sbdcsierra Chapter 1966 The Merchant Who Died in the Mountains
Chapter 1966 The Merchant Who Died in the Mountains
Chapter 1966 The Merchant Who Died in the Mountains
Zhao Youcai panicked!
During the week Zhao Jun was away, Zhao Youcai stayed home for the entire week. He used to be able to take his apprentices to explore the southern regions, but now Wang Meilan wouldn't let him go out at all.
Having finally made it up the mountain today, and now that we've come this far, how could Zhao Youcai be willing to go back?
"Beat Xiong Ba?" Before Zhao Jun could speak, Tong Youfeng interjected, "The one who wreaked havoc on the pig farm?"
“Yes, yes, yes!” Zhao Youcai nodded repeatedly. He knew Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan well and knew that only when outsiders got involved would the mother and daughter stop him from going up the mountain.
So, before Zhao Jun could speak, Zhao Youcai said to Tong Youfeng and Wu Dalin, "Aren't you working at the threshing ground? If we go over there, can't you come back with us?"
As he spoke, Zhao Youcai pointed to the jeep over there and said to Tong Youfeng, "There's a car to take you back, so you won't have to walk."
"Dad." Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun quickly tugged at Zhao Youcai's arm and said, "They've finally come back, let them stay at home for one night, and then they can leave with my brother Zhong tomorrow."
Even though Zhao Jun had said that, Tong Youfeng still stepped forward and said, "Young Master Zhao, my family is fine. I'll go up the mountain with your father."
Zhao Jun glanced at Tong Youfeng, finding the man utterly unreliable. Meanwhile, Zhao Youcai was also quite dissatisfied with Tong Youfeng. This man called Zhao Jun "Young Master Zhao," but when it came to him, he became "your father"—it was utterly absurd.
But now is not the time to worry about that. Zhao Youcai said to Zhao Jun, "Son, you take the guests home, and then we'll go up the mountain."
Now that things had come to this point, Zhao Jun couldn't stop Zhao Youcai any longer. He could only instruct, "Dad, if you can fight Xiong Ba, then fight him; if you can't, then forget it. After that, give those two clappers to Grandpa Hai and let him fire two a day. Just make sure Xiong Xiazi doesn't go."
"Alright, I got it." Zhao Youcai was getting a little impatient and told Wang Qiang and the others to get in the car and leave.
Zhao Weipeng and Zhao Jinhui drove away in a jeep, leaving behind Zhao Jun, Liu Jinrong, and several others from Xishantun.
"Young Master, we're heading back now." Wu Dalin said respectfully to Zhao Jun, "And please give my regards to Madam."
Wu Dalin's words left Liu Jinrong stunned. He'd just heard people call Zhao Jun "Young Master," and he'd assumed it was a nickname. He hadn't expected there to be a "Grandma" too…
"Okay, sure." Zhao Jun responded, then looked at the boys and said to Wu Dalin, "These kids all need to go to school. How can they manage if they can't even read?"
As Zhao Jun said this, he thought to himself, "These kids are all worse than me. They're so old and they can't even read. What's the point of all this?"
"Yes, yes, young master, you're right." Wu Dalin replied repeatedly, "Madam said the same thing. After that, we'll let them all go to school in September."
“That’s right, this is the important thing,” Zhao Jun said. “It’s better to have them study for a few years with some guidance than not to study at all.”
After saying this, Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "Then you can go back. We're leaving too."
After saying that, Zhao Jun led Liu Jinrong back.
The two chatted as they walked. Liu Jinrong, who was capable of traveling all the way from Guangzhou to the remote mountains of Northeast China to do business, spoke with remarkable tact and precision. Even Zhao Jun couldn't extract any useful information from him.
And so, the two returned to the Zhao family compound.
When they arrived at the gate, they found it closed, but they could hear sporadic barking of dogs and laughter of children coming from inside.
Zhao Jun pushed open the door and invited Liu Jinrong in, whereupon he saw the children playing with the little black bear.
The little black bear stood upright like a human, wearing a red cloth cloak, with its paws clasped together, holding a wooden spear with a red tassel.
Surrounding it were Zhao Hong, wearing a lynx fur skirt and holding a wooden stick, scratching her head, and Li Xiaoqiao, holding a wooden rake.
Seeing Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie besiege the Black Wind Monster, Liu Jinrong was almost speechless with astonishment.
With the popularity of "Journey to the West", the image of the four pilgrims has become deeply rooted in people's hearts.
What surprised Liu Jinrong at this moment was not the children's appearance, after all, no matter how well they dressed up, they could not compare to the actors.
To Liu Jinrong's surprise, the "Black Wind Monster" was actually a real bear.
Even the Black Wind Monster in "Journey to the West" didn't use a real bear, so how could such a thing happen in this small mountain village!
What surprised Liu Jinrong even more was that upon seeing Zhao Jun, the "Black Wind Monster" dropped his red-tasseled spear and ran straight towards Zhao Jun.
Liu Jinrong let out a strange cry and turned to run out of the courtyard.
"Where are you going!" Zhao Jun was startled, then quickly shouted, "It doesn't eat people!"
……
Ten minutes later, Liu Jinrong sat trembling in the courtyard of the Zhao family's outer room, his hands shaking as he accepted the Zhonghua cigarettes that Xing San offered him.
"You're incredibly fast." Zhao Jun sat opposite Liu Jinrong, placed a pair of chopsticks in front of him, and said, "Even if I chased you that fast, I couldn't catch up."
Liu Jinrong grinned, revealing an ugly smile.
At this moment, Wang Meilan placed a large enamel plate on the table and smiled at Liu Jinrong, saying, "We don't have any fancy dishes at home, so please don't mind."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jinrong quickly offered some polite words, but looking at the dishes in front of him, he seemed somewhat bewildered.
This dish has a dark soy sauce color, but Liu Jinrong, who has been in Northeast China for some time, knows that this is the local flavor.
Liu Jinrong could easily see the ingredients for this dish: chili peppers, potatoes, cowpeas, and cilantro.
But what he couldn't understand was why these dishes weren't cut into pieces.
Although the potatoes were small, some as big as pigeon eggs and some as big as chicken eggs, they were not cut.
And the chili peppers were put in whole. The cilantro was the same, and although the cowpeas weren't whole, each piece was about the length of a chopstick.
At this moment, Xie Sunshi brought out a plate of tomatoes with sugar. Liu Jinrong could accept this dish, which was called sugar-pickled tomatoes in his hometown.
"Here, this is your first time holding a rice bowl, eat more." Zhao Jun said, handing a bowl full of rice to Liu Jinrong.
"It smells delicious." Liu Jinrong had been wanting to say that earlier, but now he couldn't help but say, "This food smells really good."
The rice from Zhao Jun's area is mainly known for its fragrance. Another characteristic is its excellent taste; the rice is tender and flavorful, and even leftover rice doesn't become stale.
"Come on, start eating." Xing San couldn't help but call out to Liu Jinrong, who was sitting there for a long time without moving.
"Okay, Grandpa." Liu Jinrong looked at Xing San, and seeing the old man's white hair and white eyebrows, he felt that Xing San was kind and amiable.
"What did you call me?" Xing San was taken aback, but then he saw Liu Jinrong pick up his chopsticks and take a piece of tomato.
Next, Liu Jinrong ate four pieces of tomato.
"Try this." Seeing this, Zhao Jun picked up a potato and put it in his own bowl, saying to Liu Jinrong, "This dish is delicious."
"Delicious..." Liu Jinrong looked at the large plate of food, unsure of how to start eating.
He glanced at Zhao Jun, then spotted the smallest potato on the plate and used his chopsticks to put it in his own bowl.
Taking a bite, Liu Jinrong's first impression was that it was salty, but the potato had a very good, mealy texture.
Without being taught, Liu Jinrong picked up the rice bowl and put two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.
Then, the man's eyes lit up.
He picked up his chopsticks and ate the remaining half of the small potato along with the rice.
Fragrant!
It wasn't just the aroma of the rice; there was something else that I couldn't quite describe. It was a feeling that defied easy explanation, but it was like my taste buds were instantly awakened, and my appetite was immediately whetted.
He was already hungry after not eating all day, and with such delicious side dishes and rice, Liu Jinrong ate three bowls of rice in a row.
When Liu Jinrong put down his rice bowl, he was stunned.
He's been traveling all year round, and he's experienced hunger before, but he's never eaten this much before.
Liu Jinrong looked at the plate with only a little bit of soup left and asked Zhao Jun, "What kind of dish is this?"
Liu Jinrong ate three bowls of rice with just this dish. He ate not only potatoes, but also chili peppers and cowpeas.
If potatoes are like noodles, then green peppers are like meat. These green peppers aren't spicy, but they were pan-fried before stewing, just like the potatoes, so they were very flavorful.
As for the cowpeas, they were just salty and crunchy. But what impressed Liu Jinrong most in this dish was the pork belly; the meat was a bit dry, but it tasted very good.
"This is called soy sauce pickled vegetables," Zhao Jun said with a smile, announcing the dish's name.
"Pickled vegetables?" Liu Jinrong was taken aback, then heard Zhao Jun say, "These aren't pickled vegetables, they're stewed."
"Stew?" Liu Jinrong didn't understand. Zhao Jun explained, "It means stewing these vegetables in soy sauce, without adding a drop of water, just soy sauce."
"Ah..." Liu Jinrong seemed to understand but not quite. Zhao Jun smiled and asked, "Does this dish smell good?"
Zhao Jun's question left Liu Jinrong somewhat speechless. He couldn't quite describe how delicious it was; he ate three bowls of rice, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Haha." Seeing Liu Jinrong's expression, Zhao Jun remembered a saying he had heard in his previous life and immediately said to Liu Jinrong, "Northeastern cuisine is just like us Northeasterners. We don't care about appearances, we only care about the taste."
As soon as Zhao Jun said this, the room fell silent. Wang Meilan, Ma Ling and the others stared at him in shock, while Liu Jinrong nodded emphatically and said, "Young Master Zhao, what you said is very good."
Zhao Jun laughed and corrected Liu Jinrong's way of addressing him, saying, "You don't need to be so polite, just call me Zhao Jun."
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Liu Jinrong brought up the fact that the people of Xishantun called Zhao Jun "Young Master Zhao," and then asked, "Zhao Jun, what kind of business does your family do?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun's heart stirred, and he extended an invitation to Liu Jinrong, saying, "Come on, I'll take you to see the backyard."
Liu Jinrong was very curious, so he readily agreed and followed Zhao Jun outside.
Today, the Zhao family members who had left or gone up the mountain were left behind, leaving only Zhao Jun, Xing San, and Li Ruhai.
Xing San was too lazy to go out, so Li Ruhai followed Zhao Jun listlessly.
As soon as Liu Jinrong entered the backyard, the hunting dogs all barked at him. Liu Jinrong hid behind Zhao Jun in fear, but Zhao Jun waved his hand, and the dogs instantly fell silent.
When they arrived at the warehouse, Li Ruhai quickly walked a few steps and helped Zhao Jun open the warehouse door.
Upon entering the warehouse, Liu Jinrong was instantly stunned.
Bear gallbladders hung from the rafters, and leather scrolls were stacked on a wooden shelf against the wall.
At this moment, Li Ruhai straightened his back, put one hand behind his back and raised the other hand to Liu Jinrong and said: "Within a radius of a hundred miles, all valuable mountain products, such as hides, bear gallbladders and clubs, have passed through the hands of our Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce."
"The Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce?" Liu Jinrong turned his head and looked at Zhao Jun in surprise. At this moment, he suddenly understood why everyone called Zhao Jun "Young Master".
But then Liu Jinrong thought about it again and couldn't understand it. When he was outside the village, he saw Zhao Jun call Zhao Youcai "Dad", but the people in Xishan Village did not call Zhao Youcai "Master Zhao".
Just as Liu Jinrong was lost in thought, Zhao Jun led him to the wooden rack and said, "What we collect most are bear bile and pelts. It's not the season now, so all I have left are these fox pelts."
Just before and after the New Year, I sold over ten thousand yellow leaves... that's weasel pelts. We also sold a lot of squirrel and sable pelts.”
"Weasel pelts...more than ten thousand?" Liu Jinrong looked at Zhao Jun in shock and asked, "How much did you sell them for?"
"I think it was 41.5 or 43," Zhao Jun thought for a moment and said, "The males were 43 and the females were 41.5. I heard the price went up again, and now the males seem to be 45."
“Forty-five…” Upon hearing Zhao Jun’s offer, Liu Jinrong fell into deep thought. But quickly, he shook his head and said, “Someone in Shenzhen is willing to pay forty-eight, but that’s too far…”
"I'm not afraid of the distance." Liu Jinrong was taken aback by Zhao Jun's words, and then Zhao Jun added, "My family has a train car bound for Shenzhen."
"A train... a train car?" Liu Jinrong was stunned when he heard this word.
Zhao Jun smiled faintly and winked at Li Ruhai. Li Ruhai understood and stepped forward, starting to tell Liu Jinrong about his chamber of commerce's freight business.
Just then, a small lynx suddenly sat up in the roll of leather on the shelf, startling Liu Jinrong so much that he thought a fox pelt had come to life.
Zhao Jun stepped forward, grabbed the little lynx by the scruff of its neck, lifted it down and held it in his arms. Then he said to Liu Jinrong, "Brother Liu, did you come here just for that lynx?"
"Yes." Liu Jinrong glanced at the lynx that was breathing at him, took a step back, and then said to Zhao Jun, "I was cheated in the clothing business last year and owed a lot of money, so I thought of coming to Northeast China to dig for ginseng."
Zhao Jun nodded slightly upon hearing this; what Liu Jinrong said was pretty much what he had guessed.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Jun asked Liu Jinrong, "So, now that you've found ginseng, who are you going to sell it to?"
“I brought it to Shenzhen, and many people from Hong Kong bought it,” Liu Jinrong said. Zhao Jun pressed further, “Aren’t there any big merchants from Southeast Asia in Shenzhen? Selling to them would be better than selling to people from Hong Kong, wouldn’t it?”
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Liu Jinrong shook his head and said, "The ginseng that the big bosses in Southeast Asia want is the best, and I may not be able to dig it up."
"Hehe." Zhao Jun chuckled and said, "Brother Liu, to be honest, I admire you. You dared to go all the way to Northeast China to dig for ginseng? Aren't you afraid of the bears and Siberian tigers in the forest?"
"I was scared," Liu Jinrong said with a bitter smile, "but I couldn't make ends meet, and I thought this was a way out."
For some reason, hearing Liu Jinrong's words reminded Zhao Jun of his past life when he went herding in the deep forests of Luosha. At first, he was alone, facing all kinds of dangers, and narrowly escaped death several times.
But at least he had run through mountains before, while Liu Jinrong didn't seem to have any experience.
Just then, Zhao Jun suddenly remembered something.
He remembered that in his previous life, around August or September of this year, when he was about to get engaged to Ma Ling, he heard that a corpse had been found on the mountain in Wanxing Village, Yushu Township.
At the time, the township police station, the resident police station, and the farm security team all went there. In the end, they determined that the body was left by a visiting merchant, but they could not find out any specific information about him.
At this moment, Zhao Jun looked Liu Jinrong up and down, and felt that he should be the merchant.
Liu Jinrong felt uneasy and uncomfortable under Zhao Jun's gaze.
This is today's chapter. There's one more chapter to make up for what I owed before; I'm writing it now, about half a chapter left.