Siheyuan: Survival Guide for Courtyard No. 95

Along the way, almost every villager I met had a pale face. It can be seen that even the Xiangfang Village, which relies on the mountain for its livelihood, is starting to have a hard time.

When Zhao Shanhe asked along the way and found Gao Daquan, he almost didn't recognize him at first glance, because he was too tanned by the sun, and even in this state, he was still watering the fields in a big vest in the sun. Zhao Shanhe walked to the edge of the field and shouted.

"Gao Daquan, are you busy?"

When the other person heard someone calling him, he turned his head and was delighted to see that it was Zhao Shanhe. It was obvious that his skin and teeth were not the same color, making him look like an African.

Let the work of watering the fields be done by the people around you first, Gao Daquan quickly walked to the edge of the field and said to Zhao Shanhe.

"Brother, why are you here? What are you going to buy again?"

Zhao Shanhe took out a Daqianmen cigarette and handed it to him. After lighting it for him, he asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"Aren't you a hunter? Why are you still planting? Don't you need to go into the mountains to hunt?"

Gao Daquan almost choked on his cigarette when he asked this question.

"Who said hunters don't have to farm? How would I eat if I didn't farm? The kind you're talking about are professional hunters. They're in the mountains all year round. I hunt in the winter, but I have to farm in other seasons. Otherwise, I would have starved to death long ago."

Zhao Shanhe had only been doing purchasing for a very short time and had even less experience with these rural areas. If Gao Daquan hadn't told him all this, he really wouldn't have known there were so many things going on here.

"That's it. I thought I could ask you to take me into the mountains to catch some roe deer and goats. It seems that there is no chance this time."

When Gao Daquan heard the other party say that he wanted to go into the mountains to catch roe deer and goats, he felt that the opportunity to make money had come again, so he thought for a while and said.

"The only one who has time to go to the mountains at this time is Hunter Cao. His family has relied on hunting for generations. How about I take you over there to ask? His family is the only one that can catch roe deer and goats."

Of course Zhao Shanhe was more than happy to do so, so he asked Gao Daquan to lead the way, and asked about this year's harvest as they walked.

"Brother Gao, on my way here, I saw that the winter wheat in your village has been harvested almost completely. Logically, there shouldn't be a shortage of food. Why do the villagers look so pale? Is the harvest this year bad?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Daquan took a deep puff of his cigarette and hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Brother, it's enough for you to know about this, but don't tell anyone you see when you return to the city.

We encountered a spring drought this year. Our city of Sijiu is still okay. We should be able to harvest 80% of the grain in the summer harvest. It would be considered good if we can harvest half of the grain in places further north.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for us to have a small harvest, and we could get by with just gritting our teeth and holding on. But last year, the commune required the opening of a large canteen, which consumed all the stored grain of each household in one go. If our village secretary hadn’t insisted on not colluding with the commune, several people in the village might have starved to death by now.

But the current situation is still very bad. After handing in all the grain, it is hard to say whether the remaining food will be enough to last until the autumn harvest. If the weather is good in the second half of the year, it will be fine. If there is another drought or heavy rain, many families will probably go without food by the beginning of next spring."

Zhao Shanhe's heart began to beat fast after listening to Gao Daquan's story. This was only the first year of the three-year disaster, and the people in the countryside were already considering whether they could have food to eat next year. However, all the major restaurants in the city were still operating as usual, and the food supply had been very stable. Although there was less pork in the vegetable market, at least there was no shortage of food.

When people in the countryside can’t even get enough food to eat next year, will people in the city still be able to continue dancing and having fun?

Gao Daquan and Zhao Shanhe walked quite fast and in more than 20 minutes they arrived at the house in Xiangfang Village that was closest to the mountain. They were lucky as the hunters had not yet entered the mountain. After some negotiations, Zhao Shanhe realized that his idea of ​​digging a trap to catch roe deer was simply not feasible.

This hunter is called Cao Liangyu. He is the last professional hunter in Xiangfang Village. He is much more professional than Gao Daquan, the fake hunter who fishes for three days and rests for two days.

"Purchaser Zhao, if you want to catch live roe deer, this season is just right because from now until the end of August it is the time when roe deer give birth. It is difficult to catch the big ones, so we can catch the small ones.

As for goats, you don't have to worry about them. They run faster than rabbits in the mountains and are extremely alert. It's impossible to catch them alive."

After listening to the other party's explanation, Zhao Shanhe couldn't help but secretly praise him. This master is worthy of the skills passed down from his ancestors. He is really a professional.

It is said that professional matters should be left to professionals, Zhao Shanhe said directly.

"Master Cao, our factory wants to get some roe deer and goats to entertain our guests. If you can help catch some, I will definitely reward you handsomely. Whether you need food, cloth, iron tools or anything else, I can help you get it."

Cao Liangyu did this job, so of course he would not refuse. Zhao Shanhe made an agreement with him that if they caught any animals alive, Gao Daquan would inform him, no matter big or small, roe deer or goats. It would be even better if they could get domestic pigs and calves.

The last two items were added temporarily by Zhao Shanhe. These professional hunters all have their own connections, and they know more people than Zhao Shanhe. If any commune has the goods, they will know it first.

There are several to a dozen communes in a county, and each commune generally has 2 to 3 villages. If Cao Liangyu also knows the hunters in other communes, that would be much better than Zhao Shanhe running around on his own.

At the same time, at the Sijiucheng Hotel, Xu Damao had been waiting here for more than an hour. Zhao Shanhe had guessed it right, he was here for a blind date with Lou Xiaoe today.

It was almost time for lunch when two women came over led by a waiter. One was older and dressed elegantly. She should be Lou Bancheng's wife, Lou Tan. The other one looked like she had just graduated not long ago, if not a student. She had an average look but good temperament. She should be Lou Xiao'e.

Thanks to his mother's earnest teachings, Xu Damao immediately stood up and went over to greet him, talking as he walked.

"Auntie Tan, Miss Lou, hello, I'm Xu Damao."

It was also the first time that Lou Tan met Xu Damao. In the past, Gao Xiaojuan had always told her how outstanding her son was, but when she met him today, she felt that he was just so-so.

"You are Damao, right? Your mother has praised you in front of me many times. This is my Xiao'e. You two are about the same age, so you should have some common topics. Xiao'e, this is Aunt Gao's son Xu Damao. You should call him Brother Damao."

Lou Xiao'e watched her mother's introduction and shouted along.

"Brother Damao."

When Xu Damao saw Lou Xiao'e, he had already made up his mind to pursue her. His mother said that the Lou family had plenty of money and even the steel rolling mill used to belong to the Lou family. If he married this rich girl, he would never lack money in his life.

After inviting the two distinguished guests to their seats, Xu Damao waved his hand and asked the waiter to start serving the dishes. The menu was also carefully prepared by his mother, and almost all of it was Lou Xiaoe'e's favorite food.