Chapter 1743
Don't Try Any Dirty Chapters with Me
The man's words were both slang among outlaws and ginseng hunters. In the ginseng hunter community, it meant that all ginseng hunters were one family, and that we were of the same origin.
However, while that's the general idea, it's really just about getting closer to the other person and lowering their guard.
If Wang An did not want to be enemies and wanted to live in peace, he could say, "Immortal flowers bloom on Bangchui Mountain, and we are inseparable under Suobo Cudgel."
It means, "We're all in the same business, as long as we follow the rules and don't steal goods, it's fine."
If Wang An wants to cooperate with the other party, then he can say, "One flower blooms into two, and the club is split in half."
But if Wang An didn't want the other side to stick their sticks around here, he could say, "The old hill is already full of flowers, so hurry up and go somewhere else."
These answers are all jargon used in ginseng digging, or what we might call slang. If the other party is a legitimate ginseng guild, they will understand them immediately, and it will also make Wang An seem very professional.
Unfortunately, Wang An was a layman, whether it was hunting in the mountains or digging for ginseng. He only had a superficial understanding of these slang terms. If Wang An were to answer the other party in the same slang terms, it would be impossible.
So after the other person finished speaking, Wang An waved his hand and said without any mercy:
"We're not from the bandits, we're not one of them, we're busy, you'd better stay away from here."
The people opposite exchanged glances, and then the one who had spoken earlier cupped his hands and said again:
"The sun shines briefly on the mountaintop; which deity is showing off their treasures?"
What this person means is, which ginseng gang are you from, and how long have you been digging here?
Of course, that's the gist of it. In reality, the other person is just trying to get closer and strike up a conversation. In jargon, you could say they're trying to "test the waters."
What the other party didn't expect was that Wang An and his three companions were not professional ginseng hunters at all, and were very amateurish in the field. If it weren't for the old Anzi map in hand, Wang An would never have gone into the mountains to dig for ginseng.
The main reason was that Wang An simply did not believe that he could find ginseng and ginseng nests by simply going into the mountains.
After the man finished speaking, Wang An said impatiently:
"Can't you understand human language? We're not outlaws. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't use slang on me. We don't understand it, you know?"
Wang An's words were quite impolite, so all the people on the other side turned red in the face, clearly angry.
However, seeing that Wang An and his three men each had a Type 54 pistol, and Huang Zhong had a Type 56 assault rifle on his back, while the opposing side, although they also had two hunting rifles, still dared not fire directly.
Over the past two weeks, Wang An felt that he didn't need a long spear at all when using batons, and carrying it on his back was quite cumbersome. So he put his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle into the bushes and would take it out when he returned to his residence.
Seeing that Wang An was no longer carrying a spear, Mu Xueli and Wang Li followed suit and hid their own spears in the bushes.
This means that all three of them only carried a Type 54 pistol for emergency use.
To be honest, though the range of the Type 54 is relatively short, it is definitely sufficient for use in these mountains.
As for Huang Zhong, this kid probably lacked a sense of security since childhood, so Wang An told him that he didn't need to carry the Type 56 assault rifle all the time, so as not to be a hindrance and tiring, but he just wouldn't agree and insisted on carrying it all the time.
After he said it twice, Wang An went along with it.
The seven men hesitated for a moment, then the one who seemed to be their leader finally managed a smile, and, no longer using coded language or beating around the bush, said:
"Brother, we're just trying to make a living in these mountains. We've been here for over half a month and haven't seen anything yet. We're almost at Honglangtou City. So, how about we make a deal? After you've finished wading through this area, we'll stay here and help you cross the river, okay?"
The so-called "flipping the raft" actually refers to the act of wading through the entire Lao'anzi first, and then wading through it a second, third, or even multiple times.
To put it bluntly, it's because they're afraid of missing any ginseng and having to search again several times.
Normally, although searching the fields can yield some results, the harvest is usually small. Finding one or two seedlings of lampstands or two Jiazi (a type of plant) would be considered a decent find. Wang An was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
The main problem is that they've been in the mountains for over half a month and haven't found anything yet. That's incredibly unprofessional!
While it's normal to come up empty-handed whether you're digging for ginseng or hunting in the mountains, it's really quite tragic to end up like this.
Of course, we can't rule out that the other party is lying and deliberately pretending to be poor, after all, you can't see into someone's heart.
However, no matter what, the other party's request was indeed not high, because they just wanted to follow along.
Wang Ankaba blew his eyes and asked:
Where are you all from?
The leader on the other side immediately said:
“We are from Yushu Village, Ping'an Township, DJ County.”
Upon hearing this person's answer, Wang An and the other three were immediately shocked.
Wang An and the other three are also from DJ County, but specifically from Xing'an Township within DJ County.
Ping'an Township and Xing'an Township are only separated by Anqing Township.
Wang An nodded and continued to ask:
Do you know Gao Liguo from Yushutun?
The Gao Liguo that Wang An mentioned was the eldest of the three Gao brothers that Wang An and Wang Li rescued when they went into the mountains to hunt meat.
To thank Wang An and Wang Li, the three brothers gave them a lot of ginseng.
Of course, Wang An was worried about the safety of the three brothers, so he also gave them a Type 56 Half car.
After Wang An finished asking the question, the other person immediately smiled and said:
“Yes, we know each other very well. He is the eldest son of the Gao family. He has three younger brothers: the second is Gao Limin, the third is Gao Lijun, and the fourth is Gao Libing.”
After a pause, the man continued:
“Since the three brothers came back from the mountain two years ago, their family has suddenly become rich. Now they live in a big brick house and drive a tractor. In our village, they would definitely be the boss. They are very wealthy.”
When he finished speaking, the man gave a thumbs up, his face full of envy.
Wang An nodded, feeling that these people probably weren't bad people.
Because Wang An only mentioned Gao Liguo's name, but the other party knew the Gao family's situation very well and was completely correct in what he said.
These were things the three Gao brothers told Wang An and Wang Li when they were chatting.
After thinking for a moment, Wang An asked:
"So what's your relationship?"
The man said with a wry smile:
"We live in the same village, and we're related by a small distance. We all learned our skill of carrying wooden mallets from the same master, so we're kind of like-minded fellow apprentices." (End of Chapter)