Chapter 1691
Departure
Just as Wang An and his three companions were re-checking their belongings to see if anything had been forgotten, Wang Dazhu suddenly said in a low voice:
"Xiao An, why don't you bring a few dogs? If you're spending the night in the mountains and some big animals come along, the dogs can at least give you a warning."
After Wang Dazhu finished speaking, Liu Guilan also said:
"Xiao An, your dad is right. If you ask me, you should bring a few dogs with you. At least it'll be safer!"
Wang An looked at the group of dogs and wolves lying by the doghouse and suddenly realized that what his father and mother said made sense.
This time, when they went to dig for ginseng, they had to visit all 13 old shrines. Although many of the old shrines had probably already been dug up, Wang An estimated that it would take about a month to visit them all.
Therefore, we cannot go down the mountain for more than a month.
But if people have to keep watch every night, they will definitely not get a good night's rest and will be too tired during the day. So if there are dogs, not only can people get a good night's sleep, but it will also be much safer.
Digging for ginseng is not hunting, and bringing dogs is only for warning purposes, so one or two dogs are enough. Besides, dogs eat a lot, and food is a big problem when there is no prey.
After thinking for a moment, Wang An said:
“That’s fine. Let’s take Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai with us. We won’t take Da Hei and the others. It’ll be a long trip, and I’m worried they won’t be able to handle it.”
To be honest, I still find Big Black the most convenient to use, mainly because it can completely understand what Wang An is saying.
While both Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai can understand human speech, they can only understand a portion of it, and only the shorter, more complex parts. Xiao Hei can understand slightly more complex speech, but Xiao Bai mostly just stares at you blankly, which is quite frustrating.
Unfortunately, once a mountain dog begins to age, the aging process is extremely rapid.
In less than half a year, the white hair on the backs of Big Black, Second Black, and Third Black increased significantly.
Although the three of them are still able to go hunting in the mountains with Wang An in their current condition, and should be fine for the next year or two, they are no longer suitable for long-distance travel.
Because after working so hard for more than a month, it will only accelerate their aging process.
After Wang An finished speaking, Liu Guilan added:
"Then let's bring those three greyhounds along too. The more dogs, the safer it is, right?"
At home, Liu Guilan always referred to Xiaobai and the other three wolves as dogs, saying that wolves are wolves in the mountains, but if they are kept at home, they are just dogs.
However, no one argued with her about it.
Upon hearing this, Wang An shook his head and said:
"We can't bring too much. We're going to carry fishing rods, not hunt. If we don't find anything in the mountains, even the dogs won't have much to eat."
After entering the mountains, the food problem became a major issue. Although Wang An and his three companions all had guns and could hunt for meat, their purpose for this trip was to dig for ginseng, and hunting would simply be a waste of time.
Liu Guilan thought about it and realized it made sense, so she complained with a worried expression:
"You say this house has everything you need, why do you still insist on carrying that stick? With all the wind and howling, you'd be exposed to the elements, not eating or sleeping well, it's not worth it! Besides, that stick isn't so easy to find, and this old man is still so meticulous."
As she spoke, Liu Guilan straightened Wang An's clothes.
Wang An smiled slightly and comforted his mother, saying:
"Hey, we're just going to wander around. If we don't find it, we'll come back. At most, it'll be a month. Whether we can carry it or not, we'll definitely be back in a month. Don't worry, Mom." Although Wang An was already very rich, he was still unwilling to give up knowing where those old burial mounds were and not digging for them.
This is a kind of obsession, and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not one has money.
Liu Guilan rolled her eyes at Wang An, then slapped him twice before taking two steps back and saying:
"Alright, if you're going to leave, then leave quickly and come back sooner."
Wang An laughed heartily and called to Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai:
"Little Black, Little White, you two come here."
Hearing Wang An's call, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai came running over excitedly. Wang An patted the head of the wolf and the dog and said:
"You two come with us to carry the clubs. We're leaving now, but just follow along. Don't wander off."
When Xiao Hei heard Wang An's words, it looked at Wang An and made a few "woof woof" sounds, as if to say that it understood, but Wang An did not respond.
As for Xiaobai, he once again showed a bewildered expression, clearly not understanding what Wang An meant.
Of course, it doesn't matter if they don't understand, since Wang An didn't expect them to understand anyway.
As he spoke, Wang An took the dog leashes from Huang Li and put them around the necks of Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai.
Wang An did not intend to untie the rope binding the two animals until they reached their destination.
The main problem is that if Dahei were around, he could command them and prevent them from running around aimlessly even without being leashed. However, since Dahei wasn't there, Wang An really didn't trust them to go off and hunt prey on their own.
If the dogs got lost in the mountains, Wang An and his companions wouldn't have time to look for them. The mountains were too big to search for them anyway.
After putting the rope on, Wang An tied the other end of the rope to the saddle. After thinking for a moment, he went to the storeroom and took out two dog collars that dogs used for hunting, and put them in a pouch on the horse's back.
Wang An actually wanted to put armor on Xiaobai and Xiaohei as well, but the dog armor was quite heavy. Whether it was carried by a horse or Xiaobai and Xiaohei running while wearing the armor, it would be a burden. So, when keeping watch, it would be enough to just use collars to protect the dogs' necks.
Only then did Wang An turn around and greet Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and Huang Zhong, saying:
"How are you three doing? Are you all done with the check-up? Let's go when you're done."
After saying that, Wang An stepped into the stirrups, flipped over, and mounted the horse.
Mu Xueli and the other two agreed and mounted their horses.
And so, the four men, eight horses, a dog, and a wolf set out together and headed into the mountains.
Just as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, they saw the fox with the broken tail strolling back.
When Wang An saw the severed tail, his eyes lit up, and he quickly shouted at it:
"We're going into the mountains for a while, do you want to come with us?"
Wang An had witnessed Duanwei's ability to find gold, so if he could take Duanwei to find ginseng, Wang An believed that Duanwei could do the same.
However, the whereabouts of the tailless creature have always been unpredictable. It's impossible to say when it will return or leave again. Sometimes it will stay at Wang An's house for two or three days, other times it will stay for a day and then disappear the next day, and sometimes it won't be seen for half a month at a time. (End of Chapter)