1983, Northeast China

Chapter 32 Green Skinners Around the Village

"The shrew has entered the village."

I don't know who it was, but their voice changed completely when they looked at the wooden figure; I couldn't tell who it was at all.

Hearing the noise, Chen Shi rolled out of bed.

He first carefully walked around his yard to make sure there was nothing wrong around his house before he bolted the gate and went out.

When Chen Shi heard the voice and went to the well, there were already seven or eight people gathered there.

I heard that Old Scarface went to the river early in the morning to break the ice and fetch water. He said there was a long string of big footprints on the riverbank, like dogs, but longer than dogs.

At first, no one dared to call him a green skinny.

But Kaoshantun is right next to the mountains, and every old person there has talked about the green-skinned man.

The news spread throughout the village from the well, in the time it takes to smoke half a pipe.

"Is it really a weasel's mark?"

"Old Scarface's story sounds so plausible, but who knows?"

"Could it be a big dog?"

My dog ​​barked for half the night last night.

"Which night doesn't your dog bark?"

When there are many people, the conversation becomes chaotic.

Amid the murmurs, someone raised their voice and said, "Yesterday at dusk, I saw Chen Shi and Li Cheng returning from the west end, carrying baskets on their backs."

As soon as he said that, everyone turned to look at him.

Li Cheng had just squeezed through when he heard his name called, instantly becoming the target. "What's wrong with the basket? Don't you have one? Want to borrow one?"

A sarcastic voice came from behind the crowd, "Carrying a basket is fine. But if the basket contains things you shouldn't, things that smell strongly of fish, the creatures in the mountains have a much better nose than humans."

The speaker was Tian Youshan, who had been busy with Tian Guizhi and timber road matters lately and often went to Kaoshantun.

He chatted with Tian Guizhi late last night, and since there were no spare rooms at her house, he spent the night in the brigade's house and happened to catch this lively scene.

As soon as he said this, several gazes fell on Chen Shi again.

Chen Shi had previously used rabbit traps on the mountain, and everyone in the village knew about it. Some people even asked him how to trap rabbits safely and with a high success rate.

Combining Chen Shi carrying a basket last night with the fact that the scoundrel came into the village today, this charge seems to fit reasonably onto him.

Li Cheng was about to explode on the spot, "Tian Youshan, shut your mouth!"

"Where's Uncle Zhao?" Chen Shi stopped Li Cheng, who was about to rush forward, and asked the people in the crowd.

Someone said, "They went to Houhegou."

"Let's go check out Houhegou then," Chen Shi said, and turned to leave.

Tian Youshan sneered from behind, "What, you've done something wrong, so you want to see your own masterpiece?"

Without turning his head, Chen Shi retorted, "If I really brought them here, I'll be the first to lead them to your house."

After saying that, he ignored Tian Youshan and turned to walk towards the back ditch.

Li Cheng immediately followed.

The people by the well looked at each other and then followed.

Zhao Defa was squatting on the ground examining the footprints.

There were indeed footprints in the snow.

They came from the north of the Hetao region and circled halfway around the village.

Zhao Defa said, "It's definitely a green bark print. Chen Shi, did your father ever take you to see a green bark print before? You should come and take a look too."

"What does a little kid like him know? He just happened to snag a rabbit a couple of days ago. Does he think he's some kind of expert hunter?"

A man nearby immediately scolded, "Shut up! All the herdsmen from Kaoshantun who knew how to hunt in the mountains are dead. What are you hoping for?"

Chen Shi ignored those people and answered honestly, "I heard my father talk about it when I was a child, but I never really learned it properly."

He bent down, looking at the set of footprints from half a step away. "Uncle Zhao, I can only say what I saw and what I know."

Zhao Defa nodded. "Tell me about it."

"These tracks didn't come from Tunxi," Chen Shi pointed to the snow. "They came from the Hetao region to the north. They didn't run away in a hurry, and there were no signs of them pouncing or biting, which means they weren't chasing after people."

Tian Youshan snorted from behind the mountain, clearly not believing it.

Chen Shi waited until they had all finished speaking before continuing, "We stopped here."

He pointed to a snowdrift that had been abandoned by the riverbank.

The snow there was messy, and there were a few dark drops frozen nearby.

If you don't look closely, you'll just think it's dirty snow.

Chen Shi used a twig to poke around, and under the snow, half of a frozen chicken intestine was revealed. There was also a small tuft of bloody chicken feathers.

The expressions of those around him immediately changed.

"Who dumped this thing here?" Zhao Defa asked.

No one said a word.

Chen Shi stood up and continued walking along the footprints: "The green-skinned man recognized this taste, but since he couldn't find anything to eat, he kept going."

Tian Youshan was still being stubborn, saying, "It's just a piece of chicken intestine; it probably snatched someone's chicken."

Chen Shi stood up and walked forward following the tracks: "Let's keep watching."

After walking about a hundred steps along the trail, there was a patch of withered reeds by the riverbank.

A small patch of snow beneath the reed roots had been crushed. There were also fresh urine stains nearby.

Chen Shi stopped.

Zhao Defa also stopped.

Almost simultaneously, the two looked up with grave expressions at the patch of reeds.

It was very quiet in the reeds.

Quiet does not mean safe.

"Uncle Zhao, let the women and children step back first," Chen Shi said.

Even though Chen Shi spoke very softly, some people heard him, and the people around him panicked.

"Are there any green onions inside?"

"I didn't see it," Chen Shi said, "but the mark is broken here, and the snowdrift is new. Even if it's not there, let's treat it as if it is."

Zhao Defa shouted, "Everyone back up! Old Scarface, you take a few women and children back to the well platform. Don't push or shout."

The crowd suddenly became chaotic.

Tian Youshan stood still, stubbornly insisting, "A half-grown boy saying he can have something? Playing tricks."

Chen Shi said, "If Captain Tian doesn't believe me, take two steps forward."

Tian Youshan's expression changed.

Chen Shi is not in the mood for verbal sparring right now.

He said to Zhao Defa, "Uncle Zhao, we can't surround it completely. If we surround it completely, it will panic and rush into the crowd. Stand people on this side of the village, and also on the east and west sides. Leave an opening on the north side so it can run towards the mountains."

Zhao De asked, "Are you confident?"

"I'm not sure, but it's better than a bunch of people crowding here."

Zhao Defa made a quick decision: "Listen to Chen Shi, those with shovels, stand on this side of the village and don't rush forward. Two of you who can run fast, go find the nearest house and borrow basins, and bring any that can make a sound. If anyone has firecrackers, bring two. Just wait for my instructions."

Li Cheng immediately darted out, shouting, "Hey! Oh my god!"

At that moment, he ran faster than anyone else.

Before long, seven or eight men stood on this side of the village, holding shovels, wooden sticks, and two broken washbasins.

Zhao Defa stood in the middle, his pipe tucked into his waistband, and a shovel in his hand.

Tian Youshan was squeezed to the back of the crowd, and his strange and sarcastic demeanor from before was gone.

Chen Shi glanced at the wind direction and then at the opening left to the north.

He warned, "If it runs away, no one should chase it. If you chase it too hard, it might turn around and hurt someone."

Zhao Defa nodded, then suddenly waved his hand and said, "Knock."

The sounds of basins clattering, shovels striking stones, and men shouting...

"Awooo!"

A short wolf howl came from the reeds.

The next instant, a gray shadow darted out of the reeds.

What a bunch of scoundrels!

With its tail between its legs, it was first startled by the sound and rushed toward the village. Upon seeing the wall of people, it suddenly turned around and darted north along the ditch.

A young man was so frightened that he picked up a wooden stick and was about to chase after him, but Chen Shi stopped him with a shout.

"Don't chase after them."

Then it abruptly stopped.

The green-skinned creature followed the northern entrance, disappearing into the bushes at the end of the river bend.

Those who had just thought Chen Shi was faking it all now turned pale.

The old scarred man said, "So you really are holed up here."

Zhao Defa let out a long breath and turned to look at Chen Shi, "If a bunch of people had squeezed up to see this earlier..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But everyone understood.