Chapter 8

As the saying goes, "rely on the mountains to eat from the mountains." In the 1970s, when resources were scarce, almost everyone in Wei Family Village would go up the mountain to gather wild produce to supplement their household needs. Since Fang Mountain had few wild animals, many people would bring their half-grown children along. The old Taoist temple was often where they would rest and take a break.

When Fang Yi was a child, there were usually seven or eight children on the mountain every day. However, the reason he and Fatso and Sanpao had the best relationship was due to an incident.

In the winter when Fang Yi was eight or nine years old, the adults went to the forest to gather winter mushrooms. The six or seven children, bored, ran to a forest about two miles from the temple to play, using branches as swords and laughing and playing.

After a while, Sanpao found a frozen, stiff snake in a tree hole and used it to scare a little girl they were playing with. However, no one expected the snake to not be dead but in hibernation.

In Sanpao's hands, the snake gradually came back to life and suddenly bit his forearm without warning. The venom that had accumulated for months instantly paralyzed Sanpao's nerves. In just a few minutes, Sanpao's consciousness began to fade.

The other children, the oldest of whom was about ten, were all terrified by the scene. They cried and ran back, but only Fatso and Fang Yi stayed by Sanpao's side.

Although Fang Yi was very young, he had grown up with the old Taoist and did not panic. He immediately untied the shoelaces from Sanpao's white sneakers and tightly bound his forearm. Then, he picked up a sharp stone from the ground and made a cross on Sanpao's swollen wound.

Fang Yi had heard his master say that if someone was bitten by a snake, they must immediately suck out the venom. So, after cutting the wound, Fang Yi directly used his mouth to suck out the venom until the blood flowing from the wound turned from black to red. Only then did he stop.

However, Sanpao was still unconscious. Fang Yi's lips were swollen, and he was weak and unable to carry Sanpao back to the temple. Fortunately, Wei Jinhua, nicknamed Jinhua, was still there and carried Sanpao up the mountain for about a mile, where they met the old Taoist and others who had rushed over.

Due to Fang Yi's timely rescue and the fact that the snake's venom was not particularly strong, the old Taoist gave Sanpao some snake medicine, and he slowly recovered. The next day, Sanpao was back to his lively self, while Fang Yi's lips were swollen for three or four days.

After this incident, Fang Yi, Peng Sanjun, and Wei Jinhua, who had shared this hardship, became even closer. They almost always played together whenever they went up the mountain.

Peng Sanjun, who was not talkative but very perceptive, called Fang Yi "little Taoist" and "little shaman" but regarded Fang Yi, who was slightly younger, as his big brother from a young age. Every year, he would have his relatives in the city bring books up the mountain for Fang Yi.

Fang Yi had no parents, and apart from the old Taoist, Peng Sanjun and Wei Jinhua were the closest people to him. The deep bond among the three brothers did not change over time.

"Fatso, stop bullying Sanpao, I'm going to stand up for him..." After watching for a while, Fang Yi joined the fray, but it was more like he was separating the two who were rolling on the ground.

"I wish I could live in such a big yard by myself..."

After playing for a while, Fatso and Sanpao stopped and looked around. Fatso said, "Sanpao, I think Yi Ge should live here with you. You're living alone anyway..."

Sanpao's real name was Peng Sanjun. His parents were not originally from Wei Family Village but were educated youth sent down to the village in the 1970s. Due to policy issues, they missed the last batch of educated youth returning to the city and settled in Wei Family Village.

Peng Sanjun's second uncle served as an engineering soldier in the 1970s and learned blasting skills. After retiring in the early 1980s, he came to Wei Family Village and started a stone business with Peng Sanjun's father. They ended their business and returned to the city a few years ago due to reforestation efforts.

Many of Peng Sanjun's relatives lived in Shanghai and Nanjing. In Nanjing, his grandfather left a family home to his father. After Peng Sanjun joined the army, his parents moved to the family home in Nanjing.

So, the house in Wei Family Village that belonged to Peng Sanjun's family was mostly empty, except when his parents occasionally came to tidy it up. Because the house in Nanjing was too small and Peng Sanjun did not want to live with his parents, he returned to Wei Family Village.

"Of course, Yi Ge should live here. I've already bought all the clothes he'll need..." Sanpao went into the house, picked up a bag from the table, and threw it to Fang Yi. "You're a fake Taoist, don't wear that Taoist robe all the time. Change into these clothes quickly..."

"Change now?" Fang Yi was a bit hesitant. He had grown up wearing Taoist robes and was not used to wearing other clothes.

"Of course, change now. This is Benetton, a brand name..." Peng Sanjun smacked his lips and said, "I spent over 200 yuan on these clothes. If you don't wear them, give them back to me. I can still return them..."

"Change, who said I won't?" Fang Yi gritted his teeth. He knew that from the day he came down the mountain, his life would be completely different from when he was on the mountain. To fit into society, he would not only have to change his clothes but also his hairstyle.

It was the transition between spring and summer.

"Wow, you look like a Taoist who has left the order as soon as you change clothes..."

When Fang Yi took off his slightly worn Taoist robe, Sanpao and Fatso's eyes lit up. Sanpao reached out and said, "Let down your topknot, it looks a bit strange..."

"Okay..." Fang Yi nodded and let down his topknot. His long hair immediately fell to his shoulders, making him look even more ethereal.

"Why are you two staring at me?" Fang Yi, feeling a bit uncomfortable, looked at Sanpao and Fatso and said irritably, "I don't have flowers growing on my face. Why are you staring at me? Haven't you seen me before?"

"Seen you..." Fatso nodded honestly and said, "But not like this..."

As the saying goes, "people need clothes, and Buddhas need gold." Fang Yi's change in clothes and hairstyle really surprised Fatso and Sanpao. The little Taoist in front of them had transformed, and even his demeanor had changed.

When Fang Yi put on the new clothes, Sanpao and Fatso felt that he looked like a white-collar worker from the city. The city clothes did not look out of place on him; it seemed like he should be wearing them.

After all, Fatso had been in the army and worked in the city for several years, but no matter what he wore, he always seemed out of place. Fang Yi, however, looked like a city person just by changing his clothes.

When Fang Yi let down his topknot, Sanpao and Fatso's perception of him changed again. His long hair made him look a bit rebellious, like the rock stars they saw on TV, exuding a certain otherworldly charm.

"Maybe... I should change back into my Taoist robe..." Wearing the new clothes, Fang Yi felt itchy and uncomfortable all over, especially with Sanpao and Fatso staring at him. He felt like there were bugs crawling all over him and wanted to take off the clothes immediately.

"Don't, this is fine. Just tie your hair up again..."

Hearing Fang Yi's words, Sanpao and Fatso stopped him in unison. Sanpao even ran to the drawer, found a hair tie, and said, "This is one my mom used before. You can use it for now. We'll find a barber shop in the city to get a new haircut..."

"I think this is good..."

Fatso shook his head and said, "Look at Fang Yi's demeanor now. Doesn't he look like an artist? The male stars on TV don't look as good as him. If he went into the entertainment industry, those male stars would be out of a job..."

Although Fatso's words were a bit exaggerated, Fang Yi did look good. His facial features were originally a bit rugged, but combined with his pure, innocent eyes, he exuded a gentle and sunny aura.

"What's the entertainment industry? Is it just singing?" Hearing Fatso's words, Fang Yi asked curiously, "I'm not a good singer, so I can't do that..."

"Don't listen to the fatso's nonsense..." Sanpao laughed and said, "Even if you were a good singer, you couldn't enter the entertainment industry. It's too far from us. Let's focus on finding something to do and making a living first..."

"Hearing you say that, I almost forgot why we're here..." Hearing Sanpao's words, Fatso suddenly exclaimed, "You called us over for dinner. Let's eat first..."

Mentioning food, Fang Yi and Fatso's stomachs growled. Seeing the six dishes and one soup on the table, they couldn't resist and sat down. Fatso reached for the bottle of wine on the table.

"Hey, Sanpao, you're only giving us Fenjin Ting? You're too stingy..."

The Fenjin Ting Fatso mentioned was a low-grade local wine that was popular in the early 1990s but was considered low-end by the year 2000.

"Bro, I'm dating someone now. I can't even afford ten yuan. It's already good that I could get this wine..."

Sanpao looked a bit embarrassed and blushed. He had originally brought two bottles of Luzhou Laojiao from the city, but he accidentally dropped them on the way. Seeing he had no money, he bought two bottles of cheap wine from a village store for a few yuan.

"I still have some monkey wine left. Mixed with other wine, it's still drinkable. Let's drink this today..." Seeing Sanpao's awkwardness, Fang Yi took out a wine gourd from the box. When he opened the stopper, although there was only a little wine left, the aroma filled the room.

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PS: Da Yan is still growing, so don't worry about overeating. Give me more recommendation votes!

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