Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 770 At least 600 Black Bears, there are people ahead!

After Xu Ning drove Ma Liu and Lao Yang to the local health center, Liu Lizhen paced back and forth in the room, feeling uneasy. Han Fengjiao and Wu Qiuxia tried to comfort her, but she only responded superficially, her heart still filled with anxiety.

This is because in Liu Lizhen's heart, Ma Liu is Xu Ning's elder, and Ma Liu is all alone. He not only taught Xu Ning how to raise bees, but also gave Xu Ning all his savings accumulated over the years.

If anything were to happen to Ma Liu, Liu Lizhen would certainly be heartbroken. The main issue is that Ma Liu has hardly ever had a good life; his good days have just begun, and what if something were to happen to him…

Liu Lizhen didn't dare to think too deeply. She just sat on the bearskin sofa and shook her head slightly. Xu Feng leaned against her and said, "Mom, didn't my second brother say that Grandpa Ma just has a slight fever? You don't need to worry about it."

"Your second brother left in such a hurry, could it be something as trivial as a fever? I'm not stupid."

"Oh, you're worrying for nothing. My second brother can handle it. Besides, my brother Lei just came back. Grandpa Ma can walk and jump all the way with my second brother to the street. What's there to be afraid of?"

Liu Lizhen pushed her shoulder and said, "Go outside and get a bundle of firewood, stop grinding your teeth here."

"I...I was wronged by your kindness."

After being slapped by Liu Lizhen, Xu Feng ran to the door with a grin, turned around and made a face at her mother. Seeing that her mother was amused, she turned around and went to work.

Just then, Meng Ziyan heard the sound of a car in the courtyard. Standing on the platform and looking into the distance, she saw a car slowly approaching. She turned around and went into the house, saying, "Mom, Uncle Ma should be back."

"You're back? You're back so quickly, then you must be alright."

Liu Lizhen stood up, her expression relaxing. She walked to the plastic shed and watched as Xu Ning, Ma Liu, and Lao Yang got off the car. Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Ning strode in and said with a smile, "What are you standing here for?"

Liu Lizhen looked at Ma Liu and asked, "Sixth Brother, are you alright?"

Ma Liu waved his hand: "Nothing's wrong. This kid just insisted on dragging me to the health center for a checkup. What a waste of money, and it made you all worry."

"After checking, everything is fine. Now I'm completely relieved! Come on in and have some tea."

Xu Ning picked up the teacup and poured half of it down, then said, "Mom, I'm going into the mountains tomorrow. Please ask my sister-in-law to make some more sugar pancakes."

"Why are you going into the mountains again? You've been running around since the Lunar New Year until yesterday, can't you just give it a couple of days' rest?"

"Oh dear, my uncle sent me a message that there are traces of black bears in the mountains. I was thinking of sending a gift by taking the lead black bear. We should seize the opportunity without delay."

Liu Lizhen nodded: "As long as you know what I mean."

"When my brother Dong left, I was thinking of giving him some bear meat, but no one in the whole of Qing'an has hunted a bear. I asked my brother to look for one, but we still haven't heard anything. It seems like all the mountain hunters in Qing'an are celebrating the New Year..."

Han Fengjiao said, "Who would go hiking in the mountains during the Chinese New Year? If it weren't for giving gifts, wouldn't you all be staying home and resting?"

"Yeah, I really don't like to move around during the Chinese New Year."

Liu Lizhen bluntly said, "You're more excited than anyone else when you hear there's a bear sighting, and you still don't want to move?"

"Haha, sister-in-law, you're absolutely right! When he was in the car just now, he heard Xiong Zong's butt and he wanted to fly over there immediately."

Everyone burst into laughter. Xu Ning touched his face sheepishly and said, "I have to go to the village headquarters later to borrow that 56 semi-automatic rifle. We'll be going into the mountains for two or three days tomorrow. If we don't find any bear tracks, we'll definitely be back before the Lantern Festival."

Liu Lizhen turned around and went into the north kitchen to cook without saying a word. Xu Ning sat on the sofa chatting with Ma Liu and Lao Yang. Around 5 o'clock, Xu Laonian, Wang Erli, Yang Jun, Guan Lei and others returned.

Xu Ning told them about going into the mountains tomorrow. Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei, and Wang Hu were quite excited. They hadn't hunted a black bear in a while and were really missing that feeling of conquest.

Old Xu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and squinting, said, "Huolazi Mountain is quite far from our home. You guys need to come up with a plan to help us. Otherwise, we'll end up shooting a bear and having to go through all the trouble of dragging it back."

“Okay, we’ll drive there first, then Jun will drive the car back. There are three main rendezvous points at Huolazi Mountain: Beigou, Xima, and the mountain road near 14 Lengchang. Jun will drive around these three places…”

Xu Ning turned to look at Li Fuqiang and said, "Brother, do we have any fireworks?"

"Yes! I made more than ten before the Lunar New Year, thinking I'd save them for the Lantern Festival."

"Don't keep it, take it up the mountain. We'll set off fireworks on the mountaintop, and Brother Jun should be able to see the light."

Yang Jun nodded: "Okay, let's set off firecrackers during the day and fireworks at night."

After agreeing on the rendezvous arrangements, Xu Ning went to prepare the equipment for spending the night in the mountains. He took two sets of bedding and a ladle, while Wang Hu prepared the remaining miscellaneous items.

After dinner, Xu Ning and Ma Liu carefully discussed the possible locations where the black bear might appear, such as Daqingshan, Shizuigou, and Yingzuishan.

"There are many wild boars and roe deer in this Daqingshan Mountain. Shizuigou is full of ditches and ponds, all frozen solid. Do you think a black bear can catch fish in these ditches and ponds?"

Xu Ning said, "Black bears can't go to stagnant ditches and ponds to catch fish, so I've gone to Daqingshan instead. I'll follow their tracks tomorrow; that's the safest way."

In the evening, after Meng Ziyan, heavily pregnant, finished washing her feet, Xu Ning splashed the water out of her mouth, then crawled into bed and hugged her, saying, "Why don't you go home and stay for a couple of days tomorrow?"

"Why? Go away, I can't let my mind wander."

"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Go home and stay for a couple of days, and help me check how many beehives I've made. I need them in the spring..."

"Okay, then be extra careful when you go into the mountains."

“My older brother, Stone, and Tiger are all going with us. What are we afraid of? The four of us have guns and bullets in our pockets. Let alone Black Bear, even if we run into Big Cat, we can shoot it to death!”

Meng Ziyan snuggled closer to Xu Ning, feeling a little strange. She looked down and laughed, "I won't dampen your spirits, otherwise you won't be able to walk tomorrow."

"You wait for me to come back, you little punk? Do you think you can catch me?"

After saying that, Xu Ning immediately closed his eyes and started snoring, while Meng Ziyan smiled gently and patted Xu Ning on the back.

It's 5:30 in the morning.

Xu Ning carried his gun and cloth bag out the door. When the Dog Gang saw his clothes, they all whined softly. Xu Ning pretended not to see them, opened the door and met up with Wang Hu, and then headed towards Li Fuqiang's house.

Wang Hu said, "Second brother, we only have six batteries left at home. I don't know if that will be enough."

"That's enough. We basically won't need a flashlight. We'll cut down some pine torches when it gets dark. When we get to your brother's house, find a small sled so we don't have to carry so much stuff."

After arriving at Li Fuqiang's house, the two went inside. Guan Lei and Yang Jun were sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Xu Ning washed his face first and went into the east room. Yang Jun said, "You guys can't expect to find a bear in the mountains today, can you? I'll drive around the mountain roads tonight."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "It's not that easy. Tracking is quite difficult, unless you're lucky. And it takes two or three more steps to get to Huolaizi Mountain..."

Yang Jun rubbed his face: "It's better to be safe than sorry. I'll go for a walk tonight, just until midnight. If I don't hear from you by midnight, I'll go home."

“Sure, you can call my brother Feng along, then you two will have some company.”

"Okay, otherwise I'm thinking of asking him to come too. I'm a bit scared to be alone in the car." Yang Shuhua prepared a steamed egg custard, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and radish and fish ball soup. These three dishes, when soaked in rice, were simply delicious. After all, we've eaten too much meat during the New Year period, so eating some vegetables is quite refreshing.

"Erning, I made 16 sugar pancakes, packed 6 boxes of rice, 4 boxes of vegetables, and 1 box of pickled vegetables. Is that enough for us?"

"That should be enough. It'll only be two or three days. Sister-in-law, take Jin Yu Mantang to my house to stay. Let Lianfang sleep with you and my sister-in-law. Also, tell my mother to let my wife go back to her parents' house for a couple of days..."

"I know. When I was cleaning the stove last night, my aunt said, 'Why did you let Ziyan go back to her parents' house?'"

“She’s too preoccupied with her own thoughts, and now that she’s pregnant, if she sees that I’m not home, and my mom notices something’s wrong with her expression, my mom won’t feel good. It’s better to let her go back to her parents’ home.”

Yang Shuhua nodded: "Okay, I'll take her home later."

After the meal, Li Fuqiang found a small sled in the lower room, and they threw their things into the car. Yang Jun then drove directly to Beigou.

The terrain of Beigou hasn't changed much. Xu Ning and others had come here several times before to hunt livestock, and they had also gone with Ma Liu to hunt deer in the big gully of Beishan.

After getting off the bus, everyone checked their equipment. Xu Ning waved to Yang Jun and said, "The main thing is that you don't need to come tonight. Stay home and get a good night's sleep."

"It's nothing, I'm just sitting at home doing nothing anyway. You guys go ahead, I'm going to the market."

With a wave of his hand, Yang Jun turned the car around and drove away. Xu Ning looked at the nearly 100-meter-long gentle slope and said, "This hillside can be cleared and planted with soybeans."

"Haha, second brother, we came here to hunt livestock, why are we going to farm again?"

As Xu Ning walked up the mountain, he said, "I heard from the old man a few days ago that the higher-ups are encouraging land reclamation. When spring comes, you all need to keep busy and quickly find a place to reclaim land, but don't go into the ravines. Reclaim land on the edge of the mountain. It would be best to reclaim ten acres of land in that old forest area to the south."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with Brother Qiang later."

Li Fuqiang nodded: "Actually, farming is also a big deal. If we don't know how to hunt livestock in the mountains, farming is the only way to survive."

"Absolutely true..."

After they reached the top of the mountain, they followed the mountain ridge towards Huolazi Mountain.

I barely had time to appreciate the scenery along the way; all I could think about was where Black Bear was.

As the sun rose, golden rays pierced through the clouds and shone on the snow-covered, undulating mountains, and Xu Ning and the others felt a warm sensation on their backs.

The sunlight is finally offering some warmth, which means that the depths of winter are about to pass...

Wang Hu pointed to a tree with a strip of cloth tied to it in the red pine forest ahead and asked excitedly, "Second Brother, is this the mark that Grandpa Ma mentioned?"

"Yes! Let's go check for bear tracks. We should all be careful not to disturb them."

"okay."

The four of them slowly walked forward from two directions and came to the red pine tree with a strip of cloth tied to it. On the left side, down the slope, they spotted a trail of bear tracks.

Xu Ning stared at the direction Xiong Zong had left in, frowning as he said, "It certainly looks like it went to Daqingshan..."

Guan Lei asked, "Brother, these bear claws are so big, could they weigh 400 jin (200 catties)?"

"At least 600 pounds! This isn't a black bear, it's a large brown bear!"

"Brown bear? That would be even better. Brown bears have lots of meat, so it would definitely be enough for a gift."

Wang Hu said, "It's just that bear bile isn't as valuable as black bear bile."

"Hey, who cares if it's worth anything, as long as we kill it and make some money, that's fine. Bro, shall we chase it?"

Xu Ning nodded: "Chase it away, we need to hurry. This bear has been gone for more than two days. When my Uncle Ma spotted the bear's tracks the other day, it must have just left not long ago."

Immediately, the four of them followed the bear's tracks and chased after it. Their pace improved slightly, but the snow in the red pine forest was relatively loose, so their steps were not very long.

"Let's take our skis and head into the mountains; this area is perfect for skiing."

Xu Ning shook his head: "You can't skate for more than a few minutes before you have to stop. Look ahead, what's that?"

"A cliff? Oh my, how come there's a cliff that's twenty or thirty meters high?"

“This area was flooded before, and the bottom is full of big rocks. Let’s go down into the ditch. This brown bear has also gone down into the ditch.”

"Is that mountain up ahead Eagle's Beak? We came here last year."

"Yes, there's a cave at the foot of Eagle's Beak Mountain. If we don't catch the brown bear, we'll rest there tonight."

The three of them were very obedient to Xu Ning's words, and basically did whatever Xu Ning arranged.

When they were still six miles away from Eagle's Beak, Xu Ning and the others lit a fire in a sheltered spot to cook their meal. After a brief rest, they got up and continued their search.

The bear's gait was rather large and unhurried, not like it had come out of the enclosure because it was hungry, but more like it was patrolling its territory.

Although Xu Ning had some doubts, when faced with a beast that cannot speak, the only way to reason with it is with a steel gun.

In the afternoon, around 2 p.m., we finally arrived at the cave at the foot of Eagle's Beak Mountain. Inside, there were burnt charcoal pieces, which were obviously from the last few days.

Li Fuqiang frowned and said, "There can't be anyone in front of us, right?"

"I didn't see any footprints. These people's footprints came from the east, so they might be from Wanye."

Xu Ning shook his head: "Regardless of where they come from, we need to speed things up."

Guan Lei said, "Brother, what if someone steals this brown bear?"

"Follow the rules. If the other party doesn't follow the rules, then deal with them."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu, and Guan Lei all threw their heads back and burst into laughter.

They originally planned to spend the night in Eagle's Beak Cave, but since they already knew there were people ahead of them, they couldn't stay there overnight. So Wang Hu pulled the small sled and followed behind Guan Lei, continuing to move forward cautiously.

"I should buy a telescope when we go to the provincial capital; the snow-covered mountains are making my eyes blurry."

Wang Hu was about to reply when he noticed the situation: "Hmm... Second Brother, is there someone up ahead? That little black dot is on the second mountain opposite, halfway up the mountain..."

(End of this chapter)