pjbooks Chapter 87 Deer Blood Feast
Chapter 87 Deer Blood Feast
"Uncle Wu, when soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. If the wolves want to come up the mountain, they'll always have to go through Songling..."
When Chen Tuo said this, Wu Laowai began to suspect that he had deliberately let the Wolf King go.
He was stunned by the wolf king crawling into the fire. Thinking back, if Chen Tuo's gun had been slightly off-target, the wolf king would definitely not have escaped.
But he didn't want to say this later, so he could only keep his doubts to himself for the time being.
They arrived at the Dobukur settlement in the northern mountains with Sudao, Morigen, and a dozen or so hunters who were preparing to drive the cane but were not on horseback.
Judging by the time, it was almost noon. Not only was Chen Tu starving, but Wu Laowai was also so hungry that he had lost all his energy.
They're considered good friends; they even had braised bear meat in a pot last night.
Bai Long, Su Dao, Morigen, and dozens of other hunters did not eat or drink anything all night.
Down in the mountains, going hungry for a meal isn't a big deal.
But in the winter of the Xingan Mountains, after a night and half a day of hunger, a person really can't endure it.
Inside the reindeer-hide tents at the settlement, a dozen or so starving people sat around the fire, too exhausted to even speak.
The white dragon recounted how, after killing the stag, his chest, brimming with hot blood, was carried entirely into the tent.
Wu Laowai, without any politeness or formality, poured the four-plus jin of Songling Bai wine that Zhang Taibao had given him on the sled into the steaming deer blood.
Each person has a wooden spoon and a piece of raw venison; that's how the feast begins.
Driven by hunger, the crowd didn't hold back either, gathering around the fire to eat and drink.
Chen Tuo first took a small sip of the deer blood wine. There was no bloody taste as he had imagined, but rather a sweet and fresh flavor.
Fresh venison, though not as chewy as smoked meat, is still tender, juicy, and delicious, just as good as Taraha.
This is perhaps the taste only those who are starving can have.
But Chen Tuo became increasingly intoxicated by the food, refusing the deer heart and liver that Bai Long offered, and only indulging in fresh meat and blood wine.
Animal internal organs have a high probability of containing parasites, a point Hu Yuling once made at the educated youth settlement.
"Kid, drink less deer blood wine, or you won't be able to sleep after eating and drinking! Can't you see the blood on their faces?"
The phrase "blood on their faces" was just Wu Laowai's description; Su Dao and the other hunters all had a flushed appearance, their faces as red as fresh deer blood.
"Uncle Wu, are you alright?"
"He didn't drink much! If you drink too much of this stuff and don't have anyone to confide in, it can drive you crazy!"
Like Chen Tuo, Wu Laowai only eats fresh meat and not offal.
But unlike Chen Tuo, Wu Laowai only took a few sips of deer blood wine, instead of gulping it down like Chen Tuo.
Let Chen Tuo finish drinking two spoonfuls first; Wu Laowai has no good intentions.
Although Bailong's tribe is small, with only about two hundred people, it holds a special place in Songling.
To put it simply, these hunters hunt Siberian tigers, which are forbidden by the authorities, and no one will take it seriously if they do.
Even if they cut down trees that the forestry bureau forbids, no one will bother to question it, even if they do so right in front of the forestry bureau.
They don't need to farm, nor do they need to go up the mountain to cut down trees or carry timber.
Herding reindeer, hunting, and even getting guns and bullets from above—what a carefree life!
When someone is sick or in distress, the forestry bureau's doctor comes and doesn't charge them.
In Wu Laowai's view, the Evenki reindeer herders are just like forestry workers, a type of job.
Is it true that this kind of treatment is only given to a specific group of people?
Leaving aside those far away, let's just talk about Su Dao and Morigen right in front of us.
Su Dao, if placed down the mountain, would be just another person from down the mountain, no different from anyone else.
Morigen looks different; he has a high nose and deep-set eyes, making him look like a foreigner.
The same applies to the villages and towns in Eqi, Ezhen, Exiang, and Ecun at the foot of the mountain, including the hunting settlements, settlements, and villages of the Daur, Hezhe, and Oroqen peoples.
It's just a different name.
Some people were originally from the foot of the mountain, but once they entered these villages and towns, they became part of their community.
Wu Laowai had also crossed the river with Su Dao to go to the market. There were even some golden-haired, blue-eyed Russians in the Tungusic, Buryat, and Yakut areas!
Wu Laowai's idea was simple: even an old man like him could go up the mountain and become a hunter.
He can ride horses and hunt without having to run through the mountains on foot, so he can work for at least another ten years.
If Chen Tuo sleeps with Bai Long, he'll be added to the roster of the settlement.
If he changes his name, he'll become a hunter who never has to worry about food or drink.
While Wu Laowai was having his fun, Su Dao, Morigen, and their group of hunters also placed Chen Tuo in the main seat.
Apart from Bai Long, no one else was huddled with him.
It is said that no banquet is ever a good one. At this deer blood banquet, Chen Tuo not only drank the wine, but judging from the looks of Su Dao and Bai Long, he also wanted to get some people to drink with him.
If you include his nighttime raid on the mountain gate with Wu Laowai to save them from danger, he has already risked his life once.
Unsure of the higher-ups' attitude towards the three Soren tribes and the mountain hunters, Chen Tuo dared not take advantage of any situation and could only eat and drink heartily.
The fresh venison strips at the settlement were plentiful; one strip was enough for a group of hunters.
Chen Tuo ate one piece after another, and started eating the third piece of fresh venison. He also drank five or six spoonfuls of deer blood wine.
All the hunters present were red-faced.
Wu Laowai's cheeks were now flushed with a deep red color.
Only Chen Tuo and Bai Long's complexions were relatively normal, just a little rosier than usual.
"Chen Zhiqing, do you know? According to the legends of our tribe, only those who are protected by the Manchu Daily can eat more venison and drink more venison blood."
The combination of deer blood and wine not only made Su Dao and the other hunters blush, but also left them all staggering around.
While everyone was still relatively sober, Bai Long wanted to leave Chen Tuo at the settlement on the mountain.
"Yes! Brother Chen Tuo, Hailancha, the most famous hero of the Evenki, was also the strongest and most gluttonous man in the tribe back then!"
Bai Long spoke up, and Su Dao, who had been smiling the whole time, also started talking about the heroes of the Evenki.
They wanted to keep Chen Tuo on the mountain simply because there were too few people.
The settlements and hunting villages in various places had no more than two or three hundred people, and some only had a few dozen people forming a tribe.
In 1950, the hunters came down from the mountains and settled down, and the vast majority of the people of the three Solon tribes scattered across the grasslands and the Black Province.
The number of hunters in the entire Xingan Mountains is probably less than the number of employees in the Songling Forest Area.
More than 20 years have passed, and the hunters of various ethnic groups at the foot of the mountain have long been accustomed to farming and herding.
Although some young people have gone up the mountain in recent years, their numbers are still small.
The settlement of Dobukur, where Bailong lives, already has the best conditions.
At least they don't have to move around so much, as the Songling Forestry Bureau will allocate enough food for them to feed the reindeer.
Other hunting settlements, in order to sustain their reindeer herds, must migrate their herds deep within the Greater Khingan Mountains.
Therefore, whether it is the Evenki, the Daur, or the even smaller Oroqen.
Without new members joining, they will slowly disappear into the mountains and forests.
As for ethnicity, when the name was changed to Evenki, there was a mix of various tribes and ethnic groups.
If Wu Laowai could express his thoughts, Su Dao would readily accept them.
"I wouldn't call myself a hero, I'd just say I have better endurance. I wouldn't dare compare myself to Hailancha."
Chen Tuo knew who Hailancha was.
But Chen Tuo wasn't quite sure if he was an Evenki.
Not knowing the situation of the settlements on the mountain, he dared not speak nonsense.
In Songling, he was still an unregistered resident without any identity!
To be forced up the mountain because of a meal—that's incredibly unfair...