Chapter 111 Finding Tools
Chapter 111 Finding Tools
"Four leaves" is a slang term used in Northeast China for grazing animals.
This refers to wild ginseng with four whorled palmate compound leaves at the top of its stem. Each compound leaf has five leaflets, indicating that the ginseng is at least fifty years old and at most eighty years old. It is considered a top-grade wild ginseng and is very precious.
In the past, it was the prized possession of ordinary pharmacies and a treasured heirloom of wealthy families.
Most importantly, there is a high possibility that other wild ginseng may exist near the four leaves.
If you're lucky, you can easily make two hundred dollars.
Sell it cheaply to Zhao Linlin; if handled well, you might gain a favor that could save your life in a critical moment, or perhaps—
"Let's go to the scrap metal recycling station."
Zhang Wenshan calmed himself down and made a decision immediately.
According to the old rules, there is a professional process for digging wild ginseng, and an experienced leader is required to guide the team.
Respect the mountains, maintain order, protect the ginseng; not a single mistake can be tolerated.
Before entering the mountains, one must first establish a gang, worship the gods, and make an oath.
The number of people to be selected must be between three and seven, to avoid the auspicious sign of odd numbers returning to even numbers, and to treat the ginseng as a person.
During the ceremony, one must swear an oath to Ancestor Sun Liang, promising not to be secretive, not to hoard, and not to betray one's conscience.
Once you're in the mountains, you need to be careful what you say.
Dig instead of pick up.
Words like "run," "lost," and "dead" are absolutely forbidden; even ginseng must be referred to as a club, and even tools must be collected in nine different forms.
A sika deer leg bone made into a shovel.
Thin-bladed, short scissors; a small, short-handled curved knife, sharpened to an extremely thin edge; a waxwood or oak stick; a red velvet cord tied with a copper coin—
The whole process is laid out, and even a blind person could see that it's about digging for ginseng.
Even just assembling tools can arouse suspicion.
Fortunately, as a time traveler, he had his own alternative plan.
"Brother Shanzi, what are we doing here?"
Lang Qiuping instinctively covered his nose.
"Things are cheap here, and if you're lucky, you can get a lot of wire and stuff," Zhang Wenshan said, giving a reason he had prepared beforehand, his face looking somewhat grim.
Although there wasn't as much industrial waste in the 1980s, the smell at the scrap yards was still unpleasant.
The smell of rust, mold, rotten wood, rotten rope, and dirty cloth —
The various smells mixed together were fishy and pungent, and very irritating.
"I should have taken a shower later." Zhang Wenshan sighed, gritted his teeth, and stepped inside.
This place is currently called the scrap metal depot, and it belongs to a unit under the supply and marketing cooperative.
The large, dusty iron gate was wide open.
After simple sorting, scrap metal, waste paper, broken baskets and other old items in the yard were piled up into small mountains.
Outside the low brick house, a stray dog lay unleashed. It barked twice when people approached but made no further move.
Squeak!
The brick house door opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties walked out; he had a tumor on his leg.
He was wearing a faded blue work uniform with shiny grease on the cuffs, and holding a tobacco pipe in his hand.
"Scratching things." The old craftsman glanced at them and spoke lazily.
"You have a sharp eye." Zhang Wenshan casually offered him a cigarette. "Old comrade, I'd like to get some wire, saw blades, bicycle spokes, punctured tires, some good hemp rope, and old bags—"
He listed more than ten items at once, hiding all the tools needed for ginseng digging in the bag.
Every industry has its own intricacies.
Finding something useful in a mountain of waste is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
A good cigarette in exchange for guidance is a bargain.
"My surname is Wang." The old man glanced at the Daqianmen cigarette, casually took it, tucked it behind his ear, and continued smoking his pipe. "You've got quite a lot to take, haven't you?"
"We're from a fishing and hunting group, and we were thinking of making some tools ourselves." Zhang Wenshan pulled out his certificate.
Master Wang glanced at the bright red official seal on it, then pointed and said, "Go look over there."
Collecting recyclables is a legitimate business, so selling unwanted scraps is no big deal, and having proof makes things even easier.
Supporting our farmers is perfectly reasonable and justified.
"Thank you, Master Wang."
Zhang Wenshan led Lang Qiuping straight to the target area.
Here, the scrap is still piled up like a mountain, but upon closer inspection, you can tell that it's in good condition and usable, unlike the genuine scrap outside.
"Choose something that can be used to make a fish trap."
"Okay."
Lang Qiuping immediately started working.
Even if they didn't know what the saw blades and spokes were for, they had no doubts whatsoever.
He had witnessed Shanzi's skills many times; whether it was a fish trap or a snare, they were ten times more effective than those passed down in the village.
Listening to advice is always the right thing to do.
"People are really frugal these days."
Zhang Wenshan rummaged through the items, his brows furrowing more and more.
The saw blades that were found were all completely broken and not long enough.
When digging for wild ginseng, the biggest taboo is damaging the tendrils. You need a tool that is both hard and fine-grained, and a saw blade is undoubtedly the best choice.
Think about it too.
A saw blade is a proper tool; if it's not completely broken and unusable, who would sell it as scrap?
In the 1980s, the whole country was not wealthy. Only the Northeast had a relatively good industrial base. In other places, let alone scrap, even new saw blades were hard to find for ordinary people.
He patiently continued searching.
I've gathered a good amount of materials suitable for making fishing and hunting tools, but I haven't found a single usable saw blade.
Time flies.
Finally, all the other tools for digging up ginseng were gathered, except for a saw blade.
"That's about enough, let's go!" Zhang Wenshan said somewhat dejectedly, it seemed he would have no choice but to spend money to buy a new one.
"Okay, Brother Shanzi, how about these I found?" Lang Qiuping agreed and brought over his things.
Zhang Wenshan hadn't paid much attention at first, but his eyes suddenly lit up as he casually glanced at the scene.
Among the scrap, two pieces of hacksaw blades stood out.
He walked over without making a sound, and lightly brushed his fingertips across the ground.
The rust is a bit heavy, but the steel tip is hard enough and the length is just right. Once I grind it properly, I can use it as a ginseng digging tool.
It came to me without any effort at all.
"here you go."
Zhang Wenshan emptied the scraps that the two men had carried into a basket, and discreetly placed the two saw blades in an inconspicuous and safe location to avoid bumping or squeezing them.
"That's quite a lot!" Master Wang glanced at the basket, didn't even mention the scale, and said directly, "Give me fifty cents."
Lang Qiuping frowned subconsciously, feeling a little sorry for him.
Five cents is not a small amount of money.
It can buy three catties of salt and a foot of cloth, which is equivalent to half a day's wages for a worker.
"become."
Without saying a word, Zhang Wenshan paid the money directly.
A new saw blade costs only about one cent, which seems inexpensive, but it requires industrial coupons or hardware vouchers.
Ordinary people shouldn't even dream of getting that kind of thing; it was only given to workers and cadres.
Exchanging a single metal coupon on Taobao costs seven or eight mao (0.7-0.8 yuan), requires favors, and takes time.
The problem can be solved for five cents, and there are also a lot of materials for making fishing and hunting tools.
This is an absolute steal!
When the two strolled back to the village, it wasn't yet time for dinner.
Normally, the women would gather under the banyan tree to chat, but none of them would be there to work. Instead, Old Li's house was unusually crowded and lively.
Lang Qiuping asked with some concern, "Brother Shanzi, is the snail business going to end up like this?"
It's obvious they all went to collect snails.
Today in town, he saw people selling snails from carts on the street, and small shops also had snails on display.
"So what if it's over?"
Zhang Wenshan said nonchalantly.