pjbooks Chapter 52 is really a trap.
Chapter 52 is really a trap.
Old Wei's leg had just been rubbed and he couldn't walk fast, so Chen Shi found him a wooden stick to save him energy.
Li Cheng carried the empty cloth bag from the medicine bag on his back, and every few steps he would turn back to look at Lao Wei, as if afraid that he might suddenly fall.
Old Wei got annoyed by his stares and said, "If your neck is useless, just take it off and hang it on a tree."
Li Cheng quickly turned his head back, "I'm watching where I'm going."
"The road is right in front of you, are your eyes in the back of your head?"
Chen Shi walked beside him, also looking at Lao Wei's leg.
When Lao Wei got off the kang (heated brick bed) just now, his first step was more steady than usual. The acupuncture had a good immediate effect, but the wind in the ditch was strong, and it was hard to say how long the medicine's effects would last.
"We've arrived." The weasel trap was set up next to an upside-down birch tree.
Chen Shi dug through the snow, found the rope taut, and inside was a weasel, its body already stiff, the snow on its tail blown clean by the wind.
Li Cheng immediately began to boast, "What did I tell you? Didn't I? I really got it!"
Old Wei pointed to the ground with a stick. Chen Shi looked in the direction of the stick and saw two shallow marks under the fallen tree. He then went around the roots of the withered grass.
"There's still one that hasn't been caught yet."
"Why didn't you get in?" Old Wei asked.
Chen Shi looked at the fallen log, then at the withered branches beside the snowdrift, and said, "I blocked this end; it crawled through under the grass roots."
Old Wei tapped the patch of withered grass with his stick. The stick, which had seemed like a nuisance just moments before, now looked much better and was more convenient.
"Change it here later."
Chen Shi took off the weasel and shook off the snow from its fur. The fur was cold and stiff against his palm, but the yellow fur on its back was still shiny when flipped up in the light.
Li Cheng leaned over and touched it. "This thing doesn't look very big, how can it be exchanged for money?"
"It's not the meat that's valuable, it's the skin," Chen Shi said.
"Then I won't mind seeing younger ones anymore."
Old Wei used a stick to push his hand away, "Learn not to step on the footprints first, then think about the future."
Li Cheng was still examining the weasel. "This pelt could fetch a good price, right?"
"Don't just focus on the big ones." Old Wei tossed the weasel back into the basket. "At the end of the year, even sparrows can be traded for salt and matches. There's a woodpile near your village; try using a sieve tomorrow."
"Oh right!" Chen Shi slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten about this thing? He used to play with these little creatures a lot when he was a kid. Later, when he grew up, sparrows became a protected species. Now, it's all thanks to Old Wei for mentioning it.
"A sparrow?" Li Cheng was taken aback. "One of those things isn't even enough for a mouthful of meat."
Old Wei walked back, saying, "It's your turn to eat less of this idle food."
Li Cheng was unconvinced and chased after him to argue, but as soon as his foot stepped into a patch of messy snow, Old Wei stopped him with a stick.
"Lower your head."
There was a row of small footprints on the snow, half of which had been rubbed off by the tips of Li Cheng's shoes.
Old Wei said, "From now on, when you go into the mountains with me, don't just look at what's in the basket. If you step in it, everything will disappear, from where it came from to where it's going."
Li Cheng pulled his foot back, squatted down, and examined it for a long time. "Is this also a weasel?"
"A fox," Chen Shi said.
Old Wei glanced at him but didn't say whether it was true or not.
As the three walked back, the wind in the ditch grew even stronger.
There were several messy footprints ahead, circling halfway around the low hazelnut grove before turning back into the ditch. The footprints weren't large, but the steps were long, and in one place, there was even a trail of blood.
Li Chenggang tried to move forward, but Chen Shi stopped him with his hand.
"Don't move."
He tilted his chin slightly to the left. There were several clumps of dark brown on the snow; the wind had blown away the surface snow, revealing the frozen particles underneath.
"Wolf dung," Old Wei said.
Old Wei went around to the side, used a stick to push aside the snow, revealing a few bloody rabbit furs and a small piece of gnawed hind leg bone underneath.
"Wolves again? What's gotten into this year? They're fighting with shrews?"
Old Wei looked at the crooked marks and said, "This year has been tough in the mountains. The snow came early, and the old or injured wolves don't like to come this way. The ones that dragged the rabbits here to gnaw on are probably those that couldn't compete with other things in the deeper areas."
Li Cheng was terrified. This time there were fewer people, and Lao Wei wasn't carrying a gun. "It...it's nearby?"
"They've gone far." Old Wei tapped the frozen dung ball with a stick. "The poop's frozen solid; it must have been done in the middle of the night."
Old Wei didn't say anything more and turned to continue walking towards the mouth of the ditch.
After walking a dozen steps, he suddenly spoke up, "Watch your step. When you're in the mountains, mind your own business and don't bring outsiders in."
Chen Shi looked at this one, then at that one, and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Chen Shi paused for a moment.
Old Wei didn't wait for him. He tapped the snow crust repeatedly with his hazel stick. "Your eyes haven't been on the mark the whole way."
Li Cheng quickly tried to smooth things over, "Uncle Wei, he's watching the road, and I'm watching..."
"What are you looking at?" Old Wei said. "I'm the one looking at you, not the other way around."
Chen Shi spoke up, "Uncle Wei, I didn't mean to get distracted."
Old Wei ignored him.
After walking a few more steps, Chen Shi said again, "Liu Erhe from the forest farm said something that day."
Looking at the two duds, Li Cheng couldn't hold back any longer. "A while ago, a hoodlum came to Kaoshantun. He said that Tian Youshan's car didn't return to the village until late that night, and there were people in the car, but they weren't from our village."
"That outsider," Chen Shi said, looking at the snow in front of him, "he didn't specify who he was."
Old Wei walked to the edge of the waterline, stopped, and looked at the snow patterns pushed out of the ice by the wind.
"If you're preoccupied with things outside the mountains, you might step in wolf dung without even realizing it."
No one mentioned that half-sentence again along the way.
By the time we left Laonangou, it was already getting dark.
Li Cheng carried the basket on his back and walked more steadily than when he came. He even stopped at the waterline to let Chen Shi take a look first.
As they approached the village entrance, he suddenly asked, "Shizi, are you really not going to investigate that person Liu Erhe mentioned?"
"Investigate," Chen Shi said.
How do I check?
Chen Shi glanced back at the darkening mountain pass.
"Let's go home first."
The lights in the old house are still on.
Aunt Wang opened the door, and before she could even speak, Li Cheng handed her the basket, saying, "I told you it was there, didn't I? If I hadn't kept reminding you the whole way, it might not have fallen into the trap."
"If you keep muttering that, even that weasel will drive you crazy."
Ya Ya ran to the door, but didn't dare to touch it. She just stood on tiptoe to look, asking, "What's this?"
"Weasel," Chen Shi said, "hang it on the firewood shed first, then tomorrow I'll have your mother see how to clean it up, so as not to waste the hide."
Chen Xiulan came out of the house and, seeing the snow on them, first lifted the curtain a little higher, "Uncle Wei, how's your leg?"
"The medicine has been administered." Chen Shi took the needle case out of his pocket. "Whether it works or not remains to be seen."
Li Cheng took off his scarf and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Tomorrow we'll catch some sparrows. Old Wei said the little things can be exchanged for New Year's goods."
Ya Ya's eyes lit up. "Can I join? Xiao Hu said his grandpa taught him how to do it, and I want to too."
"Okay, Uncle Ming will show you how."
Chen Shi hung the weasel in a shady spot in the woodshed. When he returned, he heard Li Cheng and Aunt Wang chatting.
Li Cheng said, "How did Lao Wei know he couldn't keep things to himself?" Wang Ershen scolded him, "You can't hide your true intentions on your face."
Chen Shi stood at the door for a while before going in.
Chen Xiulan moved Yaya further into the kang (heated brick bed), "Are you really going to get sparrows tomorrow?"
"Let's try it," Chen Shi said. "We won't go into the mountains, but we'll try it outside the courtyard wall and behind the mill."
Aunt Wang stuffed firewood into the stove. "Then I'll find a broken sieve. Don't waste the good ones, we'll need them to sift flour later."
Li Cheng leaned against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to warm his hands. "I'll pull the rope. I'm quick."
Aunt Wang didn't even turn her head. "You're quick with your hands, and even quicker with your mouth. Before the birds even come tomorrow, you've already scared them away."
Ya Ya pressed the tip of the white tail closer to her chest, "Little White can't go either."
The tip of the white tail was nibbling at her sleeve. When it heard its own name, the tip of the tail twitched twice.
As Chen Shi listened to their conversation, he pondered what was going to happen recently. After ensuring he had enough to eat and drink, he also needed to find a way to get to know more people he could talk to.