Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

"Grandma, Auntie, I'm fine."

Lin Ze was all smiles.

In the bamboo basket he carried, there were pheasants and eggs at the bottom, and wild vegetables and mushrooms on top.

"Lin Ze, you picked so many mushrooms. Hey, there are also white boletus, which is delicious."

"Yeah, Xiaoze, your basket is full. They can't all be mushrooms and wild vegetables. You have good endurance."

Lin Ze was in no hurry to show off his gains to them, "Grandma, Auntie, let's go home first."

It was just about to set, and the other women and children who were picking wild vegetables had already returned home.

The chirping of crickets gradually began to be heard in the grass around.

Lin Ze followed behind Liu Ying and Wang Erni, always paying attention to the movements in the mountains. In case any wild beast rushed out, he could put the beast into the space as soon as possible.

Liu Ying looked back from time to time, fearing that his eldest grandson would disappear in the blink of an eye.

It only took half an hour to get back to the village, and the three of them chatted idly along the way.

"Xiao Ze, you're going back to your hometown today. Why don't you stay there? It's so nice to live with your grandparents." Liu Ying said.

After leaving the mountains and walking on the path between the fields, Lin Ze's nervousness immediately dissipated as he saw militiamen guarding the crops with guns.

He replied, "No, grandma, I'll be back in the city after playing for two days. My parents are waiting for me at home."

"Lin Ze is such a good kid, very filial. He's nothing like those two naughty kids in my family who only know how to be naughty."

The three of them quickly returned to Lin Changgui's house. The old man was lying on a recliner, holding a palm-leaf fan, and was occasionally driving away mosquitoes.

Before returning to the house, Lin Ze called Wang Erni and said, "Aunt, come to my grandfather's house and have a drink of water."

Wang Erni did not refuse Lin Ze's invitation. She followed Liu Ying into the old man's courtyard.

Lin Ze stuck his head out, looked around, and made sure that there was no one around the door before closing it.

"Father, milk."

Lin Ze took out the wild vegetables and various mushrooms from the basket on his back. Only then did Liu Ying and Wang Erni see the two pheasants and more than twenty pheasant eggs in the basket.

"Oh my God, where did this good thing come from!"

Liu Ying was shocked, and Wang Erni couldn't believe it either. They hadn't noticed along the way that Lin Ze was carrying so many good things.

"I caught them in the mountains. These two pheasants are from the same family. I caught them all at once."

Lin Changgui also came over. He patted Lin Ze's shoulder heavily and said with a smile, "You are a good boy. You are quite like your grandfather when he was young."

"Master, I remember you always said you were good at hunting when you were young. Do you still have your hunting rifle?"

"Yes, of course, but I am a little old..."

"Master, it doesn't matter if it's old. When can you show it to me? It will open my eyes..."

"Come on, my eldest grandson wants to see it, so there's no reason not to take it out."

The old man returned to the bedroom and took out an old-fashioned shotgun from the wooden wardrobe. Lin Ze touched the gun with his hand, and his aura immediately changed.

"Master, lend me this gun tomorrow. It will be safer for me to carry it with me when I go up the mountain."

"You want to go up the mountain tomorrow...?"

Lin Ze was chatting with the old man casually, while Wang Erni went to light a fire and clean up the pheasants without being told.

Liu Ying helped Wang Erni and said with a smile while working, "Thanks to my eldest grandson, I can have a good meal today."

Wang Erni stewed the pheasant with mushrooms.

The rest of the mushrooms were stir-fried in another pot. Since Lin Ze had picked enough mushrooms, there was no need to add wild vegetables to the mushrooms.

A big pot of delicious mushrooms is quickly stir-fried.

When the pheasant stewed with mushrooms is almost done, stick some sorghum flour and cornmeal cakes on the edge of the pot and you can eat quickly.

"Xiao Ze, go to the back and call your uncle and the two hooligans over for dinner."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Before Lin Zeren arrived, Lin Musheng came over with his two little ones.

"Lin Ze, are you coming to the countryside?"

"Yes, uncle." Lin Ze said with a smile.

Lin Ze, the younger uncle, wears a pair of glasses and looks gentle and refined.

"What are your grandparents cooking? It smells so good."

"Yeah, big brother, what are grandpa and grandma cooking? I'm so greedy." Lin Wen and Lin Wu both had eager expressions.

"You'll know when you arrive."

It’s not that Lin Ze wants to keep it a secret. His uncle’s house and his grandparents’ house are close to each other, and it’s only a few steps away.

"well."

When Lin Musheng walked into Grandpa Lin's house, the fragrance became even stronger.

The rich meaty aroma of chicken stewed with mushrooms and the fresh fragrance of fried mushrooms rush into your nostrils.

"Mom, did you get rich today?"

Lin Musheng asked in surprise, "Where did you pick these mushrooms? They are so old."

Lin Changgui replied cheerfully, "These good things were all obtained by Lin Ze. Without your good nephew, you wouldn't be able to taste any of them."

Lin Musheng looked at Lin Ze in surprise, "You are quite capable."

"Meat, milk, I want to eat meat!"

“I want to eat meat too!!”

Lin Wen and Lin Wu's eyes were full of stars. They wished they could grow taller so that they could just lift the lid of the pot and eat the meat.

"Two little bastards, wait a minute, the meat is not cooked yet!" Wang Erni scolded.

Fortunately, the wind was blowing from the east today, so the aroma of Lin Changgui's chicken stewed with mushrooms did not blow into the village.

As the village party secretary, Lin Musheng naturally had no reason to report his own father.

Even if it is reported, it is legal. There is no rule that explicitly stipulates that ordinary people cannot go up the mountain to catch pheasants to eat.

While they were chatting, the chicken was quickly stewed. Wang Erni first served a bowl to old man Lin Changgui, then served a bowl to Lin Ze, and Lin Wen and Lin Wu each had a piece.

"Where's mine?" Lin Musheng became unhappy instantly and stared at the remaining meat in the pot without blinking.

Wang Erni served half a bowl to old lady Liu Ying, and suddenly only two pieces of meat were left in the pot.

Lin Ze couldn't bear it any longer, so he gave half of the meat in his bowl to his uncle.

"Aunt, you can try two pieces too."

"Give me your hunting rifle. I will bring back more prey tomorrow when I go into the mountains."

"That's impossible, old man. Xiaoze is still a child." Liu Ying said.

Lin Changgui was happy, "Old lady, don't be nervous. I will take my grandson to practice shooting tomorrow. I will let him go into the mountains when I am sure he can use it."

"Thank you, Ozawa"

"Hey, thank you, nephew."

Wang Erni and Lin Musheng didn't hesitate to hear that. They picked up a piece and put it in their mouths to taste it carefully.

Come to think of it, they haven't tasted meat for two years.

Lin Ze himself was tasting the white porcini he had picked with a sorghum flour pancake.

White boletus, also known as delicious boletus, tastes just as good as chicken when stir-fried in half a pan, and is fresh, fragrant and sweet.

"Brother Ze, Brother Ze, we have to go up the mountain tomorrow too!" Lin Wen shouted.

Lin Ze gave them a dessert after the meal, half a pound of purple mulberries. The two boys’ fingers and mouths were all purple from eating so much.

Lin Wu was so greedy that he accidentally bit his tongue and stammered, "Yes, there are so many delicious foods on the mountain."

"Let your brother Ze practice his shooting skills tomorrow. You two guys will only cause trouble for your brother Ze if you go up the mountain."