Chapter 24 Hunting and Mahjong
"No, we went to Pengyue Mountain this time. I heard that there are many people hunting there, so there must be a lot of prey. My Meishan has not recovered from the damage we have done to it yet. Let's take care of it for a few years first."
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go."
"go!"
After the group left the city gate, they immediately rode their horses at full speed towards Pengyue Mountain.
Pengyue Mountain is actually two mountains connected together. It is named because the two peaks look like a pair of hands holding the bright moon from afar at night. It is located about ten miles west of Kyoto, not far from Cangshan Mountain. In Kyoto, there is a saying that people often go hunting in Pengyue and enjoy the snow in Cangshan Mountain.
Mei Cheng'an and his party also met many people who went hunting on the road. When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, they found that there were even more people. Many people even caught prey. There were no large prey, basically pheasants, rabbits and the like.
Mei Cheng'an and Wang Qinian got together and discussed it. With so many people together, there would definitely be a lot of noise, and the prey would have been scared away long ago. Even if some of them were slow to react, there would not be enough for so many people to share, and there might even be a quarrel over fighting for the prey.
So the two decided to go around to the other side and find a place with fewer people.
After making sure, the group of six just slipped away. The two thought they were very smart, but in fact there were many people who had the same idea as them. The more they slipped away, the more frustrated they felt, as there were people everywhere.
"I think, let's not go around. There are relatively fewer people here, so let's go here." Wang Qinian said.
"Old Wang, that's a good idea!"
The six people joined the hunting army. Relying on their excellent archery skills and good eyesight, they gained a lot, at least much more than their fellow travelers.
At noon, there were very few people around. Except for those who were leaving, the rest basically went down the mountain to find a place to eat.
A few people found a vacant space nearby, picked up some firewood, started a fire and roasted pheasants and rabbits. The sweet potatoes were brought out with seasonings, which were prepared for this purpose.
As the pheasants and rabbits are roasted in the fierce fire, the skin color of the pheasants and rabbits gradually darkens, and oil and water flow out. Sprinkle some salt and cumin and chili powder on them, the aroma is very strong.
The stomach started to growl after being hooked by several people, and he kept swallowing saliva.
Mei Cheng'an took a knife and cut a small piece and tasted it.
"How is it? Is it cooked? Does it smell good? Is it delicious?" Wang Qinian had a look of anticipation on his face. He was not good at barbecue, so he had to listen to the experts.
Mei Cheng'an shook his head, and Wang Qinian looked a little disappointed.
"I'm kidding, it's cooked! It smells so good, you can eat it now, start eating."
Mei Cheng'an and Wang Qinian each ate a roast chicken, and the four maids shared two wild rabbits. It's not that he was reluctant to roast more for them, but they said half a rabbit was enough, and any more would make them fat.
Mei Cheng'an was speechless when he heard this. It seems that no matter which dynasty, girls pay great attention to their figure.
After eating the meat, I drank two cups of tea. Wait, where did the tea come from? It was from sweet potatoes. I don’t know what she was thinking. She brought a teapot, teacups, and tea leaves when she went hunting. The water was from a mountain spring.
After dinner, they worked for a few more hours. Fortunately, there were fewer people in the afternoon, so they had a great harvest. They tied a pair of prey to the horses and returned to Kyoto before the sun set.
There were still a lot of people rushing into the city at this time, so Mei Chengan and his group had no choice but to queue up obediently.
"Old Wang."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"The prey we got today is nothing compared to what we got in Meishan."
"Indeed, although there is a hunting ban for nearly half a year every year in Pengyue Mountain, look at how many people go there to hunt every year. The large prey don't have time to grow and have been almost wiped out long ago. Only these pheasants, rabbits, foxes and the like are left. The deer we saw was considered a big one, but it was a pity that it was hunted by others."
"I said go ahead, but you made me wait. The arrow was already on the string, and I was shot dead the moment I turned around. If I had shot directly, I might have died."
Wang Qinian smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
"I was thinking that deer are social animals, and the appearance of one usually means there are deer herds nearby, so I thought to wait, but who would have thought that we were not the only ones targeting this deer. I'm sorry, sorry."
Mei Chengan waved his hand.
"I don't mean to blame you. I don't care whether it's a deer or not. I just feel a little bit dissatisfied that someone snatched my prey away from me right in front of my eyes. I also know that we are hunting on the same mountain. Whoever shoots the prey first gets the prey. It's fair."
"Hey, Master Xiaomei is right to think so. You should be more open-minded and not make things difficult for yourself. Besides, I think the deer is quite big. Even if we really kill it, we can't bring it back. So we should just consider it as us giving it to him voluntarily."
"Sure, Lao Wang. I didn't expect you to be so good at comforting yourself. No wonder I'm so happy every time I see you."
Wang Qinian chuckled.
"Mr. Xiaomei, thank you for your praise. Thank you for your praise."
This is also the thing that Mei Cheng'an likes most about Wang Qinian, that is, he never wastes time on himself and is cheerful all day long, who would be unhappy seeing him like that?
As they were talking, the team gradually moved forward. When it was almost their turn, they suddenly heard the sound of galloping horses behind them.
The team looked back and saw a group of people riding fast horses and carrying prey, galloping towards the city gate, raising a cloud of dust behind them. The person in front looked to be about thirty years old, with a little girl in his arms. When he arrived at the entrance, he showed no intention of slowing down or stopping to line up. Everyone hurriedly hid aside.
In broad daylight, these people dared to attack the city gate? The excitement was about to begin. Mei Chengan became interested and looked forward to the sequel.
Who would have thought that there was no follow-up at all. The soldiers guarding the city acted as if they didn't see anything. They had no intention of stopping them at all. They just dodged and let the people rush past.
Mei Cheng'an turned around and asked Wang Qinian. "Old Wang, you are very familiar with the area in Kyoto and know a lot of people. Who are those people just now? How dare they act so recklessly in Kyoto? The people guarding the city don't care."
"I have seen the leader. He is Ye Zhong, the garrison commander of Kyoto. The one in his arms should be his daughter Ye Ling'er. Those guarding the city are his men. Naturally, they will not stop us."
Mei Cheng'an suddenly realized, Ye Chong, no wonder he looked familiar, although he only appeared in a few shots in the second season, but he is also a veteran actor, he just couldn't remember his name.
Since they are the garrison commander of Kyoto, there will be no problem.
They lined up to enter the city and walked together for a while, and then Mei Cheng'an and Wang Qinian separated.
"Remember to say hello to my sister-in-law when you get home."
"I know." Wang Qinian walked away.
"Come on, let's go home."
……
Most of the prey hunted this time were very common. The fur color of a few foxes was not pure, but they were barely usable. What made Mei Chengan most satisfied was that there were a few minks among the prey. They were not big in size, with shiny fur that glowed blue, and felt particularly good to the touch. It would not be a problem to make a mink shawl for my sister with these minks.
The processing of the fur is still left to Old Liu, and after it is completed it will be handed over to the tailor in the mansion.
As New Year's Eve approaches, the mansion is busy everywhere, while Mei Cheng'an's courtyard is busy playing mahjong.
Today is the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month. The yard has been thoroughly cleaned, and several people set up a mahjong table in the house and started playing mahjong.
Mei Cheng'an didn't know whether he finally sat in the right position or was just lucky, but when he played mahjong, it was as if he was assisted by God. Whatever he thought of came true, he got the card, he got the touch, he got the self-draw, and he made Hongshu, Cucumber and Green Ant's faces turn green. When the game was over, Hongshu and Cucumber were almost crying.
Mei Chengan was in a good mood. He finally got rid of the title of "stinky hand" and saw his money return.
"Laugh, why aren't you laughing? Aren't you very happy when you win my money on weekdays? You should have thought that this day would come sooner or later, hahahahahahaha."
Bluebird covered her face, unable to bear to see the young master's smug face.
Cucumber gritted his teeth and said, "Tsk, Master, don't be too proud. Winning for a while is nothing. Winning all the time is a skill."
Sweet Potato: "That's right, we are just letting you go because it's almost Chinese New Year, why are you so proud?"
Green Ant: "You have to understand the young master. It's normal for him to be a little carried away after losing so badly on weekdays and suddenly turning things around."
Mei Chengan sneered: "Tsk tsk tsk, look at your faces. I just won some money from you, you are so jealous. Bluebird, take a look, who is broken. I know, but I won't say it."
Cucumber: "If you have the guts, come back tomorrow. You just had better luck today, but it may not be the same tomorrow."
Sweet Potato: "That's right, if you have the guts, continue tomorrow."
Green Ant: "Master, don't listen to them. It's not easy for you to win once. You should stop while you are ahead."
Mei Chengan was furious when he heard this, and slammed the table and said, "Come on, who's afraid of who? Prepare the money tomorrow and wait for me to harvest it!"
The next day was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Sweet Potato: "Master, what's wrong with you? Why are you unhappy?"
Cucumber: "Who is it? Who's broken through? Let me see."
Green Ant: "Master, what did I say yesterday? Honest advice may be unpleasant to the ears, but it is beneficial to one's conduct."
Mei Chengan: “…………”
The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Sweet Potato: "Master, do you have any money?"
Cucumber: "What nonsense are you talking about. How could the young master be without money? Can the money really disappear? Oh, look at me, I forgot, the young master's money is with me, hahahahahahahaha."
Green Ant: "Master, hey..."
Mei Cheng'an turned around: "Bluebird, fight for me!"
The sweet potato, cucumber, and green ants shouted in unison: "No!!!"
Lunar New Year's eve.
He didn't play mahjong today. He had been planning to continue fighting. Mei Cheng'an always felt that his state on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month was about to return. But before the mahjong was set up, his sister came and insisted that Mei Cheng'an take her shopping.
What else is there to say? Just keep walking.
The streets of Kyoto are extremely busy today, with a lot of people. Mei Cheng'an holds his sister's hand tightly. His sister looks around, wanting to buy this and that. Mei Cheng'an is not short of money, so naturally he buys her whatever she wants. Of course, there are exceptions.
For example, when she wanted the monkey in the hands of a trainer, Mei Chengan did not agree.
(End of this chapter)
