sjar Chapter 366 Quarrying in the Barley Field
Chapter 366 Quarrying in the Barley Field
Captain Zhang cursed and ran out of the outhouse, followed the smell, and finally found Grandpa Zhao's house.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he smelled a strong aroma of meat, which made him take a deep breath and his eyes lit up with excitement: What a delicious mutton soup!
As he entered, he saw two complete ibex hides drying on the roof beams. The freshly skinned hides were being dried, with the grease and meat scraps already scraped off and coated with a special liquid, just waiting for the first batch to finish drying before continuing to be processed.
Captain Zhang had never seen such a delicate leather-making method before; it was completely different from the leather-making methods used by the hunters in his barley fields.
He turned his head in surprise and heard laughter and chatter inside the house. Old Mrs. Zhang and Sister-in-law Lu were teasing two young men.
"Isn't it too late? If we had been lucky, and Li Pao wasn't married last year, we could have introduced our niece to him. She's beautiful and has very fair skin."
Upon hearing that she had fair skin and was pretty, Chen Xiangqian's eyes widened with excitement. He said, "Big sister, Brother Li is getting married, but I'm not. Can you introduce us to a meal?"
The women around him laughed, teasing him for being so shy and unable to say a word just moments before, but now he was so eloquent and even offered to introduce him to potential partners.
Chen Xiangqian scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "Brother Li taught me that we have to be sweet-talking to win over a wife. A good wife has to be coaxed, otherwise she'll belong to someone else."
Inside the house, a group of villagers burst into laughter.
Captain Zhang looked at Li Ju'an and saw that he was tall and upright, with smooth and strong back muscles, and a handsome and masculine demeanor. Several hunting dogs sat on the ground, watching him warily, while two eagles stood on the rope beside him, their sharp eyes and imposing presence striking.
Captain Zhang felt that the young man's attire and the pack of hunting dogs and two eagles looked somewhat familiar. When he heard Chen Xiangqian call out "Li Pao," he became even more suspicious.
"Oh, Captain Zhang is here."
"Why didn't Captain Zhang go to his office? Come sit here with us! Quickly bring Captain Zhang a bowl of mutton soup, it's still hot!"
The sisters-in-law warmly welcomed them and helped Aunt Zhao greet everyone.
Aunt Zhao wiped her hands on her apron and hurriedly said with a smile, "Captain Zhang, please sit down. I'll get you a bowl and some hot soup."
When Captain Zhang was sizing up Li Ju'an, Li Ju'an was also sizing him up.
Li Ju'an smiled and said, "Hello, Captain Zhang."
Grandpa Zhao stubbed out his cigarette and hurriedly greeted him with a smile, "Team Leader Zhang, this is Li Ju'an, Li Paotou from Lijiatun. He's been waiting for you for days."
Captain Zhang looked closely and suddenly realized what was going on.
He had heard Yang Dezheng mention Li Ju'an at a dinner party in the city, and Wang, the head of Wangxingtun, had also mentioned him. He was very curious and wanted to meet the young hunter from Lijiatun. He had heard that Li Ju'an could train dogs and eagles, and could hunt tigers and stags.
"You are Li Ju'an?"
"It's me, Captain Zhang."
At first glance, he thought the young man's handsome appearance didn't resemble that of a hunter from the mountains. But when he connected Li Ju'an with the legendary youth Yang Dezheng had described, he found Li Ju'an rather ordinary.
It's no wonder; Yang Dezheng, after a few rounds of drinks, started boasting and exaggerating, his expectations of Li Ju'an were too high. Now, seeing him like this, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he said somewhat disappointedly, "Looking for me?"
Li Ju'an stood by the table, and he did not ask Li Ju'an to sit down.
A bowl of rich rock goat meat soup was ladled into the bowl.
Captain Zhang took a deep breath of the fragrant aroma, the subtle scent tickling his nose. His eyes lit up, and he said, "The dry toilets in our village need repairing."
Then, he picked up the mutton soup, staring at the layer of mutton fat floating on top and the crushed mutton fat, feeling his mouth water at the aroma. He took a big gulp of the soup, the hot mutton soup still scalding hot.
He breathed out hot air as he took two large gulps, along with a bite of tender, stewed lamb leg. The texture was succulent, and each bite was bursting with juicy goodness. He then picked up a glass noodle and slurped it down. Each strand of sweet potato noodle, soaked in the rich meat broth, lingered in his mouth, so delicious he almost didn't want to swallow it.
Captain Zhang finished a large bowl in one gulp, then picked up the empty bowl and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sister Zhao, is there any more? Could you have another bowl?"
While Aunt Zhao was busy in the kitchen, Li Ju'an took the empty bowl and said with a smile, "Team Leader Zhang, the meat soup is gone. If you want some, come to our village next time. Come to my house and I'll treat Team Leader Zhang to roasted mutton."
When Captain Zhang saw him take over the conversation, he was taken aback for a moment, but immediately realized what was going on.
"You hunted this bharal?"
"That's right! Li Pao is amazing at shooting ibex. His falcon swoops down and snatches one up in a flash. He takes down an ibex with just two shots."
Chen Xiangqian blew so hard that spittle flew everywhere.
Captain Zhang, feeling obligated to help someone who had accepted his bribes, nodded and said, "Alright then, let's chat in my office later."
Li Ju'an readily agreed, "Okay."
Captain Zhang squinted, scrutinizing Chen Xiangqian. He looked vaguely familiar. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Kid, do you know Commander Chen at home?"
He felt that Chen Xiangqian was exactly like Commander Chen when he was young. They looked so alike that he guessed they were uncle and nephew, or uncle and nephew.
Chen Xiangqian grinned and said, "Captain Zhang, Chen Liangcai is my dad."
Captain Zhang was so shocked he almost dropped his chopsticks. He looked at Chen Xiangqian, then at the way Li Ju'an and Chen Xiangqian spoke and their relationship, and pointed at Li Ju'an, saying, "You went into the mountains with Li Ju'an?"
Chen Xiangqian's smile widened, and he said with a sunny laugh, "Li Pao is my master. He led me into the world of hunting, and I am his apprentice."
Captain Zhang shut his mouth, his expression silent.
At first glance, he thought Li Ju'an was far from the progressive young man he had imagined, but he never expected him to take his teacher's son as an apprentice. With such ability, how could he dare to underestimate him?
Captain Zhang casually stood up, looked Li Ju'an in the eye, and said, "Come with me. Let's go to the office and have a chat."
Li Ju'an smiled and said, "Okay."
……
That afternoon, Li Ju'an discussed the concept of contracted land with Team Leader Zhang, and they negotiated the stone resources of the barley field. In particular, these bare rocks were all wind-eroded stones, which were in high demand by processing plants in the south. They could be used to make artificial mountains or landscape stones. If they encountered wind-eroded stones with unique shapes, they could even be made into collectibles.
Captain Zhang looked around at the desolate and empty Gobi Desert, his brows furrowed, almost in disbelief.
This was the first time he had heard such a cooperation proposal, and the first time he had discovered that barley fields might actually hold treasures.
He stared intently at Li Ju'an and asked, "Do you really think these stones can fetch a good price?"
Li Ju'an said just as earnestly, "Team Leader Zhang, once the permit is approved, you can come and supervise the process on-site."
In his previous life, he traveled among merchants in the south, built a business empire, and accumulated a vast network of business connections.
He knew then that many wealthy investors were contracting hilltops to develop forests and deserts to build quarries. This barley field would become a gold mine.