It wasn't that Lao Hu and the Fat Man were particularly enthusiastic, they were just restless at their age. Now that they had the opportunity to go hunting with guns and dogs in the mountains, even though they knew the old Party Secretary would hardly agree, they still intended to try.
They had been sent down as educated youth for less than half a year, and they had caused a lot of trouble in the past few months. The last time, the old Party Secretary had blown up.
Although Tian Xiao Meng had been found, the old Party Secretary had also taken responsibility for the matter.
So the old Party Secretary assigned Lao Hu and the others tasks that involved either guarding the lumber in the forest farm or doing various types of surveillance work.
Even Xu Lang was caught in the crossfire.
The last time, the old Party Secretary had given him a scolding, saying that he, a little pup, dared to go into the Lama Gorge in the mountains. Although he knew that Xu Lang had gone to rescue people, he still didn't take it lightly. But he was mostly concerned about his safety.
This made Xu Lang feel inexplicably touched, and he quickly assured him that he would never easily go into the old forest again.
Looking back on the past, Xu Lang had rarely felt the care of others. Since his family had perished in a natural disaster in his previous life, he had gradually become accustomed to loneliness and solitude. Now, he cherished the old Party Secretary's concern even more.
People are often like that, they only appreciate something after they've lost it.
Even Xu Lang, a "prospective hunter," couldn't go into the mountains, let alone Lao Hu, a greenhorn.
This winter hunt was a collective activity, and the hunters had to cooperate very well. If anything went wrong, everyone would have to go hungry through the harsh winter, and no one could bear the responsibility. The old Party Secretary would definitely not allow such a risk.
So Lao Hu and the others could only watch helplessly as others went into action. Even Xu Lang's Xiong Da was borrowed by the old Party Secretary.
This hunting dog had a bad temper, but the old Party Secretary and Yan Zi's father could both control it. Naturally, they wouldn't let Xu Lang, a little brat, follow them.
The Fat Man found the old Party Secretary and explained his intentions, but the old Party Secretary flatly refused.
The Fat Man, unwilling to give up, said with a cheeky grin, "We're all talented young people from all over the country, coming together for the same purpose. I'm representing our educated youth in sincerely requesting that you, no matter what, allow us to join this winter hunt..."
The old Party Secretary didn't let the Fat Man finish before he said, "Don't bullshit me. What's all this gibberish? Our great leader, he said, we must obey the arrangements of the organization and resolutely oppose liberalism."
"Right now, all the men are in the mountains hunting. We're left with the women and the little kids. What if a bear comes in? You educated youth have to guard the village, ensure the safety of the homes. That's your mission. Don't bullshit me!
"Let Yan Zi take you to guard the forest farm later, guard the forest farm during the day and the village at night. I'm telling you, don't cause any trouble these days, or I'll take care of you when you come back."
Soon, Yan Zi came back with Lao Hu and the others. As Xu Lang had expected, they had no chance to go on the winter hunt.
Yan Zi wasn't participating in this hunt, but she didn't mind. Lao Hu and the Fat Man could chat and joke, and they could talk to almost everyone in the village.
The villagers were willing to chat with the educated youth, at least they could learn about the world outside the mountains, which was something many people longed for.
Xu Lang was young, Lao Hu knew he had come to Gangzi Camp three years ago. Out of curiosity, he had asked Xu Lang where he was from. It seemed that Xu Lang knew a lot, and in some ways, even the educated youth felt inferior to him.
This phenomenon was very strange, and Xu Lang couldn't perfectly disguise himself. If he spoke, it was easy for observant people to notice.
Xu Lang simply replied that he didn't remember. He had forgotten everything from before.
The more he said, the more wrong he would be. Saying he forgot was the best. After all, I forgot, what can you do about it?
Could they possibly suspect that a kid like him was a spy? That simply didn't make sense. Besides, if he really was a spy, would he come to Gangzi Camp to hide?
To be honest, what in Gangzi Camp was worth spying on? Besides, what era was it now? It wasn't like the early years after the founding of the nation. Where were all the spies?
The winter in Gangzi Camp was harsh, everyone was bundled up. The environment here was very bad, the wind blew like knives, snow drifted everywhere, the blue sky and white clouds were barely visible, and it was gray even during the day.
The only exposed faces were flushed red by the wind. In this harsh environment, one could easily get frostbite if they weren't careful.
It took a long time to warm up in the house before the numb cheeks could gradually recover.
Xu Lang had heard Yan Zi say that someone once had their ears frozen off by the wind because they didn't wear a fur cap.
Xu Lang didn't know if it was true or not, but it was enough to show how harsh the environment here was.
So during the winter in Gangzi Camp, people were basically cooped up in their heated kangs. They wouldn't go out if they could help it. In a few days, there would hardly be anyone seen walking around in the village.
The forest farm was basically deserted at this time, except for the guards. The loggers had all gone home for the winter to await the New Year.
Five months of vacation would definitely make most working people envious.
The main reason was that it was simply impossible to work during those months, everyone was cooped up in their heated kangs. This was a pain for the old bachelors in the village.
It was estimated that next year, there would be many more babies in the village.
Xu Lang was a little bored, but he had gradually gotten used to it. He could cultivate to pass the time. Let's not say that his body was too young to be interested in women, even if he had needs, it was difficult to feel anything.
The bottom line was that there were too few beautiful women in Gangzi Camp. The women Xu Lang saw were almost all bundled up in bulky cotton jackets. Even if he had thoughts, they were gone.
The next day, the sun was high in the sky, and Xu Lang slept until dawn.
He was awakened by the noise outside, but he ignored them. He cooked a pot of porridge himself and added some cured meat for flavor.
After eating his fill, Xu Lang went to Yan Zi's house and asked, "Sister Yan Zi, what was all the commotion about this morning?"
Yan Zi replied, "Nothing major, just a weasel stealing chickens. It stole chickens from many people's homes. It's been cold early this year, the weasels have come down from the mountains for food and are causing trouble. It's been taken care of now. The old Party Secretary took almost all the hunting dogs in the village. Otherwise, the weasel wouldn't have been so bold."
"Those two troublemakers, I heard that weasel fur can be exchanged for fruit candies, and they insisted on going to catch the weasel to exchange for candy."
"I told them not to mess with the weasel, but they wouldn't listen at all. Little brother, help me tell those two off, so they don't cause trouble again."
Xu Lang was silent for a moment, and he didn't try to dissuade them. Those two weren't the same as they were years later. They were still hot-blooded teenagers, it would be better not to tell them off, the more he told them off, the more they would get into it. They were typical "show-offs"!
Actually, Xu Lang also knew some of the various folk legends.
For example, when he was little, he heard the elders say that an old bachelor saved a fox, and the fox would leave money at his house, more or less, enough for the old man to live comfortably. But the old man was absolutely not allowed to tell anyone.
It was said that later, the old man couldn't help but tell others, and from then on, there was no more extra money in his house.
There were other rumors as well, like someone who killed a weasel and then hanged himself, someone who inexplicably became lame. There were countless such legends, but Xu Lang had never seen them with his own eyes.
He had not seen it with his own eyes, so he couldn't draw any conclusions. After all, he had even transmigrated, who could completely deny supernatural phenomena? Lao Hu's ancestors even smoked opium with rats. Rats could always bring some silver dollars.
Besides, this was the world of Ghost Blows Out the Lamp, anything could happen.
Of course, there were some things that Xu Lang had witnessed with his own eyes, such as a friend's child who was "scared." The child was constantly feverish and crying. They went to the hospital for a thorough examination, but it was useless, the examination results showed that the child was perfectly healthy.
However, some people who specialized in "seeing fright" would gently touch the child's head, and they muttered something, the child would immediately stop crying and soon stop being feverish.
This was something Xu Lang had seen with his own eyes, and he had seen it more than once. It was amazing.
So Xu Lang always believed that some things didn't have to be believed or worshipped, but they definitely needed to be respected.