Chapter 4: Seed Forest
Ying Kongtu brought the orange tabby back and settled it in the courtyard.
Just as he was cooking in the kitchen, there came a knock at the courtyard gate.
“Who is it—” Ying Kongtu poked his head out and called.
Before he had time to plate the food in the wok, the orange tabby, which had been lying in the courtyard with its paws tucked beneath it, stood up first. Its tail raised, it walked toward the gate. “Meow.”
As it walked, it kept meowing and turned back to gesture at Ying Kongtu.
“Is your owner here?” Ying Kongtu glanced over, quickly stir-fried the food in the wok twice, plated it, then added a large ladle of water to the wok before wiping his hands and going out to open the gate.
Standing outside the courtyard gate was indeed Wen Zhongshan.
Wen Zhongshan was carrying a gift bag. Hearing the gate open, he handed the bag forward and said with a smile, “Good afternoon. I’m here to pick up the cat.”
“It’s inside. Come in first.” Ying Kongtu moved aside by the gate to make room and said hurriedly, “I’m cooking. Give me a moment.”
Cooking on a firewood stove tasted good, but it was not as convenient as a gas stove.
Right now, Ying Kongtu was in the middle of cooking, and the fire beneath the stove was burning fiercely. Even though there was water in the wok, he still had to hurry back to prevent the wok from burning through.
Wen Zhongshan immediately said, “You go ahead.”
Ying Kongtu nodded, closed the courtyard gate, and went into the kitchen.
Wen Zhongshan placed the tea leaves he had brought on the table in the courtyard, then went into the kitchen to help.
The orange tabby rubbed back and forth around Wen Zhongshan’s feet before he picked it up in one motion.
Hearing the movement, Ying Kongtu turned and saw him, then invited him, “Would you like to eat here?”
Wen Zhongshan said, “How could I impose?”
“It’s all right. The food is almost ready. It’s only a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks.”
The custom in the small town was to invite guests to stay for a meal if they arrived around mealtime.
Wen Zhongshan thought for a moment. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Holding the cat, Wen Zhongshan sat in front of the stove and helped feed the fire, somewhat clumsily.
Ying Kongtu glanced at him, took two cured sausages from the refrigerator and sliced them, then fished out a plate of bamboo shoots soaking in a basin.
Making food for one extra person truly was not troublesome.
For the sake of entertaining his guest, Ying Kongtu added two dishes: pan-fried cured sausages and stir-fried bamboo shoot slices with minced meat. Altogether, it made exactly three dishes and one soup.
Wen Zhongshan washed his hands and helped set the meal. Looking at the simple, old-fashioned little courtyard of Ying Kongtu’s home, he said, “Your courtyard is really comfortable. Is that well an ancient one?”
The ancient well that came with the courtyard had been one of the reasons Ying Kongtu chose this little courtyard in the first place.
Now, his home had two water supply systems. Tap water counted as daily-use water, while the well water was used specially for cooking and brewing tea.
“It doesn’t really count as ancient. It’s only a few decades old.” Ying Kongtu picked up the gift bag and set it aside. He discovered that inside was a canister of fragrant tea leaves. “Why did you bring tea leaves?”
Wen Zhongshan said, “They’d only be wasted sitting at my place. I guessed you had a habit of drinking tea, so I brought them along.”
Ying Kongtu looked up at him. “Hm?”
Wen Zhongshan smiled. “Looking at your temperament, you seem like someone who drinks tea.”
“There’s such a thing as having the temperament of someone who drinks tea?”
“There is. Especially classical, especially quiet.”
“You’re also especially good at complimenting people.”
The orange tabby was nearby, eating chicken thigh meat that Ying Kongtu had dry-fried especially for it.
Ying Kongtu watched the orange tabby eat heartily and listened to the purring sounds in its throat, feeling somewhat pleased.
Thinking that someone was accompanying him for lunch today, his mood became even better.
Ying Kongtu chatted idly. “Is it called Dart because it runs as fast as a dart?”
“Not exactly. My family used to have a set of darts. The flights were orange, and the bodies were white. They looked especially like it, so I named it Dart.”
Ying Kongtu lowered his head to look at the long-haired cat with its orange back and white belly, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Wen Zhongshan also smiled. “This little guy is very cute. It’s just a little wild at heart and runs outside all day. It’s probably used to life as a stray.”
“Letting it roam is fine too. You’ve had it neutered, so it’s all right if it goes out.”
“That’s all I can do for now. I put a pet tracker in its collar. The county town isn’t big, so it should still be easy enough to find.”
“No wonder you came so quickly.”
“I was at home today. When I saw your message, I hurried over right away. It didn’t make trouble here, did it?”
Ying Kongtu shook his head. “No. It was very well behaved.”
After lunch, Wen Zhongshan helped clear the table and sweep the courtyard.
Only after everything was tidied up did he take his leave and go home.
Ying Kongtu had gotten up too early that morning. After seeing the man and cat off, he closed the courtyard gate and went back inside to take an afternoon nap.
He slept until a little past four in the afternoon before waking.
He changed into clothes for going up the mountain and went beneath the eaves to look at the vegetable seedlings placed there.
The seedlings had been kept in the shade the whole time, and their roots were wrapped in banana leaves, so they had not wilted at all.
Ying Kongtu crouched down and inspected them one by one.
The old woman who had given him the seedlings sold vegetable seedlings regularly, and their quality was quite good. Even in the eyes of Ying Kongtu, a mountain god, this batch of seedlings passed inspection.
Ying Kongtu carried the seedlings on his back, preparing to plant them on the mountain.
There used to be several vegetable gardens on Wuchuan Mountain. Although they had long since been abandoned, the land that had once grown vegetables was still more fertile than ordinary soil.
He planned to reclaim the land on the site of the former vegetable gardens and plant them there.
In this weather, evening was just right for planting vegetables.
If he planted them today and watered them, the seedlings would have the whole night to rest and recover. When they faced the sunlight again tomorrow, they would not be so easily scorched to death.
Ying Kongtu had not planted vegetables in several hundred years.
Now that he was planting them again, he was still able to do it with ease. The vegetables grew even better than he had imagined.
As the seedlings flourished, Ying Kongtu inspected the mountains every day. Looking at the mountain forests, he gradually developed other thoughts.
He had not lost his skill in growing vegetables, so his skill in growing trees should still remain as well.
The hidden dangers in the mountains had more or less been cleared. Now that he had some free time, he could just happen to improve the mountain forests.
Wuchuan Mountain, Baogu Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, and Xiwu Mountain had been abandoned for several hundred years. Although they were full of mixed wild trees, the quality of the trees was not high, and the forest was not growing well. It needed to be optimized.
Now, he could cultivate a dedicated mother forest, also known as a seed forest, specifically for producing high-quality tree seeds.
The total area of the four mountains was not small, so the mother forest he needed would also be relatively large.
Ying Kongtu chose a patch of trees on Baogu Mountain that was growing fairly well and began transforming it.
The mountain forest had not been managed for many years. The first step in transforming a mother forest was to cut down some trees with poor growth, making room for the trees with potential, as well as planting better tree species.
After making his decision, he went up the mountain that very day to cut trees.
The mountain was very quiet and secluded. Aside from the occasional birdcall, there were no other sounds.
The sound of Ying Kongtu swinging his axe to chop trees carried far into the distance.
As he chopped, Ying Kongtu suddenly sensed something.
He turned toward the depths of the dense forest. Sure enough, a furry little head poked out.
It was the cat called Dart.
“Meow.” The big orange-and-white cat walked over, shook its head, circled Ying Kongtu, and rubbed against his leg.
“It’s you.” Ying Kongtu crouched down to stroke the cat’s head, then scratched its chin. “How did you find this place?”
The orange tabby lay down at Ying Kongtu’s feet, exposing its belly. “Meow.”
Ying Kongtu unceremoniously rubbed it twice, then took a photo and sent it to Wen Zhongshan.
That day, when Wen Zhongshan had eaten at his home, the two had added each other as friends.
Wen Zhongshan replied quickly: It’s with you? Can I come pick it up?
Ying Kongtu had not yet mastered pinyin, so he could only reply by handwriting, then use the built-in traditional-to-simplified conversion software to convert the message: Are you nearby? If not, I can bring it down when I go down the mountain.
Wen Zhongshan: I’m on the neighboring mountain. I came up today to gather wild vegetables.
The neighboring mountain was a barren mountain and belonged to the public forest.
Ying Kongtu was somewhat surprised but readily told him to come over.
Wen Zhongshan arrived very quickly. Ying Kongtu glanced at the basket in his hand. It was completely empty, without any wild vegetables inside.
Wen Zhongshan noticed his gaze and said, “I saw a lot of people selling wild vegetables on the street recently, so I wanted to climb the mountain and pick some along the way.”
Ying Kongtu stared at his basket. “Then where are your wild vegetables?”
“I threw them away.” Wen Zhongshan shook the basket. “When I was picking them, I met a group of children and asked them to help me take a look. They said most of the wild vegetables I picked couldn’t be eaten, and the only few that could be eaten tasted bad, so I threw them away.”
Ying Kongtu could not help laughing softly.
Wen Zhongshan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Wild vegetables all look too similar. I was trying to pick water celery, but I even picked poisonous celery-leaved buttercup.”
“Many wild vegetables are poisonous. If you’re not familiar with them, it’s best not to eat them casually.”
“I’ve learned my lesson. What are you doing?”
“Transforming a mother forest.”
“A mother forest?”
“A forest that produces seeds.”
“You want to transform a patch of forest specifically to produce seeds?” Wen Zhongshan did not quite understand. “There are so many trees on the mountain. Why not just choose good seeds and collect them directly?”
“That’s different. Planting a mother forest and collecting seeds directly can be done at the same time, but generally speaking, there aren’t many superior seeds in the wild. If I want to improve the forest on a large scale, it’s more convenient to plant a mother forest and take seeds from it directly.”
When Ying Kongtu spoke of forests, his whole person seemed to take on a different quality, as if he were glowing faintly.
Wen Zhongshan did not leave either. He simply stayed to help cut trees while chatting.
Wen Zhongshan said, “…Your goal is to transform the entire forest? That’s an enormous amount of work.”
Ying Kongtu said, “I’m not trying to accomplish it overnight. Whenever I have time and energy, I’ll do a little. Slowly, the whole mountain, the entire stretch of mountains, will become different.”
Listening to this, Wen Zhongshan was stunned for a while before saying, “That goal is far too grand.”
“These are my mountains,” Ying Kongtu said slowly. “Transforming them and making them better gives me peace of mind.”
“That’s wonderful.” Wen Zhongshan looked at him steadily for several seconds and said, “Being able to find something you’re willing to strive for is also a kind of luck.”
Ying Kongtu smiled. “Yes, I think so too. And besides, I’m not the only one working hard. These mountain forests themselves are working hard as well.”
Ying Kongtu was planting trees, and the trees themselves were also desperately absorbing nutrients, growing taller and larger, and producing better descendants.
He was not shaking the entire mountain forest by himself. Rather, he was receiving the response of the entire mountain forest and slowly making these mountains better, little by little.
Wen Zhongshan helped cut trees nearby, while Ying Kongtu cut trees and sowed the seeds he carried with him.
Wen Zhongshan noticed. “The tree seeds you’re planting seem a little different?”
Ying Kongtu took a handful of seeds from the cloth pouch he carried and showed him. “They are a little different. I’m mainly planting masson pine and choumu.”
“I know masson pine. It’s a conifer. Choumu seems to be broadleaf trees? You’re planting two kinds of trees in one forest?”
“More than that. Choumu is a general term for trees of the Lithocarpus genus in the beech family (a.k.a Stone oaks), and it includes many species. Planting pines and choumu to create a mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest can improve the stability of the forest.”
Ying Kongtu explained, “When there are more types of trees, it’s less easy for a single, large-scale outbreak of pathogens or pests to occur.”
Wen Zhongshan had heard something about this. “I remember that having more kinds of trees can also help prevent fires?”
Ying Kongtu nodded. “Fire prevention is also an important goal. Mixed forests have greater evaporation, higher air humidity, and lower wind speeds, so they are less likely to catch fire. Even if they do catch fire, it is less likely to become a major blaze.”
As a mountain god, preventing mountain fires was also one of Ying Kongtu’s key duties.
Before he fell asleep, most of the time when he planted trees and transformed mountain forests, he relied on experience.
After awakening, he read books and discovered that much of the knowledge summarized in modern books verified his experience. Some of the knowledge also taught him a great deal and was very interesting.
This was one of the reasons that, even though he was not used to modern simplified characters and formatting, he still insisted on borrowing books and reading.
Ying Kongtu rarely talked about these things with people. Today, chatting with Wen Zhongshan left him wanting to say more. Only when he stopped did he realize that he had spoken a little too much.
He felt somewhat embarrassed.
Turning his head, he saw that Wen Zhongshan had been helping him cut trees and sow seeds the whole time, greatly improving his work efficiency. In half a day, he had completed two days’ worth of work.
Even Wen Zhongshan’s cat had obediently followed along nearby, accompanying them the entire time.
Thinking of this, Ying Kongtu rarely felt a little apologetic.
He changed the subject. “What wild vegetables did you want to gather when you came up the mountain today?”
Wen Zhongshan smiled. “Actually, I just wanted to climb the mountain and pick some wild vegetables along the way. Whether I could pick any didn’t really matter. If I truly wanted to eat them, I would have gone to the street to buy some.”
Ying Kongtu thought for a moment. “Do you want to climb Tiaozhu Mountain? There’s deer-ear chive on the mountain.”
Tiaozhu Mountain had once also been Ying Kongtu’s territory. Now, it belonged to the state.
The mountain was over three thousand meters above sea level. Since waking up, Ying Kongtu had only climbed it once.
Today, with Wen Zhongshan’s help, he had finished his work ahead of schedule. He could climb it once more.
Wen Zhongshan had not expected him to invite him and was somewhat surprised. Immediately afterward, he gladly agreed. “Sure. When should we go?”
Ying Kongtu said, “Tomorrow? If you don’t mind, we can wake up a bit early and start climbing at seven. While the sun isn’t too strong, we can go up the mountain early.”
Wen Zhongshan smiled. “Then tomorrow morning at seven, I’ll come find you.”
