Mountain God’s Forest Farm – CH55

Chapter 55: A Great Harvest

As a non-human, after Xing Chang obtained Ying Kongtu’s consent, he reported the matter of Ying Kongtu opening an online store. It was even treated as an advanced example of non-humans actively integrating into human society and received a commendation.

—The kind that came with an eight-thousand-yuan bonus.

That was not all. As a non-human running a shop, Ying Kongtu enjoyed certain tax benefits.

Xing Chang specially took the documents and made a business trip to the capital to help him get the tax benefits approved.

To thank him, Ying Kongtu specially invited Xing Chang over for a meal.

“Bracken stir-fried with cured pork!” Xing Chang’s eyes lit up. “It’s only just spring. There’s already bracken?”

“It’s already growing in warmer places. I found some in a lower-altitude area. It isn’t cucumber-scented bracken, but the taste is still all right.”

“It’s already delicious! Your cured pork is good too, fragrant and firm. Oh, this dried chili is also really good. Fragrant with a sweet aftertaste, spicy but not harsh. It could be eaten as a side dish.”

Seeing that he liked it, Ying Kongtu said, “I’ll pack some for you when you leave later.”

Xing Chang was a little embarrassed. “Then I won’t be polite. Your chilies are seriously delicious. When I take them home, I’ll fry them in oil, add some chopped scallions, minced garlic, and oyster sauce, and make chili oil. It’ll definitely be good.”

“I’ll pack you some garlic too. I grew it myself. It tastes a bit better than the ones outside.”

“I could tell. Your garlic is crisp and refreshing, with plenty of garlicky heat. Speaking of which, just how many things have you planted in the mountains?”

“Not that many. Just one vegetable garden. I’ll plant more this year.”

“I saw the terraced fields have already been tidied up. Are you getting ready to raise rice seedlings?”

In their area, rice planting was divided into direct sowing and transplanting seedlings.

Direct sowing was convenient and fast. Raising seedlings and transplanting them made stronger seedlings and more fragrant grain.

Ying Kongtu planned to use the seedling-transplanting method. He could raise the seedlings in advance, lengthen the rice’s growth period, and make it grow better.

Ying Kongtu said, “Not that soon. We won’t raise seedlings until March.”

“That won’t work now? I saw someone already starting to raise seedlings today.”

“There will still be a few late-spring cold snaps. The seedlings can easily freeze. If we raise seedlings now, we’d need plastic film. We don’t want to use plastic film.”

“Got it.” Xing Chang nodded in understanding. “You want to use a more traditional planting method.”

Ying Kongtu smiled. “That’s about right. This month, we’ll mainly go up the mountains to harvest daqingye, plant dwarf lilyturf, patrol the mountains for fire prevention, and we don’t have that much time to manage seedling cultivation.”

Spring was the peak season for local mountain fires. Every year, Ying Kongtu would set aside part of his energy for fire prevention.

Xing Chang asked curiously, “Is your daqingye selling well?”

“It should be all right.” Ying Kongtu looked at Wen Zhongshan, who had not said much the whole time. “I feel like the daqingye we bring back every day sells out very quickly.”

Wen Zhongshan nodded. “It sells well. Sometimes orders even have to be queued for a few days before we have stock to ship.”

Although the online store had not been open for long, Ying Kongtu had already felt the benefits of selling daqingye online.

Their daqingye had to be harvested every day, and there happened to be orders every day.

The daqingye was harvested and sold fresh, so the customers were very satisfied.

At the same time, they did not have to pile the dried daqingye in the attic, which reduced the risk of spoilage and eased inventory pressure. It was very relaxing.

Ying Kongtu’s family had already built a reputation for selling daqingye. It probably would not be difficult to sell isatis root afterward either.

Thinking of this, Ying Kongtu felt a wave of relief. Planting things was not difficult, but selling things really was not his strength. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

That morning, after Ying Kongtu got up, he pushed open the window at home and stood at the doorway doing stretches.

The spring breeze blew in, carrying a hint of moisture.

The distant mountains were gradually turning green. Standing at the doorway and looking at all that greenery, he felt extremely good.

As soon as he lifted his head, the shrine lit up.

Xian Niao’s figure leapt out from the shrine, landing lightly. It even shook its large head and shook out the fur on its body.

“Xian Niao!” Ying Kongtu greeted it happily. “Good morning.”

“Awoo—” Xian Niao gave Ying Kongtu a long call.

Only then did Ying Kongtu notice. “Why is your fur wet? Did you get dew on it?”

In this weather, if its fur was wet with dew, it would really be a little cold.

Ying Kongtu looked at Xian Niao and hurried back inside to bring out its special bath towel to wipe its damp fur.

Only after wiping did Ying Kongtu realize that the wettest parts of its body were its four paws. The long fur there could still be wrung out.

Ying Kongtu held one of its thick paws and lowered his head to look. A question mark practically appeared above his head. “Where did you go so early in the morning?”

Xian Niao said, “Awo.”

Hearing its soft call, Ying Kongtu sensed something. “You went to Ai Mountain?”

Xian Niao again said, “Awo.”

Its call was not quite right. It did not sound like it had simply gone up the mountain to feed the fish.

Ying Kongtu tilted his head and carefully sensed for a moment.

His connection with the local area was becoming deeper and deeper now. His strength was also growing stronger. His perception of the mountain forest was already much stronger than before.

Very quickly, Ying Kongtu looked at Xian Niao and asked, “Have the Ai fish in the mountain started laying roe?”

Xian Niao bumped its furry head against Ying Kongtu’s head. “Awoo.”

That meant yes. No wonder he felt the vitality in the mountains had thickened considerably.

Ying Kongtu had not expected the fish in the mountains to lay roe so early this year. He could not help becoming excited. “Really? Then we’ll go up the mountain later and take a look.”

Xian Niao said, “Awo.”

Ying Kongtu half-knelt on the ground and quickly dried Xian Niao’s fur.

For its especially wet paws, Ying Kongtu even went to get a hairdryer and used warm air to blow-dry them.

When Wen Zhongshan arrived after receiving the news, he saw Ying Kongtu sitting on a small stool, while Xian Niao lay on its side on the ground, relaxing its paws and letting Ying Kongtu blow-dry its fur.

The scene was extremely warm.

Wen Zhongshan came over and crouched down, gently scratching Xian Niao’s chin.

Xian Niao very amicably rested its head in his palm for a moment as a greeting.

“You’re here?” Ying Kongtu urged Wen Zhongshan, “There’s noodles with gravy in the kitchen. Hurry and eat breakfast. Once you’re done, we’ll go up the mountain.”

“You already ate?”

“I ate a little. Where’s Dart? Why didn’t it come?”

“It’s probably wandering outside. It’ll come later.”

Early-spring noodles with gravy did not have many fresh vegetables.

Ying Kongtu had pickled crisp spring bamboo shoots and added them into the noodles together with rich gravy and refreshing vegetable seedlings. The flavor of the noodles became very layered and tasted quite good.

While Wen Zhongshan was eating breakfast, Tiaozhu also leapt out from the shrine.

Its body was similarly wet.

Because its fur was damp, its muscles looked even more distinct. Paired with its satin-like fur, it looked exceptionally beautiful.

Ying Kongtu did not care whether it looked beautiful or not. He hurried to bring out its towel and wrapped it up, rubbing it vigorously.

Tiaozhu’s cool, handsome cat face was rubbed into a mess, and even its pointed teeth were exposed.

“Meow-ao!” Tiaozhu protested.

Ying Kongtu wrapped it up and directly suppressed it. “Protest denied. You’re this wet. Did you also go swimming in the lake?”

Tiaozhu said, “Meow-ao.”

Amid the chaos, Jingwei and Dart returned one after another.

Jingwei had eaten outside before returning and was not hungry.

Dart, however, seized the opportunity and crunched down a full meal of cat food.

After everything was finally tidied up, with Xian Niao leading the way, the whole household of furry creatures and non-humans could finally go up the mountain.

Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan each carried a large back basket.

In Ying Kongtu’s hand was also a bamboo tool shaped somewhat like a hook.

Wen Zhongshan asked, “What is that for? Hooking fish?”

“Yes. If we need it, we’ll use it to hook fish.” Ying Kongtu said, “Since the fish are spawning, there should be male fish we can catch.”

Xian Niao, who had been listening to their conversation at the front, turned back toward them. “Awoo.”

Ying Kongtu said, “Xian Niao says we can catch them.”

Wen Zhongshan looked at the furry creatures ahead. “Then doesn’t that mean we can finally add an extra dish today?”

“That’s right. We can finally eat fish to our hearts’ content.”

Halfway up, Dart could not walk anymore again.

This time, Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan were both there.

Wen Zhongshan took the initiative to pick Dart up so it would not wheeze and pant from climbing.

Climbing such a high mountain early in the morning was truly too difficult for an ordinary cat.

Wen Zhongshan stroked Dart’s round head.

Dart also rarely stayed obediently in his arms, opening its round eyes without resisting.

After Wen Zhongshan picked Dart up, everyone’s speed increased again.

A little after nine in the morning, their group stood before Ai Lake.

Ying Kongtu saw at a glance that many large fish were chasing each other in the shallow-water area, with quite a few splashes bursting up.

Some wild birds and beasts had also spotted the Ai fish swimming toward the shallows and were standing by the lake, watching covetously.

“Meow-ao!” Tiaozhu roared. Its small body let out an extraordinary aura.

The raptors and beasts waiting nearby heard the sound and paced uneasily a few times. In the end, they still could not bear to leave.

Xian Niao also howled, “Awoo—”

The long wolf howl was highly penetrating. The raptors and beasts were startled and finally slowly left.

Ying Kongtu reached out and stroked Xian Niao’s head.

Xian Niao did not pay any attention to his hand at all. Its eyes were bright as it stared at the shallow-water area. They had raised these fish for so many days; they absolutely would not allow other fierce beasts or raptors to lay claws on them.

The Ai fish had indeed begun laying roe.

It was just that the process lasted for quite a long time.

The female and male fish were still testing each other back and forth, chasing and ramming into each other, constantly intertwining.

Ying Kongtu and the others quietly stood to the side, not disturbing the Ai fish pairing.

The fish kept testing, chasing, and swimming.

They nearly circled the shore of the entire lake.

Ying Kongtu and the others stood by the lake watching until their legs were tired. In the end, they found stones and sat down to wait slowly.

The sun rose little by little, and under the sunlight, the lake water also warmed bit by bit.

By a little after one in the afternoon, the water temperature finally seemed to meet the Ai fish’s requirements.

The female fish seized the chance and quickly laid eggs in the water.

Large amounts of fish roe were released into the water.

Unlike the last time, when only female fish released eggs, at this point the male fish’s milt had also matured.

After the female fish laid eggs, the male fish that had been chasing and ramming beside them immediately swarmed forward and began releasing milt.

Eggs and milt met, forming large quantities of fertilized eggs within a few minutes.

These fertilized eggs piled densely along the shore, even changing the color of the lake water.

The lake water turned a brilliant golden-red. From a distance, it looked like sunset clouds had melted into the water.

After the male Ai fish released their milt, they stopped moving in the shallow-water area.

The female Ai fish began swimming in groups, waving their fins to stir up the water so that the mud and sand below floated up, then buried the fertilized eggs in the sediment.

They worked little by little. The lake water by the shore grew increasingly muddy, the sunset color grew paler and paler, and finally most of the fertilized eggs were pressed beneath the mud and sand, no longer visible.

Only then were the female Ai fish satisfied. After patrolling nearby a few times, they went to search for the male fish.

This time, they were not looking for the males to provide milt. They directly treated the male fish as food.

Clearly, the female fish, having just gone through intense activity, needed large amounts of food to replenish their energy.

Since they fed on birds and beasts, they could not quickly obtain prey. The male fish were the best prey at this moment.

The female fish began eating ferociously. Once full, they swam back into the depths of the lake and completely disappeared.

The annual Ai fish mating event, which had lasted a night and half a day, completely ended.

There were still quite a few male Ai fish stranded by the shore.

There were also raptors and beasts watching covetously nearby, planning to pick up fish to eat.

This time, Xian Niao and Tiaozhu seized the chance and led Jingwei forward.

As for Dart, it could only come over to make up the numbers.

One, two, three… Xian Niao and the others dragged the still-living male fish from the lake onto the shore one by one.

As for the male fish that had already died, they no longer cared and directly left them for the raptors and beasts.

“Should we go over?” Wen Zhongshan asked.

“Not yet.” Ying Kongtu said, “I’ll first cast the mountain god’s blessing on these fertilized eggs.”

This was also one of the reasons Ying Kongtu had specifically come up the mountain.

There were too few Ai fish in the lake. If they were left to reproduce naturally, their numbers might grow fewer and fewer.

Now, if he protected them a bit and helped more fry hatch, their numbers should recover to normal within a year or two.

As for the later food problem, if there really was no other way, he could feed them manually.

Ying Kongtu half-knelt beside the lake and cast the mountain god’s blessing on this batch of fertilized eggs.

After casting it, he also specially used divine power to implement a rejection spell, preventing birds and beasts from coming over to eat this batch of fertilized eggs.

“All right.” Ying Kongtu stood up tiredly with Wen Zhongshan’s help. “When we come check again in half a month, they should have already hatched.”

Wen Zhongshan looked at the water. “I hope there will be a batch of strong little fish.”

Ying Kongtu said, “There definitely will be.”

After resting briefly, the two finally went to pick up the fish Xian Niao and the others had dragged out.

There were truly too many male fish today. Xian Niao and the others had picked up more than seventy.

These were all strong, healthy adult fish that had reached sexual maturity.

Although they had exhausted their strength to reproduce and had thinned down quite a bit, their size was still considerable.

Ying Kongtu said, “Two baskets probably won’t be enough. Later, we’ll pull up some grass and weave grass ropes to string the fish together.”

Wen Zhongshan looked at the fish dragged ashore. They still had a little strength left and occasionally tried to jump. “If we didn’t catch them, could they still survive?”

“Basically impossible. Even if they weren’t caught by Xian Niao and the others, they would be caught by the raptors and beasts waiting nearby. Every year after breeding, a large batch of male fish dies.”

“Then are there still male fish in the lake?”

“Yes, many. Some male fish aren’t in good condition. Even if they reach sexual maturity, they may not necessarily produce milt. They might wait until next year, for the next opportunity.”

As Ying Kongtu spoke, he lightly patted Wen Zhongshan’s back. “That’s just how living things are. They reproduce and continue, generation after generation.”

Wen Zhongshan nodded in understanding.

Ying Kongtu added, “This year, we prepared so well. There will definitely be a lot of young fish. Next year’s breeding scene should also be magnificent. We can look forward to it.”

“Meow-ao—” Tiaozhu saw that the two of them kept talking there and were not actively picking up fish, so it called at them in displeasure. “Meow-ao-ao!”

“Coming!” Ying Kongtu hurriedly said.

Tiaozhu stood in place staring at them. Only after seeing them begin working did it withdraw its gaze in satisfaction.

The Ai fish they harvested today were all too large. Ying Kongtu and the others’ baskets indeed could not hold them.

Soon, Ying Kongtu went nearby to cut some grass and shrubs, wove them into simple ropes, then strung the fish together.

Originally, he wanted to string several bunches and have him and Wen Zhongshan carry them. In any case, they were strong, and carrying them would not be difficult.

Xian Niao and Tiaozhu supervised from the side.

Seeing Ying Kongtu keep stringing fish, Xian Niao lifted a paw and gently placed it on Ying Kongtu’s wrist, indicating that this string of fish only needed three.

Ying Kongtu smiled. “You want to carry some too?”

Xian Niao said, “Awoo.”

“Then here.” Ying Kongtu tied a knot in the fish string and handed it to Xian Niao’s mouth for it to carry. “Thanks for your hard work.”

Xian Niao said, “Awo.”

Tiaozhu could not wait to squeeze forward, squeezing between Ying Kongtu and Xian Niao, even nudging Xian Niao aside.

“You want to carry fish too?” Ying Kongtu lowered his head and looked at Tiaozhu. He picked two relatively smaller fish, strung them together, and held them to its mouth. “Can you manage?”

Tiaozhu did not answer. It simply held the fish with head high and chest out, stepping in elegant cat strides as it headed down the mountain.

After Tiaozhu left, Jingwei excitedly squeezed forward and even wagged its tail. “Awoo.”

Seeing that Ying Kongtu did not react immediately, Jingwei hopped sideways twice and nudged his hand with its muzzle. “Awoo.”

“I know.” Ying Kongtu raised his hand and blocked it away with his elbow. “I’m choosing fish for you.”

“Awoo!”

So Ying Kongtu also picked two relatively smaller fish, strung them together, and let Jingwei carry them as it walked.

Only Dart, the fat orange civet-cat, was left.

It sat in place, looking at its companions who had already gone ahead, then turned its round head to look at Wen Zhongshan beside it. “Mimi.”

Wen Zhongshan reached out and stroked its head, then went to catch fish in the lake.

A moment later, Wen Zhongshan caught a two- or three-jin Ai fish, brought it over, and put it by Dart’s mouth for it to carry.

Dart was satisfied. It opened its mouth wide, held the fish, and followed behind its companions.

Ying Kongtu smiled and handed two strings of fish to Wen Zhongshan. “Let’s go down too.”

The two each shouldered a basket, carried fish, and slowly headed down the mountain.

Going down with weight was even harder than going up. By the time they returned home, it was already evening, and the sky was almost dark.

Although they had eaten jerky and rice balls they had brought at noon, after so much exertion, they were now extremely hungry.

Ying Kongtu gave the furry creatures food, then entered the kitchen to fry rice for the humans.

They were in a rush today, so Ying Kongtu cut off a piece of cured pork, grabbed a handful of salted greens, and simply made fried rice with salted greens and cured pork.

The large plate of rice was fried until glossy with oil. It was wrapped with cured pork cubes, bits of salted greens, and chili rings. When it came out of the wok, he added a big handful of chopped scallions.

It looked like nothing more than ordinary fried rice, but when carried out, fragrance rose together with the heat. It was incredibly fragrant.

“Let’s make do with this. After eating, we’ll process the fish.” Ying Kongtu handed one plate of fried rice to Wen Zhongshan.

“It already smells very good.” Wen Zhongshan said, “Even when I’m not making do, I may not reach this standard.”

Ying Kongtu smiled.

After dinner, they hurried to process the fish.

Ying Kongtu had used a little divine power, so all the Ai fish were still alive and looked extremely fresh.

Ying Kongtu turned on the courtyard lights, moved two small stools over, and sat by the well with Wen Zhongshan, processing the fish together.

For this kind of fresh Ai fish, if they were killed and bled in time, then washed in ice water and hung to dry, there would not be the slightest fishy smell.

Ying Kongtu liked processing fish most in this season. The temperature was low enough. Even with such a large quantity and even if their movements were not that fast, it did not matter.

By the time they finished processing, the fish would still maintain perfect freshness.

They might even have their umami slightly concentrated because they were hung to dry, making them taste even better.

All four furry creatures were tired, but they still could not bear to leave. They lay nearby watching them process fish, like little supervisors.

Ying Kongtu was afraid the bloody water would stain their fur, so he nudged Xian Niao with his elbow, asking it to take the little companions under the eaves.

Xian Niao stood up, picked up Dart, and walked under the eaves.

Tiaozhu and Jingwei slowly followed.

The wind was strong at night, and soon, other cats smelled the fishiness and came.

They called outside in low voices, clearly very greedy.

Ying Kongtu piled the fish organs together.

There were many fish today, and they were large. Their organs were also in good condition, so there was no need to throw everything away.

Ying Kongtu kept the swim bladders, livers, and stomachs, only throwing away the intestines and gills.

Fish intestines could actually be eaten too, but processing them was too troublesome. Ying Kongtu was too lazy to handle them.

Hearing the cats outside calling, Ying Kongtu asked for the furry creatures’ opinions. “Should we take some outside to feed the cats and dogs?”

Xian Niao and the others were now used to eating good meat and no longer ate fish gills and intestines much.

They also had preferences and would not accept everything indiscriminately.

Xian Niao softly said, “Awoo.”

Ying Kongtu said, “Then you take the organs outside. We can’t spare our hands for now.”

Xian Niao again said, “Awoo.”

With Xian Niao leading, the group of furry creatures carried the bagged organs outside.

Wen Zhongshan watched their backs and asked, “Can Xian Niao basically understand what we say now?”

“More or less. It could understand roughly before. After getting used to it, it can understand even more.”

Ying Kongtu said with great interest, “Tiaozhu couldn’t understand human speech much before. After spending so much time with Xian Niao, it can also understand roughly.”

“I can feel it. Even Dart has become a lot more sensible.”

“Yes, once they mingle together, they gradually understand.”

The two processed fish in the cold night. What should have been rather dull work became uniquely pleasant with the other’s company.

They hung each fish on a pole, temporarily hanging them to drain.

Because there were too many fish hanging there, the pole gradually bent under the weight, though it was still far from breaking.

It looked like a branch in the autumn harvest season, bent low by fruit.

After hanging another fish on the pole, Wen Zhongshan looked at the pole full of fish and said, “I’m afraid that even a very, very long time from now, I’ll still remember this scene today.”

Ying Kongtu smiled. “May this day come every year, and may this moment return year after year. Next year, we’ll still process fish and refresh the scene in your mind.”

“I’ll still remember.” Wen Zhongshan said, “This is our first great harvest of Ai fish. Even if there are other harvest scenes, I won’t forget this one.”

Ying Kongtu’s eyes curved again. Wen Zhongshan walked over. Because their hands were covered in bloody water and they could not embrace, he gently leaned against him.

Author’s Note:

Dart officially began losing weight.

Wen Zhongshan was afraid he could not manage it well, so he specially sent Dart to Ying Kongtu’s place.

With Tiaozhu, Xian Niao, and the traitor Jingwei supervising it, Dart’s foodie life was gone forever.

That day, while wandering outside, Dart saw a fisherman fishing.

Its spirits lifted, and it began circling the fisherman while meowing nonstop.

After training at home for so long, Dart’s coquettish skills had reached perfection.

After it rubbed the man with its head, nudged him with its head, then flopped down on the spot and showed its belly, the fisherman finally caught food for it.

Then Dart ate a fish that was rough, fishy, and thin. [heartbreak emoji.]

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