Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 712 Going Home to Gather Popularity, Let's Form a Wolf Pack Too
The temperature is very cool today. A cold wind whistles through my collar and seeps into my pores, giving me a tingling sensation.

Xu Ning, sitting in the driver's seat, waved to Sun Weimin and Master Li, who were standing on the ground, and then stepped on the gas and drove out of the yard.

Sun Jiye drove his car to follow behind. He wasn't going to Qing'an, but had to go straight back to Sandaohe. After all, the Sun family had a lot of things to do, so he and Xu Ning said goodbye at the fork in the road.

The journey was uneventful. Because they set out late, it was past noon when Xu Ning and his group finally arrived in Qing'an.

Although I've only been away from home for five or six days, seeing familiar scenery and people makes me quite happy.

As the car crossed the small bridge, they heard the dogs barking loudly in Old Xu's yard, followed by Sun Lianfang's voice and the sound of the door banging.

After the car stopped in the open space, Xu Ning and the others jumped out, and Meng Ziyan, Sun Lianfang, Guan Hua and others gathered at the gate of the courtyard.

"Oh my god, look at what you've done! You've only been gone a few days, and you're all so dirty! Didn't you change out of the clothes I packed for you?"

Guan Lei said, "Changing it won't make a difference; it'll still be dirty."

"What the hell are you doing? You've killed all the thugs?" Sun Lianfang asked, her little mouth agape.

When she asked the question, Meng Ziyan and Guan Hua didn't open their mouths, but stared intently at their husbands with firm eyes.

Xu Ning said, "They're all in the carriage. Take a look for yourselves."

"I'd better check it out, what are they playing at, making it all so mysterious."

They went to the back of the vehicle, lifted the tarpaulin, and were immediately stunned, exclaiming in surprise.

Meng Ziyan covered her mouth, gagged twice, and said, "Oh dear, how scary!"

Xu Ning frowned and said, "Lianfang, hurry up and get your sister-in-law inside. What are you looking around for when you have a baby in your belly?"

"Brother, why are you talking about my sister-in-law? Didn't you tell me to look at her?"

Guan Lei said, "Just do whatever I tell you to do. It's freezing cold here, hurry up and go inside."

Sun Lianfang glanced at him and snorted, saying, "You're already criticizing me as soon as you get home. You'll see tonight!"

"Hey, you dare to bare your teeth at me? What can you do tonight? Let's see who gets the better of whom!"

Xu Ning waved his hand with a smile: "If you two are going to flirt, go home and play. Don't go around babbling in the street. What's the use of just talking? You need to get serious!"

Sun Lianfang seized the opportunity and said, "That's right, if you're so capable, show me what you've got. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Xu Ning supported Meng Ziyan under her armpits and asked in a low voice, "Don't you feel uncomfortable with the smell of blood?"

"Yeah, he seems to take after my second uncle."

"Haha, come on, let's go inside and tell Mom to get some food. We haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Okay, why are there so many animals? I think there's even a cow?"

Wang Hu laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, that's not a cow, that's a wild goat! It's what we often call a big-nosed goat."

“An Dahan? Oh my god, brother, you guys are pretty capable. Even my third uncle has never managed to catch An Dahan.”

Li Fuqiang said, "This morning we left with your third uncle. He went to Dongyao to deliver fish. There were two baskets of vegetables and two sacks of fish in the car, which were brought by your third uncle."

They were told to come inside, but they got so caught up in their conversation that Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Yang Shuhua, and the others all came out of the house.

Seeing them chatting happily, I glanced at the back of the car and immediately exclaimed "Oh my god!" three times in a row, leaving them somewhat dazed.

Because there were 11 green-skinned animals in the carriage, one skinned black bear, one strange-looking animal that resembled a cow but wasn't quite a cow—the Andahan, two baskets of vegetables covered tightly with tattered blankets, and two bags of bloody, pungent-smelling fish.

This trip to Dongyao in Sandaohe yielded a great deal; besides the livestock we could spot, we also received 1200 yuan.

"Why did you kill so many animals? Didn't you leave any for the mine owner?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "We left him some meat. Besides, he's the boss. He paid us to hunt livestock. If we left too much, we'd have to pay him more."

"What should we do with all these toys? We can keep some for ourselves and give the rest away, since we can't eat them all anyway."

"Let me think about it. You guys go inside and get some water and food. We haven't had lunch yet."

"Okay, come on, honey, let's go inside and warm up. Let them tidy up."

With the emotional support from the old women, Xu Ning and the others were full of energy. They only unloaded the black bear, two baskets of vegetables, and two sacks of fish and sent them to the north kitchen. They didn't touch the remaining An Dahan and green skin. Xu Ning thought about calling the city's specimen museum later to ask Director Wang if he wanted the green skin. If the specimen museum could take it, it would be much better than selling the skin.

Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Yang Shuhua, and others prepared steamed egg cake, homemade tofu, and pickled cabbage that had been stewed for two meals. Xu Ning and the others sat at the table and ate heartily. After replenishing their energy, Xu Ning looked down at his watch and saw that it was already 2:30.

Xu Ning dragged Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu to cut the bear into pieces, and then carried the bear meat to the village headquarters.

As soon as he stepped into the village office, he noticed that the door to the office was locked. He frowned and turned to go to Old Du's house.

Leaning against the wooden fence, he heard two curses. Du Shouchai's voice came from inside the house, "What are you good for? Huh! I only asked you to watch the child for a little while, and you turned around and took him to the old forest. Is your head filled with dung? Look how cold the child is!"

Zhao Yue'e advised, "Dad, he didn't mean to say those things."

Du Shoucai glared and said, "Both kids got shots! Say a few words? If I were young, I would have kicked them a day ago..."

Du Manzhi didn't dare to say a word. Xu Ning smiled and walked into the courtyard, shouted twice, and then pulled the door open and went into the house.

"Hey, bro, you're here? Where have you been all this time? I haven't seen you around."

Du Shoucai cursed, "Do you think Erning is like you? Always doing nothing? Get the hell out of here! Go to Old Liu's house and buy him two cans of food."

"Alright, Erning, you stay here." Du Manzhi waved his hand with a smile and then went out with Zhao Yue'e.

Xu Ning asked, "What's going on, sir?"

Du Shoucai sat on the edge of the kang and explained the whole story. It was because Du Manzhi was resting at home today, and Zhao Yue'e had gone to Taiping to chat with Zhao Mei'e, so the responsibility of looking after Du Xiao'er fell on him. Unexpectedly, Du Manzhi took the second son to play in the snow in the old forest to the south. As soon as they got home, the child developed a high fever, so Du Shoucai lost his temper.

"Don't follow your older brother's example. He's got no manners as a father, a complete scoundrel..."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "The child is fine, alright, don't be angry."

"You're only just getting back?"

"Yeah, I just got home and had a bite to eat. I hunted a black bear in Dongyao, so I've put two pieces of meat on the stove for you."

"Weren't we going to hunt shrews? How come we ran into a black bear?"

"It was an unexpected turn of events that was within expectations..."

After Xu Ning went into the mountains to find An Dahan and accidentally encountered Hei Xiazi who killed him, Du Shoucai sighed repeatedly.

"Come over to my house tonight and try some elk meat? My mom and the others are stewing it at home."

"Alright!! Let's go, let's go to the garrison first."

Upon arriving at the village, Xu Ning picked up the phone and dialed the number of the city's herbarium.

The person who answered the phone was a young girl. Upon hearing that Xu Ning specifically asked for Director Wang, she hurriedly came to find him.

"Er Ning?"

"Hey, grandpa, what are you doing?"

"Just playing chess with your third uncle since you're bored. What's up, got something else to do?"

"I've got work to do! Haha, guess what I've got?"

Director Wang was taken aback for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Are you dealing with Andahan?"

"Absolutely right! The old man's guesses are always spot on!"

"Haha, of course! You're quick on the uptake, aren't you? You really got me there! When are you going to deliver it?"

"I'll send it over tomorrow, but there's less meat on this 'An Dahan'." "It's okay if there's less meat, just make sure there's enough bone and skin. We need those two things to make a specimen."

"Ah, then I'll cut off a little more meat to taste."

“This An Dahan must weigh nearly 800 jin (400 catties). You couldn’t tell even if you cut off 100 jin (50 catties) of flesh.”

"It weighed less than 800 jin (400 catties), I estimate it was more than 700 jin (350 kg). This wild goat was bitten by a black bear, and I killed it as a side effect."

"Oh, there's a story behind it? That's even better! Just send it over, our restaurant won't make a fuss."

"Sir, I have a few green hides left. Do you want them for your specimen museum?"

"Green-skinned... The museum has five specimens now, how many do you have?"

There are 11.

“Then send six more, and we’ll form a wolf pack. It’ll look even more spectacular.”

"Okay!"

After hanging up the phone, Xu Ning chatted with Du Shoucai for a few minutes before hurrying home.

As soon as he entered the door, he called out, "Wife!"

"Hey!" Meng Ziyan greeted her with a big smile.

"You, your sister-in-law, Lianfang, and Xiaohua, take some things to Old Zhang's house. Brother Manzhi's youngest son has a high fever. Go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lizhen exclaimed, "Oh my god, why does she have a high fever?"

After Xu Ning finished recounting what Du Manzhi had done, Liu Lizhen pouted and said, "Manzhi isn't a good father either. He's letting his little boy play in the snow when he's so young. Juan'er, you two should go now. Yan, remember to call your parents over for dinner on your way."

"OK."

After they finished packing, they left with their things, while Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang took the bear meat and elk meat to Lao Chang's house.

Chang Danian saw Xu Ning enter the door and said with a smile, "You just got back?"

"OK……"

Xu Ning placed the bear and elk meat on the stove and then went inside to chat with Chang Danian.

When the topic of the events that were shaking up the Black Bear and the An Dahan came up, Chang Danian listened intently and sighed repeatedly.

He's so old and he's never hunted a wild goat, but Xu Ning has only been hunting in the mountains for a little over a year and he's already hunted one.

"You guys are lucky. Hey, I went for a stroll in Lengchang the other day, and Old Ma told me that the big shrews in the mountains should be active, which means you should hurry up and find a big shrew's den."

Xu Ning rubbed his chin and said, "Last year we got a big head of fur, will we be able to get one this year?"

"Of course! Once a big-skinned leopard settles down, it'll basically be around every year."

“I’ll remember that. I’ll go there when I have time. It’s quite far from our home.”

"No matter how far away I am, as long as I can make money, that's fine."

After saying that, Xu Ning called Chang Danian, Chang Juan, and Li Baoquan to come to his house for dinner, but Chang Juan and Li Baoquan said that Chang Xiaobao had not yet finished school, so they would not go.

Xu Ning waved her hand and said, "Let my brother-in-law stay home and wait for Xiao Bao to get out of school. You go over and help my mom with some things. There are quite a few people coming tonight, and Xiao Bao will have some company. Yang Jun's son and my uncle's eldest grandson are also coming."

Then, when Xu Ning was on his way home, he passed by the Wang family's old house, stood at the door and told Sun Cuiping, and asked her to call Pan Xiao, who lived in the Xu family's old house next door, because Guan Lei had already gone up the mountain to find Yang Jun and Liu Daming, and Wu Haitao would definitely come when he came down the mountain.

The Xu family is always bustling with activity. They come over once in the morning with the loudspeaker, and Chang Lihong and Sun Cuiping often drop by. After dinner, Lao Jiang, Lao Wei, and others also come over for a visit.

Chang Danian spotted two roe deer in the gap between the Xu and Wang families and said, "These two roe deer haven't been killed yet."

"No, my mom said to save it for the New Year and kill it then."

"Keeping them is fine, these two little rascals eat a lot every day, don't they?"

"Not much, far less than the Dog Gang. Two pounds of corn stubble a day is enough for them."

Upon entering the house, Wang Hu was helping to carry firewood. Since it was still early, Xu Ning and the others sat in the west room chatting idly.

When Xu Laonian returned, the house became lively. He saw An Dahan, Hei Xiazi, and more than ten green-skinned dogs clamoring for stir-fried wolf meat. Liu Lizhen gave him a disgruntled look and scolded, "Where did you eat it last time? Didn't you say it would get stuck in your teeth and smell bad?"

"Really? I don't remember..."

Xu Laonian, who never learns from his mistakes, felt relieved after Liu Lizhen finished scolding him.

"Old man, you must have made a good amount of money this time, right?"

Xu Ning lay on his side at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "What's it to you?"

"What are you saying! Aren't I your father?"

“I gave all the money to my mom, and she’s already divided it up.”

"Oh, so you didn't leave any?"

“These are all within our means, how can I keep them? Besides, we lost over 100 yuan on that trip, are you going to reimburse us?”

"What does this have to do with me? I'm not the one hunting livestock."

Old Xu curled his lip and said, "Then I'll give you two yuan?"

"Hahaha, are you trying to embarrass me? Dad, if you have nothing better to do, go look in the mirror, or go to the cellar and get some wine. Can't this good food shut you up?"

Xu Laonian looked at Chang Danian, then pointed at Xu Ning with a smile and said, "Brother, look at this brat, why is he chatting with me like this? He doesn't act like a son at all!"

Chang Danian laughed and said, "Isn't that because you're a good father?"

"Hahaha, big brother, you're making fun of me, aren't you? Alright, I'll go get the wine. Let's drink more tonight and finish all the wine that little rascal bought!"

People came in one after another. Guan Lei, Liu Daming, Yang Jun, Wu Haitao, Sun Cuiping and others came in together. Da Laba and Lao Jiang went to sell meat. It was already completely dark when the two of them came in. Zhou Hui and Jiang Qiu'er had arrived half an hour earlier.

After Zhou Hui and Lao Jiang got married, she often visited Lao Xu's house with Lao Jiang. They got to know each other better after a few visits, and now she gets along quite well with Liu Lizhen and others.

There were two tables in the reception area and a large round table in the dining room, so everyone sat down and chatted...

“That’s right, my good-for-nothing son of mine learned all of that from you!” Du Shoucai said, pointing at Xu Laonian.

Old Xu said, looking aggrieved, "What does this have to do with me? He took the kids to play in the snow in the old forest, I didn't do that! If you don't believe me, ask my daughter..."

Liu Lizhen didn't hold back, saying, "Don't do this kind of thing again! Didn't you throw Feng'er into the mountains? She almost got carried off by wolves."

"Look at you, your chatter is even more sinister. When did you get carried off by a wolf?"

"Oh, I'm not going to argue with you."

"Uncle, you've been wronged!" Du Manzhi laughed.

Xu Ning said, "My dad isn't aggrieved, he's just feeling guilty."

"Hahaha……"

The people inside burst into laughter.

Once the food was served, the room fell silent.

They all turned their heads to stare at Xu Ning, listening to him recount his hunt for the black bear and the An Dahan in Dongyao.

(End of this chapter)