Chapter 1692
The First Old An
However, every time he returned after his tail was cut off, Wang An's family would treat him like a guest, feeding him all sorts of delicious food and drinks.
That's right, that's how you treat guests.
Because no matter what, it was Wang An's savior, no, it should be called the savior fox.
Therefore, treating it like a human being is not an exaggeration at all.
Upon hearing Wang An's greeting, Duanwei looked at Wang An, the others, the horses, and the dogs, then shook its head like a human, barked once more, and turned to run into the courtyard.
Wang An knew that it meant he wouldn't go.
Although somewhat disappointed, Wang An still turned and called out into the courtyard:
"Xueqing, the tailless dog is back. Quickly get it some meat and food, we're leaving now."
Upon hearing Mu Xueqing's reply, Wang An patted the horse's rump and shouted "Giddy up!"
The four of them then continued walking into the mountains.
"Brother-in-law, if only Duanwei could follow us. With that nose of itss, I think it could find any number of clubs we had." Mu Xueli turned her head to look at Duanwei and said to Wang An with great regret.
Hearing Mu Xueli's words, Wang Li also chimed in:
"Yeah, that's how they prevent animals from becoming spirits. Otherwise, a fox spirit in these mountains would definitely have a broken tail."
Those who went to pan for gold all knew about Duanwei's help in finding gold for Wang An, so they were all very shocked by Duanwei's amazing ability, especially his ability to understand human speech.
The main reason for the tail loss is that it was a purely wild fox, unlike Big Black and Little Black, who only became human-like after spending all their time with people.
Wang An sighed and said helplessly:
"Sigh, I know it can be a great help, but what can I do if it doesn't want to come with us!"
After Wang An finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
When it comes to tail docking, no one can force it to do anything; it can only be done through discussion.
The group continued on their journey, accompanied only by the clatter of horses' hooves on the ground.
Whenever he had free time, Wang An would study those deer hides, so he basically knew the location of each old village well.
So everyone had a clear goal and headed straight for the first old village, which was the location marked on the deerskin that Han Shuisheng had given to Wang An.
Soon it was noon. The group was walking slowly, but they had covered more than 60 li (about 30 kilometers), and were only half a day's journey away from the old village that Han Shuisheng had mentioned.
Along the way, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai tried to bark several times, but Wang An forcibly calmed them down, repeatedly telling them that this time they wouldn't hunt in the mountains, and that they should just focus on their journey.
In this respect, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai are not as good as Da Hei. If it were Da Hei, it might only need to be told once and then it would stop talking.
However, it is in their nature for hunting dogs to bark when they spot prey, so Wang An never blamed them.
When they reached a mountain spring, Wang An looked up at the blazing sun, then glanced at his watch, and called to Mu Xueli and the other two:
"Let's rest here for a while, have something to eat, and then continue our journey."
In Heilongjiang Province, the weather starts to get cool in September, especially in the mornings and evenings. If you're only wearing a short-sleeved shirt or a blouse, you'll feel quite cold and need to put on a jacket.
Even at noon, the temperature was still very high, and it was still very hot if you went into the dense forest where there was little ventilation. At Wang An's call, Wang Li and the other two dismounted and helped each other unload all the baggage from their horses.
The purpose of doing this is to allow the horse to get some rest as well.
Fortunately, the vegetation in the mountains is very lush this season, so there's no need to prepare special fodder for the horses.
After unloading the supplies, they let the horses graze freely nearby. Wang An and his three companions spread several urea bags on the grass, took out their dry rations and pickled vegetables, and each scooped a bowl of spring water from the stream before eating and drinking.
The purpose of laying down urea bags is to prevent grasshoppers, mainly because there are a lot of grasshoppers this season. If you're not careful, you're really worried about getting bitten by these bastards.
Although Wang An got a lot of various medicines from Fang Xiu'e, including some specifically for dealing with ticks, it's true that if you get bitten by one of these things, the stinging sensation is really unbearable!
"Fourth Brother, do you think that old man Da Jiu Gang told you about it, might he have told others too?" Wang Li, who was eating a steamed bun, suddenly asked Wang An.
Wang An was taken aback upon hearing this, and frowned as he said uncertainly:
"I don't think so. His reputation has always been alright. He shouldn't do something so outrageous."
After a pause, Wang An casually added:
"It doesn't matter if others are told. He himself said that there's nothing of great quality in that old burrow. At most, it'll only produce a root and four leaves."
If it weren't for Han Shuisheng mentioning that this old village was the closest to his home and he could take a look while he was there, Wang An might have completely overlooked it during his ginseng digging trip.
It's just a mere fourth-grade ginseng leaf; the key question is whether it even exists, and whether it can be found at all. It really doesn't impress Wang An now.
After a simple meal, feeding the dogs and wolves, and watching the horses graze for over an hour, Wang An finally spoke:
"Let's go, let's try to get there today, get a good night's sleep, and if everything goes well, we'll start pulling the baton tomorrow once we find that sign."
And so, the group continued on their journey.
In the blink of an eye, an afternoon had passed. After arriving at a place that was shaded from the sun but blocked by a high mountain, Wang An subconsciously tugged at the reins and called out, "Yu."
Ginseng cannot live without sunlight, but it cannot be exposed to sunlight for a long time. Therefore, most wild ginseng grows in places with sunlight, but not too much sunlight.
Of course, these are just experiences summarized by ginseng diggers, and they may not be accurate.
Wang An took out a deerskin, carefully compared it with the surrounding terrain, and then said with great pleasure:
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the place."
Upon hearing Wang An's words, the group of men who had been riding horses for a day immediately jumped off their backs.
Of course, Wang An also jumped off his horse.
Anyone who rides a horse regularly knows that riding on horseback all the time is not a comfortable experience.
After Mu Xueli and the other two gathered around, Wang An, holding the deerskin, pointed to the hillside in front and said:
"Come on, all of you take a look. Is this the place depicted on this deerskin?"
As he spoke, Wang An handed the deerskin to Mu Xueli, who had arrived first, and then took out a cigarette while looking around.
Ignoring the three people who were looking at the map, Wang An lit a cigarette and started smoking.
The three of them, Mu Xueli and Mu Xueli, studied the deerskin for a long time before Mu Xueli finally nodded and said:
"It looks like it."
Immediately afterwards, Wang Li and Huang Zhong echoed:
"I think so too." (End of Chapter)