It really is, wherever Yongzhu is, that’s the best place for him, incomparable.
Since Yongzhu likes it so much, no matter what, he must buy this valley and hillside and give them to Yongzhu.
At this moment, Yang Zongbao had already pulled out a small, delicate dagger from his boot and was peeling deer skin.
His technique was very professional and skillful.
Seeing Wang Yongzhu walk over, he made a few gestures, hinting that he wanted to make two pairs of boots for Wang Yongzhu using the deer skin.
Wang Yongzhu looked down at his own feet, casually wearing cloth shoes. Because it had just rained, the mountain path was wet and muddied, and the sun had dried them so much that the original color was unrecognizable.
Then he looked at Yang Zongbao’s boots, made from some unknown animal skin, and even Song Chongjin was wearing old boots.
This must have been why Yang Zongbao decided to make boots for Wang Yongzhu.
Wang Yongzhu felt touched in his heart and didn’t mind that Yang Zongbao’s clothes were stained with blood and he was holding a half-skinned, bloody deer.
He walked over, squatted beside Yang Zongbao, smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, Uncle! If there’s extra skin, I’ll make you a vest!"
Wrinkles at the corners of Yang Zongbao’s eyes appeared as he laughed, and his hands moved even more skillfully. Wang Yongzhu wasn’t avoiding it at all, discussing with Yang Zongbao how to cook deer meat in 108 different ways.
Song Chongjin silently looked at himself, having never worn a leather vest made by his own Yongzhu.
He pinched the bow and arrow that Yang Zongbao had thrown over, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Humph! This time, he let it pass, but once his mourning period was over, he would definitely hunt seventeen or eighteen deer and let Yongzhu make him a leather robe!
What’s a leather vest compared to that?
Cleaning up the deer meat took most of the afternoon, and the sun was already leaning westward.
The three set up a stone stove, slowly roasting the deer.
Yang Zongbao and Song Chongjin excused themselves to collect firewood, and after a short while, Yang Zongbao returned with a nest of bird eggs, while Song Chongjin found some fresh wild mushrooms.
After cleaning them, they strung up the mushrooms and roasted them over the fire, alongside some buns.
Soon, the aroma filled the air.
When the deer meat, mushrooms, and buns were all roasted, Yang Zongbao rummaged through the ashes and placed the bird eggs carefully in, first covering them with some ashes, then adding the partially burned wood on top.
After almost finishing their meal, Yang Zongbao cleared the ashes, taking out the bird eggs that were now roasted. He wrapped the perfect ones in leaves and handed them to Wang Yongzhu.
The broken, ash-covered ones were thrown to Song Chongjin.
Song Chongjin didn’t mind; after all, the good ones were for Yongzhu. He thanked Yang and ate the broken ones in a few bites.
After they finished eating, Yang Zongbao pointed at the hillside, talking to Wang Yongzhu about how this mountain was good—it wasn’t too far from Qilidun, and the terrain was stable, making it a great place.
Song Chongjin agreed enthusiastically: "If we build a tea plantation here in the future, it would be relatively safe since there aren’t many wild beasts. Moreover, the terrain is suitable for building houses if we hire someone to watch the plantation. The soil here is fertile, making it easy to cultivate a vegetable garden. This large valley with a nearby river could be transformed to grow two acres of rice paddies! Combined with hunting, we could be entirely self-sufficient!"
As he spoke, Song Chongjin couldn’t help but feel hopeful.
"In the future, if we grow old, we could retire here!"
Wang Yongzhu shared the same sentiment and nodded eagerly.
Since they had decided on the location, they didn’t rush around anymore as the sun was setting and it was too late to return to Qilidun.
They were all prepared to spend the night in the mountains; one look at each other and they understood.
Song Chongjin knew of a nearby cave, not large but enough to accommodate three people overnight.
Sure enough, the cave wasn’t far, just across the river, relatively clean with traces of human activity and ashes.
While tidying up the cave, Song Chongjin explained: "This is one of the resting spots for hunters. It’s relatively safe here with water sources nearby, so hunters often spend the night in this cave."
Showing familiarity, Song Chongjin found a clay pot, a small bag of salt, flint, a small pile of firewood, and half a bag of sweet potatoes from the cave’s corners.
Seeing all this, Yang Zongbao’s eyes showed a hint of melancholy, which quickly faded.
"These items were left by the last hunter resting here. We must leave something behind for the next person, otherwise, someone might depend on these lifesaving supplies someday and be in trouble if there’s nothing left." Although it wasn’t the first time Song Chongjin entered the mountains with Wang Yongzhu, it was the first time he relaxedly explained hunting regulations.
Wang Yongzhu listened intently, and the couple tidied up the cave lovingly while chatting.
Yang Zongbao found it hard to stay put. This fortunate niece and her husband, though not doing anything special, their loving glances and smiles were blinding.
Feeling he couldn’t stand their public display of affection, Yang Zongbao found an excuse and slipped out.
After cleaning up the cave, the couple set up a fire, boiled a pot of hot water, and Wang Yongzhu took out tea leaves to brew tea, soon filling the cave with tea fragrance.
Although they didn’t have cups, Song Chongjin didn’t mind. He quickly went outside, chopped a bamboo as thick as a bowl, and carved several cups.
Holding the bamboo cups, Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin discussed buying the mountain. Silver wasn’t a concern, as Wang Yongzhu had enough to not only buy this kind of remote valley but could purchase many properties even in the provincial capital, let alone the Capital City.
Silver wasn’t the issue; the problem was manpower.
The place was great, but too remote. Who would be willing to come here, nearly isolated from the world?
Wang Yongzhu was a bit worried; it was hard to hire people.
Song Chongjin didn’t mind: "What’s the big deal? If outsiders don’t want to come, we’ll hire people from the mountains. Hunters from places like Xia Chongzi Gully and Yingzi Gully would be willing. There are at least ninety hunters in Dahei Mountain. With enough silver, we can always find someone willing to come. Don’t worry about this; leave it to me!"