A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 66 Pine Forest

The barren mountain opposite changes every day. Every evening, Zhang Niu would call Big Wolf to go up to the top of the slope to take a look. The fruit seedlings on his own Maotou Mountain, which hadn't been watered much, were far inferior to those on the bamboo house side, showing no signs of sprouting.

The brood of pheasants we caught from the coop are now foraging for food in the grass outside. They obediently return to the coop at night. The two people watching said the pheasants have made the coop their home.

Standing by the pond, you can see many small snails clinging to the bamboo poles in the water. They're much bigger than the sesame seeds they bought before, now about the size of a little finger. It seems raising snails in this pond is a good idea. Zhang Niu still prefers stream fish to pond fish; they taste better and are milder, but there aren't many available. Now, catching stream fish isn't allowed either. You can only fish by hook and stick. Using poison, electric nets, or blast fishing are all prohibited. However, you can still see people wearing waders and carrying batteries fishing every day along the fields and streams.

Zhang Niu is quite free during the day now. He just feeds the ducks in the morning, and a few days ago he asked Fatty Qian to buy a lot of long grass to plant around half a circle in the pond near the duck shed. Long grass is actually quite similar to sugarcane, also segmented. Sugarcane is thick and sweet, while long grass looks rather ordinary. Last time he caught a batch of fish, and Zhang Niu bought a lot more, mostly grass carp. A sack of long grass only costs a few dozen yuan. It can cover the entire pond bank. He harvests it in batches, a bit like chives.

A light drizzle fell in early spring. Zhang Niu walked home, holding an umbrella. Today was the village chief's baby's one-month celebration. His father had told him last night to go home early and dress properly, so as not to be impolite. Zhang Niu nodded repeatedly.

My dad is feeding the piglets at home; he just bought them in town a few days ago. They only weigh about 30 pounds when he bought them, and the piglets are panting and munching on their feed in the stone bowl. I asked my dad, and he told me that my mom and younger sister went over there together. My mom went to help out, but my sister is just there for the fun of it.

The village chief's house was packed with guests today. It was only ten o'clock and already quite a few people had arrived. Each guest was invited to the table for a bowl of brown sugar boiled eggs. Zhang Niu also sat down at the table to eat. He followed the guests into the inner room to see the baby. In the village, women usually return to their parents' home for postpartum care. Their parents will take care of them; after all, they've been through it all and know what needs to be done carefully. If the postpartum period isn't properly managed, the mother will be weak and have many health problems later on.

The baby placed beside the bed had just finished drinking milk and was fast asleep, curled up there. The younger sister following behind reached out and gently touched the baby's soft, white skin. This was met with the baby crying.

Everyone around praised the child for being cute and resembling her mother. Zhang Niu looked at her for a while but couldn't quite make out the mother lying on the bed. He remembered that when he was little, many people said she looked like his mother.

At noon, eight tables of relatives and friends gathered for a meal and drinks. The adults drank at one large table, and the children at another. There weren't many young people present, and Zhang Niu didn't recognize any of them. It was all very unfamiliar; very few people in the village, like Zhang Niu, could afford to lease wasteland and earn money there—most worked in the county town.

At the banquet, the village chief, who was quite drunk, held up a large bowl and said, "My son gave birth to a girl for me. I'm very happy, and I guess I have a granddaughter now. But what makes me even happier is that our village is going to start building roads. The roads will all the way to the town, and they'll all be paved with cement."

Zhang Niu, who was gnawing on a meat bone below, was also stunned. What? They're going to build a road?

After taking a sip of his drink, the village chief ignored the discussion below and continued, "The county will provide half of the funding, the boss who leased the barren mountain will contribute 40%, and the rest will be contributed by each villager."

Soon, someone from the same village shouted, "It's good that the road is being repaired! I wonder how much each family will contribute."

"Yes," various voices quickly followed.

"Each household will contribute 1,000 yuan. In addition, the village will organize road repairs, with a daily wage of 50 yuan," the village chief added to the previous topic.

Everyone thought this was a reasonable suggestion. After all, there was still road construction to be done. The road from the town to Zhangjia Village would take at least a month to repair, which would cost nearly three thousand yuan.

Zhang Niu was a little puzzled. Why would the county government fund road construction in such a small place as Zhangjia Village? Then he remembered what Boss Wang had said about Zhangjia Village being surrounded by mountains. It must have been a notice from a high-ranking official in the provincial capital, otherwise the road construction wouldn't have been arranged for Zhangjia Village.

The good news at noon made everyone especially happy during lunch. The news that the dirt road outside the village would be paved with cement quickly spread throughout the village, and almost everyone was discussing it, especially the wages for road construction. Families with many sons were also preparing to work there for a month or two.

The next morning, the village loudspeaker announced that everyone should go to the village entrance to pay money. The village chief sat at the entrance, holding a long table. People signed and paid one by one. His assistant, Zhang, was also there, recruiting road construction workers.

Zhang Niu also came out with the money. Quite a few villagers were preparing to repair the road. Most importantly, the wages were pretty good, and they could go home for lunch. He'd heard there would even be a lunch allowance.

Two days after receiving the money, the villagers began construction. Excavators led the way, digging ditches and widening the road. The entire morning was filled with the sound of cars. The villagers working there were exceptionally diligent. In addition to the villagers from Zhangjia Village, many villagers from nearby areas also joined in.

The weather was strangely cold these past few days while the road was being repaired, with continuous spring rain. Zhang Niu put on his rubber boots early in the morning, picked up his vegetable basket, and prepared to go into the pine forest to pick some "Yuanren" mushrooms. All the able-bodied men in the village were out repairing the road. The women at home were not idle either; they all took their baskets early and went into the continuous pine forest behind the mountain.

"Yuanren" mushrooms are quite different from other mushrooms. They are entirely brown and have a herbal aroma. They sprout after the first light rains of early spring, always around this time every year. This year, as soon as they appeared, many vendors came to buy them at fifteen yuan per kilogram. Zhang Niu had to admit that these astute vendors were quite shrewd.

Walking along the mountain road, you can see several women chatting about everyday things ahead of you.

"Zhang Wa, why don't you go up and pick some pistachios too?"

Looking back, I realized it was Aunt Zhang from the village. The village's notoriously fierce housekeeper said, "Yes. Go in and pick some to try; it's only available for a short time each year."

As Aunt Zhang approached, she said, "You're going into the pine forest. Be careful. I heard there's a hive of bees there recently."

"Bees? Aren't they supposed to be gone around this time of year?" Zhang Niu asked after thinking for a moment.

Aunt Zhang shook her head. "I don't know. My third aunt got stung a few days ago. It's still swollen. I just remembered to tell you."

Zhang Niu nodded. "Thanks. Otherwise, I might have accidentally won the lottery."

Watching Aunt Zhang walk away, Zhang Niu wondered to himself. Bees and wasps are the same kind of creature, both highly aggressive. It seemed he had to be careful; a few stings would be bad enough.

The pine forest has remained unchanged for over twenty years. People from other villages rarely come here. They keep the resources within their own borders. There's a mountain caretaker at the entrance; he only stays there during the day when the pine trees are in bloom. The prices are high because he's afraid people from other villages will also come to the pine forest to pick the fruit.

Early in the morning, Grandpa Zhang, who guards the mountain, was clearing weeds in front of the small wooden house.

"Good morning, Uncle Zhang. Still busy?" he said, offering a cigarette.

Grandpa Zhang, who had just been weeding, stopped. Seeing the cigarette offered to him, he took it. "Zhang boy, that's thoughtful of you. Aren't you feeling a bit stuffy? Do some weeding or something to get some exercise. Are you planning to go in and pick some barley?"

"Yeah, I heard there are wasps in there, is that true?" Zhang Niu asked, remembering the bees.

"You've heard about it, haven't you? I was worried that people going into the mountains to pick them wouldn't know, so I even hung a wooden sign in front of the house."

Looking towards the cabin, a black wooden sign hung on the wall with the words "Be careful entering the mountains, bees" written in large chalk characters. It seems Grandpa Zhang is quite kind; he even put up a sign for everyone to see.

"Then you go ahead and get busy. Go inside first."

"Go ahead. Be careful not to get stung by the bees."

I walked into the pine forest. Stepping on the yellowed pine needles, thick and soft, it felt a bit like walking on a sponge. The temperature dropped significantly after only a short while.

The outermost pods are rarely visible; anyone peeking out, big or small, is picked first. If you want to pick them, you have to go inside. The older women who went in earlier have vanished in an instant; it seems they're picking pods incredibly fast.

As you go further in, the light dims considerably, and a few brown kernels occasionally peek out from under the thick pine needles, easily missed if you're not paying attention. Picking them, with specks of soil still clinging to them, releases the distinctive aroma of the kernels. At first, most people find it unpleasant, but after a while, they realize the smell is actually quite pleasant. Roasted kernels, however, don't have this smell; they have a particularly fresh aroma.

In the pine forest, there were very few other mushrooms. I don't know why there are so few *Yuanren* mushrooms on other mountains, but so many other mushrooms. It's a strange thing, but at least I don't have to worry about picking the wrong one and dying from it.

The basket was already full. Quite a few people were picking too; four or five plants huddled together under each tree. Zhang Niu, like them, picked indiscriminately, regardless of size. He left the really small ones aside. After all, green water flows on.

Zhang Niu unknowingly walked deeper into the space. Suddenly, "Little Dot" popped out of the space, climbed onto Zhang Niu's shoulder, and was holding a small cherry in its paws.

Watching the little one on my shoulder reach out and brush off the green leaves from its body, I said, "You little rascal. Why do you always stay in the leaves? There are always leaves everywhere when you come out."

"Squeak, squeak!" Little Dot squeaked towards a large tree in the distance after finishing its cherries. Zhang Niu felt that Little Dot was acting a little strange today. Ever since it was able to enter the space, Little Dot rarely followed him out when he went into the mountains.

Seeing the little one pointing ahead with its paw, Zhang Niu rubbed its head, "Are we going to the front? Don't get me in trouble." Looking at the dark shadow in the tree, goosebumps rose on Zhang Niu's hands.

The closer Zhang Niu got to the tree, the faster his heart raced. He even suspected his own heart was pounding. When he was about five meters directly in front of the tree, the little one on his shoulder flapped its tiny paws and chirped. From Zhang Niu's vantage point, he could see that dark shape was—a beehive. Bees were flying in and out from the vicinity, making Zhang Niu's hair stand on end. This was just too much.

Zhang Niu, who was about to run away with the little one, realized that the little one had already jumped down and was running towards the hive. "Little one, come back quickly!" Zhang Niu called out from behind. But the little one ignored him and continued running forward, a dark shadow flashing towards the hive. The bees outside also noticed the intrusion. A buzzing sound began to rise.

Just as Zhang Niu was worrying, a large bee, as thick as a thumb, flew out of the beehive. Its entire body was red, clearly different from the black bees on the outside. The little bee quickly scurried up the tree and perched on a branch. The large bee, buzzing and flapping its transparent wings, flew to the little bee. After the large bee emerged, the surrounding bees, which had swarmed around, all remained still, continuing with their usual activities as if nothing had happened.

Seeing that the little one was alright, Zhang Niu, who was in the distance, felt relieved, but he still huddled behind a tree. If he pretended to be smart and went up there, he would surely get caught.

The red queen bee, the same color as the little one's fur, landed on the little one's paw. After a few chirps, the queen bee flew into the hive. The little one crawled to the edge of the hive, stretched out its paws, and plucked out yellow honey from the honeycomb, licking its little paws with obvious delight. Zhang Niu was taken aback; so they were discussing eating honey. A faint fragrance drifted in from afar on the breeze.

"It smells so good! Wild honey is really something special," Zhang Niu thought, his mouth watering at the aroma, but he managed to suppress his cravings when he saw the swarm of bees.

After licking the honey, the little one ran back to Zhang Niu. It stretched out its paw and made a human-like gesture, indicating that it wanted to follow. Zhang Niu could only carefully follow behind.

The little one in front clapped its tiny paws happily, while Zhang Niu in the back was a bit miserable. All around was the buzzing of bees. When they got to the tree, they saw that the beehive was as big as a large washbasin.

The queen bee that went in flew out, followed by another small, red wasp. That must be the queen bee. It was flying around in front of me.

The little bee in front dug out some honey and licked it, then turned back and squeaked at Zhang Niu. It grabbed the queen bee and went into its spatial dimension. Seeing that no one was around, Zhang Niu also entered the space to see what the little bee was up to.

The space has changed a bit. The lighting is brighter, and Zhang Niu senses that the space is about to transform. The little one has already climbed up the cherry tree, and the queen bee is perched on a nearby flower bud.

The little one hopped around, then went out and brought in another little queen wasp. The two huddled together, buzzing as if they were discussing something.

Zhang Niu watched them fly around, and soon the little one brought the whole beehive in. "No way, does he want to keep bees in here?" Hearing this, the little one nodded.

Zhang Niu was sweating bullets as he watched the bees scatter. He hadn't expected the little one to release such a large swarm of bees, and now even bring their nest in. "Are the two families related?" he wondered.

Since Zhang Niu can't kick him out, he's practically asking for death. He'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't give him a good beating.

The bees began building a new hive on the plum tree. Zhang Niu planned to take the remaining hive on the ground home. "The honey smells so good! I'll add some to the dough," he smacked his lips.

"If you've built a beehive, then at least don't sting yourself later, otherwise you'll really be unlucky." This is Zhang Niu's reluctant admission that bees live inside.

After leaving the space, all the bees outside had disappeared; they were probably all inside. It seemed he had done a good deed for the village. There was still a small beehive by the tree that the little one hadn't brought in. Not wanting to waste anything, Zhang Niu put the small beehive in his basket.

The second update of 4,000 words is here. Please recommend and add to your favorites.