Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 722 If you mess with Little Xu, you'll be punished to death!
Tang Hao has lived in Qing'an Village since he was a child. Although his parents have been gone for many years, Old Tang has never mistreated him. Tang Yang and Tang Er are basically treated the same. If they make a mistake, they will be hit with a broom. However, Tang Hao has never resented Old Tang. On the contrary, he is very grateful to Old Tang and knows how hard Old Tang has worked.

That's why he got the idea to hunt livestock in the mountains and make some contribution to his family. Although he was a few years older than Xu Ning, he had normal values ​​and knew that Xu Ning had real skills, so he naturally respected him.

However, after reuniting with the Zhao brothers, Zhao Guoqing actually pointed at his forehead and said that Xu Ning was just lucky. Who hasn't beaten a black bear? If they had the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, let alone Big Cat or Old Leopard, even if the Heavenly King himself came, they would have to execute him on the spot!

These words made Tang Hao very uncomfortable, so he started arguing with Zhao Guoqing. This time, they didn't fight, but they said some very unpleasant things.

Clearly, the two Zhao brothers were very dissatisfied with Xu Ning, and even seemed to want to have a fight with him. After that, Tang Hao never went hiking with the two Zhao brothers again.

Back home, Old Tang asked him why he hadn't gone hiking in the mountains with the Zhao brothers. Tang Hao told him the whole story. Old Tang frowned and said, "Those two Zhao brothers are really wicked. Don't associate with them anymore. Besides, the Xu family is quite prestigious in our village. We should try our best not to get involved, and it's best not to offend them..."

Tang Hao lit the cigarette Li Fuqiang offered him and continued, "Originally, my uncle wanted to keep quiet because he was afraid you would get into another conflict with the Zhao brothers if you found out about this. But today, I heard from Brother Qiang that your trap at Shuangfeng Ridge in Nanshan was lost, and poison beans were thrown at Xiaofeng Mountain, so I thought I'd tell you."

Xu Ning nodded upon hearing this and asked, "Did they steal the traps at the foot of Xiaofeng Mountain? Did they also throw away the medicinal beans?"

"Who knows, when I was running in the mountains with them, they often brought up the old days of using medicinal deer, saying that working in the alkali field was so comfortable, you just threw in the medicinal beans and the deer would come and eat them..."

Tang Hao didn't dare to say for sure that it was the two Zhao brothers who threw the pills and stole the condoms, because his conversation with Xu Ning had essentially betrayed the two Zhao brothers. However, those two brothers were indeed no good; they had ganged up on Tang Hao before, clearly not treating him as a friend or even as a human being.

Li Fuqiang cursed, "Who else could it be but these two bastards? Brother, we've suffered an undeserved disaster."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "It's alright to be implicated by my reputation. I'll just take it one step at a time."

Tang Hao was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect Xu Ning to have such a good temper. The two Zhao brothers were so disgusting. Was he just going to let it go like this?

Of course, it's impossible to let it go! Xu Ning just hasn't figured out how to deal with them yet. The reason is that they live far apart and rarely see each other. Moreover, without evidence, Xu Ning can't just go to Old Zhao's house and start cursing. This is different from when he arrested Li San. To catch a thief, you have to catch him red-handed, otherwise it will be hard to convince the public and you'll easily become the subject of gossip.

"You followed those two into the mountains, and didn't encounter any livestock? Were you just running away?"

“Yeah, it’s just a casual chase… Zhao Guofeng did spot two tracks, but they were all old tracks. The wild boars have all gone deep into the mountains, and it’s even harder to find roe deer and deer. The two deer that he fought with the first two were hunted in Laoniugou, west of Liushugou.”

"Oh, okay, thank you for this."

"Oh, come on, if I hadn't been so nosy, those two wouldn't have had such bad intentions."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "People like them will have a fit even if you don't say anything. They are the kind of people who can't stand seeing others do well."

"Yeah, those two were no good back in school. Once, they tricked Zhang Guangzhi from Qingli Village into going into the reservoir to swim, and he almost drowned! I'm not going to associate with them anymore. I think they're even worse than the Chang brothers from our village."

"Haha, okay, I'll take you for a stroll in the mountains when I have time."

Tang Hao's eyes lit up, and he said, "Sure! Let me know in advance."

"Okay, then let's leave it at that. Go back quickly, it's quite cold outside, so I won't let you come inside."

"Forget it, I'm too ashamed to go inside. I felt much better after saying that. We're all from the same village, I can't possibly side with outsiders..."

Xu Ning waved and smiled. After Tang Hao turned and left, he turned a corner and went into Li Fuqiang's house.

Yang Shuhua was bent over, scrubbing the edge of the pot on the stove, when she saw Xu Ning enter the room. She straightened up and asked, "How's it going?"

Li Fuqiang said, "It was those two brothers from the Zhao family in Beitunzi who did this! Just wait and see, I'll give them a good beating."

"You've got some nerve. None of the brothers have even mentioned fighting yet. You must have some ideas."

Xu Ning sat on the edge of the kang and said, "We don't have any evidence, so we can't pin it on them. Let's just say it was them who did it for us. I'll deal with them when I have time later."

"That's right! We have to teach them a lesson. Tang Hao bragged a bit for us brothers, and these two got jealous and even started a fight with Tang Hao. They're such heartless bastards!"

Yang Shuhua said, "You should say less. I wasn't angry at first, but your nagging has really stirred up my anger."

"Oh dear, I'm so upset! Those two bastards, the more I think about them, the angrier I get! Alright, hurry up and get ready, Auntie said she's frying some more vegetarian meatballs today."

"Know……"

Yang Shuhua took off her arm sleeves, picked up her coat, and went out.

Li Fuqiang looked out the window, then turned back and said, "Brother, what do you think we should do about this? Now the whole village knows our traps have been stolen. They've scattered poisoned beans at the foot of Xiaoxi Peak, that's where we set our traps. These two bastards dare to do this, aren't they just trying to wipe us out?"

Xu Ning leaned against the wall and said softly, "Didn't I just say that we'd deal with them when we had time? It would be too immature of us to go to their doorstep and start yelling at them now?"

"Hey, I wasn't even this angry yesterday. I think it was two groups of people who did it. It's understandable that one group went into the mountains to get some wire because they were short of it, but the other group was short of meat... It's so frustrating. What should we do later?"

"Let's go find Wang Changhai!" Xu Ning said, slapping his thigh.

Li Fuqiang exclaimed in surprise, "Wang Changhai? What do you want with him?"

"Gambling!"

"No, bro, are you going to break your vow?"

Xu Ning turned around and laughed, "What's the point of breaking the rules? I'm not going to sit at the table. I'm just going to chat with Wang Changhai."

What can you talk about with Wang Changhai? The reason is that the Zhao brothers are also gambling addicts. Xu Ning used to be gambling buddies with the Zhao brothers, the Chang brothers, Zhang Guangjun, and others. However, he lost contact with them after Xu Ning returned. In Xu Ning's memory, it wasn't just a year since he last saw the Zhao brothers, but more than 30 years ago, so his memory was rather vague.

He and Li Fuqiang walked quickly toward Wang Changhai's house. On the way, they met two villagers who asked Xu Ning what he was doing. He only said that he had something to discuss with Wang Changhai. Seeing that Xu Ning's expression was not right, the villagers did not ask any further questions.

As soon as I entered Wang Changhai's courtyard, I heard a lot of noise coming from inside the house, including people throwing cards and cursing.

Xu Ning pushed open the door and entered the room. The previously noisy environment inside immediately became completely silent, and everyone turned to stare at Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang.

Wang Changhai sat up in the kang (a heated brick bed) somewhat dazed. He said, "Hey, it's been a while since I've seen you. Want to play a couple of rounds?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Looking for me? Oh, then I'll get out of bed and put on my shoes."

There were more than 10 people gambling inside the house, including the Chang brothers and the eldest son of the Qin family from Taipingtun. There were also a few people who had met Xu Ning twice, but their impressions of him were quite vague. They only knew that there was such a person, but did not know which village he was from or what his surname was.

Li Fuqiang looked up at Chang Xifeng and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Chang Xifeng turned his head away without saying a word, and Wang Changhai also remained silent. He simply got off the ground, put on his cotton shoes, and turned back to say, "You guys continue. Erning might have something to discuss with me. Let's go to the west room to talk."

Xu Ning waved his hand: "I won't go to the west room, let's chat for a bit outside in the courtyard."

He was afraid that once he went into the west room, the villagers outside would see that he had been inside for so long and spread rumors that he was a leopard that couldn't change its spots...

Wang Changhai followed the two out of the hospital. Standing at the gate, Li Fuqiang offered him a cigarette. Wang Changhai tucked the cigarette behind his ear and laughed, "This is the first time I've ever accepted a cigarette from you." "Don't talk nonsense. Didn't you smoke wedding cigarettes at my wedding? I want to ask you something."

"Okay, go ahead and tell me."

Xu Ning asked, "I remember the two Zhao brothers from Beitunzi, Zhao Guofeng and Zhao Guoqing. They used to enjoy gambling, right? Do they still gamble now?"

"What a rip-off! We went to Beitun to hang out with them a few days ago, and they lost over 50 yuan that night. Lao Duan from Taihe and the three Li brothers together lost over 40 yuan..."

"What were they playing? Pai Gow or dice?"

“You play everything. I remember you played mahjong with those two before, and Yang Dong was there too... The four of you played all night.”

"They enjoy playing mahjong?"

"Hey, what's up? You're itching to play? Shall I go find those two and arrange a get-together?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "When he gambles again, come and tell me, okay? I won't let you run errands for nothing. As long as you come and tell me, I'll give you 20 yuan, how about it?"

Wang Changhai rolled his eyes, scratched his head, and said, "Did they offend you?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "They took away the trap I set at the foot of Xiaofeng Mountain and also scattered a lot of medicinal beans at the foot of Xiaofeng Mountain."

"Ah, then... then about this..."

“This is something only the three of us know about. If you agree, I’ll deal with him; if you don’t agree, I’ll deal with you. How about it, Brother Changhai?”

"Hey, what the hell are you doing to me? I didn't do anything to you..."

Xu Ning said with a stern face, "Didn't Chang Xifeng provoke you to mess with my Uncle Chang's little dog before?"

"Didn't Uncle Chang slap me twice? That happened a long time ago. I may not be good at anything, but I'm good at not holding grudges!"

Li Fuqiang smiled upon hearing this and said, "Just tell me if you'll help or not?"

"Help... but we need to come up with a plan. We can't let these people in the room get involved, otherwise how am I supposed to make money?"

The people in the room are Wang Changhai's biological father. He can earn five or six cents a day pumping water, and at least 20 yuan a month.

Xu Ning said, "You don't need to worry about anything. It's best to do this when the two brothers are playing mahjong... understand? We don't need too many people right now."

"Okay! I'll find out where they're organizing the gathering, and I'll come find you when I have accurate information."

“You don’t need to go to my house. When you go to my house, you’ll pass by my father-in-law’s house. Just tell Yinhe to come to my house and tell him.”

"Ah, that would be even better."

Xu Ning took out two five-yuan bills from his pocket and stuffed them into his hand, saying, "Then it's settled. Don't let it slip."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing when I get paid! When we get inside, I'll tell you I wanted to ask around if anyone in these villages is watching livestock in Nanshan. Chang Xifeng told me he hasn't seen any livestock in the mountains these past few days. I'm the village's know-it-all, so it's perfectly normal for you to ask me, right?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Okay, do whatever you want, but don't say I'm a leopard that can't change its spots."

"Oh my god, how could that be! You're the one I should never mess with..."

Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang nodded to him and then turned and left.

Wang Changhai squinted at the backs of the two men, thinking to himself: Why did those two Zhao brothers from Beitun provoke him? Everyone in Qing'an knows that Xu Er is the worst beast. He even stole traps and scattered poisoned beans. Isn't he just trying to offend people to death?
Wang Changhai felt a warm glow inside as he touched the 10 yuan in his pocket. In the past, it would have taken him half a month to earn 10 yuan, but now he could earn it by running an errand.

He turned and went into the house. Everyone inside asked Xu Ning what he wanted to see him about. Wang Changhai said, "I just had some connections. He was wondering if he had run into any livestock in Nanshan these past few days."

Chang Xifeng frowned and said, "He didn't catch any livestock either?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen one for five or six days. They say they haven't even caught a wild boar. The whole mountain is full of old tracks."

These words came from Chang Xifeng's mouth. Although they sounded somewhat familiar, Chang Xifeng still believed them.

Chang Beifeng said, "I heard that someone in Shengfeng Village seems to have been shot in the Old Sow Forest."

One of them, holding a mahjong tile, said, "That was eight hundred years ago. Li Mazi and Lan Dadan from Taipingtun searched for two or three days straight, but Gou De didn't even catch a glimpse of them..."

"This is really strange. Even Xiao Xupao couldn't catch any livestock. Is it because of the four snowfalls in a row?"

"It's possible that these livestock will run out of food on the mountainside and head deeper into the mountains."

"Hey, could it be another wild boar herder?"

"A big cat? No way, didn't Xu Er kill a big cat a while ago?"

"Who can say for sure..."

Seeing that everyone's attention had shifted, Wang Changhai sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

On their way home, Li Fuqiang said to Xu Ning, "Wang Changhai treats money like his own father! Do you think he can get things done?"

"If they don't process it, just refund the money. We won't lose anything. But if they do process it, wouldn't that be even better?"

Li Fuqiang frowned and said, "I still haven't figured out what you're going to do to them."

"What else can we do? We're just ordinary people. Besides spending money, all we can do is find someone to help us."

"Looking for someone? Who are you looking for?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Why don't you call the garrison headquarters and ask?"

Li Fuqiang suddenly thought of someone and exclaimed, "Should we just kill the two Zhao brothers?"

Xu Ning squinted and said, "If this were my old temper, I would have killed them both in the mountains! What the hell are they doing messing with me for no reason? Do they think I'm easy to bully, or that I have a good temper? Either don't mess with them, or mess with them to death!"

Li Fuqiang slapped his hip and said, "That's right! That's how it should be done. We didn't provoke them at all, but they went out of their way to provoke us. It's disgusting."

"Mm." Xu Ning nodded calmly.

(End of this chapter)