Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 709 Searching for Andahan in the Mountains: Bear Roars in the Night
When Xu Ning heard about the whereabouts of An Dahan, his heart was immediately filled with hope, but Lao Kuai's words extinguished it like a bucket of cold water.

He had been thinking about Andahan for not just two or three months, but for half a year. Unfortunately, Qing'an was in a poor geographical location and he couldn't find any trace of Andahan. He originally wanted to go to Sandaohe or Wangxing to look for him, but he had too many things to do at home and didn't have the time.

Seeing that he was preoccupied, Lao Kuai said, "If you want to hunt Anadahan, it's best to wait until autumn. That's when they enter their breeding season, and you can hear their calls in the mountains. Last year, I found two pairs of Anadahan antlers and quite a few deer antlers on the back mountain of Eagle's Beak."

"That'll have to wait until autumn. I still have to tidy up the house. Brother, when you run into Big Nose again, go find my Uncle Min and ask him to give me a call."

"Alright! We absolutely have to take down that big nose!"

"Yeah, I've fought jackals, tigers, leopards, and bears several times, but I still haven't encountered it. I even dreamt about that big nose waving in front of my eyes."

"Wow, you've fought jackals, tigers, leopards, and bears? You're really amazing."

Hearing Lao Kuai's exclamation, Sun Weimin turned around and laughed, "Lao Kuai, you don't know this, do you? Er Ning is quite famous in Qing'an! He's known as Little Xu the Cannon. You could say that in Qing'an, if he says he's second, no one dares to say they're first!"

"Little Xu! Wow, someone who gets called that must be really good. Your fighting skills are really solid..."

"They can only run around in the mountains in Qing'an, but they're completely lost here in Dongyao."

Sun Weimin said, "That's because you're not familiar with the terrain. Once you've made a few more trips here, we won't be able to stump you."

Old Kuai smiled broadly and agreed. Xu Ning was so flattered that he felt like he was floating on air. He laughed and said, "Since Uncle Min is praising me so much, I certainly can't be modest."

"What's there to be modest about? Let's speak with facts, who dares to disagree?" Sun Weimin praised again.

"Haha, alright, Uncle Min, shall we come running in the mountains again tomorrow?"

Sun Weimin waved his hand: "I'm not running anymore. Walking these two steps is already exhausting. I won't hold you back. If you want to run, let Lao Kuai run with you."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Uncle Min, then I really need to trouble you for two more days. I just heard from my brother that there are traces of Big Nose around here, and I'm thinking of going for a stroll in the mountains for a couple of days..."

"This is nothing, a trivial matter! So how do you plan to arrange it?"

"I was thinking of staying in the mountains for two days, and if I couldn't find it, I would just go home."

Sun Weimin nodded: "Okay, I'll have Old Li's wife prepare three days' worth of dry rations for you. You can go into the mountains tomorrow morning. Old Kuai, you go into the mountains with Er Ning. They're not familiar with this area, so please take good care of them."

"No need to worry, I'm sure I'll learn something by following Xiao Xu Pao on his mountain runs. I'd be happy to do that."

Sun Weimin didn't discuss money with Lao Kuai, perhaps because the two had an agreement, while Xu Ning didn't immediately discuss the price with Lao Kuai because it wasn't time to pay yet.

After everyone boarded the car, Xu Ning first took Lao Kuai home, and then drove towards the mine.

At this moment, there were more than 30 people working in the mine. Xu Ning stared intently and saw more than 50 people carrying wooden beams on their shoulders and heavy stones tied to ropes. They were shouting work songs as they carried the stones to an open space. Then stonemasons would process them, first splitting the stones and then making them into slabs for kang beds, rectangular stone strips for building courtyard walls, and so on.

"Uncle Min, this business you're running is quite large."

Sun Weimin shook his head: "It's not easy to do business now. The price is too low and there's not much profit. Do you need any more stones? Just haul a truckload back."

Xu Ning clapped his hands and said, "We really need it! Uncle Min, I'm not being a stranger. I'm thinking of building another wing room on the east side next spring, but we're just short of stones for the foundation."

"Then take a truckload back. Don't talk to me about money, or I'll get angry."

"Haha, no talk, no talk."

After they entered the house, Old Li strode steadily to the west room and said, "Er Ning, all those green shriveles are frozen solid, I threw them all into the cellar."

"Okay, I'll have to stay a few more days before I can leave."

Sun Weimin said, "Hmm, no rush. Pick out two first, and we'll stew them tonight. I'll try them..."

Old Li laughed and said, "I've already picked them all out. My wife is cooking them in the backyard, and we'll be able to eat them soon."

"Great! Well done!" Sun Weimin clapped and praised without reservation.

Then, Old Li turned and left, while they chatted freely inside the house. Originally, Sun Weimin wanted to go to the mountains near the mine to hunt small animals, but the mine had resumed operations and the noise was too loud, so the small animals all stayed away. And since he was too big to go too far, he had to give up.

That evening, Sun Weimin finally got to taste wolf meat.

He smacked his lips and tasted it, saying, "The flavor is really not good, but it's alright with chive blossoms, though it gets stuck in your teeth a bit..."

It's no wonder Sun Weimin loves to eat; he's not short of money. He just enjoys the novelty. Take a look at the stove in Sun Weimin's house; it's filled with all kinds of seasonings. Besides star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, there are also cinnamon, bay leaves, fennel seeds, cloves, black pepper, and so on. It has more seasonings than the kitchen in Lao Xu's house!

When asked where he got so many spices, he became quite talkative. While others would go shopping at malls, he would head straight to pharmacies, buy all sorts of fragrant spices first, and then wander around the market, buying any novelties he found.

When Xu Ning first returned last year, the Xu family's cooking stove only contained soy sauce, salt, MSG, and dried chili peppers. Although they also had star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, Liu Lizhen rarely used them when cooking, only adding a small amount when making dishes with meat. Later, as Xu Ning kept bringing meat home, Liu Lizhen gradually started using it more lavishly...

Because the Xu family is open-minded, they believe that people live to satisfy their appetites. If their food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all poor, what's the point of living?
The next day, as dawn broke, Xu Ning and the others sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and started chatting. The outer room was shrouded in steam, and soon Old Li set up a table.

"Erning, try this chicken and potato stewed bun, it's so delicious!"

Only Sun Weimin could come up with this kind of filling for buns. Xu Ning chewed on one and tasted it, finding the flavor quite good, and praised it.

Sun Weimin grinned and said, "I just like to do random research when I have nothing to do. When you go into the mountains, take some steamed buns and those steamed rice cakes with you."

"Yeah, we'll be back in no more than two days."

"You must be careful when going into the mountains. You have experience in this area, so I won't go into details."

"Don't worry, Uncle Min."

Old Li's wife brought 16 lunch boxes, a bag of steamed rice cakes, and a bag of more than 10 large steamed buns filled with chicken and potato stew.

Xu Ning and the others got ready to go, got into the car, waved to Sun Weimin and Master Li, and drove towards Daliugou Village. They stopped in front of Lao Kuai's house, just as he finished eating.

When Lao Kuai saw that they had arrived, he went inside and said a few words to his elderly mother. He also leaned over the low wall and chatted with the neighbors for a bit, saying that he would be going away for two or three days and asked the neighbors to help take care of his mother.

After he climbed into the back of the car with the basket on his back, Xu Ning glanced at the old lady standing at the door and then drove towards the old flat-topped area.

Yesterday, Xu Ning only talked to Lao Kuai about An Dahan and didn't ask about his family situation. However, judging from their living conditions, it was clear that Lao Kuai's family was not wealthy, and was even somewhat poor.

Upon arriving at the foot of Laopingdingshan Mountain, Xu Ning drove the car to an open space. Lao Kuai took a wooden sign from his basket and hung it on the rearview mirror. It read "Mine Boss Sun's Special Vehicle". Xu Ning asked with a smile what it meant.

Old Kuai said, "There are some dishonest people in our village, but if they hang up this sign, they'll be fine."

"Can they read?" Li Fuqiang asked.

“Of course they know them. I can read, so how could they not? Some educated youth taught us to read before.”

"Ah, my Uncle Min is quite influential in this Dongyao area."

"That's quite prestigious. Many people in our village have worked in the mines, and even now they often do odd jobs. Boss Sun has never been short of money. Sometimes he even gives them an extra dollar or two. Our township head says that Boss Sun is kind-hearted."

Xu Ning smiled and nodded. Sun Weimin was so good at dealing with people that he certainly didn't care about such a small amount of money. Being able to maintain good relations with the villagers was a way to protect himself, which was a smart move.

Without Sun Weimin holding them back, they reached the top of Laopingding in just 20 minutes. As they descended the mountain path, Lao Kuai even picked up two pheasants and threw them into his basket, saying he would keep them for rations.

They barely stopped to rest along the way, only stopping to cook a meal at Eagle's Beak. Old Kuai took out some dry, hard cornbread buns from his basket, while Xu Ning stuffed a box of rice into his arms, saying, "Do you think I'll let you eat cornbread buns by yourself when I come into the mountains with you?" Old Kuai smiled shyly. After they finished eating, they wandered around at the foot of Eagle's Beak Mountain. Old Kuai led them to the place where they had found the An Dahan. It was a forest where red pines and fir trees coexisted, and the An Dahan's tracks were hidden in the snow crust. This was the first time Xu Ning had seen the An Dahan's tracks, and he observed them with great curiosity for a long time.

Wang Hu said, "These feet look like boat sills, they're so big..."

"Haha, it really does look alike!"

Xu Ning was in a good mood and looked up to ask, "Brother, which way did that Andahan go?"

“We need to go north too. There’s a cave there. We’ll spend the night there.”

"Okay! Let's go that way."

Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "Brother, if you say we'll be able to see An Dahan today, doesn't that mean our idea was pretty good?"

"Not just good! It's practically a blessing from heaven!"

"Nothing wrong."

However, Xu Ning didn't think he would see An Dahan today. Although the creature was large, it appeared quite small in this snowy forest.

Around 3 o'clock, following the trail of the An Dahan, we came to a canyon. Old Kuai said, "This is called the 'One Line Sky.' Once you pass through the One Line Sky, you can see the cave."

"A narrow passage? That's a tough name. There must have been a lot of bandits here before, right?"

"Yeah, there were quite a few gangs. They all fought against the Japanese and later joined the Anti-Japanese United Army. My dad was one of those gangs."

"What happened to the old hero after that?"

Old Kuai laughed and said, "I'm living quite well. On the day I close my eyes, I'm even thinking about killing a Japanese soldier."

"Haha, that's really good."

After passing through the narrow gorge, they saw a cave. Old Kuai crawled inside, glanced around, and said, "It's quite clean in here. Shall we leave the stuff here first, and then take a walk around the area?"

"Sure! It's still bright outside, so a stroll is fine."

They threw everything into the hole and then blocked the entrance with branches and dead wood.

There were many branches and withered grass around, and on the right there was a frozen river. Lying on the ice, you could hear the sound of the flowing water below.

Old Kuai pointed to the slope in the distance and said, "There might be raccoons at the bottom of that slope."

"Raccoons? Then this place isn't far from the riverbank?"

"This little river is the upper reaches of the river, and it may have come from the riverbank."

Li Fuqiang said, "Shall we go take a look?"

"Let's go."

Reaching the bottom of the slope, Xu Ning used his feet to disperse the snow, but the snow had hardened, and it would immediately crack underfoot, like stepping on thin ice, breaking into pieces in a spiderweb pattern. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to walk so fast.

The hard snow is made up of snow particles, which can be blown away by the wind.

Old Kuai found the cave entrance, reached inside and rummaged around for a bit, then shook his head: "It's not at home."

"Let's go back and prepare the meal. Tomorrow we'll take another stroll along the road, and then head back."

The temperature is already quite cold now, reaching around minus 20 degrees Celsius during the day, but plummeting to around minus 30 degrees Celsius at night.

Their hats and face masks were covered with a layer of white frost. Xu Ning sat by the fire and said, "This trip wasn't a complete waste of time. At least we spotted Big Nose. If we see this kind of creature again, we won't be unable to recognize it."

"Hmm, Second Brother, how about we go for a stroll around Wangxing in a while?"

"Okay, it's been a long time since I've been there. I should go and see Grandpa Chai."

Old Kuai said, "There are also big-nosed people over in Wangxing, as well as quite a few green-skinned people, black bears and the like."

"Have you been to Wangxing, bro?"

"I went there a few times when I was young, back then I helped the team deliver messages..."

As darkness fell, they ate their fill and then nestled in the cave, listening to the howling wind outside.

They chatted about all sorts of things until around 10 o'clock when a bear roar suddenly rang out outside. Xu Ning and the others immediately sat up.

The firelight shone on their faces, and it was clear that they were all very excited.

"The sound seems to be not far away."

"Bro, what do you say? Should we do it?"

Li Fuqiang asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Wang Hu and Guan Lei also looked over, but Xu Ning shook his head: "Don't do anything reckless in the dark. Let's go out and take a look tomorrow morning."

Although they no longer lacked a bear gallbladder, they still couldn't control themselves when they heard the black bear's roar.

In fact, Xu Ning also wanted to go out and kill him, but he had to be fully prepared. It was dark and visibility was poor, so even with a gun, it was too dangerous.

Guan Lei said, "Why is this bear out wandering around instead of staying in the warehouse?"

Old Kuai laughed and said, "If it doesn't stay in its den, it must be hungry, or it must have encountered a predator, or it hasn't found a good den."

"What you said makes perfect sense..."

The bear roars outside only lasted for two or three minutes before subsiding. Wang Hu squatted at the cave entrance and said, "Second Brother, this bear can't be dead, right? Should we go out and take a look?"

Li Fuqiang was also itching to go. "Brother, let's go out and take a look, otherwise I won't be able to sleep all night."

Xu Ning turned to ask, "Brother, what do you say?"

Old Kuai frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "You all go ahead, I'll stay here and guard it. I don't want any of the livestock you hunt."

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Can we not take it? At the very least, we have to take some meat. Besides, we're just going out for a quick look. With two Type 56 rifles in our hands, what are we afraid of, a black bear?"

Li Fuqiang said, "Brother, come with us. We're not familiar with these mountains either."

"Then let's go, but let me make this clear first, I really don't want the livestock you're hunting."

"Oh, let's go."

Li Fuqiang pulled Lao Kuai to his feet, and then they stepped out of the cave.

(End of this chapter)