Colorful years

After a difficult journey, Zhang Zhong and his son Zhang Cong finally arrived at the forest farm headquarters.

Upon arriving at the headquarters, Zhang Zhong immediately sought out Minister Liu of the Forestry Farm's Special Products Department and conducted a detailed meeting with him.

Minister Liu warmly received them and quickly arranged for staff to come and weigh the pine resin oil that the Zhang father and son were about to transport.

Zhang Zhong asked for two full buckets of pine resin oil, weighing 110 jin (approximately 55 kg); Zhang Cong, though still young, was not to be outdone and asked for two half-buckets of pine resin oil, weighing a total of more than 50 jin (approximately 25 kg).

It's important to know that Zhang Cong is an exceptionally gifted child. As early as when he was just twelve years old, he was already nearly 170 centimeters tall.

Zhang Cong is now thirteen years old, and his height has increased by several centimeters, almost catching up with his father. With his current physical condition, carrying a load of sixty or seventy pounds is no problem at all.

However, as a father, he naturally wouldn't consider immediate gains and losses so simply. Although his son repeatedly asked to increase the weight of the load, Zhang Zhong knew in his heart that his son was still a minor and his body was relatively weak compared to adults.

In his view, making his son bear too heavy a burden too early might affect his physical development. Therefore, no matter how much Congcong pleaded, Zhang Zhong insisted on only letting him carry fifty pounds.

Carrying such a heavy burden on one's shoulders, it would be quite easy and comfortable to walk on a smooth road.

However, the situation is quite different when you encounter uphill or downhill roads.

When going uphill, you need to exert all your strength to move forward, and every step seems to exhaust all your strength; while when going downhill, you have to carefully control the rhythm and force of your steps to avoid falling due to instability.

Such uphill and downhill routes are undoubtedly a great test of a person's leg strength. Moreover, doing this for a long time, especially for the meniscus, will cause great wear and tear.

Just like a blade that is constantly being sharpened, over time it may develop damage or even break, leading to serious problems.

The father and son set off from the forest farm headquarters, embarking on that winding, bumpy, and uneven thirty-mile mountain road.

The mountain path was extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. On both sides were lush, verdant trees, their branches and leaves so dense that they blocked out the sun.

The path beneath our feet was a mixture of stones and dirt of varying sizes, full of potholes and extremely difficult to walk on.

The initial stretch of the journey was relatively flat, and the father and son moved forward steadily and quickly.

Zhang Zhong would occasionally look back at his son and see that although he was covered in sweat, he was still gritting his teeth and persevering. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. As the mountain path gradually became steeper, the father and son's steps became heavy. Every step required a great deal of effort.

The uphill sections, in particular, left the father and son feeling overwhelmed.

With years of experience in manual labor, Zhang Zhong has mastered a unique walking technique. He first takes a deep breath, then bends down, lowers his center of gravity, and leans forward to reduce the burden on his shoulders.

Then, he stepped forward with one leg, firmly placing it on the stone beneath his feet and pushing off with force to generate forward momentum. He quickly followed with the other leg, securing his footing. And so, he continued his arduous journey, step by step.

Nevertheless, as the journey continued, Zhang Zhong gradually felt his strength failing. His breathing became rapid, and his chest felt like it was on fire, burning with pain.

His legs began to tremble, as if he might collapse to his knees at any moment.

However, Zhang Zhong dared not relax for a moment. He knew that once he stopped, he would never be able to move again. Therefore, he could only grit his teeth and continue forward.

Although Zhang Cong was still young, he was extremely sensible. Seeing his father working so hard, he offered to help him share some of the burden. However, Zhang Zhong firmly refused.

“Congcong, you’re still young and your body is weak. This weight is nothing to me, so don’t worry,” Zhang Zhong said, panting heavily.

Hearing his father's words, Zhang Cong felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He secretly resolved to work hard to improve his health and share more of his father's burdens in the future.

And so, the father and son encouraged each other and continued on their journey.

As time went on, the mountain path became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse. In some places, it was even necessary to use both hands and feet to get through.

Whenever faced with such a treacherous and difficult section of road, Zhang Zhong would turn to his son with a solemn expression and say in a low but firm voice:

"Cong'er, put down your load first and rest for a while. I'll go over there first and then come back to get you."

"Father, you must be careful!" Congcong was worried about his father's safety, and his concern was evident in his words.