Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 18: Ghost Pulling

Put the pig's head in the pot of water and boil it for a while. When it is almost cooked, take it out.

Use a knife to cut the skin and flesh on the top of the skull, then peel off the skin and flesh while they are still hot to separate the flesh and bones.

Cut the chopped meat into several pieces and put them back into the pot to stew.

This time, you can add seasoning to the pot.

If you have all the seasonings at home, you can add peppercorns, star anise, etc.

Why would you be so particular about the conditions for rafting? It would be good enough if you can have some salt and soybean paste.

Fortunately, Qu Shaoyang was quite resourceful and went to the forest to find some Schisandra chinensis vines. This thing is also called mountain pepper, which is very good for stewing meat.

Chop the Schisandra vines into pieces and throw them into the pot, add salt and soybean paste, and then ask the water crow for some shochu. The conditions are difficult, so this is all we can do.

"Lenghu'er, what did you put in the pot? Oh, this meat smells so good."

Everyone had been busy all day and was hungry. When they smelled the aroma of meat in the pot, their mouths watered.

"How can I eat before the sun comes? I'm so hungry."

"It will take a while. The pig's head needs to be stewed until it's cooked through, otherwise it will be mushy.

The vegetables haven’t been stewed yet, and the sorghum rice hasn’t been cooked yet either. We’ll serve them together later.”

As Qu Shaoyang spoke, he opened the pot and poked the meat in the pot with chopsticks to test the heat.

When the meat in the pot is almost cooked, take it out and let it cool.

The soup from the stewed meat in the pot cannot be wasted, so wash the dried vegetables you bought and put them all into the pot to stew.

When the dish is almost done stewing, cut the pork head into slices and pour it back into the pot. That’s it.

Another pot was open, and the fragrant white sorghum rice was also cooked.

Everyone took a large bowl, each filled with a bowl of sorghum rice, and then scooped a spoonful of pork head stewed with dried vegetables, then found a place to sit down and started eating.

"Mm, this dish is really delicious, Lenghuer, with your cooking skills, you can open a restaurant."

Li Yongfu held the bowl and shoveled food into his mouth while exclaiming in praise.

"How can it be as good as what the second counter said? It's just that we've been waiting in line a lot these days, so we're really worried.

It's a rare opportunity to eat something greasy, even if there's nothing on it, it's still delicious." Qu Shaoyang smiled and took the bowl to eat.

Rafting is very hard work. On weekdays, we usually eat steamed corn bread, pickles, rice with barley and salted beans.

Some people who like to joke call salt beans "legless shrimps", but they are just trying to have fun in misery.

Only when we stop at a larger town can we go to a restaurant and have a big meal.

Everyone enjoyed this meal with great relish.

There was a whole pot of sorghum rice, not a single grain of rice was left, even the rice crusts were snatched away by everyone.

Young people with good teeth love this dish. It is crispy and becomes more delicious the more you chew it. Older people simply soak the rice crust in vegetable soup, which also tastes very good.

Finally, everyone had their bellies full and went back to the flower shed to sleep contentedly.

From Wangjiang Tower to Guanmenlazi, it belongs to the middle section of the Yalu River. The river gradually becomes wider and the water is much deeper, so it is relatively easier to raft.

Of course, this journey is not smooth, and there are many dangerous shoals and dangerous whistles.

"The black donkey post is ahead. Cheer up and walk on the black donkey's belly." The foreman controlled the oars and shouted loudly.

There was a big black rock on the river ahead, which looked like a big black donkey.

The roaring river water rolled into the donkey's belly and bounced back, forming a very dangerous water flow. Moreover, the sound of the water sounded a bit like a donkey's bray, so the rowers called this place the Black Donkey Whistle.

This outpost is not only dangerous, but also strange.

In summer and autumn, the water flows under the donkey's belly, making it easier to move the raft.

If it is spring and the peach blossom water overflows the donkey's head, the raft operator will not be able to judge the distance to the donkey's belly. If he is not careful, the raft will sink into the bottom of the water and get stuck.

The rafts at the back surged up along with the river water, instantly forming a pile and blocking the river.

It is May now, the peach blossom water has receded, and the donkey's head is exposed above the water. An old crow is rowing the boat, leading the way, and the rafts behind it pass under the donkey's belly one by one.

Seeing that the first few rows had passed smoothly, with only the last row left, and they had also passed half, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But at this moment, Lao Sun, the oarsman, suddenly found that he could not move the wooden oar in his hand.

"Oh no, we've encountered a ghost." Old Sun thought to himself that something was wrong.

The so-called "ghost pulling out the oar" means that when the raft was passing the sentry post, the oar had difficulty and got stuck in the crack of the stone at the sentry post.

When encountering the "ghost pulling out the oar", no matter how hard people try, they cannot pull the wooden oar out.

At this time, the raft is still moving forward quickly along the river. If the wooden handle cannot act decisively, it will easily be injured by the oars.

After all, Lao Sun had been rowing for several years and was very experienced, so he made a prompt decision to let go, let go of the oar and lowered his head to avoid it.

The wooden oar pole rubbed against Lao Sun's head, and Lao Sun felt a burning pain on his head. He raised his hand to touch it, and found that a piece of his scalp was rubbed off and his hand was covered with blood.

"Uncle Sun, what's wrong with you?" Qu Shaoyang happened to come over at this time. When he saw blood on Old Sun's face, he was shocked and asked hurriedly.

"I just encountered a ghost pulling the oar, luckily I let go quickly, otherwise I would have fallen into the river today.

I was scratched by the oar pole, it's okay, just a minor injury." Old Sun covered his head and said with a grin.

The wound on Old Sun's head was bleeding. Qu Shaoyang realized that this was not going to work and he had to find a way to bandage it.

But they were in the queue, what could they use? He looked around and saw the clothes he was wearing.

Without saying a word, Qu Shaoyang reached out and tore off a long strip of the collar of his inner shirt.

"Uncle Sun, I just washed these clothes yesterday, so they're not dirty. Please sit down quickly and press the wound with a piece of cloth."

Qu Shaoyang is different from other people. He likes cleanliness. Although he has only a few pieces of clothes, he will wash his clothes during his rest time whenever he has free time.

"Oh, look, this is so bad, it ruined your clothes. My wound is not serious, and the bleeding will stop soon."

Old Sun took the cloth embarrassedly, folded it, and pressed it on the wound.

Old Sun was injured, and it was not good to let him work with an injury, so Qu Shaoyang took the initiative to replace Old Sun's position at the end of the oar and let Old Sun go to the flower shed to rest for a while.

The water crow in front learned that Lao Sun was injured, and asked someone to pass him a small piece of tobacco paste.

Logging and rafting are both very dangerous, so casualties are normal.

There are few doctors these days, and it is difficult to find one in the deep mountains or on the banks of the rivers.

Therefore, many people would prepare some tobacco paste, and no matter who was injured, they would drink a little.

As to whether it works or not, it all depends on God's will.

If you have a minor injury, drinking it can relieve the pain, and it will go away if you hold on. If you have a serious injury, it will basically be fatal.

When Hu Zi was hit by a piece of wood in the mountain field, it was Shui Laowu who fed him some tobacco paste.

In the end, Hu Zi couldn't hold on and it was Qu Shaoyang who woke up.

(End of this chapter)