The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1682 The Location of the Conjoined Twins

Chapter 1682 The Location of the Conjoined Twins

Inside the small house in the Zhao family, Zhao Jun looked at Zhao Youcai, and Zhao Youcai looked at Zhao Jun. The father and son stared at each other, their eyes locked.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Zhao Youcai asked Zhao Jun, glaring at him. Zhao Jun pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

He, Ergudong, was pretending to be ignorant. That night, when the family was discussing why the Pang family had come to see Xing San, they all said that the jar Xing San gave them contained Miao Daxiancao. Zhao Youcai, who was standing nearby, also heard this.

Last year, Zhao Jun took Zhao Youcai hiking. Zhao Youcai chattered on and on, talking about theories, traditions, and customs. He knew more about them than Zhao Jun did. How could he not know that "Great Immortal Grass" and "Great Immortal Child" meant the same thing?

Seeing that he couldn't fool Zhao Jun, Zhao Youcai gently pulled Zhao Jun's arm away and whispered, "Son, let me tell you. That bamboo shoot in our cellar was carried out from the place I just mentioned."

"What?" Zhao Jun looked at Zhao Youcai in shock.

In the past, people would dig cellars or even wells in the outer room of their homes.

When the Zhao Family Compound was built, considering the large number of people and the amount of food needed, as well as the need to store plenty of vegetables for the winter in the autumn, two cellars were specially dug.

One is in the corner of the east vegetable garden in the front yard, and the other is in the field outside the house.

But as the Zhao family became richer and richer, the cellar in the house was turned into a treasure vault.

The Zhao family's large sum of cash, the unearthed copper coins and gold coins, as well as the immortal herb given by Xing San, were all hidden in that cellar.

“That’s not it!” Zhao Jun said, “Isn’t that the old village where the giant herb grows the same one we went to last year?”

As he spoke, Zhao Jun tapped his outstretched hand twice on the coffee table and said, "Isn't it written in my Boss Jiang's little booklet?"

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai asked, looking bewildered. "What booklet? What's written in it?"

Seeing Zhao Youcai's attitude, Zhao Jun got angry and immediately said irritably, "What booklet don't you know? Didn't you read it? Didn't you even mark it up and write on it?"

After saying this, Zhao Jun glanced at Zhao Youcai and said, "He's done wiping it off secretly again."

If Zhao Youcai hadn't been putting on an act, Zhao Jun wouldn't have bothered to mention it. When he came back from that trip, he saw that the booklet the old lady had given him was almost worn out from being read so many times.

Moreover, Zhao Youcai had made marks on it with a pencil. Although he later erased them with an eraser, the marks could still be faintly seen.

Zhao Jun's merciless exposure and sarcastic mockery made Zhao Youcai lose face. He reached out to grab Zhao Jun, but the wary Zhao Jun dodged him.

"What are you doing? Speak up if you have something to say, don't hit me." Zhao Jun said, trying to slip away. Wouldn't it be better to go back inside and cuddle with his wife than to deal with this old man?

"Come here!" But Zhao Youcai was still not happy. He beckoned to Zhao Jun and said, "I haven't finished talking to you yet!"

"What did you say?" Zhao Jun asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "In your patriarch Jiang's book, he only wrote that the Shao family gang was busy in that place for more than twenty days. He didn't write that the Great Immortal Child was born in that old village, did he?"

"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "It wasn't written... but isn't it?"

"That's bullshit!" Zhao Youcai winked at Zhao Jun, then said, "I wrote to your Master Jiang for a year, when I went up the mountain to chase the hanging sheep..."

"Dad, you've even chased rams before?" Zhao Jun asked curiously, only to be scolded by Zhao Youcai: "Are you even listening to me?"

“Listen, listen, Dad, tell me.” Zhao Jun hurriedly urged Zhao Youcai to continue, and Zhao Youcai continued, “What I just told you, over at Qing Shi Ding Zi, over at Yong Xing, there’s a sheepfold. Over here, under Qing Shi La Zi, in the area of ​​the second batch of fish-scale pine forest, there used to be one too.”

"Really?" Zhao Jun didn't know about this, but then he heard Zhao Youcai say, "Yeah, that old bastard Song Laowai beat the beans to a pulp."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun's lips twitched, while Zhao Youcai said, "That year, I went up to Mashan to graze my sheep. I sneaked up behind the shack that the Shao family was building. Then I heard someone muttering something, so I lay down behind a tree to listen..."

At this point, Zhao Youcai saw Zhao Jun looking at him with disdain. Zhao Youcai clenched his fists, and a cold glint flashed in his small eyes.

"Dad, what's over? Hurry up and tell us, Mom's about to call us to bed." Zhao Jun said this, and Zhao Youcai loosened his clenched fist and said, "I heard that guy say that this old place is all messed up, they've really got something out of it, and there's even a big fairy boy or something."

“Ah…” Zhao Jun knew that although Zhao Youcai was prone to lying, he wouldn’t lie about something like this.

"I recognized the voice as someone I heard speaking," Zhao Youcai said. "So I peeked from behind the tree, and when he turned around, I saw it was Shao Tianpeng!"

"What about him and the person he was talking to?" Zhao Jun asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "Shao Zhiqiang, haven't you seen him before?"

"Oh dear!" Zhao Jun frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked, "How old was Uncle Shao back then?"

“What’s there to be afraid of, a mountain herder?” Zhao Youcai said, “Blind Pang was twelve or thirteen years old when he went up the mountain with his father.”

“That’s true.” Zhao Jun nodded, but then he suddenly remembered something and turned sharply to ask Zhao Youcai, “Dad, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

Such a big thing happened almost a year ago, and this old guy only just came out to talk about it now. What kind of person is he?

"I...this..." Zhao Youcai tried to come up with an excuse, but Zhao Jun pressed him, "Dad, what were you thinking? Such a big thing, and you're not telling me? You're hiding it from your son?"

As Zhao Jun finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Wang Meilan came in and asked, "What are you saying, son?"

Before Zhao Jun could reply, Zhao Youcai said, "It's nothing, um... Lan, have you and your daughter washed your feet yet?"

Wang Meilan glanced at Zhao Youcai, noticing his small eyes darting around, and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Have you been hiding money again?"

Since the Zhao family's financial situation improved, Wang Meilan no longer restricted Zhao Youcai's finances. Previously, Wang Meilan had rewarded Zhao Youcai handsomely for hunting leopard skins and killing bear gallbladders. Now, Zhao Youcai has more than three thousand yuan in his pocket, and in another six months, he will reach the peak of his savings.

When Wang Meilan said Zhao Youcai was hiding money, she meant he was embezzling or misappropriating funds. Could Zhao Youcai really do something like that?!

"No, no," Zhao Youcai quickly denied. Zhao Jun, who had just closed the door, pointed at Zhao Youcai and said to Wang Meilan, "Mom, he's having an affair!"

"Go to hell!" As soon as Zhao Youcai said this, he received a slap on the shoulder from Wang Meilan.

Zhao Jun grinned. He closed the door not because he had a secret to hide from Ma Ling, but because he was afraid Ma Ling would see this scene.

Wang Meilan glared at Zhao Youcai and asked, "Tell me, what happened!"

Zhao Youcai repeated what he had just said to Zhao Jun. After listening, Wang Meilan slapped Zhao Youcai on the shoulder again and said, "Are you stupid? Such a big thing, why didn't you tell your family?"

"What's the use of me saying that?" Zhao Youcai asked Wang Meilan with a defiant look. "Do you know how to raft? Or does your brother?"

"I..." Wang Meilan was speechless, while Zhao Jun said from the side, "Dad, what kind of talk is that? My mom is a woman, what kind of mountain is she going to climb? Besides, how old was my uncle back then?"

Prompted by Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan instantly realized what was going on, grabbed Zhao Youcai's cheek, and asked, "Tell me, are you having an affair? Hmm?"

Wang Meilan knew that Zhao Youcai couldn't have any other intentions, so she wanted to strangle him.

It's not that the mother and son bullied people, but that old bastard Zhao Youcai always kept things to himself, which was really infuriating!

"Let go of me!" Zhao Youcai pushed away Wang Meilan's hand that was pinching his face and said irritably, "We've only been married for a few years, have we? Would I have dared to cause trouble the other day?"

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Wang Meilan fell silent. The Zhao family's situation had only improved in recent years; they had always been a poor family before.

At a certain point in time, the poorer a person was, the more assertive they became. But ever since Zhao Youcai married her, the Zhao family had to keep a low profile for a while.

Zhao Youcai understood Wang Meilan. He knew that if these things were brought up, Wang Meilan would feel guilty and wouldn't hold it against him.

But his son was no pushover. Zhao Jun asked from the side, "Dad, you've been to that old village quite a few times over the years, haven't you? How many corn stalks did you catch? How much did you sell them for?"

Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan's gaze towards Zhao Youcai instantly sharpened again.

Zhao Youcai: "..."

It's not that Wang Meilan is particularly domineering, but these days, couples need to be of one mind to make a living. You, Zhao Youcai, are capable and talented, so it would be great if you could bring out the eight hundred seedlings of sticks, but you can't keep it a secret from your family.

"I didn't bring anything out..." Zhao Youcai said, but seeing no trust in Wang Meilan's eyes, he quickly changed his tune, "I just brought out two small lampstands, weighed them, and didn't make much money!"

The more Zhao Youcai spoke, the more strange Wang Meilan's gaze became. Seeing that Wang Meilan's cheeks were tense, Zhao Youcai knew that Wang Meilan was gritting her teeth and was truly angry.

"You little brat, I'm so pretty!" Zhao Youcai cursed Zhao Jun inwardly, then quickly explained to Wang Meilan, "Lan, no matter how much I sell it for, you'll still have it all."

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Wang Meilan was slightly taken aback, then glared at Zhao Youcai and said, "Tian Tian, ​​I don't know what you're thinking."

"Hehe..." Zhao Youcai said with a smile, "I've been so busy with family and work these past few years that I completely forgot about it."

No sooner had Zhao Youcai finished speaking than Zhao Jun's voice came from the side: "Dad, I released several corn stalks this spring, and you didn't even remember?"

Zhao Youcai paused, then let out a sigh of relief before looking at Zhao Jun and saying, "I remember now..."

“I remembered, why didn’t you say so?” Zhao Jun asked. Zhao Youcai replied, “How was I supposed to know you could dig in the mountains? I thought you were just digging randomly. If you break off even a single root of that top-quality club, the land value will drop to nothing.”

"When we went hunting in the mountains later, didn't you see me carrying ginseng and stuff?" Zhao Jun asked again. Zhao Youcai replied, "I saw it, that's why I'm telling you today."

"I..." Zhao Jun was so angry at Zhao Youcai's matter-of-fact attitude that he couldn't speak.

Wang Meilan, equally furious, pinched Zhao Youcai's arm and said, "It's been half a year since you left, and you're only now remembering to mention it?"

"It's no use saying it too early," Zhao Youcai said matter-of-factly. "It's already late autumn, and then it snows. How are you going to raft the mountains then?"

Hearing this, Wang Meilan was speechless. Sometimes, having a boss like this really leaves you helpless.

"Dad, I have a question for you..." Zhao Jun started to speak, but was interrupted by Zhao Youcai, who said, "Stop asking, what do you keep asking?"

As he spoke, Zhao Youcai glared at Zhao Jun. This kid was trying to sow discord in front of his mother.

"Why won't you let your son speak?" Even though Zhao Jun didn't say anything, Wang Meilan still retorted to Zhao Youcai, and then said to Zhao Jun, "Son, you speak!"

"Hey!" Zhao Jun, now that someone had his back, smiled and asked Zhao Youcai, "Dad, let's say I'm not capable of lifting the wooden stick, what will you do with this old man? Who will you ask to help you?"

Zhao Jun wanted to know how Zhao Youcai had dealt with this old man in his previous life; he certainly wouldn't take this secret to his grave.

If Zhao Youcai sends someone to Lao'anzi, what happens to the ginseng that's brought out? If the ginseng is brought out and sold, where does the money go?

Anyway, Zhao Jun, as Zhao Youcai's only son, didn't get anything. Moreover, he was certain his eldest sister and two younger sisters didn't get anything either. Could it be... that the money all ended up in Cui Yulan's hands?

Of course, there's no need to dwell on what happened in the past life in this one. Even though Cui Yulan swindled him out of the money from selling ginseng, Zhao Jun didn't want to do anything to her, but he just wanted to get to the bottom of it.

At this moment, after hearing Zhao Jun's question, Zhao Youcai picked up the cigarette box next to him, took out a Shilin cigarette, and said, "I was thinking... in two years, I'll ask Bai Sanzhi to come with me."

Upon hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Zhao Jun was taken aback at first, and then frowned.

He knew that Zhao Youcai knew Bai Sanzhi. Before, when Zhao Youcai took back the small trinkets he had kept, he said that he had bought them from Bai Sanzhi.

Moreover, in Zhao Jun's previous life, when Bai Jiafa contacted Zhao Jun, he also said that the two families had a good relationship and that his Uncle Zhao and his father were inseparable.

Suddenly, Zhao Jun turned to look at Zhao Youcai, his eyes fixed on Zhao Youcai as he lit and smoked a cigarette.

Zhao Jun recalled that after the story of Bai Sanzhi carrying out the conjoined ginseng was spread among the old customers in his previous life, the location of the old village where Bai Sanzhi carried out the conjoined ginseng also became known in the Yong'an forest area.

This is why Zhao Jun knew the location of that old village.

In those few years, countless people searched that old village, but the news that came back was that not many people had any success, and the best they found were only fourth-grade seedlings. But no one suspected anything, assuming that someone had brought out a good one but didn't tell anyone.

Zhao Jun recalled that after the Bai family was murdered, the case remained unsolved. Besides the surviving Bai Jiafa, Zhao Youcai was the most concerned about solving the case.

However, Bai Jiafa's concern was open, while Zhao Youcai's concern was covert.

Zhao Jun recalled that once, after inspecting the measuring tapes and returning to the acceptance team, he saw Zhao Youcai leaving the on-site police station.

By then, Zhao Jun had already made a name for himself in the forest area. Moreover, Zhao Jun was very familiar with the director of the police station who was later transferred to the area. He had once borrowed a semi-automatic rifle from the police station through that director, and then that winter, Zhao Jun gave the director six roe deer.

Driven by curiosity, Zhao Jun went to the police station to ask an acquaintance, only to find out that Zhao Youcai had gone to inquire about the Bai family's case.

At the time, Zhao Jun thought Zhao Youcai's actions were out of friendship, but now he wondered if they were motivated by self-interest.

Zhao Youcai provided the intelligence, and Bai Sanzhi went to the mountain to carry ginseng. The conjoined clubs that were carried out naturally included Zhao Youcai's shares.

After that terrible incident, with the conjoined ginseng being stolen, Zhao Youcai was definitely not willing to accept it.

At this moment, Zhao Youcai, who had taken a couple of puffs of his cigarette, also noticed that Zhao Jun was looking at him strangely, and immediately asked, "Why are you staring at me like that again?"

Zhao Jun didn't respond to Zhao Youcai's words, but instead said to Wang Meilan, "Mom, you should have a good talk with Dad later and see if there's anything else he's hiding from us."

After saying that, Zhao Jun turned around, opened the door, and left, leaving Wang Meilan and Zhao Youcai, who was swearing, behind.

　One more chapter, I'll post it around 11 PM tonight. It's been raining a lot lately, so the weather's been muggy. I'm also suffering from the combined effects of high blood pressure and cervical spondylosis; when I get really stressed, my whole neck and back of my head hurt, my head feels foggy, and my vision is blurry.

(End of this chapter)