Chapter 7: Searching for a Man in the Mountains

Old Man Jiang drifted around the village like this, and from time to time he would mention that he lived in the mountains behind the village. There was no pattern to his appearances. Sometimes he wandered through the village every day for an entire month. Other times, he would disappear for one or two months without a trace.

People believed him when he said he lived in the mountains. He had been in the area for five years, and everyone had come to understand him somewhat. They had discovered that Old Man Jiang never lied. If there was something he did not want to talk about, he would laugh it off and change the subject, but he would never make things up.

Besides, most of the villagers thought he was a pitiful wandering old man. Seeing that the village was relatively prosperous and its people kind-hearted, they assumed he had simply chosen to stay.

In truth, that was indeed one reason.

After finishing his cigarette, my father noticed the sky had grown a little brighter. He stood up, tucked his trouser legs into his socks, and continued onward.

The mountain paths were difficult to walk, and in many places there were no paths at all. My father wandered slowly through the mountains. Before he realized it, three or four hours had passed, yet he had not caught even a glimpse of Old Man Jiang.

Fortunately, it was a rare clear and pleasant winter day. Under the warm sunlight, my father’s mood remained fairly cheerful. He did not complain much. He simply thought about finding a clean place to eat his provisions, searching a bit more in the afternoon, and then returning home before supper.

“If I don’t find him today, I’ll keep looking tomorrow. If I search long enough, I’ll find him eventually. Maybe I’ll get lucky and run into him in the village.” After taking a drink from a mountain spring, my father spoke to himself. There were hardly any human voices in the mountains, so talking to himself helped pass the time.

The spring water was crystal clear and icy cold. One big gulp truly relieved both his fatigue and thirst. Thinking it was a good spot, and finding that steamed buns tasted especially delicious when eaten with spring water, my father decided to have his meal there.

But he had barely sat down and only just taken out the steamed buns when he heard an off-key mountain song. Combined with that hoarse, broken-gong voice, it was enough to ruin anyone’s appetite.

But my father was delighted. He knew that voice all too well. Who else could it be but Old Man Jiang? Whenever he wandered through the village, he constantly sang off-key mountain songs. The villagers had listened to that broken-gong voice countless times. It was impossible not to recognize it.

“Old Man Jiang! Old Man Jiang!” my father shouted at the top of his lungs. The mountains stretched endlessly and the paths twisted through them. At the moment, he could hear the voice but could not see the man.

After shouting several times, he finally heard a vigorous voice coming from behind a mountain path nearby.

“Hey! Who’s calling for me?”

“Old Man Jiang! Over here! Over here!” my father shouted happily, jumping and waving. He looked as excited as someone seeing a long-lost relative.

Following the sound of my father’s voice, Old Man Jiang soon emerged from the mountain path behind him. Heaven knew where he had been wandering in those mountains. Somehow, he had happened to run into my father.

He still looked as filthy as ever, even carrying a faint air of sleaziness. He was completely different from the image villagers had of a true expert. In their minds, a master ought to have a dignified appearance. Perhaps an immortal bearing and sage-like bones, or white hair paired with a youthful complexion. At the very least, they should seem profound and unapproachable.

None of those qualities had the slightest connection to Old Man Jiang.

But my father was already desperate enough to grasp at any straw. Even if Widow Zhou had told him a pig was a great expert, he would probably have found signs of mastery in it.

“Old Man Jiang...” The moment my father saw him, he hurried over. Standing before him, he instinctively changed his form of address. “Master Jiang...”

Old Man Jiang showed no surprise whatsoever. Nor did he ask why my father had come. He calmly enjoyed my father’s respectful attitude. After my father finished awkwardly smiling and greeting him, Old Man Jiang raised one hand and said, “Give me a steamed bun. Got any pickled vegetables in it?”

The moment he raised his hand, my father jumped in fright. What was that? A “rope” had nearly smacked him in the face. Looking more carefully, he realized Old Man Jiang was holding a limp green bamboo pit viper.

Sichuan had plenty of bamboo, and green bamboo pit vipers were a common venomous snake there. But being common did not mean they were harmless. On the contrary, they were extremely poisonous. Mountain folk had countless stories about them.

This Old Man Jiang...

My father could not find any words. The man could even dig up a hibernating snake in winter, and not just any snake but a venomous one. He truly had skills. Knowing Old Man Jiang’s habits, my father did not doubt for a second that the snake was intended as food.

Thoughts aside, my father respectfully handed over a steamed bun and explained, “I didn’t bring pickled vegetables because I was worried they’d spoil after being carried around too long. Master Jiang, please make do with this.”

Old Man Jiang was not polite about it. He dropped onto the ground with a loud Plop, tossed aside the green bamboo pit viper that had probably already been shaken boneless, accepted the bun, and started eating.

My father found it strange that he did not use his other hand. Then, unable to help laughing, he discovered that Old Man Jiang’s other hand was carrying a pheasant.

Back then, pheasants and wild rabbits were still common in the mountains. Foxes and monkeys could even be seen occasionally. But after the three years of famine, their numbers had greatly diminished. Yet Old Man Jiang could still catch a pheasant. That really was impressive.

Thinking this, my father looked at Old Man Jiang with a broad smile. The man sitting there without the slightest regard for appearances while stuffing himself with steamed buns looked like the incarnation of an immortal.

After finishing one bun, Old Man Jiang patted his hands, casually scratched his beard, and began guzzling spring water. When he finished drinking, he let out a burp, and my father quickly offered him the second bun.

Old Man Jiang accepted it without ceremony and continued eating. Finally, after finishing the second bun, he patted his belly, stood up, and said, “It would’ve been better with pickled vegetables. Sichuan pickles are crunchy and sour with just a little spiciness. They’re unbelievably delicious.”

“Then come eat at my house! Eat as much as you like!” My father had been worrying about how to bring up the subject. Hearing Old Man Jiang mention pickles, he hurriedly seized the opportunity. At that moment, he would have happily tricked, begged, or dragged Old Man Jiang to our house by any means necessary.

“Pickles? You want my help and think you can fob me off with pickles? Dream on.” Looking disdainful, Old Man Jiang casually picked up the green bamboo pit viper from the ground and stuffed it together with the pheasant into my father’s hands.

Hearing those words, my father felt as though he had encountered a genuine immortal. For a long moment he could not react. He simply stood there foolishly and accepted the things Old Man Jiang handed him.

“Venomous snakes have the finest flavor. Stew it together with this pheasant and it’ll be perfect. Remember, simmer it slowly over a low flame and cook it long enough. Also, whatever delicious dishes your family has, bring them all out to entertain me. I’ll be drinking too. I don’t want bottled liquor from the shops. I want top-quality homemade liquor. I’ll come to your house for lunch tomorrow. I’m leaving.”

After saying that, Old Man Jiang turned around and walked away.

Leaving my father standing there dumbfounded and stunned.

My father returned home in the afternoon.

The moment my mother opened the door, my father rushed inside. Ignoring her surprised expression, he threw the pheasant and the green bamboo pit viper onto the ground, grabbed her arm, and dragged her toward the house.

“Old Chen, what have you been doing? Did you go hunting in the mountains? Why aren’t you handling the important matter?” When my mother saw what he had thrown into the courtyard, she immediately became furious and began scolding him.

My father was anxious and unable to explain himself properly. He simply dragged her forcefully into the house. Only after shutting the door did he say, “Hunting? Do you think I have that kind of ability? Do you think I’d ignore our son’s situation and go hunting instead?”

The rapid-fire questions left my mother stunned. That was true. By all logic, my father was not the sort of person who would behave so irresponsibly.

“Pour me a cup of water first. I’ll tell you everything slowly. This time I really met a true expert!”

An hour later.

First, my father left the house carrying 50 kg (~110 lb) of grain balanced on a shoulder pole.

Then my mother went into the courtyard and efficiently began cleaning the chicken and snake.

In those days, eating snake meat was not unusual in the countryside. My mother was thoroughly familiar with how to prepare a venomous snake.

Two hours later, the green bamboo pit viper and the pheasant had been cleaned completely. The white snake meat and fresh chicken meat were placed into separate basins, covered with plastic bags, and tightly sealed.

Then my mother placed both basins inside a wooden tub and carried them to the well in the backyard. She tied the tub to the well rope, lowered it down, and stopped it about ten centimeters above the water.

Finally, she laboriously moved a large stone over the well and sealed it completely, leaving no gaps at all.

The well served as our family’s natural refrigerator. Until the day they grew old, my parents always believed that food stored in a well stayed freshest. Since the expert was coming for a meal the next day, my mother was not neglecting anything.

After finishing all that, she picked up a basket and headed for the bamboo grove on the back slope. Winter bamboo shoots were especially good at that time of year, and she wanted to gather some.

Just after my mother finished collecting the bamboo shoots, she saw my father returning. She hurriedly asked, “Did you get the meat?”

Country people did not have meat ration coupons. After slaughtering a pig, any meat they could not finish was usually turned into cured meat. If they wanted fresh meat, they had to exchange grain for it. It would be improper to entertain a guest without serving meat.

Even so, obtaining meat was not easy.

My father had hurried all the way to town and back. Despite the winter cold, he had worked up a sweat. Beaming with joy, he said, “I got some. More than half a kilogram, about one and a half pounds. It went pretty smoothly.”

“One whole load of grain for just this little bit of meat...” My mother could not help feeling heartbroken.

“Alright, for our son’s sake, what’s a little grain? As long as he comes to our house and eats a good meal, it’ll be worth it.” My father was delighted. Old Man Jiang’s words about asking for help had convinced him that he had finally met a genuine expert.

That was not all. Next, my father ran off to the riverside. For tomorrow’s visit, he intended to spare no effort.

By evening, my father had brought back two fresh river fish, and then he prepared to head out again.

“Old Chen, you haven’t even eaten dinner. Where are you rushing off to now?” My mother took the fish and tossed them directly into the water vat. Seeing my father about to leave again, she asked in confusion.

“I’m going to catch some eels. You know my stir-fried eel dish is excellent. I have to make sure Old... Master Jiang is satisfied with the meal.” My father seemed to be in an extremely excited state.

“It’s the middle of winter, not summer. Where are you going to find eels?” My mother could only laugh helplessly.