Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 738 The Language of Sharpness Wasted on These Two Young Wives
Xu Laonian and Wang Erli often chatted amongst themselves, a way for the two brothers to amuse themselves. As long as they were willing to play around, no one could stop them.

The middle-aged hunting gang ambushed and killed a total of six wild boars in the mountains. Xu Laonian only took one yellow-haired boar, and gave the remaining five to Li Mazi, Lan Dadan and others.

When Xu Ning was seen, Xu Laonian's expression was very calm. He was not happy that his youngest son had come to pick him up. However, Wang Erli, as his brother, knew that his elder brother was overjoyed, but he just held back for the sake of face.

After loading all the wild boars into the truck, everyone boarded and drove down the mountain. They first took Lao Han and the others back to Taiping Village, and then Xu Ning drove home.

By then, it was already pitch black. I glanced at the wall clock as I went inside, and it showed only 5:30.

As soon as Xu Laonian entered the house, he began to boast about their hunting trip in the mountains, presenting himself primarily from his own perspective. He portrayed himself as an unparalleled marksman with keen eyesight, but Liu Lizhen saw through his ruse after only a few words. Needless to say, the one who tracked the boar was either Liu Daming or Li Mazi, and as for killing the wild boar, it was probably Wang Erli and Lao Han…

After washing his hands and face, Xu Laonian sat on the sofa, pouting and muttering, "It's boring! Nothing's interesting!"

"Haha, big brother, isn't that the truth?"

"Hmph, can you just say the truth to my face? You just started to have some confidence, and your sister-in-law has ruined it all!"

Liu Lizhen brought the dish to the table and said irritably, "Hurry up and stuff your food in. Stop dawdling."

Xu Laonian walked to the table and glanced at it, then exclaimed in surprise, "My goodness, there's bear meat here too!"

"It was sent by Tang Hao, Old Tang's nephew. They're killing a black bear in the mountains today."

"Hey, that's a good idea, but wait... can Tang Hao really kill a black bear? Has he ever hunted livestock before?"

Li Fuqiang chimed in, "Uncle, what exactly happened? Sit down and we'll talk about it."

The loudspeaker said, "That's right, Uncle. You need to hear my explanation, right? Fill it up, fill it up too, fill it up for Uncle as well..."

"Oh, okay, just a little bit is fine."

Xu Ning didn't expose her father's pretentious act. She simply sat down and waited for Liu Lizhen and the others to take their seats before picking up her chopsticks to eat. There was no need for formalities when it came to family eating and drinking, but her mother and the others had been busy for quite some time, and it would be disrespectful not to wait for them to sit down. Although there weren't many rules at the dinner table in Northeast China, one should at least have some sense of propriety.

After recounting the amusing bear hunt that day, the loudmouth finished speaking eloquently. Old Xu then slammed his hand on the table and sighed, "What a pity! A perfectly good bear gall bladder is gone just like that. Why didn't you find a bottle or something to collect the bile that fell on the snow?"

Li Fuqiang said, "My brother said we absolutely cannot accept things that don't belong to us."

"He can only put on a show for you guys; in reality, he wants it more than anyone else!"

Liu Lizhen sneered, "Do you think everyone is like you?"

……

"Do you think everyone is like you?"

Gao Yanhong snorted coldly. She glanced at the Chang brothers, whose faces were bruised and swollen, and Zhang Yan, who was crying beside her, and sighed slightly.

Zhang Yan cried because she heard that all five dogs had been killed by the black bear. In her words, she had fed and raised these five dogs every day, so she naturally had a deep affection for them...

However, she did not fight with Chang Beifeng, which surprised Chang Beifeng, who was used to being beaten. He just sat silently on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) rolling his old pipe.

Chang Xifeng said with a worried look, "No matter what, we didn't lose money this time. Although we lost the dog and didn't bring the bear home, we still have some bear bile. We can dry the bile and sell it to a pharmacy to make some money."

Gao Yanhong said, "It's not about money. You two brothers are terrible at handling things. This time you've offended the Tang family again. Sigh... I'm speechless. There's nothing I can say."

Zhang Yan wiped away her tears and said, "My younger sister's father-in-law passed away this year, and Lao Tang helped out a lot, not asking for much money and even giving a gift. What were you two thinking?"

Chang Beifeng retorted, "What else could we be thinking? That bear must weigh over 300 jin (150 kg), how much are its bile and meat worth?"

"You can't steal it!"

"Did we steal it? It was Tang Er who started it. My older brother and I originally wanted to share some with them, but they wouldn't listen..."

Gao Yanhong waved her hand and said, "Come on, do you think I don't know you two? It must be because you two didn't want to share that they started to snatch it from us. You deserve to be beaten!"

Chang Xifeng remained silent, but Chang Beifeng was filled with anger and shouted, "Why should we be the ones to fight? All five of our dogs are dead, what's wrong with us taking bear bile?"

"What are you yelling at your sister-in-law for?! You're asking for it again!"

"Try hitting me..."

Without any politeness, Zhang Yan slapped Chang Beifeng across the face, sending him flying four or five times until his eyes were clear.

"Why are you hitting me? All you do is hit me, brother. Didn't you say that Yan'er hit me? Could you have stopped her? I saw that you didn't even move."

Chang Xifeng gritted his teeth and said, "I think you deserve to be beaten. Yan'er didn't even want to make a move, but you had to stick your face to me. Who else should I beat if not you? Get lost, I don't want to talk to you."

Gao Yanhong pulled Zhang Yan along and said, "Let's go to the store and buy a couple of cans of food, and then we'll go check out Old Tang's place."

"Why should I?" Chang Beifeng asked, tilting his head.

"Just because you're so dishonest! It's bad enough that you two offended the Xu family, but then you offended Li Feng! He's your own brother-in-law! And now you've offended the Tang family too! Ugh, you two are really trying to drive us sisters crazy!"

After Zhang Yan finished speaking, she and Gao Yanhong went out, leaving the Chang brothers inside. They looked at each other, but their expressions showed no regret. After all, if they succeeded in doing this, they could make a fortune, and if they failed, they would only lose some reputation. Did they have any reputation in Qing'an Village? No, they didn't care at all.

The two sisters-in-law walked into the convenience store and were met with strange looks.

At this moment, Tang Er had already finished promoting the story at the convenience store. The glorious deeds of the Chang brothers quickly spread throughout the village, and everyone criticized the Chang brothers for doing something inhumane. However, the villagers were used to it and were not surprised by it.

However, seeing Gao Yanhong and Zhang Yan was quite unexpected.

Gao Yanhong asked Liu Guangmin for two cans of food and two jin of steamed rice cakes. A woman inside the room said, "Yanhong, you two sisters don't need to get sore throat..."

"Absolutely. Everyone in the village knows what those two brothers are like. You two will definitely suffer if you marry them."

Gao Yanhong turned her head and said with a smile, "Auntie, what could I possibly feel wronged about? I'll follow my husband wherever he goes."

"Well, to be honest, if it weren't for you two sisters keeping things together, those two brothers wouldn't have been able to settle down in the village. They used to do things like that to their own uncle, so who in the village wouldn't be annoyed by them?"

"Don't even mention it, so many years have passed. Are you two going back to your parents' home?"

"Ah, not going back to my parents' home. Didn't they get into a fight with Uncle Tang's son and nephew? I was thinking of buying some things and going to take a look."

"Wow, look how straightforward and efficient Yan Hong and Yan Zi are in handling things!"

"Yeah, you bet."

"..."

Gao Yanhong and Zhang Yan were not happy to hear these words; instead, they were filled with worry because it was even more painful than being scolded!
In addition, his child was always bullied by the children in the village at school. They would slap him a couple of times when they had nothing to do, or they would say that his father was doing something inhuman. As a result, the child became more and more taciturn. His once cheerful personality gradually became sullen. His sisters-in-law had talked to the child, but could they really understand him?
I couldn't understand it. A few days ago, the children sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and cried loudly, saying they wouldn't go to school no matter what, just because their classmates said their father was a thief and a robber, nothing good.

Gao Yanhong didn't know what to say, especially now that this had happened again... If it were before, Gao Yanhong would have been a little angry listening to the villagers' cursing, but now they were all praising the two women, so she couldn't be angry, she just felt aggrieved. The two sisters-in-law carried canned food and steamed rice cakes out the door, and as soon as their feet touched the ground, they heard someone inside say, "Those two brothers are really awful! When Li San was alive, the three of them could still be compared, but now that Li San is gone, they've become less and less human."

“Oh dear, the poor child. My third son told me that his child is bullied at school all the time and gets beaten up every few days.”

“Yan Hong and Zhang Yan are also wronged. What kind of life are they living with these two brothers? They might as well take their children and go back to their parents’ home.”

"Who says it isn't?"

The two sisters-in-law walked down the street, and the gazes from their relatives were like knives. They avoided the sharp edge and walked with their heads down.

“Sister-in-law, living with them is so stifling! Otherwise, we should just leave! We're always cleaning up their messes, one after another. When will this ever end? Hongwei told me he misses his grandma.”

Gao Yanhong sighed and said, "Let's wait until the children are on vacation. There are only a few days left."

“If it weren’t for the child, I wouldn’t be with him! I was blind to have fallen for such a jerk.”

"You were quite willing back then, weren't you? Beifeng won you over with just a few words."

"And you're one of them too. These two are all talk, but they're useless at everything else."

The two sisters-in-law arrived at Old Tang's house and saw the coffin, white banners, and other items placed under the shed in the yard. They simply stood at the door and called out twice.

Upon hearing this, Old Tang came out, followed by Tang Yang, Tang Hao, and Tang Er...

"Uncle Tang, I heard that Xifeng got into a fight with two brothers on the mountain. I thought I'd come and check on them. Are they alright?"

Old Tang thought the two of them had come to interrogate him. In fact, not only him, but Tang Hao and Tang Er also thought so. However, after hearing Gao Yanhong's words, they were stunned.

Old Tang turned and glanced at Tang Er, who was walking with his legs swaying and toes pointing inward. Tang Er said, "My goodness, my sister-in-law's chatter is so much more pleasant! We two brothers are perfectly fine..."

Tang Hao nodded: "It's nothing."

Old Tang laughed and said, "Yan Hong, this is also my children's fault. I didn't know they were going up the mountain. Otherwise, I would never have let them go."

"Uncle Tang, this has nothing to do with my brother. It's all the fault of those two dead men in my family."

"it's okay no problem……"

Gao Yanhong handed the canned food forward, saying, "Brother, this is something your wife bought especially for you two. Take it, I have to go back and cook."

"Oh no, please don't! We're fine, take it back for the kids."

"How much can the child eat? There's still some at home. Well, I'll leave the things here, Uncle Tang. I'll head back now."

Gao Yanhong and Zhang Yan acted quickly. They didn't dare to enter the courtyard, as the things displayed there were creepy. They dropped their things and quickly left.

Old Tang said in a mocking tone, "Aren't you going inside for a bit?"

"Oh no, Uncle Tang, you should go back inside right away."

After the two sisters-in-law left, Old Tang let Tang Er pick up the things. Tang Er glanced at the jar and said, "These two sisters-in-law are quite capable. Now all my anger has dissipated."

"Stop talking nonsense and go back inside. Xiao Hao, take that little bit of meat to your Uncle Du."

Tang Yang said, "I've already delivered them all. We'll eat the rest ourselves. I didn't expect Xiao Er and Xiao Hao to be so capable, managing to bring back a black bear."

Old Tang shook his head and instructed, "You two mustn't go up the mountain again, understand? If it weren't for the Chang brothers today..."

Tang Er grumbled, "If it weren't for those two today, we definitely would have gotten bear gallbladders! Dad, do you know how much bear gallbladders are worth? Look at how the Xu family made their fortune. Do you think Xu Ning just drove around aimlessly all day? Did he get that car for free?"

Tang Hao said, "That car was bought for him by his friend."

Tang Er paused for a moment and said, "If he didn't have money, would he have friends who would buy him cars? Think before you speak. There's no effect without a cause. Do you know about Yin and Yang?"

Tang Yang retorted sarcastically, "You're all yin, where's the yang?"

"Dad, look at my older brother, he says I lack masculinity!"

Old Tang stepped into the house, turned around and said, "Hey, stop making me angry."

Tang Yang said, "Dad, the Chang brothers' wives are quite capable."

“Yeah, when Li Shan was killed by the black bear, Li San didn’t even offer to let us have a meal. It was the two of them who cooked for us.”

Tang Er scoffed and said, "These two young wives have suffered so much with the Chang brothers, why don't they get a divorce?"

"The kids are all grown up, why get a divorce?"

"Oh dear, what a waste of these two young wives."

"Get lost, what the hell are you talking about?"

Old Tang kicked Tang Er, cursing, "Let me tell you, don't go out anymore, just stay home."

"I'm a grown woman; I never leave the house."

"So what do you think you are?"

Tang Er felt extremely wronged and said pitifully, "Even my own father doesn't treat me like a man, what's the point of me living..."

Tang Yang said helplessly, "Go help your sister-in-law with some work. The bear meat is stewing in the pot; it should be ready soon."

"okay!"

The next day.

Just after breakfast, Xu Ning went out and started the old Dongfeng truck. A moment later, Meng Ziyan and Sun Lianfang walked out hand in hand, with Guan Lei following behind carrying a cloth bag.

Sun Lianfang was going to stay at her uncle's house in the city for a while, so she brought two sets of clothes with her.

The journey was quite long, and Xu Long and Yang Yusheng had already gone to the provincial capital. Xu Ning didn't have the key to the family building, so he didn't rush to drive fast. He stopped twice on the road and didn't arrive in the city until after 2 p.m.

When I drove to the hospital, I happened to see Xiao Du and his wife sitting inside. Xu Ning had called him last night and said that his wife was also pregnant and they had come over for a check-up.

After exchanging greetings, Aunt Qu examined Meng Ziyan first, while Xu Ning and the others sat on the benches in the corridor chatting.

It was only through Xiao Du's words that I learned why Yang Yusheng wanted to go to the provincial capital. It was because the head of the forestry bureau was sick and might have to retire due to illness. Yang Yusheng's choice to go to the provincial capital at this time was naturally to reconnect with his old friends and see if there was any room for maneuver.

(End of this chapter)