a homemade whistle from the kit, put on a set of invisibility cloaks made in advance using vegetation, and hide in the dark to blow the whistle to attract male and female grouse!

It wasn't long before the male and female grouses were attracted by our sweet whistle!

They will scramble around the trap to eat the fruit of the big fruit trees that we scatter around the trap. So in a short time, several male and female grouse fell into our trap. The other male and female grouse, on the other hand, are still fighting and rushing to eat.

At the end of the day, we would take the male and female grouse in sacks we had brought with us and take them home for free-range.

4. Collect rice

After a long time, our paddy crops, which are growing well, are fully ripe!

Seeing the golden paddies ripening one after another, the cheerful breath instantly rushed to our hearts! Let us all feel great happiness and happiness!

The first part of the harvest. My parents, my aunt and uncle, my aunt and uncle came together to work together with the three of us, and now they have come to the harvest field to harvest the crops

The second link. My parents, my aunts and uncles, and my aunts and uncles went to the fields where they had harvested the other day and piled up the rice that had been harvested the other day.

The third link. Before dawn, our group went to the fields where we threshed grain.

When we got to the crops, my uncle spread out the big rolled up mat next to the pile, and then he let us children step on it. until the ears of grain under the mat are flattened.

It's my favorite part! At this time, I would quickly jump on top of the mat and run around happily.

Then my father and the others carried the wooden threshing tools and carts to the top of the mat beside the heap, where our children had just flattened the ears of grain.

My mom brought out two of my favorite toys for threshing and straw sweeping – a "wooden nunchuck" threshing stick and a "wooden golf" sweeping stick.

At that time, I excitedly took out a "wooden nunchuck" from my mother's basket and quickly ran to the side to play with it. As a result, because of improper operation, I was given a heavy blow to myself. So I was beaten and rolled to the ground on the spot.

After that, I took out a "wooden golf" band from my mother's basket and quickly went to the side to wave it and play it.

I thought it was boring to play alone, so I deliberately waved and played to my sisters and them, and the opportunity was to sweep them up. And they were scattered and fled by me.

But then I was chased and hit several times by my mom with a "wooden golf" broom in her hand.

And after doing a series of preliminary work, we will officially start threshing!

My grandfather and father were in charge of lining up with "wooden nunchucks" threshing sticks, rolling ears of grain from the grain pile to the wooden grain cart next to them to threshing the grain.

And I stood in two rows with my grandmother and my mother, and swept the straw that my grandfather and father had turned into after beating the grain with a "wooden golf" stick.

It was almost noon when the sun gradually came out, and at this time we were already in a state of sauna. So we went back to the cottage and made a fire to cook and rest.

Around two o'clock in the afternoon. Our group went on to threak the grain, but the sun was even brighter. So when we walked to the destination, it was already in a sauna state.

I simply got into the straw pile, created a cozy nest in it, and fell asleep happily in it!

When I woke up, I found that they had only finished the half of the grain we had left behind for the morning beat, and it was almost noon that we had gone back to the cabin to rest for lunch.

After they had taken a short break, the next step was to start beating the same amount of grain next to them.

So I woke up and was very angry when I saw it. I think they'll be able to beat that half of the grain when I wake up, so the other push next to me must be at least halfway through now!

But I never expected that they would have just finished the half of the pile of grain where we had stopped at noon. And when my mom saw me wake up, she asked me to help. So I picked up a pile of straw in anger, quickly stepped on the straw pile and jumped next to my sister, and buckled the pile of straw on my sister's head.

Then my mom quickly chased me with the "wooden golf" broom in her hand. And I got my wish and was beaten, and then I happily went to the lotus pond to fish!

The next day too. I worked with them in the morning, but when we went back to the cottage at noon to rest and eat, I simply didn't go. After that, I took a good nap in the rustic cabin!

After I woke up, I took my water mirror and fish arrow that I had asked my mother to bring from home, and after changing my clothes, I wore water mirror on my head, used fish arrows in my hand, tied a fish basket around my waist, and happily went to fish in the river below our lotus reed lake under the hot sun!

When I waited for the afternoon when I went to look for them again, I caught several large carp, large crucian carp, silver carp, large grass carp, small white fish, etc.

At that time, I also happened to see my family, who had finished threshing the pile of rice!

My father spread out the piles of precious rice they had harvested on the grain mat, while my grandfather tied his trouser legs with straw.

Then my grandfather shook each layer back and forth with his feet on top of the thick layer of precious rice, and fanned it with our big homemade fan, fanning away the unreal rice.

This is the most important finishing work and it is physically demanding, so it usually takes two or more people to complete the finishing work.

When I saw my grandmother, I happily opened the big fish in my basket and showed her the delicious meat.

And she was very happy after reading it, and said that I have contributed!

In the evening, we had dinner at the cabin, and my grandmother made delicious grilled fish from the delicious meat I had caught!

Adults raved about it after eating it! And this also makes me feel extraordinary happiness and happiness from the bottom of my heart!!

5. Xiaoyang people

After bidding farewell to the idyllic life full of fantasy and wonderful colors, I returned to Nanyang Village, where I had been absent for a long time. My sister went back to school in September, when their school was closed.

And that time she and my cousin went with us to harvest rice during the National Day holiday – lucky enough to catch up!

As soon as I got back to the village, I went to find my friends!

We decided to do what we could to atone for our sins. So our first stop was to take advantage of the magical season of autumn to go to the forest to pick fruit – dedicated to our parents and family elders!

The next day, after we had a simple breakfast, we carried our bags and our slingshots, and we couldn't stop being happy and happy when we thought that our adults would praise us for eating the fruits we picked in the forest!

We first found a huge wild grape mulberry tree, and its branches were covered with bunches of enticing, ripe grape fruit! We then grabbed our slingshots and struck them at the branches of the enticing fruit of the huge fruit tree!

After several rounds of shooting, we harvested many bunches of grape fruit, so we took out a few bunches and ate them. The taste is sweet and sour!

Then we switched to the other side, ready to continue beating the fruit on that side. At this time, the three of us, Chen Jinlong, Magana, and Zhang Yuanchun, said that they wanted to go to the side for a little convenience, and let the remaining five of us fight first. So the rest of us grabbed our slingshots and continued shooting.

But all of a sudden, we noticed something unusual. At this time, Wang Jingui next to us shouted loudly: "Poisonous bees! Poisonous bees! ……”

The three of them asked us what was going on? But by the time we all formalize it, it's too late.

We were stinged by the menacing bees, so we ran for our lives.

We ran from the huge grape trees in the forest to the road, and then we jumped from a high ground into the crystal clear river, where we were lucky enough to find a life-saving stone!

After that, we held our breath in the river and ran down the river with stones in our arms.

Uncle Zhang Mai and Aunt Feng Lan, who were working in the fields at that time, saw us suddenly emerging from the river, so they were very surprised and asked us, "What's the matter?!"

We replied with a sigh of relief: "We were stung by poisonous bees!"

After relieving our senses, the wounds we had been bitten by the poisonous bees were slowly revealed.

Uncle Zhang Mai and Aunt Feng Lan took us to their rustic cabin, and told us to stay there and rest, and not to touch the wounds.

In the end, Aunt Feng Lan returned to our village and informed our parents, asking them to take us to the health center for treatment.

We sat on the stools in the courtyard of Uncle Zhang Mai and Aunt Feng Lan's pastoral cabin and remained silent, and then you look at me and I look at you, which makes each other cry and laugh.

After a while of recovery, we decided to go to the forest again! And we have also picked wild chestnuts, mountain fruits, mangosteen fruits and other fruits one after another.

In the new year, we will continue to live in the seasons.

Spring has sprung. We went out on the highway to do a public welfare activity - hunting pigeons and birds.

One is to protect our crops. The second is to hit them and eat them beautifully!

It's a hot summer. We will go to the Lotus Reed Lake and the river below it to fish, fish and "dragon boat racing"!

Autumn is crisp and fruitful. We would go into the forest and take our bows and crossbows to the old garden valley to hunt, set traps, and pick fruits and wild vegetables from the forest.

Some of the wild vegetables are my favorite stir-fried yellow trumpet vegetables, fresh bamboo shoots that are grilled over charcoal and then made into cold dishes with home-grown seasonings, small mangosteen shoots that are peeled and dipped in dipping sauce after cooking, and various mountain mushrooms that are boiled and stir-fried.

In winter, we happily played games in the village, happily ate barbecue with our families at home, home-grown roasted sweet potatoes, and listened to the adults chatting!

Of course, the most important thing for me of the year is to go to my grandparents' Wonderland cabin and work with them to protect our precious rice!!

6. Lotus reed lake

As we get older, our fishing skills become more and more mature, so we also like life on the water more and more!

After my friends and I had a good meal in the morning, we would take out the trident fish arrows we had made with our hearts from our treasure chests and go to Wang Yang's house to polish and improve.

Our Trident Fish Arrow is made from a sharpened, dehydrated and dried bamboo stick about a metre long for about a month – to serve as our arrow bone.

Then we planted the slender steel roots on the bicycle tires that we had stolen from the owner of the pastoral store in the head of the fish arrow bone, and after comparison, cut off about 10 centimeters of fine steel and inserted them in the head of the fish arrow bone.

This is followed by the sharpening of the arrows, which serve as the backbone of our trident.

The most important step is to take a 10-centimeter section from the mountain, which can be inserted into our fish arrow bones. And after picking it up, you can assemble it.

We took a 10-centimeter piece of old bamboo pole and tied it to the left and right sides of the two leather bands about 8 centimeters long, which we bought from the village commissary, and divided them into two.

Finally, the old bamboo pole barrel tied with a rubber band is put into the back of the arrow bone. Then tie the extended, about five centimeters of rubber bands to the tail of the fish arrow bone with bicycle tire bands. And that's it!

It's different from the speargun we're used to. Our fish arrows are very easy to use. It only needs us to find the prey, and then hold the bamboo pole barrel with our left hand, grab the tail of the fish arrow bone with our right hand and pull it back, using the elasticity of the rubber band to shoot.

If it was no problem, we caught a big golden carp hiding in the weeds or under the lotus and reeds!

Around eleven o'clock in the afternoon. We were polishing and refining our fishing arrows, and after agreeing on a time, we went home for dinner and changed clothes.

At the agreed time, we will go to Wang Yang's house to gather. After that, we walked to our destination, the Lotus Reed Lake and the river below.

When we arrived at our destination, we first picked a few plants that resembled lotus leaves next to the river and swabbed our water mirrors, and then went into the water to adjust it to make sure that the water did not leak into our eyes and nose when we dived.

After a series of preliminary work, we swam comfortably and gently while fishing in the river under the hot sun.

Waiting for us to finish the section of the river below the lotus reed lake, we will enter the lotus reed lake!

Lotus Reed Lake is a magical place for us!

Once upon a time, it was a plain farmland developed by the elders of our village along the river next to it. But a few years later, it rained heavily for several weeks. So a place about 500 meters long, about 20 meters wide, and about 2 meters deep was formed.

Since then, many reeds and beautiful lotus flowers have slowly grown on the left and right sides of the water!

The reeds are tall and thick, and the beautiful lotus flowers are spreading all over the water.

Years later, a powerful army of our country was stationed there in the far reaches of the country. And built three reservoirs there, and also raised many small fish in them.

We are grateful to them! Because they stationed troops there and built reservoirs, they solved the great problem that plagued us all year round and flooded our fields because of the rainy season!

A few months later, it rained again. And that heavy rainstorm washed over and over again three reservoirs built by that powerful army of our country.

Eventually, the torrential rain calmed down, but almost all of the small fish they had raised in the three reservoirs were washed out.

So that large group of fish naturally crashed into our lotus reed lake with a rich ecosystem, and lived and reproduced in it for generations.

A few months later, an old man from our village went to work in his field, wanting to come to our lotus reed lake to fetch water for the delicious peanuts in his green field.

And when he bent down to fetch the water, he saw groups of big fish with delicious flesh playing back and forth in the water.

So he quickly fetched water and watered his delicious peanuts, and then quickly went to the bamboo grove in our village to fetch a bamboo to make a harpoon.

After waiting for him to make the harpoon, he quickly returned to the lotus reed lake, and stood in the reeds on the shore and used the harpoon to catch the big fish hiding in the reeds and eating the tender reed roots.

After a while, he used the vines on the shore to skewer the big fleshy fish he caught—and he was gone!

On the way home, someone asked him where he caught so many big fish?!

He replied that it was caught from his own "secret fishpond"! And they believed.

But every three or four days after that, the old man always went to his "secret fishpond" to fish, and with him brought home a large bunch of big fish with delicious meat!

Some people were curious, so one day when they were waiting for the old man to go out again, someone followed him curiously.

When he reached his destination, the old man skillfully pulled his bamboo harpoon from the reeds......

Since then, there has been more and more fishing in the lotus reed lake. Some of them use bamboo spearfishing, some come fishing, and some dive to fish.

Having said that, we came up from the river downstream of the Lotus Reed Lake, divided into a group of four people to quickly snatch the two bamboo rafts parked in the downstream of the Lotus Reed Lake, and then excitedly started the fierce "dragon boat racing" game!

One person on the raft should be at the helm of the pole, and the other three would use their hands as paddling aids.

We are usually Wang Yang, Xiao Lizi, and Chen Jinbao, and we are in a group of four. And Wang Yang acts as our sacred "helmsman"!

Wang Jingui, Chen Jinlong, Wang Bao, and Zhang Yuanchun usually work in groups of four. And Wang Jingui acts as their sacred "helmsman"!

We followed a waterway that was broken by our elder fishermen in the middle of the lotus bushes, and carried out a fierce game of "dragon boat racing" with high temperament!

The end point is about 100 meters in front of the lotus reed bend cluster. And most of the big fish with delicious meat in the lotus reed lake are hiding here. So not only do we have to win the game, but the most important thing is to get the opportunity to "attack" first, which is a decisive factor for our gain of the day.

However, when we are very happy to carry out the "dragon boat race" game competition on the lotus reed lake, and we are trying to prevent each other from moving forward, what we can't harvest is not the most important thing for us!!

7. Colorful koi

For the first time, the mighty army of our country quickly realized that every year during the rainy season, heavy rains would wash over their three reservoirs with many small fish.

So they went about twenty meters below the last reservoir, and in the clearing next to the river, they developed two fish ponds, and kept them with beautiful colorful koi and other small fish.

My friends and I passed by that unit one day and went to the section above them to hunt pigeons and birds. And when we passed by, we saw the beautiful big koi fish kept in those two fish ponds!

The strange thing is that when we pass by, the beautiful big koi will look at us in unison, as if begging us to let them out!

So we discussed the beautiful big koi fish all the way, and finally unanimously decided to steal them out and release them to our lotus reed lake, where they gave birth to many cubs! So we went home and prepared for it.

We first went to the mountains northeast of our village and took small mangosteen poles to use as our fishing rods. Finally we went home and did the assembly work.

The next morning, after we had a simple meal and gathered at Wang Yang's house, we set off on foot with the small mangosteen fishing rod we had assembled yesterday.

Because the army is far away from our village—about a kilometer past my cousin Li Jinyun's house, where I live in the Qidao class. So when we walked to my cousin's house, we were almost hungry. So we raised money together and went to the pastoral commissary to buy dry food and ham sausages for our next rations.

We came to the crooked section of the road below the troops, and after hiding our fishing rods, we pretended to go to the section above the troops as usual, and pretended to hunt pigeons and birds to observe.

We made sure that most of them were having lunch, so we calmly returned to the winding section of the road below the troops, and marched by water.

Our group lay on the south side of the second pond, which had more koi fish than the first, and after carefully getting ready, we threw the rods one after another.

And all of us are competing to be the first lucky person to catch a koi fish!

Soon after, one of our friends, Chen Jinbao, became the first lucky person among us to catch a beautiful white koi!

After some time, two soldiers carried weeders on their backs to weed the grass on the slope to our northeast. At that time, in addition to Chen Jinbao, Wang Jingui, Magana, and Xiao Lizi caught a big koi, among which Wang Jingui also won two yuan!

In fact, the five beautiful koi fish we caught were enough for us to go to the lotus reed lake to release and reproduce. But what we all wanted most was one of the big golden koi fish in the fishpond. So when the two brothers weed the grass on the northeastern slope of our position, we became more cautious and kept an eye on their every move.

When the two of them came to weed in the direction of where we were, we should have been evacuated, but Chen Jinbao said to us excitedly: "Those golden koi fish that were playing across from us just now are swimming towards our bait!" ”

So we waited very anxiously for a while, and we were discovered!

At that time, one of the soldiers looked over to us, and then lowered his head and concentrated on weeding. But then he looked over to us, and then beckoned another soldier to look at us.

And the soldier who first noticed us shouted at us and asked, "Is there anyone here?" So our group was so frightened that we contracted our bodies tightly.

Finally, we looked up and saw that the two soldier brothers were gone. So we quickly packed up our things and evacuated along the river, fled to the southeast hill, and constantly watched every move below the mountain.

Sure enough, after a while, a small team of dozens of soldiers and a military dog were quickly dispatched from the army to arrest us. And we were on the top of the mountain as if we were firmly anchored, watching in horror the great things that happened at the foot of the mountain that we did not expect.

Luckily for the team, they came down the river with their dogs to search for us, and they went back when they didn't find us.

At that time, we also had to benefit from Wang Jingui, who said to us: "If we take the waterway, we will have a great chance of being caught, so let's go to the top of the mountain and hide for a while!" ”

We thought about it for a moment and unanimously accepted this wonderful offer.

In the end, we were able to release the five beautiful koi fish into our lotus reed lake, and they also multiplied quickly!

8. Pastoral commissary

The pastoral store is located on the high ground about two hundred meters above my cousin's house in the seventh class. It is adjacent to the road, a forest to the northwest, and a green field surrounded by mountains and rivers evenly intersected by our village and Riba village to the southeast.

The owners are a husband and wife, because they both like to eat watermelon, especially in the summer, and they will develop and plant watermelons in the beautiful land next to the river bank below.

When we were waiting for the harvest, we would work in the fields and come to them to buy something, and we would see that they were resolutely selling us things.

Even after the two of them ate the flesh of the watermelon, they would peel the watermelon skin and eat it. So we all gave the couple a kind title of "watermelon boss".

One of the things that my friends and I like the most about the Pastoral Store is that these two watermelon owners not only open a shop to sell us things, but also collect scrap! So, when my friends and I learned this important information, we happily walked around every house in our village to collect "waste".

Because of our young age, sometimes we always put useful things in our sacks.

After collecting a bag of "scrap", we carried him to our homemade wooden pulley and happily headed to the pastoral commissary!

After our group tirelessly pushed our homemade wooden pulley cart and the "waste products" on the cart to the pastoral store, we beckoned the two watermelon owners who were eating watermelons and watching TV in the house to come out and collect the "waste products" we brought.

The two watermelon owners poured out all our bags of waste products, and then carefully looked at some of the "waste products" we brought.

Then the male watermelon boss asked us, "Is it all scrap?" ”

We replied sincerely, "This is the scrap we have collected for several days!" ”

The two watermelon owners were helpless, but then they weighed our big bag of "waste products" with a large scale.

After weighing and calculating the price, the lady watermelon proprietress paid us cash, so we bought a lot of delicious food from the pastoral store on the spot!

After we left, the two watermelon owners put away some of the waste we brought with us in a sack, and the other part in a sack......

In the afternoon, we were happily playing hide and seek on the garden basketball court, but then Wang Bao's mother found us and angrily accused us of not studying well together and "stealing things"!

We are "wronged"! So we anxiously explained in unison, "We really didn't steal!" ”

Wang Bao's mother continued: "The watermelon owner in the pastoral store has already brought out the evidence......

The end result turned out that most of the waste we collected was still useful.

After that, our parents redeemed all the things that were still useful, and we were naturally reprimanded and taught by our parents because we were ignorant.

After a while, my friends and I went out to hunt pigeons, birds and birds. When we passed by the pastoral store, we were still haunted by what had happened.

Looking at the pile of scrap next to us, we came up with a brilliant "great idea"! So we unanimously decided to clean up the two watermelon bosses!

We took advantage of the gap between the two watermelon bosses to eat, Wang Bao and he came to sentry, and the other seven of us secretly took away the larger waste products from the large pile of waste.

Then our group broke up the scrap we had stolen down on the edge of the Gulfstream River below the pastoral commissary.

Then I went to my cousin's house and asked her for a sack. After she gave me the sacks, we put away the disassembled scraps one by one.

In the end, Wang Bao, Chen Jinlong, and Wang Yang went to sell the bag of waste together. And the remaining four friends kept laughing, so in order not to let the matter be revealed, we had to leave them in place.

I and my three other friends carried the bag of waste to the pastoral commissary, and then I called out to the two watermelon owners who were eating watermelons and watching TV in the house after lunch.

When the two watermelon owners came out, we said to the two of them, "We're selling scrap again!" ”

So the two watermelon owners poured our "waste" out of the sack and looked at it carefully for a while.

Seeing this, my three friends and I showed a very determined expression one by one. But I almost couldn't hold back because of it!

So I turned around, turned my back to the two watermelon bosses, and then pinched my belly hard!

But the more I pinched, the more I wanted to laugh, so I showed a hideous look. And when my three friends saw me like this, they froze!

The male watermelon boss asked me if I was okay? I replied bitterly, "No problem." ”

When I heard the female watermelon proprietress say that she had calculated the "waste products we brought" and paid us cash, I was finally relieved of the "burden"!

Many years later, when I returned to my hometown to help the villagers develop and drive the economy, most of the food we needed to buy to work in the fields came from the farm store.