Chapter Twenty-Four: The Matter Settled

Han Li blended in seamlessly with the children here, while Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying listened attentively from the side.

Though most of the conversation revolved around topics that only children found interesting, it was still greatly helpful to them.

For instance, they were particularly intrigued by the idea of collecting pigweed. The two of them had already discussed it. If the work in the fields proved too exhausting and they couldn't handle it, they planned to request the team leader to let them gather pigweed instead.

So what if their work points were reduced a little? Their families would send them money regularly anyway, so life wouldn’t become unbearably difficult.

By this time, the affairs within the Youth Courtyard had been settled. Several young villagers escorted a youth out.

This nameless figure, who wasn’t even a minor character, would tonight enjoy the dubious privilege of staying in the Party branch headquarters.

At dawn, he would be sent back to the Youth Office. Only youths who made mistakes were returned there.

What awaited him was not a return to the city, but rather transfer to even harsher places for labor, such as certain farms.

According to Han Li’s understanding, he was merely one of the masterminds behind the incident.

Unfortunately, his eloquence was lacking, and he was known for being petty and calculating with the other youths.

Such people rarely have good relations with others; at the critical moment, he was collectively pushed forward by the rest.

Of course, those who joined in the commotion were also punished, their work points deducted by twenty to forty, depending on the case.

Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli, the male and female heads of the Youth Courtyard, were likewise scolded fiercely by the three chiefs of Shanghe Village.

They were immediately ordered to eat separately from the new youths; if the new arrivals wanted vegetables, they had to barter with villagers or older youths.

As for the problem of the new youths not having a cooking pot, the village head’s family lent them an earthen pot.

Since they weren’t frying dishes for now, one pot was enough for cooking meals.

Wild vegetables? That would have to wait until the new youths grew accustomed to the village’s workload.

If they collapsed into exhaustion every day after work, even if wild vegetables were within three steps, they’d have no strength to pick them.

In this era of food scarcity, the wild greens at the foot of the mountain had long been harvested by villagers.

Although the depths of the mountains were rich in resources, ordinary people only dared to circle the outskirts, not venture deep inside.

The mountains here were vast and profound—getting lost and hidden beasts were the two most fatal dangers.

Wild animals were the favored children of this boundless land; no one dared claim they could move freely here.

Even the experienced hunters of the Oroqen tribe, known as “Cannon Hands,” must tread carefully in these vast mountains.

Otherwise, they might be killed by lurking beasts. If it’s said that those who drown in the river are all swimmers, then those bitten to death by wild animals here are all hunters—a warning not uncommon in this place.

Every year, some people take risks and enter the mountains, placing their hopes on fickle luck.

Whether they seek to hunt to improve their lives or dig for ginseng to get rich, there’s no shortage of adventurous souls.

But few ever achieve their goals, though tales of families mourning and donning white are common.

Only when the commune issues the annual mountain drive does everyone go hunting and gathering together.

At such times, militiamen armed with guns accompany the group, and only then is it truly safe.

The mountain drive isn’t mainly for hunting; it’s a measure by the state to clear and drive away wild animals from the nearby mountains before winter sets in.

The aim is to prevent hungry animals from emerging from the deep mountains to harm the surrounding villages when food grows scarce in winter.

Such operations rarely go too deep, and must be done before the snow falls.

After the snow, the dangers of the forest multiply; even with militia protection, accidents are likely to happen.

(Different places have different circumstances; this data was found by Mao Sui in a county chronicle from Northeast China.)

Some ask, why not enter the mountains in summer? Spring, summer, and autumn in the northeast forests are even more dangerous.

Not only do animals hide better, making them harder to spot, but numerous insects threaten human life.

The most famous are “grass crawlers,” also called dog beetles, grass bugs, cattle lice, grass ticks, or dog beans.

Their official name is “tick.” They usually lurk in grass and plants, and any animal is a blessing for them.

When young, they’re no bigger than a millet grain, and once they climb onto you, they’re hard to detect.

Those with experience bathe and change clothes upon returning home, but even so, many escape notice.

Each tick can lay up to twenty-five thousand eggs; encountering one often means stumbling into its nest.

Most importantly, ticks are masters at hiding, often concealed in your armpits, hair, or elsewhere.

While feeding, ticks secrete a neurotoxin; you won’t feel pain as they bite and drink your blood.

Once they’ve had their fill, their bodies gradually swell.

They’re usually the size of a soybean, but the largest can be as big as a fingernail.

At this stage, ticks are discovered, but their mouths have three barbed hooks—never to be pulled out by force.

Typically, people use a cigarette to burn them while flicking their backs.

By the time the tick can’t stand it and comes out, the spot on your body may be half-cooked.

After being bitten, local congestion or swelling may appear, and sometimes the victim’s peripheral blood neutrophils are damaged.

This leads to a decrease in platelets and multi-organ dysfunction; in severe cases, respiratory failure and death may result.

The most tragic cases cause conduction block in motor fibers, leading to muscle paralysis—commonly known as tick paralysis.

Such paralyzed individuals are often believed to have done something shameful or to have encountered unclean things in the mountains, suffering retribution. Living under the gaze of others can be worse than death.

Although a vaccine against forest encephalitis was successfully developed in China in 1967 and promoted in 1969,

for various reasons, it hasn’t yet become widespread, and ordinary people don’t pay much attention to spending money on such things.

Han Li and the others lingered outside the Youth Courtyard a while longer before returning. The atmosphere inside was heavy and subdued.

Both new and old youths were cooking their own meals; the newcomers were using the village head’s earthen pot.

Hardly anyone spoke in the courtyard, but none of this concerned Han Li.

He took out his kerosene stove and made himself a bowl of cornmeal porridge, then happily returned to the firewood pile to sleep.

Early the next morning, he was awakened by the sound of the bell. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Han Li didn’t bother to cook.

He donned his straw hat, slung his satchel and water flask over his shoulder, and followed everyone to the warehouse beside the grain drying field.

On the way, he walked at the rear, took out a sponge cake for a quick bite, considering that his breakfast.

Everyone would be divided into small teams there, assigned or allowed to choose tasks, and then receive tools for their labor.

Upon arriving, several aunties and older women who had gone to the county town with him yesterday greeted Han Li warmly.