Training the Heavens

Chapter 196 The Mountains Are Treasure Houses
Uncle Dong Kuandong has lived on the ranch all his life. Although he is old now, he works very efficiently. Before others have finished packing up, he has already lit the small clay stove, taken out the lamb skewers and started to roast them skillfully. He used a small brush to evenly apply chili and soy sauce on the lamb skewers. After a while, the lamb skewers began to sizzle on the fire.

Xu Lingjun couldn't help but sniff at the aroma. Dong Kuan noticed it and called out, "Come, have two skewers of mutton first!"

Xu Lingjun was not polite. They all had to graze together for several days. Whoever had good things would share them with others. Now Dong Kuan was giving him the food, and next time it would be his turn to give it to others.

He took out a pot of barley wine from the package, poured a cup for Dong Kuan and himself, then took the mutton skewers and grilled them with the same skill. In the world of "The Road of Life", he is a nationally renowned gourmet and has mastered the skill of barbecue long ago.

"Wow, I haven't seen you for a few days. Your skills have improved." Dong Kuan's eyes lit up when he saw his actions.

"It's still missing some chili and cumin. I have chili here." Xu Lingjun took out the chili powder he had prepared in advance and sprinkled it on. "I don't have cumin right now. Next time I go to town, I'll see if I can find it. Adding these things will make the lamb skewers taste better."

The aroma also attracted Guo Zi, Hai Sheng and others. They came over sniffing, took the barley wine from Xu Lingjun and took a sip. When they saw that the mutton skewers were cooked, they took one skewer each and started eating without waiting for Xu Lingjun to distribute them.

As soon as everyone tasted it, they praised it unanimously, "Wow, Lao Xu is different now that he has a wife. Even his lamb skewers are better than before."

Xu Lingjun also took two bites. The lack of seasoning resulted in the mutton skewers lacking in flavor, but the fresh grassland mutton was enough to make up for this shortcoming. The mutton was fat and lean, and melted in the mouth. Paired with a sip of spicy barley wine, it was definitely an ultimate enjoyment in the chilly spring breeze of the Qilian Mountains.

Nowadays, it is impossible to eat enough mutton skewers to satisfy your craving. After trying a few bites, everyone took out some hot barley cakes and started eating them. This is the only thing that can really fill your stomach.

After dinner, everyone started to busy themselves with setting up the tents. The wind was strong on the mountain and it was really impossible to do without a tent to shelter from the wind. Xu Lingjun had been grazing on the ranch for ten years, and these tasks had long become muscle memory. He set up the tent in no time.

The horses could eat grass by themselves. Except for a few herdsmen who took turns to guard the periphery and guard against wild beasts, everyone else was half lying on the grassland, smoking and chatting. Xu Lingjun, who had just gotten married, became the focus of everyone's teasing.

After a while of commotion, it was time to change shifts. Xu Lingjun and Dong Kuan rode on their horses to replace Haisheng and Guo Chenzi. Xu Lingjun saw that Dong Kuan was carrying a handful of five or six and a half on his back.

The traditional ferocious beasts in China are nothing more than jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards and bears. Usually only 1-2 of these five animals appear in one area, but in the Qilian Mountains, the four major ferocious beasts, jackals, wolves, bears and leopards, are gathered together.

Jackals are very brave. A group of jackals would even attack a tiger. The same goes for wolves.

The leopard is the snow leopard, which is known as the king of the snow mountains and is the absolute king of the heights of the Qilian Mountains.

The bear is a Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan horse bear. It is brutal by nature and will even attack humans.

These animals will threaten the existence of the horse herd, so you must bring a gun when you go out to graze.

The Qilian Mountains also boast a variety of animals, including gazelles, lynxes, Tibetan foxes, white-lipped deer, Tibetan wild donkeys, and wild yaks. If you encounter one, you're in luck: the herders will rush over and kill it, eating its meat and trading its fur for money. Traditionally, the money belongs to the herders, meaning everyone gets a little extra cash for no reason.

Xu Lingjun has experienced a lot, but he has never really played with a gun. There is no shortage of guns on the ranch, but because he is labeled as an old rightist, the ranch management is still wary of him and will definitely not give him a gun easily.

Since the cowshed was removed, the relevant regulations have been relaxed, but Xu Lingjun still had concerns. In addition, he always regarded himself as a scholar and had little interest in shooting, so he did not mention it.

Over time, everyone got used to it. If they encountered a wild beast, others would go ahead and give Xu Lingjun some meat. That's how a lot of the dried meat in his family came from.

Now the situation is different. Xu Lingjun is now very interested in playing with guns. After experiencing several worlds, he has never played with this thing seriously. So he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Dong, can you let me try a gun?"

"Oh, you just finished firing a cannon and you can't help but play with the gun again? You have a new wife, why are you getting more and more irritable?" Dong Kuan turned around and joked.

Without waiting for Xu Lingjun's response, Dong Kuan started to make excuses for him. "As the saying goes, an old house burns faster than a fire. You've been holding it in for over thirty years. You're like a sun-baked pine tree. A single spark will ignite it."

"Here, play with it." Dong Kuan rode up to Xu Lingjun and handed him the gun. "If you want to shoot, you have to go far away, otherwise you'll scare the horses and get into trouble."

"I know." Xu Lingjun took the gun and looked at it excitedly. It was the same when he encountered wild beasts in the past. Unless it was an emergency, he would ride a horse to drive the beasts away before shooting.

"There is a ravine ahead. You can shoot there without scaring the horses. If you want to try, I'll take you there later." Dong Kuan said happily. He is old and looks at Xu Lingjun like his own child. He will never be stingy as long as he can help.

"Okay, I'll go with you after my shift change." Xu Lingjun also wanted to try shooting, so he readily agreed.

While watching the horses and playing with the gun, it was time for the shift change unknowingly. Two herdsmen came to replace them. Dong Kuan said something to them and took Xu Lingjun to a ravine not far away.

Just as they reached the mouth of the ditch, Dong Kuan suddenly reined in his horse and stopped, calling out to Xu Lingjun, "Old Xu, come quickly. We can have another good meal tonight."

He dismounted and followed him to take a look. He saw clusters of light yellow mushrooms with wrinkled caps growing in the grass. Xu Lingjun hurriedly picked them up. This thing is called Qilian Yellow Mushroom. It tastes extremely delicious. In later generations, it became a precious specialty. Some high-quality products can even be sold for four or five hundred yuan per kilogram.

Looking at the side, Xu Lingjun saw several immature Cordyceps sinensis. He couldn't help but sigh that the Qilian Mountains were truly a huge treasure trove of wild animals, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs.

It's a pity that Xu Lingjun and other herdsmen didn't explore this treasure house well before. Now that he has walked into this treasure house with a head full of knowledge, does he still have to worry about not having a good life?
(End of this chapter)