Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 772 Development Plans and Arrangements for Relatives and Friends

The river below the mountain is not turbulent, but the river channel is relatively wide, with a distance of two or three meters between the two banks, and a depth of about half a meter.

You might be wondering why the calm river didn't freeze? That doesn't make sense! Actually, it makes perfect sense. The water temperature in mountain streams is much lower than the ambient temperature, almost the same as the underground temperature. So, as long as the flow rate is adequate, even a gentle stream won't easily freeze. However, thin layers of ice have formed on both banks…

The brown bear weighed about 700 or 800 pounds. Its size caused the river water to become turbid and muddy when it plunged into the river, with water droplets splashing onto its fur.

The brown bear whimpered and howled, letting out a roar that echoed through the sky. However, it was not careful and choked on the river water twice. This showed that the brown bear was seriously injured and could not stand steadily in the river.

Xu Ning and Guan Lei quickly rushed down the mountain, leaping and bounding down to the bottom. Li Fuqiang stood behind a tree, firing his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle incessantly to harass the brown bear. Wang Hu carried his old shovel in his hand, having already left his sled and cloth bag on the mountain he had come from. He followed closely behind Xu Ning and ran down the mountain as well.

The brown bear thrashed about in the river a couple of times, then, once it had regained its footing, it strode quickly toward the opposite bank. Xu Ning was no slower; he circled around to the bear's flank and shouted, "It's going to come ashore! Shi Tou, go upstream and find a narrow spot to step over and intercept it!"

"Alright!" Guan Lei replied, and he and Wang Hu ran upstream together.

The snow here is quite thick, but there is little vegetation, and the snow surface has already been hardened by the sun, so it did not affect their speed.

Xu Ning was only about forty meters away from the brown bear. He couldn't wait any longer. If the brown bear ran to the other side, it would definitely be able to escape. Why? Because there was a deep ditch on the other side. As long as it went into the ditch, it would disappear without a trace in five or six seconds. Tracking it would definitely take some time, and Xu Ning didn't want to go through that trouble.

He thrust out the muzzle of his gun and fired at the brown bear's outstretched head. The shot hit the bear squarely below its ear. The bear's front paws landed on the opposite bank, shattering layers of thin ice, and its entire body crashed down, smashing another piece of ice!
Seeing the brown bear fall to the ground, Li Fuqiang slid down the mountain, shouting excitedly, "Beautiful! Hahaha..."

Xu Ning didn't lower his gun because he was afraid that the brown bear might try something. He and Li Fuqiang had fired eight shots earlier but failed to kill it. Now, even if he only fired one shot and it hit him in the head, he couldn't let his guard down to prevent being caught off guard.

After waiting for about 20 seconds, Li Fuqiang came to his side, and Guan Lei and Wang Hu also went to the other side.

"Second brother! He's dead! Oh my god, this brown bear's eyes are all bulging out."

Xu Ning put down his gun and said, "Your shoes aren't wet, are they?"

"It didn't get wet! We walked about fifty meters upstream and there was a fallen tree. Tiger and I threw the fallen tree into the river and ran across."

Li Fuqiang said, "Brother, shall we also go upstream?"

"Alright, you two get it ashore first, then gut it and take out the gallbladder."

"Got it."

Wang Hu took off the small cloth bag from his body, then took the rope from his shoulder, and then he and Guan Lei tied the rope to the brown bear's forelimbs under its armpits.

But even after pulling hard several times, they couldn't budge it. When Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang reached the other side, Guan Lei laughed and said, "This brown bear is too big; we can't pull it."

"Let's lend a hand."

Four people pulled on two ropes, using all their strength to drag the bear from the shore to the open ground. This was because the brown bear's belly was stuck on a protruding rock on the shore. Besides, a brown bear weighing seven or eight hundred pounds was impossible for two people to move.

After dragging the brown bear to an open space, Wang Hu pulled out his knife, cut open its belly, and took out its gallbladder. Xu Ning, holding the 56-and-a-half, kept a watchful eye on the surroundings. Guan Lei and Li Fuqiang picked up and cut tree branches to prepare for crossing the river later.

Li Fuqiang asked, "What's the name of this river? Is it a branch of the Hailang River?"

Guan Lei said, "This river should be the upper reaches of the Hailang River, flowing directly into it."

Xu Ning shook his head, piling the branches together, and said, "Chopping branches isn't enough. We need to cut down small trees as thick as an arm and line them up in a row, otherwise they won't be able to support such a heavy brown bear."

"Lei Zi, go gather firewood, and I'll chop it. Anything as thick as your arm will do, okay?"

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Don't bother with that yet. We still have plenty of time. Let's light the fire first, and then go downstream to check if there are any narrow spots."

“I think it’s a good idea. The area in front of us is only two or three meters wide, and it’s quite difficult to cut down small trees. If it were one meter wide… not just one meter, but even one and a half meters would be fine. We could drag it across without building a bridge.”

At this moment, Wang Hu had already taken out the brown bear's lantern and casually hung it on a willow branch at the foot of the mountain. He then turned around, squatted down, put the knife into the bear's belly, and removed a bear gall bladder.

"Second brother, this gall bladder is not bad, it seems to be about the same size as the brown bear we hunted last time."

Xu Ning glanced at it and nodded: "Pretty much. Tie it up and put it in your little cloth bag. Then cut off two pieces of meat and roast them."

"That's it."

The brown bear's fur wasn't in good condition. Firstly, Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang fired eight shots, five of which hit its body. The most critical shot hit below its neck, which is why the brown bear appeared shaky after jumping into the water.

Secondly, the black bears had been in the enclosure for nearly half a year, and their fur was not good when they came out. It was all matted and felted. This was due to their nutrition and the fact that they were not groomed regularly.

Like the black bears in the zoo, their fur looks shiny and smooth, mainly because they eat well and live in good conditions, unlike wild beasts that not only have to worry about food crises every day, but also have to avoid attacks from predators.

While Wang Hu and Guan Lei were sitting by the fire cooking and roasting meat, Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang went for a stroll downstream. They walked about 200 meters before spotting a riverbank that was about 1 meter wide. But as Li Fuqiang stepped onto the bank, he heard the sound of ice cracking. He quickly pulled his foot back and shook his head.

"No, this looks solid from the outside, but it's actually all frozen ice. Shall we slide down a bit further?"

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Stop wandering around, hurry back. If you go further east on this road... it's only 40 li to Wanye, too far. Let's discuss it again when we eat..."

As the two walked back, Guan Lei and Wang Hu had already prepared the meal and grilled four skewers of bear meat.

Xu Ning took the meat skewers, opened the lunchbox, and said, "It's not easy to bring this bear home. The narrowest part of the river is more than two meters wide. Once the bear falls into the water, it will be difficult to pull it out."

Wang Hu said, "Second Brother, just like you said, can't we cut down some small trees to build a bridge?"

"It's feasible, but it's too troublesome, and selecting and cutting down trees is too time-consuming. It can't be done without at least two locations."

"As long as it can be fixed, bro, I'm not afraid of going through the trouble."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "You haven't forgotten your roots. Okay, let's do it this way."

After saying that, the four of them buried themselves in their food and ate heartily, finishing off all the food they had stored. They rested around the fire for a while before getting up to cut down trees.

The reason why cutting down trees was so difficult was that they didn't have a large axe. Guan Lei only had a small hand axe, and the rest of them had three cleavers.

Even a small tree as thick as an arm has a diameter of fifteen or sixteen centimeters. After two or three blows with an axe, the tree only broke the bark. It wasn't that it was too hard to cut, but rather that the point of impact was too poor.

It took Li Fuqiang a couple of chops before wood chips flew out. Guan Lei shook his head: "I originally thought this small tree would be easy to cut down. I didn't have this much trouble when I was chopping down trees with a big axe before."

"That's normal. A big axe is powerful to swing, but a small axe is not."

The felled trees were carried to the riverbed, and a log bridge was built across the two banks. Then, the second, the third... a total of eight logs were felled before the simple wooden bridge was finally completed.

Guan Lei ran two laps and said, "It should hold up, bro, what do you think?"

"Okay! You three take a break. I'll splash some water on the wood with a branch, and we'll pull it up when it freezes. Be careful when you pull it up, and don't fall into the river."

"Yeah, it shouldn't fall. The three of us will go to the other side to pull it out, and you can stay here and keep an eye on the direction."

After Li Fuqiang finished his cigarette, the four of them made ample preparations. Because the brown bear's belly was wet, it was stuck to the snow. Wang Hu had to cut the ground twice to separate it.

"Oh my, it's so easy to pull when there's ice on the bear's fur, it just slides off with a tug."

"Haha, what else is there to say? This is how we do it in winter. We've gained experience. Before, we just dragged and pulled the animals. From now on, when it snows in winter, we'll boil the snow into water and pour it on the animals. Once it freezes into ice, it'll be much easier."

"Not so good!"

The brown bear was covered in ice, as was the wooden bridge, so they easily dragged it to the other side. After Xu Ning ran steadily across, they pulled the brown bear back the way they came.

This was a very easy walk, and all four of them were in a good mood. They chatted about everyday things as they walked, recounting all the big and small events that happened in the village.

It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that they reached Huolazi Mountain. The reason they walked so slowly was because it was too tiring to drag Heixiazi along, and the frequent stops and starts took up a lot of time.

"Second Brother, did Uncle Ma go to the market again today?"

"Definitely, if things go wrong, I might end up going back with Old Yang."

Wang Hu asked, "Can his body withstand it?"

"I've tried everything I could to persuade him. Do you really think I'd tie him up in the house and prevent him from going out?"

Guan Lei sighed, "This old man Ma is so stubborn. He's sick, he should just stay home and rest for a couple of days. What's the rush?"

"Let him do whatever makes him happy. You guys keep an eye on things up on the mountain and don't let them drink too much. Two ounces per meal is enough."

"Hmm, it seems like you didn't drink much during the Lunar New Year this year?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "I'm saving this to deal with those people in the city. How can you ask someone for a favor without drinking? Anyway, it's not a big deal. I'll have Lao Qian help me out. They'll be more lenient with me since I'm a junior."

"Hey, right, bro, didn't Quan tell you that if you need money, just ask him?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "I can't ask Quan Ge for anything anymore. He always feels like he owes me something, but he really doesn't owe me anything. If we continue like this as brothers, then our friendship will soon be over."

The three nodded, understanding the meaning behind Xu Ning's words. Li Fuqiang said, "But Haiquan is still quite particular."

“Of course we have to be considerate and loyal! Stone, if you do business with the Malian ginseng gang this fall, just ask Brother Quan for a loan. You won’t lose that money; Brother Dong will cover for you.”

"Okay, Brother Qiang, will you come with me then?"

Li Fuqiang waved his hand: "Forget it, I can't do it. The main reason is that I can't leave home and I don't want to run around. You do it yourself."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "In two years, I'll have my older brother and Baoquan's brother-in-law start a breeding business together, raising pigs and cattle or something."

"Oh, I heard you arranged a place for the security guards to learn a trade?"

"Yeah, he'll have to go back to school after the fifteenth. If he does well, it'll take a year or two; if he doesn't, it'll take five or six years. It depends on whether he's willing to study. We can also take this time to raise some poultry and pigs at home. My mom and the others are already quite tired from researching cooking. Big brother, could you help them out by feeding the pigs and cleaning up the pigsty?"

"I know, so I'll just raise them at the foot of that barren mountain you've leased?"

“That’s right! We can’t keep them at home, otherwise they’ll smell bad. This autumn, when Shi Tou goes to Ma Lian, I’ll have Da Zhi and Feng Ye go with you. I’ll leave the Lengchang business to Cousin Feng Ye, Pan Yan, and Brother Liu Er.”

Guan Lei smiled and nodded: "I get along very well with my nephew and Feng Ye. They are both very meticulous in their work and have good character."

"Indeed, what's the deal with Pan Yan then?"

"Brother Jun said he wanted to train him, but who knows what happened? Anyway, he doesn't care about the 28th workshop. He's in charge of the 17th workshop, but Brother Jun is still in charge of the 28th workshop."

Wang Hu asked, "That's alright. Hey, what's Haitao still doing at our place?"

Guan Lei said, "After this winter, we'll let him go back to Wanye in the spring. Originally, my uncle didn't want him to come, but he insisted on following Pan Xiao."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "It's normal for young people to fall in love. Once they get married in the spring, there won't be so many problems."

Around 5 o'clock, they finally arrived at Xima.

Xu Ning looked at the empty mountain road, rubbed his face and said, "Tiger, go to the 17th yard and shout to see if there are any cars. If you see a car, stop it and mention my name."

"Alright, you guys find a sheltered spot to rest. I'll be back in half an hour."

Guan Lei threw down the rope and said, "Brother, I'm going with Hu Zi."

"Okay, you two take 56."

After the two left, Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang found a spot by the mountainside and squatted down.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Wang Hu and Guan Lei finally appeared. Guan Lei was driving a tractor, the very same Dongfanghong that Liu Xuemin had given to Xu Ning.

The tractor rattled along, and Guan Lei laughed, "We've come at the wrong time. Brother Jun just came home from the mountain, and as soon as I saw a tractor in the yard, I drove over."

“The tractor is fine too. I had arranged with Brother Jun to come over after dinner, but it would be six o’clock by the time he finishes eating… so I’ll turn the tractor around.”

The four men loaded the brown bear into the tractor bed, and then Li Fuqiang drove the tractor, with the three men sitting on the brown bear, swaying back to Qing'an.

Just as they were about to enter the village, they bumped into Yang Jun driving his car. He exclaimed, "Damn it! I only came back for a meal, and we just missed each other like this? It's my fault..."

"Haha, Brother Jun, we missed the best time. We finished fighting around noon. You should turn around and go straight to my house."

Yang Jun nodded without hesitation, turned his vehicle around, and followed the tractor into the village.

(End of this chapter)