Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 737 Lianfang is pregnant? Bear meat has arrived.

In the mountains and forests, the snow crunched underfoot. Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei, Wang Hu, and Da Laba walked ahead with their dogs, while Li Er followed beside them.

On the way down the mountain, Xu Ning only reminded Li Er a couple of times before shutting up. He really didn't want to have too much of a relationship with the three Li brothers, Tang Er, and Tang Hao. Although Xu Laonian and Tang Er had a decent relationship, Xu Ning looked down on Tang Er. This effeminate person was quite repulsive, and even standing next to him made him feel uncomfortable.

However, seeing the Chang brothers suffering a loss, Xu Ning naturally felt at ease and secretly pleased. The grudge between him and the Chang brothers was not a secret; it had been heard about in the village and even throughout Qing'an. Therefore, it was not inappropriate for Xu Ning to offer a reminder.

Afterwards, Da Ba and Li Er chatted happily, asking them to get to the bottom of what happened when they beat the black bear. After hearing the details, everyone curled their lip in disdain. They were already used to the Chang brothers' behavior, or rather, only the two of them could do such a despicable thing!
Behind them were Li Laoda, Li Laosan, Tang Er, and Tang Hao. The four of them silently followed, dragging the corpse of the black bear. Tang Er wanted to go up and talk to him, but Tang Hao could tell from his expression that Xu Ning looked down on Tang Er. It was obvious that Xu Ning didn't care about Tang Er. He hadn't turned against him only because of Tang Er's face. He whispered a few words to Tang Er. Tang Er frowned when he heard this, but remained silent.

What were the Chang brothers doing up on the mountain? Chang Beifeng was slumped in the snow, wailing loudly, while Chang Xifeng leaned against a tree, took out an old cigarette from his pocket, rolled it, and lit it.

"It's so frustrating, so frustrating! Ugh... how did the bear gall bladder just break like that? Bro, either I crushed it, or Tang Hao kicked it..."

Listening to Chang Beifeng's tearful wailing, Chang Xifeng took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, rubbed his swollen brow bone, and said, "Alright, stop crying, hurry up and bury them."

"Brother! Are we just going to let this go like this? Ah! I'm so wronged!"

Chang Xifeng stared at his brother, sighed inwardly, and said aloud, "What if you don't calculate it?"

"Cut them down!"

"What were you thinking about just now? Why didn't you do anything? Huh? The three of them were beating me up, and you were fighting with a middle-aged man and you didn't even lift a finger. Now you're complaining."

Upon hearing this, Chang Beifeng immediately stopped crying and pointed at Chang Xifeng, shouting, "Then why didn't you fight back? How dare you say that to me!"

"Come on, you're only good at talking to me. Those three brothers pinned me to a tree and beat me up. How could I fight back? Besides, even if I did fight back, what could I do? They would only beat me harder! I used that time to stall for time, but you were like an idiot, insisting on burying the dog. If you had gone to get the bear gallbladder first, would you have ended up with nothing?"

Chang Beifeng glared angrily, knelt in the snow, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Blame me? You blame me?! How dare you! How could I not feel heartbroken when I saw my own dog die?"

Chang Xifeng shook his head at him, really not knowing how to communicate with him, and only said: "Hurry up and pack your things and go home. When you get home, admit your mistake as soon as possible, or you will get beaten again."

"Hit me, hit me, why don't you just kill me!"

Chang Beifeng angrily got up, kicked the snow twice, and sauntered over to the dog's corpse. He squatted down, put it into a sack, then turned around, found Old Juebazi, and carried the sack down the mountain.

Chang Xifeng went to the spot where Tang Er and Chang Beifeng had been arguing, squatted down, picked up a handful of snow mixed with bear bile, and carefully shoveled it all into his lunchbox.

"What are you doing with this thing?" Chang Beifeng turned back and asked with a lowered gaze.

"This thing can be dried and yielded some gall powder. Even if it doesn't sell for a high price, it should still be worth at least 200 yuan."

When Tang Hao kicked the bear gallbladder, some bile seeped into Tang Er's sleeve, while the rest spilled onto the snow.

"Damn, all that work wasn't for nothing! Big brother, you'd better stop Xiao Yan from beating me up this time."

Chang Xifeng closed the lunchbox lid, glanced at him, and didn't say anything.

In the distance, Xu Ning stood on the bank of the Xiaoshi River, pointing south and saying, "You guys should go back quickly, we still need to go and get the livestock."

Li Er blinked and said, "Well, let my eldest brother and third brother help you pull it. It's just a matter of lending a hand."

Xu Ning waved his hand: "No need, there aren't many animals in total, let's go."

The loudspeaker turned around and laughed, "You guys hurry up and spread the word, don't let the Chang brothers beat you to it, otherwise this will definitely be your fault."

"Okay..."

Tang Hao opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only watching as Xu Ning and the other four led the dog away.

Xu Ning and the others split into two groups. Wang Hu led four dogs, Black Wolf, Gray Wolf, One-Eyed, and Flower Egg, to the 28th block farm to find workers to collect frozen pigs from snail shells and fresh pigs hunted nearby. Xu Ning and his three companions went to collect wild boars from the path in Willow Tree Gully.

Having encountered few people along the way, Xu Ning let go of the leash. The pack of dogs, now without their leader Black Wolf, became quite active under the leadership of Blue Wolf, Flower Wolf, and Fatty. However, they merely circled around Xu Ning and did not venture out to wander off.

They looked a bit dejected, probably because they hadn't hunted a black bear or eaten its meat!

This time, Xu Ning didn't comfort Qinglang. He was genuinely afraid that his own dog gang would suffer the same fate as the five dogs raised by the Chang brothers. In fact, all ten dogs raised by the Chang brothers had died in the past two years, and Xu Ning had witnessed it all firsthand. It was truly a bit of a bad omen.

When they arrived at Ximaduozi with the three wild boars, Wang Hu had been waiting there for a long time. After finding people at the 28th workshop, he first asked the workers to help drag the wild boars they had just hunted onto the old Dongfeng truck. He originally wanted to pick up Xu Laonian and the others, but he couldn't find them at all and didn't know where they had gone to have fun.

"Second brother, I think there are only 8 wild boars in Snail Shell, including two big ones that dig for eggs. Counting these 3 boars, there are only 11. Is it okay to send them to the forest farm?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "It's not just for this one day. We'll send a few more tomorrow if we catch any. Besides, my dad and the others should be able to get quite a few too. The forest farm can't be picky about these things. If we send some, others have to too."

"Hmm, did you run into the old man on the mountain?" Guan Lei asked.

"I didn't see them. It seems they went to Shizuigou. I reckon they'll be working late to get home today."

Xu Ning said, "Never mind them, let's go home and warm up first!"

After putting the dog in the car, everyone boarded and drove towards Qing'an Village.

As the car turned onto the North End Road, it was spotted that Yang Shuhua, Sun Lianfang, and Guan Hua were walking together towards the convenience store.

Where are you going?

Sun Lianfang jumped up and said, "I heard that Tang Er is telling stories at the convenience store. Let's go listen."

"Hey, stop joining in the fun. If you want to hear something, wait until we get home and your older brother will tell you."

Li Fuqiang pointed at his wife in surprise and said, "Why do you also like to listen to stories?"

Yang Shuhua rolled her eyes. "What's it to you?"

"Hey, I'll give you... wait until you get home!" Li Fuqiang pointed at her and snorted.

Sun Lianfang laughed and said, "Do you know what happened on the mountain?"

Xu Ning nodded: "Get in the car quickly, we'll talk about it when we get home."

"Oh dear, let's not get on the bus. It smells terrible, and it makes me nauseous."

Upon hearing the word 'disgusting,' Guan Lei took it very seriously and blurted out, 'You can't be pregnant, can you?'

Sun Lianfang was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, how could it be so fast?"

Yang Shuhua frowned and said, "Lianfang, this is no small matter. Some women don't experience any pregnancy symptoms, while others only experience some. Otherwise..."

Guan Lei chimed in, "I'll take her to the local clinic tomorrow to get a checkup. If she's really pregnant, we'll go to the city for a checkup."

Sun Lianfang could only nod. She was also confused and didn't know what was wrong with her. She just felt that her appetite had been strong recently, and her period was still late, about five or six days late.

Xu Ning drove his car to the front of his house, and while they were tying the dog in the yard, Yang Shuhua and the other two also came in.

After they entered the house, Guan Lei took Sun Lianfang's hand and whispered, "Didn't you ask your sister-in-law what happened?"

"How would I know? Anyway, I haven't had my period yet, and it's been five or six days off from my usual period."

Guan Lei frowned and said, "Then it should be there. Let's go directly to the city tomorrow!"

"Really?" Sun Lianfang was both surprised and delighted, but she wasn't sure.

"Go ask your aunt and second aunt. Hey, look at you, you're in this state, why don't you say anything?"

"How would I know..."

Sun Lianfang knew nothing about it, as she lacked experience. Even with the examples of Meng Ziyan and Wang Shujuan before her, she was still clueless because she hadn't experienced it herself. Hearing that Sun Lianfang hadn't had her period for five or six days, Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao took it seriously and told Guan Lei to go to the city for a checkup the next day. Xu Ning said he and Meng Ziyan would also go, and see if they could pick up Xu Feng and the others while they were there; their final exams were in the next couple of days.

"Okay, it's settled then. Lianfang, you have to be careful, you can't run around like crazy like before."

Sun Lianfang blushed and said, "Yes, I know, Auntie."

"Oh my god, it's really rare to see Lianfang blushing."

"Haha, my face is all red with joy!"

Xu Ning drank half a teacup of water and said, "I still have to go to the forest farm to deliver the wild boar."

“I’ll go with you, Second Brother.”

Wang Hu immediately raised his hand and ran outside.

Han Fengjiao shook her head from behind and said, "This child..."

Liu Lizhen said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Let the children figure things out themselves. The more you rush things, the less likely they are to come. If you don't rush, they will come."

"How can I not be anxious? Lianfang is already pregnant. Oh, Hua'er, Mom isn't pressuring you, don't take it to heart."

Guan Hua nodded: "Yes, I know."

About ten minutes after Xu Ning and Wang Hu drove away in their old Dongfeng car, they heard someone shouting outside the yard, and the dogs inside barked at the sound.

"Oh my god, Tang Hao is here."

Li Fuqiang got up and looked outside, and was surprised to see who it was.

"Go and greet them quickly."

Liu Lizhen went out first, followed by Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei.

Tang Hao was carrying a bear paw, a thigh, and more than 20 kilograms of bear meat.

"Hao, why don't you come inside?"

Tang Hao laughed and said, "Auntie, I won't go inside. I have some things to take care of at home. Um, this is some black bear we hunted on the mountain today. I brought some for you. If we hadn't run into Er Ning on the mountain today, we would definitely have been at a disadvantage..."

"Huh? What happened? Erning didn't say anything when she came back."

Tang Hao peeked out and asked, "Er Ning isn't home?"

"He went to the forest farm to deliver wild boar, and drove away as soon as he got home."

Li Fuqiang said, "Auntie, I know what happened. Why don't you come inside and wait a while? My brother will be back soon."

"I'm not going inside. I still need to go find my second brother."

Tang Hao finished speaking with a smile, and then Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei took the bear meat.

Li Fuqiang knew how much meat he and Tang Er would get, so he asked, "Why did you bring it all over? Didn't you keep any for yourself?"

"They left quite a lot. We split it 50/50 with the three brothers from the Li family, and they even gave us an extra bear paw and a bear head."

"Hao, you're so kind. Come visit us more often when you have time."

"Okay, I know, Auntie, I'll head back now."

"Walk slowly."

Tang Hao turned and left. Liu Lizhen only turned around and stared at the bear meat in Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei's hands after he walked to the small bridge.

"What happened up on the mountain? I heard someone outside shouting that we should gather at the convenience store, saying that something earth-shattering has happened..."

Guan Lei laughed and said, "Auntie, that must have been Tang Er shouting."

"It sounds like him."

Pulling open the door of the plastic shed, I entered and heard a loudspeaker saying, "Auntie's inside, I have to start over, what's the rush?"

Zhang Guifang rolled her eyes and said, "Are you itching for a beating? What's wrong with telling it again? You don't want to talk nonsense?"

After being scolded, the loudspeaker looked at Liu Lizhen and said, "Auntie, let me tell you, we've had quite a bit of fun to watch up the mountain today..."

After the loudspeaker finished recounting what had happened on the mountain, everyone looked on with disdain.

"Chang Xifeng is such a big man, why does he always do this kind of thing?"

"Who knows? Those two brothers are no good."

Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "That bear gallbladder was a complete waste, Chang Beifeng just crushed it."

Sun Lianfang frowned and said, "Even if the bile spilled, it's still usable. Why didn't you collect the bile that fell into the snow? You could have dried it at home and it would have been worth some money."

Guan Lei said, "My brother said that things that fall on the ground have nothing to do with us. Whoever wants to take them can take them. We're not taking them."

"Yeah, my brother is very principled when it comes to doing things."

Sun Lianfang pouted: "Wouldn't that be letting the Chang brothers benefit?"

"So what if it's cheap? Five of his dogs died and he got beaten up. What's the big deal if we give it to him? It's none of our business anyway."

Liu Lizhen nodded: "That's absolutely true. We should try not to get involved in things that don't concern us."

"Then what do we do with the bear meat?"

"Sure, it's been delivered right to my door, how could I refuse?"

"Cut some of it and stir-fry it. Qiangzi, put the rest of the meat in the cellar, and put the fat on the cutting board. We'll render it into oil later."

"Got it."

After delivering the 11 wild boars to the forest farm, Xu Ning chatted with Zheng Yunlong and Guo Xingmin for a while.

I learned through casual conversation that the three members of the Zhao family had been sent to the Jinxing Police Station in the neighborhood. This station was not under Zhou Dayong's jurisdiction, but rather under someone else's.

Guo Xingmin vaguely revealed that Lao Zhao had taken all the blame upon himself, and the process was currently underway. He estimated that the verdict would be reached in less than half a month. Zhao Guofeng and Zhao Guoqing would not be able to return in the short term; they would have to serve at least half a month in prison. Although Lao Zhao had taken all the blame, they were also considered accomplices...

“The main reason is that his family has some spare money; otherwise, Zhao Guofeng and his brother would also have been sentenced.”

Xu Ning nodded to indicate that he understood. Then he and Wang Hu drove to the fork in the road below the 18th Lengchang, went up to the top of the mountain and set off two firecrackers. After hearing the response of gunfire, the two of them headed towards the direction of the gunfire.

Old Xu struggled to pull a yellow-haired pig along, muttering, "I guess this little rascal has some sense! I was thinking he'd gone home."

"Hey, big brother, why do you keep talking about Erning?"

Old Xu turned his head and glared, saying, "What business is it of yours if I'm talking about my youngest son?"

“That’s my nephew!” Wang Erli retorted defiantly.

(End of this chapter)